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Magnetic Sensors (magnetic + sensor)

Distribution by Scientific Domains
Physics and Astronomy40%

Selected Abstracts

Evaluation of ferromagnetic shape-memory alloys by the extended Hückel method

IEEJ TRANSACTIONS ON ELECTRICAL AND ELECTRONIC ENGINEERING, Issue 3 2007
Kei Ehara Student Member
Abstract Ferromagnetic shape-memory alloy (SMA) are powerful candidates as actuators, pressure sensors, magnetic sensors, etc. Magnetic-field-induced strain has been observed in many ferromagnetic SMA. The magnetic-field-induced strain is a reversible transformation in the martensite phase with the magnetic field. We have investigated the property of the ferromagnetic shape-memory materials by the extended Hückel method, and estimated the ferromagnetic shape-memory of Fe,Pt and Fe,Pd alloys at high temperatures. We used two physical quantities, i.e. cohesive energy and energy fluctuation, to measure the stability of the materials. On the basis of the cohesive energy and energy fluctuation, we discuss the characteristics of ferromagnetic SMA, in which the energy fluctuation is a measure of thermal stability of the metals and/or alloys. The martensite structure is unstable, which means that the energy fluctuation has to be controlled to a small value to keep the martensite phase. Furthermore, it is estimated that the energy fluctuation is associated with the Curie temperature. The Curie temperature is an essential parameter for ferromagnetic materials. From the discussion presented above, we can propose the following: (i) Alloys possessing a low cohesive energy are associated with a high mobility of atoms and are suitable for ferromagnetic shape-memory materials; (ii) Alloys showing a low energy fluctuation show ferromagnetic shape-memory and are favored for use as memory devices. We found that I (iodine) is the best dopant for Fe,Pt ferromagnetic SMA, and Tc (technetium) is the best dopant for Fe,Pd ferromagnetic SMA. Copyright © 2007 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan© 2007 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. [source]

Studies of the magnetic structure at the ferromagnet,antiferromagnet interface

JOURNAL OF SYNCHROTRON RADIATION, Issue 2 2001
A. Scholl
Antiferromagnetic layers are a scientifically challenging component in magnetoelectronic devices, such as magnetic sensors in hard-disk heads, or magnetic random-access memory (RAM) elements. In this paper, it is shown that photoelectron emission microscopy (PEEM) is capable of determining the magnetic structure at the interface of ferromagnets and antiferromagnets with high spatial resolution (down to 20,nm). Dichroism effects at the L edges of the magnetic 3d transition metals, using circularly or linearly polarized soft X-rays from a synchrotron source, give rise to a magnetic image contrast. Images, acquired with the PEEM2 experiment at the Advanced Light Source, show magnetic contrast for antiferromagnetic LaFeO3, microscopically resolving the magnetic domain structure in an antiferromagnetically ordered thin film for the first time. Magnetic coupling between LaFeO3 and an adjacent Co layer results in a complete correlation of their magnetic domain structures. From field-dependent measurements, a unidirectional anisotropy resulting in a local exchange bias of up to 30,Oe in single domains could be deduced. The elemental specificity and the quantitative magnetic sensitivity render PEEM a perfect tool to study magnetic coupling effects in multilayered thin-film samples. [source]

In situ identification, pairing, and classification of meteorites from Antarctica through magnetic susceptibility measurements

METEORITICS & PLANETARY SCIENCE, Issue 3 2006
Luigi Folco
Magnetic susceptibility measurements carried out with a pocket meter (SM30) during the 2003/04 PNRA meteorite collection expedition to northern Victoria Land (Antarctica) proved to be a rapid, sensitive, non-destructive means for the in situ identification, pairing, and classification of meteorites. In blue ice fields characterized by the presence of moraines and glacial drifts (e.g., Miller Butte, Roberts Butte, and Frontier Mountain), magnetic susceptibility measurements allowed discrimination of meteorites from abundant terrestrial stones that look like meteorites thanks to the relatively high magnetic susceptibility of the former with respect to terrestrial rocks. Comparative measurements helped identify 16 paired fragments found at Johannessen Nunataks, thereby reducing unnecessary duplication of laboratory analyses and statistical bias. Following classifications schemes developed by us in this and previous works, magnetic susceptibility measurements also helped classify stony meteorites directly in the field, thereby providing a means for selecting samples with higher research priority. A magnetic gradiometer capable of detecting perturbations in the Earth's magnetic field induced by the presence of meteorites was an efficient tool for locating meteorites buried in snow along the downwind margin of the Frontier Mountain blue ice field. Based on these results, we believe that magnetic sensors should constitute an additional payload for robotic search for meteorites on the Antarctic ice sheet and, by extension, on the surface of Mars where meteorite accumulations are predicted by theoretical works. Lastly, magnetic susceptibility data was successfully used to crosscheck the later petrographic classification of the 123 recovered meteorites, allowing the detection of misclassified or peculiar specimens. [source]

Magnetoimpedance (MI) in amorphous wires: new materials and applications

PHYSICA STATUS SOLIDI (A) APPLICATIONS AND MATERIALS SCIENCE, Issue 4 2009
Larissa V. Panina
Abstract The discovery of the magnetoimpedance (MI) effect in 1994 had a strong impact on the development of magnetic sensors. Along with traditional areas of sensing applications (data storage, bio-medical electronics, robotics and security), the MI elements have a high potential for applications in smart sensory systems (self-sensing composites) operating at microwave frequencies owing to still very large MI ratios of 50,100% in Co-rich amorphous wires at GHz frequencies. Here we introduce two types of MI wire composites: 2D-arrays and mixtures of wire pieces. In such materials the effective permittivity has strong dispersion in a frequency band determined by a plasma frequency or a dipole resonance, respectively. If MI wires are used as constituent elements, this dispersion may be very sensitive to the magnetic properties of wires since the wire impedance determines the relaxation parameter of the effective permittivity. For example, increasing the wire impedance by establishing the magnetisation along the axis with an external magnetic field broadens the resonance band, decreases the reflection amplitude and may open a bandpass. Depending on the magnetic anisotropy in wires, tuning can be realized with both magnetic field and stress. It is foreseen that MI-wire composite materials could be suitable for large scale applications, in particular, for free space filters in secure wireless systems and for microwave nondestructive testing and control in civil engineering. (© 2009 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) [source]

Skeleton-based active catheter navigation

THE INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MEDICAL ROBOTICS AND COMPUTER ASSISTED SURGERY, Issue 2 2009
Yili Fu
Abstract Background The emergence of the active catheter has prompted the development of catheterization in minimally invasive surgery. However, it is still operated using only the physician's vision; information supplied by the guiding image and tracking sensors has not been fully utilized. Methods In order to supply the active catheter with more useful information for automatic navigation, we extract the skeleton of blood vessels by means of an improved distance transform method, and then present the crucial geometric information determining navigation. With the help of tracking sensors' position and pose information, two operations, advancement in the proximal end and direction selection in the distal end, are alternately implemented to insert the active catheter into a target blood vessel. Results The skeleton of the aortic arch reconstructed from slice images is extracted fast and automatically. A navigation path is generated on the skeleton by manually selecting the start and target points, and smoothed with the cubic cardinal spline curve. Crucial geometric information determining navigation is presented, as well as requirements for the catheter entering the target blood vessel. Using a shape memory alloy active catheter integrated with magnetic sensors, an experiment is carried out in a vascular model, in which the catheter is successfully inserted from the ascending aorta, via the aortic arch, into the brachiocephalic trunk. Conclusions The navigation strategy proposed in this paper is feasible and has the advantage of increasing the automation of catheterization, enhancing the manoeuvrability of the active catheter and providing the guiding image with desirable interactivity. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]