The benefits of multibit chaotic sigma delta modulation

Sigma delta modulation is a popular technique for high-resolution analog-to-digital conversion and digital-to-analog conversion. We investigate chaotic phenomena in multibit first-order sigma-delta modulators. Particular attention is placed on the occurrence of periodic orbits or limit cycles. These may result in idle tones audible to the listener when sigma-delta modulation is used for audio signal processing. One suggested method of eliminating idle tones is the operation of a sigma delta modulator in the chaotic regime. Unfortunately, chaotic modulation of a first order sigma delta modulator is a poor system for signal processing. We show that minor variations on a traditional first order sigma-delta modulator, together with a multibit implementation, may be used to produce an effective, stable chaotic modulator that accurately encodes the input and helps remove the presence of idle tones. (c) 2001 American Institute of Physics.     

Low-complexity compression of holograms based on delta modulation

Past research has demonstrated that hologram of a real world object can be acquired by scanning it with a single two-dimensional optical scan. The technology commonly referred to as optical scanning holography (OSH), have found important applications such as in microscopy, pattern recognition, 3D holographic display, and optical remote sensing. As holograms are often employed to capture three dimensional objects with high resolution, large amount of data is required to represent them. In this paper we propose a method for compressing holograms based on Delta modulation. Specifically, we apply our proposed method for holograms captured by OSH. Experimental evaluation reveals that our proposed approach is capable of attaining a compression ratio of 64 times, and still preserves favorable fidelity on the reconstructed images. In addition, both the encoding and decoding processes of the proposed method are very low in complexity, hence enabling real-time operation.     

Bi-directional modulation of AMPA receptor unitary conductance by synaptic activity

Background  

Knowledge of how synapses alter their efficiency of communication is central to the understanding of learning and memory. The most extensively studied forms of synaptic plasticity are long-term potentiation (LTP) and its counterpart long-term depression (LTD) of AMPA receptor-mediated synaptic transmission. In the CA1 region of the hippocampus, it has been shown that LTP often involves a rapid increase in the unitary conductance of AMPA receptor channels. However, LTP can also occur in the absence of any alteration in AMPA receptor unitary conductance. In the present study we have used whole-cell dendritic recording, failures analysis and non-stationary fluctuation analysis to investigate the mechanism of depotentiation of LTP.     

Characterization of ultra-short pulses by cross-phase modulation

We present an improved iterative algorithm which allows to reconstruct the temporal pulse profile, phase and absolute intensity of ultra-short laser pulses from a set of cross-phase-modulated spectra. The changes in the centre of gravity of the recorded spectra allow to reconstruct the intensity autocorrelation independently of the phase retrieval algorithm. Ambiguity problems encountered in a previous scheme are eliminated.     

电激励O2（a1Δg）发生器的实验研究

 在纯氧，及氧气和氩气的混合气体情况下，对射频放电产生O₂（a¹Δg）进行了实验研究。射频频率为13.56MHz，额定功率500W，放电压力133.0~399.0Pa， 氧气流量最大为1.4mmol/s， 氩气流量为2.1mmol/s。研究了O₂（a¹Δg）产率随气体流量、放电气压以及混合气体放电条件的变化。O₂（a¹Δg）产率最大值约为17.5%。     

电激励O2（a1Δg）发生器的实验研究

在纯氧,及氧气和氩气的混合气体情况下,对射频放电产生O2（a1Δg）进行了实验研究。射频频率为13.56MHz,额定功率500W,放电压力133.0~399.0Pa, 氧气流量最大为1.4mmol/s, 氩气流量为2.1mmol/s。研究了O2（a1Δg）产率随气体流量、放电气压以及混合气体放电条件的变化。O2（a1Δg）产率最大值约为17.5%。     

Copropagation of two pulses of different frequencies and modulation instabilities induced by cross-phase modulation in metamaterials

Nonlinear coupled equations describing the copropagation of two light pulses of different central frequencies in metamaterials (MMs) are derived. Based on the derived equations and the Drude model for dispersive MMs, the modulation instabilities (MIs) induced by cross-phase modulation (XPM) for different combination of the signs of refractive index experienced by the two optical pulses, respectively, are analyzed. It is shown that, in the absence of group-velocity mismatch, the property of MI only depends on the sign of group-velocity dispersion the two pulses experience, irrespective of the sign of refractive index. The group-velocity mismatch plays an important role in the occurrence of MI, especially when the central frequencies of the two pulses near the electric or magnetic plasma frequency of the MM. The theoretical results are confirmed by numerical simulations.     

Inhibition of modulation instability in lasers by noise

It is shown that additive noise can inhibit modulation instability in laser equations of motion. A related self-starting condition for pulsation is obtained by employing a fluctuation--dissipation relation between noise and losses and a statistical mechanics approach. Entropy considerations are shown to play a crucial role. The quantum limit for self-starting is estimated.     

Image transfer by modulation of short light pulses

This paper shows that the Fourier-processing based modulation of short laser pulses can be successfully used for all-optical image transfer. The system under consideration consists of a transmitter, where the transferred image modulates the frequency profile of a carrier pulse, and a receiver, where after the reverse processing an original image is restored. The main limitations are discussed and the information capacity of a single pulse is obtained. The results from preliminary experiments using a CPM-ring dye laser as a source of carrier pulses are presented.     

Ultrafast measurement of two-photon absorption by loss modulation

We demonstrate a direct and sensitive technique for measuring two-photon absorption (TPA). An intensity-modulated femtosecond laser beam passes through a sample exhibiting TPA. A TPA signal at twice the modulation frequency is then generated and subsequently measured by a lock-in amplifier. The absolute TPA cross section of Rhodamine 6G at 800nm is found to be (15.3+/-2.0)x10(-50) cm(4) s/photon and agrees well with previously published results obtained with much higher intensity [J.Chem.Phys.112, 9201 (2000)]. Our method may be especially useful in measuring nonlinear absorptions of nonfluorescent materials.     

Reduction of blade passage tone by angle modulation

Blade staggering has been used in both centrifugal and axial flow fans to reduce discrete tones. Impeller hub resilience, causing fan torsional oscillations, appears to be equivalent to blade staggering in that both lead to angle modulation of the blade passage sound. By using Jacobi-Anger expansions, the sound reductions resulting from the angle modulation effects of these two equivalent techniques are predicted. Excellent agreement is found with published data.     

Characterization of lineshape structure by wavelength modulation spectroscopy

Wavelength Modulation Spectroscopy (WMS) is performed in the oxygen A-band at different harmonics for different modulation indices and optical pathlengths. The experimental data is compared to two models with different absorption profiles: one assuming a Lorentzian lineshape function and the other with a Voigt lineshape function. We show that the larger amount of structure in higher harmonic signals provides greater sensitivity to the type of lineshape profile utilized for modeling. A useful new feature explored in this work is optical path length saturation in WMS that was described for the first time in a recent paper from our group. We discuss the role of such saturation and how it can be utilized as a diagnostic to probe lineshape. We also address the effect of the ever present modulation broadening. Results of experiments in which sets of nine scans (direct absorption, 1f, 2f,??,8f; i.e., detection harmonic N=0,1,2,3,??,8) were made simultaneously are described and discussed. Finally, the role that increased structure plays??as a result of increasing order of detection, N, as well as from the modification of the signal profile with increasing optical thickness??is outlined from the perspective of classical information theory.     

Frequency modulation spectroscopy by means of quantum-cascade lasers

In this paper we investigate the performance of quantum cascade (QC) lasers for high frequency modulation spectroscopy, particularly using frequency modulation (FM) and two-tone (2T) techniques. The coupling of the rf signal to the QC laser through the cryostat is studied in detail as well as the noise contributions of both the detector and the laser source to the final spectra. The experimental traces are obtained by spectroscopy on low-pressure N₂O and CH₄ gases at 8.0 μm and 7.3 μm wavelength, respectively, and reproduce the line profiles predicted by theory. As a preliminary result, an enhancement of a factor six is measured with respect to direct absorption line recording. PACS 42.62.Fi; 42.72.A1; 07.88.+y     

Suprathreshold effects of adaptation produced by amplitude modulation

This work extends the study of adaptation to amplitude modulation (AM) to the perception of highly detectable modulation. A fixed-level matching procedure was used to find perceptually equivalent modulation depths for 16-Hz modulation imposed on a 1-kHz standard and a 4-kHz comparison. The modulation depths in the two stimuli were compared before and after a 10-min exposure to a 1-kHz tone (adaptor) 100% modulated in amplitude at different rates. For modulation depths of 63% (20 log m = -4) and smaller, the perceived modulation depth was reduced after exposure to the adaptor that was modulated at the same rate as the standard. The size of this reduction expressed as a difference between the post- and pre-exposure AM depths was similar to the increase in AM-detection threshold observed after adaptation. Postexposure suprathreshold modulation depth was not appreciably reduced when the modulation depth of the standard was large (approached 100%). A much smaller or no reduction in the perceived modulation depth was also observed when the modulation rates of the adaptor and the standard tone were different. The tuning of the observed effect of the adaptor appears to be much sharper than the tuning shown by modulation-masking results.     

Detection of lateral composition modulation by magnetoexciton spectroscopy

An experimental signature for detecting spontaneous lateral composition modulation in a (InAs) (GaAs) short period superlattice on a InP substrate based on magnetoexciton spectroscopy is described. We find by aligning the magnetic field in three crystallographic directions, one parallel to and the other two perpendicular to the composition modulation direction, that the magnetoexciton shifts are anisotropic and are a good indicator for the presence of composition modulation.