Registration is now open for the 3DEXPERIENCE Modeling and Simulation Virtual Conference (ModSim) on November 17-18, 2020. This global conference will inspire users to design and innovate the next generation of products by offering learning opportunities through user presentations on industry applications, product and technology updates. Below is an interview with one of the academic speakers, Yujie Zhao, giving insight on what she will present at the conference. You can find the full presentation here. 

What is the title of your presentation? 

Title of the presentation: High sensitivity probe design for electron paramagnetic resonance optimized using CST STUDIO Suite

• Three different EPR sample probe designs are optimized in CST.
• By introducing modal resonance effect, the H-field can be enhanced by a factor of 3.
• The EPR concentration sensitivity can be improved by a factor of 10.

Please describe why you chose this topic for your project.  

Magnetic resonance techniques including EPR, NMR and MRI are of crucial importance for the determination of structures in material science and structural biology. High sensitivity magnetic resonance is always desirable for its higher time and spatial resolution and larger signal to noise ratio. The aim of this project is to demonstrate the application of magnetic resonance and improve the performance. It is relevant for the $2B magnetic resonance market.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    What are three main takeaways the audience can expect at the conclusion of your presentation?

We use CST to simulate the field distribution in sample probe and identify special field enhancement effect from modal resonance. We would like to share this innovative idea of resonator design and we believe it can inspire other interesting EM designs.

• Three different EPR sample probe designs are optimized in CST.
• The EPR concentration sensitivity can be improved by a factor of 10.
• Similar techniques can be used for most of the magnetic resonance sensitivity improvement. It contributes to the $2B MR market.

What do you see are the benefits of someone listening to your presentation?

Our work provides a practical solution for EM field adjustment. it is based on solid theory and aims at technical problems in commercial and industrial design. It has a great potential to be used into other EM design. The audience may get inspiration from our case.

What were the advantages of using simulation in your project?

The massive simulations we have done provides a reliable solution for the sensitivity enhancement problem. We use the simulation to optimize the structure of the probe before fabrication. This saves us a lot of time. The simulation fits the theoretical prediction and shows convincing demonstration of the abstract effect.

Why did you choose SIMULIA over other simulation products?

SIMULIA provides systematical solutions for different tasks. The graphical interface is very friendly, which allows me to create and modify models easily. SIMULIA is also highly automatic and supports massive calculation. It has amazing performance and provides fast processing. It also allows me to restore the experimental condition as much as possible.

Do you feel that learning simulation skills in University will provide you with an advantage in your career? Please explain.

Yes, definitely. SIMULIA is a very popular and powerful tool for industrial design. The skills I have learnt can be directly used in other designs in my future projects and career. Meanwhile, by learning SIMULIA, I refreshed my knowledge about electromagnetism and optimization. The simulation experience also provides me valuable intuition for similar design.

Yujie Zhao has a keen interest in developing magnetic resonance techniques for chemical and biological characterization. Her PhD project aims to develop an NMR spectrometer enhanced by Dynamic Nuclear Polarisation (DNP) effect. She holds a B.Eng. in Material Science and Engineering in 2019 from Zhejiang University, China. She then started her Ph.D. in the mmwave & EPR group in University of St Andrews, Scotland. She has since worked on several research projects in material science and physics.

SIMULIA offers an advanced simulation product portfolio, including Abaqus, Isight, fe-safe, Tosca, Simpoe-Mold, SIMPACK, CST Studio Suite, XFlow, PowerFLOW and more. The SIMULIA Community is the place to find the latest resources for SIMULIA software and to collaborate with other users. The key that unlocks the door of innovative thinking and knowledge building, the SIMULIA Community provides you with the tools you need to expand your knowledge, whenever and wherever.