Multimode oscillators

Abstract

Abstract A multimode oscillator is disclosed, comprising an array of interconnected oscillator elements distributed over at least two dimensions. The oscillator elements include a grid or network of impedance elements. Three or more inductive (capacitive) elements may radiate from each junction point in the grid, and a capacitive (inductive) element may be shunted to ground from each junction point. Other arrangements of impedance elements are also possible. The multimode oscillator may be either passive or active. In a passive oscillator, the oscillations are not sustained but rather are damped by the resistance elements and other losses in the oscillator. A passive oscillator may be excited into various simultaneous modes of oscillation by coupling the output of a white noise generator, or some other white signal source, to the multimode oscillator. The resulting oscillations are picked up and analyzed as to their frequency components. A bank of filters may be employed to separate the various frequency components. Digital logic circuits may be employed to analyze the signals from the filters. Sustained oscillations may be produced in a passive multimode oscillator by providing feedback means between the output and input of the oscillator. Such feedback means may include an amplifier and a nonlinear inductive element or some other nonlinear element which makes it possible to sustain a number of different modes of oscillation simultaneously. An active multimode oscillator employs active elements capable of sustaining the oscillations in the oscillator. Such active elements may include various negative resistance elements such as tunnel diodes. The multimode oscillator may utilize superconductive elements which may be arranged to form a superconductive grid or network to provide an array of inductive elements. The capacitive elements may be provided by the distributed capacitance between the superconductive grid and a superconductive ground plate or surface. The superconductive multimode oscillator may be either passive or active. Active elements may be provided by superconductive tunneling through thin barrier elements between portions of the superconductive grid and the ground plate. The active tunnel elements may also be radiation sensitive.

Inventors

• 👤 Alwyn C Scott

Bibliographic Details