Power Spectral Density Measurements Research Articles

Power spectral density analysis to investigate morphology of Ni films

Ni thin films grown by thermal evaporation and sputtering under different deposition conditions are characterised by structural and morphological properties using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) techniques. XRD results suggested the growth of polycrystalline face-centred cubic Ni phase for all the samples. Morphological characteristics of the films were compared by analysing AFM data for root mean square roughness, height–height correlation function and power spectral density (PSD) measurements. Applying fractal and k-correlation fitting models to the PSD data, different morphological parameters are quantified. The study suggested that Ni films grown at higher substrate temperature (∼150 °C) by thermal evaporation and at low Ar pressure (∼0.2 Pa) by sputtering techniques yielded films of small surface roughness with a Brownian fractal self-affine surface.

Laboratory measurements of thermal noise

An experimental study was undertaken of the aspect of underwater ambient noise which normally receives only a cursory reference—namely, thermal noise. A brief survey of the theory and literature, and consideration of how to separate amplifier noise from hydrophone noise, is followed by laboratory measurements on piston and spherical hydrophones. Results are presented of impedance and power spectral density measurements undertaken in water and other fluids. Measurements with the piston hydrophones were also performed as a function of distance from tank and water surface boundaries or from another hydrophone. The cross power spectral densities are presented as a function of separation distance between pairs of hydrophones. All hydrophones had their free field receive sensitivities and beam patterns measured, but the spectral densities have not yet been converted to pressures as the more interesting features are seen near resonances, where phase calibrations will also be required.

A broadband seismological observatory at Larsemann Hills, Antarctica: Noise characteristics and data quality

Antarctica, the southernmost ice-covered continent, plays a pivotal role in unraveling Earth's intricate evolutionary processes. Several studies have been conducted to comprehend the crustal structure of West Antarctica. However, our understanding of the sub-surface structure in the East Antarctica region, particularly along Princess Elizabeth Land (PEL), remains limited due to the scarcity of geophysical data. To bridge this knowledge gap, we (NCESS) established a permanent broadband seismological observatory in the captivating region of Larsemann Hills, East Antarctica. In addition, we investigate the noise characteristics at the station, employing power spectral density (PSD) measurements. Results have been promising, indicating that the noise levels are within the range of New High Noise Model and New Low Noise Model. Monthly variations in PSD reveal different noise levels throughout the year, with winter months exhibiting lower levels of microseismic noise attributed to lower temperatures and frozen sea surfaces. The long-period noise is higher in April & May, possibly due to high-speed winds and lower in September & October. The outcomes serve as a testament to the success of our installation and ensure a valuable data set. The data will contribute to a comprehensive investigation of sub-surface structures in the PEL region of East Antarctica, enhancing our understanding of geological processes and tectonic evolution. Furthermore, the findings will serve as a valuable resource for future research and contribute to our knowledge of Earth's dynamic processes.

Low-Profile Capacitive Load Cells for Underground Mining Material and Wear Classification to Promote Worker Safety

This work proposes a capacitive load cell for conical picks to enable underground continuous mining machine operators to perform their roles away from known hazardous regions near the machine. The load cell is embedded in commercially available flexible printed circuit board, integrates with the target tooling, and demonstrates in situ force sensing of vibration signatures for continuous mining cutting tools. Changes in material constitution, tool mass, and tool geometry cause modal variations in vibrational response measurable with force sensors at the cutting interface. Time-series measurements are captured during rock cutting tests using a linear cutting machine. These measurements are segmented into small windows, less than 0.25 s, and are preprocessed using the fast Fourier transform, which highlights the modal variations. The transformed measurements are then classified into different material and wear categories using support-vector machines with the radial basis function kernel. Different normalization schemes and Fourier transform methods are tested for signal preprocessing. Results show that the power spectral density measurements with normally distributed coefficients give good results for material classification, while the normalized time-domain measurements give better results for wear classification. Under laboratory conditions, this technique is shown to classify material and wear categories with F1 score above 0.85 out of 1.0 for our experiment. This technology could be used to assist operators in assessing material and wear conditions from a safer distance. It has applications in the coal mining industry as well as other applications which use conical picks such as road milling.

A Pilot Investigation of Visual Pathways in Patients with Mild Traumatic Brain Injury.

In this study, we examined visual processing within primary visual areas (V1) in normal and visually impaired individuals who exhibit significant visual symptomology due to sports-related mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI). Five spatial frequency stimuli were applied to the right, left and both eyes in order to assess the visual processing of patients with sports-related mild traumatic brain injuries who exhibited visual abnormalities, i.e., photophobia, blurriness, etc., and controls. The measurement of the left/right eye and binocular integration was accomplished via the quantification of the spectral power and visual event-related potentials. The principal results have shown that the power spectral density (PSD) measurements display a distinct loss in the alpha band-width range, which corresponded to more instances of medium-sized receptive field loss. Medium-size receptive field loss may correspond to parvocellular (p-cell) processing deprecation. Our major conclusion provides a new measurement, using PSD analysis to assess mTBI conditions from primary V1 areas. The statistical analysis demonstrated significant differences between the mTBI and control cohort in the Visual Evoked Potentials (VEP) amplitude responses and PSD measurements. Additionally, the PSD measurements were able to assess the improvement in the mTBI primary visual areas over time through rehabilitation.

Analysis of seismic noise of broadband seismological stations installed along the Western Ghats

The Western Ghats (WG) is one of the great escarpments that extend ~1500 km parallel to the west coast of India in the direction of NNW-SSE. We deployed a network of seven broadband seismological stations along the WG to decipher its evolution. In the present study, we investigate the characteristics of different kinds of noises at the stations by utilizing the power spectral density (PSD) measurements. Further, the results are compared with the global standard noise models to assess the data quality. The PSD results reveal that the short period (0.1–1 s) cultural noise is more prominent at stations AGMB, SDPR and MGLI when compared to the other stations, especially during day hours of Indian Standard Time (IST) zone since these sites were in the proximity of roads. The seasonal variations are observed especially in the microseismic period range and noise levels are more prominent in the months of July to August since the western part of India experiences peak monsoon during this period. These variations are observed especially at PCH and KNUR stations as their locations were near the coastline. Furthermore, the results indicate that the noise levels are more prominent in vertical components than that of horizontal components in the microseismic period range whereas it is reversed in the short and long period ranges. Later, the results indicate that the noise levels at all the localities of stations are within the global standard noise models, which suggests that our installation of broadband seismological stations has been successful at all seven locations and has good data quality.

Galactic Cosmic-Ray Propagation in the Inner Heliosphere: Improved Force-field Model

A key goal of heliophysics is to understand how cosmic rays propagate in the solar system’s complex, dynamic environment. One observable is solar modulation, i.e., how the flux and spectrum of cosmic rays change as they propagate inward. We construct an improved force-field model, taking advantage of new measurements of magnetic power spectral density by Parker Solar Probe to predict solar modulation within the Earth’s orbit. We find that modulation of cosmic rays between the Earth and Sun is modest, at least at solar minimum and in the ecliptic plane. Our results agree much better with the limited data on cosmic-ray radial gradients within Earth’s orbit than past treatments of the force-field model. Our predictions can be tested with forthcoming direct cosmic-ray measurements in the inner heliosphere by Parker Solar Probe and Solar Orbiter. They are also important for interpreting the gamma-ray emission from the Sun due to scattering of cosmic rays with solar matter and photons.

The Wavefront Power Spectral Density Measurement of Aspheric Lens with Long Focal-Length Using a Computer-Generated Hologram

To ensure the performance of the optical system, the machining accuracy of lens with long focal lengths is required to ensure the image quality. A new method for lens transmission wavefront power spectral density (PSD) in mid-frequency domain measurement using binary phase computer-generated hologram (CGH) is presented. This technique is widely applicable and is particularly useful for measuring large-size lenses with long focal lengths. A comparison experiment of the CGH measurement with results from a Fizeau sphere interferometry method is carried out to verify the accuracy and convenience of the measurement. Furthermore, measurement uncertainty due to CGH fabrication process is analysed. Analysis of the CGH test showed the overall accuracy of less than 1 nm RMS for a sphere lens with over 30 m focal length and Φ410 mm clear aperture. CGH can provide reference spheres with high precision, in the meantime greatly shorten air space, thus reducing the effect of vibration and air turbulence, therefore is of great importance for lens transmission wavefront PSD measurement. The realization of high precision, high efficiency and nondestructive testing of long focal-lens wavefront PSD ensure the ultra-precision and certainty level of machining, hence improving the comprehensive performance of the optical system.

Gisola: A High-Performance Computing Application for Real-Time Moment Tensor Inversion

Abstract Automatic moment tensor (MT) determination is essential for real-time seismological applications. In this article, Gisola, a highly evolved software for MT determination, oriented toward high-performance computing, is presented. The program employs enhanced algorithms for waveform data selection via quality metrics, such as signal-to-noise ratio, waveform clipping, data and metadata inconsistency, long-period disturbances, and station evaluation based on power spectral density measurements in parallel execution. The inversion code, derived from ISOLated Asperities—an extensively used manual MT retrieval utility—has been improved by exploiting the performance efficiency of multiprocessing on the CPU and GPU. Gisola offers the ability for a 4D spatiotemporal adjustable MT grid search and multiple data resources interconnection to the International Federation of Digital Seismograph Networks Web Services (FDSNWS), the SeedLink protocol, and the SeisComP Data Structure standard. The new software publishes its results in various formats such as QuakeML and SC3ML, includes a website suite for MT solutions review, an e-mail notification system, and an integrated FDSNWS-event for MT solutions distribution. Moreover, it supports the ability to apply user-defined scripts, such as dispatching the MT solution to SeisComP. The operator has full control of all calculation aspects with an extensive and adjustable configuration. MT’s quality performance, for 531 manual MT solutions in Greece between 2012 and 2021, was measured and proved to be highly efficient.

Measurement and Analysis of Industrial Forklifts Vibration Levels for Unit Load Testing Purposes

Forklifts are one of the most common types of material handling equipment used in warehouses and distribution centers. Vibration generated by forklifts may have an effect on the performance of unit loads and product damage rates. Historical research projects have focused predominantly on the measurement of vibration for over-the-road transportation. Thus, there is still a lack of understanding of the level of vibration caused by forklifts. The goal of this study was to understand how the vibration that is experienced by unit loads while being transported by forklifts is affected by factors such as speed, road condition, unit load weight, type of forklift, and sensor location. For this study, power spectral density (PSD) measurements were collected using a Lansmont Saver 9X30 data logger. Vibration levels were measured for three different industrial forklifts on two different surface types. The forklifts were driven at two different speeds while carrying two different unit load weights. For all of these conditions, the vibration levels were measured at the forklift carriage, at the back of the fork tine heel, and at the fork tine tips. The results obtained show that the highest vibrational intensity occurred at 3–4 Hz, while the highest overall Grms value observed was 0.145 G2/Hz (between 1–200 Hz). An increase in the forklift speed caused an increase in vibration intensity. In contrast, an increase in the unit load weight carried by the forklift caused a decrease in vibration intensity. Among the three forklifts studied, the gas-powered forklift had the highest vibration intensity, and all forklifts, when driven on asphalt, experienced more vibration.

Laser Frequency Noise Power Spectral Density Measurement Technology and Its Application to Resonant Optical Fiber Gyroscope

Laser Frequency Noise Power Spectral Density Measurement Technology and Its Application to Resonant Optical Fiber Gyroscope

Seismological Investigations in the Olduvai Basin and Ngorongoro Volcanic Highlands (Western Flank of the North Tanzanian Divergence)

AbstractWe present data and results of a passive seismic experiment that we operated between June 2016 and May 2018 in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area (northern Tanzania), located on the western side of the eastern branch of the Eastern African Rift (EAR) system. The motivation for this experiment is twofold: (1) investigating the extension of the Olduvai basin, referred to also as the “Cradle of Human Mankind,” as it hosted a variety of paleoenvironments exploited by hominins during their evolution; and (2) studying the link between the fault system in the main EAR and in its western flank. We conduct detailed data-quality analysis of the seismic recordings based upon ambient noise characterization and numerical waveform simulations. Our data set is of good quality, and we observe that local magnitude can be overestimated up to at least 0.23, due to wave-amplifications effects occurring at sites with loose sedimentary material. Based on a new but simple approach using power spectral density measurements, we calculate the thickness of sedimentary basins. This allows us to map the bottom of the Olduvai paleolake confirming that its sedimentary record may be at least 200 m deeper than previously inferred from core drilling. We also map the bottom of the Olbalbal depression for the first time. In addition, we present a seismicity map of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area with unprecedented detail. The seismicity depicts the suture zone between the Tanzanian craton and the Mozambique belt and reveals that the fault system in the western flank of the rift merges at depth into a single detachment that joins the Manyara fault on the western side of the main rift valley.

A Fast Soft Decision Algorithm for Cooperative Spectrum Sensing

Hidden Primary User problem caused by fading and shadowing severely affects the detection rate of the cognitive radio systems with a single spectrum sensor. Cooperative Spectrum Sensing has been introduced to tackle this problem by using the spatial diversity of spectrum sensors. It is shown that the use of soft decision algorithms in fusion center has a better performance than hard decision algorithms. The problem of soft decision based on sensor measurements perfectly matches the Machine Learning paradigm. In this brief, a novel fast soft decision algorithm is proposed based on Machine Learning theory for wideband Cooperative Spectrum Sensing, which finds a decision boundary to classify the Power Spectral Density (PSD) measurement vectors of sensors into the empty and occupied channel classes. The statistical characteristics of sensors PSD samples are employed to derive a fast solution, which outperforms the SVM-linear algorithm. By solving an optimization problem a Constant False Alarm Rate algorithm is introduced and then it is improved to the Adaptive False Alarm Rate algorithm. The proposed algorithm reduces the average training time to one tenth of the SVM-linear training time, while the detection probability is the same. The hardware implementation of the proposed algorithm is described in Verilog HDL and the corresponding simulation results are presented.

Oxide Edge Trap Density Extraction in Silicon Nanowire MOSFET From Tunnel Current Noise Measurement in Gated Diode Like Arrangement

Edge traps in the gate oxide of silicon nanowire MOSFETs have been extracted from tunnel current noise measurement in a gated diode like arrangement. We have found that, low frequency noise in tunnel current results from collective response of the edge traps available within the gate oxide surrounding band-to-band generation (BTBG) region of silicon nanowire, and when the BTBG region is accessed by favorable terminal biases. From detail modeling of the phenomenon, we derived a closed form expression of the tunneling current noise power spectral density (PSD) employing which oxide edge trap density in nanowire MOSFET had been extracted through its fit with the experimental noise PSD data. We furthermore validated our model for different BTBG biases, and contrasted our result with the bulk oxide trap density in identical MOSFET, while the latter was separately estimated from the gate current noise PSD measurement. Mismatch between the oxide bulk trap and edge trap concentrations has been found, whereby actual edge trap density remains otherwise hidden from the widely employed gate current noise measurement technique. It is because, the present scheme improves the resolution of the extracted oxide edge trap concentration in surrounded gate MOSFET owing to constricted tunnel current flow near the corner of the gate which imposes selectivity on the oxide edge traps

Realisation of a biocompatible diffraction grating using an ArF excimer laser

We report the fabrication of a bio-compatible diffraction grating made out chitosan, a derivative of chitin. The diffraction grating has been realised by laser ablation using 193 nm excimer laser. Thin spun coated chitosan films 520 nm thick were used in the laser ablation experiments. We report a laser ablation threshold for chitosan of FT = 85 ± 8 mJcm−2. A clean laser ablation process is observed with very little material redeposited on the sample. Following equipment; white light interferometry, scanning electron microscopy, power spectral density and Fraunhofer diffraction measurements were utilized to characterise the diffraction grating. Calculation of the temperature rise induced during laser ablation has been carried out and compared with decomposition temperatures deduced from thermogravimetric data. Applications of bio-compatible gratings realised by laser direct write patterning are briefly discussed.

Real-time observations of the impact of COVID-19 on underwater noise.

A slowdown in global trade activity due to COVID-19 has led to a reduction in commercial shipping traffic into the Port of Vancouver. The Ocean Networks Canada observatory system provides researchers real-time access to oceanographic data from a wide range of instruments including hydrophones located along the offshore and inshore approaches to Vancouver. Measurements of power spectral density at 100 Hz from four of these bottom mounted hydrophones are presented, along with AIS data and shipping and trade statistics to assess to what extent the economic impact of COVID-19 can be observed acoustically and in near real-time. The quarterly trend in median weekly noise power in the shipping band of frequencies shows that a reduction in noise commensurate with the economic slowdown has been observed at three of the four hydrophone stations.

Quantum cascade laser-pumped terahertz molecular lasers: frequency noise and phase-locking using a 1560 nm frequency comb.

We report the measurement of the frequency noise power spectral density (PSD) of a Terahertz (THz) molecular laser (ML) pumped by a mid-infrared (MIR) quantum cascade laser (QCL), and emitting 1 mW at 1.1THz in continuous wave. This is achieved by beating the ML frequency with the 1080th harmonic of the repetition rate of a 1560 nm frequency comb (FC). We find a frequency noise PSD < 10Hz2/Hz (-95dBc/Hz) at 100kHz from the carrier. To demonstrate the effect of the stability of the pump laser on the spectral purity of the THz emission we also measure the frequency noise PSD of a CO2-laser-pumped 2.5THz ML, reaching 0.1Hz2/Hz (-105dBc/Hz) at 40kHz from the carrier, limited by the frequency noise of the FC harmonic. Finally, we show that it is possible to actively phase-lock the QCL-pumped molecular laser to the FC repetition rate harmonic by controlling the QCL current, demonstrating a sub-Hz linewidth.

Adaptive algorithms for measuring low-frequency noise parameters of semiconductor devices under mass control

The solution of the problem of increasing the confidence and efficiency of quality control of semiconductor devices is considered. The analysis of conditions for measuring the power spectral density of low – frequency noise of semiconductor devices with a spectrum of the form (γ – the spectrum shape indicator) under mass quality control is presented. The error in measuring the power spectral density under the specified measurement conditions strongly depends on the value of the spectrum shape indicator. Adaptive algorithms for measuring low-frequency noise parameters are proposed for cases of a given limit error in measuring the power spectral density and a given time for a single measurement. The proposed algorithms include a preliminary estimation of the value of the spectrum shape indicator and subsequent measurement of the noise power spectral density at the optimal filter bandwidth. The optimal filter bandwidth is determined based on the results of a preliminary assessment of the spectrum shape indicator. For both cases, we obtained estimates of the gain in the sense of the average for the set (ensemble) of controlled products. The possibility of adaptive or cognitive adjustment of the measurement system parameters in the control process based on the results of evaluating sample averages in the training sample is discussed.

Photonic-Radar Based Multiple-Target Tracking Under Complex Traffic-Environments

Recent developments in the state-of-the-art Intelligent Transportation Systems enable autonomous vehicles to offer significant safety services to take appropriate and prompt actions to avoid any probable unfortunate road-hazard. As the utmost functions of the advanced driving assistance system-equipped autonomous vehicles governed by the equipped radar, therefore, the radar system should have the ability to track multiple-targets accurately with high radar-resolutions. Unlike the microwave-radar, the photonic-radar comes out as an attractive candidate owing to provide wide-spectra to attain improved and precise radar-resolutions at low-power requirements along with extended target-range even under severe atmospheric fluctuations. Therefore, a linear frequency-modulated continuous-wave photonic-radar is developed in this work to carry out a radar cross-section-based tracking of multiple mobile-targets in the presence of fog, cloud, and rain. Besides it, some complex real-time traffic-scenarios consisting of multiple mobile-targets make the target-detection, data-association, and classification processes more complicated. Therefore, this work is tested for different multiple-mobile targets in different complicated traffic-scenarios modeled by using MATLAB™ software. The performance of the demonstrated photonic-radar is assessed through the power spectral density and range-Doppler mapping measurements. Furthermore, a comparison of the developed photonic-radar is also established with conventional microwave-radar to present a comparative analysis.

Tunable Duplexers: Downlink Band Isolation Requirements for LTE User Equipment

Tunable duplexers based on self-interference cancellation present a promising alternative to fixed-frequency duplexers (e.g., surface acoustic wave devices), however the level of transmit-to-receive (Tx–Rx) isolation they provide is typically lower compared to acoustic devices. This letter quantifies the impact of reduced isolation on receiver (Rx) noise figure (NF), and determines minimum isolation requirements for Tx-Rx isolation in cellular handset transceivers. Measurements of Tx noise power spectral density from a cellular handset power amplifier are combined with theoretical analysis and long term evolution (LTE) downlink throughput simulations to assess the impact of isolation on the NF and sensitivity. Although lower duplexer isolation can lead to substantial desensitization for some duplex separation/bandwidth combinations, achieving LTE compliant sensitivity requires only 38 dB of isolation in the Rx band. LTE sensitivity specification compliance is therefore readily achievable with current tunable duplexing technologies.