MRI: Acquisition of a Wideband Continuous-Wave Characterization Platform

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Given the proliferation of wireless devices, sensors, and computers in our world, the efficient utilization of the electromagnetic spectrum is of paramount importance. This project will support the acquisition of a continuous-wave characterization instrument at Oklahoma State University (OSU) to address the well-known and longstanding gap in electromagnetics and communications research of the utilization of millimeter-waves and terahertz frequency waves. The MRI instrument offers unique capabilities that have the potential to tackle the fundamental research problems blocking the development of high-performance communication, sensing, and imaging technologies. The MRI instrument will enable research on the fundamental physics behind novel magnetic materials which could speed up computer memory and produce more power-efficient architectures. It also has the potential to bring new ideas on next-generation wireless communication studies that may advance the current state-of-the-art in terms of speed and data capacity for air-to-air and air-to-ground communications with unmanned aerial vehicles. Finally, it will likely advance the field of compact imaging systems, providing a means of developing new machine vision techniques that work when radar, visible, and thermal infrared do not. Apart from these technological benefits, the instrument will enable unique educational opportunities for the next generation of engineers and scientists, including training and outreach opportunities for high-school, undergraduate, and graduate students, teachers, and scientists through the OK-LSAMP (OK Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation), the OSU National Lab Day, and the OSU Summer Bridge programs. The instrument will also underpin new lab modules in communication and microwave classes at OSU. Technology transfer and research progress based on the MRI instrument will be enhanced by a volunteer advisory committee consisting of the PIs and industry and university experts.The MRI characterization instrument will enable narrowband transmission/reflection measurements and wideband, arbitrary waveform measurements in the 0.11-0.50 THz range with sub-500 kHz frequency resolution and 120 dB dynamic range. Specific goals include the use of the instrument to develop research contributions in the following areas:• Development of artificial materials with high quality factor electromagnetic responses based on anapole and bound-in-the-continuum concepts. These will be experimentally explored with high frequency resolution leading to new and high-performance designs of mm-wave and terahertz chem/bio sensors.• The physics of high frequency quasiparticle dynamics in chiral and anti-ferromagnetic materials, spin-Hall auto-oscillators, and resonance spin-wave spectroscopy. These studies will advance fundamental understanding of quantum materials and lead to faster and more power efficient computing architectures. • Propagation channel emulators for 5G and beyond wireless communications using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV). These studies will provide new empirical channel models, providing the engineering foundation for UAV-based communication networks in unpredictable environmental conditions.• Realtime behaviors of multichannel transmitters and active radar transceiver arrays. These measurements will validate the improved performance, efficiency, and reliability of mm-wave integrated circuits for high-bandwidth communications and active imaging.The instrument will be set up for a variety of different measurement types by leveraging the existing millimeter-wave and terahertz infrastructure at Oklahoma State University and made available to both internal and external users.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.