Terahertz spectroscopy based on high-T c Josephson junctions

A review of the authors’ studies on the spectroscopy employing the ac Josephson effect in high-temperature superconducting junctions is presented. It is demonstrated that Hilbert spectroscopy and admittance spectroscopy can be successfully implemented in the terahertz frequency range with the use of high-temperature superconductor bicrystal Josephson junctions.     

Extension of the frequency range of Josephson impedance spectroscopy

The results of the spectral analysis of a high-temperature superconducting (HTSC) log-periodic antenna integrated with a HTSC Josephson junction (JJ) and operating, in this case, as a test resonant system are presented. Current-voltage characteristics of the JJ and dependences of its differential resistance on the voltage across the JJ are measured at a temperature of 5 K by varying the JJ critical current by an external magnetic field in order to extend the operating frequency range of the spectral analysis. The low-frequency boundary of the spectral analysis, which is determined by temperature fluctuations, is lowered to 64 GHz. The equivalent circuit of an integrated device consisting of the JJ and the log-periodic antenna is analyzed. The real part of the antenna admittance is reconstructed from experimental data in the frequency range 65–1200 GHz. Experimental results are compared with the results of numerical calculation.     

The admittance of the infinite cylindrical antenna immersed in a lossy, compressible plasma

Some numerical results obtained from an analysis of the admittance of an infinite cylindrical antenna excited at a circumferential gap of finite thickness and immersed in a lossy, compressible (warm) plasma are given. The linearized hydrodynamic equations are used for the electrons (ion motion is neglected). A free-space layer, or vacuum sheath, is used to approximate the ion sheath which forms about an object at floating potential in a nonzero temperature plasma. Values for the antenna admittance are obtained by a direct numerical integration of the Fourier integral for the current, and are presented as a function of frequency for plasma parameter values typical of theEregion of the ionosphere. The admittance exhibits a maximum below the plasma frequency unless the electron temperature and sheath thickness are both zero; however, above the plasma frequency, the sheath and electron temperature have relatively little effect on the antenna admittance. The nonzero plasma temperature considerably enhances the antenna conductance below the plasma frequency compared with the zero-temperature case while at the same time reducing the dependence of the conductance on the electron collision frequency. A susceptance zero the location of which is not sensitive to the vacuum sheath thickness occurs near the plasma frequency.     

约瑟夫森阵列振荡器的相位锁定分析

系统地研究了超导亚毫米波阵列振荡器的相位锁定问题。为使超导振荡器达到高工作频率、窄线宽和高稳定的性能，约瑟夫森结与结之间的相位必须相互锁定。相位锁定可以通过结与结之间的耦合电路得以实现。通过对振荡器的各种耦合电路的比较表明，蝴蝶领结天线结构是一个比较适合约瑟夫森振荡器相位锁定的耦合电路。本文提出了一种超导亚毫米波阵列振荡器模型并对其进行了模拟计算与分析，仿真得出了振荡器各项参数值，并给出了相位锁定的条件。     

Sensitivity of microstrip antennas to admittance boundary variations

The analysis of microstrip antennas is greatly simplified by a technique which separates the interior fields of the antenna from its exterior fields through the application of an admittance boundary condition at the periphery of the antenna. The goal of this investigation is to determine the accuracy to which one must obtain this "wall" admittance in order to predict operating parameters to a specified tolerance. For a typical microstrip antenna the "wall" admittance must be known to within 4 percent to predict the operating frequency to 0.5 percent.     

Imaginary part of antenna's admittance from its real part usingBode's integrals

The imaginary part of an antenna input admittance is calculated from its real part using Bode's integrals. Since the real part is typically a smoother function of the frequency than the imaginary part, the procedure presented here requires computation at a smaller number of frequency points, thus saves time, and is ideal for systems whose input conductance exhibits sharp peaks. A numerical procedure to evaluate the singular Bode's integral is also presented. Numerical examples using a wire antenna are used to illustrate the advantages of this approach compared to calculations involving a densely scanned frequency range. The noise stability and robustness of the algorithm are demonstrated through the successful prediction of the susceptance and the resonant frequencies of the antenna in the presence of random noise in the conductance     

一种展宽波导缝隙阵列天线驻波带宽的新方法

辐射缝隙导纳和耦合缝隙阻抗的频率特性,是影响缝隙阵列天线驻波带宽的主要因素。以改善整个缝隙阵阻抗匹配频率特性为出发点,提出了一种展宽波导缝隙阵列天线驻波带宽的新方法,即选择合适的辐射缝隙的总导纳常数。仿真分析表明,改变后的缝隙阵列天线的驻波带宽有了较大改善,其与理论分析的结果是一致的。     

Linear transmission-line model analysis of a circular patch antenna

Using a linear transmission-line model analysis we calculate the radiation admittance in the particular case of the circular patch antenna. Theoretical bandwidth, radiation admittance and resonance frequency are compared successfully with experimental results given by other authors.     

Prolate spheroidal antennas in isotropic plasma media

The problems of a gap-excited finite-sized prolate spheroidal antenna, with and without a confocal prolate spheroidal vacuum sheath, operated in a uniform cold and in a uniform warm lossy plasma medium, have been considered by applying boundary value problem techniques. The dependence of the input admittance, the current distribution, and the radiation pattern, upon the collision frequency, the electron temperature, the length of the antenna, the length-to-radius ratio for the antenna, the ratio of the plasma frequency to the operating frequency, and the thickness of a vacuum sheath have been investigated. Admittance curves are given from which the input admittance of a finite linear antenna can be estimated for a wide range of operating conditions and length-to-radius ratios. Conductance and susceptance maxima, dependent upon the vacuum sheath thickness, have been observed when using the cold plasma model foromega < omega_{p}. When using the warm plasma model in conjunction with the boundary condition that the normal component of the fluid velocity is zero at the antenna surface and at the vacuum sheath surface, the radiation resistance of the antenna is increased significantly for the parameters considered.     

Dipole admittance for magnetoplasma diagnostics

A method is presented for calculating the admittance of a short thin dipole antenna in a cold collisional magnetoplasma. The theory is quasi-static, and the results are slightly more accurate than in previous analyses. Numerical calculations of admittance as a function of frequency are presented for several different orientations of the dipole with respect to the magnetic field. For any orientation the calculations show that the plasma frequency and the upper hybrid frequency can be readily identified.     

Admittance of a half-wavelength slot antenna radiating into a warm lossy two-layer plasma

The admittance of a half-wavelength slot antenna in a two-layer lossy plasma is shown to be greatly affected by moderate electron temperatures (T_{e} leq 1 eV) when the plasma is overdense. The effects of slot width and electron collision frequency upon the slot admittance also are investigated.     

On the Pulse Response of a Flush-Mounted Coaxial Aperture

The radiation field pattern of a flush-mounted coaxial aperture is derived in the frequency domain. By using the Lorentz reciprocity theorem, the equivalent current generator is obtained which drives the apparent annular antenna admittance in shunt with the load admittance. The current source, aperture admittance, and load admittance determine the transfer function. The transfer function multiplied by the expression for the spectrum of the incident pulse forms the integrand of the Fourier transform from which the time history of the current waveform in the load admittance may be obtained using a computer. There are several applications of the theory. The one of dominant interest at present may be described as follows. A coaxial transmission line terminated in a known load admittance is located in the interior of a missile. The free end of the cable forms an aperture antenna at the skin of the missile, i.e., at the normal junction of coaxial connectors. The problem is to determine the time history of the current in the load admittance when an intense transient electromagnetic field impinges on the receiving antenna. Very accurate numerical results may be obtained from this theory provided the ground plane is sufficiently large and certain dimensional limitations on the sizes of the inner conductor and sheath of the coaxial aperture (expressed in terms of the wavelength) are met.     

Resonance of a wire antenna near the lower hybrid frequency in an RF-generated magnetoplasma

The lower hybrid resonance (LHR) of a wire antenna immersed in an RF-generated laboratory plasma was observed with a frequency sweeping admittance bridge. It is shown that the resonance frequency observed in the experiment agrees with the LHR frequency calculated from an ion density and a static magnetic field intensity.     

The input impedance of a monopole antenna mounted on a cubical conducting box

An experimental investigation has been performed to determine the input admittance characteristics of a monopole antenna mounted on a conducting cubical box over a ground plane. Input admittances of monopoles from 2 to 6 cm long mounted on a 10 cm box were considered in the investigation so that effects of changes in the electrical size of the box could be evaluated. The monopoles were placed at various points to determine the functional dependence of input admittance on the position of the monopole antenna. A numerical analysis of the radiating structure was performed using the method of moments to compare the experimental data with the computed input admittance. This comparison and the observed empirical behavior of the input admittance were then utilized to predict the effects of the conducting box on the overall admittance of the radiator.     

Tissue dielectric measurement using an interstitial dipole antenna

The purpose of this study was to develop a technique to measure the dielectric properties of biological tissues with an interstitial dipole antenna based upon previous efforts for open-ended coaxial probes. The primary motivation for this technique is to facilitate treatment monitoring during microwave tumor ablation by utilizing the heating antenna without additional intervention or interruption of the treatment. The complex permittivity of a tissue volume surrounding the antenna was calculated from reflection coefficients measured after high-temperature microwave heating by using a rational function model of the antenna's input admittance. Three referencing liquids were needed for measurement calibration. The dielectric measurement technique was validated ex vivo in normal and ablated bovine livers. Relative permittivity and effective conductivity were lower in the ablation zone when compared to normal tissue, consistent with previous results. The dipole technique demonstrated a mean 10% difference of permittivity values when compared to open-ended coaxial cable measurements in the frequency range of 0.5-20 GHz. Variability in measured permittivities could be smoothed by fitting to a Cole-Cole dispersion model. Further development of this technique may facilitate real-time monitoring of microwave ablation treatments through the treatment applicator.     

Admittance of an Inhomogeneously Sheathed Infinite Cylindrical Antenna Immersed in an Isotropic, Compressible Plasma

The admittance of an infinite cylindrical antenna excited at a circumferential gap of nonzero thickness and immersed in a lossy, isotropic compressible plasma medium is obtained from numerical calculations, taking into account the inhomogeneous ion sheath which forms about a body at floating potential in a warm plasma. The admittance for the inhomogeneous sheath is found to be fairly similar to that for the sheathless case, with the exception of a rather sharp maximum or resonance in the admittance just below the plasma frequency which results from the sheath inhomogeneity.     

Modeling of a quasi-optical Josephson oscillator

The authors have developed a computer model of a Josephson tunnel junction embedded in a general circuit with frequency-dependent impedance using the harmonic balance method. This model has been applied to the analysis of a two-dimensional Josephson junction array with integrated coupling structures, called a quasi-optical Josephson oscillator. Simulations are done for a junction with dipole, slotline, and bow-tie antennas. The results show that the junction with a bow-tie antenna gives the best performance, and the output power from an array of 4000 junctions can reach 25.7 μW at a frequency as high as 1091 GHz for niobium junctions deposited on a 0.207-mm-thick quartz substrate     

Experimental study of the impedance of cavity-backed slot antennas

The impedance of a simple open slot antenna was measured as a function of frequency and was then compared with the theoretical values obtained through Babinet's principle from the known values of the admittance of its complementary antenna, the strip dipole. A careful experimental study was then made of the impedance of the same slot with several different cavity backings. The impedance was found both as a function of frequency and of the various parameters of the cavity, namely, the cross-sectional size of the cavity, the medium filling the cavity, and the type of termination of the cavity.     

Experimental investigation of the broad-band properties of a continuously loaded resistive monopole

A resistive monopole was designed using thin-film evaporation techniques. Measurements of radiation patterns were made over a 100:1 frequency band and compared to the theory of Wu and King. Current amplitude measurements exhibited a more rapid fall-off at the higher frequencies than the almost linear decay observed at the low frequencies. The input admittance was found to have a relatively gradual increase with frequency and reached a final value of approximately (16 + j4) mOmegaM^-1The efficiency of the antenna was observed to increase markedly with increase in frequency.     

The input admittance of the rectangular cavity-backed slot antenna

The input admittance of the rectangular cavity-backed slot antenna is investigated. The slot is assumed narrow so that the voltage distribution in its aperture is sinusoidal. Equations which represent the input admittance of this slot, backed by a rectangular cavity in which a single propagating wave is assumed to exist, are given. Calculations based on these representations are compared to available measured data. As the depth of the cavity increased the resonant frequency decreased and the bandwidth became narrower. Input admittance curves as a function of electrical slot length are also presented for several size cavities.