Abstract: Rare earth metal containing compounds of the general formula Sr2RESbO6, wherein RE is a rare earth metal, have been prepared with high critical temperature thin film superconductor strucutures, and can be used in other ferroelectrics, pyroelectrics, piezoelectrics, and hybrid device structures.

Abstract: The present invention provides a potassium-doped mixed metal oxide cathode material formed by advantageously alloying MnO2 with potassium and lithium to provide a new mixed metal oxide cathode material as the positive electrode in rechargeable lithium and lithium ion electrochemical cells. By alloying MnO2 with potassium and lithium in a LixKyMn2O4 compound, the cathode materials of the present invention afford overcharge protection that allows the cathode to be fully reversible. Manganese dioxide doped with potassium was initially examined as a cathode material for rechargeable lithium and lithium-ion batteries in order to provide a new mixed metal oxide cathode material as the positive electrode in rechargeable lithium and lithium ion electrochemical cells. The LixKyMn2O4 material is incorporated into an electrochemical cell with either a lithium metal or lithium ion anode and an organic electrolyte.

Abstract: A neutron spectrometer is provided by a series of substrates covered by a solid-state detector stacked on an absorbing layer. As many as 12 substrates that convert neutrons to protons are covered by a layer of absorbing material, acting as a proton absorber, with the detector placed within the layer to count protons passing through the absorbing layer. By using 12 detectors the range of neutron energies are covered. The flat embodiment of the neutron spectrometer is a chamber, a group of detectors each having an absorber layer, with each detector separated by gaps and arranged in an egg-crate-like structure within the chamber. Each absorber layer is constructed with a different thickness according to the minimum and maximum energies of neutrons in the spectrum.

Abstract: A folded multilayer electrically small compact microstrip antenna provides an electrically small antenna for the lower frequencies. The folded multilayer electrically small compact microstrip antenna employs a folding radiation strip is divided into segments and is interleaved with a multiple layered microstrip dielectric substrate and a means for a conductive ground plane having a number of conductive branches. A narrow portion of the radiating strip, a coaxial connector, and a first conductive branch are positioned so that a wide portion of the radiating strip provides a given impedance and the narrow portion causes a reduced effective impedance at a junction point. The reduced impedance provide a shortened antenna length that operates at VHF and HF frequencies. The different embodiments of this invention's folded multilayer electrically small compact microstrip antenna include 2, 3 and 5 dielectric layers.

Abstract: A neutron spectrometer is provided by a series of substrates covered by a solid-state detector stacked on an absorbing layer. As many as 12 substrates that convert neutrons to protons are covered by a layer of absorbing material, acting as a proton absorber, with the detector placed within the layer to count protons passing through the absorbing layer. By using 12 detectors the range of neutron energies are covered. The preferred dodecahedron embodiment of the neutron spectrometer is a solid, polyethylene dodecahedron assembly with 12 surface facets covered by a solid-state detector stacked on an absorbing layer composed of titanium. Each absorbing layer is constructed with a different thickness according to the minimum and maximum energies of neutrons in the spectrum.

Abstract: A neutron spectrometer is provided by a series of substrates covered by a solid-state detector stacked on an absorbing layer. As many as 12 substrates that convert neutrons to protons are covered by a layer of absorbing material, acting as a proton absorber, with the detector placed within the layer to count protons passing through the absorbing layer. By using 12 detectors the range of neutron energies are covered. The flat embodiment of the neutron spectrometer is a chamber, a group of detectors each having an absorber layer, with each detector separated by gaps and arranged in an egg-crate-like structure within the chamber. Each absorber layer is constructed with a different thickness according to the minimum and maximum energies of neutrons in the spectrum.

Abstract: A method for rapid and precise detecting of an omnidirectional postnet bar code on an object by digital signal processing is provided. In order to rapidly and accurately detect omnidirectional postnet bar codes, a two-dimensional digital image containing the postnet bar code is acquired, filtered and dilated to form a block dominated by a plurality of black-colored pixels. Then a down sampled image is provided and match filtered with a two-dimensional matched filtering output to indicate a best-matched filter, thus determining a postnet bar code location and orientation by associating matched filters with an orientation angle of the omnidirectional postnet bar code.

Abstract: A neutron spectrometer is provided by a series of substrates covered by a solid-state detector stacked on an absorbing layer. As many as 12 substrates that convert neutrons to protons are covered by a layer of absorbing material, acting as a proton absorber, with the detector placed within the layer to count protons passing through the absorbing layer. By using 12 detectors the range of neutron energies are covered. The flat embodiment of the neutron spectrometer is a chamber, a group of detectors each having an absorber layer, with each detector separated by gaps and arranged in an egg-crate-like structure within the chamber. Each absorber layer is constructed with a different thickness according to the minimum and maximum energies of neutrons in the spectrum.

Abstract: An electrically small planar tunable microstrip antenna is provided by stacking a radiating element, microstrip dielectric substrate and a ground plane, and coupling the ground plane to a means for tuning. The electrically small, compact, planar tunable microstrip antenna operates at HF and VHF frequencies. The microstrip dielectric substrate is composed of a ferrite or ferrite-ferroelectric composite material having a relative dielectric constant similar to a relative magnetic permeability forming a permittivity to permeability ratio of between about 1:1 and about 1:3. The ground plane is coupled to a means for tuning. In the ferrite-ferroelectric embodiment, the present invention provides an antenna length that is substantially shortened to approximately 1% of the length of a monopole antenna or conventional microstrip antenna with tuning accomplished by a multi-turn coil mechanism.

Abstract: A neutron spectrometer is provided by a series of substrates covered by a solid-state detector stacked on an absorbing layer. As many as 12 substrates that convert neutrons to protons are covered by a layer of absorbing material, acting as a proton absorber, with the detector placed within the layer to count protons passing through the absorbing layer. By using 12 detectors the range of neutron energies are covered. The flat embodiment of the neutron spectrometer is a chamber, a group of detectors each having an absorber layer, with each detector separated by gaps and arranged in an egg-crate-like structure within the chamber. Each absorber layer is constructed with a different thickness according to the minimum and maximum energies of neutrons in the spectrum.

Abstract: A neutron spectrometer is provided by a series of substrates covered by a solid-state detector stacked on an absorbing layer. As many as 12 substrates that convert neutrons to protons are covered by a layer of absorbing material, acting as a proton absorber, with the detector placed within the layer to count protons passing through the absorbing layer. By using 12 detectors the range of neutron energies are covered. The flat embodiment of the neutron spectrometer is a chamber, a group of detectors each having an absorber layer, with each detector separated by gaps and arranged in an egg-crate-like structure within the chamber. Each absorber layer is constructed with a different thickness according to the minimum and maximum energies of neutrons in the spectrum.

Abstract: A neutron spectrometer for aircraft is provided by a series of substrates covered by a solid-state detector stacked on an absorbing layer. As many as 12 substrates that convert neutrons to protons are covered by a layer of absorbing material, acting as a proton absorber, with the detector placed within the layer to count protons passing through the absorbing layer. By using 12 detectors the range of neutron energies are covered. The preferred dodecahedron embodiment of the neutron spectrometer is a solid, polyethylene dodecahedron assembly with 12 surface facets covered by a solid-state detector stacked on an absorbing layer composed of aluminum. Each absorbing layer is constructed with a different thickness according to the minimum and maximum energies of neutrons in the spectrum.

Abstract: A permanent magnet radial magnetizer is provided for use in radially magnetizing a workpiece ring. This magnetizer includes a lower magic hemisphere and an upper magic hemisphere which have respective equatorial surfaces in oppositely facing relationship to form a gap wherein a work-piece ring can be radially magnetized. Toroidal flux and pathways pass in the magnetizer and a portion of each such pathway passes through a spherical cavity therein, between one of the hemispheres and the gap.

Abstract: A neutron spectrometer is provided by a series of substrates covered by a solid-state detector stacked on an absorbing layer. As many as 12 substrates that convert neutrons to protons are covered by a layer of absorbing material, acting as a proton absorber, with the detector placed within the layer to count protons passing through the absorbing layer. By using 12 detectors the range of neutron energies are covered. The preferred dodecahedron embodiment of the neutron spectrometer is a solid, polyethylene dodecahedron assembly with 12 surface facets covered by a solid-state detector stacked on an absorbing layer composed of titanium. Each absorbing layer is constructed with a different thickness according to the minimum and maximum energies of neutrons in the spectrum.

Abstract: A neutron spectrometer for spacecraft is provided by a series of substrates covered by a solid-state detector stacked on an absorbing layer. As many as 12 substrates that convert neutrons to protons are covered by a layer of absorbing material, acting as a proton absorber, with the detector placed within the layer to count protons passing through the absorbing layer. By using 12 detectors the range of neutron energies are covered. The preferred dodecahedron embodiment of the neutron spectrometer is a solid, polyethylene dodecahedron assembly with 12 surface facets covered by a solid-state detector stacked on an absorbing layer composed of aluminum. Each absorbing layer is constructed with a different thickness according to the minimum and maximum energies of neutrons in the spectrum.

Abstract: A wiggler that, when used in a free electron laser, reduces the harmonicity of the light emitted from the free electron laser. In general, the reduced harmonicity is accomplished by making the magnetic field distribution of the wiggler to be sinusoidal, rather than like a square wave. The sinusoidal magnetic field distribution reduces the number of harmonics that can be used to approximate the magnetic field distribution of the wiggler, and thus reduces the harmonicity of the light produced by passing an electron beam through the wiggler. In a particular embodiment, the wiggler is composed of pieces or segments of permanent magnets that are arranged along an axis such that their magnetic orientations are perpendicular to the axis, and such that the magnetic field distribution along the axis is sinusoidal.

Abstract: This invention provides a number of phosphorous and arsenic reducing agents to eliminate gas formation and polymerization of Li/MnO2 and other lithium cells caused by the formation of dialcohol. The phosphorous reducing agents when added to the Li/MnO2 and other lithium battery electrolytes cause the phosphorous compound and alcohol to react and produce ether and orthophosphorous acid, which prevents gas formation and the polymerization of Li/MnO2 cells caused by the formation of dialcohol. The preferred reducing agent is phosphoric acid tri-ester. The arsenic reducing agents when added to the Li/MnO2 and other lithium battery electrolytes cause the arsenic compound and alcohol to react and produce ether and orthoarsenic acid, which also prevents gas formation and the polymerization of Li/MnO2 cells caused by the formation of dialcohol.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for fabricating toroidal rings having a magnetization that alternates or changes direction along its azimuthal axis. Such a toroidal ring is made by first placing an unmagnetized toroidal ring into a first magnetization fixture. The first magnetization fixture is operable to magnetize only given regions of the toroidal ring, where the magnetization in those regions is in the same radial direction along its azimuthal axis. The toroidal ring is then placed in a second magnetization fixture that is operable to magnetize only the regions of the toroidal ring the were substantially unmagnetized by the first magnetization fixture. The direction of magnetization by the second fixture is opposite that of the first fixture. The result is a toroidal ring having a magnetization that alternates direction along its azimuthal axis.

Abstract: Methods are included for determining deviations from &phgr;=0° in test resonators based on the quasi-pure modes' displacement ratio variations with &phgr; angle. A direct relationship between deviation from &phgr;=0° and the c-mode displacement ratio has been observed, so that the larger the deviation from &phgr;=0°, then the larger is the change in the normalized frequency of the c-mode upon immersion in, or contact with, a fluid. The method includes measuring &thgr; and &phgr; angles in reference resonators with different small &phgr; angles and quasi-pure mode frequencies of reference resonators in both air and a test fluid at ambient temperatures, calculating the normalized frequency changes between the air and fluid measurements as a reference point, measuring the test resonator in air then in the fluid and comparing the results.

Abstract: A salt additive to lithium conducting organic electrolytes which thermally stabilizes the solution and more particular to provide improved cell operation and storage of lithium ion cells at elevated temperatures is LiBF4 and is employed in a salt molar ratio of at least about 1:1.