The main local infrastructure available for this project is represented by three research laboratories belonging to the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at USV:
(a) High Performance Computing (HPC) Laboratory whose research infrastructure has been significantly enhanced in 2009 by the acquisition of a second IBM BladeCenter QS22/LS22 computer cluster with 96 computing core processors and a storage capacity of 6.9 TB in HDD and 40 GB in RAM (see the left picture below). By reaching the maximum computing power of 6.45 Tflops, this computer cluster is (to the best of our knowledge) the most powerful computer existent in a Romanian university. A second cluster (28 computing cores, 10 GB RAM, 1 TB HDD) is also available in the HPC laboratory. Since an important part of our project consists of numerical simulations with high computational complexity, this readily available HPC infrastructure represents a strong support for the project development, as well as for the external collaborators interested in this project.
(b) Laboratory for Research of Hysteretic Systems (RHS) whose interdisciplinary research is aimed at providing a pertinent analysis of hysteretic systems with direct relevance for data storage nanotechnology and microwave engineering (see the central picture below). The main IT infrastructure of RHS lab includes by 14 computer workstations and 10 portable computers with diverse simulation and data analysis software, while from the research infrastructure useful for this project, let us mention the Nanosurf Scanning Tunneling Microscope, Signal and noise generators, Oscilloscopes and spectrum analyzers, Antenna Training and Measurement System, Diode-Pumped Solid-State Laser Kit, and Microwave Technology Training System (all of them have been acquired during the last two years). The 70 m2 laboratory area is providing an enjoyable environment for the research team of the project and will be the main incubator for developing the project ideas and preliminary testing which will then be extensively explored by using HPC and ECT labs, as well as the infrastructure available at the external partners. For full version of the our RHS equipment list and their main technical characteristics please visit:
www.eed.usv.ro/hysteresis/en/laboratory/
(c) Electromagnetic Compatibility and Testing (ECT) Laboratory includes a fully compliant TDK 3m semi-anechoic chamber which provides a suitable environment for the experimental analysis of many noise induced phenomena considered in this project. The laboratory has been accredited by RENAR in 2009 for product certification according to SR EN ISO/CEI 17025:2005 standards. The state of the art research infrastructure (see the right figure below) also includes Rohde & Schwarz - ESU 26 EMI Test Receiver, Rohde & Schwarz - SMR 20 Microwave Signal Generator, Rohde & Schwarz – NRP Power Meter, Rohde & Schwarz - NRP-Z22 Power Meter Sensor, Rohde & Schwarz - ENV 216 Two Line V-Network, ETS LINDGREN - HI-6053 Electric Field Probe, TDK - SI-300 System Interface, EMTEST – ditto Compact ESD Simulator, EMTEST - UCS 500M4 Compact Tester for EFT/Burst, Surge and Power Fail. For full version of the our RHS equipment list and their main technical characteristics please visit: http://www.emclab.ro/
In addition, an extensive research infrastructure is also available through our international collaborators interested in this project from Florida State University (USA) [ www.eng.fsu.edu/ms ], Howard Nanoscale Science and Engineering Facility (USA) [ http://www.msrce.howard.edu ], University of Versailles (France) [ www.gemac.uvsq.fr ], Italian Institute for Research in Metrology (Torino), and Cork National University (Ireland). That includes characterization equipment (such as JOEL Scanning Electron Microscope, SQUID magnetometer, VEECO Atomic Force Microscope, Mossbauer Spectometer, HP4145B Semiconductor Parameter Analyzer, HP Network Analyzer), nanofabrication equipment for lithography, deposition or material modification, and advanced software for modeling and simulation.