Matthew T. Simons

Measurement Challenges for 5G and Beyond: An Update from the National Institute of Standards and Technology

In less than a decade since the mainstreaming of cellular wireless technology, spectrum has become saturated by data-intensive smartphones, driving the so-called spectrum crunch. As a solution, the wireless community is pursuing the use of alternatives to current wireless technologies, including multiple-input/multipleoutput (MIMO) antenna arrays that allow increased simultaneous transmission capacity; the millimeter-wave (mmW) spectrum (30-300 GHz) to alleviate the spectrum crunch in current frequency bands; and ultradense networks transmitting wide-band modulated signals to allow short-range, high-speed data transfer.

Using radiation pressure to develop a radio-frequency power measurement technique traceable to the redefined SI

We discuss a power-measurement technique traceable to the International System of Units (SI) based on radiation pressure (or radiation force) inherent in an electromagnetic wave. A measurement of radiation pressure offers the possibility for a power measurement traceable to the kilogram and to Plancks constant through the redefined SI. Towards this goal, we performed measurements of the radiation pressure in a radio-frequency (RF) electromagnetic field at three frequencies (26.5 GHz, 32.5 GHz, and 40.0 GHz) and power levels ranging from 2 W to 25 W using a commercially available mass scale. We show comparisons between the RF power obtained with this technique and those obtained with a conventional power meter. The results in this paper represent the first step towards the realization of a more direct link to RF power within the newly redefined SI.We discuss a power-measurement technique traceable to the International System of Units (SI) based on radiation pressure (or radiation force) inherent in an electromagnetic wave. A measurement of radiation pressure offers the possibility for a power measurement traceable to the kilogram and to Plancks constant through the redefined SI. Towards this goal, we performed measurements of the radiation pressure in a radio-frequency (RF) electromagnetic field at three frequencies (26.5 GHz, 32.5 GHz, and 40.0 GHz) and power levels ranging from 2 W to 25 W using a commercially available mass scale. We show comparisons between the RF power obtained with this technique and those obtained with a conventional power meter. The results in this paper represent the first step towards the realization of a more direct link to RF power within the newly redefined SI.

A quantum-based power standard: Using Rydberg atoms for a SI-traceable radio-frequency power measurement technique in rectangular waveguides

In this work we demonstrate an approach for the measurement of radio-frequency (RF) power using electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) in a Rydberg atomic vapor. This is accomplished by placing alkali atomic vapor in a rectangular waveguide and measuring the electric (E) field strength (utilizing EIT and Autler-Townes splitting) for a wave propagating down the waveguide. The RF power carried by the wave is then related to this measured E-field, which leads to a new direct International System of Units (SI) measurement of RF power. To demonstrate this approach, we first measure the field distribution of the fundamental mode in the waveguide and then measure the power carried by the wave at both 19.629 GHz and 26.526 GHz. We obtain good agreement between the power measurements obtained with this new technique and those obtained with a conventional power meter.