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At least 109 records · Page 6

Optimizing a continuously variable filter in a hybrid optical correlator

In contrast to binary filters, continuously variable optical filters offer an ability to conpensate for certain imperfections in the optics of a hybrid correlator. Arbitrary static phase errors are introduced into a model of a phase-only filtering hybrid correlator, and a method of discovering a correction for them simulated. By a recursive technique a first approximation to the impulse's matched filter is adjusted (allowed to relax) so as to produce successively more localized distribution of the output in the correlation plane. The method is motivated by the development of continuously-variable phase-only spatial light modulators, but it is applicable to amplitude modulators and -with appropriate modification -- to binary modulators as well. The technique is robust against the form of the system's departure from ideal behavior.

Juday, Richard D.

Bandwidth Efficient Wireless Digital Modem Developed

NASA Lewis Research Center has developed a digital approach for broadcasting highfidelity audio (nearly compact disk (CD) quality sound) in the commercial frequencymodulated (FM) broadcast band. This digital approach provides a means of achieving high data transmission rates with low hardware complexity--including low mass, size, and power consumption. Lewis has completed the design and prototype development of a bandwidth-efficient digital modem (modulator and demodulator) that uses a spectrally efficient modulation scheme: 16-ary rectangular quadrature amplitude modulation, or 16- ary QAM. The digital implementation is based strictly on inexpensive, commercial off-theshelf digital signal processing (DSP) hardware to perform up and down conversions and pulse shaping. The digital modem transmits data at rates up to 76 kilobits per second (kbps), which is almost 3 times faster than standard 28.8-kbps telephone modems. In addition, the modem offers improved power and spectral performance, flexible operation, and low-cost implementation.

Kifle, Muli

Waveform Modulation of Locked PIC Lasers for Microwave Photonic Radars

In a conventional radar or radiometer system, microwave or millimeter-wave signals are generated, distributed, and processed using electronic components that have considerable size, weight, and power (SWaP) and are typically limited in bandwidth and immunity to electromagnetic interference. Radar waveform modulation was achieved via phase and amplitude modulation of one of the two mixed laser signals enabling the use of highly developed photonic modulation technology.

Victor Torres

622-Mbps Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing Modulator Developed

The Communications Technology Division at the NASA Lewis Research Center is developing advanced electronic technologies for the space communications and remote sensing systems of tomorrow. As part of the continuing effort to advance the state-of-the art in satellite communications and remote sensing systems, Lewis is developing a programmable Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) modulator card for high-data-rate communication links. The OFDM modulator is particularly suited to high data-rate downlinks to ground terminals or direct data downlinks from near-Earth science platforms. It can support data rates up to 622 megabits per second (Mbps) and high-order modulation schemes such as 16-ary quadrature amplitude modulation (16-ary QAM) or 8- phase shift keying (8PSK). High order modulations can obtain the bandwidth efficiency over the traditional binary phase shift keying (BPSK) or quadrature phase shift keying (QPSK) modulator schemes. The OFDM modulator architecture can also be precompensated for channel disturbances and alleviate amplitude degradations caused by nonlinear transponder characteristics.

Nguyen, Na T.

Introduction

Optical birefringent devices - synthesis of lossless networks, double-pass technique, optical amplitude modulator, and naturally birefringent and electro-optic networks

NETWORK SYNTHESIS

Communications and networks

Communications and networks - pulse amplitude modulation, multipliers, photoformer, and sequential circuits

NETWORK

Comparison of Loads and Aeroacoustics Between Upwind and Downwind Wind Turbine Rotors

This presentation discusses the motivation, preparation, risk mitigation, execution, and results of a full-scale experiment where the rotor of a 1.5 megawatt wind turbine was operated in a downwind configuration. The experiment took place at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory Flatirons Campus in Colorado, USA, and collected conventional loads and power together with acoustic measurements from an array of four microphones. Results from load simulations complement the experiment. Fatigue loads and performance are compared between 410 minutes of downwind operation with 960 minutes of conventional upwind operations. Downwind operations cause an increase in damage equivalent loads in a few load channels. Damage equivalent load of blade root flapwise and edgewise moment and the damage equivalent load of tower base fore aft moment increase between 2% and 20% depending on the wind speed. The comparison in active power is less conclusive, but experimental results show more power in downwind than predicted by simulations. In terms of acoustics, the overall sound pressure levels are similar between upwind and downwind, but downwind worsens the metrics describing amplitude modulation.

aeroacoustics

Surface Reconstruction in Hydrated Amphiphilic Block Copolymer Thin Films Probed by Fluid Cell Atomic Force Microscopy

In many thin film materials, nuanced interplays of interfacial energies control the surface morphology and rearrangement. This work evaluates polymer−solvent interactions and solvent-driven surface reconstructions via ex situ and in situ fluid cell Atomic Force Microscopy (fc-AFM) analysis of amphiphilic block copolymer (BCP) thin films upon exposure to deionized (DI) water. We examine the differences in surface morphology, whole-film swelling, and force response in thin films of polystyrene-block-poly(ethylene oxide) (PS-b-PEO) and polystyrene- block-poly[(allyl glycidyl ether)-co-(ethylene oxide)] (PS-b- P[AGE-co-EO]) processed into standing-up cylinder morphologies perpendicular to a silicon substrate (⊥C). Using Amplitude Modulation AFM (AM-AFM) and Amplitude-Phase Distance (APD) force spectroscopy, this work probes the mechanoresponsive nature of the dynamic surface layers of these films, unveiling surface layer stratification and surface chain rearrangement via minimal tip−sample stimulation. To help rationalize the observed reconfigurations, the energetic driving forces were estimated using the harmonic mean approximations of interfacial energies. Given the nonionizable nature of the minority P(AGE-co-EO) block and the energetic driving forces for chain mobility, this work shows how the elimination of unfavorable PS−water interfaces drives chain rearrangement and coverage of the PS surface by chains of the hydrophilic block. This work highlights considerations for increasing the heterogeneity and complexity of BCP thin films via random blocks and how those changes to local interfacial energies may drive larger scale film morphology reconstructions, with broader implications for tuning interface hydrophilicity.

Copolymers

Response functions for sine- and square-wave modulations of disparity.

Depth sensations cannot be elicited by modulations of disparity that are more rapid than about 6 Hz, regardless of the modulation amplitude. Vergence tracking also fails at similar modulation rates, suggesting that this portion of the oculomotor system is limited by the behavior of disparity detectors. For sinusoidal modulations of disparity between 1/2 to 2 deg of disparity, most depth-response functions exhibit a low-frequency decrease that is not observed with square-wave modulations of disparity.

Richards, W.

Stepping optical path difference in an interferometer

Stepping method permits higher amplitude modulation of secondary mirror of Fourier interferometer. Amplitude of mirror motion is limited only by available voltage drive on error-correcting actuator. Closed-loop controller provides servo error voltage linearly proportional to offset from proper null position. Bidirectional counter serves to count number of reference laser fringes offset from null position.

Schindler, R. A.

The performance of Schottky diodes as far-infrared modulators

The performance as a THz-frequency modulator of a small-area Schottky diode mounted in a corner-cube antenna is evaluated, including the effects of carrier inertia and dielectric relaxation. Calculations are performed for a 1.4-micron diameter diode operating at a carrier frequency of 2.252 THz and a modulation frequency of 8 GHz. The phase modulation is found to completely dominate the amplitude modulation. The performance is shown to be degraded well below the plasma frequency in the undepleted epilayer due to the presence of a second resonance caused by the interaction of the barrier capacitance and the effective inductance due to carrier inertia. An increase in epilayer doping (reducing the diode radius) may improve the single-sideband conversion efficiency by about 20 dB.

Grossman, Erich N.

A three channel telemetry system

A three channel telemetry system intended for biomedical applications is described. The transmitter is implemented in a single chip using a 2 micron BiCMOS processes. The operation of the system and the test results from the latest chip are discussed. One channel is always dedicated to temperature measurement while the other two channels are generic. The generic channels carry information from transducers that are interfaced to the system through on-chip general purpose operational amplifiers. The generic channels have different bandwidths: one from dc to 250 Hz and the other from dc to 1300 Hz. Each generic channel modulates a current controlled oscillator to produce a frequency modulated signal. The two frequency modulated signals are summed and used to amplitude modulate the temperature signal which acts as a carrier. A near-field inductive link telemeters the combined signals over a short distance. The chip operates on a supply voltage anywhere from 2.5 to 3.6 Volts and draws less than 1 mA when transmitting a signal. The chip can be incorporated into ingestible, implantable and other configurations. The device can free the patient from tethered data collection systems and reduces the possibility of infection from subcutaneous leads. Data telemetry can increase patient comfort leading to a greater acceptance of monitoring.

Lesho, Jeffery C.

Systematic Phase Curve Study of Known Transiting Systems from Year One of the TESS Mission

We present a systematic phase curve analysis of known transiting systems observed by the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) during year one of the primary mission. Using theoretical predictions for the amplitude of the planetary longitudinal atmospheric brightness modulation, stellar ellipsoidal distortion and Doppler boosting, as well as brightness considerations to select targets with likely detectable signals, we applied a uniform data processing and light-curve modeling framework to fit the full-orbit phase curves of 22 transiting systems with planet-mass or brown dwarf companions, including previously published systems. Statistically significant secondary eclipse depths and/or atmospheric brightness modulation amplitudes were measured for HIP 65A, WASP-18, WASP-19, WASP-72, WASP-100, WASP-111, WASP-121, and WASP-122/KELT-14. For WASP-100b, we found marginal evidence that the brightest region of the atmosphere is shifted eastward away from the substellar point. We detected significant ellipsoidal distortion signals in the light curves of HIP 65A, TOI-503, WASP-18, and WASP-30, with HIP 65A, TOI-503 and WASP-18 also exhibiting Doppler boosting. The measured amplitudes of these signals agree with the predictions of theoretical models. Combining the optical secondary eclipse depths with previously published Spitzer 3.6 and 4.5 μm measurements, we derived dayside brightness temperatures and visible-light geometric albedos for a subset of the analyzed systems. We also calculated updated transit ephemerides combining the transit timings from the TESS light curves with previous literature values.

Ian Wong

Water Surface Currents, Short Gravity-Capillary Waves and Radar Backscatter

Despite their importance for air-sea interaction and microwave remote sensing of the ocean surface, intrinsic properties of short gravity-capillary waves are not well established. This is largely due to water surface currents and their effects on the direct measurements of wave parameters conducted at a fixed point. Frequencies of small scale waves propagating on a surface which itself is in motion, are subject to Doppler shifts. Hence, the high frequency tail of the wave spectra obtained from such temporal observations is smeared. Conversion of this smeared measured-frequency spectra to intrinsic-frequency (or wavenumber) spectra requires corrections for the Doppler shifts. Such attempts in the past have not been very successful in particular when field data were used. This becomes evident if the amplitude modulation of short waves by underlying long waves is considered. Microwave radar studies show that the amplitude of a short wave component attains its maximum value near the crests and its minimum in the troughs of the long waves. Doppler-shifted wave data yield similar results but much larger in modulation magnitude, as expected. In general, Doppler shift corrections reduce the modulation magnitude. Overcorrection may result in a negligible modulation or even in a strong modulation with the maximum amplitude in the wave troughs. The latter situation is clearly contradictory to our visual observations as well as the radar results and imply that the advection by currents is overestimated. In this study, a differential-advection approach is used in which small scale waves are advected by the currents evaluated not at the free surface, but at a depth proportional to their wavelengths. Applicability of this approach is verified by the excellent agreement in phase and magnitude of short-wave modulation between results based on radar and on wave-gauge measurements conducted on a lake.

Atakturk, Serhad S.

Upwind vs. downwind: loads and acoustics of a 1.5 MW wind turbine

This paper discusses the motivation, preparation, risk mitigation, execution, and results of a full-scale experiment where the conventional upwind rotor of a 1.5 MW wind turbine was operated in a downwind configuration. The experiment took place at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory Flatirons Campus in Colorado, USA, and involved the collection of loads and power together with acoustic measurements from an array of four microphones. To validate the numerical predictions of the aeroelastic solver OpenFAST in terms of loads and performance, 410 min of downwind operation and 960 min of conventional upwind operations were used. In the wind speed range from 4.5 to 12.5 m s−1, the downwind rotor generates higher damage equivalent loads for the blade root flapwise moment, blade root edgewise moment, and tower-base fore-aft moment compared to the upwind rotor. For these metrics of fatigue loads, numerical predictions match the experimental observations well. OpenFAST is, however, also seen underpredicting a power gain in the downwind rotor. In terms of acoustics, the overall sound pressure levels recorded in the field are similar between the upwind and downwind cases, but downwind operation worsens the metrics describing amplitude modulation.

17 WIND ENERGY

SAR imagery of ocean-wave swell traveling in an arbitrary direction

The intensity wave like patterns observed in Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) are known to be caused by two mechanisms: the microwave radar cross sectional amplitude modulation due to tilt and hydrodynamic interaction of the long ocean waves, and intensity modulation due to the motion of the long ocean waves. Two dimensional closed form expressions of intensity wave patterns based on ocean wave swell are developed. They illustrate the relative importance of the amplitude and motion modulations; they also show that velocity bunching and a distortion due to the phase velocity of the ocean wave field are independent of the focus adjustment, provided that the second order temporal effects are neglected. Second order effects are small only over a limited range of ocean/radar parameters.

Rufenach, C. L.

Fundamental bandwidth limits and shaping of frequency-modulated combs

Frequency-modulated (FM) combs based on active cavities like quantum cascade lasers have recently emerged as promising light sources in many spectral regions. Unlike passive modelocking, which generates amplitude modulation using the field’s amplitude, FM comb formation relies on the generation of phase modulation from the field’s phase. They can therefore be regarded as a phase-domain version of passive modelocking. However, while the ultimate scaling laws of passive modelocking have long been known—Haus showed in 1975 that pulses modelocked by a fast saturable absorber have a bandwidth proportional to effective gain bandwidth—the limits of FM combs have been much less clear. Here, we show that FM combs based on fast gain media are governed by the same fundamental limits, producing combs whose bandwidths are linear in the effective gain bandwidth. Not only do we show theoretically that the diffusive effect of gain curvature limits comb bandwidth, but we also show experimentally how this limit can be increased. By adding carefully designed resonant-loss structures that are evanescently coupled to the cavity of a terahertz laser, we reduce the curvature and increase the effective gain bandwidth of the laser, demonstrating bandwidth enhancement. Our results can better enable the creation of active chip-scale combs and be applied to a wide array of cavity geometries.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION