초록 ▼

A nonlinear dynamic system comprising: a number N of nonlinear components, wherein each nonlinear component experiences intrinsic oscillation when a coupling parameter λ is tuned past a threshold value, and wherein the nonlinear components are unidirectionally coupled together in a ring configuratio

A nonlinear dynamic system comprising: a number N of nonlinear components, wherein each nonlinear component experiences intrinsic oscillation when a coupling parameter λ is tuned past a threshold value, and wherein the nonlinear components are unidirectionally coupled together in a ring configuration; and a signal generator configured to generate N coherent locking signals; wherein each locking signal is phase shifted by 2π/N with respect to the other locking signals; and wherein the signal generator is coupled to the nonlinear components such that each locking signal locks a frequency of the intrinsic oscillation of one of the nonlinear components to a frequency of the locking signal.

대표청구항 ▼

1. A nonlinear dynamic system comprising: a number N of nonlinear components, wherein each nonlinear component experiences intrinsic oscillation when a coupling parameter λ is tuned past a threshold value, and wherein the nonlinear components are unidirectionally coupled together in a ring configura

1. A nonlinear dynamic system comprising: a number N of nonlinear components, wherein each nonlinear component experiences intrinsic oscillation when a coupling parameter λ is tuned past a threshold value, and wherein the nonlinear components are unidirectionally coupled together in a ring configuration; anda signal generator configured to generate N coherent locking signals; wherein each locking signal is phase shifted by 2λ/N with respect to the other locking signals; and wherein the signal generator is coupled to the nonlinear components such that each locking signal locks a frequency of the intrinsic oscillation of one of the nonlinear components to a frequency of the locking signal. 2. The system of claim 1, wherein N is odd. 3. The system of claim 2, wherein N is three. 4. The system of claim 1, wherein N>>2. 5. The system of claim 3, wherein each nonlinear component comprises a wound ferromagnetic core. 6. The system of claim 5, wherein each nonlinear component further comprises an instrumentation amplifier, an integrator, a voltage-current converter, a filter, an amplifier, and a power source. 7. The system of claim 6, wherein the ferromagnetic cores are coupled with a cyclic boundary condition such that: {x.1=-x1+tanh⁢⁢c⁡(x1+λ⁢⁢x2+Hx⁢sin⁢⁢ωx⁢t+HL⁢sin⁢⁢ωL⁢t)x.2=-x2+tanh⁢⁢c⁡(x2+λ⁢⁢x3+Hx⁢sin⁢⁢ωx⁢t+HL⁢sin⁢⁢ωL⁢t)x.3=-x3+tanh⁢⁢c⁡(x3+λ⁢⁢x1+Hx⁢sin⁢⁢ωx⁢t+HL⁢sin⁢⁢ωL⁢t)  where xi(t), (i=1, 2, 3) represents a magnetic flux at an output of a secondary coil of unit i, Hx is an external target signal, HL is the locking signal, ωx is a frequency of the target signal, and ωL is the frequency of the locking signal, λ is a coupling parameter, and c is a parameter that is inversely proportional to system temperature, wherein a potential energy function is bistable for c>1. 8. The system of claim 1, wherein the system does not utilize a bias signal. 9. The system of claim 7, wherein an orientation of the nonlinear component's ferromagnetic cores alternate such that Hx alternates from positive to negative between all but two nonlinear components. 10. The system of claim 5, further comprising a support structure in the shape of a triangular prism having an axis and three separate faces, wherein each of the nonlinear components is mounted to one of the separate faces such that the ferromagnetic cores of all three nonlinear components are oriented parallel to the axis. 11. The system of claim 10, wherein the external target signal Hx is an alternating current magnetic signal. 12. The system of claim 1, wherein each locking signal is an external, controllable, time-sinusoidal signal capable of locking the intrinsic oscillation of one of the nonlinear components. 13. The system of claim 1, wherein each of the locking signals is within an Arnold tongue. 14. A method comprising: providing a number N of nonlinear components;unidirectionally coupling the nonlinear components together in a ring configuration;tuning a coupling parameter λ past a threshold value for each nonlinear component such that each nonlinear component experiences intrinsic oscillation;coupling the nonlinear components to a signal generator;generating with the signal generator a locking signal having an amplitude and a frequency within an Arnold tongue; andcoupling the locking signal to the nonlinear components such that frequencies of intrinsic oscillation of the nonlinear components are frequency locked to the frequency of the locking signal. 15. The method of claim 14, wherein the locking signal comprises N coherent locking signals that are phase shifted by 2λ/N with respect to each other, and further comprising coupling each of the N coherent locking signals to a corresponding nonlinear component such that an intrinsic oscillation frequency of each nonlinear component is frequency locked to a frequency of the corresponding locking signal. 16. The method of claim 15, wherein N is odd. 17. The method of claim 16, wherein each nonlinear element comprises a ferromagnetic core, and wherein the ferromagnetic cores are coupled with a cyclic boundary condition such that if N were equal to three the following would be true: {x.1=-x1+tanh⁢⁢c⁡(x1+λ⁢⁢x2+Hx⁢sin⁢⁢ωx⁢t+HL⁢sin⁢⁢ωL⁢t)x.2=-x2+tanh⁢⁢c⁡(x2+λ⁢⁢x3+Hx⁢sin⁢⁢ωx⁢t+HL⁢sin⁢⁢ωL⁢t)x.3=-x3+tanh⁢⁢c⁡(x3+λ⁢⁢x1+Hx⁢sin⁢⁢ωx⁢t+HL⁢sin⁢⁢ωL⁢t)  where xi(t), (i=1, 2, 3) represents a magnetic flux at an output of a secondary coil of unit i, Hx is an external target signal, HL is the locking signal, ωx is a frequency of the target signal, and ωL is the frequency of the locking signal, λ is a coupling parameter, and c is a parameter that is inversely proportional to system temperature, wherein a potential energy function is bistable for c>1. 18. The method of claim 17, further comprising the step of monitoring performance of the unidirectionally-coupled nonlinear elements to detect alternating current magnetic target signals without utilizing a bias signal.