Abstract: A method for controlling a qubit encoded in an atom-like defect in a solid-state host may comprise applying an electrical signal to a piezoelectric cantilever that is mechanically coupled to a photonic waveguide comprising one or more embedded point defect sites. The photonic waveguide may be optically coupled to a photonic chip. Applying the electrical signal to the piezoelectric cantilever may induce movement in the piezoelectric cantilever, which may induce a strain in the photonic waveguide. The applied electrical signal may be determined by a defect site with excitation light, measuring a frequency of a photon emitted by the excited defect site, determining a frequency shift based on the measured frequency of the emitted photon, and determining the electrical signal to be applied to the piezoelectric cantilever based on the frequency shift.

Abstract: Provided herein is a photonic modulator and methods for controlling a photonic modulator that can control the phase and/or amplitude of photons being transmitted through the modulator to minimize photonic loss while remaining power efficient and operating at high speeds. The photonic modulator can include a substrate with a pair of piezoelectric cantilevers spaced apart from one another by a gap, with a photonic waveguide disposed in the substrate that extends across the modulator and bridges the gap between the piezoelectric cantilevers. In one or more examples, the piezoelectric cantilevers can be configured to move away from the substrate in response to an electrical signal, such that a refractive index of the photonic waveguide is altered.

Abstract: A plastic scintillator includes a polymeric matrix comprising a primary fluorophore capable of forming an amorphous glass in its pure form. The primary fluorophore is also capable of generating luminescence in the presence of ionizing radiation and includes: a central species including silicon; a luminescent organic group bonded to the central species or to an optional organic linker group, the luminescent organic group including fluorene or an analog thereof; and the optional organic linker group, if present, is bonded to the central species and the luminescent organic group.

Abstract: A physically unclonable function (PUF) and a method of reading it are provided. The PUF is constituted by a microfabricated array of randomly polarized micromagnets disposed on a substrate. The PUF can be read by creating a magnetization map of the PUF from the signal output of a quantum diamond microscope (QDM) and converting the magnetization map to a numerical sequence.

Abstract: A thermally tunable microresonator device with enhanced thermal confinement for greater efficiency is provided. A thermal confinement structure is electrically connected in series with the heater element used for tuning the microresonator. The heater element is conformed in a circular arc concentric with the microresonator, the thermal confinement structure comprises two or more tiers, and each tier comprises at least one metal trace conformed in a circular arc concentric with the microresonator.

Abstract: A method of Atomic Precision Advanced Manufacturing (APAM) is provided, in which a substrate is doped from a dopant precursor gas. The method involves covering a surface of the substrate with a hard mask, selectively removing material from the hard mask such that selected areas of the substrate surface are laid bare, exposing the laid-bare areas to the dopant precursor gas, and heating the substrate so as to incorporate dopant from the dopant precursor gas into the substrate surface.

Abstract: A method is provided for making gratings of gold or other metal in silicon substrates. The disclosed method may achieve high aspect ratios. According to the disclosed method, a silicon wafer is through-etched. A seed layer of metal is vapor-deposited on one side of the wafer, and a layer of metal is electrodeposited on the seed layer. The electrodeposited metal plugs the trenches and provides a conductive surface for subsequent electrodeposition. The trenches are then filled by electrodeposition from within the trenches, so that the walls of the metal grating grow on the metal plugs.

Abstract: A pulsed current source comprises a power source, a discharge capacitor, and an inductive element. The discharge capacitor is selectively coupled to either of the power source or the inductive element. When coupled to the power source, the discharge capacitor is charged. The inductive element can be connected to a load. The load can have a current-dependent impedance. When the discharge capacitor is coupled to the inductive element, the discharge capacitor discharges through the inductive element and the load. The discharge capacitor and the inductive element are configured so that the current through the load exhibits a substantially linear rise in a linear operational region. The inductive element is configured to saturate during discharge of the capacitor through the load, so that the saturation of the inductive element causes the current through the load to continue to rise in a substantially linear fashion.

Abstract: A nanoscale bolometer for infrared (IR) thermal imaging comprises a subwavelength antenna that provides a specific detectivity approaching a fundamental, thermodynamic limit. The uncooled nanobolometer achieves performance comparable to cooled, high-performance, semiconductor photodetectors, but with significantly reduced size, weight, power, and cost.

Abstract: A donning system allows a user to don disposable garments without contaminating the exterior of the garment. The disposable garment is part of a garment package, which also includes a cuff by which the garment is loaded into and dispensed from the donning system. The cuff includes elements whereby multiple garments are simultaneously loaded, but the garments are dispensed and donned one at a time. The donning system can include multiple cartridges allowing the user to don multiple garments simultaneously, such as right and left gloves or shoe covers. The donning system can include multiple chambers allowing the system to dispense garments of different sizes.

Abstract: A remote sensor system comprising a laser transmitter that emits a pulse of broadband laser illumination comprising a plurality of wavelengths and a receiver configured to detect laser illumination backscatter. The sensor system further includes a computing system configured to determine a plurality of species number densities along a travel path of the laser illumination. Determining the plurality of species number densities includes determining a first number density of a first species based on a first set of optical transmission values from the backscatter data for a first subset of wavelengths of the plurality of wavelengths and a first attenuation cross-section of the first species. Additional species are determined based on additional sets of optical transmission values from the backscatter data for additional subsets of wavelengths of the plurality of wavelengths and additional cross-sections of additional species.

Abstract: The present invention relates, in part, to systems for characterizing force (e.g., friction, wear, and/or torque). In one embodiment, the system allows for wear testing of samples in a high throughput manner. In another embodiment, the system allows for torque sensing in a non-contact manner.

Abstract: Various embodiments described herein provide for a terrain-aided location determination using a range/angle radar altimetry. Range/angle radar systems use vertical synthetic aperture radar measurements which do not include any cross-track resolution, such that if a range/Doppler cloud from a single VSAR image is compared to a regular DEM, there can be ambiguity in determining the cross-track position. By modifying the DEM to inherently include additional terrain signature information that could be compared to VSAR measurement, the limitation can be overcome, and a single range/angle radar system can provide an accurate position without the additional complexity of a range/angle/angle radar system.

Abstract: Systems and methods for injecting a carbonate-based sacrificial material into a nuclear reactor containment for containment of molten corium in severe nuclear reactor accidents are disclosed. Molten corium can be quickly cooled and solidified by the endothermic decomposition of the sacrificial material.

Abstract: A facile solvothermal method can be used to synthesize metal alkanoate nanoparticles using a metal nitrate precursor, alcohol/water, and alkanoic acid. The method can produce lanthanide (e.g., La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, or Yb) and transition metal (e.g., Ag, Co, Cu, or Pb) alkanoate nanoparticles (<100 nm) with spherical morphology. These hybrid nanomaterials adopt a lamellar structure consisting of inorganic metal cation layers separated by an alkanoate anion bilayer and exhibit liquid crystalline phases during melting. The metal alkanoate nanoparticles can be calcined to produce metal oxide nanoparticles.

Abstract: Optical tags provide a way to identify assets quickly and unambiguously, an application relevant to anti-counterfeiting and protection of valuable resources or information. The present invention is directed to a tag fluorophore that encodes multilayer complexity in a family of heterometallic rare-earth metal-organic frameworks (RE-MOFs) based on highly connected polynuclear clusters and carboxylic acid-based linkers. Both overt (visible) and covert (near infrared, NIR) properties with concomitant multi-emissive spectra and tunable luminescence lifetimes impart both intricacy and security. Tag authentication can be validated with a variety of orthogonal detection methodologies. The relationships between structure, composition, and optical properties of the family of RE-MOFs can be used to create a large library of rationally designed, highly complex, difficult to counterfeit optical tags.

Abstract: A sealed, passively pumped, polycrystalline ceramic vacuum chamber and method for fabricating the chamber are disclosed. The body of the vacuum chamber is made from a polycrystalline ceramic, for example, alumina. The vacuum chamber includes one or more windows made from a transparent ceramic, for example, sapphire, to accommodate optical access, while remaining amorphous-glass free to minimize or eliminate helium permeation. The vacuum chamber components are joined via laser welding or furnace brazing and the completed chamber is bakeable at temperatures up to 400° C. The vacuum chamber can operate at high or ultra-high vacuum pressures for an extended period through the use of one or more getter-based pumps. The vacuum chamber may include one or more atomic sources depending upon the application.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to devices including one or more hollow needles and a transducing wire disposed within at least one needle. In particular instances, arrays of such needles can be employed. Methods for fabricating and using such devices are also disclosed herein.

Abstract: A series tee splitter comprises a primary electromagnetic transmission line and a secondary electromagnetic transmission line that is placed in a series path with the primary electromagnetic transmission line, wherein a load is attached to the end of the secondary electromagnetic transmission line and a network analyzer is connected to opposite ends of the primary electromagnetic transmission line to measure a load impedance. This configuration increases the high impedance measurement limit of the network analyzer normally seen for reflection measurements. The series tee splitter can be electrically small to provide broadband impedance information.

Abstract: A system or method for drilling includes autonomously controlling a rotary or percussive drilling process as it transitions through multiple materials with very different dynamics. The method determines a drilling medium based on real-time measurements and comparison to prior drilling data, and identifies the material type, drilling region, and approximately optimal setpoint based on data from at least one operating condition. The controller uses these setpoints initially to execute an optimal search to maximize performance by minimizing mechanical specific energy. Near-bit depth-of-cut estimations are performed using a machine learning prediction deployed in an embedded processor to provide high-speed ROP estimates. The sensing capability is coupled with a near-bit clutching mechanism to support drilling dysfunction mitigation.