Generation of phase-locked and tunable continuous-wave radiation in the terahertz regime

Broadly tunable phase-stable single-frequency terahertz radiation is generated with an optical heterodyne photomixer. The photomixer is excited by two near-infrared CW diode lasers that are phase locked to the stabilized optical frequency comb of a femtosecond titanium:sapphire laser. The terahertz radiation emitted by the photomixer is downconverted into RF frequencies with a waveguide harmonic mixer and measurement-limited linewidths at the Hertz level are demonstrated.     

Finger capacitance of a terahertz photomixer in low-temperature-grown GaAs using the finite element method

Interdigitated finger capacitance of a continuous-wave terahertz photomixer is calculated using the finite element method.For the frequently used electrode width(0.2 μm) and gap width(1.8 μm),the finger capacitance increases quasi-quadratically with the number of electrodes increasing.The quasi-quadratic dependence can be explained by a sequence of lumped capacitors connected in parallel.For a photomixer composed of 10 electrodes and 9 photoconductive gaps,the finger capacitance increases as the gap width increases at a small electrode width,and follows the reverse trend at a large electrode width.For a constant electrode width,the finger capacitance first decreases and then slightly increases as the gap broadens until the smallest finger capacitance is formed.We also investigate the finger capacitances at different electrode and gap configurations with the 8 μm× 8 μm photomixer commonly used in previous studies.These calculations lead to a better understanding of the finger capacitance affected by the finger parameters,and should lead to terahertz photomixer optimization.     

Far-infrared cw difference-frequency generation using vertically integrated and planar low temperature grown GaAs photomixers: application to H<Subscript>2</Subscript>S rotational spectrum up to 3 THz

The generation of continuous coherent THz radiation by mixing two cw Ti:Sa laser beams with a well-controlled frequency separation for a new scheme of vertically integrated low temperature grown GaAs (LTG-GaAs) spiral photomixer is reported. For this new photomixer device used in THz emission, the LTG-GaAs active layer is sandwiched between the two parallel metal plates of a high-speed photodetector loaded by a broadband spiral antenna. We have exploited the advantage of a higher delivered power in the low part of the spectrum (<2000 GHz), while a low RC time constant planar interdigitated detector was used at the upper frequency. The performances of the spectroscopic setup in terms of spectral resolution (5 MHz), tunability and frequency capability are assessed by measurements of the pure rotational spectra of hydrogen sulfide (H₂S) up to 3000 GHz. PACS 73.40.Sx; 33.20.Bx; 39.30.+w     

Phase-locking of a 2.5 THz quantum cascade laser to a frequency comb using a GaAs photomixer

We report the heterodyne detection and phase locking of a 2.5?THz quantum cascade laser (QCL) using a terahertz frequency comb generated in a GaAs photomixer using a femtosecond fiber laser. With 10?mW emitted by the QCL, the phase-locked signal at the intermediate frequency yields 80?dB of signal-to-noise ratio in a bandwidth of 1?Hz.     

Power flow through machine isolators to resonant and non-resonant beams

The parameters controlling power transmission from a vibrating machine to the seating structure, via spring-like vibration isolators, are investigated. The low frequency range is considered where the machine moves as a rigid body. It is shown that the finite seating structure can be modelled by an equivalent structure of infinite extent for frequency averaged power transmission calculations. Power transmission to a finite and an infinite beam via a mass and spring in series is measured experimentally and compared with theoretical predictions. The power transmission is measured by two proposed methods; the first involves the real component of the seating impedance, and the second the transfer impedance of the isolator.     

Highly coherent terahertz wave generation with a dual-frequency Brillouin fiber laser and a 1.55 μm photomixer

Thanks to a portable dual-frequency Brillouin fiber laser and a 1.55 μm photomixer, we report the generation of a highly coherent kilohertz level submillimeter wave emission. Low-cost telecommunications components are used to achieve very simple source architecture. The photomixer is composed of a unitravelling carrier photodiode integrated with an antenna. An emission at 316 GHz is observed and analyzed thanks to heterodyne detection with a signal-to-noise ratio >65 dB and a ~1 kHz linewidth. The phase noise of the proposed source has the same performance at 1.7 and 316 GHz. We show that this source has comparable or better phase noise compared to electrical oscillators and the tunability is much wider.     

Self-consistent LDA calculation in ion neutralization at metal surfaces

The neutralization of He⁺ scattered off aluminum is calculated via a self-consistent LDA where the metal surface is modeled by an LDA jellium surface, and its structure factor is consistently calculated. This approach includes Auger and plasmon-assisted neutralization channels of He⁺ to the He ground state in front of aluminum. We analyze these neutralization channels, which leads us to a revision of the usual calculations of ion neutralization on surfaces depending on the transferred energy lying below, near, or above the metal plasma frequency. The results of this calculation are compared with those of other methods, namely usual unscreened calculations, calculations which extrapolate bulk results, calculations performed for a step potential surface, and surface calculations in the long-distance limit.     

Acoustic wave transmission through piezoelectric structured materials

This paper deals with the transmission of acoustic waves through multilayered piezoelectric materials. It is modeled in an octet formalism via the hybrid matrix of the structure. The theoretical evolution with the angle and frequency of the transmission coefficients of ultrasonic plane waves propagating through a partially depoled PZT plate is compared to finite element calculations showing that both methods are in very good agreement. The model is then used to study a periodic stack of 0.65PMN-0.35PT/0.90PMN-0.10PT layers. The transmission spectra are interpreted in terms of a dispersive behavior of the critical angles of longitudinal and transverse waves, and band gap structures are analysed. Transmission measurements confirm the theoretical calculations and deliver an experimental validation of the model.     

Semi-Analytical Calculation of Terahertz Signal Generated from Photocurrent Radiation in Traveling-Wave Photonic Mixers

A semi-analytical method based on distributed source transmission line model is proposed to analyze a traveling-wave terahertz photomixer integrated with a coplanar stripline waveguide. Multilayer spectral domain method along with complex image technique have been applied to calculate the distributed voltage source element in the transmission line representation. To find the coupled terahertz signal along the coplanar stripline, the transmission line equations are solved. The results obtained from the proposed method are verified by the full wave analysis.     

Selected polymers on CW and pulsed THz investigations

The paper gives the results of refractive indexes for three plastic materials: polyethylene, polymethyl methacrylate and polyvinyl chloride, which are measured and compared in two arrangements - a CW THz photomixer and a pulsed THz spectrometer.     

High resolution methods for delay estimation

I.IntroductionInapplicationssuchasradar,sonar,geo1ogica1cxplorationandmedica1image,it'sncccs-sarytoobtainthecharacteristicsofscattcrcrs(targetS)fromactiveechoes.Oneofthecharacter-isticsisthede1ayparametersbctweenmultip1etargets.Thus,wcarefacedwiththeprob1cmsofresolvjnganunknownnumberofc1oseIy,over1appcdandnoisyechoesofasignalwiththeshapeprioriknown,andestimatingthedelayparametcrs.Ingeneral,anachvcechocscanbere-gardedasaconvolutionmode1x(t)=s(t)*h(t) w(t)(l)wherex(t)istheechowave,s(t)isthecmi…     

The application of improved block-matching method and block search method for the image motion estimation

Image block matching is one of the motion estimation methods for video inter-frame coding and digital image stabilization. The methods used for matching and searching will greatly affect the accuracy and speed of block matching. The block matching method based on the oblique vectors is suggested in this paper where matching parameters contain both horizontal and vertical vectors in the image blocks at the same time. Improved matching information can be obtained after making correlative calculations in the oblique direction. A novel search method of matching block based on the idea of simulated annealing is presented in this paper to improve the searching speed, accuracy and robustness in the fast operation of the block-matching motion estimation. The simulated annealing algorithm can easily escape from the trap of local minima effectively. With the two methods the block matching can be used for motion estimation at the real-time image processing system and high estimation accuracy can be achieved. An image stabilization system based on DSP (Digital Signal Processing) system is developed to verify this algorithm. Results show that both the matching accuracy and the search speed are improved with the methods presented.     

Frequency offset and I/Q imbalance estimation for orthogonal frequency division multiplexing based wireless local area networks

The paper proposes a novel joint estimation of the frequency offset, frequency-independent I/Q imbalance, and frequency-dependent I/Q imbalance, using periodic pilots in orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) based wireless local area networks (LANs). Although a low-complexity frequency offset estimation in the presence of I/Q imbalance can be obtained via a periodic pilot, the corresponding closed-form solution encounters a sign ambiguity. A method based on a power comparison between the signal and image interference is then proposed to detect the sign. Meanwhile, since one periodic pilot only is unable to estimate I/Q imbalance in the absence of a frequency offset, we also propose an estimation method based on two different periodic pilots available in the preamble. The validity and superiority of the proposed method are demonstrated by computer simulations.     

Localization of distinct reflections in rooms using spherical microphone array eigenbeam processing

This paper presents an experimental and comparative study of several spherical microphone array eigenbeam (EB) processing techniques for localization of early reflections in room acoustic environments, which is a relevant research topic in both audio signal processing and room acoustics. This paper focuses on steered beamformer-based and subspace-based localization techniques implemented in the spherical EB domain, including the plane-wave decomposition, eigenbeam delay and sum, eigenbeam minimum variance distortionless response, eigenbeam multiple signal classification (EB-MUSIC), and eigenbeam estimation of signal parameters via rotational invariance techniques (EB-ESPRIT) methods. The directions of arrival of the original sound source and the associated reflection signals in acoustic environments are estimated from acoustic maps of the rooms, which are obtained using a spherical microphone array. The EB-domain-based frequency smoothing and white noise gain control techniques are derived and employed to improve the performance and robustness of reflection localization. The applicability of the presented methods in practice is confirmed by experiments carried out in real rooms.     

Screenless unidirectional hydroacoustic transducers with electrically controlled radiation interference in the rear direction

The results of calculations of frequency characteristics are presented that were obtained from solution of the synthesis and analysis problems for broadband unidirectional rod transducers with controlled interference of acoustic waves in the rear direction provided by the phase excitation of two parts of a piezo rod. The influences of the methods of excitation and different construction parameters on the frequency characteristics are analyzed. Experimental data are presented.     

Comparison between different computational schemes for variational calculations in nuclear structure

We compare several iteration methods for angular-momentum- and parity-projected Hartree-Fock calculations. We used the Anderson update, the modified Broyden method, newly introduced in nuclear-structure calculations, and variants of the Broyden-Fletcher-Goldhaber-Shanno methods (BFGS). We performed ground-state calculations for ¹⁸C and ⁶Li using the two-body Hamiltonian obtained from the CDBonn-2000 potential via the Lee-Suzuki renormalization method. We found that BFGS methods are superior to both the Anderson update and to the modified Broyden method. In the case of ⁶Li we found that the Anderson update and modified Broyden method do not converge to the angular-momentum- and parity-projected Hartree-Fock minimum. The reason is traced back to the lack of a mechanism that guarantees a decrease of the energy from one iteration to the next and to the fact that these methods guarantee a stationary solution rather than a minimum of the energy.     

Blind estimation of shallow water acoustic channel

This paper proposed a method for blind estimation of underwater channels in shallow water environment by using received data at a single hydrophone or from single beam. First,the received signal is used for source signal reconstruction by means of signal-dependent TF(Time-Frequency)distribution,in association with instantaneous frequency estimation and TF inversion.Then the shallow-water channel estimation is achieved via WRELAX technique by use of the received signal and the estimated source signal.Finally,the results of numerical simulation and experimental test from real data taken in South China Sea trial have proved satisfactory.It is shown that the proposed method is useful for underwater channel estimation.     

Bayesian Estimation of NMR Spectral Parameters Under Low Signal-to-Noise Conditions

The Bayesian statistical method of spectral estimation is applied to NMR free induction decay signals at various values of signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). The frequency and amplitude estimates from the Bayesian calculations are more accurate than those from the commonly used fast Fourier transformation (FFT) of the same data sets. Both real and synthetic data sets are examined with the Bayesian results being superior in all cases. In addition to the superior performance at low SNR the Bayesian derived amplitudes and frequency estimates were not as affected by signal decay as in Fourier Transformed spectra. Finally, the amplitudes obtained are equal to the FFT integrated intensities resulting in an apparent frequency domain signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) greater than the FFT SNR by a factor proportional to the FFT frequency domain linewidth. For typical high resolution spectra this improvement was approximately a factor of 2.5. Even greater improvement is obtained when rapidly decaying signals are analyzed. Bayesian computation time for the 6 line p-chloroanaline and chloroform spectrum was approximately 12 minutes on a modern computer work station.     

基于L型延迟阵列调制宽带转换器的信号载频和二维到达角联合估计

针对现有的基于欠采样的频率和二维到达角的联合估计存在结构复杂问题,本文提出了一种基于调制宽带转换器技术的L型延迟阵列接收结构.利用延迟通道与未延迟通道采样值之间的相位差可直接估计载频,进而计算二维到达角,无需额外的参数配对操作,避免了配对步骤引入的误差和复杂度的提升.并结合所提L型延迟阵列结构的特点构造相关矩阵和三线性模型,提出了两种参数估计算法,一种基于旋转不变子空间算法,计算量小,适用于需要实时处理的场景;另一种基于正则分解技术,鲁棒性较好,适用于信噪比较低的应用场景.仿真实验表明该方法能较好地从欠奈奎斯特样本中估计目标的载频和二维到达角参数.     

High resolution time-delay estimation of underwater target geometric scattering

The geometric scatterings carry the information of the shape of an underwater target. While the time-delay of the weak geometric scattering exists in the received signal cannot be obtained accurately by the conventional time-delay estimation methods because of the limit of the main-lobe width and the interferences from the side-lobe. In this paper, we propose a high resolution time-delay estimation (HRTDE) scheme consisting of two steps. Firstly, when a linear-frequency-modulated (LFM) pulse is transmitted by sonar, the dechirping method transforms the geometric scatterings with different time-delays into multiple single-frequency components respectively, in which the frequency of the dechirped signal shows a linear relationship with the time-delay of the geometric scattering. Then the multiple signal classification (MUSIC) algorithm is adopted to increase the spectrum resolution when multiple single-frequency signals exist in the dechirped signal and the frequency interval is smaller than the frequency resolution limit of the Fourier transform. Simulation results show that the main lobe of the proposed scheme is sharper and with less interference from the side-lobe, compared with the conventional time-delay estimation methods. The results from the anechoic pool experiment demonstrate that the proposed scheme achieves a better time-delay estimation performance for the weak geometric scattering generated by the bottom edge of the underwater target model than match filter based methods.