Focal length measurement of a varifocal liquid lens with capacitance detection

This paper reports on a detailed deformation model of varifocal liquid lenses fabricated by Parylene-on-liquid-deposition (POLD), which can be applied to measure and adjust the focal length of such lenses without using extra sensors or sensing mechanisms. The lens was fabricated by encapsulating a liquid between a transparent electrode and a polymer film that was covered with a metal electrode. When voltage is applied to the two electrodes, the lens deforms due to the electrostatic force, and its focal length and the capacitance between the two electrodes change simultaneously. This characteristic enables the focal length of the lens to be adjusted and detected by measuring the capacitance change. The focal length of the fabricated varifocal liquid lens changed from 153.6 to 82.6 mm by applying 150-V. The focal length change of the liquid lens was calculated from the change in its capacitance. Finally, to confirm the efficiency of this varifocal liquid lens, we fabricated a confocal distance sensor using the lens for laser scanning and demonstrated that this system can be used to measure distances of 94–140 mm with an average error of 0.83 mm and a standard deviation of 0.77 mm.     

Dynamic and subjective responses of seated subjects exposed to simultaneous vertical and fore-and-aft whole-body vibration: The effect of the phase between the two single-axis components

Subjective and dynamic responses of seated subjects exposed to simultaneous vertical and fore-and-aft sinusoidal whole-body vibration were investigated. The effect of the phase difference between the vertical and the fore-and-aft vibration on the responses was of a particular interest in this study. Fifteen subjects were exposed to dual-axis vibrations at six frequencies (2.5-8 Hz) and at eight phases between the two single-axis components (0-315°). The magnitude of vibration in each axis was constant at 0.7 m s⁻² rms. Discomfort caused by vibration was measured by the method of magnitude estimation. The motion of the body were measured at the head and three locations along the spine with accelerometers attached to the body surface. The most significant effect of the phase between the two single-axis components on the discomfort was observed at 5 Hz: about 40% difference in the median discomfort estimate caused by changing the phase. The transmissibilities from vertical seat vibration to vertical motions of the spine varied from 0.5 to 2.0 by changing the phase between the two single-axis components at frequencies from 2.5 to 5 Hz. The effect of the phase observed in the dynamic response was not predicted by the superposition of the responses to each single-axis vibration. The discomfort caused by the dual-axis vibration tended to be correlated better with the combinations of the dynamic responses measured in the two axes than with the dynamic responses in a single axis.     

Signal measurement system for intra-body communication using optical isolation method

In this paper, we describe an induced signal measurement on the human body for developing a high-performance transceiver of an intra-body communication system. It is important to isolate awearable transceiver from an electrical instrument for precise measurement. We have developed a probe system using an optical isolation method including a laser diode, photo-diode, and optical fiber. The probe system can be successfully applied to the precise measurement of a receiving signal power at a wearable transceiver. We verify that the experimental results agree with the simulation results based on our previous channel model of intra-body communication.     

STF数字微波低电平系统研究

STF是KEK为国际直线对撞机(ILC)建立的试验装置. 在STF中, 数字微波低电平系统用于控制超导腔的RF相位和幅度. 在没有实际腔运行的情况下, 设计了一个基于FPGA技术的实时超导腔模拟器, 用于测试微波低电平系统的硬件和算法. 超导腔的数字控制器用FPGA实现, 其中采用了PI反馈控制和前馈控制算法. 测试表明, 超导腔模拟器和控制器都工作良好, 可用于STF微波低电平系统的进一步开发.     

Mapping the sound field of an erupting submarine volcano using an acoustic glider

An underwater glider with an acoustic data logger flew toward a recently discovered erupting submarine volcano in the northern Lau basin. With the volcano providing a wide-band sound source, recordings from the two-day survey produced a two-dimensional sound level map spanning 1 km (depth) × 40 km(distance). The observed sound field shows depth- and range-dependence, with the first-order spatial pattern being consistent with the predictions of a range-dependent propagation model. The results allow constraining the acoustic source level of the volcanic activity and suggest that the glider provides an effective platform for monitoring natural and anthropogenic ocean sounds.     

PSP measurement of flow fields in a supersonic combustor with a backward-facing step

The mixing fields within a SCRAM-jet combustion chamber are visualized using pressuresensitive paint (PSP) as an oxygen sensor. The experiments are performed in a small supersonic wind tunnel at the National Aerospace Laboratory — Kakuda Research Center (NAL-KRC). The main stream Mach number is 2.4, and the dynamic pressure ratios between the injected gas and the main flow are 0.3, 0.7, 1.1 and 1.5. Three fuel injection nozzles are used; oxygen is injected from the central nozzle and air from the two nozzles at either side. The spread of the injected gas is measured to observe the effects of placing the nozzles in different positions. The results show that the jet has its own independent flow structure, and that little mixing of gases occurs between the flow structures created by each nozzle. When the injection dynamic pressure ratio is increased, the oxygen fraction rises in the recirculation zone and falls in the separation zone downstream of the injection.     

Optical conductivity spectral anomalies in the off-center rattling system β-Ba8Ga16Sn30

We present optical conductivity studies of the type-I clathrate Ba8Ga16Sn30, using a terahertz time-domain spectrometer (0.3-3.0?THz). The lowest-lying spectral peak at 0.72?THz due to the Ba(2) ion's off-center vibration in the oversized cage shows a drastic and anomalous temperature dependence. Below about 100?K, the single broad peak splits into two subpeaks, and with further lowering of the temperature, the spectral shape of this so-called rattling phonon shows non-Boltzmann broadening to the point that the linewidth becomes comparable to the peak frequency. Whereas the initial splitting can be understood by assuming a multiwell anharmonic potential, the strong linewidth broadening toward low temperature cannot, since the Boltzmann factor generally sharpens the low-temperature spectra. The observed behavior suggests strong interaction between the local anharmonic phonons and other excitations.     

White light emission of Mn-doped SnO-ZnO-P2O5 glass containing no rare earth cation

The authors have demonstrated white light emission of rare earth (RE)-free Mn-doped SnO-ZnO-P(2)O(5) glass. The RE-free glass shows white light emission with a high value of quantum efficiency (QE) comparable to conventional crystalline phosphor. It is notable that the high QE value is attained for RE-free transparent glass, and the broad emission can be continuously tuned by both the amount of activator and the composition of the glass. Since this glass possesses low-melting property, we emphasize that the glass phosphor will lead to the development of a novel inorganic white-light-emitting device in combination with a solid state UV light-emitting source.     

Multi-moment advection scheme for Vlasov simulations

We present a new numerical scheme for solving the advection equation and its application to Vlasov simulations. The scheme treats not only point values of a profile but also its zeroth to second order piecewise moments as dependent variables, for better conservation of the information entropy. We have developed one-and two-dimensional schemes and show that they provide quite accurate solutions within reasonable usage of computational resources compared to other existing schemes. The two-dimensional scheme can accurately solve the solid body rotation problem of a gaussian profile for more than hundred rotation periods with little numerical diffusion. This is crucially important for Vlasov simulations of magnetized plasmas. Applications of the one- and two-dimensional schemes to electrostatic and electromagnetic Vlasov simulations are presented with some benchmark tests.