Acousto-optic liquid-crystal analog beam former for phased-array antennas

A compact phased-array antenna acousto-optic beam former with element-level analog phase (0-2π) and amplitude control using nematic-liquid-crystal display-type technology is experimentally demonstrated. Measurements indicate > 6-bit phase control and 52.6 dB of amplitude-attenuation control. High-quality error calibration and antenna sidelobe-level control is possible with this low-control-power analog beam former. Optical system options using rf Bragg cells or wideband Bragg cells are discussed, with the rf design being the current preferred approach. Transmit-receive beam forming based on frequency upconversion-downconversion by electronic mixing is introduced for the rf Bragg-cell beam former, and comparisons with digital beam forming are highlighted. A millimeter-wave signal generation and control optical architecture is described.     

Lithium niobate guided-wave beam former for steering phased-array antennas

We present the theoretical investigation, design, and simulation of a novel guided-wave optical processor for L-band-transmission beam forming in a linear array of phased active antennas. The proposed configuration includes two contradirectional surface acoustic-wave transducers, and it is based on a Y-cut, X-propagating Ti:LiNbO(3) planar waveguide supporting the lowest-order modes of both polarizations (TE(0) and TM(0)) at the free-space wavelength λ = 0.85 μm. A detailed comparison between the processor we propose and other optical and electronic architectures reported in the literature is carried out, exhibiting a number of significant advantages in terms of weight, total chip size, and power consumption, when the number of antenna elements is greater than 50.     

Dynamic null steering in an ultrawideband time-steered array antenna

We develop a method for forming squint-free wideband nulls in the antenna pattern of an ultrawideband array antenna. The technique uses an optical dispersive-prism beam former to provide time-delayed microwave signals to each antenna element for forming a squint-free main beam. The amplitude-modulated optical carrier is propagated through a set of optical links. Each link feeds an array element and includes an amount of dispersion proportional to element position. Tuning the wavelength of the optical carrier controls the microwave signal's arrival-time delay gradient across the array. A dispersive-prism tapped delay-line microwave filter is used to frequency shape a nulling signal. The wideband nulls do not significantly distort the main beam and are steered independently of the main beam. The technique is applied to sidelobe nulling for a transmitter and for jammer suppression for a receiver array.     

Phased-array antenna, maximum-compression, reversible photonic beam former with ternary designs and multiple wavelengths

A novel, switched, photonic delay-line ternary design combined with a wavelength-multiplexed transmit-receive beam-former architecture is proposed. One-dimensional antenna beam steering by use of a single-channel, wavelength-dependent switched photonic delay line in cascade with a multichannel wavelength-independent switched photonic delay line is proposed for hardware-compressed, phased-array antenna control with subarray antenna partitioning. Beam-former architecture extensions to two-dimensional antenna beam steering are described.     

Reconfigurable layout problem

This paper addresses the reconfigurable layout problem, which differs from traditional, robust and dynamic layout problems mainly in two aspects: first, it assumes that production data are available only for the current and upcoming production period. Second, it considers queuing performance measures such as work in progress inventory and product lead time in the objective function of the layout problem. A process to solve the reconfigurable layout problem is proposed. A previously developed, open queuing network-based analytical model, called Manufacturing system Performance Analyser, is used to estimate the stochastic performance measures of a layout. These are combined with deterministic performance measures such as material handling cost to determine the layout for the next period. A case study is used to illustrate the process of solving the reconfigurable layout problem.     

Reconfigurable silicon nanowire transistors

Over the past 30 years electronic applications have been dominated by complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) devices. These combine p- and n-type field effect transistors (FETs) to reduce static power consumption. However, CMOS transistors are limited to static electrical functions, i.e., electrical characteristics that cannot be changed. Here we present the concept and a demonstrator of a universal transistor that can be reversely configured as p-FET or n-FET simply by the application of an electric signal. This concept is enabled by employing an axial nanowire heterostructure (metal/intrinsic-silicon/metal) with independent gating of the Schottky junctions. In contrast to conventional FETs, charge carrier polarity and concentration are determined by selective and sensitive control of charge carrier injections at each Schottky junction, explicitly avoiding the use of dopants as shown by measurements and calculations. Besides the additional functionality, the fabricated nanoscale devices exhibit enhanced electrical characteristics, e.g., record on/off ratio of up to 1 × 10(9) for Schottky transistors. This novel nanotransistor technology makes way for a simple and compact hardware platform that can be flexibly reconfigured during operation to perform different logic computations yielding unprecedented circuit design flexibility.     

A Reconfigurable Active Huygens' Metalens

Metasurfaces enable a new paradigm to control electromagnetic waves by manipulating subwavelength artificial structures within just a fraction of wavelength. Despite the rapid growth, simultaneously achieving low‐dimensionality, high transmission efficiency, real‐time continuous reconfigurability, and a wide variety of reprogrammable functions is still very challenging, forcing researchers to realize just one or few of the aforementioned features in one design. This study reports a subwavelength reconfigurable Huygens' metasurface realized by loading it with controllable active elements. The proposed design provides a unified solution to the aforementioned challenges of real‐time local reconfigurability of efficient Huygens' metasurfaces. As one exemplary demonstration, a reconfigurable metalens at the microwave frequencies is experimentally realized, which, to the best of the knowledge, demonstrates for the first time that multiple and complex focal spots can be controlled simultaneously at distinct spatial positions and reprogrammable in any desired fashion, with fast response time and high efficiency. The presented active Huygens' metalens may offer unprecedented potentials for real‐time, fast, and sophisticated electromagnetic wave manipulation such as dynamic holography, focusing, beam shaping/steering, imaging, and active emission control.     

Reconfigurable Unit for Precise RMS Measurements

A system for the precise measurement of electrical quantities by means of the root-mean-square (RMS) value of ac voltages or currents is described. The system is based on a planar multijunction thermal converter (PMJTC) and low-cost electronic components. The miniboard circuitry can also be used in several experiments where flexibility is required. As a first application, the system can carry out ac voltage comparisons and ac or dc voltage measurements. The system is designed to operate with a single PMJTC sensor in the range where its sensibility is greater. This paper shows the possibility of employing the PMJTC sensors outside the laboratory environment. The performance of the unit has been characterized, and measurements of ac signal RMS values in the audio band (below 1.5 V) show stability better than 3 $muhbox{V/V}$.      

Reconfigurable array interconnection by photorefractive correlation

Electronic parallel processors might communicate more effectively by photons sent through glass or air than by electrons sent through wires, but quickly routing thousands of optical signals remains a problem. Previous photorefractive interconnection networks have dedicated one hologram to each input channel. Instead, we compute a control image from the entire network configuration and store it as a single color-keyedvolume hologram. This lets us use hologram superposition for fast switchingbetween multiple prestored patterns. During operation, data signals from the input modulator array, powered by a shared wavelength-tunable laser, are correlated optically with one color-matched connection hologram to produce the output array. This decouples both data rate and interconnect switching speeds from the slow photorefractive response. We can display arbitrary connection weights using simple binary-phase spatial light modulators and gracefully accommodate modulator limitations by trading off control-image bandwidth for output signal-to-noise ratio. Experimental results with color-multiplexed reflection holograms in z-cut LiNbO(3) confirmed our theoretical predictions that this approach works best for densely connected networks with high fan-in to each output. We obtained an average aggregate signal-to-noise ratio of more than 200:1 for 1024 inputs and outputs.     

Reconfigurable electro-optical waveguide for optical processing

A highly versatile electro-optically induced waveguide is proposed, and some of its applications are discussed. The In(1-s)Ga(s)As(t)P(1-t)-based device can reconfigure an arbitrary refractive-index profile with high speed by using an array of stripe electrodes deposited along the device. This device can act as a variable fractional Fourier transformer or as a beam shaper. Some nonguiding applications based on a specific refractive-index patterning that is normal to the light-propagation direction, such as phase modulation and beam steering, can also be implemented with this device.     

Reconfigurable supply chain: the X-network

Research on supply chain (SC) digitalization, resilience, sustainability and leagility has remarkably progressed, most of it focused on the individual contributions of these four major frameworks. However, a lack of integration spanning these individual frameworks can be observed. In this conceptual paper, we hypothesize that reconfigurability can be considered such an integral perspective that consolidates the research in SC adaptation to ever changing environments. We theorize a new notion – a Reconfigurable SC or the X-network – that exhibits some crucial design and control characteristics for complex value-adding systems in highly vulnerable environments. We support our argumentation and conceptual viewpoints by a literature analysis along with tertiary studies to review and structure contextual factors of designing the X-networks. We propose respective frameworks and discuss the implementation principles and technologies at the macro and micro levels. Two novel concepts – dynamic SC meta-structures and dynamic autonomous services – are introduced. Distinctively, we go beyond the existing knowledge to predict proactively the future directions in the reconfigurable SCs. Our results can be of value for decision-makers to decipher chances and barriers in contemporary SC transformations.     

Reconfigurable imaging systems using elliptical nanowires

Materials that have subwavelength structure can add degrees of freedom to optical system design that are not possible with bulk materials. We demonstrate two lenses that are composed out of lithographically patterned arrays of elliptical cross-section silicon nanowires, which can dynamically reconfigure their imaging properties in response to the polarization of the illumination. In each element, two different focusing functions are polarization encoded into a single lens. The first nanowire lens has a different focal length for each linear polarization state, thereby realizing the front end of a nonmechanical zoom imaging system. The second nanowire lens has a different optical axis for each linear polarization state, demonstrating stereoscopic image capture from a single physical aperture.     

Reconfigurable DNA origami to generate quasifractal patterns

The specificity of Watson-Crick base pairing, unique mechanical properties of DNA, and intrinsic stability of DNA double helices makes DNA an ideal material for the construction of dynamic nanodevices. Rationally designed strand displacement reactions can be used to produce dynamic reconfiguration of DNA nanostructures postassembly. Here we describe a 'fold-release-fold' strategy of multiple strand displacement and hybridization reactions to reconfigure a simple DNA origami structure into a complex, quasifractal pattern, demonstrating a complex transformation of DNA nanoarchitectures.     

Reconfigurable lens with an electro-optical learning system

An electro-optical system is proposed to control a reconfigurable lens that is a combination of a physical lens and a two-dimensional liquid-crystal phase modulator. The functions of an imaging system employing the reconfigurable lens can be controlled by a change in the phase distribution of the modulator. A computer changes the phase distribution and evaluates the image of an optical system. This process is iteratively performed on the basis of the simulated-annealing algorithm to optimize the phase distribution. We demonstrate control of a point-spread function and the correction of imaging properties degraded by defocusing or phase objects. The corrected imaging properties are even better than the original ones.     

Reconfigurable optical neuron based on photoelectret materials

An all-optical reconfigurable neuron based on a photoelectret-electro-optic medium with a sandwich-type structure is presented. Both the inputs and the output of the neuron and the reconfiguration of the weights of the inputs are optical. The structure presented is very versatile and exhibits low energy consumption, as the numerical estimates indicate. The number of inputs can be varied (to an upper limit that is determined by the diffraction effect) without changing the structure of the optical neuron; the same is true for the neurons' weights.     

新型可重组模块化并联微动机器人研究

针对国内各种结构并联微动机器人结构复杂、不易标定等问题,提出了一类新型的结构解耦可重组模块化并联微动机器人.根据任务要求,利用并联微动机器人构型原理,选择不同的运动支链模块可构建3-6DOFs（自由度）并联微动机器人.其运动支链模块是由简单的弹性运动副单元组成,采用一体化设计,从而保证微动机器人的精度要求,解决了并联微动机器人采用完全装配式装配误差大、整体加工式工艺性较差的技术问题.     

Reconfigurable core-satellite nanoassemblies as molecularly-driven plasmonic switches

Molecular control of plasmon coupling is investigated in sub-100 nm assemblies composed of 13 nm gold "satellite" particles tethered by reconfigurable DNA nanostructures to a 50 nm gold "core" particle. Reconfiguration of the DNA nanostructures from a compact to an extended state results in blue shifting of the assembly plasmon resonance, indicating reduced interparticle coupling and lengthening of the core-satellite tether. Scattering spectra of the core-satellite assemblies before and after reconfiguration are compared with spectra calculated using a structural model that incorporates the core/satellite ratio determined by TEM imaging and estimates of tether length based upon prior measurements of interparticle separation in DNA linked nanoparticle networks. A strong correspondence between measured and simulated difference spectra validates the structural models that link the observed plasmon modulation with DNA nanostructure reconfiguration.     

Reconfigurable patch-antenna design for wideband wireless communication systems

An effective design of a reconfigurable patch antenna, with a wide operational bandwidth for wireless communication and radar systems, is presented in this paper. The reconfigurable patch possesses an E-shaped structure and its operation frequency can be changed by integrated switches. The operational frequency of the antenna can cover an octave frequency range by utilising only two switch states. In state 1, the antenna operates from 9.2 GHz to 15.0 GHz and, in state 2, from 7.5 GHz to 10.7 GHz. Relative bandwidths of 48% and 35% are obtained in the two states, respectively