Publications by authors named "Derek A Houtz"

Infrared (IR) emissivity is a critical parameter for modeling and predicting heat transfer by radiation. Microwave absorbing materials, having a high emissivity in the microwave spectrum, are crucial in a wide array of applications, such as electromagnetic interference mitigation, stealth technology, and microwave remote sensing and radiometer calibration. Accurate knowledge of the thermal properties of these materials is necessary for efficient design and optimization of these types of systems.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

A conical cavity has been designed and fabricated for use as a broadband passive microwave calibration source, or blackbody, at the National Institute of Standards and Technology. The blackbody will be used as a national primary standard for brightness temperature and will allow for the prelaunch calibration of spaceborne radiometers and calibration of ground-based systems to provide traceability among radiometric data. The conical geometry provides performance independent of polarization, minimizing reflections, and standing waves, thus having a high microwave emissivity.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

A modified measurement technique and nonlinear least-squares solution method is introduced for determining complex permittivity and permeability in transmission lines. In addition to a two-port S-parameter measurement, a one-port measurement of the shorted sample is employed. For low-loss samples, material property determination using the traditional method can be plagued by resonances when the sample thickness is an integer multiple of the guided half-wavelength in the sample medium.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF