143,218 research outputs found
Ultra-low noise, bi-polar, programmable current sources
We present the design process and implementation of fully open-source,
ultra-low noise programmable current source systems in two configurations.
Although originally designed as coil drivers for Optically Pumped Magnetometers
(OPMs), the device specifications make them potentially useful in a range of
applications. The devices feature a bi-directional current range of ~10~mA
and ~250~mA respectively on three independent channels with 16-bit
resolution. Both devices feature narrow 1/f noise bandwidth of 1~Hz, enabling
magnetic field manipulation for high-performance OPMs. They exhibit low noise
of 146.3~pA/ and 4114~pA/ which
translates to 14.57~ppb/ and 16.46~ppb/
noise relative to full scale.Comment: 9 pages, 9 figure
Ultra-low noise, bi-polar, programmable current sources
We present the design process and implementation of fully open-source, ultra-low noise programmable current source systems in two configurations. Although originally designed as coil drivers for Optically Pumped Magnetometers (OPMs), the device specifications make them potentially useful in a range of applications. The devices feature a bi-directional current range of ±10 and ±250 mA on three independent channels with 16-bit resolution. Both devices feature a narrow 1/f noise bandwidth of 1 Hz, enabling magnetic field manipulation for high-performance OPMs. They exhibit a low noise of 146 pA/√Hz and 4.1 nA/√Hz, which translates to 15 and 16 ppb/√Hz noise relative to full scale
Experimental characterization of Random Telegraph Noise in FDSOI technology and its application for security primitives
The shrinking of transistors and consequent decrease in operational voltage, specially for
Ultra-Low Voltage (ULV) applications such as IoT, has driven current technology to be
very sensitive to the effects of random telegraph noise (RTN), the result of trapping and
detrapping of carriers in a transistor’s oxide trap. Such a source of noise is attractive for the
implementation of security primitives due to its resilience to temperature and supply voltage
variations. However, it stands out from other noise sources for its low speed. The use of
FDSOI technology, through the ability of controlling body bias, can be the key to optimize
RTN speed for such applications.
In this project, an experimental characterization of RTN behavior in an FDSOI ROSC-
based chip has been conducted to evaluate the potential application of such a technology in
security primitives.
Results show that FDSOI technology can be employed to significantly increase or decrease
RTN speed and even compensate for the effect of supply voltage and temperature variations
Quantum dot mode-locked frequency comb with ultra-stable 25.5 GHz spacing between 20 °C and 120 °C
Semiconductor mode-locked lasers (MLLs) are promising frequency comb sources for dense wavelength-division-multiplexing (DWDM) data communications. Practical data communication requires a frequency-stable comb source in a temperature-varying environment and a minimum tone spacing of 25 GHz to support high-speed DWDM transmissions. To the best of our knowledge, however, to date, there have been no demonstrations of comb sources that simultaneously offer a high repetition rate and stable mode spacing over an ultrawide temperature range. Here, we report a frequency comb source based on a quantum dot (QD) MLL that generates a frequency comb with stable mode spacing over an ultrabroad temperature range of 20–120°C. The two-section passively mode-locked InAs QD MLL comb source produces an ultra-stable fundamental repetition rate of 25.5 GHz (corresponding to a 25.5 GHz spacing between adjacent tones in the frequency domain) with a variation of 0.07 GHz in the tone spacing over the tested temperature range. By keeping the saturable absorber reversely biased at −2 V
, stable mode-locking over the whole temperature range can be achieved by tuning the current of the gain section only, providing easy control of the device. At an elevated temperature of 100°C, the device shows a 6 dB comb bandwidth of 4.81 nm and 31 tones with >36 dB
optical signal-to-noise ratio. The corresponding relative intensity noise, averaged between 0.5 GHz and 10 GHz, is −146 dBc/Hz
. Our results show the viability of the InAs QD MLLs as ultra-stable, uncooled frequency comb sources for low-cost, large-bandwidth, and low-energy-consumption optical data communications
Quantum dot mode-locked frequency comb with ultra-stable 25.5 GHz spacing between 20°C and 120°C
Semiconductor mode-locked lasers (MLLs) are promising frequency comb sources for dense wavelength-division-multiplexing (DWDM) data communications. Practical data communication requires a frequency-stable comb source in a temperature-varying environment and a minimum tone spacing of 25 GHz to support high-speed DWDM transmissions. To the best of our knowledge, however, to date, there have been no demonstrations of comb sources that simultaneously offer a high repetition rate and stable mode spacing over an ultrawide temperature range. Here, we report a frequency comb source based on a quantum dot (QD) MLL that generates a frequency comb with stable mode spacing over an ultrabroad temperature range of 20–120°C. The two-section passively mode-locked InAs QD MLL comb source produces an ultra-stable fundamental repetition rate of 25.5 GHz (corresponding to a 25.5 GHz spacing between adjacent tones in the frequency domain) with a variation of 0.07 GHz in the tone spacing over the tested temperature range. By keeping the saturable absorber reversely biased at
−
2
  
V
, stable mode-locking over the whole temperature range can be achieved by tuning the current of the gain section only, providing easy control of the device. At an elevated temperature of 100°C, the device shows a 6 dB comb bandwidth of 4.81 nm and 31 tones with
>
36
  
dB
optical signal-to-noise ratio. The corresponding relative intensity noise, averaged between 0.5Â GHz and 10Â GHz, is
−
146
  
dBc
/
Hz
. Our results show the viability of the InAs QD MLLs as ultra-stable, uncooled frequency comb sources for low-cost, large-bandwidth, and low-energy-consumption optical data communications.Royal Academy of Engineering (RF201617/16/28); Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EP/R041792/1, EP/T01394X/1)
A candidate redshift z ~ 10 galaxy and rapid changes in that population at an age of 500 Myr
Searches for very-high-redshift galaxies over the past decade have yielded a
large sample of more than 6,000 galaxies existing just 900-2,000 million years
(Myr) after the Big Bang (redshifts 6 > z > 3; ref. 1). The Hubble Ultra Deep
Field (HUDF09) data have yielded the first reliable detections of z ~ 8
galaxies that, together with reports of a gamma-ray burst at z ~ 8.2 (refs 10,
11), constitute the earliest objects reliably reported to date. Observations of
z ~ 7-8 galaxies suggest substantial star formation at z > 9-10. Here we use
the full two-year HUDF09 data to conduct an ultra-deep search for z ~ 10
galaxies in the heart of the reionization epoch, only 500 Myr after the Big
Bang. Not only do we find one possible z ~ 10 galaxy candidate, but we show
that, regardless of source detections, the star formation rate density is much
smaller (~10%) at this time than it is just ~200 Myr later at z ~ 8. This
demonstrates how rapid galaxy build-up was at z ~ 10, as galaxies increased in
both luminosity density and volume density from z ~ 8 to z ~ 10. The 100-200
Myr before z ~ 10 is clearly a crucial phase in the assembly of the earliest
galaxies.Comment: 41 pages, 14 figures, 2 tables, Nature, in pres
4-Dimensional Tracking with Ultra-Fast Silicon Detectors
The evolution of particle detectors has always pushed the technological limit
in order to provide enabling technologies to researchers in all fields of
science. One archetypal example is the evolution of silicon detectors, from a
system with a few channels 30 years ago, to the tens of millions of independent
pixels currently used to track charged particles in all major particle physics
experiments. Nowadays, silicon detectors are ubiquitous not only in research
laboratories but in almost every high-tech apparatus, from portable phones to
hospitals. In this contribution, we present a new direction in the evolution of
silicon detectors for charge particle tracking, namely the inclusion of very
accurate timing information. This enhancement of the present silicon detector
paradigm is enabled by the inclusion of controlled low gain in the detector
response, therefore increasing the detector output signal sufficiently to make
timing measurement possible. After providing a short overview of the advantage
of this new technology, we present the necessary conditions that need to be met
for both sensor and readout electronics in order to achieve 4-dimensional
tracking. In the last section we present the experimental results,
demonstrating the validity of our research path.Comment: 72 pages, 3 tables, 55 figure
High power and ultra-low-noise photodetector for squeezed-light enhanced gravitational wave detectors
Current laser-interferometric gravitational wave detectors employ a self-homodyne
readout scheme where a comparatively large light power (5–50 mW) is detected per photosensitive
element. For best sensitivity to gravitational waves, signal levels as low as the quantum
shot noise have to be measured as accurately as possible. The electronic noise of the detection
circuit can produce a relevant limit to this accuracy, in particular when squeezed states of light
are used to reduce the quantum noise. We present a new electronic circuit design reducing the
electronic noise of the photodetection circuit in the audio band. In the application of this circuit at
the gravitational-wave detector GEO 600 the shot-noise to electronic noise ratio was permanently
improved by a factor of more than 4 above 1 kHz, while the dynamic range was improved by
a factor of 7. The noise equivalent photocurrent of the implemented photodetector and circuit
is about 5 µA/
√\ud
Hz above 1 kHz with a maximum detectable photocurrent of 20 mA. With the
new circuit, the observed squeezing level in GEO 600 increased by 0.2 dB. The new circuit also
creates headroom for higher laser power and more squeezing to be observed in the future in
GEO 600 and is applicable to other optics experiments
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