Synchronization of oscillating systems for microwave antennas and RF electronics
During the past decade we have demonstrated that coupled nonlinear systems (oscillator arrays) can offer simple methods for phase control in microwave antenna arrays, and hence provides alternatives to conventional electronic beam scanning capability. Numerous experiments have been carried out at microwave frequencies to verify the analysis, and the experimental work proved valuable in guiding parallel theoretical efforts and demonstrating the advantages and limitations of such techniques for practical systems. During the course of this work, models have been developed and refined and used to explore new dynamical phenomena, such as "mode-locked" quasi-periodic states for pulse generation, phase noise reduction in oscillator array systems (verified experimentally at X-band), and other practical design issues. More recently, efforts have focused on the potential for coupled phase-locked-loop systems that promise more robust locking bandwidths and phase-control. We present an overview of our experimental efforts in exploiting the synchronization of oscillating systems for microwave antennas and RF electronics.
