Power transfer efficiency in an air-breathing radio frequency ion thruster

Due to a series of challenges such as low-orbit maintenance of satellites, the air-breathing electric propulsion has got widespread attention. Commonly, the radio frequency ion thruster is favored by low-orbit missions due to its high specific impulse and efficiency. In this paper, the power transfer efficiency of the radio frequency ion thruster with different gas compositions is studied experimentally, which is obtained by measuring the radio frequency power and current of the antenna coil with and without discharge operation. The results show that increasing the turns of antenna coils can effectively improve the radio frequency power transfer efficiency, which is due to the improvement of Q factor. In pure N_2 discharge,with the increase of radio frequency power, the radio frequency power transfer efficiency first rises rapidly and then exhibits a less steep increasing trend. The radio frequency power transfer efficiency increases with the increase of gas pressure at relatively high power, while declines rapidly at relatively low power. In N_(2)/O_(2) discharge, increasing the N_(2) content at high power can improve the radio frequency power transfer efficiency, but the opposite was observed at low power. In order to give a better understanding of these trends, an analytic solution in limit cases is utilized, and a Langmuir probe was employed to measure the electron density. It is found that the evolution of radio frequency power transfer efficiency can be well explained by the variation of plasma resistance, which is related to the electron density and the effective electron collision frequency.

Experimental results of a magnetic field modification to the radio frequency driver of a negative ion source

A magnetic field produced by a current flowing through the plasma grid(PG) is one of the solutions to reduce the collisional loss of negative ions in a negative ion source, which reduces the electron temperature in front of the PG. However, the magnetic field diffused into the driver has some influence on the plasma outflowing. In order to investigate the effect of changing this magnetic field on the outflowing of plasma from the driver, a circular ring(absorber) of high permeability iron has been introduced at the driver exit, which can reduce the magnetic field around it and improve plasma outflowing. With the application of the absorber, the electron density is increased by about 35%, and the extraction current measured from the extraction grid is increased from 1.02 A to 1.29 A. The results of the extraction experiment with cesium injection show that both the extraction grid(EG) current and H-current are increased when the absorber is introduced.

Hollow cathode effect in radio frequency hollow electrode discharge in argon

Radio frequency capacitively coupled plasma source(RF-CCP)with a hollow electrode can increase the electron density through the hollow cathode effect(HCE),which offers a method to modify the spatial profiles of the plasma density.In this work,the variations of the HCE in one RF period are investigated by using a two-dimensional particle-in-cell/Monte-Carlo collision(PIC/MCC)model.The results show that the sheath electric field,the sheath potential drop,the sheath thickness,the radial plasma bulk width,the electron energy distribution function(EEDF),and the average electron energy in the cavity vary in one RF period.During the hollow electrode sheath's expansion phase,the secondary electron heating and sheath oscillation heating in the cavity are gradually enhanced,and the frequency of the electron pendular motion in the cavity gradually increases,hence the HCE is gradually enhanced.However,during the hollow electrode sheath's collapse phase,the secondary electron heating is gradually attenuated.In addition,when interacting with the gradually collapsed hollow electrode sheaths,high-energy plasma bulk electrons in the cavity will lose some energy.Furthermore,the frequency of the electron pendular motion in the cavity gradually decreases.Therefore,during the hollow electrode sheath's collapse phase,the HCE is gradually attenuated.

The electrical design of a membrane antenna for a lunar-based low-frequency radio telescope

Detecting primordial fluctuations from the cosmic dark ages requires extremely large low-frequency radio telescope arrays deployed on the far side of the Moon.The antenna of such an array must be lightweight,easily storable and transportable,deployable on a large scale,durable,and capable of good electrical performance.A membrane antenna is an excellent candidate to meet these criteria.We study the design of a low-frequency membrane antenna for a lunar-based low-frequency(<30 MHz)radio telescope constructed from polyimide film widely used in aerospace applications,owing to its excellent dielectric properties and high stability as a substrate material.We first design and optimize an antenna in free space through dipole deformation and coupling principles,then simulate an antenna on the lunar surface with a simple lunar soil model,yielding an efficiency greater than 90%in the range of 12-19 MHz and greater than 10%in the range of 5-35 MHz.The antenna inherits the omni-directional radiation pattern of a simple dipole antenna in the 5-30 MHz frequency band,giving a large field of view and allowing detection of the 21 cm global signal when used alone.A demonstration prototype is constructed,and its measured electrical property is found to be consistent with simulated results using|S11|measurements.This membrane antenna can potentially fulfill the requirements of a lunar low-frequency array,establishing a solid technical foundation for future large-scale arrays for exploring the cosmic dark ages.

The time and frequency system of the Tianma 65 m radio telescope

A time and frequency system is a critical component of Very Long Baseline Interferometry(VLBI)stations,providing stable and reliable standards that directly impact data processing quality.At the Tianma 65 m radio telescope(TMRT),this system has been meticulously designed to ensure long-term reliability and high performance.It incorporates high-performance hydrogen atomic clocks,high-precision time standards,automatic signal switching,and robust system software.This comprehensive approach has enabled the system to achieve long-term reliable operation,successfully supporting both major national engineering tasks and daily scientific observations.The effectiveness of the system is evidenced by its consistent delivery of the precision and stability required for radio astronomy.This article provides an in-depth exploration of the design and operation of the time and frequency system at the Tianma 65 m telescope,examining various aspects of its architecture,implementation,and performance.By sharing these insights,we aim to contribute knowledge that could benefit similar systems at other VLBI stations,greatly advancing radio astronomy infrastructure.

High-Precision Doppler Frequency Estimation Based Positioning Using OTFS Modulations by Red and Blue Frequency Shift Discriminator

Orthogonal Time Frequency and Space(OTFS) modulation is expected to provide high-speed and ultra-reliable communications for emerging mobile applications, including low-orbit satellite communications. Using the Doppler frequency for positioning is a promising research direction on communication and navigation integration. To tackle the high Doppler frequency and low signal-to-noise ratio(SNR) in satellite communication, this paper proposes a Red and Blue Frequency Shift Discriminator(RBFSD) based on the pseudo-noise(PN) sequence.The paper derives that the cross-correlation function on the Doppler domain exhibits the characteristic of a Sinc function. Therefore, it applies modulation onto the Delay-Doppler domain using PN sequence and adjusts Doppler frequency estimation by red-shifting or blue-shifting. Simulation results show that the performance of Doppler frequency estimation is close to the Cramér-Rao Lower Bound when the SNR is greater than -15dB. The proposed algorithm is about 1/D times less complex than the existing PN pilot sequence algorithm, where D is the resolution of the fractional Doppler.

Coherent optical frequency transfer via 972-km fiber link

We demonstrate coherent optical frequency dissemination over a distance of 972 km by cascading two spans where the phase noise is passively compensated for.Instead of employing a phase discriminator and a phase locking loop in the conventional active phase control scheme,the passive phase noise cancellation is realized by feeding double-trip beat-note frequency to the driver of the acoustic optical modulator at the local site.This passive scheme exhibits fine robustness and reliability,making it suitable for long-distance and noisy fiber links.An optical regeneration station is used in the link for signal amplification and cascaded transmission.The phase noise cancellation and transfer instability of the 972-km link is investigated,and transfer instability of 1.1×10^(-19)at 10^(4)s is achieved.This work provides a promising method for realizing optical frequency distribution over thousands of kilometers by using fiber links.

Radio Frequency Fingerprinting Identification Using Semi-Supervised Learning with Meta Labels

Radio frequency fingerprinting(RFF)is a remarkable lightweight authentication scheme to support rapid and scalable identification in the internet of things(IoT)systems.Deep learning(DL)is a critical enabler of RFF identification by leveraging the hardware-level features.However,traditional supervised learning methods require huge labeled training samples.Therefore,how to establish a highperformance supervised learning model with few labels under practical application is still challenging.To address this issue,we in this paper propose a novel RFF semi-supervised learning(RFFSSL)model which can obtain a better performance with few meta labels.Specifically,the proposed RFFSSL model is constituted by a teacher-student network,in which the student network learns from the pseudo label predicted by the teacher.Then,the output of the student model will be exploited to improve the performance of teacher among the labeled data.Furthermore,a comprehensive evaluation on the accuracy is conducted.We derive about 50 GB real long-term evolution(LTE)mobile phone’s raw signal datasets,which is used to evaluate various models.Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed RFFSSL scheme can achieve up to 97%experimental testing accuracy over a noisy environment only with 10%labeled samples when training samples equal to 2700.

Ultrafast dynamics of femtosecond laser-induced high spatial frequency periodic structures on silicon surfaces

Femtosecond laser-induced periodic surface structures(LIPSS)have been extensively studied over the past few decades.In particular,the period and groove width of high-spatial-frequency LIPSS(HSFL)is much smaller than the diffraction limit,making it a useful method for efficient nanomanufacturing.However,compared with the low-spatial-frequency LIPSS(LSFL),the structure size of the HSFL is smaller,and it is more easily submerged.Therefore,the formation mechanism of HSFL is complex and has always been a research hotspot in this field.In this study,regular LSFL with a period of 760 nm was fabricated in advance on a silicon surface with two-beam interference using an 800 nm,50 fs femtosecond laser.The ultrafast dynamics of HSFL formation on the silicon surface of prefabricated LSFL under single femtosecond laser pulse irradiation were observed and analyzed for the first time using collinear pump-probe imaging method.In general,the evolution of the surface structure undergoes five sequential stages:the LSFL begins to split,becomes uniform HSFL,degenerates into an irregular LSFL,undergoes secondary splitting into a weakly uniform HSFL,and evolves into an irregular LSFL or is submerged.The results indicate that the local enhancement of the submerged nanocavity,or the nanoplasma,in the prefabricated LSFL ridge led to the splitting of the LSFL,and the thermodynamic effect drove the homogenization of the splitting LSFL,which evolved into HSFL.

Physical activity volume,frequency,and intensity:Associations with hypertension and obesity over 21 years in Australian women

Background:Optimal patterns of accrual of recommended levels of physical activity(PA)for prevention of hypertension and obesity are not known.The overall aim of this study was to investigate whether different patterns of accumulation of PA are differentially associated with hypertension and obesity in Australian women over 21 years.Specifically,we investigated whether,for the same weekly volume of PA,the number of sessions(frequency)and vigorousness of PA(intensity)were associated with a reduction in the occurrence of hypertension and obesity in women.Methods:Data from the 1973-1978 and 1946-1951 cohorts of the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health were analyzed(n=20,588;12%-16%with a Bachelor's or higher degree).Self-reported PA,hypertension,height,and weight were collected using mail surveys every 3 years from 1998/2000 to 2019/2021.Generalized Estimating Equation models with a 3-year lag model were used to investigate the association of PA volume(metabolic equivalent min/week)(none;33-499;500-999;≥1000,weekly frequency(none;1-2 times;3-4times;5-7 times;≥8 times),and the proportion of vigorous PA to total volume of PA(none;0%;1%-33%;34%-66%;67%-100%)with odds of hypertension and obesity from 2000 to 2021.Results:The cumulative incidence of hypertension was 6%in the 1973-1978 and 23%in the 1946-1951 cohort;27%of women in the 1973-1978;and 15%in the 1946-1951 cohort developed obesity over the period.Overall,a higher volume of PA was associated with reduced odds of hypertension and obesity.When the volume of PA was considered,the odds of hypertension did not vary according to the frequency or intensity of PA.However,increased proportion of vigorous PA to the total volume of PA was associated with a small additional reduction in the risk of obe sity.Conclusion:PA volume appears to be more important than the pattern of accumulation for the prevention of hypertension and obesity.Incorporating more sessions,particularly of vigorous-intensity PA,may provide extra benefits for the prevention of obesity.

Enhancing quantum temporal steering via frequency modulation

Various strategies have been proposed to harness and protect space-like quantum correlations in different models under decoherence.However,little attention has been given to temporal-like correlations,such as quantum temporal steering(TS),in this context.In this work,we investigate TS in a frequency-modulated two-level system coupled to a zero-temperature reservoir in both the weak and strong coupling regimes.We analyze the impact of various frequency-modulated parameters on the behavior of TS and non-Markovian.The results demonstrate that appropriate frequency-modulated parameters can enhance the TS of the two-level system,regardless of whether the system is experiencing Markovian or non-Markovian dynamics.Furthermore,a suitable ratio between modulation strength and frequency(i.e.,all zeroes of the 0th Bessel function J_(0)(δ/?))can significantly enhance TS in the strong coupling regime.These findings indicate that efficient and effective manipulation of quantum TS can be achieved through a frequency-modulated approach.

Frequency and Risk Factors of Neonatal Macrosomia at Labe Regional Hospital in Guinea

Macrosomia is defined as a term birth weight greater than or equal to 4000 grams, or greater than the 90 percentile of intrauterine growth curves. Excessive weight has harmful consequences for the newborn and is a major health concern. Objectives: To determine the frequency of neonatal macrosomia, describe risk factors and neonatal and maternal complications. Materials and methods: This was a cross-sectional study carried out between January and December 2022, involving newborns whose birth weight was greater than or equal to 4000 grams admitted to the neonatology unit of the Labe regional hospital. Results: 591 deliveries were recorded, 15 of which were macrosomic, representing a frequency of 2.54%. The average age of the women was 30.26 years. History of fetal macrosomia and diabetes was 93.33 and 71.43% respectively. The mean gestational age was 38.71 ± 0.75 SA, the mean antenatal consultation was 3 ± 0.8 and the mode of delivery was caesarean section (66.67%). Third-trimester ultrasound was performed in 53.33% of cases. Macrosomic newborns were male in 80% of cases. Neonatal complications were asphyxia (60%), hypoglycemia (20%) and hypocalcemia (13.33%). Factors associated with neonatal macrosomia were diabetes (P < 0.001), history of macrosomia (P Conclusion: this study shows that the frequency of neonatal macrosomia is 2.54% with high neonatal morbidity among newborns hospitalized in the neonatology unit of the Labé regional hospital. Screening for macrosomia risk factors during pregnancy is essential to prevent perinatal complications.

A Synchronization Acquisition Algorithm Based on the Frequency Hopping Pulses Combining

As modern electromagnetic environments are more and more complex,the anti-interference performance of the synchronization acquisition is becoming vital in wireless communications.With the rapid development of the digital signal processing technologies,some synchronization acquisition algorithms for hybrid direct-sequence(DS)/frequency hopping(FH)spread spectrum communications have been proposed.However,these algorithms do not focus on the analysis and the design of the synchronization acquisition under typical interferences.In this paper,a synchronization acquisition algorithm based on the frequency hopping pulses combining(FHPC)is proposed.Specifically,the proposed algorithm is composed of two modules:an adaptive interference suppression(IS)module and an adaptive combining decision module.The adaptive IS module mitigates the effect of the interfered samples in the time-domain or the frequencydomain,and the adaptive combining decision module can utilize each frequency hopping pulse to construct an anti-interference decision metric and generate an adaptive acquisition decision threshold to complete the acquisition.Theory and simulation demonstrate that the proposed algorithm significantly enhances the antiinterference and anti-noise performances of the synchronization acquisition for hybrid DS/FH communications.

Mechanical Complications of Osteosynthesis: Frequency and Management at the Orthopedics-Traumatology Department of CHU Ignace DEEN

Introduction: Mechanical complications after osteosynthesis are spontaneous and harmful modifications of the joint compromising the consolidation process. The aim of this study is to report on the frequency of these complications and their management in the Orthopaedic-Traumatology Department of CHU Ignace Deen. Patients and Methods: we conducted a retrospective descriptive and analytical cross-sectional study from January 2017 to December 2022. It focused on the records of patients hospitalized and treated in the department for a mechanical complication after osteosynthesis. Results: The frequency of mechanical complications was 1.2%, with an average age of 44.2 years and a sex ratio of 3.2 in favor of men. Non-compliance with postoperative instructions, non-compliance with surgical technique, postoperative infection and early loading were the main contributing factors. Disassembly of the screw-plate was the most common cause in 6 cases (35.5%), with a mean delay of 4.1 months. Revision osteosynthesis was carried out using screw plates in 8 cases (47.1%). Conclusion: Mechanical complications of osteosynthesis are less frequent traumatic conditions in our department. Several factors contribute to their occurrence.

Robust free-space optical frequency transfer in time-varying link distances conditions

Future inter-satellite clock comparison on high orbit will require optical time and frequency transmission technology between moving objects.Here,we demonstrate robust optical frequency transmission under the condition of variable link distance.This variable link is accomplished by the relative motion of a single telescope fixed on the experimental platform to a corner-cube reflector(CCR)installed on a sliding guide.Two acousto–optic modulators with different frequencies are used to separate forward signal from backward signal.With active phase noise suppression,when the CCR moves back and forth at a constant velocity of 20 cm/s and an acceleration of 20 cm/s^(2),we achieve the best frequency stability of 1.9×10^(-16) at 1 s and 7.9×10^(-19) at 1000 s indoors.This work paves the way for future studying optical frequency transfer between ultra-high-orbit satellites.

Research on Automatic Test System of Engine Blade Natural Frequency

Blades are one of the important components on aircraft engines.If they break due to vibration failure,the normal operation of the entire engine will be offected.Therefore,it is necessary to measure their natural frequency before installing them on the engine to avoid resonance.At present,most blade vibration testing systems require manual operation by operators,which has high requirements for operators and the testing process is also very cumbersome.Therefore,the testing efficiency is low and cannot meet the needs of efficient testing.To solve the current problems of low testing efficiency and high operational requirements,a high-precision and high-efficiency automatic test system is designed.The testing accuracy of this system can reach ±1%,and the testing efficiency is improved by 37% compared to manual testing.Firstly,the influence of compression force and vibration exciter position on natural frequency test is analyzed by amplitude-frequency curve,so as to calibrate servo cylinder and fourdimensional motion platform.Secondly,the sine wave signal is used as the excitation to sweep the blade linearly,and the natural frequency is determined by the amplitude peak in the frequency domain.Finally,the accuracy experiment and efficiency experiment are carried out on the developed test system,whose results verify its high efficiency and high precision.

Gigahertz frequency hopping in an optical phase-locked loop for Raman lasers

Raman lasers are essential in atomic physics,and the development of portable devices has posed requirements for time-division multiplexing of Raman lasers.We demonstrate an innovative gigahertz frequency hopping approach of a slave Raman laser within an optical phase-locked loop(OPLL),which finds practical application in an atomic gravimeter,where the OPLL frequently switches between near-resonance lasers and significantly detuned Raman lasers.The method merges the advantages of rapid and extensive frequency hopping with the OPLL’s inherent low phase noise,and exhibits a versatile range of applications in compact laser systems,promising advancements in portable instruments.

MHz cut-off frequency and permeability mechanism of iron-based soft magnetic composites

The lack of soft magnetic composites with high power density in MHz frequency range has become an obstacle in the efficient operation of the electrical and electronic equipments.Here,a promising method to increase the cut-off frequency of iron-based soft magnetic composites to hundreds of MHz is reported.The cut-off frequency is increased from 10 MHz to 1 GHz by modulating the height of the ring,the distribution of particles,and the particle size.The mechanism of cut-off frequency and permeability is the coherent rotation of domain modulated by inhomogeneous field due to the eddy current effect.An empirical formula for the cut-off frequency in a magnetic ring composed of iron-based particles is established from experimental data.This work provides an effective approach to fabricate soft magnetic composites with a cut-off frequency in hundreds of MHz.

Exploration of instantaneous frequency for local control assessment in real-time hybrid simulation

Local control parameters such as instantaneous delay and instantaneous amplitude play an essential role in evaluating the performance and maintaining the stability of real-time hybrid simulation(RTHS).However,existing methods have limitations in obtaining this local assessment in either the time domain or frequency domain.In this study,the instantaneous frequency is introduced to determine local control parameters for actuator tracking assessment in a real-time hybrid simulation.Instantaneous properties,including amplitude,delay,frequency and phase,are then calculated based on analytic signals translated from actuator tracking signals through the Hilbert transform.Potential issues are discussed and solutions are proposed for calculation of local control parameters.Numerical simulations are first conducted for sinusoidal and chirp signals with time varying amplitude error and delay to demonstrate the potential of the proposed method.Laboratory tests also are conducted for a predefined random signal as well as the RTHS of a single degree of freedom structure with a self-centering viscous damper to experimentally verify the effectiveness of the proposed use of the instantaneous frequency.Results from the ensuing analysis clearly demonstrate that the instantaneous frequency provides great potential for local control assessment,and the proposed method enables local tracking parameters with good accuracy.

Optical frequency comb technology: from ground to space

Optical frequency combs,as powerful tools for precision spectroscopy and research into optical frequency standards,have driven continuous progress and significant breakthroughs in applications such as time-frequency transfer,measurement of fundamental physical constants,and high-precision ranging,achieving a series of milestone results in ground-based environments.With the continuous maturation and evolution of femtosecond lasers and related technologies,optical frequency combs are moving from ground-based applications to astronomical and space-based applications,playing an increasingly important role in atomic clocks,exoplanet observations,gravitational wave measurements,and other areas.This paper,focusing on astronomical and space-based applications,reviews research progress on astronomical frequency combs,optical clock time-frequency networks,gravitational waves,dark matter measurement,dual-comb large-scale absolute ranging,and high-resolution atmospheric spectroscopy.With enhanced performance and their gradual application in the field of space-based research,optical frequency combs will undoubtedly provide more powerful support for astronomical science and cosmic exploration in the future.