Secure and Robust Demand Response Using Stackelberg Game Model and Energy Blockchain.

Demand response (DR) has been studied widely in the smart grid literature, however, there is still a significant gap in approaches that address security, privacy, and robustness of settlement processes simultaneously. The need for security and robustness emerges as a vital property, as Internet of Things (IoT) devices become part of the smart grid; in the form of smart meters, home energy management systems (HEMSs), intelligent transformers, and so on. In this paper, we use energy blockchain to secure energy transactions among customers and the utility.

Demand Management for Optimized Energy Usage and Consumer Comfort Using Sequential Optimization.

The Energy-efficiency of demand management technologies and customer's experience have emerged as important issues as consumers began to heavily adopt these technologies. In this context, where the electrical load imposed on the smart grid by residential users needs to be optimized, it can be better managed when customer's comfort parameters are used, such as thermal comfort and preferred appliance usage time interval. In this paper a multi-layer architecture is proposed that uses a multi-objective optimization model at the energy consumption level to take consumer comfort and experience into consideration.

Simultaneous measurement of refractive index and thickness of multilayer systems using Fourier domain optical coherence tomography, part 2: implementation.

We introduce a theoretical method for simultaneous measurement of refractive index and thickness of multilayer systems using Fourier domain optical coherence tomography (FD-OCT) without any auxiliary arrangement. The input data to the formalism are the FD-OCT measured optical path lengths (OPLs) and properly selected spectral components of FD-OCT interference spectrum. The outputs of the formalism can be affected significantly by uncertainty in measuring the OPLs.

Simultaneous measurement of refractive index and thickness of multilayer systems using Fourier domain optical coherence tomography, part 1: theory.

We introduce a theoretical framework for simultaneous refractive index and thickness measurement of multilayer systems using the Fourier domain optical coherence tomography (FD-OCT) system without any previous information about the item under investigation. The input data to the new formalism are the FD-OCT measured optical path lengths and properly selected spectral components of the FD-OCT interference spectrum. No additional arrangement, reference reflector, or mechanical scanning is needed in this approach.

Wyckoff positions and the expression of polarization singularities in photonic crystals.

We reveal the fundamental relation between linear photonic crystal symmetries and the local polarization states of its Bloch modes, in particular the location and nature of polarization singularities as established by rigorous group theoretic analysis, encompassing the full system symmetry. This is illustrated with the fundamental transverse electric mode of a two-dimensional hexagonal photonic crystal, in the vanishing contrast limit and at the K point. For general Wyckoff positions within the fundamental domain, the transformation of a local polarization state is determined by the nature of the symmetry operations that map to members of its crystallographic orbit.

Symmetry constraints and the existence of Bloch mode vortices in linear photonic crystals.

Modal phase singularities are identified in linear photonic crystals and the vortex state is explored in detail. Using group theory and phasor geometry, in the vanishing contrast limit, the modal symmetry requirements for the existence of phase singularities are determined. The vortex states are the partner functions of the symmetry groups, and hence one has a qualitative map of these modes in reciprocal space.