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Generalized Optimization of High-Capacity Compressive Imaging Systems
One of the greatest challenges in applying compressive sensing (CS) signal processing techniques to electromagnetic imaging applications is designing a sensing matrix that has good reconstruction capabilities. Compressive reflector antennas (CRAs) are a class of antennas that have been shown to provide enhanced image reconstruction performance over traditional reflector antennas (TRAs) when CS techniques are employed. In this article, we present a unified CRA design method, which considers both the sensing capacity and efficiency of the antenna and can be used for both compressive imaging and multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) communication applications. The unified design method is assessed for a CRA configuration in which dielectric scatterers are added to the surface of a TRA. The design results demonstrate the ability of the unified design method to enhance the CS reconstruction capabilities of the CRA.
Design and characterization of a W‐band wide‐beam horn for radio holography
Abstract A W‐band wide‐beam horn suitable for prime‐focus feed is described in this paper. It was designed to provide better illuminations for outer panels of larger reflector antennas and to improve performance of radio holography systems. Much effort has been spent on precise characterization of the amplitude and phase patterns of the wide beam horn which has a direct impact on the measurement accuracy of the radio holography. A far‐field measurement setup with the correction of phase errors due to cable flexing has been developed. Good beam pattern agreement has been achieved between simulation and measurement.
Simulation of and Antenna Design for a Reflector-based Broadband Axion Search
The axion is a theoretical particle that presents a solution to the Strong CP problem in the Standard Model and is a strong candidate for dark matter. Axions convert to photons in the presence of a strong magnetic field. Searches for the axion capitalize on this property, but the unknown mass of the axion means the frequency of oscillation of the photons is also unknown. This work explores a broadband reflector-based experiment with a conical horn antenna and circular waveguide as a new potential search method for this particle.
Artificial photosynthetic devices utilizing polariton antennas
An organic photovoltaic device comprises a substrate, a reflector positioned over the substrate, a first electrode positioned over at least a first portion of the reflector, a polaritonic antenna layer positioned over a second portion of the reflector different from the first portion, electrically connected to the first electrode, and at least one unit reaction cell positioned over at least part of the first electrode, the at least one unit reaction cell comprising a heterojunction layer comprising a donor material and an acceptor material, positioned over the first electrode, and a second electrode positioned over the heterojunction, wherein the polaritonic antenna and the reflector are configured to convert incoming photonic energy to polaritons. A method of fabricating an organic photovoltaic device is also disclosed.
3D Printing Prototypes for a Reflector-Based Broadband Axion Search
This work sought to begin research and development on a horn antenna which can be used to transfer the energy of microwave photons produced by axions in a strong magnetic field to a coaxial cable for measurement. 3D prototypes of pyramidal horn antennas and a parabolic reflector were printed and then coated with conductive spray paint. The S 11 parameter was measured and simulated for both 3D printed horn antenna and the conical horn antenna both with and without the reflector present to determine how much of the radiated power was reflected back. Ultimately, for both the conical and pyramidal antennas, less than one percent of the energy emitted by the antennas was reflected back. When the pyramidal antenna was tilted by about 45 degrees, however, around 30-40 percent of the microwaves emitted by the antennas was reflected back.
Laser Characterization of Optically Smooth BREAD parts
The Broadband Reflector Experiment for Axion Detection is a dish antenna experiment probing the axion and dark photon parameter space in the [1 μeV, 1 eV] mass range, or [.02, 200] THz frequency range. In the pilot design for the InfraBREAD model, the dish antenna includes an optically smooth coaxial parabolic reflector to focus incoming photons in the near Infrared spectrum, created by the spontaneous photoconversion of axions and dark photons, onto a Superconducting Nanowire Single Photon Detector at the focus point of the reflector. As the pilot begins as a dark photon detector, sensitivity estimates hypothesize that it could cover unprobed parameter space in the search for the dark photon. Because of this, it is of critical importance that the reflector and SNSPD be placed at the correct points in the dish antenna, as previous work has shown that in addition to the focal spot of the photons being smeared to an area larger than the SNSPD, detection efficiency is s ensitive to shifts on the millimeter scale. In order to constrain this barrier to efficiency, the reflector had its focal spot, roughness, and length of surface waves measured by lasers in an optical bench setup. Results show the focal point diverging slightly from its theorized position in the antenna, while uncertainty in the height at which the detector should be placed was constrained to 10s of microns, the uncertainty in radial position could not be constrained to smaller than the detector given the methods used. Results for the roughness and surface wavelength show that the reflector was uniformly machined in a diamond-turning process used to fabricate optically smooth parts, as well as support a roughly 90% detection efficiency, reinforcing the sensitivity estimates presented.
First Results from a Broadband Search for Dark Photon Dark Matter in the 44 to 52 μ eV Range with a Coaxial Dish Antenna
We present first results from a dark photon dark matter search in the mass range from 44 to 52 μ eV (10.7–12.5 GHz) using a room-temperature dish antenna setup called GigaBREAD. Dark photon dark matter converts to ordinary photons on a cylindrical metallic emission surface with area 0.5 m 2 and is focused by a novel parabolic reflector onto a horn antenna. Signals are read out with a low-noise receiver system. A first data taking run with 24 days of data does not show evidence for dark photon dark matter in this mass range, excluding dark photon photon mixing parameters χ ≳ 10 − 12 in this range at 90% confidence level. This surpasses existing constraints by about 2 orders of magnitude and is the most stringent bound on dark photons in this range below 49 μ eV . Published by the American Physical Society 2024
First Axionlike Particle Results from a Broadband Search for Wavelike Dark Matter in the 44 to 52 μ eV Range with a Coaxial Dish Antenna
We present the results from the first axionlike particle search conducted using a dish antenna. The experiment was conducted at room temperature and sensitive to axionlike particles in the 44–52 μ eV range (10.7–12.5 GHz). The novel dish antenna geometry was proposed by the BREAD Collaboration and previously used to conduct a dark photon search in the same mass range. To allow for axionlike particle sensitivity, the BREAD dish antenna was placed in a 3.9 T solenoid magnet at Argonne National Laboratory. In the presence of a magnetic field, axionlike dark matter converts to photons at the conductive surface of the reflector. The signal is focused onto a custom coaxial horn antenna and read out with a low-noise radio-frequency receiver. No evidence of axionlike dark matter was observed in this mass range and we place the most stringent laboratory constraints on the axion-photon coupling strength, 𝑔 𝑎𝛾𝛾 , in this mass range at 90% confidence.
First Axionlike Particle Results from a Broadband Search for Wavelike Dark Matter in the 44 to 52 μ eV Range with a Coaxial Dish Antenna
We present the results from the first axionlike particle search conducted using a dish antenna. The experiment was conducted at room temperature and sensitive to axionlike particles in the 44 – 52 μ eV range (10.7–12.5 GHz). The novel dish antenna geometry was proposed by the BREAD Collaboration and previously used to conduct a dark photon search in the same mass range. To allow for axionlike particle sensitivity, the BREAD dish antenna was placed in a 3.9 T solenoid magnet at Argonne National Laboratory. In the presence of a magnetic field, axionlike dark matter converts to photons at the conductive surface of the reflector. The signal is focused onto a custom coaxial horn antenna and read out with a low-noise radio-frequency receiver. No evidence of axionlike dark matter was observed in this mass range and we place the most stringent laboratory constraints on the axion-photon coupling strength, g a γ γ , in this mass range at 90% confidence.
Direct write sensors
A method of making an acoustic wave sensor includes the steps of providing a piezoelectric substrate layer and printing on the substrate layer a sensor layer comprising a first interdigitated acoustic wave transducer, a sensing film, and positioned on an opposing side of the sensing film from the first interdigitated acoustic wave transducer at least one selected from the group consisting of a second interdigitated acoustic wave transducer and a Bragg reflector. An insulation layer can be printed. An antenna can be printed in an antenna layer, and the insulation layer can be interposed between the antenna layer and the sensor layer. An electrical connection can be printed between the antenna and the first interdigitated acoustic wave transducer. An acoustic wave sensor is also disclosed.
Measurement of the Primary Beam of the Tianlai Cylindrical Antenna Using an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle
The Tianlai Cylinder Pathfinder Array consists of three adjacent cylindrical reflectors fixed on the ground, each 40 m long and 15 m wide, with the cylinder axis oriented along the North–South (N–S) direction. Dual linear polarization feeds are distributed along the focus line, parallel to the cylinder axis. Measurement of the primary beam profile of these cylindrical reflectors is difficult, as they are too large to be placed in an anechoic chamber. While the beam profile along the East–West (E–W) direction can be measured with the transit observations of bright astronomical radio sources, the beam profile along the N–S direction remains very uncertain. Here, we present a preliminary measurement of the beam profile of the Tianlai cylindrical antenna along both the N–S direction and E–W direction in the frequency range of 700–800 MHz, using a calibrator source carried by an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) flying in the far field. The beam profile of the Tianlai cylindrical antenna is determined from the analysis of the auto-correlation signals from the cylinder array correlator, taking into account the emitter antenna beam profile, itself measured with a dipole antenna on the ground. The accuracy of the UAV-based determination of the cylinder beam profiles is validated by comparing the results with the one derived from bright astronomical source transits, and with simulated beams.
First Results from BREAD: Broadband Reflector Experiment for Axion Detection
We report R&D progress, as well as first dark photon search results with BREAD - a novel dish antenna for broadband ~$\mu$eV-eV wave-dark matter detection, which allows to utilize state-of-the-art high-field solenoidal magnets. Axions are converted non-resonantly to photons on a cylindrical metallic wall parallel to an external magnetic field. These photons are then focused using a novel reflector geometry onto a state-of-the-art high-sensitive photon detector. We recently demonstrated [PRL 128 (2022) 131801] that this concept using a $\sim 10\,{\rm m}^2$ conversion area in a $\sim 10\,{\rm T}$ solenoidal magnet has the potential to discover QCD axions spanning multiple decades in mass range. In this talk we discuss progress of our first stage pilot experiments - GigaBREAD and InfraBREAD - covering different mass ranges. We show first results of a room-temperature GigaBREAD prototype and discuss upscaling to larger, cryogenic and magnetized versions.
Broadband Solenoidal Haloscope for Terahertz Axion Detection
We introduce the Broadband Reflector Experiment for Axion Detection (BREAD) conceptual design and science program. This haloscope plans to search for bosonic dark matter across the [ 10 - 3 , 1 ] eV ([0.24, 240] THz) mass range. BREAD proposes a cylindrical metal barrel to convert dark matter into photons, which a novel parabolic reflector design focuses onto a photosensor. This unique geometry enables enclosure in standard cryostats and high-field solenoids, overcoming limitations of current dish antennas. A pilot 0.7 m 2 barrel experiment planned at Fermilab is projected to surpass existing dark photon coupling constraints by over a decade with one-day runtime. Axion sensitivity requires < 10 - 20 W / Hz sensor noise equivalent power with a 10 T solenoid and 10 m 2 barrel. We project BREAD sensitivity for various sensor technologies and discuss future prospects.
Advances in Secure 5G Network for a Nationwide Drone Corridor
Recent research has validated the proposal to add a separate set of antennas for 5G coverage in the air, while the conventional set of antennas continues to provide coverage on the ground, for a nationwide drone corridor for 5G cellular drones. More importantly, this drone corridor can be made secure and reliable by adapting the drone trajectories to avoid interference and security attacks, and with advanced precoding and physical layer security. Energy efficiency can also be improved with low-resolution massive multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) systems that utilize low resolution digital to analog converters. This paper describes additional research findings to further support the creation of this nationwide drone corridor. We design optimal drone trajectory within the drone corridor to improve safety for pedestrians and vehicles on the ground. We derive the optimum antenna uptilt angle to minimize outage probability for a given drone corridor. We also study the placement of intelligent reflector surfaces in an urban drone corridor in order to improve the multi-path scattering and hence the spatial multiplexing gains for serving drones. We calculate trajectories to maximize data rate in the presence of smart interference when drones are used as relays and each drone may be deployed in the paths of data flows from multiple BSs to multiple UEs. Next we demonstrate how the use of the additional set of antennas along with the 3GPP standard based subframe blanking method can minimize the interference from ground reflection of the radio frequency (RF) radiation from the downtilted antennas. The paper concludes with plans to continue with experimental studies to advance this work further.