Self-sustained solitary waves in a tunnel diode oscillator lattice and their applications in frequency division

摘要

Self-sustained solitary waves, which propagate in a one-dimensional lattice of tunnel diode (TD) oscillators, can be effectively applied to frequency division. In this work, it is experimentally observed that the properties of a solitary wave strongly suggest that it is the discretized counterpart of the homoclinic pulse predicted in a quasi-continuous model of a TD oscillator lattice. Generally, these self-sustained waves annihilate during a head-on collision. Owing to this phenomenon, a TD oscillator lattice acts as an efficient frequency divider through its simple connection to an ordinary LC ladder circuit. In this work, both the pair annihilation of pulses and a 2:1 frequency division ratio are successfully observed experimentally.