In this project you will look at methods to make transceivers resistant to jamming and which allow them to operate in challenging environments. The project will investigate a number of techniques to make adaptive transmitters, including use of tuning networks and methods of adaptive matching. You will initially investigate how amplifiers can be designed to operate across different frequency bands, using combinations of matching networks and/or tuneable components. You will also develop methods for identifying interference/ jamming events and develop designs and strategies to avoid the interference by altering the operating frequency and bandwidth of the amplifier.
The electromagnetic environment (EME) is becoming increasingly congested and contested. Not only are radar, sensors and communications systems being developed that are increasingly harder to detect, but disruptor technologies that affect receiver and transceiver operation, whether by accident or design, are increasingly prevalent in an overcrowded electromagnetic space. System response and resilience to Electronic Attack (EA) events are increasingly important, including through building in resistance, but increasingly through developing adaptable systems that can, for example, change operating frequency to avoid congested channels, to respond to a physically complex environment, or to avoid jamming / disruption attempts. As EM systems become increasingly diverse in both capability and operation, adaptability and flexibility are of fundamental importance to generation-after-next systems.
In this project you will develop technology which can identify when there is interference in the band that the transceiver wishes to operate, allowing the system to adapt its operating frequency to avoid the interference. This will involve a combination of system and circuit simulations to identify suitable solutions, and the trade-offs between the possible options. The most promising solution will then be demonstrated practically, making use of the radio frequency (RF) manufacturing facilities and RF test equipment within the University laboratory facilities.
This project represents an exciting opportunity to join a National Hub in technologies for the Electromagnetic Environment, funded by the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL), led by the University of Loughborough and partnered with the University of Leeds, Queen Mary University London, the University of Glasgow and Queen’s University Belfast. You will also have a unique opportunity to, as part of wider Hub activities, work with industrial partners in related areas.
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