.Spectrochimica Acra, Vol. 46A, No. 5, pp. i-iii, 1990. Pergamon Press pk. Printed in Great Britain.
NEW PATENTS
This Section contains abstracts and, where appropriate, illustrations of recently issued United States patents and published patent applications filed from over 30 countries under the Patent Cooperation Treaty. This information was obtained from recent additions to the Pergamon PATSEARCH* online database in accordance with interest profiles developed by the Editors. Further information about Pergamon PATSEARCH@ can be obtained from Pergamon Orbit InfoLine Inc., 8000 Westpark Drive, McLean, Virginia 22102 U.S.A. Copies of complete patents announced in this Section are available from Pergamon Orbit InfoLine Inc. for $8 per copy. Payment with order is required. Orders outside North America add $2 for air postage. Order by patent number for Pergamon Orbit InfoLine only.
4871232 METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR ULTRA HIGH FREQUENCY SPECTRUM ANALYSIS Jan Grinberg, Emanuel Marom, Bernard H Soffer, Thomas O’Meara, Adrian E Popa assigned to Hughes Aircraft Company A high frequency spectral analysis system and method operates by modulating an optical beam with a high frequency signal to be analyzed, and sampling the beam simultaneously at periodically spaced locations along its length. The sampled portions are then focused to a spectral mapping. In the preferred embodiment a beam is directed in a zigzag pattern through a plate, one surface of which is totally reflective and the opposite surface of which is partially reflective. Periodic parallel samples are obtained from the minor portions of the beam which are transmitted out of the plate through the partially reflective surface. The totally reflective surface is preferably formed as a series of cylindrical surfaces which focus the beam to small spots at the partially reflective surface, thereby permitting a higher spatial density of samples without overlapping. The plate thickness is selected so that the beam is sampled at the Nyquist rate for the highest frequency contained in the signal of interest.
4871916 SENSING OF METHANE John C Scott, Merewether, Australia assigned to The Broken Hill Proprietary Company Limited
A spectroscopic method of sensing the presence of methane in an atmosphere includes directing through the atmosphere light emitted by a neodymium laser at a wavelength having a fluorescence linewidth which embraces at least one significant absorption line of the v2+2v2 band of methane.
4873444 DETECTION OF SURFACE IMPURITY PHASES IN HIGH TCSUPERCONDUCTORS USING THERMALLY STIMULATED LUMINESCENCE D Wayne Cooke, Muhammad S Jahan assigned to The United States of America as represented by the United States Department of Energy Detection of surface impurity phases in hightemperature superconducting materials. Thermally stimulated luminescence has been found to occur in insulating impurity phases which comexist in high-temperature monly superconducting materials. The present invention is sensitive to impurity phases occurring at a level of less than 1% with a probe depth of about 1 mum which is the region of interest for many superconductivity applications. Spectroscopic and spatial resolution of the emitted light from a sample permits identification and location of the impurity species. Absence of luminescence, and thus of insulating phases, can be correlated with low values of rf surface resistance.