Broadband Frequency Research Articles

Dual-Channel Surface Waves Directional Radiation with Customizable Intensity and Switchable Pattern.

Achieving the conversion from surface waves (SWs) to propagating waves has captivated long-standing interest, and various ingenious metasurfaces benefiting from the powerful control capability for electromagnetic waves are able to realize efficient SWs directional radiation. Nevertheless, most existing schemes still suffer from the bottlenecks of single radiation channel, uncontrollable radiation intensity, and immutable radiation pattern, which immensely hinder their practical application in high-integration intelligent devices. Herein, a series of appealing strategies are proposed to achieve the dual-channel SWs directional radiation with customizable radiation intensity and switchable radiation pattern. The dual-channel SWs radiation metadevice based on the phase modulation metasurface is designed to directionally radiate SWs in left-handed circular polarized channel and right-handed circular polarized channel and possesses the broadband frequency scanning characteristic. More strikingly, the intensity-customizable dual-channel SWs radiation metadevice loaded with lumped resistors can control the realized gain of two circular polarized radiation beams, and the pattern-switchable dual-channel SWs radiation metadevice loaded with PIN diodes can dynamically adjust the radiation direction of the radiation beams. Numerous simulations and experiments of the proof-of-concept prototypes with modular design corroborate the theoretical predictions. Our methodology shows unprecedented flexibility in regulating SWs directional radiation and has enormous potential in engineering applications.

Acoustic metasurfaces designed via topology optimization for regional sound insulation

This study proposes a metasurface that effectively obstructs the propagation of incident waves at any angle over broadband frequencies from propagating to a specific area. To this end, we apply a topology optimization method to design an appropriate metasurface structure and optimize their shapes using different input parameters. Sound insulation using metasurfaces is discussed and the underlying mechanism is verified using a simple model—the waveguide mode and cancellation resulting from the phase difference between the sum of the inlet and intermediate paths. Accordingly, we propose metasurfaces with simple geometries and numerically confirm their functions to effectively attenuate sound propagation toward a specific area generated by incident waves at various angles.

Directional and High-Gain Ultra-Wideband Bow-Tie Antenna for Ground-Penetrating Radar Applications

Bow-tie antennas are utilized extensively in ground-penetrating radar (GPR) systems. In order to achieve sufficient penetration depth and resolution, the bow-tie antennas for GPR applications require low operating frequency, high gain, and excellent broadband. A novel ultra-wideband (UWB) bow-tie antenna with gain enhancement for GPR applications is proposed in this paper. First, a UWB bow-tie antenna with resistive loading is designed. The metal reflector and metamaterial loading make the bow-tie antenna directional, and loading the same metamaterial on the front side of the antenna further improves directional gain. After testing, the lowest frequency of the fabricated antenna is 317 MHz, the relative bandwidth is 98.6%, the peak gain in the frequency range is 9.3 dBi, and the size is only 0.38 λ at the lowest frequency. The proposed compact antenna takes both gain and bandwidth into consideration. Finally, in order to further verify the effectiveness of the proposed antenna in the GPR system, a stepped frequency continuous wave ground-penetrating radar (SFCW-GPR) system was built. The experimental results show that the designed antenna is suitable for the GPR system of deep penetration and high-resolution detection, which is beneficial to the imaging of underground structures.

Overlapping filter bank convolutional neural network for multisubject multicategory motor imagery brain-computer interface

BackgroundMotor imagery brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) is a classic and potential BCI technology achieving brain computer integration. In motor imagery BCI, the operational frequency band of the EEG greatly affects the performance of motor imagery EEG recognition model. However, as most algorithms used a broad frequency band, the discrimination from multiple sub-bands were not fully utilized. Thus, using convolutional neural network (CNNs) to extract discriminative features from EEG signals of different frequency components is a promising method in multisubject EEG recognition.MethodsThis paper presents a novel overlapping filter bank CNN to incorporate discriminative information from multiple frequency components in multisubject motor imagery recognition. Specifically, two overlapping filter banks with fixed low-cut frequency or sliding low-cut frequency are employed to obtain multiple frequency component representations of EEG signals. Then, multiple CNN models are trained separately. Finally, the output probabilities of multiple CNN models are integrated to determine the predicted EEG label.ResultsExperiments were conducted based on four popular CNN backbone models and three public datasets. And the results showed that the overlapping filter bank CNN was efficient and universal in improving multisubject motor imagery BCI performance. Specifically, compared with the original backbone model, the proposed method can improve the average accuracy by 3.69 percentage points, F1 score by 0.04, and AUC by 0.03. In addition, the proposed method performed best among the comparison with the state-of-the-art methods.ConclusionThe proposed overlapping filter bank CNN framework with fixed low-cut frequency is an efficient and universal method to improve the performance of multisubject motor imagery BCI.

Broadband frequency modulation signal downconversion using a monolithic integrated mutual injection laser.

We propose a new, to the best of our knowledge, broadband signal downconversion scheme implemented by a monolithic integrated mutual injection laser. A mathematical derivation, simulation, and experimental verification are carried out. Because the period-one oscillation frequency can be selectively operated on a large scale by controlling the current on the integrated laser, the tuning downconversion range is realized without changing the experimental equipment. The experiment verifies that the downconversion of the linear frequency modulation signal with a bandwidth of 0.5GHz from the center frequency of 18.75 to 0.85GHz, and the spurious-free dynamic range (SFDR) has reached 71.7d B/H z 2/3. Compared with the scheme based on discrete components, the system has no electric local oscillator or external modulator, which provides a method for radar signal downconversion.

Broadband dielectric behaviour and structural characterization of PVDF/PMMA/OMMT polymer nanocomposites for promising performance nanodielectrics in flexible technology advances

Characterization of broadband dielectric behaviour of polymer nanocomposites (PNCs) is vital for the exploration of efficient nanodielectrics as energy storage, flexible dielectric substrates, and insulators in a wide range of advanced electronic device technologies. Accordingly, herein, PNC films based on poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF)/ poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) blend matrix (80/20 wt/wt%) dispersed with 0, 2.5, 5, and 10 wt% organo-modified montmorillonite (OMMT) nanoclay are developed by state-of-the-art homogenized solution casting method. These PVDF/PMMA/OMMT compositions based flexible PNC films are characterized in detail by employing a scanning electron microscope (SEM) equipped with energy dispersive x-ray (EDX) device, x-ray diffractometer (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectrometer, differential scanning calorimeter (DSC), inductance-capacitance-resistance (LCR) meter, and impedance/material analyzer (IMA). The SEM microimages, XRD traces, and FTIR spectra evidenced appreciable homogeneity and surface morphology, intercalated and exfoliated OMMT structures, and the α, β and γ-phase crystallites of the PVDF in these complex semicrystalline PNCs. The DSC thermograms confirmed a significant alteration in the melting temperature and degree of crystallinity of the PVDF crystallites with the increased amount of OMMT in the 80PVDF/20PMMA blend host matrix. The broadband dielectric dispersion spectra over the frequency range of 20 Hz−1 GHz explained the contribution of interfacial polarization in the complex dielectric permittivity at lower experimental frequencies, whereas at higher frequencies permittivity is ruled by dipolar polarization in these composites at 27 °C. The dielectric loss angle tangent and electric modulus spectra revealed an intense structural dynamics relaxation process in the upper radio frequency region. The influence of OMMT concentration on the dielectric permittivity and electrical conductivity is explored. The detailed dielectric and electrical characterization of these innovative semicrystalline composites with important structural and thermal properties revealed their immense potential as high-performance nanodielectrics for highlighting current applications of broadband frequency range electrical and electronic device technologies.

Topology optimization design of broadband elastic wave coding metasurfaces

In this paper, a kind of broadband elastic wave coding metasurfaces is proposed. The metastructure unit designed by topology optimization is used as logical unit “1,” and the pure plate is set as logical unit “0.” The phase difference of the transmitted longitudinal wave between two units is introduced as the objective function in optimization. The transmittance of the designed unit is kept above 60%, and the transmitted phase difference between the two coding units is approximately π in the broadband frequency range. In addition, a set of achromatic focusing coding units is designed topologically to achieve customized dispersion. By coding the logical units, the designed metasurface can control the elastic wave between frequencies of 20.4 and 23.6 kHz, and wave performances, such as beam focusing and splitting, are achieved. The experimental results of the designed metasurface are in good agreement with numerical simulations. Therefore, our design has potential applications in the fields of engineering such as nondestructive testing.

Mode Coupling Due to an Underwater Ice Keel in a Broad Frequency Band

Numerical simulation is used to study the possibility of remote acoustic monitoring of underwater keels in ice-covered shallow-water waveguides. A statistically average hummock for the Arctic region is considered, with a keel draft of 8 m, located in a waveguide with a depth of 40 m. It is assumed that the ridge of the hummock is perpendicular to the acoustic track, the length of which is 10 km. A point broadband source and a vertical receiving array are used, which are necessary for extracting the mode amplitudes. It is shown that mode coupling due to the keel manifests itself quite distinctly in modulation of the mode amplitudes in a broad frequency band. A methodology for analyzing this modulation by constructing cepstrograms (spectrograms from the spectrum) is proposed. The cepstrograms reveal dispersion curves corresponding to pairs of coupled modes. Then, from the location of the dispersion curves on the cepstrogram, it is possible to estimate the location of the keel on the track.

Compact Tunable Broadband Filtering Attenuator Based on Variable Resistors

In this letter, a compact microstrip broadband filtering attenuator based on variable resistors is proposed with high-frequency selectivity. It can achieve tunable attenuation characteristics over a broad frequency band by changing the resistance of the variable resistors. Due to the symmetry of the circuit structure, it is analyzed using odd-and even-mode methods. For demonstration, a filtering attenuator prototype is fabricated and measured, which operates from 1.3 to 2.8 GHz and realizes tunable attenuation from 3.26 to 15.61 dB. The results of theoretical calculations, simulations, and measurements agree well with each other, which validates the feasibility of the proposed design.

Frequency specificity of aberrant triple networks in major depressive disorder: a resting-state effective connectivity study.

Major depressive disorder (MDD) has been associated with aberrant effective connectivity (EC) among the default mode network (DMN), salience network (SN), and central executive network (CEN)-collectively referred to as triple networks. However, prior research has predominantly concentrated on broad frequency bands (0.01-0.08 Hz or 0.01-0.15 Hz), ignoring the influence of distinct rhythms on triple network causal dynamics. In the present study, we aim to investigate EC alterations within the triple networks across various frequency bands in patients with MDD. Utilizing a data-driven frequency decomposition approach and a multivariate Granger causality analysis, we characterized frequency-specific EC patterns of triple networks in 49 MDD patients and 54 healthy controls. A support vector machine classifier was subsequently employed to assess the discriminative capacity of the frequency-specific EC features. Our findings revealed that, compared to controls, patients exhibited not only enhanced mean EC within the CEN in the conventional frequency band (0.01-0.08 Hz), but also decreased mean EC from the SN to the DMN in a higher frequency band (0.12-0.18 Hz), and increased mean EC from the CEN to the SN in a sub-frequency band (0.04-0.08 Hz); the latter was significantly correlated with disease severity. Moreover, optimal classification performance for distinguishing patients from controls was attained by combining EC features across all three frequency bands, with the area under the curve (AUC) value of 0.8831 and the corresponding accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity of 89.97%, 92.63%, and 87.32%, respectively. These insights into EC changes within the triple networks across multiple frequency bands offer valuable perspectives on the neurobiological basis of MDD and could aid in developing frequency-specific EC features as potential biomarkers for disease diagnosis.

Study on sound insulation performance of sonic black hole with micro-perforated plates

According to the traditional law of mass, the insulation of low-frequency sound usually requires thick, high-density materials. However, lightweight metamaterials containing acoustic structures can also achieve high acoustic transmission losses. In this study, we present a sonic black hole (SBH) device coupled with micro-perforated plates (MPPs) and intraluminal column structure to achieve high sound insulation performance with light weight. The finite element model (FEM) is developed to analyze the acoustic energy distribution and dissipation inside the SBH device to evaluate its sound transmission loss (STL), and the accuracy of the analytical model is verified by impedance tube testing. The analysis results show that the SBH device has excellent sound insulation performance in the broadband and low frequency mainly due to the energy dissipation caused by the MPPs and column structure, and wavelength compression, energy focusing caused by the SBH effect. Finally, the sound insulation capacity of SBH can be further improved by improving the structure, such as increasing the complexity of acoustic medium flow and adding the number of layers of MPPs. The numerical model and the calculation results of this paper provide a new way of thinking for the design and optimization of SBH sound insulation structures.

Non-collinear generation of ultra-broadband parametric fluorescence photon pairs using chirped quasi-phase matching slab waveguides.

Many optical quantum applications rely on broadband frequency correlated photon pair sources. We previously reported a scheme for collinear emission of high-efficiency and ultra-broadband photon pairs using chirped quasi-phase matching (QPM) periodically poled stoichiometric lithium tantalate (PPSLT) ridge waveguides. However, collinearly emitted photon pairs cannot be directly adopted for applications that are based on two-photon interference, such as quantum optical coherence tomography (QOCT). In this work, we developed a chirped QPM device with a slab waveguide structure. This device was designed to produce spatially separable (photon pair non-collinear emission) parametric fluorescence photon pairs with an ultra-broadband bandwidth in an extremely efficient manner. Using a non-chirped QPM slab waveguide, we observed a photon pair spectrum with a full-width-at-half-maximum (FWHM) bandwidth of 26 nm. When using a 3% chirped QPM slab waveguide, the FWHM bandwidth of the spectrum increased to 190 nm, and the base-to-base width is 308 nm. We also confirmed a generation efficiency of 2.4×106 pairs/(μW·s) using the non-chirped device, and a efficiency of 8×105 pairs/(μW·s) using the 3% chirped device under non-collinear emission conditions after single-mode fiber coupling. This is, to the best of our knowledge, the first report of frequency correlated photon pairs generation using slab waveguide device as a source. In addition, using slab waveguides as photon pair sources, we performed two-photon interference experiments with the non-chirped device and obtained a Hong-Ou-Mandel (HOM) dip with a FWHM of 7.7 μm and visibility of 98%. When using the 3% chirped device as photon pair source, the HOM measurement gave a 2 μm FWHM dip and 74% visibility.

Quantification of Moisture in Masonry via AI-Evaluated Broadband Radar Reflectometry

Humidity, salt content, and migration in building materials lead to weathering and are a common challenge. To understand damage phenomena and select the right conservation treatments, knowledge on both the amount and distribution of moisture and salt load in the masonry is crucial. It was shown that commercial portable devices addressing moisture are often limited by the mutual interference of these values. This can be improved by exploiting broadband radar reflectometry for the quantification of humidity in historic masonry. Due to the above-mentioned limitations, today’s gold standard for evaluating the moisture content in historic buildings is still conducted by taking drilling samples with a subsequent evaluation in a specially designed laboratory, the so-called Darr method. In this paper, a new broadband frequency approach in the range between 0.4 and 6 GHz with improved artificial-intelligence data analysis makes sure to optimize the reflected signal, simplify the evaluation of the generated data, and minimise the effects of variables such as salt contamination that influence the permittivity. In this way, the amount of water could be determined independently from the salt content in the material and an estimate of the salt load. With new machine learning algorithms, the analysis of the permittivity is improved and can be made accessible for everyday use on building sites with minimal intervention by the user. These algorithms were trained with generated data from different drying studies on single building bricks from the masonries. The findings from the laboratory studies were then validated and evaluated on real historic buildings at real construction sites. Thus, the paper shows a spatially resolved and salt-independent measurement system for determining building moisture.

Fourier synthesis dispersion engineering of photonic crystal microrings for broadband frequency combs

Dispersion engineering of microring resonators is crucial for optical frequency comb applications, to achieve targeted bandwidths and powers of individual comb teeth. However, conventional microrings only present two geometric degrees of freedom – width and thickness – which limits the degree to which dispersion can be controlled. We present a technique where we tune individual resonance frequencies for arbitrary dispersion tailoring. Using a photonic crystal microring resonator that induces coupling to both directions of propagation within the ring, we investigate an intuitive design based on Fourier synthesis. Here, the desired photonic crystal spatial profile is obtained through a Fourier relationship with the targeted modal frequency shifts, where each modal shift is determined based on the corresponding effective index modulation of the ring. Experimentally, we demonstrate several distinct dispersion profiles over dozens of modes in transverse magnetic polarization. In contrast, we find that the transverse electric polarization requires a more advanced model that accounts for the discontinuity of the field at the modulated interface. Finally, we present simulations showing arbitrary frequency comb spectral envelope tailoring using our Fourier synthesis approach.

Strong-motion simulation for the 1944 Tonankai earthquake based on the statistical green’s function method and stochastic representation of complex source process

Precisely evaluating the source, path, and site terms in a broadband frequency range is indispensable for quantitatively predicting strong motions. We conducted a generalized spectral inversion of strong motion in Japan to delineate both the spectral amplitude and phase characteristics for statistical Green’s functions. To predict ground motion from future megathrust earthquakes, we also need to model a kinematic source with a stochastic representation of the slip and rupture velocities on the fault surface. In this fundamental study, we first reported the basic features of statistical Green’s functions used for summation. We then demonstrated the construction of a kinematic source with distinctive strong-motion-generation areas with spatially random slip and rupture velocity variations. After the summation of statistical Green’s functions following the constructed kinematic source, we found that the peak ground accelerations and peak ground velocities of synthetics for the Mw8.2 1944 Tonankai earthquake are in good agreement with those of the well-established empirical formula in Japan because the medians of the synthetic values are well within the average plus/minus one standard deviation of the formula. Based on the simulation results of conducted parametric studies, we observed relatively small but meaningful effects of random slip distribution, as well as relatively small effects of random rupture velocity perturbation. In conclusion, our implementation of the complex source model and the empirically obtained statistical Green’s function used as an element source can be a viable combination for broadband (0.1 to 20 Hz) strong-motion simulations, realistic in terms of the amplitude and duration, without any hybrid scheme.Graphical

Cross-correlation vibro-acoustic modulation method for damage detection

The vibroacoustic modulation (VAM) method distinguishes itself from other linear or nonlinear acoustic structure health monitoring methods due to its advantages of high sensitivity, relatively simple implementation, and the capability to detect defects in complex structures. However, the damaged index of VAM—modulation index, which is used for quantifying the damage severity, is highly influenced by the frequency of the probe wave. To increase the reliability and robustness of the VAM method, researchers modified it by replacing the single harmonic probe wave with a chirp signal. The instantaneous frequency of the chirp signal linearly increases with time, allowing the modified VAM method to access the broadband frequency range in a relatively short amount of time. However, the sideband that attributes to the acoustic nonlinearity of the defect would be overwhelmed by the broadband frequency content of the probe wave. Hence, a different algorithm is needed to process the received signal of the modified VAM method. Previous studies have employed short-time Fourier transform, wavelet transform, Hilbert transform, and synchronous demodulation for this purpose. Yet, these signal processing methods do not take into account affection of the phase difference between the probe and pump waves to the final result. To address this issue, this paper proposes using a cross-correlation (CC) approach. The performance of the proposed CC approach and existing methods were compared using simulation and experimental testing, evaluating their ability to detect acoustic nonlinearity.

Damping vibration in three-dimensional helically tapered rod with power-law thickness

Tapered structure with power-law thickness has been regarded as an efficient approach for passive vibration control. In this paper, a three-dimensional (3D) helically tapered structure with power-law feature is proposed to reduce the vibration in rod structure. Compared with the traditional one-dimensional tapered rod, this novel helix type can compress the length of tapered region by the coiling configuration and transform the flexural wave modes into various complex modes. Drawing on its folded characteristic, the helix structure can generate highly efficient space utilization and achieve a superior vibration attenuation effect in the low frequency band. Numerical investigations on the dynamics and reflection coefficient analyses of different rod types are conducted and the reduction mechanism of 3D helically tapered rod is revealed. It is found that the larger helical radius can contribute to the reduction in low-frequency vibration, but it deteriorates the vibration performance in broadband. To overcome this “sudden collapse” phenomenon in the damping performance caused by the low stiffness, the novel step helically tapered rod is presented. According to the introduced multimodal and multidirectional mode-coupling effects, this step 3D helix structure not only makes up for the shortcoming of vibration control in low frequency range, but also further improves the innate advantage of reduction effect in the high frequency band. Meanwhile, parametric studies of step 3D helically tapered rod are performed and the effect of different constituent materials is discussed to expand the utility. To validate these analyses, experimental tests are also conducted. The results demonstrate its remarkable vibration reduction in broadband frequency.

Superior broadband sound absorption in hierarchical ultralight graphene oxide aerogels achieved through emulsion freeze-casting

Ultra-lightweight aerogels have profound applications as advanced multi-functional sound-absorbing materials. At present, conventional aerogels are associated with pores with sizes too small for effective sound absorption in the audible range. In this work, we fabricated a hierarchically porous ultralight graphene oxide (GO) aerogel through a novel emulsion freeze-casting process of an air-in-water emulsion. Microstructural analysis of the aerogels reveals a hierarchical pore morphology consisting of highly inter-connected pores produced from the emulsion bubbles and the micro-pores produced by freeze-casting. Sound absorption measurements revealed that an aerogel with a surfactant-to-GO weight ratio of 1:1 displays an average absorption coefficient of up to 0.86 at a broadband frequency range between 250 Hz and 6300 Hz, a vast improvement by up to 58% as compared to conventional GO aerogels. Numerical microstructural models were developed to model the acoustic absorption phenomenon and understand the mechanisms behind enhanced sound absorption. These models identified the enhanced acoustic absorption as attributed to the increased air-wetting area as derived from the high reticulation rate in this hierarchical microstructure. Overall, we demonstrate the potential of leveraging the highly inter-dependent material-process-structure relationships of GO aerogel production to achieve hierarchical GO aerogels as advanced ultralight sound-absorbing materials.

Bi-stable electromagnetic generator with asymmetrical potential wells for low frequency vibration energy harvesting

Efficient energy harvesting from low and broadband frequency has always been a challenging problem. This paper proposes a solution in the form of an electromagnetic bi-stable vibration energy harvester (BVEH) with asymmetric potential barriers, in which the vibrator is attracted to the top magnet and repelled from the bottom magnet. By combining a magnetic spring and a mechanical spring, the BVEH achieves bi-stability with asymmetric potential barriers, enabling large amplitude vibration as the vibrator travels between the two potential wells. The traditional magnetic force model is modified to establish an electromechanical coupling model that accurately predicts the output of the BVEH. Numerical simulation results solved by the Runge-Kutta method show good agreement with experimental results. In addition, a prototype is fabricated and the system parameters are adjusted to achieve high-energy oscillation at the lowest frequency of 4 Hz. Under a sinusoidal excitation with an amplitude of 4 mm, the BVEH's bandwidth is expanded to 6 Hz, and the maximum power can reach 72.76 mW. Finally, the feasibility of the BVEH is demonstrated by powering different electrical appliances. The study provides a new technical approach for energy harvesting under low and broadband frequency vibration excitation.

Ultrawide-Angle and Compact Leaky-Wave Antenna Based on Complex Periodic Structure

A compact antenna with the characteristic of wide-angle frequency beam scanning based on complex periodic structure is proposed. A double gradient spoof surface plasmon polaritons (SSPPs) structure is added to the standard microstrip line for reducing the antenna size. The miniaturization of the proposed antenna is analyzed with the method of dispersion curves and electric field distribution. Periodic changes of the groove depth and trapezoidal gradient structure increase the beam scanning angle from backward to forward and suppress the open stopband effect. The proposed structure is printed on the FR-4 substrate with a compact size of 0.23λ <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">0</sub> × 3.71λ <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">0</sub> (λ <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">0</sub> is the wavelength of the lowest operating frequency), and has a working frequency band from 12.5 to 42.5 GHz for |S <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">11</sub> |< –10 dB. Meanwhile, a wide beam-scanning angle of 142° (–52° to +90°) and an average gain of 7.9 dBi are obtained by simulation and measurement. The proposed leaky-wave antenna has a potential application in wireless communication system due to its small size, broad frequency band, wide beam scanning angle and low cost.