Time modulation to manage and increase the power harvested from external vibrations

Abstract

We investigate how a single resonator with a time-modulated component extracts power from an external ambient source. The collected power is largely dependent on the precise modulation signal frequency choice. We focus on the power absorbed from external vibration using a mechanical resonator and how time modulation of the damper can make a significant difference in the amount of harvested power, leading to more than 10 times enhancement compared to an analogous system without time modulation. We also find that a narrow band pair of peak and dip in the spectrum of the absorbed power occurs because of the presence of an exceptional point of degeneracy (EPD). In this narrow frequency range, the delay between the damper modulating signal and the external vibrating signal largely affects the collected power. The high frequency-selectivity of EPD-induced power management could potentially be used in sensing and spectrometer applications.