Condensation in a steady-flow thermoacoustic refrigerator

Condensation may occur in an open-flow thermoacoustic cooler with stack temperatures below the saturation temperature of the flowing gas. In the experimental device described here the flowing gas, which is also the acoustic medium, is humid air, so the device acts as a flow-through dehumidifier. The humid air stream flows through an acoustic resonator. Sound energy generated by electrodynamic drivers produces a high-amplitude standing wave inside of the resonator, which causes cooling on a thermoacoustic stack. Condensation of water occurs as the humid air passes through the stack and is cooled below its dew point, with the condensate appearing on the walls of the stack. The dry, cool air passes out of the resonator, while the condensate is wicked away from the end of the stack. Thermoacoustic heat pumping is strongly affected by the form of the condensate inside of the stack, whether condensed mostly on the stack plates, or largely in the form of droplets in the gas stream. Two simple models of the effect of the condensate are matched to a measured stack temperature profile; the results suggest that the thermoacoustic effect of droplets inside the stack is small.     

Microwave excitation and readout of nano- and micron scale cantilevers

We show that a microwave near-field coaxial resonator system allows mechanical cantilever excitation on a scale much shorter than the microwave wavelength. Thermal noise is observed in the unexcited system, enabling room temperature displacement sensitivity of ∼70 fm/Hz^1/2. The measured force between near-field probe and cantilever varies with separation, in excellent agreement with theory. Uniquely, optical excitation and read-out lasers are also included. The dependence of mechanical resonator quality factor on ambient air pressure has been accurately measured. We have demonstrate passive cantilever mode cooling from 300 K to 80 K by frequency detuning the microwave resonator and propose pulsed cooling operation to enable several high-sensitivity applications.     

Non-stationary random response of a finite cable

Numerous problems of current concern involve the designs of aerodynamic systems which either travel at high speeds or contain structural elements which are excited by moving pressure fluctuations. In a number of recent papers responses of dynamic systems to random excitation have been considered. The appropriate theory for calculating the mean square response of linear systems to both stationary and non-stationary random excitation is well known [1–7]. In this paper, the mean square response of a finite cable to non-stationary random excitation is considered. The non-stationary random excitation is of the form s(t) = e(t)α(t), where e(t) is a well defined envelope function and α (t) is the Guassian, narrow band, stationary part of the excitation which has zero mean. Both the unit step and rectangular step functions are used for the envelope function, and both white noise and noise with an exponentially decaying harmonic correlation function are used to prescribe the statistical property of the excitation. The results obtained are shown to be a complete expression for the mean square response when checked for accuracy by reduction to expressions previously obtained by Lyon [4]. It is felt that these results will aid the design of both linear and two-dimensional aerodynamic systems excited by random pressure fluctuations.     

Reconstruction of the Green function in problems of resonance acoustic spectroscopy

A possibility for reconstruction of the Green function for a three-dimensional elastic body (resonator) is considered. The initial data are the elasticity tensor for the resonator material that is measured by the technique of resonance acoustic spectroscopy and its complex vibration response. Possibility for the response reconstruction and determination of the coordinates for a force source of vibration excitation according to the measured data is demonstrated. The difference between the measured and synthesized responses is small that provides an opportunity to perform continuous calibration of acoustic measurements and determine the distribution of stress and strain within a solid.     

Crossing resonance of wave fields in a medium with an inhomogeneous coupling parameter

The dynamic susceptibilities (Green’s functions) of the system of two coupled wave fields of different physical natures in a medium with an arbitrary relation between the mean value ? and rms fluctuation Δ? of the coupling parameter have been examined. The self-consistent approximation involving all diagrams with noncrossing correlation lines has been developed for the case where the initial Green’s function of the homogeneous medium describes the system of coupled wave fields. The analysis has been performed for spin and elastic waves. Expressions have been obtained for the diagonal elements G _mm and G _uu of the matrix Green’s function, which describe spin and elastic waves in the case of magnetic and elastic excitations, and for the off-diagonal elements G _mu and G _um , which describe these waves in the case of cross excitation. Change in the forms of these elements has been numerically studied for the case of one-dimensional inhomogeneities with an increase in Δ? and with a decrease in ? under the condition that the sum of the squares of these quantities is conserved: two peaks in the frequency dependences of imaginary parts of G _mm and G _uu are broadened and then joined into one broad peak; a fine structure appears in the form of narrow resonance at the vertex of the Green’s function of one wave field and narrow antiresonance at the vertex of the Green’s function of the other field; peaks of the fine structure are broadened and then disappear with an increase in the correlation wavenumber of the inhomogeneities of the coupling parameter; and the amplitudes of the off-diagonal elements vanish in the limit ? → 0.     

Air-coupled MUMPs capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducers with resonant cavities

This work reports performance improvements of air-coupled capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducers (CMUTs) using resonant cavities. In order to perform this work, we have designed and manufactured a CMUT employing multi-user microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) processes (MUMPs). The transducer was designed using Helmholtz resonator principles. This was characterised by the dimensions of the cavity and several acoustic ports, which had the form of holes in the CMUT plate. The MUMPs process has the advantage of being low cost which allows the manufacture of economic prototypes. In this paper we show the effects of the resonant cavities and acoustic ports in CMUTs using laser Doppler vibrometry and acoustical measurements. We also use Finite Element (FE) simulations in order to support experimental measurements. The results show that it is possible to enhance the output pressure and bandwidth in air by tuning the resonance frequency of the plate (f_p) with that of the Helmholtz resonator (f_H). The experimental measurements show the plate resonance along with an additional resonance in the output pressure spectrum. This appears due to the effect of the new resonant cavities in the transducer. FE simulations show an increase of 11 dB in the output pressure with respect to that of a theoretical vacuum-sealed cavity MUMPs CMUT by properly tuning the transducer. The bandwidth has been also analyzed by calculating the mechanical Q factor of the tuned CMUT. This has been estimated as 4.5 compared with 7.75 for the vacuum-sealed cavity MUMPs CMUT.     

Calculation of the electroelastic Green’s function of the hexagonal infinite medium

The electroelastic 4 × 4 Green’s function of a piezoelectric hexagonal (transversely isotropic) infinitely extended medium is calculated explicitly in closed compact form ((73) ff. and (88) ff., respectively) by using residue calculation. The results can also be derived from Fredholm’s method [2]. In the case of vanishing piezoelectric coupling the derived Green’s function coincides with two well known results: Kröner’s expressions for the elastic Green’s function tensor [4] is reproduced and the electric part then coincides with the electric potential (solution of Poisson equation) which is caused by a unit point charge. The obtained electroelastic Green’s function is useful for the calculation of the electroelastic Eshelby tensor [16].     

Electromechanical models of nanoresonators

The goal of this study is to construct simple electromechanical models of nanoresonators as mass detectors. A major obstacle in the achievement of sufficient measurement accuracy for the resonant frequency associated with the adsorption of additional mass onto the graphene layer is a low quality factor of the oscillatory system containing the graphene layer. A graphene resonator can be considered as an elastic system with distributed parameters. The application of the Galerkin method to study nearly resonant vibrational modes reduces the problem to considering an oscillatory system with a few degrees of freedom with pronounced nonlinear properties. These properties are, first of all, due to the nonlinear dependence of the forces produced by the electric field on the graphene deflection and, second, due to the nonlinear dependence of the graphene layer tension on its deflection. Taking into account the nonlinear properties leads to the appearance of characteristic drops in the resonance curve which allow for a more accurate resonant frequency measurement. Resonance curves with such characteristic drops can be obtained using a demonstration experimental macromodel of the resonator. Two absolutely new layouts are proposed, such as a differential resonator and resonator with parametric excitation. The oscillations excited in the differential resonator that contains two graphene layers resemble beats. In this case, small changes in the mass of the main layer correspond to significant changes in the frequency of the envelope. This effect is illustrated by oscillograms obtained for an experimental macromodel of the differential resonator. The parametric resonator has one graphene layer between two conducting surfaces. Parametric excitation of steady-state high amplitude oscillations is possible in this resonator only in a narrow frequency band close to the eigenfrequency. The band width reduces with a decrease in the quality factor of the oscillatory system. The latter fact can be useful for the improvement of eigenfrequency measurement accuracy at a low quality factor of the oscillatory system.     

An improved TM110 resonator for continuous-wave ENDOR studies at X-band

An improved TM₁₁₀ resonator for continuous-wave and time-resolved electron-nuclear double resonance (ENDOR) studies at X-band frequencies is described that has been designed with small samples and/or light excitation in mind. The filling factor is increased by reducing the resonator length to only 16 mm. The radio-frequency field is generated by either a conventional solenoid for stable samples or by a pair of coils for samples which require photoexcitation. This arrangement leaves the central volume of the resonator free for optimal sample illumination, which is achieved through a slit in the wall of the resonator. Microwave coupling is achieved by the incorporation of an iris in the top of the resonator, and magnetic field modulation is applied by external coils. The resonator’s high sensitivity is illustrated by a study of the temperature dependence of the continuous-wave ENDOR signal of the stable neutral flavin radical in DNA photolyase and an investigation of the photoexcited triplet state of free-base tetraphenylbacteriochlorin by time-resolved ENDOR.     

The pure-shear mode solidly mounted resonator based on c-axis oriented ZnO film

In this paper, we fabricate a pure-shear mode film bulk acoustic resonator based on c-axis oriented ZnO film. The resonator is consisted of an in-plane electrode, a highly c-axis oriented ZnO film and a SiO₂/W Bragg reflector. The shear mode wave is excited by the lateral electric field. The resonator works in a pure-shear mode with the resonance frequency near 1.5 GHz and the Q-factor of 479 in air. There is no obvious longitudinal mode resonance in the frequency response, which can be explained that the electric field component normal to the surface is very weak and the Bragg reflector has the effective frequency selectivity for the shear mode. Importantly for sensors, the immersion into de-ionized water and glycerol liquid still allows for a Q-factor up to 335 and 220, respectively. This resonator shows the potential as mass loading sensors for biochemical application.     

Observation of specific features of laser beam propagation in air with standing acoustic waves

The process of laser beam propagation in air with a standing acoustic wave is studied. The uncertainty σ in the spatial localization of the laser beam is found to decrease in this process. In the studied case of laser beam propagation in a tube at atmospheric air pressure, the observed effect is manifested as a decrease in σ alongside the increasing resonator (tube) quality factor.     

The influence of solid bodies on low Mach number vortex sound

The mechanisms of sound generation by unsteady, subsonic flows in the presence of solid boundaries are investigated. For this purpose an alternative integral representation for the radiated pressure field is applied which is different from the generally used integral representation introduced by Lighthill and Curle. The main advantage of the method is that there is a linear dependence of the integrand on the time derivative of the vorticity fluctuations in the hydrodynamic near field; instead of the ordinary Green function a “vector Green function” is used. This vector Green function can be chosen for a given flow field in such a way that surface integrals do not appear. Finally, the theory is illustrated by two- and three-dimensional model flows. Analytical solutions are determined by applying the method of matched asymptotic expansions.     

Calculation of Conversion Efficiency of a Doubly Resonant Optical Parametric Oscillator

The problem of calculating the conversion efficiency for a doubly resonant optical parametric oscillator with a Fabry-Perot type resonator configuration is reinvestigated, extending the usual theoretical treatment, which is restricted to highly reflecting resonator mirrors, to the case of arbitrary reflectivity R of the output mirror. For decreasing R both the signal and the idler wave acquire growing portions of travelling waves, and it is shown by numerical analysis that this effect leads to a remarkable enhancement of the conversion efficiency (as a function of the relative excitation). In particular, the maximum efficiency may considerably exceed the value 50% to be attained by means of high quality resonators (1 — R < 1).     

Shells and plates loaded by dynamic moments with special attention to rotating point moments

The response of thin shells to line or point moment excitation is formulated by way of distributed moment fields. Twisting moments in the tangent plane are part of this formulation. The approach is illustrated by using Love's thin shell theory, but is valid for any other thin shell theory as well. Dirac delta functions are used to describe line and point moments. As a first example, the response of a plate to a rotating moment is evaluated and shown to be identical to the solution obtained by Bolleter and Soedel [1] by a Green function approach. The three-directional response of a circular cylindrical shell to a rotating moment is given as the second example. It is a technically significant case that has not been treated in the literature before.     

磁致伸缩换能器辐射板形状对声场分布的影响

磁致伸缩换能器可作为热声制冷机的声源装置,辐射板的形状直接影响声压输出效率,从而影响制冷效果。为提高换能器工作效率、减小换能器体积,辐射板需在Terfenol-D棒的激励下产生大振幅、高频率的活塞振型。针对这一问题,应用ATILA软件分析了磁致伸缩换能器辐射板形状对谐振腔振动幅频特性的影响以及对谐振腔内声场分布的影响。结果表明:相同激励条件下,凹球面辐射板出现活塞振型时振幅最大,对应谐振腔中声压幅值最高;谐振腔端面形状为凹球面时,具有聚焦声压幅值的作用;端面形状为凹发射端-凸反射端组合的谐振腔内声压幅值最高。以上结论为合理设计辐射板、谐振腔两端面组合形状提供了参考。     

Gauge invariant quark Green’s functions with polygonal Wilson lines

Properties of gauge invariant two-point quark Green’s functions, defined with polygonal Wilson lines, are studied. The Green’s functions can be classified according to the number of straight line segments their polygonal lines contain. Functional relations are established between the Green’s functions with different numbers of segments on the polygonal lines. An integrodifferential equation is obtained for the Green’s function with one straight line segment, in which the kernels are represented by a series of Wilson loop vacuum averages along polygonal contours with an increasing number of segments and functional derivatives on them. The equation is exactly solved in the case of two-dimensional QCD in the large-N _c limit. The spectral properties of the Green’s function are displayed.     

Electromagnetic excitation of infrasound in a conducting medium

A comparative analysis is made of the mechanisms of interaction between the electromagnetic fields of a global resonator and hydrodynamic and acoustic disturbances in a conducting medium. A universal boundary condition at the interface between air and the conducting medium, which takes into account the motion of the electrolyte, is obtained in an explicit analytical form to calculate the long-wavelength electromagnetic fields. The intensity of the electromagnetic field excited by a vertical hydroacoustic wave is estimated together with the efficiency of excitation of infrasonic oscillations of a conducting medium in the field of a global resonator. Zh. Tekh. Fiz. 68, 80–83 (January 1998)     

调制气流声源的原理

利用气流调制以产生声音是一个比较有效的方法。人的发声器官、旋笛、电动气流扬声器以及一般哨子等都是根据这个原理。气流声源的特点是效率高,功率可以很大,有实用价值。关于气流声源的发声原理,过去已有一些讨论,但有的是过分简化,有的比较细致,但又过于繁复,不便计算。本文从气体动力学的基本原理出发,求得气流声源的气流-压力特性,并用图解法求得在给定气室压力和气流喷口面积比的条件下声辐射特性的方法,考虑到气流声源的气流特性和辐射关系都是非线性的,但是辐射声功率主要由基频决定,从而用近似理论求得了声功率、气流产额和气流效率的简单表达式,和严格理论的结果相比,误差不到1分贝。文中把结果画成图表以便计算,并讨论了最佳设计的问题。     

ANALYSIS OF THE PERIODIC PRESSURE FLUCTUATIONS INDUCED BY FLOW OVER A CAVITY

Subsonic flows over Helmholtz resonators often cause strong periodic pressure fluctuations inside the resonators over a range of outer flow velocities. The flow-excitation mechanism is known to be governed by both the shedding of discrete vortices within the shear layer over the orifice and the acoustic response of the cavity. This self-sustained oscillation phenomenon is often analyzed by using a feedback loop model where the flow excitation and the acoustic response of the resonator are approximately modelled as a forward gain function and as a backward gain function respectively. In the present work, a similar approach was followed and a new forward gain function was derived based on the concept of “vortex sound” to model the flow excitation. The formulation combined this forward gain function with a backward gain function from previous work, within the framework of the feedback loop analysis. The approximate method allowed the frequency and the relative amplitude of the cavity pressure fluctuations to be predicted for a range of flow velocities. In addition, the extended Nyquist stability criterion was used to estimate the onset and the termination velocities of the first two modes of the shear layer flow oscillations. Experimental data were obtained using a rigid-walled cavity in a low-speed wind tunnel. The results showed that the model predictions were in reasonably good agreement with the experimental data.     

Laplace transform approach for the dynamics of N qubits coupled to a resonator

An approach to use the method of Laplace transform for the perturbative solution of the Schrödinger equation at any order of the perturbation for a system of N qubits coupled to a cavity with n photons is suggested. We investigate the dynamics of a system of N superconducting qubits coupled to a common resonator with time-dependent coupling. To account for the contribution of the dynamical Lamb effect to the probability of excitation of the qubit, we consider counter-rotating terms in the qubit-photon interaction Hamiltonian. As an example, we illustrate the method for the case of two qubits coupled to a common cavity. The perturbative solutions for the probability of excitation of the qubit show excellent agreement with the numerical calculations.