MRI: Acquisition of a Wideband Continuous-Wave Characterization Platform

鉴于世界上无线设备、传感器和计算机的激增，电磁频谱的有效利用是至关重要的。该项目将支持俄克拉荷马州立大学（OSU）获得连续波表征仪器，以解决毫米波和太赫兹频率波利用的电磁学和通信研究中众所周知的和长期存在的差距。MRI仪器提供了独特的功能，有潜力解决阻碍高性能通信、传感和成像技术发展的基础研究问题。核磁共振成像仪器将有助于研究新型磁性材料背后的基础物理学，这些材料可以加快计算机内存的速度，并产生更节能的架构。它还具有为下一代无线通信研究带来新想法的潜力，可能会在无人机的空对空和空对地通信的速度和数据容量方面推进当前最先进的技术。最后，它可能会推动紧凑成像系统领域的发展，为开发新的机器视觉技术提供一种手段，这种技术可以在雷达、可见光和热红外无法工作的情况下发挥作用。除了这些技术优势之外，该仪器还将为下一代工程师和科学家提供独特的教育机会，包括通过OK- lsamp （OK Louis Stokes少数民族参与联盟）、俄勒冈州立大学国家实验室日和俄勒冈州立大学夏季桥梁项目为高中生、本科生和研究生、教师和科学家提供培训和推广机会。该仪器还将支持俄勒冈州立大学通信和微波课程的新实验室模块。由pi和产业界和大学专家组成的志愿咨询委员会将加强基于MRI仪器的技术转让和研究进展。MRI表征仪器将能够在0.11-0.50 THz范围内进行窄带传输/反射测量和宽带任意波形测量，频率分辨率低于500 kHz，动态范围为120 dB。具体目标包括使用该仪器在以下领域发展研究贡献：•基于模拟杆和连续统束缚概念的高质量因子电磁响应人工材料的开发。这些将在高频率分辨率下进行实验探索，从而实现毫米波和太赫兹化学/生物传感器的新型高性能设计。•手性和反铁磁材料中的高频准粒子动力学物理学，自旋霍尔自振荡器和共振自旋波光谱学。这些研究将促进对量子材料的基本理解，并导致更快、更节能的计算架构。•使用无人机（UAV）的5G及以上无线通信的传播信道模拟器。这些研究将提供新的经验信道模型，为不可预测环境条件下基于无人机的通信网络提供工程基础。•多通道发射机和有源雷达收发器阵列的实时行为。这些测量将验证用于高带宽通信和有源成像的毫米波集成电路的改进性能、效率和可靠性。通过利用俄克拉荷马州立大学现有的毫米波和太赫兹基础设施，该仪器将被设置为各种不同的测量类型，并可供内部和外部用户使用。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

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.