Large Amplitude Modulation Research Articles

Two-chicane compressed harmonic generation of soft x rays

Seeding an electron bunch prior to compression simultaneously shifts the laser modulation to shorter wavelengths while decreasing the required modulation amplitude. The final x-ray wavelength is then tunable by controlling the compression factor with the rf phase. In this paper we describe a two-chicane scheme that allows for large modulation amplitudes, extending the method to photocathode beams with significant uncorrelated energy spreads. The downside of such compressed seeding is the need to maintain bunching across an extended accelerator region. We present analytical estimates and computer simulations to study tolerances for a sample lattice. We also note that transportation of the fine compressed modulation structure is helped by error self-correction in the second chicane, an effect that may be of more general interest.

Terahertz superconducting plasmonic crystals

We present a thermal active control over terahertz (THz) extraordinary transmission induced by a plasmon in a periodic subwavelength holes array and a patch array. Both arrays consist of high transition temperature YBCO superconductors using THz time domain spectroscopy (THz-TDS). In the periodic subwavelength YBCO holes array, we observe a transition between a virtual excitation type surface plasmon polaritons (SPP) mode and a real SPP mode accompanied with transmission amplitude modulation. This can be attributed to the c-axis Josephson plasma frequency. On the other hand, since dipole localized surface plasmon can be excited by direct optical illuminations without phase-matching techniques, we observe a transmission amplitude modulation induced by combining the normal state carriers and the superconducting carriers in the periodic subwavelength YBCO patch array. These THz superconducting plasmonic crystals hold great potential in application for extreme low-loss, large dynamic amplitude modulation, surface plasmon-based function devices.

Terahertz superconducting plasmonic hole array

We demonstrate a superconductor array of subwavelength holes with active thermal control over the resonant transmission induced by surface plasmon polaritons. The array was lithographically fabricated on a high-temperature yttrium barium copper oxide superconductor and characterized by terahertz time-domain spectroscopy. We observe a clear transition from a virtual excitation of the surface plasmon mode to a real surface plasmon mode. The highly controllable superconducting plasmonic crystals may find promising applications in the design of low-loss, large- dynamic-range amplitude modulation and surface-plasmon-based terahertz devices.

Modulation Induced Phase Transition from Fractional Quantum Hall to Stripe State at ν=5/3

We have investigated the effect of unidirectional periodic potential modulation on the fractional quantum Hall (FQH) state at filling factors nu=5/3 and 4/3. For large enough modulation amplitude, we find that the resistivity minimum at nu=5/3 gives way to a peak that grows with decreasing temperature. Density matrix renormalization group calculation reveals that phase transition from FQH state to unidirectional striped state having a period sim 4 l (with l the magnetic length) takes place at nu=1/3 (equivalent to nu=5/3 by the particle-hole symmetry) with the increase of the modulation amplitude, suggesting that the observed peak is the manifestation of the stripe phase.

Auditory stream segregation using amplitude modulated vocoder bandpass noise.

We investigated the contribution of amplitude modulation (AM) rate and spectral separation to stream segregation of vocoder bandpass noises. Stimulus sequences were repeated pairs of A and B bursts, where bursts were white noise or vocoder bandpass noise carrying sinusoidal AM (100% modulation depth). Bursts differed either in the center frequency of the noise, or the AM rate, or both. Eight vocoder bands were used. The lowest four bands (1‐2‐3‐4) were combined into one bandpass noise (B bursts) and the higher three bands (3‐4‐5, 4‐5‐6, and 6‐7‐8) were combined to constitute the A bursts. Results show that stream segregation ability increases with greater spectral separation. Larger AM rate separations were associated with stronger segregation abilities, but not when A and B bursts were both white noise. Significant inter‐subject differences were noted. Results suggest that, while both spectral and AM rate separation separations could be cues for auditory stream segregation, stream segregation based on AM rate is more successful when combined with spectral separation. Correlations between segregation ability and understanding of vocoded speech will be discussed.

Experimental study of resonant activation in a noisy bistable vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser with strong periodic excitation

An experimental evidence of the phenomenon of resonance activation (RA) in bistable semiconductor vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) with a high level of internal noise under strong periodic excitation is presented. It is shown that the mean switching period (MSP) between polarization states passes through a minimum depending on the modulation frequency. From comparing frequency dependencies of the MSP and the coefficient of variation it is demonstrated for different conditions that resonance activation and stochastic resonance (SR) occur at different optimal values of the modulation frequency. The influence of the signal amplitude, the level of noise in VCSEL and asymmetry of bistable quasipotential are also experimentally studied. For large enough modulation amplitudes, RA and SR are accompanied by the phenomenon of the mean switching frequency locking.

An extensive photometric study of the Blazhko RR Lyrae star DM Cyg

DM Cyg, a fundamental mode RRab star was observed in the 2007 and 2008 seasons in the frame of the Konkoly Blazhko Survey. Very small amplitude light curve modulation was detected with 10.57 d modulation period. The maximum brightness and phase variations do not exceed 0.07 mag and 7 min, respectively. In spite of the very small amplitude of the modulation, beside the frequency triplets characterizing the Fourier spectrum of the light curve two quintuplet components were also identified. The accuracy and the good phase coverage of our observations made it possible to analyse the light curves at different phases of the modulation separately. Utilizing the IP method (S\'odor, Jurcsik and Szeidl, 2009) we could detect very small systematic changes in the global mean physical parameters of DM Cyg during its Blazhko cycle. The detected changes are similar to what we have already found for a large modulation amplitude Blazhko variable MW Lyrae. The amplitudes of the detected changes in the physical parameters of DM Cyg are only about 10% of that what have been found in MW Lyr. This is in accordance with its small modulation amplitude being about one tenth of the modulation amplitude of MW Lyr.

An extensive photometric study of the Blazhko RR Lyrae star MW Lyr - II. Changes in the physical parameters

The analysis of the multicolour photometric observations of MW Lyr, a large modulation amplitude Blazhko variable, shows for the first time how the mean global physical parameters vary during the Blazhko cycle. About 1-2 percent changes in the mean radius, luminosity and surface effective temperature are detected. The mean radius and temperature changes are in good accordance with pulsation model results, which show that these parameters do indeed vary within this order of magnitude if the amplitude of the pulsation changes significantly. We interpret the phase modulation of the pulsation to be a consequence of period changes. Its magnitude corresponds exactly what one expects from the detected changes of the mean radius assuming that the pulsation constant remains the same during the modulation. Our results indicate that during the modulation the pulsation remains purely radial, and the underlying mechanism is most probably a periodic perturbation of the stellar luminosity with the modulation period.

Selective phonotaxis in Neoconocephalus nebrascensis (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae): call recognition at two temporal scales

The calls of many Orthopteran species are comprised of a simple trill of pulses, the temporal pattern of which is important for call recognition. Male Neoconocephalus nebrascensis produce pulses with a temporal structure typical for the genus. However, they modify this pattern by grouping their pulses into verses, thereby creating a higher order temporal structure. The importance of the pulse pattern and verse structure for call recognition in N. nebrascensis was determined using a walking compensator. Females required the conspecific pulse pattern for call recognition, responding only when the intervals between pulses were short or absent. Females also required the verse structure for call recognition, and recognized the verse structure only when the amplitude modulation depth between verses and pauses exceeded 18 dB. We discuss that the verse recognition mechanism is a derived trait adapted for pre-mating isolation. We hypothesize that the unusually large amplitude modulation required for verse recognition forces males to synchronize their calls in order to preserve an attractive pattern. Call synchrony appears to be the outcome of cooperation, rather than competition, in this species.

Diagnosis of subharmonic faults of large rotating machinery based on EMD

The vibration signals always carry the abundant dynamic information of a machine and are very useful for the feature extraction and fault diagnosis. In practice, most subharmonic signals have a close relationship to time variables and can manifest large amplitude fluctuation, transient vibration, or modulation signals in time domain. In view of this, this paper describes an effective method to search the features of subharmonic faults of large rotating machinery based on empirical mode decomposition (EMD). Case study on some actual vibration signals of machine parts shows that EMD is an adaptive and unsupervised method in feature extraction and it provides an attractive alternative to the traditional diagnostic methods.

Traveling Pulses and Wave Propagation Failure in Inhomogeneous Neural Media

We use averaging and homogenization theory to study the propagation of traveling pulses in an inhomogeneous excitable neural network. The network is modeled in terms of a nonlocal integro- differential equation, in which the integral kernel represents the spatial distribution of synaptic weights. We show how a spatially periodic modulation of homogeneous synaptic connections leads to an effective reduction in the speed of a traveling pulse. In the case of large amplitude modulations, the traveling pulse represents the envelope of a multibump solution, in which individual bumps are nonpropagating and transient. The appearance (disappearance) of bumps at the leading (trailing) edge of the pulse generates the coherent propagation of the pulse. Wave propagation failure occurs when activity is insufficient to maintain bumps at the leading edge.

Nonlinear dynamics of the polarization of multitransverse mode vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers under current modulation

In this paper we report on a theoretical investigation of the nonlinear dynamics of the polarization of multitransverse mode vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs) under current modulation. Special attention is given to the comparison with a previously studied case of single-transverse mode VCSEL emitting in two orthogonal polarizations. The consideration of spatial effects in VCSEL modifies the polarization dynamics that accompanies the period doubling route to chaos for large modulation amplitudes. Depending on the modulation parameters, the excitation of a higher order transverse mode may either induce chaotic pulsing in an otherwise regularly pulsating VCSEL, or induce a time-periodic pulsing dynamics in an otherwise chaotic VCSEL. Bifurcation diagrams obtained for different modulation frequencies, several values of the dichroism, and different transverse mode characteristics allow us to identify the different scenarios of polarization dynamics in a directly modulated VCSEL. Temporal analysis of carrier number radial profile reveals considerable changes for the multitransverse mode case only constituting the physical origin of the reported changes in the temporal and polarization dynamics.

Demonstration and comparison of tuned and detuned signal recycling in a large-scale gravitational wave detector

The British/German gravitational wave detector GEO 600 located near Hannover in Germany is the first large-scale gravitational-wave detector using the advanced technique of signal recycling. Currently the instrument operates in detuned signal recycling mode. Several problems arise due to the fact that the signal recycling cavity changes amplitude and phase of all light fields (carrier and sidebands) present at the dark-port. In addition, in the case of detuned signal recycling this leads to unbalanced sideband fields at the detector output. The large amplitude modulation caused by this asymmetry does not carry any gravitational wave information, but might be the cause of saturation and nonlinearities on the main photodiode. We developed and demonstrated a new control method to realize tuned signal recycling operation in a large-scale gravitational wave detector. A detailed comparison of tuned and detuned signal recycling operation is given. The response function of the system (optical gain) was measured and compared, as was the size of amplitude modulation on the main photodiode. Some important noise couplings were measured and partly found to be strongly reduced in the case of tuned signal recycling operation.

Optical pulse generation using guided-wave electrooptic modulator with resonant electrodes and polarization reversal

This paper reports on optical pulse generation using a new guided-wave electrooptic (EO) phase modulator with long resonant electrodes and polarization reversal. Adopting polarization-reversal structure to a guided-wave EO modulator with long standing-wave resonant electrodes, high-efficiency optical modulation is obtained by the compensation of the transit-time effect. By operating a fabricated EO phase modulator with a large amplitude modulation signal, optical sidebands over 100 GHz were obtained. Furthermore, optical pulse trains of an ~ 25-ps pulsewidth and a 15.28-GHz repetition frequency were successfully obtained by controlling the generated optical sidebands by use of an optical synthesizer

Modulation transfer characteristics of injection-locked diode lasers

In this paper, we investigate modulation transfer in an injection-locked diode laser when the master laser frequency or intensity is modulated. The modulation transfer properties of injection-locked diode lasers are shown to depend on frequency detuning between the master and slave lasers. This observation is of practical importance, since the laser frequencies are typically prone to ambient conditions. Also conversion of the master laser frequency modulation to slave laser intensity modulation is shown to be of importance if large frequency modulation amplitudes and small intensity modulation amplitudes of the master laser are used. On the other hand, the injection-locking technique is proved to be an effective way to suppress spurious intensity modulation in certain operational conditions.

Application of magnetic field over-modulation for improved EPR linewidth measurements using probes with Lorentzian lineshape

Magnetic field modulation in CW electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) is used for signal detection. However, it can also distort signal lineshape. In experiments where the linewidth information is of particular importance, small modulation amplitude is usually used to limit the lineshape distortion. The use of small modulation amplitude, however, results in low signal-to-noise ratio and therefore affects the precision of linewidth measurements. Recently, a new spectral simulation model has been developed enabling accurate fitting of modulation-broadened EPR spectra in liquids. Since the use of large modulation amplitude (over-modulation) can significantly enhance the EPR signal, the precision of linewidth measurements is therefore greatly improved. We investigated the over-modulation technique in EPR oximetry experiments using the oxygen-sensing probe lithium octa- n-butoxy-substitued naphthalocyanine (LiNc-BuO). Modulation amplitudes 2–18 times the intrinsic linewidth of the probe were applied to increase the spectral signal-to-noise ratio. The intrinsic linewidth of the probe at different oxygen concentrations was accurately extracted through curve fitting from the enhanced spectra. Thus, we demonstrated that the over-modulation model is also applicable to particulate oxygen-sensing probes such as LiNc-BuO and that the lineshape broadening induced by oxygen is separable from that induced by over-modulation. Therefore, the over-modulation technique can be used to enhance sensitivity and improve linewidth measurements for EPR oximetry with particulate oxygen-sensing probes with Lorentzian lineshape. It should be particularly useful for in vivo oxygen measurements, in which direct linewidth measurements may not be feasible due to inadequate signal-to-noise ratio.

Fast photonic switches based on GaAs nanostructures

Fast photonic switches, in which light controls light, can be created based on high-voltage GaAs nanostructures with a thin (nanodimensional) surface dielectric layer. The switches offer a high operation speed that ensures optical data recording and transmission at a rate of 104-105 cps, possess a large modulation amplitude, and can operate at a relatively low optical control signal power (I<1 W/cm2). These devices can be used in systems of optical data processing, optical computation systems, all-optical communication lines with optical addressing of informative signals, etc.

In-plane tunnelling between one- and two-dimensional electron systems

Lateral tunnelling spectroscopy between a two-dimensional (2D) and a one-dimensional (1D) electron system in an AlGaAs/GaAs heterostructure is accomplished by preparing a thin barrier using atomic force microscope lithography. The barrier transmission and the electron density in the electrodes are controlled by a global top gate. At gate voltages below the onset of tunnelling the 1D system exhibits quantized conductance. Higher gate voltage enables to probe the 1D density of states in the tunnelling conductance as a function of the tunnelling bias voltage between 2D and 1D electrode and to directly read the subband separation. At large modulation amplitudes a second set of long-period oscillations appears, which reflects the crossing of 1D levels through the Fermi energy due to the change of the 1D confining potential with tunnelling bias voltage.

A block turbo phase synchronization scheme

This letter presents an original phase synchronization scheme designed for block turbo coded systems. This is a low-complexity scheme. It copes with low signal-to-noise ratios, taking complete advantage of the turbo coding possibilities. We display various results, showing that the proposed algorithm is able to process blocks of a few hundreds bits and that it tackles the case of large quadrature amplitude modulation constellations very well and with no phase ambiguity.

Experimental evidence for predicted magnetotransport anomalies in rectangular superlattices

We investigate commensurability oscillations in the magnetoresistances of unstressed ungated rectangular two-dimensional superlattices of different periods. The amplitude of the commensurability oscillations in these systems exhibits a nonmonotonic dependence on the applied magnetic field, which is not present in 1D or square superlattices. Furthermore, the high and low resistance directions switch between the two axial directions of the superlattices depending on the magnetic field. Our observations are explained by the drift of the cyclotron motion guiding center along contours of a magnetic-field-dependent effective potential as put forward in a recent theory. Comparison of the data with the theoretical predictions shows good agreement. For a larger modulation amplitude, we observe a flattening of commensurability oscillation minima, which is also predicted by the calculation.