Methods and apparatus for scanning a band of frequencies using an array of high temperature superconductor sensors
First Claim
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1. A method for scanning a band of frequencies Δ
- F with a nuclear quadrupole resonance detection system comprising an array of n high temperature superconductor sensors to detect nuclear quadrupole resonance signals, wherein n≧
2 and the bandwidth of each sensor is Δ
f, comprising;
a) determining r different frequencies that span the band of frequencies Δ
F when using sensors with bandwidths Δ
f, wherein r is of the order of Δ
F/Δ
f;
b) tuning the resonance frequencies of the n sensors to n different resonance frequencies, wherein the n different resonance frequencies are selected from the group of the r different frequencies, and maintaining these resonance frequencies for a selected period of time;
c) retuning simultaneously the resonance frequencies of the n sensors to n different frequencies selected from the group of the r different frequencies, and maintaining these retuned resonance frequencies for a selected period of time, wherein each of the n sensors has a retuned resonance frequency that is different from the resonance frequency to which it was tuned or retuned in any previous step; and
d) repeating step (c) r−
2 times wherein the resonance frequency of each sensor is tuned for one period of time to each of the r different frequencies, and no two sensors are tuned to the same resonance frequency at the same time.
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Abstract
The methods of the invention for scanning a band of frequencies using a nuclear quadrupole resonance detection system with an array of high temperature superconductor sensors to detect nuclear quadrupole resonance signals improve the nuclear quadrupole resonance detection system performance.
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Citations
23 Claims
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1. A method for scanning a band of frequencies Δ
- F with a nuclear quadrupole resonance detection system comprising an array of n high temperature superconductor sensors to detect nuclear quadrupole resonance signals, wherein n≧
2 and the bandwidth of each sensor is Δ
f, comprising;
a) determining r different frequencies that span the band of frequencies Δ
F when using sensors with bandwidths Δ
f, wherein r is of the order of Δ
F/Δ
f;
b) tuning the resonance frequencies of the n sensors to n different resonance frequencies, wherein the n different resonance frequencies are selected from the group of the r different frequencies, and maintaining these resonance frequencies for a selected period of time;
c) retuning simultaneously the resonance frequencies of the n sensors to n different frequencies selected from the group of the r different frequencies, and maintaining these retuned resonance frequencies for a selected period of time, wherein each of the n sensors has a retuned resonance frequency that is different from the resonance frequency to which it was tuned or retuned in any previous step; and
d) repeating step (c) r−
2 times wherein the resonance frequency of each sensor is tuned for one period of time to each of the r different frequencies, and no two sensors are tuned to the same resonance frequency at the same time. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
- F with a nuclear quadrupole resonance detection system comprising an array of n high temperature superconductor sensors to detect nuclear quadrupole resonance signals, wherein n≧
-
6. A method for scanning a band of frequencies Δ
- F with a nuclear quadrupole resonance detection system comprising an array of n high temperature superconductor sensors to detect nuclear quadrupole resonance signals, wherein n≧
4 and the bandwidth of each sensor is Δ
f, comprising;
a) dividing the sensors into m groups with p sensors in each group, determining r different frequencies that span the band of frequencies Δ
F when using sensors with bandwidths Δ
f, wherein r is of the order of Δ
F/Δ
f, dividing the r different frequencies into s sets with p of the r different frequencies in each set, and assigning each set of frequencies to one of the groups of sensors;
b) tuning the resonance frequencies of the p sensors in each group to the p different frequencies in the set of frequencies assigned to that group, and maintaining these tuned resonance frequencies for a selected period of time;
c) retuning simultaneously the resonance frequencies of the p sensors in each group to p different frequencies within the same set assigned to that group for step (b), and maintaining these retuned resonance frequencies for a selected period of time, wherein each of the p sensors has a retuned resonance frequency that is different from the resonance frequency to which it was tuned or retuned in any previous step;
d) repeating step (c) p−
2 times;
e) retuning the resonance frequencies of the p sensors in each group to the p different frequencies in a second set of frequencies assigned to that group, and maintaining these retuned resonance frequencies for a selected period of time;
f) retuning simultaneously the resonance frequencies of the p sensors in each group to p different frequencies within the same set assigned to that group for step (e), and maintaining these retuned resonance frequencies for a selected period of time, wherein each of the p sensors has a retuned resonance frequency that is different from the resonance frequency to which it was tuned or retuned in any previous step;
g) repeating step (f) p−
2 times; and
h) repeating steps (e), (f) and (g) for each additional set of p different frequencies until all s sets of frequencies have been used as resonance frequencies for one of the m groups of sensors. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8, 9, 10)
- F with a nuclear quadrupole resonance detection system comprising an array of n high temperature superconductor sensors to detect nuclear quadrupole resonance signals, wherein n≧
-
11. A method for scanning a band of frequencies Δ
- F with a nuclear quadrupole resonance detection system comprising an array of n high temperature superconductor sensors to detect nuclear quadrupole resonance signals, wherein n≧
4 and the bandwidth of each sensor is Δ
f, comprising;
a) dividing the n sensors into m groups with p sensors in each group, determining r different frequencies that span the band of frequencies Δ
F when using sensors with bandwidths Δ
f, wherein r is of the order of Δ
F/Δ
f, dividing the r different frequencies into m sets with at least p of the r different frequencies in each set, and assigning one set of frequencies to each group of sensors;
b) tuning the resonance frequencies of the p sensors in each group to p different frequencies selected from any of the frequencies assigned to that group, and maintaining these tuned resonance frequencies for a selected period of time;
c) retuning simultaneously the resonance frequencies of the p sensors in each group to p different frequencies selected from any of frequencies assigned to that group, and maintaining these retuned resonance frequencies for a selected period of time, wherein each of the p sensors has a retuned resonance frequency that is different from the resonance frequency to which it was tuned or retuned in any previous step; and
d) repeating step (c) until all of the frequencies in the sets of frequencies assigned to each group have been used as a resonance frequency by each sensor in the group. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15)
- F with a nuclear quadrupole resonance detection system comprising an array of n high temperature superconductor sensors to detect nuclear quadrupole resonance signals, wherein n≧
-
16. A nuclear quadrupole resonance detection system for scanning a sample, comprising a) n high temperature superconductor sensors, each with bandwidth Δ
- f, to scan a band of frequencies Δ
F and detect any nuclear quadrupole resonance signal within the band of frequencies Δ
F, wherein n≧
2;
b) means to tune the resonance frequencies of the n sensors to n different frequencies, wherein the n different frequencies are selected from the group of r different frequencies that span the band of frequencies Δ
F using sensors with bandwidths Δ
f, and wherein r is of the order of Δ
F/Δ
f; and
c) means to simultaneously retune r−
1 times the resonance frequencies of the n sensors to n different frequencies each time, wherein after each retuning, each of the n sensors has a retuned resonance frequency that is different from any of the resonance frequencies to which it was previously tuned or retuned. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23)
- f, to scan a band of frequencies Δ
Specification