A K/Ka band radiating element for Tx/Rx phased array

KAUST Repository

Sandhu, Ali Imran

2017-01-20

The paper presents a K/Ka band radiating element for TX/RX phased arrays. Dual band operations is obtained using a single radiating surface: a novel radiator is adopted and placed in a configuration in which dual band and single band elements are interleaved. The array elements are optimized to scan the beam in excess of 50° in both bands. A subarray with 49 Rx elements and 105 Tx elements was built and measured confirming the results obtained in simulations.

A Dual Polarization, Active, Microstrip Antenna for an Orbital Imaging Radar System Operating at L-Band

Science.gov (United States)

Kelly, Kenneth C.; Huang, John

2000-01-01

A highly successful Earth orbiting synthetic antenna aperture radar (SAR) system, known as the SIR-C mission, was carried into orbit in 1994 on a U.S. Shuttle (Space Transportation System) mission. The radar system was mounted in the cargo bay with no need to fold, or in any other way reduce the size of the antennas for launch. Weight and size were not limited for the L-Band, C-Band, and X-Band radar systems of the SIR-C radar imaging mission; the set of antennas weighed 10,500 kg, the L-Band antenna having the major share of the weight. This paper treats designing an L-Band antenna functionally similar to that used for SIR-C, but at a fraction of the cost and at a weight in the order of 250 kg. Further, the antenna must be folded to fit into the small payload shroud of low cost booster rocket systems. Over 31 square meters of antenna area is required. This low weight, foldable, electronic scanning antenna is for the proposed LightSAR radar system which is to be placed in Earth orbit on a small, dedicated space craft at the lowest possible cost for an efficient L- Band radar imaging system. This LightSAR spacecraft radar is to be continuously available for at least five operational years, and have the ability to map or repeat-map any area on earth within a few days of any request. A microstrip patch array, with microstrip transmission lines heavily employed in the aperture and in the corporate feed network, was chosen as the low cost approach for this active dual-polarization, 80 MHz (6.4%) bandwidth antenna design.

Measurement of Precipitation in the Alps Using Dual-Polarization C-Band Ground-Based Radars, the GPM Spaceborne Ku-Band Radar, and Rain Gauges

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marco Gabella

2017-11-01

Full Text Available The complex problem of quantitative precipitation estimation in the Alpine region is tackled from four different points of view: (1 the modern MeteoSwiss network of automatic telemetered rain gauges (GAUGE; (2 the recently upgraded MeteoSwiss dual-polarization Doppler, ground-based weather radar network (RADAR; (3 a real-time merging of GAUGE and RADAR, implemented at MeteoSwiss, in which a technique based on co-kriging with external drift (CombiPrecip is used; (4 spaceborne observations, acquired by the dual-wavelength precipitation radar on board the Global Precipitation Measuring (GPM core satellite. There are obviously large differences in these sampling modes, which we have tried to minimize by integrating synchronous observations taken during the first 2 years of the GPM mission. The data comprises 327 “wet” overpasses of Switzerland, taken after the launch of GPM in February 2014. By comparing the GPM radar estimates with the MeteoSwiss products, a similar performance was found in terms of bias. On average (whole country, all days and seasons, both solid and liquid phases, underestimation is as large as −3.0 (−3.4 dB with respect to RADAR (GAUGE. GPM is not suitable for assessing what product is the best in terms of average precipitation over the Alps. GPM can nevertheless be used to evaluate the dispersion of the error around the mean, which is a measure of the geographical distribution of the error inside the country. Using 221 rain-gauge sites, the result is clear both in terms of correlation and in terms of scatter (a robust, weighted measure of the dispersion of the multiplicative error around the mean. The best agreement was observed between GPM and CombiPrecip, and, next, between GPM and RADAR, whereas a larger disagreement was found between GPM and GAUGE. Hence, GPM confirms that, for precipitation mapping in the Alpine region, the best results are obtained by combining ground-based radar with rain-gauge measurements using

Large power microwave nonlinear effects on multifunction amplifier chip for Ka-band T/R module of phased array radar

Science.gov (United States)

Guo, Guo; Gu, Ling; Wu, Ruowu; Xu, Xiong; Zhou, Taifu; Niu, Xinjian; Liu, Yinghui; Wang, Hui; Wei, Yanyu; Guo, Changyong

2017-12-01

Nonlinear effects of large power millimeter wave on critical chips for the T/R module of phased array radar is experimental studied and analyzed in this paper. A multifunction amplifier chip is selected for our experiments. A solid continuous wave (CW) source and a large power pulsed magnetron are both employed to generate the Ka-band microwave. The input-output characteristics, the degradation and destroy threshold of the chips are obtained through a series of experimental tests. At last, the results are given by figures and analyzed theoretically.

Mars Global Surveyor Ka-Band Frequency Data Analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Morabito, D.; Butman, S.; Shambayati, S.

2000-01-01

The Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) spacecraft, launched on November 7, 1996, carries an experimental space-to-ground telecommunications link at Ka-band (32 GHz) along with the primary X-band (8.4 GHz) downlink. The signals are simultaneously transmitted from a 1.5-in diameter parabolic high gain antenna (HGA) on MGS and received by a beam-waveguide (BWG) R&D 34-meter antenna located in NASA's Goldstone Deep Space Network (DSN) complex near Barstow, California. The projected 5-dB link advantage of Ka-band relative to X-band was confirmed in previous reports using measurements of MGS signal strength data acquired during the first two years of the link experiment from December 1996 to December 1998. Analysis of X-band and Ka-band frequency data and difference frequency (fx-fka)/3.8 data will be presented here. On board the spacecraft, a low-power sample of the X-band downlink from the transponder is upconverted to 32 GHz, the Ka-band frequency, amplified to I-W using a Solid State Power Amplifier, and radiated from the dual X/Ka HGA. The X-band signal is amplified by one of two 25 W TWTAs. An upconverter first downconverts the 8.42 GHz X-band signal to 8 GHz and then multiplies using a X4 multiplier producing the 32 GHz Ka-band frequency. The frequency source selection is performed by an RF switch which can be commanded to select a VCO (Voltage Controlled Oscillator) or USO (Ultra-Stable Oscillator) reference. The Ka-band frequency can be either coherent with the X-band downlink reference or a hybrid combination of the USO and VCO derived frequencies. The data in this study were chosen such that the Ka-band signal is purely coherent with the X-band signal, that is the downconverter is driven by the same frequency source as the X-band downlink). The ground station used to acquire the data is DSS-13, a 34-meter BWG antenna which incorporates a series of mirrors inside beam waveguide tubes which guide the energy to a subterranean pedestal room, providing a stable environment

Low-Profile, Dual-Wavelength, Dual-Polarized Antenna

Science.gov (United States)

Carswell, James R.

2010-01-01

A single-aperture, low-profile antenna design has been developed that supports dual-polarization and simultaneous operation at two wavelengths. It realizes multiple beams in the elevation plane, and supports radiometric, radar, and conical scanning applications. This antenna consists of multiple azimuth sticks, with each stick being a multilayer, hybrid design. Each stick forms the h-plane pattern of the C and Ku-band vertically and horizontally polarized antenna beams. By combining several azimuth sticks together, the elevation beam is formed. With a separate transceiver for each stick, the transmit phase and amplitude of each stick can be controlled to synthesize a beam at a specific incidence angle and to realize a particular side-lobe pattern. By changing the transmit phase distribution through the transceivers, the transmit antenna beam can be steered to different incidence angles. By controlling the amplitude distribution, different side lobe patterns and efficiencies can be realized. The receive beams are formed using digital beam synthesis techniques, resulting in very little loss in the receive path, thus enabling a very-low loss receive antenna to support passive measurements.

The lidar dark band: An oddity of the radar bright band analogy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sassen, K. [Univ. of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT (United States)

1996-04-01

Although much has sbeen learned from independent radar and lidar studies of atmospheric precipitations, occasionally supported by aircraft profiling, what has been lacking is combined optical, microwave, and insitu observations of the melting layer. Fortunately, the rainshowers on April 21, 1994, during the Remote Cloud Sensing intensive obervations Period (RCSIOP) at the Southern Great Plains Cloud and radiation Testbed (CART) site provided an opportunity for coordinated dual-wavelength University of Utah Polarization Diversity Lidar, University of Massachusetts Cloud Profiling Radar System Doppler Radar, and the University of North Dakota Citation aircraft measurements.

Radiating Elements for Shared Aperture Tx/Rx Phased Arrays at K/Ka Band

KAUST Repository

Sandhu, Ali Imran; Arnieri, E.; Amendola, Giandomenico; Boccia, L.; Meniconi, Erika; Ziegler, Volker

2016-01-01

A dual band, Tx/Rx, self-diplexing phased array is presented. The antenna has been designed to cover Tx/Rx satellite communications at K/Ka band with a frequency ratio 1.5:1. To obtain dual band operations with a single radiating surface, a novel dual band radiator is adopted and placed in a configuration in which dual band and single band elements are interleaved. The proposed configuration reduces the number of radiating elements required by other solutions while avoiding the insurgence of grating lobes. The tightly packed arrangement of the elements poses many integration issues, which are solved with a novel integration technique. The array elements are optimized to scan the beam in excess of ° in both bands. A subarray with 49 Rx elements and 105 Tx elements was built and measured confirming the results obtained in simulations.

Radiating Elements for Shared Aperture Tx/Rx Phased Arrays at K/Ka Band

KAUST Repository

Sandhu, Ali Imran

2016-04-11

A dual band, Tx/Rx, self-diplexing phased array is presented. The antenna has been designed to cover Tx/Rx satellite communications at K/Ka band with a frequency ratio 1.5:1. To obtain dual band operations with a single radiating surface, a novel dual band radiator is adopted and placed in a configuration in which dual band and single band elements are interleaved. The proposed configuration reduces the number of radiating elements required by other solutions while avoiding the insurgence of grating lobes. The tightly packed arrangement of the elements poses many integration issues, which are solved with a novel integration technique. The array elements are optimized to scan the beam in excess of ° in both bands. A subarray with 49 Rx elements and 105 Tx elements was built and measured confirming the results obtained in simulations.

Deep-Space Ka-Band Flight Experience

Science.gov (United States)

Morabito, D. D.

2017-11-01

Lower frequency bands have become more congested in allocated bandwidth as there is increased competition between flight projects and other entities. Going to higher frequency bands offers significantly more bandwidth, allowing for the use of much higher data rates. However, Ka-band is more susceptible to weather effects than lower frequency bands currently used for most standard downlink telemetry operations. Future or prospective flight projects considering deep-space Ka-band (32-GHz) telemetry data links have expressed an interest in understanding past flight experience with received Ka-band downlink performance. Especially important to these flight projects is gaining a better understanding of weather effects from the experience of current or past missions that operated Ka-band radio systems. We will discuss the historical flight experience of several Ka-band missions starting from Mars Observer in 1993 up to present-day deep-space missions such as Kepler. The study of historical Ka-band flight experience allows one to recommend margin policy for future missions. Of particular interest, we will review previously reported-on flight experience with the Cassini spacecraft Ka-band radio system that has been used for radio science investigations as well as engineering studies from 2004 to 2015, when Cassini was in orbit around the planet Saturn. In this article, we will focus primarily on the Kepler spacecraft Ka-band link, which has been used for operational telemetry downlink from an Earth trailing orbit where the spacecraft resides. We analyzed the received Ka-band signal level data in order to characterize link performance over a wide range of weather conditions and as a function of elevation angle. Based on this analysis of Kepler and Cassini flight data, we found that a 4-dB margin with respect to adverse conditions ensures that we achieve at least a 95 percent data return.

Detection Range Estimation of UV Spectral Band Laser Radar

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

V. A. Gorodnichev

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Recently, has come into existence an interest in the systems operating in the ultra-violet (UF band of wavelengths, which use other spectral information (coefficients of reflection or radiation in UF range about location objects, than laser systems in the visible, near or average infrared bands. Thus, a point is not only to receive additional (in another spectral range information on location objects. Laser radiation in the UF spectral band of 0.315 – 0.4 microns is safer than laser radiation with the wavelengths of 0.38 – 1.4 microns.The work presents a comparative estimation of the detection systems range of laser radars in the UV and visible spectral bands for the following wavelengths of radiation:- UF band: 0.266 microns (the fourth harmonic of YAG-laser activated by neodymium ions, 0.308 microns (the XeCl-excimer laser, 0.355 microns (the third harmonic of YAG-laser activated by neodymium ions;- visible band: 0.532 microns (the second harmonic of YAG-laser activated by neodymium ions.Results of calculations show that for the horizontal pathway in the terrestrial atmosphere at the selected radiation wavelengths a detection range is in the range of 2510m – 5690 m.The maximum range of detection corresponds to the visible spectral band. A sweep range decreases with transition to the UF band. This is caused by the fact that with transition to the UF band there is a rise of atmosphere attenuation (generally, because of absorption by ozone, this effect being smoothed by reducing background radiation.In the UF band a wavelength of 0.355 microns is the most acceptable. For this wavelength a detection range is about 1,5 times less (in comparison with the visible band of 0.532 microns. However, this is the much more eye-safe wavelength. With transition to the UV band a detection range decreases not that much and can be compensated by changing parameters of transmitting or receiving channels of laser radar.

Quantitative analysis of X-band weather radar attenuation correction accuracy

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Berne, A.D.; Uijlenhoet, R.

2006-01-01

At short wavelengths, especially C-, X-, and K-band, weather radar signals arc attenuated by the precipitation along their paths. This constitutes a major source of error for radar rainfall estimation, in particular for intense precipitation. A recently developed stochastic simulator of range

A Novel Low-cost, Ka-band, High Altitude, Multi-Baseline Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Sensor for Surface Water Ocean Topography, Phase II

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — This proposal presents the Ka-band SWOT Phenomenology Airborne Radar (KaSPAR) to support the surface water ocean topography (SWOT) mission for science and algorithm...

A Novel Ku-Band/Ka-Band and Ka-Band/E-Band Multimode Waveguide Couplers for Power Measurement of Traveling-Wave Tube Amplifier Harmonic Frequencies

Science.gov (United States)

Wintucky, Edwin G.; Simons, Rainee N.

2015-01-01

This paper presents the design, fabrication and test results for a novel waveguide multimode directional coupler (MDC). The coupler, fabricated from two dissimilar frequency band waveguides, is capable of isolating power at the second harmonic frequency from the fundamental power at the output port of a traveling-wave tube (TWT) amplifier. Test results from proof-of-concept demonstrations are presented for a Ku-band/Ka-band MDC and a Ka-band/E-band MDC. In addition to power measurements at harmonic frequencies, a potential application of the MDC is in the design of a satellite borne beacon source for atmospheric propagation studies at millimeter-wave (mm-wave) frequencies (Ka-band and E-band).

Fade Mitigation Techniques at Ka-Band

Science.gov (United States)

Dissanayake, Asoka (Editor)

1996-01-01

Rain fading is the dominant propagation impairment affecting Ka-band satellite links and rain fade mitigation is a key element in the design of Ka-band satellite networks. Some of the common fade mitigation techniques include: power control, diversity, adaptive coding, and resource sharing. The Advanced Communications Technology Satellite (ACTS) provides an excellent opportunity to develop and test Ka-band rain impairment amelioration techniques. Up-link power control and diversity are discussed in this paper.

Dual-band and high-efficiency polarization converter based on metasurfaces at microwave frequencies

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Yajun; Xia, Song; Shi, Hongyu; Zhang, Anxue; Xu, Zhuo

2016-06-01

We present a dual-band and high-efficiency polarization converter in microwave regime. The proposed converter can convert a linearly polarized wave to its cross-polarized wave for two distinct bands: Ku (11.5-20.0 GHz) and Ka (28.8-34.0 GHz). It can also convert the linearly polarized wave to a circularly polarized wave at four other frequencies. The experimental results are in good agreement with simulation results for both frequency bands. The polarization conversion ratio is above 0.94 for the Ku-band and 0.90 for the Ka-band. Furthermore, the converter can achieve dual-band and high-efficiency polarization conversion over angles of incidence up to 45°. The converter is also polarization-selective in that only the x- and y-polarized waves can be converted. The physical mechanism of the dual-band polarization conversion effect is interpreted via decomposed electric field components that couple with different plasmon resonance modes of the structure.

A Machine Learning-based Rainfall System for GPM Dual-frequency Radar

Science.gov (United States)

Tan, H.; Chandrasekar, V.; Chen, H.

2017-12-01

Precipitation measurement produced by the Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Dual-frequency Precipitation Radar (DPR) plays an important role in researching the water circle and forecasting extreme weather event. Compare with its predecessor - Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) Precipitation Radar (PR), GRM DPR measures precipitation in two different frequencies (i.e., Ku and Ka band), which can provide detailed information on the microphysical properties of precipitation particles, quantify particle size distribution and quantitatively measure light rain and falling snow. This paper presents a novel Machine Learning system for ground-based and space borne radar rainfall estimation. The system first trains ground radar data for rainfall estimation using rainfall measurements from gauges and subsequently uses the ground radar based rainfall estimates to train GPM DPR data in order to get space based rainfall product. Therein, data alignment between space DPR and ground radar is conducted using the methodology proposed by Bolen and Chandrasekar (2013), which can minimize the effects of potential geometric distortion of GPM DPR observations. For demonstration purposes, rainfall measurements from three rain gauge networks near Melbourne, Florida, are used for training and validation purposes. These three gauge networks, which are located in Kennedy Space Center (KSC), South Florida Water Management District (SFL), and St. Johns Water Management District (STJ), include 33, 46, and 99 rain gauge stations, respectively. Collocated ground radar observations from the National Weather Service (NWS) Weather Surveillance Radar - 1988 Doppler (WSR-88D) in Melbourne (i.e., KMLB radar) are trained with the gauge measurements. The trained model is then used to derive KMLB radar based rainfall product, which is used to train GPM DPR data collected from coincident overpasses events. The machine learning based rainfall product is compared against the GPM standard products

Deep space propagation experiments at Ka-band

Science.gov (United States)

Butman, Stanley A.

1990-01-01

Propagation experiments as essential components of the general plan to develop an operational deep space telecommunications and navigation capability at Ka-band (32 to 35 GHz) by the end of the 20th century are discussed. Significant benefits of Ka-band over the current deep space standard X-band (8.4 GHz) are an improvement of 4 to 10 dB in telemetry capacity and a similar increase in radio navigation accuracy. Propagation experiments are planned on the Mars Observer Mission in 1992 in preparation for the Cassini Mission to Saturn in 1996, which will use Ka-band in the search for gravity waves as well as to enhance telemetry and navigation at Saturn in 2002. Subsequent uses of Ka-band are planned for the Solar Probe Mission and the Mars Program.

Reconfigurable phased antenna array for extending cubesat operations to Ka-band: Design and feasibility

Science.gov (United States)

Buttazzoni, G.; Comisso, M.; Cuttin, A.; Fragiacomo, M.; Vescovo, R.; Vincenti Gatti, R.

2017-08-01

Started as educational tools, CubeSats have immediately encountered the favor of the scientific community, subsequently becoming viable platforms for research and commercial applications. To ensure competitive data rates, some pioneers have started to explore the usage of the Ka-band beside the conventional amateur radio frequencies. In this context, this study proposes a phased antenna array design for Ka-band downlink operations consisting of 8×8 circularly polarized subarrays of microstrip patches filling one face of a single CubeSat unit. The conceived structure is developed to support 1.5 GHz bandwidth and dual-task missions, whose feasibility is verified by proper link budgets. The dual-task operations are enabled by a low-complexity phase-only control algorithm that provides pattern reconfigurability in order to satisfy both orbiting and intersatellite missions, while remaining adherent to the cost-effective CubeSat paradigm.

Deployment and Performance of an X-Band Dual-Polarization Radar during the Southern China Monsoon Rainfall Experiment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhao Shi

2017-12-01

Full Text Available An X-band dual-polarization radar (XPRAD was deployed in Guangdong province as part of the Southern China Monsoon Rainfall Experiment (SCMREX during the storm season in 2016. This paper presents a comprehensive assessment of XPRAD observations during SCMREX with emphasis on data processing and rainfall products. The differential phase-based attenuation correction and radar calibration using self-consistency of dual-polarization observables are presented. It is found that the standard deviation of the Z d r bias is less than 0.2 dB based on ‘light rain at low angle’ and ‘dry aggregate snow’ observations. Cross-comparison with two standard S-band China New Generation Weather Radars (CINRAD shows that the bias of Z h has a mean value less than 1.5 dBZ and a standard deviation less than 0.5 dBZ. In addition, fifteen rainfall events that occurred during the intensive observing period (IOP are analyzed to demonstrate the rainfall estimation performance of XPRAD. In particular, rainfall accumulations at 1-, 2- and 3-h scales derived using R( K d p and R( Z h , Z d r relations are evaluated using national level rain gauge data and CINRAD-based rainfall estimation. The results show that both R( K d p - and R( Z h , Z d r -based products agree well with the rain gauge observations and CINRAD estimation. The difference between R ( K d p and R ( Z h , Z d r is not significant, although R ( K d p shows slightly better performance than R ( Z h , Z d r .

A case study on large-scale dynamical influence on bright band using cloud radar during the Indian summer monsoon

Science.gov (United States)

Jha, Ambuj K.; Kalapureddy, M. C. R.; Devisetty, Hari Krishna; Deshpande, Sachin M.; Pandithurai, G.

2018-02-01

The present study is a first of its kind attempt in exploring the physical features (e.g., height, width, intensity, duration) of tropical Indian bright band using a Ka-band cloud radar under the influence of large-scale cyclonic circulation and attempts to explain the abrupt changes in bright band features, viz., rise in the bright band height by 430 m and deepening of the bright band by about 300 m observed at around 14:00 UTC on Sep 14, 2016, synoptically as well as locally. The study extends the utility of cloud radar to understand how the bright band features are associated with light precipitation, ranging from 0 to 1.5 mm/h. Our analysis of the precipitation event of Sep 14-15, 2016 shows that the bright band above (below) 3.7 km, thickness less (more) than 300 m can potentially lead to light drizzle of 0-0.25 mm/h (drizzle/light rain) at the surface. It is also seen that the cloud radar may be suitable for bright band study within light drizzle limits than under higher rain conditions. Further, the study illustrates that the bright band features can be determined using the polarimetric capability of the cloud radar. It is shown that an LDR value of - 22 dB can be associated with the top height of bright band in the Ka-band observations which is useful in the extraction of the bright band top height and its width. This study is useful for understanding the bright band phenomenon and could be potentially useful in establishing the bright band-surface rain relationship through the perspective of a cloud radar, which would be helpful to enhance the cloud radar-based quantitative estimates of precipitation.

Developing Lightning Prediction Tools for the CCAFS Dual-Polarimetric Radar

Science.gov (United States)

Petersen, W. A.; Carey, L. D.; Deierling, W.; Johnson, E.; Bateman, M.

2009-01-01

NASA Marshall Space Flight Center and the University of Alabama Huntsville are collaborating with the 45th Weather Squadron (45WS) to develop improved lightning prediction capabilities for the new C-band dual-polarimetric weather radar being acquired for use by 45WS and launch weather forecasters at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (CCAFS). In particular, these algorithms will focus on lightning onset, cessation and combined lightning-radar applications for convective winds assessment. Research using radar reflectivity (Z) data for prediction of lightning onset has been extensively discussed in the literature and subsequently applied by launch weather forecasters as it pertains to lightning nowcasting. Currently the forecasters apply a relatively straight forward but effective temperature-Z threshold algorithm for assessing the likelihood of lightning onset in a given storm. In addition, a layered VIL above the freezing level product is used as automated guidance for the onset of lightning. Only limited research and field work has been conducted on lightning cessation using Z and vertically-integrated Z for determining cessation. Though not used operationally vertically-integrated Z (basis for VIL) has recently shown promise as a tool for use in nowcasting lightning cessation. The work discussed herein leverages and expands upon these and similar reflectivity-threshold approaches via the application/addition of over two decades of polarimetric radar research focused on distinct multi-parameter radar signatures of ice/mixed-phase initiation and ice-crystal orientation in highly electrified convective clouds. Specifically, our approach is based on numerous previous studies that have observed repeatable patterns in the behavior of the vertical hydrometeor column as it relates to the temporal evolution of differential reflectivity and depolarization (manifested in either LDR or p(sub hv)), development of in-situ mixed and ice phase microphysics, electric fields, and

Dual-wavelength millimeter-wave radar measurements of cirrus clouds

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sekelsky, S.M.; Firda, J.M.; McIntosh, R.E. [Univ. of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA (United States)

1996-04-01

In April 1994, the University of Massachusetts` 33-GHz/95-GHz Cloud Profiling Radar System (CPRS) participated in the multi-sensor Remote Cloud Sensing (RCS) Intensive Operation Period (IOP), which was conducted at the Southern Great Plains Cloud and Radiation Testbed (CART). During the 3-week experiment, CPRS measured a variety of cloud types and severe weather. In the context of global warming, the most significant measurements are dual-frequency observations of cirrus clouds, which may eventually be used to estimate ice crystal size and shape. Much of the cirrus data collected with CPRS show differences between 33-GHz and 95-GHz reflectivity measurements that are correlated with Doppler estimates of fall velocity. Because of the small range of reflectivity differences, a precise calibration of the radar is required and differential attenuation must also be removed from the data. Depolarization, which is an indicator of crystal shape, was also observed in several clouds. In this abstract we present examples of Mie scattering from cirrus and estimates of differential attenuation due to water vapor and oxygen that were derived from CART radiosonde measurements.

Similarities and Improvements of GPM Dual-Frequency Precipitation Radar (DPR upon TRMM Precipitation Radar (PR in Global Precipitation Rate Estimation, Type Classification and Vertical Profiling

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jinyu Gao

2017-11-01

Full Text Available Spaceborne precipitation radars are powerful tools used to acquire adequate and high-quality precipitation estimates with high spatial resolution for a variety of applications in hydrological research. The Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM mission, which deployed the first spaceborne Ka- and Ku-dual frequency radar (DPR, was launched in February 2014 as the upgraded successor of the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM. This study matches the swath data of TRMM PR and GPM DPR Level 2 products during their overlapping periods at the global scale to investigate their similarities and DPR’s improvements concerning precipitation amount estimation and type classification of GPM DPR over TRMM PR. Results show that PR and DPR agree very well with each other in the global distribution of precipitation, while DPR improves the detectability of precipitation events significantly, particularly for light precipitation. The occurrences of total precipitation and the light precipitation (rain rates < 1 mm/h detected by GPM DPR are ~1.7 and ~2.53 times more than that of PR. With regard to type classification, the dual-frequency (Ka/Ku and single frequency (Ku methods performed similarly. In both inner (the central 25 beams and outer swaths (1–12 beams and 38–49 beams of DPR, the results are consistent. GPM DPR improves precipitation type classification remarkably, reducing the misclassification of clouds and noise signals as precipitation type “other” from 10.14% of TRMM PR to 0.5%. Generally, GPM DPR exhibits the same type division for around 82.89% (71.02% of stratiform (convective precipitation events recognized by TRMM PR. With regard to the freezing level height and bright band (BB height, both radars correspond with each other very well, contributing to the consistency in stratiform precipitation classification. Both heights show clear latitudinal dependence. Results in this study shall contribute to future development of spaceborne

Rainfall Estimation and Performance Characterization Using an X-band Dual-Polarization Radar in the San Francisco Bay Area

Science.gov (United States)

Cifelli, R.; Chen, H.; Chandra, C. V.

2016-12-01

The San Francisco Bay area is home to over 5 million people. In February 2016, the area also hosted the NFL Super bowl, bringing additional people and focusing national attention to the region. Based on the El Nino forecast, public officials expressed concern for heavy rainfall and flooding with the potential for threats to public safety, costly flood damage to infrastructure, negative impacts to water quality (e.g., combined sewer overflows) and major disruptions in transportation. Mitigation of the negative impacts listed above requires accurate precipitation monitoring (quantitative precipitation estimation-QPE) and prediction (including radar nowcasting). The proximity to terrain and maritime conditions as well as the siting of existing NEXRAD radars are all challenges in providing accurate, short-term near surface rainfall estimates in the Bay area urban region. As part of a collaborative effort between the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Earth System Research Laboratory, Colorado State University (CSU), and Santa Clara Valley Water District (SCVWD), an X-band dual-polarization radar was deployed in Santa Clara Valley in February of 2016 to provide support for the National Weather Service during the Super Bowl and NOAA's El Nino Rapid Response field campaign. This high-resolution radar was deployed on the roof of one of the buildings at the Penitencia Water Treatment Plant. The main goal was to provide detailed precipitation information for use in weather forecasting and assists the water district in their ability to predict rainfall and streamflow with real-time rainfall data over Santa Clara County especially during a potentially large El Nino year. The following figure shows the radar's coverage map, as well as sample reflectivity observations on March 06, 2016, at 00:04UTC. This paper presents results from a pilot study from February, 2016 to May, 2016 demonstrating the use of X-band weather radar for quantitative precipitation

Classification and correction of the radar bright band with polarimetric radar

Science.gov (United States)

Hall, Will; Rico-Ramirez, Miguel; Kramer, Stefan

2015-04-01

The annular region of enhanced radar reflectivity, known as the Bright Band (BB), occurs when the radar beam intersects a layer of melting hydrometeors. Radar reflectivity is related to rainfall through a power law equation and so this enhanced region can lead to overestimations of rainfall by a factor of up to 5, so it is important to correct for this. The BB region can be identified by using several techniques including hydrometeor classification and freezing level forecasts from mesoscale meteorological models. Advances in dual-polarisation radar measurements and continued research in the field has led to increased accuracy in the ability to identify the melting snow region. A method proposed by Kitchen et al (1994), a form of which is currently used operationally in the UK, utilises idealised Vertical Profiles of Reflectivity (VPR) to correct for the BB enhancement. A simpler and more computationally efficient method involves the formation of an average VPR from multiple elevations for correction that can still cause a significant decrease in error (Vignal 2000). The purpose of this research is to evaluate a method that relies only on analysis of measurements from an operational C-band polarimetric radar without the need for computationally expensive models. Initial results show that LDR is a strong classifier of melting snow with a high Critical Success Index of 97% when compared to the other variables. An algorithm based on idealised VPRs resulted in the largest decrease in error when BB corrected scans are compared to rain gauges and to lower level scans with a reduction in RMSE of 61% for rain-rate measurements. References Kitchen, M., R. Brown, and A. G. Davies, 1994: Real-time correction of weather radar data for the effects of bright band, range and orographic growth in widespread precipitation. Q.J.R. Meteorol. Soc., 120, 1231-1254. Vignal, B. et al, 2000: Three methods to determine profiles of reflectivity from volumetric radar data to correct

GPM, DPR Level 2A Ka Precipitation V03

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — The 2AKa algorithm provides precipitation estimates from the Ka radar of the Dual-Frequency Precipitation Radar on the core GPM spacecraft. The product contains two...

Dual-polarization, wideband microstrip antenna array for airborne C-band SAR

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Granholm, Johan; Skou, Niels

2000-01-01

The paper describes the development of a C-band, dual linear polarization wideband antenna array, for use in the next-generation of the Danish airborne polarimetric synthetic aperture radar (SAR) system. The array is made of probe-fed, stacked microstrip patches. The design and performance of the...... of the basic stacked patch element, operating from 4.9 GHz to 5.7 GHz, and a 2×2 element test array of these, are described.......The paper describes the development of a C-band, dual linear polarization wideband antenna array, for use in the next-generation of the Danish airborne polarimetric synthetic aperture radar (SAR) system. The array is made of probe-fed, stacked microstrip patches. The design and performance...

Intercomparison of attenuation correction algorithms for single-polarized X-band radars

Science.gov (United States)

Lengfeld, K.; Berenguer, M.; Sempere Torres, D.

2018-03-01

Attenuation due to liquid water is one of the largest uncertainties in radar observations. The effects of attenuation are generally inversely proportional to the wavelength, i.e. observations from X-band radars are more affected by attenuation than those from C- or S-band systems. On the other hand, X-band radars can measure precipitation fields in higher temporal and spatial resolution and are more mobile and easier to install due to smaller antennas. A first algorithm for attenuation correction in single-polarized systems was proposed by Hitschfeld and Bordan (1954) (HB), but it gets unstable in case of small errors (e.g. in the radar calibration) and strong attenuation. Therefore, methods have been developed that restrict attenuation correction to keep the algorithm stable, using e.g. surface echoes (for space-borne radars) and mountain returns (for ground radars) as a final value (FV), or adjustment of the radar constant (C) or the coefficient α. In the absence of mountain returns, measurements from C- or S-band radars can be used to constrain the correction. All these methods are based on the statistical relation between reflectivity and specific attenuation. Another way to correct for attenuation in X-band radar observations is to use additional information from less attenuated radar systems, e.g. the ratio between X-band and C- or S-band radar measurements. Lengfeld et al. (2016) proposed such a method based isotonic regression of the ratio between X- and C-band radar observations along the radar beam. This study presents a comparison of the original HB algorithm and three algorithms based on the statistical relation between reflectivity and specific attenuation as well as two methods implementing additional information of C-band radar measurements. Their performance in two precipitation events (one mainly convective and the other one stratiform) shows that a restriction of the HB is necessary to avoid instabilities. A comparison with vertically pointing

Validation of attenuation, beam blockage, and calibration estimation methods using two dual polarization X band weather radars

Science.gov (United States)

Diederich, M.; Ryzhkov, A.; Simmer, C.; Mühlbauer, K.

2011-12-01

The amplitude a of radar wave reflected by meteorological targets can be misjudged due to several factors. At X band wavelength, attenuation of the radar beam by hydro meteors reduces the signal strength enough to be a significant source of error for quantitative precipitation estimation. Depending on the surrounding orography, the radar beam may be partially blocked when scanning at low elevation angles, and the knowledge of the exact amount of signal loss through beam blockage becomes necessary. The phase shift between the radar signals at horizontal and vertical polarizations is affected by the hydrometeors that the beam travels through, but remains unaffected by variations in signal strength. This has allowed for several ways of compensating for the attenuation of the signal, and for consistency checks between these variables. In this study, we make use of several weather radars and gauge network measuring in the same area to examine the effectiveness of several methods of attenuation and beam blockage corrections. The methods include consistency checks of radar reflectivity and specific differential phase, calculation of beam blockage using a topography map, estimating attenuation using differential propagation phase, and the ZPHI method proposed by Testud et al. in 2000. Results show the high effectiveness of differential phase in estimating attenuation, and potential of the ZPHI method to compensate attenuation, beam blockage, and calibration errors.

Performance Enhancement in L-Band Edfa Through Dual Stage Technique

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S. W. Harun and H. Ahmad

2012-10-01

Full Text Available An experiment on gain enhancement in the long wavelength band erbium doped fiber amplifier (L-band EDFA is demonstrated. It uses a dual stage technique with dual forward pumping scheme. Compared to a conventional single stage amplifier, the small signal gain for 1580nm signal can be improved by 5.5dB without paying much noise figure penalty. The corresponding noise figure penalty was 0.3dB due to the insertion loss of the optical isolator. The optimum pump power ratio for the first pump is experimentally determined to be 33%. The maximum gain improvement of 8.3dB was obtained at a signal wavelength of 1568nm while signal and total pump powers were fixed at -30dBm and 92mW, respectively. The employment of dual stage amplifier system seems to play an important role in the development of practical L-band EDFA from the perspective of economical usage of pump power.Key Words:  erbium doped fibre; optical amplifier; L-band EDFA; dual stage EDFA; amplified spontaneous emission

Analysis of X-band radar images for the detection of the reflected and diffracted waves in coastal zones

Science.gov (United States)

Ludeno, Giovanni; Natale, Antonio; Soldovieri, Francesco; Vicinanza, Diego; Serafino, Francesco

2014-05-01

The observation of nearshore waves and the knowledge of the sea state parameters can play a crucial role for the safety of harbors and ocean engineering. In the last two decades, different algorithms for the estimation of sea state parameters, surface currents and bathymetry from X-band radar data have been developed and validated [1, 2]. The retrieval of ocean wave parameters such as significant height, period, direction and wavelength of the dominant wave is based on the spectral analysis of data sequences collected by nautical X-band radars [3]. In particular, the reconstruction of the wave motion is carried out through the inversion procedure explained in [1-3], which exploits the dispersion relationship to define a band pass filter used to separate the energy associated with the ocean waves from the background noise. It is worth to note that the shape of such a band pass filter depends upon the value of both the surface currents and bathymetry; in our reconstruction algorithm these parameters are estimated through the (Normalized Scalar Product) procedure [1], which outperforms other existing methods (e.g., the Least Squares) [4]. From the reconstructed wave elevation sequences we can get the directional spectrum that provides useful information (i.e., wavelength, period, direction and amplitude) relevant to the main waves contributing to the wave motion. Of course, in coastal zones a number of diffraction and reflection phenomena can be observed, due to sea-waves impinging obstacles as jetties, breakwaters and boats. In the present paper we want to show the capability to detect reflected and diffracted sea-waves offered by the processing of X-band radar data. Further details relevant to the obtained results will be provided in the full paper and at the conference time. References [1] F. Serafino, C. Lugni, F. Soldovieri, "A novel strategy for the surface current determination from marine X-Band radar data", IEEE Geosci. and Remote Sensing Letters, vol. 7, no

Ka-Band ARM Zenith Radar Corrections Value-Added Product

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Johnson, Karen [Brookhaven National Lab. (BNL), Upton, NY (United States); Toto, Tami [Brookhaven National Lab. (BNL), Upton, NY (United States); Giangrande, Scott [Brookhaven National Lab. (BNL), Upton, NY (United States)

2017-10-15

The KAZRCOR Value -added Product (VAP) performs several corrections to the ingested KAZR moments and also creates a significant detection mask for each radar mode. The VAP computes gaseous attenuation as a function of time and radial distance from the radar antenna, based on ambient meteorological observations, and corrects observed reflectivities for that effect. KAZRCOR also dealiases mean Doppler velocities to correct velocities whose magnitudes exceed the radar’s Nyquist velocity. Input KAZR data fields are passed through into the KAZRCOR output files, in their native time and range coordinates. Complementary corrected reflectivity and velocity fields are provided, along with a mask of significant detections and a number of data quality flags. This report covers the KAZRCOR VAP as applied to the original KAZR radars and the upgraded KAZR2 radars. Currently there are two separate code bases for the different radar versions, but once KAZR and KAZR2 data formats are harmonized, only a single code base will be required.

Evaluation of a color fused dual-band NVG

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hogervorst, M.A.; Toet, A.

2009-01-01

We have tested a prototype dual-band NVG system consisting of two NVGs fitted with filters that split the NVG sensitive range into a short (visual) and a long wavelength (NIR) band. The Color-the-night technique (see Hogervorst & Toet, SPIE D&S ‘08) was used to fuse the images of the two sensors. We

Precision Deployable Mast for the SWOT KaRIn Instrument

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — Design and prototype a lightweight, precision-deployable mast for the Ka-band Radar Interferometer (KaRIn) antennas in the Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT)...

Lunar Noise-Temperature Increase Measurements at S-Band, X-Band, and Ka-Band Using a 34-Meter-Diameter Beam-Waveguide Antenna

Science.gov (United States)

Morabito, D. D.

2006-08-01

The Moon radiates energy at infrared and microwave wavelengths, in addition to reflecting sunlight at optical wavelengths. As a result, an antenna pointed at or near the Moon will cause an increase in receiver noise temperature that needs to be accounted for in telemetry, radio science, or ranging link budgets. The Deep Space Network may be required to use its antennas in future lunar robotic or human missions, and thus it is important to understand the nature of this temperature increase as a function of observing frequency, lunar phase, and angular offset of the antenna beam from the center of the lunar disk. This article quantifies such a set of measurements acquired at DSS 13, a 34-m-diameter research and development beam-waveguide antenna located at Goldstone, California, at three different telecommunication frequencies, S-band (2.3 GHz), X-band (8.4 GHz), and Ka-band (32 GHz), over a wide range of lunar phase, for both disk-centered and limb-centered positions of the antenna beam.

20/30 GHz dual-band circularly polarized reflectarray antenna based on the concentric dual split-loop element

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Smith, Thomas Gunst; Vesterdal Larsen, Niels; Vesterager Gothelf, Ulrich

2012-01-01

A concentric dual split-loop element is designed and investigated for reflectarray antenna design in the emerging 20 GHz and 30 GHz Ka-band satellite communication spectrum. The element is capable of providing adjustment of the phase of reflection coefficients for circular plane waves in two...

Dual-band infrared camera

Science.gov (United States)

Vogel, H.; Schlemmer, H.

2005-10-01

Every year, numerous accidents happen on European roads due to bad visibility (fog, night, heavy rain). Similarly, the dramatic aviation accidents of year 2001 in Milan and Zurich have reminded us that aviation safety is equally affected by reduced visibility. A dual-band thermal imager was developed in order to raise human situation awareness under conditions of reduced visibility especially in the automotive and aeronautical context but also for all transportation or surveillance tasks. The chosen wavelength bands are the Short Wave Infrared SWIR and the Long Wave Infrared LWIR band which are less obscured by reduced visibility conditions than the visible band. Furthermore, our field tests clearly show that the two different spectral bands very often contain complementary information. Pyramidal fusion is used to integrate complementary and redundant features of the multi-spectral images into a fused image which can be displayed on a monitor to provide more and better information for the driver or pilot.

The Potential for a Ka-band (32 GHz) Worldwide VLBI Network

Science.gov (United States)

Jacobs, C. S.; Bach, U.; Colomer, F.; Garcia-Miro, C.; Gomez-Gonzalez, J.; Gulyaev, S.; Horiuchi, S.; Ichikawa, R.; Kraus, A.; Kronschnabl, G.;

A tunable and switchable single-longitudinal-mode dual-wavelength fiber laser with a simple linear cavity.

Science.gov (United States)

He, Xiaoying; Fang, Xia; Liao, Changrui; Wang, D N; Sun, Junqiang

2009-11-23

A simple linear cavity erbium-doped fiber laser based on a Fabry-Perot filter which consists of a pair of fiber Bragg gratings is proposed for tunable and switchable single-longitudinal-mode dual-wavelength operation. The single-longitudinal-mode is obtained by the saturable absorption of an unpumed erbium-doped fiber together with a narrow-band fiber Bragg grating. Under the high pump power (>166 mW) condition, the stable dual-wavelength oscillation with uniform amplitude can be realized by carefully adjusting the polarization controller in the cavity. Wavelength selection and switching are achieved by tuning the narrow-band fiber Bragg grating in the system. The spacing of the dual-wavelength can be selected at 0.20 nm (approximately 25.62 GHz), 0.22 nm (approximately 28.19 GHz) and 0.54 nm (approximately 69.19 GHz).

Studying NASA's Transition to Ka-Band Communications for Low Earth Orbit

Science.gov (United States)

Chelmins, David T.; Reinhart, Richard C.; Mortensen, Dale; Welch, Bryan; Downey, Joseph; Evans, Michael

2014-01-01

As the S-band spectrum becomes crowded, future space missions will need to consider moving command and telemetry services to Ka-band. NASA's Space Communications and Navigation (SCaN) Testbed provides a software-defined radio (SDR) platform that is capable of supporting investigation of this service transition. The testbed contains two S-band SDRs and one Ka-band SDR. Over the past year, SCaN Testbed has demonstrated Ka-band communications capabilities with NASAs Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System (TDRSS) using both open- and closed-loop antenna tracking profiles. A number of technical areas need to be addressed for successful transition to Ka-band. The smaller antenna beamwidth at Ka-band increases the criticality of antenna pointing, necessitating closed loop tracking algorithms and new techniques for received power estimation. Additionally, the antenna pointing routines require enhanced knowledge of spacecraft position and attitude for initial acquisition, versus an S-band antenna. Ka-band provides a number of technical advantages for bulk data transfer. Unlike at S-band, a larger bandwidth may be available for space missions, allowing increased data rates. The potential for high rate data transfer can also be extended for direct-to-ground links through use of variable or adaptive coding and modulation. Specific examples of Ka-band research from SCaN Testbeds first year of operation will be cited, such as communications link performance with TDRSS, and the effects of truss flexure on antenna pointing.

Ka-band IQ vector modulator employing GaAs HBTs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cao Yuxiong; Wu Danyu; Chen Gaopeng; Jin Zhi; Liu Xinyu

2011-01-01

The importance of high-performance, low-cost and millimeter-wave transmitters for digital communications and radar applications is increasing. The design and performance of a Ka-band balanced in-phase and quadrature-phase (I-Q) type vector modulator, using GaAs heterojunction bipolar transistors (HBTs) as switching elements, are presented. The balanced technique is used to remove the parasitics of the HBTs to result in near perfect constellations. Measurements of the monolithic microwave integrated circuit (MMIC) chip with a size of 1.89 x 2.26 mm 2 demonstrate an amplitude error below 1.5 dB and the phase error within 3 0 between 26 and 40 GHz except for a singular point at 35.6 GHz. The results show that the technique is suitable for millimeter-wave digital communications. (semiconductor integrated circuits)

Prime mission results of the dual-frequency precipitation radar on the global precipitation measurement core spacecraft and the version 5 GPM standard products

Science.gov (United States)

Furukawa, K.; Nio, T.; Oki, R.; Kubota, T.; Iguchi, T.

2017-09-01

The Dual-frequency Precipitation Radar (DPR) on the Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) core satellite was developed by Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT). The objective of the GPM mission is to observe global precipitation more frequently and accurately. The GPM core satellite is a joint product of National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), JAXA and NICT. NASA developed the satellite bus and the GPM Microwave Imager (GMI), and JAXA and NICT developed the DPR. The inclination of the GPM core satellite is 65 degrees, and the nominal flight altitude is 407 km. The non-sunsynchronous circular orbit is necessary for measuring the diurnal change of rainfall. The DPR consists of two radars, which are Ku-band precipitation radar (KuPR) and Ka-band precipitation radar (KaPR). GPM core observatory was successfully launched by H2A launch vehicle on Feb. 28, 2014. DPR orbital check out was completed in May 2014. DPR products were released to the public on Sep. 2, 2014 and Normal Observation Operation period was started. JAXA is continuing DPR trend monitoring, calibration and validation operations to confirm that DPR keeps its function and performance on orbit. The results of DPR trend monitoring, calibration and validation show that DPR kept its function and performance on orbit during the 3 years and 2 months prime mission period. The DPR Prime mission period was completed in May 2017. The version 5 GPM products were released to the public in 2017. JAXA confirmed that GPM/DPR total system performance and the GPM version 5 products achieved the success criteria and the performance indicators that were defined for the JAXA GPM/DPR mission.

Evaluation of dual polarization scattering matrix radar rain backscatter measurements in the X- and Q-bands

Science.gov (United States)

Agrawal, A. P.; Carnegie, D. W.; Boerner, W.-M.

This paper presents an evaluation of polarimetric rain backscatter measurements collected with coherent dual polarization radar systems in the X (8.9 GHz) and Q (45GHz) bands, the first being operated in a pulsed mode and the second being a FM-CW system. The polarimetric measurement data consisted for each band of fifty files of time-sequential scattering matrix measurements expressed in terms of a linear (H, V) antenna polarization state basis. The rain backscattering takes place in a rain cell defined by the beam widths and down range distances of 275 ft through 325 ft and the scattering matrices were measured far below the hydrometeoric scattering center decorrelation time so that ensemble averaging of time-sequential scattering matrices may be applied. In the data evaluation great care was taken in determining: (1) polarimetric Doppler velocities associated with the motion of descending oscillating raindrops and/or eddies within the moving swaths of coastal rain showers, and (2) also the properties of the associated co/cross-polarization rain clutter nulls and their distributions on the Poincare polarization sphere.

Dual-band absorber for multispectral plasmon-enhanced infrared photodetection

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yu, Peng; Ashalley, Eric; Wang, Zhiming; Wu, Jiang; Govorov, Alexander

2016-01-01

For most of the reported metamaterial absorbers, the peak absorption only occurs at one single wavelength. Here, we investigated a dual-band absorber which is based on simple gold nano-rings. Two absorption peaks can be readily achieved in 3–5 µ m and 8–14 µ m via tuning the width and radius of gold nano-rings and dielectric constant. The average maximum absorption of two bands can be as high as 95.1% (−0.22 dB). Based on the simulation results, the perfect absorber with nano-rings demonstrates great flexibility to create dual-band or triple-band absorption, and thus holds potential for further applications in thermophotovoltaics, multicolor infrared focal plane arrays, optical filters, and biological sensing applications. (paper)

Ka-band waveguide rotary joint

KAUST Repository

Yevdokymov, Anatoliy; Sirenko, Kostyantyn; Kryzhanovskiy, Volodymyr; Pazynin, Vadim

2013-01-01

The authors present a design of a waveguide rotary joint operating in Ka-band with central frequency of 33 GHz, which also acts as an antenna mount. The main unit consists of two flanges with a clearance between them; one of the flanges has three

Lightning Initiation Forecasting: An Operational Dual-Polarimetric Radar Technique

Science.gov (United States)

Woodard, Crystal J.; Carey, L. D.; Petersen, W. A.; Roeder, W. P.

2011-01-01

The objective of this NASA MSFC and NOAA CSTAR funded study is to develop and test operational forecast algorithms for the prediction of lightning initiation utilizing the C-band dual-polarimetric radar, UAHuntsville's Advanced Radar for Meteorological and Operational Research (ARMOR). Although there is a rich research history of radar signatures associated with lightning initiation, few studies have utilized dual-polarimetric radar signatures (e.g., Z(sub dr) columns) and capabilities (e.g., fuzzy-logic particle identification [PID] of precipitation ice) in an operational algorithm for first flash forecasting. The specific goal of this study is to develop and test polarimetric techniques that enhance the performance of current operational radar reflectivity based first flash algorithms. Improving lightning watch and warning performance will positively impact personnel safety in both work and leisure environments. Advanced warnings can provide space shuttle launch managers time to respond appropriately to secure equipment and personnel, while they can also provide appropriate warnings for spectators and players of leisure sporting events to seek safe shelter. Through the analysis of eight case dates, consisting of 35 pulse-type thunderstorms and 20 non-thunderstorm case studies, lightning initiation forecast techniques were developed and tested. The hypothesis is that the additional dual-polarimetric information could potentially reduce false alarms while maintaining high probability of detection and increasing lead-time for the prediction of the first lightning flash relative to reflectivity-only based techniques. To test the hypothesis, various physically-based techniques using polarimetric variables and/or PID categories, which are strongly correlated to initial storm electrification (e.g., large precipitation ice production via drop freezing), were benchmarked against the operational reflectivity-only based approaches to find the best compromise between

A Wing Pod-based Millimeter Wave Cloud Radar on HIAPER

Science.gov (United States)

Vivekanandan, Jothiram; Tsai, Peisang; Ellis, Scott; Loew, Eric; Lee, Wen-Chau; Emmett, Joanthan

2014-05-01

One of the attractive features of a millimeter wave radar system is its ability to detect micron-sized particles that constitute clouds with lower than 0.1 g m-3 liquid or ice water content. Scanning or vertically-pointing ground-based millimeter wavelength radars are used to study stratocumulus (Vali et al. 1998; Kollias and Albrecht 2000) and fair-weather cumulus (Kollias et al. 2001). Airborne millimeter wavelength radars have been used for atmospheric remote sensing since the early 1990s (Pazmany et al. 1995). Airborne millimeter wavelength radar systems, such as the University of Wyoming King Air Cloud Radar (WCR) and the NASA ER-2 Cloud Radar System (CRS), have added mobility to observe clouds in remote regions and over oceans. Scientific requirements of millimeter wavelength radar are mainly driven by climate and cloud initiation studies. Survey results from the cloud radar user community indicated a common preference for a narrow beam W-band radar with polarimetric and Doppler capabilities for airborne remote sensing of clouds. For detecting small amounts of liquid and ice, it is desired to have -30 dBZ sensitivity at a 10 km range. Additional desired capabilities included a second wavelength and/or dual-Doppler winds. Modern radar technology offers various options (e.g., dual-polarization and dual-wavelength). Even though a basic fixed beam Doppler radar system with a sensitivity of -30 dBZ at 10 km is capable of satisfying cloud detection requirements, the above-mentioned additional options, namely dual-wavelength, and dual-polarization, significantly extend the measurement capabilities to further reduce any uncertainty in radar-based retrievals of cloud properties. This paper describes a novel, airborne pod-based millimeter wave radar, preliminary radar measurements and corresponding derived scientific products. Since some of the primary engineering requirements of this millimeter wave radar are that it should be deployable on an airborne platform

Deployable Ka-Band Reflectarray, Phase I

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — Tyvak, in collaboration with UCLA, proposes a novel approach to the challenge of creating a large reflector for Ka-band high data rate links. We propose to attach...

Sensitivity of C-Band Polarimetric Radar-Based Drop Size Distribution Measurements to Maximum Diameter Assumptions

Science.gov (United States)

Carey, Lawrence D.; Petersen, Walter A.

2011-01-01

The estimation of rain drop size distribution (DSD) parameters from polarimetric radar observations is accomplished by first establishing a relationship between differential reflectivity (Z(sub dr)) and the central tendency of the rain DSD such as the median volume diameter (D0). Since Z(sub dr) does not provide a direct measurement of DSD central tendency, the relationship is typically derived empirically from rain drop and radar scattering models (e.g., D0 = F[Z (sub dr)] ). Past studies have explored the general sensitivity of these models to temperature, radar wavelength, the drop shape vs. size relation, and DSD variability. Much progress has been made in recent years in measuring the drop shape and DSD variability using surface-based disdrometers, such as the 2D Video disdrometer (2DVD), and documenting their impact on polarimetric radar techniques. In addition to measuring drop shape, another advantage of the 2DVD over earlier impact type disdrometers is its ability to resolve drop diameters in excess of 5 mm. Despite this improvement, the sampling limitations of a disdrometer, including the 2DVD, make it very difficult to adequately measure the maximum drop diameter (D(sub max)) present in a typical radar resolution volume. As a result, D(sub max) must still be assumed in the drop and radar models from which D0 = F[Z(sub dr)] is derived. Since scattering resonance at C-band wavelengths begins to occur in drop diameters larger than about 5 mm, modeled C-band radar parameters, particularly Z(sub dr), can be sensitive to D(sub max) assumptions. In past C-band radar studies, a variety of D(sub max) assumptions have been made, including the actual disdrometer estimate of D(sub max) during a typical sampling period (e.g., 1-3 minutes), D(sub max) = C (where C is constant at values from 5 to 8 mm), and D(sub max) = M*D0 (where the constant multiple, M, is fixed at values ranging from 2.5 to 3.5). The overall objective of this NASA Global Precipitation Measurement

Power centroid radar and its rise from the universal cybernetics duality

Science.gov (United States)

Feria, Erlan H.

2014-05-01

Power centroid radar (PC-Radar) is a fast and powerful adaptive radar scheme that naturally surfaced from the recent discovery of the time-dual for information theory which has been named "latency theory." Latency theory itself was born from the universal cybernetics duality (UC-Duality), first identified in the late 1970s, that has also delivered a time dual for thermodynamics that has been named "lingerdynamics" and anchors an emerging lifespan theory for biological systems. In this paper the rise of PC-Radar from the UC-Duality is described. The development of PC-Radar, US patented, started with Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) funded research on knowledge-aided (KA) adaptive radar of the last decade. The outstanding signal to interference plus noise ratio (SINR) performance of PC-Radar under severely taxing environmental disturbances will be established. More specifically, it will be seen that the SINR performance of PC-Radar, either KA or knowledgeunaided (KU), approximates that of an optimum KA radar scheme. The explanation for this remarkable result is that PC-Radar inherently arises from the UC-Duality, which advances a "first principles" duality guidance theory for the derivation of synergistic storage-space/computational-time compression solutions. Real-world synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images will be used as prior-knowledge to illustrate these results.

Ka-band waveguide rotary joint

KAUST Repository

Yevdokymov, Anatoliy

2013-04-11

The authors present a design of a waveguide rotary joint operating in Ka-band with central frequency of 33 GHz, which also acts as an antenna mount. The main unit consists of two flanges with a clearance between them; one of the flanges has three circular choke grooves. Utilisation of three choke grooves allows larger operating clearance. Two prototypes of the rotary joint have been manufactured and experimentally studied. The observed loss is from 0.4 to 0.8 dB in 1.5 GHz band.

A Technique for Real-Time Ionospheric Ranging Error Correction Based On Radar Dual-Frequency Detection

Science.gov (United States)

Lyu, Jiang-Tao; Zhou, Chen

2017-12-01

Ionospheric refraction is one of the principal error sources for limiting the accuracy of radar systems for space target detection. High-accuracy measurement of the ionospheric electron density along the propagation path of radar wave is the most important procedure for the ionospheric refraction correction. Traditionally, the ionospheric model and the ionospheric detection instruments, like ionosonde or GPS receivers, are employed for obtaining the electron density. However, both methods are not capable of satisfying the requirements of correction accuracy for the advanced space target radar system. In this study, we propose a novel technique for ionospheric refraction correction based on radar dual-frequency detection. Radar target range measurements at two adjacent frequencies are utilized for calculating the electron density integral exactly along the propagation path of the radar wave, which can generate accurate ionospheric range correction. The implementation of radar dual-frequency detection is validated by a P band radar located in midlatitude China. The experimental results present that the accuracy of this novel technique is more accurate than the traditional ionospheric model correction. The technique proposed in this study is very promising for the high-accuracy radar detection and tracking of objects in geospace.

A Ka-Band Celestial Reference Frame with Applications to Deep Space Navigation

Science.gov (United States)

Jacobs, Christopher S.; Clark, J. Eric; Garcia-Miro, Cristina; Horiuchi, Shinji; Sotuela, Ioana

2011-01-01

The Ka-band radio spectrum is now being used for a wide variety of applications. This paper highlights the use of Ka-band as a frequency for precise deep space navigation based on a set of reference beacons provided by extragalactic quasars which emit broadband noise at Ka-band. This quasar-based celestial reference frame is constructed using X/Ka-band (8.4/32 GHz) from fifty-five 24-hour sessions with the Deep Space Network antennas in California, Australia, and Spain. We report on observations which have detected 464 sources covering the full 24 hours of Right Ascension and declinations down to -45 deg. Comparison of this X/Ka-band frame to the international standard S/X-band (2.3/8.4 GHz) ICRF2 shows wRMS agreement of approximately 200 micro-arcsec in alpha cos(delta) and approximately 300 micro-arcsec in delta. There is evidence for systematic errors at the 100 micro-arcsec level. Known errors include limited SNR, lack of instrumental phase calibration, tropospheric refraction mis-modeling, and limited southern geometry. The motivation for extending the celestial reference frame to frequencies above 8 GHz is to access more compact source morphology for improved frame stability and to support spacecraft navigation for Ka-band based NASA missions.

An offset-fed 20/30 GHz dual-band circularly polarized reflectarray antenna

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Smith, Thomas Gunst; Vesterdal, Niels; Gothelf, Ulrich

2013-01-01

A dual-frequency circularly polarized offset reflectarray antenna for Ka-band satellite communication is presented. The reflectarray is designed using the concentric dual split-loop element which enables full 360° phase adjustment simultaneously in two separate frequency bands. The elements have...... been optimized to suppress the cross-polar reflection. Thereafter, the element data is used for synthesis of the reflectarray layout and computation of the associated radiation patterns. The reflectarray is 400mm × 400mm and radiates LHCP at 19.95 GHz and RHCP at 29.75 GHz. Aperture efficiencies of 58......% and 60% are obtained at these frequencies, and the cross-polarization is more than 25 dB below peak gain....

Dual-Wavelength Sensitized Photopolymer for Holographic Data Storage

Science.gov (United States)

Tao, Shiquan; Zhao, Yuxia; Wan, Yuhong; Zhai, Qianli; Liu, Pengfei; Wang, Dayong; Wu, Feipeng

2010-08-01

Novel photopolymers for holographic storage were investigated by combining acrylate monomers and/or vinyl monomers as recording media and liquid epoxy resins plus an amine harder as binder. In order to improve the holographic performances of the material at blue-green wavelength band two novel dyes were used as sensitizer. The methods of evaluating the holographic performances of the material, including the shrinkage and noise characteristics, are described in detail. Preliminary experiments show that samples with optimized composite have good holographic performances, and it is possible to record dual-wavelength hologram simultaneously in this photopolymer by sharing the same optical system, thus the storage density and data rate can be doubly increased.

Ka-band microwave generation using the Smith-Purcell effect

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ekdahl, C.A.; Davis, H.A.

1983-01-01

The CERETRON microwave generator concept relies on the conversion of intense relativistic electron beam (REB) energy into highpower microwave emission through the Smith-Purcell effect. We report initial results from experiments with the production of Ka-band Smith-Purcell radiation generated by a 50-kA, 2.8-MeV beam propagated through a cylindrical transmission grating with lambda 0 = 1 cm. These experiments were performed without a quasi-optical resonator, and the output was limited by breakdown of the grating and by limited access through the 90-kG magnet coil. Nevertheless, the measured power output from these initial experiments was about 7 kW in the Ka band

Spaceborne Applications of P Band Imaging Radars for Measuring Forest Biomass

Science.gov (United States)

Rignot, Eric J.; Zimmermann, Reiner; vanZyl, Jakob J.

1995-01-01

In three sites of boreal and temperate forests, P band HH, HV, and VV polarization data combined estimate total aboveground dry woody biomass within 12 to 27% of the values derived from allometric equations, depending on forest complexity. Biomass estimates derived from HV-polarization data only are 2 to 14% less accurate. When the radar operates at circular polarization, the errors exceed 100% over flooded forests, wet or damaged trees and sparse open tall forests because double-bounce reflections of the radar signals yield radar signatures similar to that of tall and massive forests. Circular polarizations, which minimize the effect of Faraday rotation in spaceborne applications, are therefore of limited use for measuring forest biomass. In the tropical rain forest of Manu, in Peru, where forest biomass ranges from 4 kg/sq m in young forest succession up to 50 kg/sq m in old, undisturbed floodplain stands, the P band horizontal and vertical polarization data combined separate biomass classes in good agreement with forest inventory estimates. The worldwide need for large scale, updated, biomass estimates, achieved with a uniformly applied method, justifies a more in-depth exploration of multi-polarization long wavelength imaging radar applications for tropical forests inventories.

Value of a dual-polarized gap-filling radar in support of southern California post-fire debris-flow warnings

Science.gov (United States)

Jorgensen, David P.; Hanshaw, Maiana N.; Schmidt, Kevin M.; Laber, Jayme L; Staley, Dennis M.; Kean, Jason W.; Restrepo, Pedro J.

2011-01-01

A portable truck-mounted C-band Doppler weather radar was deployed to observe rainfall over the Station Fire burn area near Los Angeles, California, during the winter of 2009/10 to assist with debris-flow warning decisions. The deployments were a component of a joint NOAA–U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) research effort to improve definition of the rainfall conditions that trigger debris flows from steep topography within recent wildfire burn areas. A procedure was implemented to blend various dual-polarized estimators of precipitation (for radar observations taken below the freezing level) using threshold values for differential reflectivity and specific differential phase shift that improves the accuracy of the rainfall estimates over a specific burn area sited with terrestrial tipping-bucket rain gauges. The portable radar outperformed local Weather Surveillance Radar-1988 Doppler (WSR-88D) National Weather Service network radars in detecting rainfall capable of initiating post-fire runoff-generated debris flows. The network radars underestimated hourly precipitation totals by about 50%. Consistent with intensity–duration threshold curves determined from past debris-flow events in burned areas in Southern California, the portable radar-derived rainfall rates exceeded the empirical thresholds over a wider range of storm durations with a higher spatial resolution than local National Weather Service operational radars. Moreover, the truck-mounted C-band radar dual-polarimetric-derived estimates of rainfall intensity provided a better guide to the expected severity of debris-flow events, based on criteria derived from previous events using rain gauge data, than traditional radar-derived rainfall approaches using reflectivity–rainfall relationships for either the portable or operational network WSR-88D radars. Part of the reason for the improvement was due to siting the radar closer to the burn zone than the WSR-88Ds, but use of the dual-polarimetric variables

KARIN: The Ka-Band Radar Interferometer for the Proposed Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) Mission

Science.gov (United States)

Esteban-Fernandez, Daniel; Peral, Eva; McWatters, Dalia; Pollard, Brian; Rodriguez, Ernesto; Hughes, Richard

2013-01-01

Over the last two decades, several nadir profiling radar altimeters have provided our first global look at the ocean basin-scale circulation and the ocean mesoscale at wavelengths longer than 100 km. Due to sampling limitations, nadir altimetry is unable to resolve the small wavelength ocean mesoscale and sub-mesoscale that are responsible for the vertical mixing of ocean heat and gases and the dissipation of kinetic energy from large to small scales. The proposed Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) mission would be a partnership between NASA, CNES (Centre National d'Etudes Spaciales) and the Canadian Space Agency, and would have as one of its main goals the measurement of ocean topography with kilometer-scale spatial resolution and centimeter scale accuracy. In this paper, we provide an overview of all ocean error sources that would contribute to the SWOT mission.

North Slope of Alaska Snow Intensive Operational Period Field Campaign Report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Verlinde, Johannes [Pennsylvania State Univ., University Park, PA (United States); Bartholomew, Mary Jane [Brookhaven National Lab. (BNL), Upton, NY (United States); Cherry, Jessica [Univ. of Alaska, Fairbanks, AK (United States); Ritsche, Michael [Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)

2017-05-15

The campaign was motivated by the need to improve the quantification of measurements of ice-phase precipitation in the Arctic and was by the acquisition and deployment of the new X- and Ka/W-band radars. These radars opened up an opportunity for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Climate Research Facility to obtain spatial estimates of snowfall rates using the polarimetric X-band measurements and dual-frequency measurements (using different combinations of the three wavelengths). However, calculations of X- and Ka-band radar back-scattering of ice crystal aggregates with their complex structure suggest that the commonly used T-matrix approach (Matrosov et al. 2007) for modeling the radar back-scattering underestimates the reflectivity by several decibels, with errors increasing with increasing radar frequency (Botta et al. 2010, 2011). Moreover, the X-band polarimetric measurements and the Ka/W-band measurements are sensitive to the assumed shape of the snow (Botta et al. 2011). One of the five ARM two-dimensional video disdrometers (manufactured by Joanneum Research) were deployed in Barrow at the ARM North Slope of Alaska (NSA) site from 1 October, 2011 to 31 May, 2012 in an attempt to use the instrument in a novel way. The instrument was originally designed to measure the drop size distribution of rain but it seemed worthwhile to explore its capability to quantify ice precipitation particle size and shape distributions in the cold north for scattering calculations and precipitation estimations. Furthermore, this deployment gave us an opportunity to see how reliable it could be in arctic conditions.

GPM GROUND VALIDATION DUAL-FREQUENCY DUAL-POLARIZED DOPPLER RADAR (D3R) IFLOODS V1

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — The GPM Ground Validation Dual-frequency Dual-polarized Doppler Radar (D3R) IFloodS data set contain radar reflectivity and doppler velocity measurements. The D3R...

Advances in Ka-Band Communication System for CubeSats and SmallSats

Science.gov (United States)

Kegege, Obadiah; Wong, Yen F.; Altunc, Serhat

2016-01-01

A study was performed that evaluated the feasibility of Ka-band communication system to provide CubeSat/SmallSat high rate science data downlink with ground antennas ranging from the small portable 1.2m/2.4m to apertures 5.4M, 7.3M, 11M, and 18M, for Low Earth Orbit (LEO) to Lunar CubeSat missions. This study included link analysis to determine the data rate requirement, based on the current TRL of Ka-band flight hardware and ground support infrastructure. Recent advances in Ka-band transceivers and antennas, options of portable ground stations, and various coverage distances were included in the analysis. The link/coverage analysis results show that Cubesat/Smallsat missions communication requirements including frequencies and data rates can be met by utilizing Near Earth Network (NEN) Ka-band support with 2 W and high gain (>6 dBi) antennas.

Snowfall retrieval at X, Ka and W bands: consistency of backscattering and microphysical properties using BAECC ground-based measurements

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. T. Falconi

2018-05-01

Full Text Available Radar-based snowfall intensity retrieval is investigated at centimeter and millimeter wavelengths using co-located ground-based multi-frequency radar and video-disdrometer observations. Using data from four snowfall events, recorded during the Biogenic Aerosols Effects on Clouds and Climate (BAECC campaign in Finland, measurements of liquid-water-equivalent snowfall rate S are correlated to radar equivalent reflectivity factors Ze, measured by the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM cloud radars operating at X, Ka and W frequency bands. From these combined observations, power-law Ze–S relationships are derived for all three frequencies considering the influence of riming. Using microwave radiometer observations of liquid water path, the measured precipitation is divided into lightly, moderately and heavily rimed snow. Interestingly lightly rimed snow events show a spectrally distinct signature of Ze–S with respect to moderately or heavily rimed snow cases. In order to understand the connection between snowflake microphysical and multi-frequency backscattering properties, numerical simulations are performed by using the particle size distribution provided by the in situ video disdrometer and retrieved ice particle masses. The latter are carried out by using both the T-matrix method (TMM applied to soft-spheroid particle models with different aspect ratios and exploiting a pre-computed discrete dipole approximation (DDA database for rimed aggregates. Based on the presented results, it is concluded that the soft-spheroid approximation can be adopted to explain the observed multi-frequency Ze–S relations if a proper spheroid aspect ratio is selected. The latter may depend on the degree of riming in snowfall. A further analysis of the backscattering simulations reveals that TMM cross sections are higher than the DDA ones for small ice particles, but lower for larger particles. The differences of computed cross sections for larger and

Snowfall retrieval at X, Ka and W bands: consistency of backscattering and microphysical properties using BAECC ground-based measurements

Science.gov (United States)

Tecla Falconi, Marta; von Lerber, Annakaisa; Ori, Davide; Silvio Marzano, Frank; Moisseev, Dmitri

2018-05-01

Radar-based snowfall intensity retrieval is investigated at centimeter and millimeter wavelengths using co-located ground-based multi-frequency radar and video-disdrometer observations. Using data from four snowfall events, recorded during the Biogenic Aerosols Effects on Clouds and Climate (BAECC) campaign in Finland, measurements of liquid-water-equivalent snowfall rate S are correlated to radar equivalent reflectivity factors Ze, measured by the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) cloud radars operating at X, Ka and W frequency bands. From these combined observations, power-law Ze-S relationships are derived for all three frequencies considering the influence of riming. Using microwave radiometer observations of liquid water path, the measured precipitation is divided into lightly, moderately and heavily rimed snow. Interestingly lightly rimed snow events show a spectrally distinct signature of Ze-S with respect to moderately or heavily rimed snow cases. In order to understand the connection between snowflake microphysical and multi-frequency backscattering properties, numerical simulations are performed by using the particle size distribution provided by the in situ video disdrometer and retrieved ice particle masses. The latter are carried out by using both the T-matrix method (TMM) applied to soft-spheroid particle models with different aspect ratios and exploiting a pre-computed discrete dipole approximation (DDA) database for rimed aggregates. Based on the presented results, it is concluded that the soft-spheroid approximation can be adopted to explain the observed multi-frequency Ze-S relations if a proper spheroid aspect ratio is selected. The latter may depend on the degree of riming in snowfall. A further analysis of the backscattering simulations reveals that TMM cross sections are higher than the DDA ones for small ice particles, but lower for larger particles. The differences of computed cross sections for larger and smaller particles are

Ka-band Technologies for Small Spacecraft Communications via Relays and Direct Data Downlink

Science.gov (United States)

Budinger, James M.; Niederhaus, Charles; Reinhart, Richard; Downey, Joe; Roberts, Anthony

2016-01-01

As the scientific capabilities and number of small spacecraft missions in the near Earth region increase, standard yet configurable user spacecraft terminals operating in Ka-band are needed to lower mission cost and risk and enable significantly higher data return than current UHF or S-band terminals. These compact Ka-band terminals are intended to operate with both the current and next generation of Ka-band relay satellites and via direct data communications with near Earth tracking terminals. This presentation provides an overview of emerging NASA-sponsored and commercially provided technologies in software defined radios (SDRs), transceivers, and electronically steered antennas that will enable data rates from hundreds of kbps to over 1 Gbps and operate in multiple frequency bands (such as S- and X-bands) and expand the use of NASA's common Ka-bands frequencies: 22.55-23.15 GHz for forward data or uplink; and 25.5-27.0 GHz for return data or downlink. Reductions in mass, power and volume come from integration of multiple radio functions, operations in Ka-band, high efficiency amplifiers and receivers, and compact, flat and vibration free electronically steered narrow beam antennas for up to + 60 degrees field of regard. The software defined near Earth space transceiver (SD-NEST) described in the presentation is intended to be compliant with NASA's space telecommunications radio system (STRS) standard for communications waveforms and hardware interoperability.

Technology Development for 3-D Wide Swath Imaging Supporting ACE

Science.gov (United States)

Racette, Paul; Heymsfield, Gerry; Li, Lihua; Mclinden, Matthew; Park, Richard; Cooley, Michael; Stenger, Pete; Hand, Thomas

2014-01-01

The National Academy of Sciences Decadal Survey (DS) Aerosol-Cloud-Ecosystems Mission (ACE) aims to advance our ability to observe and predict changes to the Earth's hydrological cycle and energy balance in response to climate forcing, especially those changes associated with the effects of aerosol on clouds and precipitation. ACE is focused on obtaining measurements to reduce the uncertainties in current climate models arising from the lack in understanding of aerosol-cloud interactions. As part of the mission instrument suite, a dual-frequency radar comprised of a fixed-beam 94 gigahertz (W-band) radar and a wide-swath 35 gigahertz (Ka-band) imaging radar has been recommended by the ACE Science Working Group.In our 2010 Instrument Incubator Program project, we've developed a radar architecture that addresses the challenge associated with achieving the measurement objectives through an innovative, shared aperture antenna that allows dual-frequency radar operation while achieving wide-swath (100 kilometers) imaging at Ka-band. The antenna system incorporates 2 key technologies; a) a novel dual-band reflectorreflectarray and b) a Ka-band Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) feed module. The dual-band antenna is comprised of a primary cylindrical reflectorreflectarray surface illuminated by a point-focus W-band feed (compatible with a quasi-optical beam waveguide feed, such as that employed on CloudSat); the Ka-band AESA line feed provides wide-swath across-track scanning. The benefits of this shared-aperture approach include significant reductions in ACE satellite payload size, weight, and cost, as compared to a two aperture approach. Four objectives were addressed in our project. The first entailed developing the tools for the analysis and design of reflectarray antennas, assessment of candidate reflectarray elements, and validation using test coupons. The second objective was to develop a full-scale aperture design utilizing the reflectarray surface and to

Cross Validation of Rain Drop Size Distribution between GPM and Ground Based Polarmetric radar

Science.gov (United States)

Chandra, C. V.; Biswas, S.; Le, M.; Chen, H.

2017-12-01

Dual-frequency precipitation radar (DPR) on board the Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) core satellite has reflectivity measurements at two independent frequencies, Ku- and Ka- band. Dual-frequency retrieval algorithms have been developed traditionally through forward, backward, and recursive approaches. However, these algorithms suffer from "dual-value" problem when they retrieve medium volume diameter from dual-frequency ratio (DFR) in rain region. To this end, a hybrid method has been proposed to perform raindrop size distribution (DSD) retrieval for GPM using a linear constraint of DSD along rain profile to avoid "dual-value" problem (Le and Chandrasekar, 2015). In the current GPM level 2 algorithm (Iguchi et al. 2017- Algorithm Theoretical Basis Document) the Solver module retrieves a vertical profile of drop size distributionn from dual-frequency observations and path integrated attenuations. The algorithm details can be found in Seto et al. (2013) . On the other hand, ground based polarimetric radars have been used for a long time to estimate drop size distributions (e.g., Gorgucci et al. 2002 ). In addition, coincident GPM and ground based observations have been cross validated using careful overpass analysis. In this paper, we perform cross validation on raindrop size distribution retrieval from three sources, namely the hybrid method, the standard products from the solver module and DSD retrievals from ground polarimetric radars. The results are presented from two NEXRAD radars located in Dallas -Fort Worth, Texas (i.e., KFWS radar) and Melbourne, Florida (i.e., KMLB radar). The results demonstrate the ability of DPR observations to produce DSD estimates, which can be used subsequently to generate global DSD maps. References: Seto, S., T. Iguchi, T. Oki, 2013: The basic performance of a precipitation retrieval algorithm for the Global Precipitation Measurement mission's single/dual-frequency radar measurements. IEEE Transactions on Geoscience and

E-region decameter-scale plasma waves observed by the dual TIGER HF radars

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

B. A. Carter

2009-01-01

Full Text Available The dual Tasman International Geospace Environment Radar (TIGER HF radars regularly observe E-region echoes at sub-auroral magnetic latitudes 58°–60° S including during geomagnetic storms. We present a statistical analysis of E-region backscatter observed in a period of ~2 years (late 2004–2006 by the TIGER Bruny Island and Unwin HF radars, with particular emphasis on storm-time backscatter. It is found that the HF echoes normally form a 300-km-wide band at ranges 225–540 km. In the evening sector during geomagnetic storms, however, the HF echoes form a curved band joining to the F-region band at ~700 km. The curved band lies close to the locations where the geometric aspect angle is zero, implying little to no refraction during geomagnetic storms, which is an opposite result to what has been reported in the past. The echo occurrence, Doppler velocity, and spectral width of the HF echoes are examined in order to determine whether new HF echo types are observed at sub-auroral latitudes, particularly during geomagnetic storms. The datasets of both TIGER radars are found to be dominated by low-velocity echoes. A separate population of storm-time echoes is also identified within the datasets of both radars with most of these echoes showing similar characteristics to the low-velocity echo population. The storm-time backscatter observed by the Bruny Island radar, on the other hand, includes near-range echoes (r<405 km that exhibit some characteristics of what has been previously termed the High Aspect angle Irregularity Region (HAIR echoes. We show that these echoes appear to be a storm-time phenomenon and further investigate this population by comparing their Doppler velocity with the simultaneously measured F- and E-region irregularity velocities. It is suggested that the HAIR-like echoes are observed only by HF radars with relatively poor geometric aspect angles when electron density is low and when the electric field is particularly

Solid state Ka-band pulse oscillator with frequency electronic switching

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dvornichenko V. P.

2015-08-01

Full Text Available Transmitting devices for small radars in the millimeter wavelength range with high resolution on range and noise immunity. The work presents the results of research and development of compact pulse oscillators with digital frequency switching from pulse to pulse. The oscillator consists of a frequency synthesizer and a synchronized amplifier on the IMPATT diode. Reference oscillator of synthesizer is synchronized by crystal oscillator with digital PLL system and contains a frequency multiplier and an amplifier operating in pulse mode. Small-sized frequency synthesizer of 8 mm wave lengths provides an output power of ~1.2 W per pulse with a frequency stability of no worse than 2•10–6. Radiation frequency is controlled by three-digit binary code in OOL levels. Synchronized amplifier made on IMPATT diodes provides microwave power up to 20 W in oscillator output with microwave pulse duration of 100—300 ns in an operating band. The oscillator can be used as a driving source for the synchronization of semiconductor and electro-vacuum devices of pulsed mode, and also as a transmitting device for small-sized radar of millimeter wave range.

Ku/Ka/W-band Antenna for Electronically-Scanned Cloud and Precipitation Radar

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — Previously, cloud radars such as CloudSat have been separated from precipitation radars such as TRMM (Tropical Rainfall Measurement Mission) and GPM (Global...

Dual-wavelength phase-shifting digital holography selectively extracting wavelength information from wavelength-multiplexed holograms.

Science.gov (United States)

Tahara, Tatsuki; Mori, Ryota; Kikunaga, Shuhei; Arai, Yasuhiko; Takaki, Yasuhiro

2015-06-15

Dual-wavelength phase-shifting digital holography that selectively extracts wavelength information from five wavelength-multiplexed holograms is presented. Specific phase shifts for respective wavelengths are introduced to remove the crosstalk components and extract only the object wave at the desired wavelength from the holograms. Object waves in multiple wavelengths are selectively extracted by utilizing 2π ambiguity and the subtraction procedures based on phase-shifting interferometry. Numerical results show the validity of the proposed technique. The proposed technique is also experimentally demonstrated.

Long-wavelength Radar Studies of the Lunar Maria

Science.gov (United States)

Campbell, Bruce A.; Hawke, B. Ray; Thompson, Thomas W.

1995-01-01

Radar measurements at 70 cm and 7.5 m wavelengths provide insight into the structure and chemical properties of the upper 5-100 m of the lunar regolith and crust. Past work has identified a number of anomalous regions and changes in echo strength, some attributed to differences in titanium content. There has been little opportunity, however, to compare calibrated long-wavelength backscatter among different units or to theoretical model results. We combine recent high-resolution (3-5 km) 70-cm radar data for the nearside with earlier calibrated full-disk observations to provide a reasonable estimate of the true lunar backscatter coefficient. These data are tested against models for quasi-specular scattering from the surface, echoes from a buried substrate, and Mie scattering from surface and buried rocks. We find that 70 cm echoes likely arise from Mie scattering by distributed rocks within the soil, consistent with earlier hypotheses. Returns from a buried substrate would provide a plausible fit to the observations only if the regolith depth were 3 m or less and varied little across the maria. Depolarized echoes are due to some combination of single and multiple scattering events, but it appears that single scattering alone could account for the observed echo power, based on comparisons with terrestrial rocky surfaces. Backscatter strength from the regolith is most strongly affected by the loss tangent, whose variation with mineral content is still poorly defined. We compared the backscatter values for the mare deposits to the oxide contents inferred from spectral ratio methods, and found that in general the unit boundaries evident in radar images closely follow those seen in color difference images. The 70-cm data are not well correlated with TiO2 values found using the Charette relationship nor with Fe abundances derived from Clementine observations. The lack of a relationship between radar echo and Fe content is reasonable given the distribution of iron among

On the potential of long wavelength imaging radars for mapping vegetation types and woody biomass in tropical rain forests

Science.gov (United States)

Rignot, Eric J.; Zimmermann, Reiner; Oren, Ram

1995-01-01

In the tropical rain forests of Manu, in Peru, where forest biomass ranges from 4 kg/sq m in young forest succession up to 100 kg/sq m in old, undisturbed floodplain stands, the P-band polarimetric radar data gathered in June of 1993 by the AIRSAR (Airborne Synthetic Aperture Radar) instrument separate most major vegetation formations and also perform better than expected in estimating woody biomass. The worldwide need for large scale, updated biomass estimates, achieved with a uniformly applied method, as well as reliable maps of land cover, justifies a more in-depth exploration of long wavelength imaging radar applications for tropical forests inventories.

Use of a reflective semiconductor optical amplifier and dual-ring architecture design to produce a stable multi-wavelength fiber laser

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yeh, Chien-Hung; Chow, Chi-Wai; Lu, Shao-Sheng

2014-01-01

In this work, we propose and demonstrate a multi-wavelength laser source produced by utilizing a C-band reflective semiconductor optical amplifier (RSOA) with a dual-ring fiber cavity. Here, the laser cavity consists of an RSOA, a 1 × 2 optical coupler, a 2 × 2 optical coupler and a polarization controller. As a result, thirteen to eighteen wavelengths around the L band could be generated simultaneously when the bias current of the C-band RSOA was driven at 30–70 mA. In addition, the output stabilities of the power and wavelength are also discussed. (paper)

Use of a reflective semiconductor optical amplifier and dual-ring architecture design to produce a stable multi-wavelength fiber laser

Science.gov (United States)

Yeh, Chien-Hung; Chow, Chi-Wai; Lu, Shao-Sheng

2014-05-01

In this work, we propose and demonstrate a multi-wavelength laser source produced by utilizing a C-band reflective semiconductor optical amplifier (RSOA) with a dual-ring fiber cavity. Here, the laser cavity consists of an RSOA, a 1 × 2 optical coupler, a 2 × 2 optical coupler and a polarization controller. As a result, thirteen to eighteen wavelengths around the L band could be generated simultaneously when the bias current of the C-band RSOA was driven at 30-70 mA. In addition, the output stabilities of the power and wavelength are also discussed.

Soliton-based ultrafast multi-wavelength nonlinear switching in dual-core photonic crystal fibre

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stajanca, P; Pysz, D; Michalka, M; Bugar, I; Andriukaitis, G; Balciunas, T; Fan, G; Baltuska, A

2014-01-01

Systematic experimental study of ultrafast multi-wavelength all-optical switching performance in a dual-core photonic crystal fibre is presented. The focus is on nonlinearly induced switching between the two output ports at non-excitation wavelengths, which are generated during nonlinear propagation of femtosecond pulses in the anomalous dispersion region of a dual-core photonic crystal fibre made of multicomponent glass. Spatial and spectral characteristics of the fibre output radiation were measured separately for both fibre cores under various polarization and intensity conditions upon selective, individual excitation of each fibre core. Polarization-controlled nonlinear switching performance at multiple non-excitation wavelengths was demonstrated in the long-wavelength optical communication bands and beyond. Depending on the input pulse polarization, narrowband switching operation at 1560 nm and 1730 nm takes place with double core extinction ratio contrasts of 9 dB and 14.5 dB, respectively. Moreover, our approach allows switching with simultaneous wavelength shift from 1650 to 1775 nm with extinction ratio contrast larger than 18 dB. In addition, non-reciprocal behaviour of the soliton fission process under different fibre core excitations was observed and its effect on the multi-wavelength nonlinear switching performance was explained, taking into account the slight dual-core structure asymmetry. The obtained results represent ultrafast all-optical switching with an extended dimension of wavelength shift, controllable with both the input radiation intensity and the polarization by simple propagation along a 14 mm long fibre. (paper)

An integrated Ka/Ku-band payload for personal, mobile and private business communications

Science.gov (United States)

Hayes, Edward J.; Keelty, J. Malcolm

1991-01-01

The Canadian Department of Communications has been studying options for a government-sponsored demonstration payload to be launched before the end of the century. A summary of the proposed system concepts and network architectures for providing an advanced private business network service at Ku-band and personal and mobile communications at Ka-band is presented. The system aspects addressed include coverage patterns, traffic capacity, and grade of service, multiple access options as well as special problems, such as Doppler in mobile applications. Earth terminal types and the advanced payload concept proposed in a feasibility study for the demonstration mission are described. This concept is a combined Ka-band/Ku-band payload which incorporates a number of advanced satellite technologies including a group demodulator to convert single-channel-per-carrier frequency division multiple access uplink signals to a time division multiplex downlink, on-board signal regeneration, and baseband switching to support packet switched data operation. The on-board processing capability of the payload provides a hubless VSAT architecture which permits single-hop full mesh interconnectivity. The Ka-band and Ku-band portions of the payload are fully integrated through an on-board switch, thereby providing the capability for fully integrated services, such as using the Ku-band VSAT terminals as gateway stations for the Ka-band personal and mobile communications services.

Marine X-band Weather Radar Data Calibration

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Thorndahl, Søren Liedtke; Rasmussen, Michael R.

2012-01-01

estimates. This paper presents some of the challenges in small marine X-band radar calibration by comparing three calibration procedures for assessing the relationship between radar and rain gauge data. Validation shows similar results for precipitation volumes but more diverse results on peak rain......Application of weather radar data in urban hydrology is evolving and radar data is now applied for both modelling, analysis, and real time control purposes. In these contexts, it is allimportant that the radar data is well calibrated and adjusted in order to obtain valid quantitative precipitation...

Dual-Frequency Bistatic Radar Probing of Mars: Potential and Pitfalls for Depth Sounding at Centimeter Wavelengths

Science.gov (United States)

Simpson, R. A.; Tyler, G. L.; Paetzold, M.; Haeusler, B.; Asmar, S. W.

2009-12-01

Early spacecraft-to-Earth bistatic radar (BSR) probing of Mars' surface emphasized measurement of rms surface slopes on scales of centimeters to a few meters, information of particular interest to the design and deployment of landers and rovers. Shorter wavelengths yielded higher values, consistent with fractal models in which surface texture becomes rougher as the measuring instrument senses more detail. Although Mars Express (MEX) has found the smoothest extraterrestrial solid surface yet observed by radar (0.17 deg rms in the north polar region), its antenna pattern typically illuminates only part of the scattering surface, making rms slope determination difficult. With careful calibration, however, the ratio of echo power in its two orthogonal polarizations can be used to infer the dielectric constant of the surface material from the Fresnel reflection coefficients. Early results showed larger dielectric constant at 12.6 cm than 3.6 cm, consistent with materials which become more densely packed at depth; as the data collection continued, regional variations became apparent. More puzzling, are cases in which the derived dielectric constant is 30 percent larger at the shorter wavelength, suggesting a centimeter of crust (invisible at 12.6 cm wavelength) overlying less dense regolith below. Duricrust layers have been inferred in some of these areas from thermal measurements; and a layer of gravel, stripped of finer particles, could produce similar effects. Earth-to-spacecraft BSR could improve measurement sensitivity by factors of 100-1000; spacecraft-to-spacecraft experiments could improve surface coverage. All three configurations, including the conventional 'downlink' experiments now being conducted, can provide basic information on surface structure to depths of a few centimeters.

The Next Generation of Airborne Polarimetric Doppler Weather Radar: NCAR/EOL Airborne Phased Array Radar (APAR) Development

Science.gov (United States)

Moore, James; Lee, Wen-Chau; Loew, Eric; Vivekanandan, Jothiram; Grubišić, Vanda; Tsai, Peisang; Dixon, Mike; Emmett, Jonathan; Lord, Mark; Lussier, Louis; Hwang, Kyuil; Ranson, James

2017-04-01

The National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) Earth observing Laboratory (EOL) is entering the third year of preliminary system design studies, engineering prototype testing and project management plan preparation for the development of a novel Airborne Phased Array Radar (APAR). This system being designed by NCAR/EOL will be installed and operated on the NSF/NCAR C-130 aircraft. The APAR system will consist of four removable C-band Active Electronically Scanned Arrays (AESA) strategically placed on the fuselage of the aircraft. Each AESA measures approximately 1.5 x 1.9 m and is composed of 3000 active radiating elements arranged in an array of line replaceable units (LRU) to simplify maintenance. APAR will provide unprecedented observations, and in conjunction with the advanced radar data assimilation schema, will be able to address the key science questions to improve understanding and predictability of significant and high-impact weather APAR, operating at C-band, allows the measurement of 3-D kinematics of the more intense portions of storms (e.g. thunderstorm dynamics and tornadic development, tropical cyclone rainband structure and evolution) with less attenuation compared with current airborne Doppler radar systems. Polarimetric measurements are not available from current airborne tail Doppler radars. However, APAR, with dual-Doppler and dual polarization diversity at a lesser attenuating C-band wavelength, will further advance the understanding of the microphysical processes within a variety of precipitation systems. The radar is sensitive enough to provide high resolution measurements of winter storm dynamics and microphysics. The planned APAR development that would bring the system to operational readiness for research community use aboard the C-130 is expected to take 8 years once major funding support is realized. The authors will review the overall APAR design and provide new details of the system based on our Technical Requirements Document

Ka-Band Klystron Amplifier for CUBESATs, Phase I

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — We propose a Ka-Band klystron amplifier for use in CubeSats. It will operate at 35.7 GHz, have 400 MHz of bandwidth, and output at least 32 watts of saturated power....

Monolithic microwave integrated circuits for sensors, radar, and communications systems; Proceedings of the Meeting, Orlando, FL, Apr. 2-4, 1991

Science.gov (United States)

Leonard, Regis F. (Editor); Bhasin, Kul B. (Editor)

1991-01-01

Consideration is given to MMICs for airborne phased arrays, monolithic GaAs integrated circuit millimeter wave imaging sensors, accurate design of multiport low-noise MMICs up to 20 GHz, an ultralinear low-noise amplifier technology for space communications, variable-gain MMIC module for space applications, a high-efficiency dual-band power amplifier for radar applications, a high-density circuit approach for low-cost MMIC circuits, coplanar SIMMWIC circuits, recent advances in monolithic phased arrays, and system-level integrated circuit development for phased-array antenna applications. Consideration is also given to performance enhancement in future communications satellites with MMIC technology insertion, application of Ka-band MMIC technology for an Orbiter/ACTS communications experiment, a space-based millimeter wave debris tracking radar, low-noise high-yield octave-band feedback amplifiers to 20 GHz, quasi-optical MESFET VCOs, and a high-dynamic-range mixer using novel balun structure.

Optimal wavelength band clustering for multispectral iris recognition.

Science.gov (United States)

Gong, Yazhuo; Zhang, David; Shi, Pengfei; Yan, Jingqi

2012-07-01

This work explores the possibility of clustering spectral wavelengths based on the maximum dissimilarity of iris textures. The eventual goal is to determine how many bands of spectral wavelengths will be enough for iris multispectral fusion and to find these bands that will provide higher performance of iris multispectral recognition. A multispectral acquisition system was first designed for imaging the iris at narrow spectral bands in the range of 420 to 940 nm. Next, a set of 60 human iris images that correspond to the right and left eyes of 30 different subjects were acquired for an analysis. Finally, we determined that 3 clusters were enough to represent the 10 feature bands of spectral wavelengths using the agglomerative clustering based on two-dimensional principal component analysis. The experimental results suggest (1) the number, center, and composition of clusters of spectral wavelengths and (2) the higher performance of iris multispectral recognition based on a three wavelengths-bands fusion.

Ka-Band Electronically Steered CubeSat Antenna, Phase II

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — Kymeta Government Solutions (KGS) designed, analyzed, built, tested, and delivered a small, lightweight, low-cost, low-power electronically steered Ka-band prototype...

Typhoon 9707 observations with the MU radar and L-band boundary layer radar

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. Teshiba

2001-08-01

Full Text Available Typhoon 9707 (Opal was observed with the VHF-band Middle and Upper atmosphere (MU radar, an L-band boundary layer radar (BLR, and a vertical-pointing C-band meteorological radar at the Shigaraki MU Observatory in Shiga prefecture, Japan on 20 June 1997. The typhoon center passed about 80 km southeast from the radar site. Mesoscale precipitating clouds developed due to warm-moist airmass transport from the typhoon, and passed over the MU radar site with easterly or southeasterly winds. We primarily present the wind behaviour including the vertical component which a conventional meteorological Doppler radar cannot directly observe, and discuss the relationship between the wind behaviour of the typhoon and the precipitating system. To investigate the dynamic structure of the typhoon, the observed wind was divided into radial and tangential wind components under the assumption that the typhoon had an axi-symmetric structure. Altitude range of outflow ascended from 1–3 km to 2–10 km with increasing distance (within 80–260 km range from the typhoon center, and in-flow was observed above and below the outflow. Outflow and inflow were associated with updraft and downdraft, respectively. In the tangential wind, the maximum speed of counterclockwise winds was confirmed at 1–2 km altitudes. Based on the vertical velocity and the reflectivity obtained with the MU radar and the C-band meteorological radar, respectively, precipitating clouds, accompanied by the wind behaviour of the typhoon, were classified into stratiform and convective precipitating clouds. In the stratiform precipitating clouds, a vertical shear of radial wind and the maximum speed of counterclockwise wind were observed. There was a strong reflectivity layer called a ‘bright band’ around the 4.2 km altitude. We confirmed strong updrafts and down-drafts below and above it, respectively, and the existence of a relatively dry layer around the bright band level from radiosonde

Typhoon 9707 observations with the MU radar and L-band boundary layer radar

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. Teshiba

Full Text Available Typhoon 9707 (Opal was observed with the VHF-band Middle and Upper atmosphere (MU radar, an L-band boundary layer radar (BLR, and a vertical-pointing C-band meteorological radar at the Shigaraki MU Observatory in Shiga prefecture, Japan on 20 June 1997. The typhoon center passed about 80 km southeast from the radar site. Mesoscale precipitating clouds developed due to warm-moist airmass transport from the typhoon, and passed over the MU radar site with easterly or southeasterly winds. We primarily present the wind behaviour including the vertical component which a conventional meteorological Doppler radar cannot directly observe, and discuss the relationship between the wind behaviour of the typhoon and the precipitating system. To investigate the dynamic structure of the typhoon, the observed wind was divided into radial and tangential wind components under the assumption that the typhoon had an axi-symmetric structure. Altitude range of outflow ascended from 1–3 km to 2–10 km with increasing distance (within 80–260 km range from the typhoon center, and in-flow was observed above and below the outflow. Outflow and inflow were associated with updraft and downdraft, respectively. In the tangential wind, the maximum speed of counterclockwise winds was confirmed at 1–2 km altitudes. Based on the vertical velocity and the reflectivity obtained with the MU radar and the C-band meteorological radar, respectively, precipitating clouds, accompanied by the wind behaviour of the typhoon, were classified into stratiform and convective precipitating clouds. In the stratiform precipitating clouds, a vertical shear of radial wind and the maximum speed of counterclockwise wind were observed. There was a strong reflectivity layer called a ‘bright band’ around the 4.2 km altitude. We confirmed strong updrafts and down-drafts below and above it, respectively, and the existence of a relatively dry layer around the bright band level from radiosonde

Detection of Ground Clutter from Weather Radar Using a Dual-Polarization and Dual-Scan Method

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mohammad-Hossein Golbon-Haghighi

2016-06-01

Full Text Available A novel dual-polarization and dual-scan (DPDS classification algorithm is developed for clutter detection in weather radar observations. Two consecutive scans of dual-polarization radar echoes are jointly processed to estimate auto- and cross-correlation functions. Discriminants are then defined and estimated in order to separate clutter from weather based on their physical and statistical properties. An optimal Bayesian classifier is used to make a decision on clutter presence from the estimated discriminant functions. The DPDS algorithm is applied to the data collected with the KOUN polarimetric radar and compared with the existing detection methods. It is shown that the DPDS algorithm yields a higher probability of detection and lower false alarm rate in clutter detection.

Evaluating the Solar Slowly Varying Component at C-Band Using Dual- and Single-Polarization Weather Radars in Europe

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. Gabella

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Six C-band weather radars located in Europe (Finland, Netherlands, and Switzerland have been used to monitor the slowly varying solar emission, which is an oscillation with an amplitude of several decibels and a period of approximately 27 days. It is caused by the fact that the number of active regions that enhance the solar radio emission with respect to the quiet component, as seen from Earth, varies because of the Sun’s rotation about its axis. The analysis is based on solar signals contained in the polar volume data produced during the operational weather scan strategy. This paper presents hundreds of daily comparisons between radar estimates and the Sun’s reference signal, during the current active Sun period (year 2014. The Sun’s reference values are accurately measured by the Dominion Radio Astrophysical Observatory (DRAO at S-band and converted to C-band using a standard DRAO formula. Vertical and horizontal polarization receivers are able to capture the monthly oscillation of the solar microwave signal: the standard deviation of the log-transformed ratio between radars and the DRAO reference ranges from 0.26 to 0.4 dB. A larger coefficient (and a different value for the quiet Sun component in the standard formula improves the agreement.

Monolithic microwave integrated circuits for sensors, radar, and communications systems; Proceedings of the Meeting, Orlando, FL, Apr. 2-4, 1991

Science.gov (United States)

Leonard, Regis F.; Bhasin, Kul B.

Consideration is given to MMICs for airborne phased arrays, monolithic GaAs integrated circuit millimeter wave imaging sensors, accurate design of multiport low-noise MMICs up to 20 GHz, an ultralinear low-noise amplifier technology for space communications, variable-gain MMIC module for space applications, a high-efficiency dual-band power amplifier for radar applications, a high-density circuit approach for low-cost MMIC circuits, coplanar SIMMWIC circuits, recent advances in monolithic phased arrays, and system-level integrated circuit development for phased-array antenna applications. Consideration is also given to performance enhancement in future communications satellites with MMIC technology insertion, application of Ka-band MMIC technology for an Orbiter/ACTS communications experiment, a space-based millimeter wave debris tracking radar, low-noise high-yield octave-band feedback amplifiers to 20 GHz, quasi-optical MESFET VCOs, and a high-dynamic-range mixer using novel balun structure. (For individual items see A93-25777 to A93-25814)

X-Band wave radar system for monitoring and risk management of the coastal infrastructures

Science.gov (United States)

Ludeno, Giovanni; Soldovieri, Francesco; Serafino, Francesco

2017-04-01

The presence of the infrastructures in coastal region entails an increase of the sea level and the shift of the sediment on the bottom with a continuous change of the coastline. In order to preserve the coastline, it has been necessary to resort the use of applications coastal engineering, as the construction of the breakwaters for preventing the coastal erosion. In this frame, the knowledge of the sea state parameters, as wavelength, period and significant wave height and of surface current and bathymetry can be used for the harbor operations and to prevent environmental disasters. In the last years, the study of the coastal phenomena and monitoring of the sea waves impact on the coastal infrastructures through the analysis of images acquired by marine X-band radars is of great interest [1-3]. The possibility to observe the sea surface from radar images is due to the fact that the X-band electromagnetic waves interact with the sea capillary waves (Bragg resonance), which ride on the gravity waves. However, the image acquired by a X-band radar is not the direct representation of the sea state, but it represents the sea surface as seen by the radar. Accordingly, to estimate the sea state parameters as, direction, wavelength, period of dominant waves, the significant wave height as well as the bathymetry and surface current, through a time stack of radar data are required advanced data processing procedures. In particular, in the coastal areas due to the non-uniformity of sea surface current and bathymetry fields is necessary a local analysis of the sea state parameters. In order to analyze the data acquired in coastal area an inversion procedure defined "Local Method" is adopted, which is based on the spatial partitioning of the investigated area in partially overlapping sub-areas. In addition, the analysis of the sea spectrum of each sub-area allows us to retrieve the local sea state parameters. In particular, this local analysis allows us to detect the reflected

Challenges with space-time rainfall in urban hydrology highlighted with a semi-distributed model using C-band and X-band radar data

Science.gov (United States)

da Silva Rocha Paz, Igor; Ichiba, Abdellah; Skouri-Plakali, Ilektra; Lee, Jisun; Gires, Auguste; Tchiguirinskaia, Ioulia; Schertzer, Daniel

2017-04-01

Climate change and global warming are expected to make precipitation events more frequent, more severe and more local. This may have serious consequences for human health, the environment, cultural heritage, economic activities, utilities and public service providers. Then precipitation risk and water management is a key challenge for densely populated urban areas. Applications derived from high (time and space) resolution observation of precipitations are to make our cities more weather-ready. Finer resolution data available from X-band dual radar measurements enhance engineering tools as used for urban planning policies as well as protection (mitigation/adaptation) strategies to tackle climate-change related weather events. For decades engineering tools have been developed to work conveniently either with very local rain gauge networks, or with mainly C-band weather radars that have gradually been set up for space-time remote sensing of precipitation. Most of the time, the C-band weather radars continue to be calibrated by the existing rain gauge networks. Inhomogeneous distributions of rain gauging networks lead to only a partial information on the rainfall fields. In fact, the statistics of measured rainfall is strongly biased by the fractality of the measuring networks. This fractality needs to be properly taken in to account to retrieve the original properties of the rainfall fields, in spite of the radar data calibration. In this presentation, with the help of multifractal analysis, we first demonstrate that the semi-distributed hydrological models statistically reduce the rainfall fields into rainfall measured by a much scarcer network of virtual rain gauges. For this purpose, we use C-band and X-band radar data. The first has a resolution of 1 km in space and 5 min in time and is in fact a product provided by RHEA SAS after treating the Météo-France C-band radar data. The latter is measured by the radar operated at Ecole des Ponts and has a resolution of

Processing of dual-orthogonal cw polarimetric radar signals

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Babur, G.

2009-01-01

The thesis consists of two parts. The first part is devoted to the theory of dual-orthogonal polarimetric radar signals with continuous waveforms. The thesis presents a comparison of the signal compression techniques, namely correlation and de-ramping methods, for the dual-orthogonal sophisticated

Performance of high-resolution X-band radar for rainfall measurement in The Netherlands

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

C. Z. van de Beek

2010-02-01

Full Text Available This study presents an analysis of 195 rainfall events gathered with the X-band weather radar SOLIDAR and a tipping bucket rain gauge network near Delft, The Netherlands, between May 1993 and April 1994. The aim of this paper is to present a thorough analysis of a climatological dataset using a high spatial (120 m and temporal (16 s resolution X-band radar. This makes it a study of the potential for high-resolution rainfall measurements with non-polarimetric X-band radar over flat terrain. An appropriate radar reflectivity – rain rate relation is derived from measurements of raindrop size distributions and compared with radar – rain gauge data. The radar calibration is assessed using a long-term comparison of rain gauge measurements with corresponding radar reflectivities as well as by analyzing the evolution of the stability of ground clutter areas over time. Three different methods for ground clutter correction as well as the effectiveness of forward and backward attenuation correction algorithms have been studied. Five individual rainfall events are discussed in detail to illustrate the strengths and weaknesses of high-resolution X-band radar and the effectiveness of the presented correction methods. X-band radar is found to be able to measure the space-time variation of rainfall at high resolution, far greater than what can be achieved by rain gauge networks or a typical operational C-band weather radar. On the other hand, SOLIDAR can suffer from receiver saturation, wet radome attenuation as well as signal loss along the path. During very strong convective situations the signal can even be lost completely. In combination with several rain gauges for quality control, high resolution X-band radar is considered to be suitable for rainfall monitoring over relatively small (urban catchments. These results offer great prospects for the new high resolution polarimetric doppler X-band radar IDRA.

Lightning mapping and dual-polarization radar observations of electrified storms at Langmuir Laboratory

Science.gov (United States)

Krehbiel, P. R.; Hyland, P. T.; Edens, H. E.; Rison, W.

2013-12-01

Observations being made at Langmuir Laboratory with the NM Tech Lightning Mapping Array (LMA) and the University of Oklahoma ARRC PX-1000 dual polarization X-band radar strongly confirm and expand upon the normal polarity tripolar electrical structure of central New Mexico storms. This is in sharp contrast with the anomalously electrified storm structures observed in northern Colorado during and subsequent to the 2012 DC3 field campaign, as seen with North Colorado LMA and CSU CHILL dual-polarization radar observations. In this presentation we focus on the New Mexico observations, and several modes in which the tripolar structure appears initially to develop and evolve with time. Central New Mexico storms are often prolific producers of negative cloud-to-ground (CG) flashes, but rarely produce positive CGs. By contrast, many or most north Colorado storms are CG-deficient, with the relatively few CG discharges being of predominantly positive polarity. In addition, NM storms commonly produce bolt-from-the-blue (BFB) negative CGs, whereas anomalously electrified Colorado storms produce none. The occurrence of BFBs is indicative of a relatively weak lower positive charge region, while the occurrence of normal downward -CGs is indicative of a somewhat stronger lower positive charge. The lack of -CGs in Colorado storms results from lower positive charge being a dominant storm charge that is elevated in altitude. These and other basic features of the electrically activity of storms, coupled with dual polarization and Doppler radar observations of hydrometeor types and motions, are leading to a better understanding of the storm electrification processes.

Improving Radar Quantitative Precipitation Estimation over Complex Terrain in the San Francisco Bay Area

Science.gov (United States)

Cifelli, R.; Chen, H.; Chandrasekar, V.

2017-12-01

A recent study by the State of California's Department of Water Resources has emphasized that the San Francisco Bay Area is at risk of catastrophic flooding. Therefore, accurate quantitative precipitation estimation (QPE) and forecast (QPF) are critical for protecting life and property in this region. Compared to rain gauge and meteorological satellite, ground based radar has shown great advantages for high-resolution precipitation observations in both space and time domain. In addition, the polarization diversity shows great potential to characterize precipitation microphysics through identification of different hydrometeor types and their size and shape information. Currently, all the radars comprising the U.S. National Weather Service (NWS) Weather Surveillance Radar-1988 Doppler (WSR-88D) network are operating in dual-polarization mode. Enhancement of QPE is one of the main considerations of the dual-polarization upgrade. The San Francisco Bay Area is covered by two S-band WSR-88D radars, namely, KMUX and KDAX. However, in complex terrain like the Bay Area, it is still challenging to obtain an optimal rainfall algorithm for a given set of dual-polarization measurements. In addition, the accuracy of rain rate estimates is contingent on additional factors such as bright band contamination, vertical profile of reflectivity (VPR) correction, and partial beam blockages. This presentation aims to improve radar QPE for the Bay area using advanced dual-polarization rainfall methodologies. The benefit brought by the dual-polarization upgrade of operational radar network is assessed. In addition, a pilot study of gap fill X-band radar performance is conducted in support of regional QPE system development. This paper also presents a detailed comparison between the dual-polarization radar-derived rainfall products with various operational products including the NSSL's Multi-Radar/Multi-Sensor (MRMS) system. Quantitative evaluation of various rainfall products is achieved

QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS OF BANDED STRUCTURES IN DUAL-PHASE STEELS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Benoit Krebs

2011-05-01

Full Text Available Dual-Phase (DP steels are composed of martensite islands dispersed in a ductile ferrite matrix, which provides a good balance between strength and ductility. Current processing conditions (continuous casting followed by hot and cold rolling generate 'banded structures' i.e., irregular, parallel and alternating bands of ferrite and martensite, which are detrimental to mechanical properties and especially for in-use properties. We present an original and simple method to quantify the intensity and wavelength of these bands. This method, based on the analysis of covariance function of binary images, is firstly tested on model images. It is compared with ASTM E-1268 standard and appears to be more robust. Then it is applied on real DP steel microstructures and proves to be sufficiently sensitive to discriminate samples resulting from different thermo-mechanical routes.

Ka-Band, Multi-Gigabit-Per-Second Transceiver

Science.gov (United States)

Simons, Rainee N.; Wintucky, Edwin G.; Smith, Francis J.; Harris, Johnny M.; Landon, David G.; Haddadin, Osama S.; McIntire, William K.; Sun, June Y.

2011-01-01

A document discusses a multi-Gigabit-per-second, Ka-band transceiver with a software-defined modem (SDM) capable of digitally encoding/decoding data and compensating for linear and nonlinear distortions in the end-to-end system, including the traveling-wave tube amplifier (TWTA). This innovation can increase data rates of space-to-ground communication links, and has potential application to NASA s future spacebased Earth observation system. The SDM incorporates an extended version of the industry-standard DVB-S2, and LDPC rate 9/10 FEC codec. The SDM supports a suite of waveforms, including QPSK, 8-PSK, 16-APSK, 32- APSK, 64-APSK, and 128-QAM. The Ka-band and TWTA deliver an output power on the order of 200 W with efficiency greater than 60%, and a passband of at least 3 GHz. The modem and the TWTA together enable a data rate of 20 Gbps with a low bit error rate (BER). The payload data rates for spacecraft in NASA s integrated space communications network can be increased by an order of magnitude (>10 ) over current state-of-practice. This innovation enhances the data rate by using bandwidth-efficient modulation techniques, which transmit a higher number of bits per Hertz of bandwidth than the currently used quadrature phase shift keying (QPSK) waveforms.

Millimeter-wave silicon-based ultra-wideband automotive radar transceivers

Science.gov (United States)

Jain, Vipul

Since the invention of the integrated circuit, the semiconductor industry has revolutionized the world in ways no one had ever anticipated. With the advent of silicon technologies, consumer electronics became light-weight and affordable and paved the way for an Information-Communication-Entertainment age. While silicon almost completely replaced compound semiconductors from these markets, it has been unable to compete in areas with more stringent requirements due to technology limitations. One of these areas is automotive radar sensors, which will enable next-generation collision-warning systems in automobiles. A low-cost implementation is absolutely essential for widespread use of these systems, which leads us to the subject of this dissertation---silicon-based solutions for automotive radars. This dissertation presents architectures and design techniques for mm-wave automotive radar transceivers. Several fully-integrated transceivers and receivers operating at 22-29 GHz and 77-81 GHz are demonstrated in both CMOS and SiGe BiCMOS technologies. Excellent performance is achieved indicating the suitability of silicon technologies for automotive radar sensors. The first CMOS 22-29-GHz pulse-radar receiver front-end for ultra-wideband radars is presented. The chip includes a low noise amplifier, I/Q mixers, quadrature voltage-controlled oscillators, pulse formers and variable-gain amplifiers. Fabricated in 0.18-mum CMOS, the receiver achieves a conversion gain of 35-38.1 dB and a noise figure of 5.5-7.4 dB. Integration of multi-mode multi-band transceivers on a single chip will enable next-generation low-cost automotive radar sensors. Two highly-integrated silicon ICs are designed in a 0.18-mum BiCMOS technology. These designs are also the first reported demonstrations of mm-wave circuits with high-speed digital circuits on the same chip. The first mm-wave dual-band frequency synthesizer and transceiver, operating in the 24-GHz and 77-GHz bands, are demonstrated. All

77 FR 48097 - Operation of Radar Systems in the 76-77 GHz Band

Science.gov (United States)

2012-08-13

... modify the emission limits for vehicular radar systems operating within the 76-77 GHz band. Specifically.... 15.253 of the rules for vehicular radar systems operating in the 76-77 GHz band. Vehicular radars can... sensors operating in the 76-77 GHz band, the spectrum shall be investigated up to 231 GHz. (f) Fundamental...

Operational Bright-Band Snow Level Detection Using Doppler Radar

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — A method to detect the bright-band snow level from radar reflectivity and Doppler vertical velocity data collection with an atmospheric profiling Doppler radar. The...

Full Ka Band Waveguide-to-Microstrip Inline Transition Design

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Jianxing; Li, Lei; Qiao, Yu; Chen, Juan; Chen, Jianzhong; Zhang, Anxue

2018-05-01

In this paper, a compact and broadband inline waveguide-to-microstrip transition is proposed to cover the full Ka band. The transition can be segmented from the electric point of view into three building blocks, comprising a microstrip line to rectangular coaxial line, a wedged rectangular coaxial line to ridged waveguide, and a final tapered ridged waveguide impedance transformer to standard waveguide. Both good electrical performance and simple modular assembly without any soldering have been simultaneously obtained. The validation of the design concept has been conducted by numerical simulations and experimental measurements. The experimental results of a fabricated back-to-back transition prototype coincide with the simulated results. It shows that the proposed transition achieves good return loss of lower than 15.5 dB and low insertion loss with a fluctuation between 0.23 to 0.60 dB across the entire Ka band. Details of design considerations and operation mechanism as well as simulation and measurement results are presented.

Challenges in X-band Weather Radar Data Calibration

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Thorndahl, Søren; Rasmussen, Michael R.

2009-01-01

Application of weather radar data in urban hydrology is evolving and radar data is now applied for both modelling, analysis and real time control purposes. In these contexts, it is all-important that the radar data well calibrated and adjusted in order to obtain valid quantitative precipitation e...... estimates. This paper compares two calibration procedures for a small marine X-band radar by comparing radar data with rain gauge data. Validation shows a very good consensus with regards to precipitation volumes, but more diverse results on peak rain intensities.......Application of weather radar data in urban hydrology is evolving and radar data is now applied for both modelling, analysis and real time control purposes. In these contexts, it is all-important that the radar data well calibrated and adjusted in order to obtain valid quantitative precipitation...

Improvement of Ka-band satellite link availability for real-time IP-based video contribution

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

G. Berretta

2017-09-01

Full Text Available New High Throughput Satellite (HTS systems allow high throughput IP uplinks/contribution at Ka-band frequencies for relatively lower costs when compared to broadcasting satellite uplinks at Ku band. This technology offers an advantage for live video contribution from remote areas, where the terrestrial infrastructure may not be adequate. On the other hand, the Ka-band is more subject to impairments due to rain or bad weather. This paper addresses the target system specification and provides an optimized approach for the transmission of IP-based video flows through HTS commercial services operating at Ka-band frequencies. In particular, the focus of this study is on the service requirements and the propagation analysis that provide a reference architecture to improve the overall link availability. The approach proposed herein leads to the introduction of a new concept of live service contribution using pairs of small satellite antennas and cheap satellite terminals.

Additive manufacturing of Ka-band antennas for wireless communications

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Armendariz, Unai; Rommel, Simon; Rodríguez Páez, Juan Sebastián

2016-01-01

This paper presents the design and fabrication of WR-28 waveguide horn antennas operating in the Ka-band frequency range between 26.5 GHz and 40 GHz through 3D printing. Three different antennas are fabricated from polylactide acid filaments in conductive and non-conductive variants; the latter i...

An improved hydrometeor detection method for millimeter-wavelength cloud radar

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

J. Ge

2017-07-01

Full Text Available A modified method with a new noise reduction scheme that can reduce the noise distribution to a narrow range is proposed to distinguish clouds and other hydrometeors from noise and recognize more features with weak signal in cloud radar observations. A spatial filter with central weighting, which is widely used in cloud radar hydrometeor detection algorithms, is also applied in our method to examine radar return for significant levels of signals. Square clouds were constructed to test our algorithm and the method used for the US Department of Energy Atmospheric Radiation Measurements Program millimeter-wavelength cloud radar. We also applied both the methods to 6 months of cloud radar observations at the Semi-Arid Climate and Environment Observatory of Lanzhou University and compared the results. It was found that our method has significant advantages in reducing the rates of both failed negative and false positive hydrometeor identifications in simulated clouds and recognizing clouds with weak signal from our cloud radar observations.

Development of Method for X-band Weather Radar Calibration

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nielsen, Jesper Ellerbæk; Thorndahl, Søren Liedtke; Rasmussen, Michael R.

2013-01-01

Calibration of the X-band LAWR (Local Area Weather Radar) is traditionally based on an assumed linear relation between the LAWRradar output and the rainfall intensity. However, closer inspections of the data reveal that the validity of this linear assumption is doubtful. Previous studies of this ......Calibration of the X-band LAWR (Local Area Weather Radar) is traditionally based on an assumed linear relation between the LAWRradar output and the rainfall intensity. However, closer inspections of the data reveal that the validity of this linear assumption is doubtful. Previous studies...... of this type of weather radar have also illustrated that the radar commonly has difficulties in estimating high rain rates. Therefore, a new radar–rainfall transformation model and a calibration method have been developed. The new method is based on nonlinear assumptions and is aimed at describing the whole...

Factors influencing the temporal growth rate of the high order TM{sub 0n} modes in the Ka-band overmoded Cherenkov oscillator

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wu, Dapeng, E-mail: vipbenjamin@163.com; Shu, Ting; Ju, Jinchuan [College of Photoelectric Science and Engineering, National University of Defense Technology, Changsha 410073 (China)

2015-06-15

When the wavelength of overmoded Cherenkov oscillator goes into Ka-band, power handling capacity becomes an essential issue. Using the TM{sub 02} mode or higher order TM{sub 0n} modes as the operating mode is a potential solution. This paper is aimed to find some proper parameters to make the temporal growth rate of the TM{sub 02} mode higher in our previously studied Gigawatt (GW)-class Ka band oscillator. An accurate and fast calculation method of the “hot” dispersion equation is derived for rectangular corrugated SWSs, which are widely used in the high frequency Cherenkov devices. Then, factors that affect the temporal growth rate of the high order TM{sub 0n} modes are analyzed, including the depth of corrugation, the radius of drift tube, and the diode voltage. Results show that, when parameters are chosen properly, the temporal growth rate of the TM{sub 02} mode can be as high as 0.3 ns{sup −1}.

Radar detection of Vesta

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ostro, S.J.; Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y.); Campbell, D.B.; Pettengill, G.H.

1980-01-01

Asteroid 4 Vesta was detected on November 6, 1979 with the Arecibo Observatory's S-band (12.6-cm-wavelength) radar. The echo power spectrum, received in the circular polarization opposite to that transmitted, yields a radar cross section of (0.2 + or - 0.1)pi a-squared, for a 272 km. The data are too noisy to permit derivation of Vesta's rotation period

Digitally tunable dual wavelength emission from semiconductor ring lasers with filtered optical feedback

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Khoder, Mulham; Verschaffelt, Guy; Nguimdo, Romain Modeste; Danckaert, Jan; Leijtens, Xaveer; Bolk, Jeroen

2013-01-01

We report on a novel integrated approach to obtain dual wavelength emission from a semiconductor laser based on on-chip filtered optical feedback. Using this approach, we show experiments and numerical simulations of dual wavelength emission of a semiconductor ring laser. The filtered optical feedback is realized on-chip by employing two arrayed waveguide gratings to split/recombine light into different wavelength channels. Semiconductor optical amplifiers are placed in the feedback loop in order to control the feedback strength of each wavelength channel independently. By tuning the current injected into each of the amplifiers, we can effectively cancel the gain difference between the wavelength channels due to fabrication and material dichroism, thus resulting in stable dual wavelength emission. We also explore the accuracy needed in the operational parameters to maintain this dual wavelength emission. (letter)

Efficient color-tunable multiexcitonic dual wavelength emission from Type II semiconductor tetrapods.

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Wen-Ya; Li, Mingjie; Lian, Jie; Wu, Xiangyang; Yeow, Edwin K L; Jhon, Mark H; Chan, Yinthai

2014-09-23

We synthesized colloidal InP/ZnS seeded CdS tetrapods by harnessing the structural stability of the InP/ZnS seed nanocrystals at the high reaction temperatures needed to grow the CdS arms. Because of an unexpected Type II band alignment at the interface of the InP/ZnS core and CdS arms that enhanced the occurrence of radiative excitonic recombination in CdS, these tetrapods were found to be capable of exhibiting highly efficient multiexcitonic dual wavelength emission of equal intensity at spectrally distinct wavelengths of ∼485 and ∼675 nm. Additionally, the Type II InP/ZnS seeded CdS tetrapods displayed a wider range of pump-dependent emission color-tunability (from red to white to blue) within the context of a CIE 1931 chromaticity diagram and possessed higher photostability due to suppressed multiexcitonic Auger recombination when compared to conventional Type I CdSe seeded CdS tetrapods. By employing time-resolved spectroscopy measurements, we were able to attribute the wide emission color-tunability to the large valence band offset between InP and CdS. This work highlights the importance of band alignment in the synthetic design of semiconductor nanoheterostructures, which can exhibit color-tunable multiwavelength emission with high efficiency and photostability.

Ferroelectric switch for a high-power Ka-band active pulse compressor

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hirshfield, Jay L. [Omega-P, Inc., New Haven, CT (United States)

2013-12-18

Results are presented for design of a high-power microwave switch for operation at 34.3 GHz, intended for use in an active RF pulse compressor. The active element in the switch is a ring of ferroelectric material, whose dielectric constant can be rapidly changed by application of a high-voltage pulse. As envisioned, two of these switches would be built into a pair of delay lines, as in SLED-II at SLAC, so as to allow 30-MW μs-length Ka-band pulses to be compressed in time by a factor-of-9 and multiplied in amplitude to generate 200 MW peak power pulses. Such high-power pulses could be used for testing and evaluation of high-gradient mm-wave accelerator structures, for example. Evaluation of the switch design was carried out with an X-band (11.43 GHz) prototype, built to incorporate all the features required for the Ka-band version.

High-temperature superconducting coplanar-waveguide quarter-wavelength resonator with odd- and even-mode resonant frequencies for dual-band bandpass filter

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Satoh, Kei; Takagi, Yuta; Narahashi, Shoichi [Research Laboratories, NTT DOCOMO, INC., 3-6 Hikari-no-oka Yokosuka, Kanagawa 239-8536 Japan (Japan); Nojima, Toshio, E-mail: satokei@nttdocomo.co.j [Graduate School of Information Science and Technology, Hokkaido University, Kita 14, Nishi 9, Kita-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido 060-0814 Japan (Japan)

2010-06-01

This paper presents a high-temperature superconducting coplanar-waveguide quarter-wavelength resonator that has two different resonant modes for use in a dual-band bandpass filter (DBPF). An RF filter with multiple passbands such as the DBPF is a basic element that is expected to achieve broadband transmission by using separated frequency bands aggregately and simultaneously in future mobile communication systems. The proposed resonator has a folded center conductor and two open stubs that are aligned close to it. The odd- and even-mode resonant frequencies are configured using the space between the folded center conductor and the open stubs. It is easy to configure the odd- and even-mode coupling coefficients independently because the two resonant modes have different current density distributions. Consequently, a DBPF with two different bandwidths can be easily designed. This paper presents three design examples for a four-pole Chebyshev DBPF with different combinations of fractional bandwidths in order to investigate the validity of the proposed resonator. This paper also presents measured results of the DBPF based on the design examples from the standpoint of experimental investigation. The designed and measured frequency responses confirm that the proposed resonator is effective in achieving DBPFs not only with two of the same bandwidths but also with two different bandwidths.

Impact of dual-polarization radar technology and Twitter on the Hattiesburg, Mississippi tornado.

Science.gov (United States)

Cates, Alexis L; Arnold, Brent W; Cooper, Guy Paul; Yeager, Violet; Stake, Josh; Ali, Mohammed; Calderone, Richard C; Wilkinson, James; Hsu, Edbert; Parrillo, Steven; Piper, Steven; Subbarao, Italo

2013-12-01

Dual-Polarization Radar and Twitter were analyzed to determine the impact on injuries sustained by the Hattiesburg EF-4 tornado. Tracking data provided from the Dual-Pol radar systems in National Weather Service Jackson were reviewed. Twitter data from four local Twitter handles were obtained. The change in tweets and followers for the day of the storm were compared to historical averages. A Student t-test was utilized in determining statistical significance (ptornado. An Injury Severity Score (ISS) was calculated for trauma records related to the tornado. Radar detection of the tornado gave approximately 30 minutes of advanced warning time. Statistical significance in follower growth was seen in all four Twitter handles. Out of 50 patients, the average ISS was 3.9 with a range of 1 to 29. There were zero fatalities. An ISS average of 3.9 was significantly less than two previous tornadoes of similar strength that occurred prior to increased usage of Dual-pol radar and Twitter as a means for communicating severe weather information. Early detection from Dual-pol radar improved warning time. Tweets informed citizens to seek appropriate shelter. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2013;7:585-592).

A dual-wavelength tunable laser with superimposed fiber Bragg gratings

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Álvarez-Tamayo, R I; Durán-Sánchez, M; Pottiez, O; Ibarra-Escamilla, B; Kuzin, E A; Cruz, J L; Andrés, M V

2013-01-01

We report a dual-wavelength tunable fiber laser. The cavity is formed by two superimposed fiber Bragg gratings (FBGs) and a temperature tunable high-birefringence fiber optical loop mirror (FOLM). FBGs with wavelengths of 1548.5 and 1538.5 nm were printed in the same section of a fiber using two different masks. The superimposed FBGs were placed on a mechanical mount that allows stretch or compression of the FBGs. As a result of the FBG strain both lines are shifted simultaneously. Dual-wavelength generation requires a fine adjustment of the cavity loss for both wavelengths. (paper)

Electromagnetic Properties of Graphene-like Films in Ka-Band

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sofia Voronovich

2014-05-01

Full Text Available We studied electromagnetic properties of pyrolytic carbon (PyC films with thicknesses from 9 nm to 110 nm. The PyC films consisted of randomly oriented and intertwined graphene flakes with a typical size of a few nanometers were synthesized by chemical vapor deposition (CVD at 1100 °C on a quartz substrate. The reflectance and transmittance of these films in Ka-band, 26–37 GHz, were studied both experimentally and theoretically. The discovered remarkably high absorption loss of up to 50% of incident power, along with chemical stability, makes PyC films attractive for electromagnetic (EM interference shielding in space and airspace communication systems, as well as in portable electronic devices occupying this frequency slot. Since, in practical applications, the PyC film should be employed for coating of dielectric surfaces, two important issues to be addressed are: (i which side (front or back of the substrate should be covered to ensure maximum absorption losses; and (ii the frequency dependence of absorbance/transmittance/reflectance of binary PyC/quartz structures in the Ka-band.

Based on graphene tunable dual-band terahertz metamaterial absorber with wide-angle

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Mulin; Cheng, Yongzhi; Cheng, Zhengze; Chen, Haoran; Mao, Xuesong; Gong, Rongzhou

2018-05-01

We present a wide-angle tunable dual-band terahertz (THz) metamaterial absorber (MMA) based on square graphene patch (SGP). This MMA is a simple periodic array, consisting of a dielectric substrate sandwiched with the SGP and a continuous metallic film. The designed MMA can achieve dual-band absorption by exciting fundamental and second higher-order resonance modes on SGP. The numerical simulations indicate that the absorption spectrum of the designed MMA is tuned from 0.85 THz to 1.01 THz, and from 2.84 THz to 3.37 THz when the chemical potential of the SGP is increasing from 0.4eV to 0.8eV. Moreover, it operates well in a wide-angle of the incident waves. The presented THz MMA based on the SGP could find some potential applications in optoelectronic related devices, such as sensor, emitter and wavelength selective radiators.

CAMEX-4 MOBILE X-BAND POLARIMETRIC WEATHER RADAR V1

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — Mobile X-band Polarimetric Weather Radar on Wheels (X-POW)is a Doppler scanning radar operating at 9.3 GHz.with horizontal and vertical polarization. Used for...

Switchable dual-wavelength single-longitudinal-mode erbium fiber laser utilizing a dual-ring scheme with a saturable absorber

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Zi-Qing; Huang, Tzu-Jung; Chang, Yao-Jen; Yeh, Chien-Hung; Chow, Chi-Wai; Chen, Jing-Heng; Chen, Kun-Huang

2018-06-01

In this work, we propose and demonstrate a switchable dual-wavelength erbium-doped fiber (EDF) ring laser with stable single-longitudinal-mode (SLM) output. Here, a dual-ring (DR) structure with an unpumped EDF of 2 m is designed to achieve SLM oscillation. Five fiber Bragg gratings (FBGs) are applied in the laser cavity serving as the reflective element to generate different dual-wavelength outputs. In the measurement, six sets of generated dual-wavelengths with various mode-spacing (Δλ) can be achieved via the five FBGs. Additionally, the stability performance of the proposed EDF DR laser is also demonstrated.

Multifractal analysis of different hydrological products of X-band radar

Science.gov (United States)

Skouri-Plakali, Ilektra; Da Silva Rocha Paz, Igor; Ichiba, Abdellah; Gires, Auguste; Tchiguirinskaia, Ioulia; Schertzer, Daniel

2017-04-01

Rainfall is widely considered as the hydrological process that triggers all the others. Its accurate measurements are crucial especially when they are used afterwards for the hydrological modeling of urban and peri-urban catchments for decision-making. Rainfall is a complex process and is scale dependent in space and time. Hence a high spatial and temporal resolution of the data is more appropriate for urban modeling. Therefore, a great interest of high-resolution measurements of precipitation in space and time is manifested. Radar technologies have not stopped evolving since their first appearance about the mid-twentieth. Indeed, the turning point work by Marshall-Palmer (1948) has established the Z - R power-law relation that has been widely used, with major scientific efforts being devoted to find "the best choice" of the two associated parameters. Nowadays X-band radars, being provided with dual-polarization and Doppler means, offer more accurate data of higher resolution. The fact that drops are oblate induces a differential phase shift between the two polarizations. The quantity most commonly used for the rainfall rate computation is actually the specific differential phase shift, which is the gradient of the differential phase shift along the radial beam direction. It is even stronger correlated to the rain rate R than reflectivity Z. Hence the rain rate can be computed with a different power-law relation, which again depends on only two parameters. Furthermore, an attenuation correction is needed to adjust the loss of radar energy due to the absorption and scattering as it passes through the atmosphere. Due to natural variations of reflectivity with altitude, vertical profile of reflectivity should be corrected as well. There are some other typical radar data filtering procedures, all resulting in various hydrological products. In this work, we use the Universal Multifractal framework to analyze and to inter-compare different products of X-band radar

Dual-band frequency selective surface with large band separation and stable performance

Science.gov (United States)

Zhou, Hang; Qu, Shao-Bo; Peng, Wei-Dong; Lin, Bao-Qin; Wang, Jia-Fu; Ma, Hua; Zhang, Jie-Qiu; Bai, Peng; Wang, Xu-Hua; Xu, Zhuo

2012-05-01

A new technique of designing a dual-band frequency selective surface with large band separation is presented. This technique is based on a delicately designed topology of L- and Ku-band microwave filters. The two band-pass responses are generated by a capacitively-loaded square-loop frequency selective surface and an aperture-coupled frequency selective surface, respectively. A Faraday cage is located between the two frequency selective surface structures to eliminate undesired couplings. Based on this technique, a dual-band frequency selective surface with large band separation is designed, which possesses large band separation, high selectivity, and stable performance under various incident angles and different polarizations.

A 3D printed dual GSM band near isotropic on-package antenna

KAUST Repository

Zhen, Su

2017-10-25

In this paper, we propose an on-package dual band monopole antenna with near-isotropic radiation pattern for GSM mobile applications. The proposed antenna is well matched for both GSM 900 and 1800 bands and provides decent gain for both the bands (1.67 and 3.27 dBi at 900 MHz and 1800 MHz respectively). The antenna is printed with silver ink on a 3D printed polymer based package. The package houses the GSM electronics and the battery. By optimizing the antenna arms width and length, a near-isotropic radiation pattern is achieved. Unlike the published isotropic antennas which are either single band or large in size, the proposed antenna covers both GSM bands with required bandwidth and is only half wavelength long. The design is low cost and highly suitable for various GSM applications such as localization, in additional to conventional communication applications.

Dual-band frequency selective surface with large band separation and stable performance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhou Hang; Qu Shao-Bo; Lin Bao-Qin; Wang Jia-Fu; Ma Hua; Zhang Jie-Qiu; Peng Wei-Dong; Bai Peng; Wang Xu-Hua; Xu Zhuo

2012-01-01

A new technique of designing a dual-band frequency selective surface with large band separation is presented. This technique is based on a delicately designed topology of L- and Ku-band microwave filters. The two band-pass responses are generated by a capacitively-loaded square-loop frequency selective surface and an aperture-coupled frequency selective surface, respectively. A Faraday cage is located between the two frequency selective surface structures to eliminate undesired couplings. Based on this technique, a dual-band frequency selective surface with large band separation is designed, which possesses large band separation, high selectivity, and stable performance under various incident angles and different polarizations. (electromagnetism, optics, acoustics, heat transfer, classical mechanics, and fluid dynamics)

Development and Application of integrated monitoring platform for the Doppler Weather SA-BAND Radar

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Q.; Sun, J.; Zhao, C. C.; Chen, H. Y.

2017-10-01

The doppler weather SA-band radar is an important part of modern meteorological observation methods, monitoring the running status of radar and the data transmission is important.This paper introduced the composition of radar system and classification of radar data,analysed the characteristics and laws of the radar when is normal or abnormal. Using Macromedia Dreamweaver and PHP, developed the integrated monitoring platform for the doppler weather SA-band radar which could monitor the real-time radar system running status and important performance indicators such as radar power,status parameters and others on Web page,and when the status is abnormal it will trigger the audio alarm.

Ka Band Phase Locked Loop Oscillator Dielectric Resonator Oscillator for Satellite EHF Band Receiver

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S. Coco

2008-01-01

Full Text Available This paper describes the design and fabrication of a Ka Band PLL DRO having a fundamental oscillation frequency of 19.250 GHz, used as local oscillator in the low-noise block of a down converter (LNB for an EHF band receiver. Apposite circuital models have been created to describe the behaviour of the dielectric resonator and of the active component used in the oscillator core. The DRO characterization and measurements have shown very good agreement with simulation results. A good phase noise performance is obtained by using a very high Q dielectric resonator.

Digital Conically Scanned L-Band Radar, Phase II

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — The proposed effort seeks to develop a digitally steered polarimetric phased array L-Band radar utilizing a novel, high performance architecture leveraging recent...

Quantitative precipitation estimation in complex orography using quasi-vertical profiles of dual polarization radar variables

Science.gov (United States)

Montopoli, Mario; Roberto, Nicoletta; Adirosi, Elisa; Gorgucci, Eugenio; Baldini, Luca

2017-04-01

Weather radars are nowadays a unique tool to estimate quantitatively the rain precipitation near the surface. This is an important task for a plenty of applications. For example, to feed hydrological models, mitigate the impact of severe storms at the ground using radar information in modern warning tools as well as aid the validation studies of satellite-based rain products. With respect to the latter application, several ground validation studies of the Global Precipitation Mission (GPM) products have recently highlighted the importance of accurate QPE from ground-based weather radars. To date, a plenty of works analyzed the performance of various QPE algorithms making use of actual and synthetic experiments, possibly trained by measurement of particle size distributions and electromagnetic models. Most of these studies support the use of dual polarization variables not only to ensure a good level of radar data quality but also as a direct input in the rain estimation equations. Among others, one of the most important limiting factors in radar QPE accuracy is the vertical variability of particle size distribution that affects at different levels, all the radar variables acquired as well as rain rates. This is particularly impactful in mountainous areas where the altitudes of the radar sampling is likely several hundred of meters above the surface. In this work, we analyze the impact of the vertical profile variations of rain precipitation on several dual polarization radar QPE algorithms when they are tested a in complex orography scenario. So far, in weather radar studies, more emphasis has been given to the extrapolation strategies that make use of the signature of the vertical profiles in terms of radar co-polar reflectivity. This may limit the use of the radar vertical profiles when dual polarization QPE algorithms are considered because in that case all the radar variables used in the rain estimation process should be consistently extrapolated at the surface

The design of long wavelength planetary SAR sensor and its applications for monitoring shallow sub-surface of Moon and planets.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, K.

2015-12-01

SAR observations over planetary surface have been conducted mainly in two ways. The first is the subsurface sounding, for example Mars Advanced Radar for Subsurface and Ionosphere Sounding (MARSIS) and Shallow Surface Radar (SHARAD), using ground penetration capability of long wavelength electromagnetic waves. On the other hand, imaging SAR sensors using burst mode design have been employed to acquire surface observations in the presence of opaque atmospheres such as in the case of Venus and Titan. We propose a lightweight SAR imaging system with P/L band wavelength to cover the vertical observation gap of these planetary radar observation schemes. The sensor is for investigating prominent surface and near-subsurface geological structures and physical characteristics. Such measurements will support landers and rover missions as well as future manned missions. We evaluate required power consumption, and estimate mass and horizontal resolution, which can be as good as 3-7 meters. Initial specifications for P/L dual band SARs for the lunar case at 130 km orbital altitude were designed already based on a assumptions that sufficient size antenna (>3m width diameter or width about 3m and >10kg weight) can be equipped. Useful science measurements to be obtained include: (1) derivation of subsurface regolith depth; 2) Surface and shallow subsurface radar imaging, together with radar ranging techniques such as radargrammetry and inteferometry. The concepts in this study can be used as an important technical basis for the future solid plant/satellite missions and already proposed for the 2018 Korean Lunar mission.

Dual-wavelength erbium-doped fiber laser with asymmetric fiber Bragg grating Fabry-Perot cavity

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Cong; Xu, Zhi-wei; Wang, Meng; Chen, Hai-yan

2014-11-01

A novel dual-wavelength fiber laser with asymmetric fiber Bragg grating (FBG) Fabry-Perot (FP) cavity is proposed and experimentally demonstrated. A couple of uniform FBGs are used as the cavity mirrors, and the third FBG is used as intracavity wavelength selector by changing its operation temperature. Experimental results show that by adjusting the operation temperature of the intracavity wavelength selector, a tunable dual-wavelength laser emission can be achieved. The results demonstrate the new concept of dual-wavelength lasing with asymmetric FBG FP resonator and its technical feasibility.

Construction of Polarimetric Radar-Based Reference Rain Maps for the Iowa Flood Studies Campaign

Science.gov (United States)

Petersen, Walt; Krajewski, Witek; Wolff, David; Gatlin, Patrick

2015-04-01

The Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Mission Iowa Flood Studies (IFloodS) campaign was conducted in central and northeastern Iowa during the months of April-June, 2013. Specific science objectives for IFloodS included quantification of uncertainties in satellite and ground-based estimates of precipitation, 4-D characterization of precipitation physical processes and associated parameters (e.g., size distributions, water contents, types, structure etc.), assessment of the impact of precipitation estimation uncertainty and physical processes on hydrologic predictive skill, and refinement of field observations and data analysis approaches as they pertain to future GPM integrated hydrologic validation and related field studies. In addition to field campaign archival of raw and processed satellite data (including precipitation products), key ground-based platforms such as the NASA NPOL S-band and D3R Ka/Ku-band dual-polarimetric radars, University of Iowa X-band dual-polarimetric radars, a large network of paired rain gauge platforms, and a large network of 2D Video and Parsivel disdrometers were deployed. In something of a canonical approach, the radar (NPOL in particular), gauge and disdrometer observational assets were deployed to create a consistent high-quality distributed (time and space sampling) radar-based ground "reference" rainfall dataset, with known uncertainties, that could be used for assessing the satellite-based precipitation products at a range of space/time scales. Subsequently, the impact of uncertainties in the satellite products could be evaluated relative to the ground-benchmark in coupled weather, land-surface and distributed hydrologic modeling frameworks as related to flood prediction. Relative to establishing the ground-based "benchmark", numerous avenues were pursued in the making and verification of IFloodS "reference" dual-polarimetric radar-based rain maps, and this study documents the process and results as they pertain specifically

Construction of Polarimetric Radar-Based Reference Rain Maps for the Iowa Flood Studies Campaign

Science.gov (United States)

Petersen, Walter; Wolff, David; Krajewski, Witek; Gatlin, Patrick

2015-01-01

The Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Mission Iowa Flood Studies (IFloodS) campaign was conducted in central and northeastern Iowa during the months of April-June, 2013. Specific science objectives for IFloodS included quantification of uncertainties in satellite and ground-based estimates of precipitation, 4-D characterization of precipitation physical processes and associated parameters (e.g., size distributions, water contents, types, structure etc.), assessment of the impact of precipitation estimation uncertainty and physical processes on hydrologic predictive skill, and refinement of field observations and data analysis approaches as they pertain to future GPM integrated hydrologic validation and related field studies. In addition to field campaign archival of raw and processed satellite data (including precipitation products), key ground-based platforms such as the NASA NPOL S-band and D3R Ka/Ku-band dual-polarimetric radars, University of Iowa X-band dual-polarimetric radars, a large network of paired rain gauge platforms, and a large network of 2D Video and Parsivel disdrometers were deployed. In something of a canonical approach, the radar (NPOL in particular), gauge and disdrometer observational assets were deployed to create a consistent high-quality distributed (time and space sampling) radar-based ground "reference" rainfall dataset, with known uncertainties, that could be used for assessing the satellite-based precipitation products at a range of space/time scales. Subsequently, the impact of uncertainties in the satellite products could be evaluated relative to the ground-benchmark in coupled weather, land-surface and distributed hydrologic modeling frameworks as related to flood prediction. Relative to establishing the ground-based "benchmark", numerous avenues were pursued in the making and verification of IFloodS "reference" dual-polarimetric radar-based rain maps, and this study documents the process and results as they pertain specifically

Partially Observable Markov Decision Process-Based Transmission Policy over Ka-Band Channels for Space Information Networks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jian Jiao

2017-09-01

Full Text Available The Ka-band and higher Q/V band channels can provide an appealing capacity for the future deep-space communications and Space Information Networks (SIN, which are viewed as a primary solution to satisfy the increasing demands for high data rate services. However, Ka-band channel is much more sensitive to the weather conditions than the conventional communication channels. Moreover, due to the huge distance and long propagation delay in SINs, the transmitter can only obtain delayed Channel State Information (CSI from feedback. In this paper, the noise temperature of time-varying rain attenuation at Ka-band channels is modeled to a two-state Gilbert–Elliot channel, to capture the channel capacity that randomly ranging from good to bad state. An optimal transmission scheme based on Partially Observable Markov Decision Processes (POMDP is proposed, and the key thresholds for selecting the optimal transmission method in the SIN communications are derived. Simulation results show that our proposed scheme can effectively improve the throughput.

Integrated, Dual Orthogonal Antennas for Polarimetric Ground Penetrating Radar

Science.gov (United States)

Pauli, Mario; Wiesbeck, Werner

2015-04-01

Ground penetrating radar systems are mostly equipped with single polarized antennas, for example with single linear polarization or with circular polarization. The radiated waves are partly reflected at the ground surface and very often the penetrating waves are distorted in their polarization. The distortion depends on the ground homogeneity and the orientation of the antennas relative to the ground structure. The received signals from the reflecting objects may most times only be classified according to their coverage and intensity. This makes the recognition of the objects difficult or impossible. In airborne and spaceborne Remote Sensing the systems are meanwhile mostly equipped with front ends with dual orthogonal polarized antennas for a full polarimetric operation. The received signals, registered in 2x2 scattering matrices according to co- and cross polarization, are processed for the evaluation of all features of the targets. Ground penetrating radars could also profit from the scientific results of Remote Sensing. The classification of detected objects for their structure and orientation requires more information in the reflected signal than can be measured with a single polarization [1, 2]. In this paper dual linear, orthogonal polarized antennas with a common single, frequency independent phase center, are presented [3]. The relative bandwidth of these antennas can be 1:3, up to 1:4. The antenna is designed to work in the frequency range between 3 GHz and 11 GHz, but can be easily adapted to the GPR frequency range by scaling. The size of the antenna scaled for operation in typical GPR frequencies would approximately be 20 by 20 cm2. By the implementation in a dielectric carrier it could be reduced in size if required. The major problem for ultra wide band, dual polarized antennas is the frequency independent feed network, realizing the required phase shifts. For these antennas a network, which is frequency independent over a wide range, has been

High Efficiency Ka-Band Spatial Combiner

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

D. Passi

2014-12-01

Full Text Available A Ka-Band, High Efficiency, Small Size Spatial Combiner (SPC is proposed in this paper, which uses an innovatively matched quadruple Fin Lines to microstrip (FLuS transitions. At the date of this paper and at the Author's best knowledge no such FLuS innovative transitions have been reported in literature before. These transitions are inserted into a WR28 waveguide T-junction, in order to allow the integration of 16 Monolithic Microwave Integrated Circuit (MMIC Solid State Power Amplifiers (SSPA's. A computational electromagnetic model using the finite elements method has been implemented. A mean insertion loss of 2 dB is achieved with a return loss better the 10 dB in the 31-37 GHz bandwidth.

Design and implementation of a dual-wavelength intrinsic fluorescence camera system

Science.gov (United States)

Ortega-Martinez, Antonio; Musacchia, Joseph J.; Gutierrez-Herrera, Enoch; Wang, Ying; Franco, Walfre

2017-03-01

Intrinsic UV fluorescence imaging is a technique that permits the observation of spatial differences in emitted fluorescence. It relies on the fluorescence produced by the innate fluorophores in the sample, and thus can be used for marker-less in-vivo assessment of tissue. It has been studied as a tool for the study of the skin, specifically for the classification of lesions, the delimitation of lesion borders and the study of wound healing, among others. In its most basic setup, a sample is excited with a narrow-band UV light source and the resulting fluorescence is imaged with a UV sensitive camera filtered to the emission wavelength of interest. By carefully selecting the excitation/emission pair, we can observe changes in fluorescence associated with physiological processes. One of the main drawbacks of this simple setup is the inability to observe more than a single excitation/emission pair at the same time, as some phenomena are better studied when two or more different pairs are studied simultaneously. In this work, we describe the design and the hardware and software implementation of a dual wavelength portable UV fluorescence imaging system. Its main components are an UV camera, a dual wavelength UV LED illuminator (295 and 345 nm) and two different emission filters (345 and 390 nm) that can be swapped by a mechanical filter wheel. The system is operated using a laptop computer and custom software that performs basic pre-processing to improve the image. The system was designed to allow us to image fluorescent peaks of tryptophan and collagen cross links in order to study wound healing progression.

Ultra-Wideband, Dual-Polarized, Beam-Steering P-Band Array Antenna

Science.gov (United States)

duToit, Cornelis

2014-01-01

A dual-polarized, wide-bandwidth (200 MHz for one polarization, 100 MHz for the orthogonal polarization) antenna array at P-band was designed to be driven by NASA's EcoSAR digital beam former. EcoSAR requires two wide P-band antenna arrays mounted on the wings of an aircraft, each capable of steering its main beam up to 35deg off-boresight, allowing the twin radar beams to be steered at angles to the flight path. The science requirements are mainly for dual-polarization capability and a wide bandwidth of operation of up to 200 MHz if possible, but at least 100 MHz with high polarization port isolation and low cross-polarization. The novel design geometry can be scaled with minor modifications up to about four times higher or down to about half the current design frequencies for any application requiring a dual-polarized, wide-bandwidth steerable antenna array. EcoSAR is an airborne interferometric P-band synthetic aperture radar (SAR) research application for studying two- and three-dimensional fine-scale measurements of terrestrial ecosystem structure and biomass, which will ultimately aid in the broader study of the carbon cycle and climate change. The two 2×8 element Pband antenna arrays required by the system will be separated by a baseline of about 25 m, allowing for interferometry measurements. The wide 100-to- 200-MHz bandwidth dual-polarized beams employed will allow the determination of the amount of biomass and even tree height on the ground. To reduce the size of the patches along the boresight dimension in order to fit them into the available space, two techniques were employed. One technique is to add slots along the edges of each patch where the main electric currents are expected to flow, and the other technique is to bend the central part of the patch away from the ground plane. The latter also facilitates higher mechanical rigidity. The high port isolation of more than 40 dB was achieved by employing a highly symmetrical feed mechanism for each

Dual-Frequency, Dual-Polarization Microstrip Antenna Development for High-Resolution, Airborne SAR

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Granholm, Johan; Skou, N.

2000-01-01

synthetic aperture radar (SAR) system. The dual-frequency array concept adopted relies on the use of probe-fed perforated, stacked patches for L-band (1.2-1.3 GHz). Inside these perforations probe-fed, wideband stacked microstrip patches for C-band (4.9-5.7 GHz) are placed. Measured impedance and radiation...

Ku-Band radar penetration into Snow over Arctic Sea Ice

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hendricks, Stefan; Stenseng, Lars; Helm, Veit

is the snow/air interface, whereas radar waves interact with the variable physical properties of the snow cover on the Arctic sea ice. In addition, radar elevation measurements may vary for different retracker algorithms, which determine the track point of the scattered echo power distribution. Since accurate...... knowledge of the reflection horizon is critical for sea ice thickness retrieval, validation data is necessary to investigate the penetration of radar waves into the snow for the upcoming CryoSat-2 mission. Furthermore, the combination of both optical and RF wavelengths might be used to derive snow thickness......, if radar altimeters are capable of measuring the distance to the snow-ice interface reliably. We present the results of aircraft campaigns in the Arctic with a scanning laser altimeter and the Airborne SAR/Interferometric Radar Altimeter System (ASIRAS) of the European Space Agency. The elevation...

MMIC for High-Efficiency Ka-BAnd GaN Power Amplifiers (2007043), Phase I

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — This proposal addresses the need for high-efficiency, high-output power amplifiers operating in the Ka-band frequencies. For space communications, the power...

Single-Band and Dual-Band Infrared Detectors

Science.gov (United States)

Ting, David Z. (Inventor); Gunapala, Sarath D. (Inventor); Soibel, Alexander (Inventor); Nguyen, Jean (Inventor); Khoshakhlagh, Arezou (Inventor)

2017-01-01

Bias-switchable dual-band infrared detectors and methods of manufacturing such detectors are provided. The infrared detectors are based on a back-to-back heterojunction diode design, where the detector structure consists of, sequentially, a top contact layer, a unipolar hole barrier layer, an absorber layer, a unipolar electron barrier, a second absorber, a second unipolar hole barrier, and a bottom contact layer. In addition, by substantially reducing the width of one of the absorber layers, a single-band infrared detector can also be formed.

A New Blind Pointing Model Improves Large Reflector Antennas Precision Pointing at Ka-Band (32 GHz)

Science.gov (United States)

Rochblatt, David J.

2009-01-01

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)-Deep Space Network (DSN) subnet of 34-m Beam Waveguide (BWG) Antennas was recently upgraded with Ka-Band (32-GHz) frequency feeds for space research and communication. For normal telemetry tracking a Ka-Band monopulse system is used, which typically yields 1.6-mdeg mean radial error (MRE) pointing accuracy on the 34-m diameter antennas. However, for the monopulse to be able to acquire and lock, for special radio science applications where monopulse cannot be used, or as a back-up for the monopulse, high-precision open-loop blind pointing is required. This paper describes a new 4th order pointing model and calibration technique, which was developed and applied to the DSN 34-m BWG antennas yielding 1.8 to 3.0-mdeg MRE pointing accuracy and amplitude stability of 0.2 dB, at Ka-Band, and successfully used for the CASSINI spacecraft occultation experiment at Saturn and Titan. In addition, the new 4th order pointing model was used during a telemetry experiment at Ka-Band (32 GHz) utilizing the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) spacecraft while at a distance of 0.225 astronomical units (AU) from Earth and communicating with a DSN 34-m BWG antenna at a record high rate of 6-megabits per second (Mb/s).

Coherent laser radar with dual-frequency Doppler estimation and interferometric range detection

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Onori, D.; Scotti, F.; Laghezza, F.; Scaffardi, M.; Bogoni, A.

2016-01-01

The concept of a coherent interferometric dual frequency laser radar, that measures both the target range and velocity, is presented and experimentally demonstrated. The innovative architecture combines the dual frequency lidar concept, allowing a precise and robust Doppler estimation, with the

Evaluation of X-band polarimetric radar estimation of rainfall and rain drop size distribution parameters in West Africa

Science.gov (United States)

Koffi, A. K.; Gosset, M.; Zahiri, E.-P.; Ochou, A. D.; Kacou, M.; Cazenave, F.; Assamoi, P.

2014-06-01

As part of the African Monsoon Multidisciplinary Analysis (AMMA) field campaign an X-band dual-polarization Doppler radar was deployed in Benin, West-Africa, in 2006 and 2007, together with a reinforced rain gauge network and several optical disdrometers. Based on this data set, a comparative study of several rainfall estimators that use X-band polarimetric radar data is presented. In tropical convective systems as encountered in Benin, microwave attenuation by rain is significant and quantitative precipitation estimation (QPE) at X-band is a challenge. Here, several algorithms based on the combined use of reflectivity, differential reflectivity and differential phase shift are evaluated against rain gauges and disdrometers. Four rainfall estimators were tested on twelve rainy events: the use of attenuation corrected reflectivity only (estimator R(ZH)), the use of the specific phase shift only R(KDP), the combination of specific phase shift and differential reflectivity R(KDP,ZDR) and an estimator that uses three radar parameters R(ZH,ZDR,KDP). The coefficients of the power law relationships between rain rate and radar variables were adjusted either based on disdrometer data and simulation, or on radar-gauges observations. The three polarimetric based algorithms with coefficients predetermined on observations outperform the R(ZH) estimator for rain rates above 10 mm/h which explain most of the rainfall in the studied region. For the highest rain rates (above 30 mm/h) R(KDP) shows even better scores, and given its performances and its simplicity of implementation, is recommended. The radar based retrieval of two parameters of the rain drop size distribution, the normalized intercept parameter NW and the volumetric median diameter Dm was evaluated on four rainy days thanks to disdrometers. The frequency distributions of the two parameters retrieved by the radar are very close to those observed with the disdrometer. NW retrieval based on a combination of ZH

Tunable and switchable dual-wavelength single polarization narrow linewidth SLM erbium-doped fiber laser based on a PM-CMFBG filter.

Science.gov (United States)

Yin, Bin; Feng, Suchun; Liu, Zhibo; Bai, Yunlong; Jian, Shuisheng

2014-09-22

A tunable and switchable dual-wavelength single polarization narrow linewidth single-longitudinal-mode (SLM) erbium-doped fiber (EDF) ring laser based on polarization-maintaining chirped moiré fiber Bragg grating (PM-CMFBG) filter is proposed and demonstrated. For the first time as we know, the CMFBG inscribed on the PM fiber is applied for the wavelength-tunable and-switchable dual-wavelength laser. The PM-CMFBG filter with ultra-narrow transmission band (0.1 pm) and a uniform polarization-maintaining fiber Bragg grating (PM-FBG) are used to select the laser longitudinal mode. The stable single polarization SLM operation is guaranteed by the PM-CMFBG filter and polarization controller. A tuning range of about 0.25 nm with about 0.075 nm step is achieved by stretching the uniform PM-FBG. Meanwhile, the linewidth of the fiber laser for each wavelength is approximate 6.5 and 7.1 kHz with a 20 dB linewidth, which indicates the laser linewidth is approximate 325 Hz and 355 Hz FWHM.

Dual-band dual-polarized array for WLAN applications

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Steyn, JM

2009-01-01

Full Text Available dual-band dual-polarized (DBDP) antenna design for WLAN applications. The antenna is in the form of an array consisting of four double-dipole radiators. The basic radiating element consists of a rhombus shaped dipole above a planar ground plane... the ground planes and the respective feedlines. Substrate cuts and difierent heights for the horizontal feedlines were necessary to achieve the latter. The 2nd conflguration (for vertical polarization) has a slightly difierent feeding network layout...

Aercibo S-band radar program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Campbell, D.B.

1988-01-01

The high powered 12.6 cm wavelength radar on the 1000-ft Arecibo reflector is utilized for a number of solar system studies. Chief among these are: (1) surface reflectivity mapping of Venus, Mercury and the Moon. Resolutions achievable on Venus are less than 1.5 km over some areas, for Mercury about 30 km and for the Moon 200 m at present, (2) high time resolution ranging measurements to the surfaces of the terrestrial planets. These measurements are used to obtain profiles and scattering parameters in the equatorial region. They can also be used to test relativistic and gravitational theories by monitoring the rate of advance of the perihelion of the orbit of Mercury and placing limits on the stability of the gravitational constant, (3) measurements of the orbital parameters, figure, spin vector and surface properties of asteroids and comets, and (4) observations of the Galilean Satellites of Jupiter and the satellites of Mars, Phobos and Deimos. The Galilean Satellites of Jupiter were re-observed with the 12.6 cm radar for the first time since 1981. Much more accurate measurements of the scattering properties of the three icy satellites were obtained that generally confirmed previous observations. Unambiguous measurements of the cross section and circular polarizations ratio of Io were also obtained for the first time. The radar scattering properties of four mainbelt asteroids and one near-earth asteroid were studied

AltiKa: a Ka-band Altimetry Payload and System for Operational Altimetry during the GMES Period

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jacques Verron

2006-03-01

Full Text Available This paper describes the Ka-band altimetry payload and system that has beenstudied for several years by CNES, ALCATEL SPACE and some science laboratories.Altimetry is one of the major elements of the ocean observing system to be madesustainable through the GEOSS (Global Earth Observation System of Systems and GMES(Global Monitoring of the Environment and Security programs. A short review of somemission objectives to be fulfilled in terms of mesoscale oceanography in the frame of theGEOSS and GMES programs is performed. To answer the corresponding requirements, theapproach consisting in a constellation of nadir altimeter is discussed. A coupled Ka-bandaltimeter-radiometer payload is then described; technical items are detailed to explain howthis payload shall meet the science and operational requirements, and expectedperformances are displayed. The current status of the payload development and flightperspectives are given.

A simple device for long-term radar cross section recordings.

Science.gov (United States)

Eskelinen, Pekka; Ruoskanen, Jukka; Peltonen, Jouni

2009-05-01

A sample and hold circuit with settable delay can be used for recording of radar echo amplitude variations having time scales up to 100 s at the selected range bin in systems utilizing short rf pulses. The design is based on two integrated circuits and gives 1% uncertainty for 70 ns pulses. The key benefit is a real-time display of lengthy amplitude variations because the sample rate is defined by the radar pulse repetition frequency. Additionally we get a reduction in file size at least by the inverse of the radar's duty cycle. Examples of 10 and 100 s recordings with a Ka-band short pulse radar are described.

Concept Design of a Multi-Band Shared Aperture Reflectarray/Reflector Antenna

Science.gov (United States)

Spence, Thomas; Cooley, Michael; Stenger, Peter; Park, Richard; Li, Lihua; Racette, Paul; Heymsfield, Gerald; Mclinden, Matthew

2016-01-01

A scalable dual-band (KaW) shared-aperture antenna system design has been developed as a proposed solution to meet the needs of the planned NASA Earth Science Aerosol, Clouds, and Ecosystem (ACE) mission. The design is comprised of a compact Cassegrain reflector/reflectarray with a fixed pointing W-band feed and a cross track scanned Ka-band Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA). Critical Sub-scale prototype testing and flight tests have validated some of the key aspects of this innovative antenna design, including the low loss reflector/reflectarray surface.More recently the science community has expressed interest in a mission that offers the ability to measure precipitation in addition to clouds and aerosols. In this paper we present summaries of multiple designs that explore options for realizing a tri-frequency (KuKaW), shared-aperture antenna system to meet these science objectives. Design considerations include meeting performance requirements while emphasizing payload size, weight, prime power, and cost. The extensive trades and lessons learned from our previous dual-band ACE system development were utilized as the foundation for this work.

Dual-Polarimetric Radar-Based Tornado Debris Paths Associated with EF-4 and EF-5 Tornadoes over Northern Alabama During the Historic Outbreak of 27 April 2011

Science.gov (United States)

Carey, Lawrence D.; Schultz, Chrstopher J.; Schultz, Elise V.; Petersen, Walter A.; Gatlin, Patrick N.; Knupp, Kevin R.; Molthan, Andrew L.; Jedlovec, Gary J.; Darden, Christopher B.

2012-01-01

An historic tornado and severe weather outbreak devastated much of the southeastern United States between 25 and 28 April 2011. On 27 April 2011, northern Alabama was particularly hard hit by a large number of tornadoes, including several that reached EF-4 and EF-5 on the Enhanced Fujita damage scale. In northern Alabama alone, there were approximately 100 fatalities and hundreds of more people who were injured or lost their homes during the havoc caused by these violent tornadic storms. Two long-track and violent (EF-4 and EF-5) tornadoes occurred within range of the University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAHuntsville) Advanced Radar for Meteorological and Operational Research (ARMOR, C-band dual-polarimetric). A unique capability of dual-polarimetric radar is the near-real time identification of lofted debris associated with ongoing tornadoes on the ground. The focus of this paper is to analyze the dual-polarimetric radar-inferred tornado debris signatures and identify the associated debris paths of the long-track EF-4 and EF-5 tornadoes near ARMOR. The relative locations of the debris and damage paths for each tornado will be ascertained by careful comparison of the ARMOR analysis with NASA MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) and ASTER (Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer) satellite imagery of the tornado damage scenes and the National Weather Service tornado damage surveys. With the ongoing upgrade of the WSR-88D (Weather Surveillance Radar 1988 Doppler) operational network to dual-polarimetry and a similar process having already taken place or ongoing for many private sector radars, dual-polarimetric radar signatures of tornado debris promise the potential to assist in the situational awareness of government and private sector forecasters and emergency managers during tornadic events. As such, a companion abstract (Schultz et al.) also submitted to this conference explores The use of dual-polarimetric tornadic debris

The NASA Polarimetric Radar (NPOL)

Science.gov (United States)

Petersen, Walter A.; Wolff, David B.

2013-01-01

Characteristics of the NASA NPOL S-band dual-polarimetric radar are presented including its operating characteristics, field configuration, scanning capabilities and calibration approaches. Examples of precipitation science data collections conducted using various scan types, and associated products, are presented for different convective system types and previous field campaign deployments. Finally, the NASA NPOL radar location is depicted in its home base configuration within the greater Wallops Flight Facility precipitation research array supporting NASA Global Precipitation Measurement Mission ground validation.

Transmission characteristic of graphene/TiO2 paper measured at Ka-band

Science.gov (United States)

Agusu, La; Mitsudo, Seitaro; Ahmad, La Ode; Herdianto, Fujii, Yutaka; Ishikawa, Yuya; Furuya, Takahashi; Ramadhan, La Ode Ahmad Nur

2017-01-01

The commercial telecommunication system in future would explore the electromagnetic spectrum with higher frequency than used now, because it requires higher speed of transmission data. Using the millimeter waves (mmW) with frequency ranging from 30 to 300 GHz, such requirement could be fulfilled. The upcoming 5G cellular technology is expected to use frequency 30 GHz or higher. Then materials with a specific characteristic at the mmW range are interesting to be explored and investigated. Here, we report the synthesis process of graphene/TiO2 deposited on paper and their transmission characteristics to the electromagnetic energy at frequency 27-40 GHz (Ka-Band). The reduced graphene oxide (rGO) was synthesized by a modified Hummers method with introduction of microwave irradiation in the process. rGO and TiO2 were mixed in ethanol solution and deposited on the paper by a spraying technique. Transmission coefficient of electromagnetic wave energy at Ka-Band was measured by using the millimeter vector network analyzer. Conductivity of rGO is 1.89 Scm-1 and for the graphene/TiO2 with TiO2 content is up to 50%, conductivity is down to Scm-1 Graphene/TiO2 layer with thickness of 60).lm and TiO2 loading up to 25% can has the transmission coefficient of -4 dB at the middle frequency of 31 GHz and bandwidth of 2.2 GHz. This can be useful as the electromagnetic interference shielding material at Ka-band.

Linear programming phase unwrapping for dual-wavelength digital holography.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Zhaomin; Jiao, Jiannan; Qu, Weijuan; Yang, Fang; Li, Hongru; Tian, Ailing; Asundi, Anand

2017-01-20

A linear programming phase unwrapping method in dual-wavelength digital holography is proposed and verified experimentally. The proposed method uses the square of height difference as a convergence standard and theoretically gives the boundary condition in a searching process. A simulation was performed by unwrapping step structures at different levels of Gaussian noise. As a result, our method is capable of recovering the discontinuities accurately. It is robust and straightforward. In the experiment, a microelectromechanical systems sample and a cylindrical lens were measured separately. The testing results were in good agreement with true values. Moreover, the proposed method is applicable not only in digital holography but also in other dual-wavelength interferometric techniques.

Understanding the radar backscattering from flooded and nonflooded Amazonian forests: results from canopy backscatter modeling

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, Y.; Hess, L.L.; Filoso, S.; Melack, J.M.

1995-01-01

To understand the potential of using multiwavelength imaging radars to detect flooding in Amazonian floodplain forests, we simulated the radar backscatter from a floodplain forest with a flooded or nonflooded ground condition at C-, L-, and P-bands. Field measurements of forest structure in the Anavilhanas archipelago of the Negro River, Brazil, were used as inputs to the model. Given the same wavelength or incidence angle, the ratio of backscatter from the flooded forest to that from the nonflooded forest was higher at HH polarization than at VV polarization. Given the same wavelength or polarization, the ratio was larger at small incidence angles than at large incidence angles. Given the same polarization or incidence angle, the ratio was larger at a long wavelength than at a short wavelength. As the surface soil moisture underneath the nonflooded forest increased from 10% to 50% of volumetric moisture, the flooded/nonflooded backscatter ratio decreased; the decreases were small at C- and L-band but large at P-band. When the leaf size was comparable to or larger than the wavelength of C-band, the leaf area index (LAI) had a large effect on the simulated C-band (not L-band or P-band) backscatter from the flooded and nonflooded forests. (author)

Retrieval of Wind Speed Using an L-band Synthetic Aperture Radar

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Monaldo, Frank M.; Thompson, Donald R.; Badger, Merete

2007-01-01

Retrieval of wind speed using L-band synthetic aperture radar (SAR) is both an old and new endeavor. Although the Seasat L-band SAR in 1978 was not well calibrated, early results indicated a strong relationship between observed SAR image intensity and wind speed. The JERS-1 L-band SAR had limited...

Use of multi-frequency, multi-polarization, multi-angle airborne radars for class discrimination in a southern temperature forest

Science.gov (United States)

Mehta, N. C.

1984-01-01

The utility of radar scatterometers for discrimination and characterization of natural vegetation was investigated. Backscatter measurements were acquired with airborne multi-frequency, multi-polarization, multi-angle radar scatterometers over a test site in a southern temperate forest. Separability between ground cover classes was studied using a two-class separability measure. Very good separability is achieved between most classes. Longer wavelength is useful in separating trees from non-tree classes, while shorter wavelength and cross polarization are helpful for discrimination among tree classes. Using the maximum likelihood classifier, 50% overall classification accuracy is achieved using a single, short-wavelength scatterometer channel. Addition of multiple incidence angles and another radar band improves classification accuracy by 20% and 50%, respectively, over the single channel accuracy. Incorporation of a third radar band seems redundant for vegetation classification. Vertical transmit polarization is critically important for all classes.

Stable C-band fiber laser with switchable multi-wavelength output using coupled microfiber Mach-Zehnder interferometer

Science.gov (United States)

Ahmad, H.; Jasim, A. A.

2017-07-01

A compact coupled microfiber Mach-Zehnder interferometer (CM-MZI) is proposed and experimentally demonstrated for C-band region multi-wavelength tuning and switching in a fiber laser. The CM-MZI is fabricated using a 9 μm single tapered silica optical microfiber fabricated by flame-drawing technique and exploits multi-mode interference to produce spatial mode beating and suppress mode competition of the homogeneous gain medium. The output wavelength spacing is immune to changes in the external environment, but can be changed from 1.5 nm to 1.4 nm by slightly modifying the path-length difference of the CM-MZI. The proposed laser is capable of generating single, dual, triple, quintuple, and sextuple stabilize wavelengths outputs over a range of more than 32 nm using polarization rotation (PR) and macro-bending. The lasers having a 3 dB line-width of less than ∼30 pm and peak-to-floor of about 55 dB at a pump power of 38 mW.

Intercomparison of spaceborne precipitation radars and its applications in examining precipitation-topography relationships in the Tibetan Plateau

Science.gov (United States)

Tang, G.; Gao, J.; Long, D.

2017-12-01

Precipitation is one of the most important components in the water and energy cycles. Spaceborne radars are considered the most direct technology for observing precipitation from space since 1998. This study compares and evaluates the only three existing spaceborne precipitation radars, i.e., the Ku-band precipitation radar (TRMM PR), the W-band Cloud Profiling Radar (CloudSat CPR), and the Ku/Ka-band Dual-frequency Precipitation Radar (GPM DPR). In addition, TRMM PR and GPM DPR are evaluated against hourly rain gauge data in Mainland China. The Tibetan Plateau (TP) is known as the Earth's third pole where precipitation is affected profoundly by topography. However, ground gauges are extremely sparse in the TP, and spaceborne radars can provide valuable data with relatively high accuracy. The relationships between precipitation and topography over the TP are investigated using 17-year TRMM PR data and 2-year GPM DPR data, in combination with rain gauge data. Results indicate that: (1) DPR and PR agree with each other and correlate very well with gauges in Mainland China. DPR improves light precipitation detectability significantly compared with PR. However, DPR high sensitivity scans (HS) deviates from DPR normal and matched scans (NS and MS) and PR in the comparison based on global coincident events and rain gauges in China; (2) CPR outperforms the other two radars in terms of light precipitation detection. In terms of global snowfall estimation, DPR and CPR show very different global snowfall distributions originating from different frequencies, retrieval algorithms, and sampling characteristics; and (3) Precipitation generally decreases exponentially with increasing elevation in the TP. The precipitation-topography relationships are regressed using exponential fitting in seventeen river basins in the TP with good coefficients of determination. Due to the short time span of GPM DPR, the relationships based on GPM DPR data are less robust than those derived from

System Realization of Broad Band Digital Beam Forming for Digital Array Radar

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wang Feng

2013-09-01

Full Text Available Broad band Digital Beam Forming (DBF is the key technique for the realization of Digital Array Radar (DAR. We propose the method of combination realization of the channel equalization and DBF time delay filter function by using adaptive Sample Matrix Inversion algorithm. The broad band DBF function is realized on a new DBF module based on parallel fiber optic engines and Field Program Gate Array (FPGA. Good performance is achieved when it is used to some radar products.

A Novel Low-Cost Dual-Wavelength Precipitation Radar Sensor Network, Phase II

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — Remote Sensing Solutions, Inc. (RSS) has developed a novel, practical design that will produce a low-cost precipitation radar / radiometer sensor. Operating in a...

High-Efficiency, Ka-band Solid-State Power Amplifier Utilizing GaN Technology, Phase I

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — QuinStar Technology proposes to develop an efficient, solid-state power amplifier (SSPA), operating at Ka-band frequencies, for high data rate, long range space...

Broadband multi-wavelength Brillouin lasers with an operating wavelength range of 1500–1600 nm generated by four-wave mixing in a dual wavelength Brillouin fiber laser cavity

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Q.; Jia, Z. X.; Weng, H. Z.; Li, Z. R.; Yang, Y. D.; Xiao, J. L.; Chen, S. W.; Huang, Y. Z.; Qin, W. P.; Qin, G. S.

2018-05-01

We demonstrate broadband multi-wavelength Brillouin lasers with an operating wavelength range of 1500–1600 nm and a frequency separation of ~9.28 GHz generated by four-wave mixing in a dual wavelength Brillouin fiber laser cavity. By using one continuous-wave laser as the pump source, multi-wavelength Brillouin lasers with an operating wavelength range of 1554–1574 nm were generated via cascaded Brillouin scattering and four-wave mixing. Interestingly, when pumped by two continuous-wave lasers with an appropriate frequency separation, the operating wavelength range of the multi-wavelength Brillouin lasers was increased to 1500–1600 nm due to cavity-enhanced cascaded four-wave mixing among the frequency components generated by two pump lasers in the dual wavelength Brillouin laser cavity.

Reconfigurable dual-band metamaterial antenna based on liquid crystals

Science.gov (United States)

Che, Bang-Jun; Meng, Fan-Yi; Lyu, Yue-Long; Wu, Qun

2018-05-01

In this paper, a novel reconfigurable dual-band metamaterial antenna with a continuous beam that is electrically steered in backward to forward directions is first proposed by employing a liquid crystal (LC)-loaded tunable extended composite right-/left-handed (E-CRLH) transmission line (TL). The frequency-dependent property of the E-CRLH TL is analyzed and a compact unit cell based on the nematic LC is proposed to realize the tunable dual band characteristics. The phase constant of the proposed unit cell can be dynamically continuously tuned from negative to positive values in two operating bands by changing the bias voltage of the loaded LC material. A resulting dual band fixed-frequency beam steering property has been predicted by numerical simulations and experimentally verified. The measured results show that the fabricated reconfigurable antenna features an electrically controlled continuous beam steering from backward  ‑16° to forward  +13° at 7.2 GHz and backward  ‑9° to forward  +17° at 9.4 GHz, respectively. This electrically controlled beam steering range turns out to be competitive with the previously reported single band reconfigurable antennas. Besides, the measured and simulated results of the proposed reconfigurable dual-band metamaterial antenna are in good agreement.

High-Efficiency, Ka-Band Solid-State Power Amplifier Utilizing GaN Technology, Phase II

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — QuinStar Technology proposes to develop a high-efficiency, solid-state power amplifier (SSPA), operating at Ka-band frequencies, for high data rate, long range space...

Mini-RF S- and X-band Bistatic Observations of the Floor of Cabeus Crater

Science.gov (United States)

Patterson, Gerald Wesley; Stickle, Angela; Turner, Franklin; Jensen, James; Cahill, Joshua; Mini-RF Team

2017-10-01

The Mini-RF instrument aboard NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) is a hybrid dual-polarized synthetic aperture radar (SAR) and operates in concert with the Arecibo Observatory (AO) and the Goldstone deep space communications complex 34 meter antenna DSS-13 to collect S- and X-band bistatic radar data of the Moon. Bistatic radar data provide a means to probe the near subsurface for the presence of water ice, which exhibits a strong response in the form of a Coherent Backscatter Opposition Effect (CBOE). This effect has been observed in radar data for the icy surfaces of the Galilean satellites, the polar caps of Mars, polar craters on Mercury, and terrestrial ice sheets in Greenland. Previous work using Mini-RF S-band (12.6 cm) bistatic data suggests the presence of a CBOE associated with the floor of the lunar south polar crater Cabeus. The LRO spacecraft has begun its third extended mission. For this phase of operations Mini-RF is leveraging the existing AO architecture to make S-band radar observations of additional polar craters (e.g., Haworth, Shoemaker, Faustini). The purpose of acquiring these data is to determine whether other polar craters exhibit the response observed for Cabeus. Mini-RF has also initiated a new mode of operation that utilizes the X-band (4.2cm) capability of the instrument receiver and a recently commissioned X/C-band transmitter within the Deep Space Network’s (DSN) Goldstone complex to collect bistatic X-band data of the Moon. The purpose of acquiring these data is to constrain the depth/thickness of materials that exhibit a CBOE response - with an emphasis on observing the floor of Cabeus. Recent Mini-RF X-band observations of the floors of the craters Cabeus do not show evidence for a CBOE. This would suggest that the upper ~0.5 meters of the regolith for the floor of Cabeus do not harber water ice in a form detectable at 4.2 cm wavelengths.

Design of Dual-Band Two-Branch-Line Couplers with Arbitrary Coupling Coefficients in Bands

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

I. Prudyus

2014-12-01

Full Text Available A new approach to design dual-band two-branch couplers with arbitrary coupling coefficients at two operating frequency bands is proposed in this article. The method is based on the usage of equivalent subcircuits input reactances of the even-mode and odd-mode excitations. The exact design formulas for three options of the dual-band coupler with different location and number of stubs are received. These formulas permit to obtain the different variants for each structure in order to select the physically realizable solution and can be used in broad range of frequency ratio and power division ratio. For verification, three different dual-band couplers, which are operating at 2.4/3.9 GHz with different coupling coefficients (one with 3/6 dB, and 10/3 dB two others are designed, simulated, fabricated and tested. The measured results are in good agreement with the simulated ones.

Radar imagery from the 1994 Lock Linnhe ship wake experiment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mullenhoff, C.J.; Lehman, S.K.; Jones, H. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab., CA (United States)] [and others

1994-11-15

The 1994 Loch Linnhe radar ocean imaging trials were held from September 4 through September 17. Two ships were used: the R.V. Colonel Templer, and the RMAS Collie. Thorn EMI, Inc., fielded a dual band, dual polarization radar on a hillside overlooking the loch. A primary purpose of the experiment was to obtain highly visible images of ship generated internal waves. Presented here is imagery for a few of the good ship runs, as well as a study of the environment of the visibility of ship generated internal waves.

Dual-wavelength laser transmission photoscanner for breast cancer detection

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kaneko, M.; He, P.; Tanaka, H.; Takahashi, M.; Takai, M.; Baba, K.; Yamashita, Y.; Ohta, K.

1989-01-01

This paper reports on the prototype of a laser transmission photoscanner (LTPS) constructed and used for the detection of breast cancer and compared with x-ray mammography. LTPS has been improved to enable spectroanalysis and application in breast cancer screening. The new type is introduced. In order to obtain higher sensitivity, the output of lasers was increased in intensity. The signal integration time was increased 10-fold, and the width of the detector area was doubled. The gated operation of the detector enables the good throughput. Simultaneous scanning in the dual wavelengths of 630 and 830 nm makes it possible to differentiate hemoglobin (Hb) and oxyhemoglobin (HbO 2 ) in spectroanalysis by means of Lambert--Beer's law. Clinical application of dual-wavelength LTPS shows good correlation with pathology

Distributed MIMO chaotic radar based on wavelength-division multiplexing technology.

Science.gov (United States)

Yao, Tingfeng; Zhu, Dan; Ben, De; Pan, Shilong

2015-04-15

A distributed multiple-input multiple-output chaotic radar based on wavelength-division multiplexing technology (WDM) is proposed and demonstrated. The wideband quasi-orthogonal chaotic signals generated by different optoelectronic oscillators (OEOs) are emitted by separated antennas to gain spatial diversity against the fluctuation of a target's radar cross section and enhance the detection capability. The received signals collected by the receive antennas and the reference signals from the OEOs are delivered to the central station for joint processing by exploiting WDM technology. The centralized signal processing avoids precise time synchronization of the distributed system and greatly simplifies the remote units, which improves the localization accuracy of the entire system. A proof-of-concept experiment for two-dimensional localization of a metal target is demonstrated. The maximum position error is less than 6.5 cm.

Design considerations on a sparse array antenna for Ka-band spaceborne SAR applications

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Jacobs, S.; Bekers, D.; Monni, S.; Otten, M.; Van Rossum, W.; Gerini, G.; Germani, C.; Fortini, D.; Toso, G.

2015-01-01

This contribution addresses the problem of designing a sparse active array antenna for spaceborne SAR applications at Ka-band. The main driver for the design is limiting the recurring manufacturing costs associated to the number of active modules, while preserving main performance and insuring a

Mapping Forest Cover and Forest Cover Change with Airborne S-Band Radar

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ramesh K. Ningthoujam

2016-07-01

Full Text Available Assessments of forest cover, forest carbon stocks and carbon emissions from deforestation and degradation are increasingly important components of sustainable resource management, for combating biodiversity loss and in climate mitigation policies. Satellite remote sensing provides the only means for mapping global forest cover regularly. However, forest classification with optical data is limited by its insensitivity to three-dimensional canopy structure and cloud cover obscuring many forest regions. Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR sensors are increasingly being used to mitigate these problems, mainly in the L-, C- and X-band domains of the electromagnetic spectrum. S-band has not been systematically studied for this purpose. In anticipation of the British built NovaSAR-S satellite mission, this study evaluates the benefits of polarimetric S-band SAR for forest characterisation. The Michigan Microwave Canopy Scattering (MIMICS-I radiative transfer model is utilised to understand the scattering mechanisms in forest canopies at S-band. The MIMICS-I model reveals strong S-band backscatter sensitivity to the forest canopy in comparison to soil characteristics across all polarisations and incidence angles. Airborne S-band SAR imagery over the temperate mixed forest of Savernake Forest in southern England is analysed for its information content. Based on the modelling results, S-band HH- and VV-polarisation radar backscatter and the Radar Forest Degradation Index (RFDI are used in a forest/non-forest Maximum Likelihood classification at a spatial resolution of 6 m (70% overall accuracy, κ = 0.41 and 20 m (63% overall accuracy, κ = 0.27. The conclusion is that S-band SAR such as from NovaSAR-S is likely to be suitable for monitoring forest cover and its changes.

High-accuracy alignment based on atmospherical dispersion - technological approaches and solutions for the dual-wavelength transmitter

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Burkhard, Boeckem

1999-01-01

In the course of the progressive developments of sophisticated geodetic systems utilizing electromagnetic waves in the visible or near IR-range a more detailed knowledge of the propagation medium and coevally solutions of atmospherically induced limitations will become important. An alignment system based on atmospherical dispersion, called a dispersometer, is a metrological solution to the atmospherically induced limitations, in optical alignment and direction observations of high accuracy. In the dispersometer we are using the dual-wavelength method for dispersive air to obtain refraction compensated angle measurements, the detrimental impact of atmospheric turbulence notwithstanding. The principle of the dual-wavelength method utilizes atmospherical dispersion, i.e. the wavelength dependence of the refractive index. The difference angle between two light beams of different wavelengths, which is called the dispersion angle Δβ, is to first approximation proportional to the refraction angle: β IR ν(β blue - β IR ) = ν Δβ, this equation implies that the dispersion angle has to be measured at least 42 times more accurate than the desired accuracy of the refraction angle for the wavelengths used in the present dispersometer. This required accuracy constitutes one major difficulty for the instrumental performance in applying the dispersion effect. However, the dual-wavelength method can only be successfully used in an optimized transmitter-receiver combination. Beyond the above mentioned resolution requirement for the detector, major difficulties in instrumental realization arise in the availability of a suitable dual-wavelength laser light source, laser light modulation with a very high extinction ratio and coaxial emittance of mono-mode radiation at both wavelengths. Therefore, this paper focuses on the solutions of the dual-wavelength transmitter introducing a new hardware approach and a complete re-design of the in [1] proposed conception of the dual-wavelength

Dynamic optical fiber delivery of Ka-band packet transmissions for wireless access networks

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rodríguez Páez, Juan Sebastián; Madsen, Peter; Tafur Monroy, Idelfonso

2017-01-01

A Reconfigurable Radio Access Unit is presented and experimentally demonstrated. In the unit, an optical switching system is set to dynamically deliver different packets to different points in the network. The packets are transmitted wirelesslty on the Ka-band (26–40 GHz), achieving BER values...

Electronic band-gap modified passive silicon optical modulator at telecommunications wavelengths.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Rui; Yu, Haohai; Zhang, Huaijin; Liu, Xiangdong; Lu, Qingming; Wang, Jiyang

2015-11-13

The silicon optical modulator is considered to be the workhorse of a revolution in communications. In recent years, the capabilities of externally driven active silicon optical modulators have dramatically improved. Self-driven passive modulators, especially passive silicon modulators, possess advantages in compactness, integration, low-cost, etc. Constrained by a large indirect band-gap and sensitivity-related loss, the passive silicon optical modulator is scarce and has been not advancing, especially at telecommunications wavelengths. Here, a passive silicon optical modulator is fabricated by introducing an impurity band in the electronic band-gap, and its nonlinear optics and applications in the telecommunications-wavelength lasers are investigated. The saturable absorption properties at the wavelength of 1.55 μm was measured and indicates that the sample is quite sensitive to light intensity and has negligible absorption loss. With a passive silicon modulator, pulsed lasers were constructed at wavelengths at 1.34 and 1.42 μm. It is concluded that the sensitive self-driven passive silicon optical modulator is a viable candidate for photonics applications out to 2.5 μm.

A novel Ka-band coaxial transit-time oscillator with a four-gap buncher

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Song, Lili; He, Juntao; Ling, Junpu [College of Optoelectronic Science and Engineering, National University of Defense Technology, Changsha 410073 (China)

2015-05-15

A novel Ka-band coaxial transit-time oscillator (TTO) with a four-gap buncher is proposed and investigated. Simulation results show that an output power of 1.27 GW and a frequency of 26.18 GHz can be achieved with a diode voltage of 447 kV and a beam current of 7.4 kA. The corresponding power efficiency is 38.5%, and the guiding magnetic field is 0.6 T. Studies and analysis indicate that a buncher with four gaps can modulate the electron beam better than the three-gap buncher in such a Ka-band TTO. Moreover, power efficiency increases with the coupling coefficient between the buncher and the extractor. Further simulation demonstrates that power efficiency can reach higher than 30% with a guiding magnetic field of above 0.5 T. Besides, the power efficiency exceeds 30% in a relatively large range of diode voltage from 375 kV to 495 kV.

Real-time dual-band haptic music player for mobile devices.

Science.gov (United States)

Hwang, Inwook; Lee, Hyeseon; Choi, Seungmoon

2013-01-01

We introduce a novel dual-band haptic music player for real-time simultaneous vibrotactile playback with music in mobile devices. Our haptic music player features a new miniature dual-mode actuator that can produce vibrations consisting of two principal frequencies and a real-time vibration generation algorithm that can extract vibration commands from a music file for dual-band playback (bass and treble). The algorithm uses a "haptic equalizer" and provides plausible sound-to-touch modality conversion based on human perceptual data. In addition, we present a user study carried out to evaluate the subjective performance (precision, harmony, fun, and preference) of the haptic music player, in comparison with the current practice of bass-band-only vibrotactile playback via a single-frequency voice-coil actuator. The evaluation results indicated that the new dual-band playback outperforms the bass-only rendering, also providing several insights for further improvements. The developed system and experimental findings have implications for improving the multimedia experience with mobile devices.

Investigation of Planets and Small Bodies Using Decameter Wavelength Radar Sounders

Science.gov (United States)

Safaeinili, A.

2003-12-01

Decameter wavelength radar sounders provide a unique capability for the exploration of subsurface of planets and internal structure of small bodies. Recently, a number of experimental radar sounding instruments have been proposed and/or are planned to become operational in the near future. The first of these radar sounders is MARSIS (Picardi et al.) that is about to arrive at Mars on ESA's Mars Express for a two-year mission. The second radar sounder, termed SHARAD (Seu et. al), will fly on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance orbiter in 2005. MARSIS and SHARAD have complementary science objectives in that MARSIS (0.1-5.5 MHz) is designed to explore the deep subsurface with a depth resolution of ˜100 m while SHARAD (15-25 MHz) focuses its investigation to near-surface (generation of radar sounders will benefit from high power and high data rate capability that is made available through the use of Nuclear Electric generators. An example of such high-capability mission is the Jovian Icy Moons Orbiter (JIMO) where, for example, the radar sounder can be used to explore beneath the icy surfaces of Europa in search of the ice/ocean interface. The decameter wave radar sounder is probably the only instrument that has the potential of providing an accurate estimate for the ocean depth. Another exciting and rewarding area of application for planetary radar sounding is the investigation of the deep interior of small bodies (asteroids and comets). The small size of asteroids and comets provides the opportunity to collect data in a manner that enables Radio Reflection Tomographic (RRT) reconstruction of the body in the same manner that a medical ultrasound probe can image the interior of our body. This paper provides an overview of current technical capabilities and challenges and the potential of radio sounders in the investigation of planets and small bodies.

A multi-channel S-band FMCW radar front-end

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Maas, A.P.M.; Vliet, F.E. van

2008-01-01

This paper describes the design and performance of a low-cost synthesized FMCW radar module, operating in S band. The bi-layer PCB contains a frequency-agile low phase-noise synthesizer and three identical coherent receive-channels. The transmit channel has an automatic power control system that

W-band spaceborne radar observations of atmospheric river events

Science.gov (United States)

Matrosov, S. Y.

2010-12-01

While the main objective of the world first W-band radar aboard the CloudSat satellite is to provide vertically resolved information on clouds, it proved to be a valuable tool for observing precipitation. The CloudSat radar is generally able to resolve precipitating cloud systems in their vertical entirety. Although measurements from the liquid hydrometer layer containing rainfall are strongly attenuated, special retrieval approaches can be used to estimate rainfall parameters. These approaches are based on vertical gradients of observed radar reflectivity factor rather than on absolute estimates of reflectivity. Concurrent independent estimations of ice cloud parameters in the same vertical column allow characterization of precipitating systems and provide information on coupling between clouds and rainfall they produce. The potential of CloudSat for observations atmospheric river events affecting the West Coast of North America is evaluated. It is shown that spaceborne radar measurements can provide high resolution information on the height of the freezing level thus separating areas of rainfall and snowfall. CloudSat precipitation rate estimates complement information from the surface-based radars. Observations of atmospheric rivers at different locations above the ocean and during landfall help to understand evolutions of atmospheric rivers and their structures.

Dual Y-Shaped Monopole Antenna for Dual-Band WLAN/WiMAX Operations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Huiqing Zhai

2014-01-01

Full Text Available A dual-band design of monopole antenna with two coupled Y-shaped strips for WLAN/WiMAX applications is presented. By the introduction of dual Y-shaped strips, two separated impedance bandwidths of 22.4% (3.28~4.10 GHz and 19.2% (4.90~5.94 GHz can be obtained to meet the specifications of the WLAN/WiMAX communication band applications. The proposed antenna is successfully simulated, designed, and measured, demonstrating the matched impedance and good radiation characteristics with an overall dimension of 17.7×26×1 mm3.

Design of Ka-band antipodal finline mixer and detector

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yao Changfei; Xu Jinping; Chen Mo

2009-01-01

This paper mainly discusses the analysis and design of a finline single-ended mixer and detector. In the circuit, for the purpose of eliminating high-order resonant modes and improving transition loss, metallic via holes are implemented along the mounting edge of the substrate embedded in the split-block of the WG-finline-microstrip transition. Meanwhile, a Ka band slow-wave and bandstop filter, which represents a reactive termination, is designed for the utilization of idle frequencies and operation frequencies energy. Full-wave analysis is carried out to optimize the input matching network of the mixer and the detector circuit using lumped elements to model the nonlinear diode. The exported S-matrix of the optimized circuit is used for conversion loss and voltage sensitivity analysis. The lowest measured conversion loss is 3.52 dB at 32.2 GHz; the conversion loss is flat and less than 5.68 dB in the frequency band of 29-34 GHz. The highest measured zero-bias voltage sensitivity is 1450 mV/mW at 38.6 GHz, and the sensitivity is better than 1000 mV/mW in the frequency band of 38-40 GHz.

Empirical Soil Moisture Estimation with Spaceborne L-band Polarimetric Radars: Aquarius, SMAP, and PALSAR-2

Science.gov (United States)

Burgin, M. S.; van Zyl, J. J.

2017-12-01

Traditionally, substantial ancillary data is needed to parametrize complex electromagnetic models to estimate soil moisture from polarimetric radar data. The Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) baseline radar soil moisture retrieval algorithm uses a data cube approach, where a cube of radar backscatter values is calculated using sophisticated models. In this work, we utilize the empirical approach by Kim and van Zyl (2009) which is an optional SMAP radar soil moisture retrieval algorithm; it expresses radar backscatter of a vegetated scene as a linear function of soil moisture, hence eliminating the need for ancillary data. We use 2.5 years of L-band Aquarius radar and radiometer derived soil moisture data to determine two coefficients of a linear model function on a global scale. These coefficients are used to estimate soil moisture with 2.5 months of L-band SMAP and L-band PALSAR-2 data. The estimated soil moisture is compared with the SMAP Level 2 radiometer-only soil moisture product; the global unbiased RMSE of the SMAP derived soil moisture corresponds to 0.06-0.07 cm3/cm3. In this study, we leverage the three diverse L-band radar data sets to investigate the impact of pixel size and pixel heterogeneity on soil moisture estimation performance. Pixel sizes range from 100 km for Aquarius, over 3, 9, 36 km for SMAP, to 10m for PALSAR-2. Furthermore, we observe seasonal variation in the radar sensitivity to soil moisture which allows the identification and quantification of seasonally changing vegetation. Utilizing this information, we further improve the estimation performance. The research described in this paper is supported by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, under a contract with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Copyright 2017. All rights reserved.

Comparison of AltiKa and CryoSat-2 Elevation and Elevation Rates over the Amundsen Sea Sector

Science.gov (United States)

Otosaka, I.; Shepherd, A.; Hogg, A.

2017-12-01

Altimeters have been successfully used for more than two decades to observe changes in the ice sheet surface and to estimate the contribution of ice sheets to sea level rise. The Satellite for Argos and AltiKa (SARAL) was launched in February 2013 as a joint mission between the French space agency (CNES) and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). While the altimeters previously launched into space are operating at Ku-band (13.6 GHz), the altimeter on board SARAL, AltiKa, is the first instrument to operate at Ka-band (36.8 GHz). The higher frequency of AltiKa is expected to lead to reduced penetration of the radar signal into the snowpack, compared to Ku-band. A comparison of ice sheet elevation measurements recorded at the two frequencies may therefore provide useful information on surface and its scattering properties. In this study, we compare elevation and elevation rates recorded by AltiKa and CryoSat-2 between March 2013 and April 2017 over the Amundsen Sea Sector (ASS), one of the most rapidly changing sectors of West Antarctica. Elevation and elevation rates are computed within 5 km grid cells using a plane fit method, taking into account the contributions of topography and fluctuations in elevation and backscatter. The drifting orbit and imaging modes of CryoSat-2 result in 78,7 % sampling of the study area, whereas AltiKa samples 39,7 % due to its sparser orbit pattern and due to loss of signal in steeply sloping coastal margins. Over the study period, the root mean square difference between elevation and elevation change recorded at Ka-band and Ku-band were 40.3 m and 0.54 m/yr, respectively. While the broad spatial pattern of elevation change is well resolved by both satellites, data gaps along the Getz coastline may be partly responsible for the lower elevation change rate observed at Ka-band. We also compared CryoSat-2 and AltiKa to coincident airborne data from NASA's Operation IceBridge (OIB). The mean difference of elevation rate between

Highly accurate Michelson type wavelength meter that uses a rubidium stabilized 1560 nm diode laser as a wavelength reference

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Masuda, Shin; Kanoh, Eiji; Irisawa, Akiyoshi; Niki, Shoji

2009-01-01

We investigated the accuracy limitation of a wavelength meter installed in a vacuum chamber to enable us to develop a highly accurate meter based on a Michelson interferometer in 1550 nm optical communication bands. We found that an error of parts per million order could not be avoided using famous wavelength compensation equations. Chromatic dispersion of the refractive index in air can almost be disregarded when a 1560 nm wavelength produced by a rubidium (Rb) stabilized distributed feedback (DFB) diode laser is used as a reference wavelength. We describe a novel dual-wavelength self-calibration scheme that maintains high accuracy of the wavelength meter. The method uses the fundamental and second-harmonic wavelengths of an Rb-stabilized DFB diode laser. Consequently, a highly accurate Michelson type wavelength meter with an absolute accuracy of 5x10 -8 (10 MHz, 0.08 pm) over a wide wavelength range including optical communication bands was achieved without the need for a vacuum chamber.

Millimeter-Wave Radar Field Measurements and Inversion of Cloud Parameters for the 1999 Mt. Washington Icing Sensors Project

Science.gov (United States)

Pazmany, Andrew L.; Reehorst, Andrew (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

The Mount Washington Icing Sensors Project (MWISP) was a multi-investigator experiment with participants from Quadrant Engineering, NOAA Environmental Technology Laboratory (NOAA/ETL), the Microwave Remote Sensing Laboratory (MIRSL) of the University of Massachusetts (UMass), and others. Radar systems from UMass and NOAA/ETL were used to measure X-, Ka-, and W-band backscatter data from the base of Mt. Washington, while simultaneous in-situ particle measurements were made from aircraft and from the observatory at the summit. This report presents range and time profiles of liquid water content and particle size parameters derived from range profiles of radar reflectivity as measured at X-, Ka-, and W-band (9.3, 33.1, and 94.9 GHz) using an artificial neural network inversion algorithm. In this report, we provide a brief description of the experiment configuration, radar systems, and a review of the artificial neural network used to extract cloud parameters from the radar data. Time histories of liquid water content (LWC), mean volume diameter (MVD) and mean Z diameter (MZD) are plotted at 300 m range intervals for slant ranges between 1.1 and 4 km. Appendix A provides details on the extraction of radar reflectivity from measured radar power, and Appendix B provides summary logs of the weather conditions for each day in which we processed data.

Plans for the Meter Class Autonomous Telescope and Potential Coordinated Measurements with Kwajalein Radars

Science.gov (United States)

Stansberry, Gene; Kervin, Paul; Mulrooney, Mark

2010-01-01

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) Orbital Debris Program Office is teaming with the US Air Force Research Laboratory's (AFRL) Maui Optical Site to deploy a moderate field-of-view, 1.3 m aperture, optical telescope for orbital debris applications. The telescope will be located on the island of Legan in the Kwajalein Atoll and is scheduled for completion in the Spring of 2011. The telescope is intended to sample both low inclination/high eccentricity orbits and near geosynchronous orbits. The telescope will have a 1 deg diagonal field-of-view on a 4K x 4K CCD. The telescope is expected to be able to detect 10-cm diameter debris at geosynchronous altitudes (5 sec exposure assuming a spherical specular phase function w/ albedo =0.13). Once operational, the telescope has the potential of conducting simultaneous observations with radars operated by the US Army at Kwajalein Atoll (USAKA) and located on the island of Roi-Namur, approximately 55 km to the north of Legan. Four radars, representing 6 frequency bands, are available for use: ALTAIR (ARPA-Long Range Tracking and Instrumentation Radar) operating at VHF & UHF, TRADEX (Target Resolution and Discrimination Experiment) operating at L-band and S-band, ALCOR (ARPA-Lincoln C-band Observables Radar) operating at S-band, and MMW (Millimeter Wave) Radar operating at Ka-band. Also potentially available is the X-band GBRP (Ground Based Radar-Prototype located 25 km to the southeast of Legan on the main island of Kwajalein.

Tunable and switchable dual-wavelength passively mode-locked Bi-doped all-fiber ring laser based on nonlinear polarization rotation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Luo, A-P; Luo, Z-C; Xu, W-C; Dvoyrin, V V; Mashinsky, V M; Dianov, E M

2011-01-01

We demonstrate a tunable and switchable dual-wavelength passively mode-locked Bi-doped all-fiber ring laser by using nonlinear polarization rotation (NPR) technique. Exploiting the spectral filtering effect caused by the combination of the polarizer and intracavity birefringence, the wavelength separation of dual-wavelength mode-locked pulses can be flexibly tuned between 2.38 and 20.45 nm. Taking the advantage of NPR-induced intensity-dependent loss to suppress the mode competition, the stable dual-wavelength pulses output is obtained at room temperature. Moreover, the dual-wavelength switchable operation is achieved by simply rotating the polarization controllers (PCs)

Choice of Eye-Safe Radiation Wavelength in UV and Near IR Spectral Bands for Remote Sensing

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. L. Belov

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The introduction of laser remote sensing systems carries a particular risk to the human’s sense of vision. A structure of the eye, and especially the retina, is the main critical organ as related to the laser radiation.The work uses the optical models of the atmosphere, correctly working in both the UV and the near-IR band, to select the eye-safe radiation wavelengths in the UV (0.355 m and near-IR (~ 1.54 and ~ 2 m spectral bands from the point of view of recorded lidar signal value to fulfill the tasks of laser sensing the natural formations and laser aerosol sensing in the atmosphere.It is shown that the remote sensing lasers with appropriate characteristics can be selected both in the UV band (at a wavelength of 0.355 μm and in the near-IR band (at wavelengths of 1.54 ~ or ~ 2 μm.Molecular scattering has its maximum (for the selected wavelength at a wavelength of 0.355 μm in the UV band, and the minimum at the wavelengths of 1.54 and 2.09 μm in the near -IR band. The main contribution to the molecular absorption at a wavelength of 0.355 μm is made by ozone. In the near-IR spectral band the radiation is absorbed due to water vapor and carbon dioxide.Calculations show that the total effect of the molecular absorption and scattering has no influence on radiation transmission for both the wavelength of 0.355 μm in the UV band, and the wavelengths of 1.54 and 2.09 μm in the near-IR band for sensing trails ~ 1 km.One of the main factors of laser radiation attenuation in the Earth's atmosphere is radiation scattering by aerosol particles.The results of calculations at wavelengths of 0.355 μm, 1.54 μm and 2.09 μm for the several models of the atmosphere show that a choice of the most effective (in terms of the recorded signal of lidar and eye-safe radiation wavelength depends strongly on the task of sensing.To fulfill the task of laser sensing the natural formations, among the eye-safe wavelengths there is one significantly advantageous

GPM GROUND VALIDATION MCGILL W-BAND RADAR GCPEX V1

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — The GPM Ground Validation McGill W-Band Radar GCPEx dataset was collected from February 1, 2012 to February 29, 2012 at the CARE site in Ontario, Canada as a part of...

External-cavity high-power dual-wavelength tapered amplifier with tunable THz frequency difference

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Chi, Mingjun; Jensen, Ole Bjarlin; Petersen, Paul Michael

2012-01-01

A tunable 800 nm high-power dual-wavelength diode laser system with double-Littrow external-cavity feedback is demonstrated. The two wavelengths can be tuned individually, and the frequency difference of the two wavelengths is tunable from 0.5 to 5.0 THz. A maximum output power of 1.54 W is achie......A tunable 800 nm high-power dual-wavelength diode laser system with double-Littrow external-cavity feedback is demonstrated. The two wavelengths can be tuned individually, and the frequency difference of the two wavelengths is tunable from 0.5 to 5.0 THz. A maximum output power of 1.54 W...... is achieved with a frequency difference of 0.86 THz, the output power is higher than 1.3 W in the 5.0 THz range of frequency difference, and the amplified spontaneous emission intensity is more than 20 dB suppressed in the range of frequency difference. The beam quality factor M2 is 1.22±0.15 at an output...

On-chip microparticle detection and sizing using a dual-wavelength waveguide laser

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bernhardi, Edward; van der Werf, Kees; Hollink, Anton; Worhoff, Kerstin; de Ridder, R.M.; Subramaniam, Vinod; Pollnau, Markus

An integrated intra-laser-cavity microparticle sensor based on a dual-phase-shift, dual-wavelength distributed-feedback channel waveguide laser in ytterbium-doped aluminium oxide is presented. Single micro-particles with diameters ranging between 1 μm and 20 μm are detected.

Probabilistic discrimination between liquid rainfall events, hailstorms, biomass burning and industrial fires from C-Band Radar Polarimetric Variables

Science.gov (United States)

Valencia, J. M.; Sepúlveda, J.; Hoyos, C.; Herrera, L.

2017-12-01

Characterization and identification of fire and hailstorm events using weather radar data in a tropical complex topography region is an important task in risk management and agriculture. Polarimetric variables from a C-Band Dual polarization weather radar have potential uses in particle classification, due to the relationship their sensitivity to shape, spatial orientation, size and fall behavior of particles. In this sense, three forest fires and two chemical fires were identified for the Áburra Valley regions. Measurements were compared between each fire event type and with typical data radar retrievals for liquid precipitation events. Results of this analysis show different probability density functions for each type of event according to the particles present in them. This is very important and useful result for early warning systems to avoid precipitation false alarms during fire events within the study region, as well as for the early detection of fires using radar retrievals in remote cases. The comparative methodology is extended to hailstorm cases. Complementary sensors like laser precipitation sensors (LPM) disdrometers and meteorological stations were used to select dates of solid precipitation occurrence. Then, in this dates weather radar data variables were taken in pixels surrounding the stations and solid precipitation polar values were statistically compared with liquid precipitation values. Spectrum precipitation measured by LPM disdrometer helps to define typical features like particles number, fall velocities and diameters for both precipitation types. In addition, to achieve a complete hailstorm characterization, other meteorological variables were analyzed: wind field from meteorological stations and radar wind profiler, profiling data from Micro Rain Radar (MRR), and thermodynamic data from a microwave radiometer.

Ka-band to L-band frequency down-conversion based on III-V-on-silicon photonic integrated circuits

Science.gov (United States)

Van Gasse, K.; Wang, Z.; Uvin, S.; De Deckere, B.; Mariën, J.; Thomassen, L.; Roelkens, G.

2017-12-01

In this work, we present the design, simulation and characterization of a frequency down-converter based on III-V-on-silicon photonic integrated circuit technology. We first demonstrate the concept using commercial discrete components, after which we demonstrate frequency conversion using an integrated mode-locked laser and integrated modulator. In our experiments, five channels in the Ka-band (27.5-30 GHz) with 500 MHz bandwidth are down-converted to the L-band (1.5 GHz). The breadboard demonstration shows a conversion efficiency of - 20 dB and a flat response over the 500 MHz bandwidth. The simulation of a fully integrated circuit indicates that a positive conversion gain can be obtained on a millimeter-sized photonic integrated circuit.

Rain/snow radar remote sensing with two X-band radars operating over an altitude gradient in the French Alps

Science.gov (United States)

Delrieu, Guy; Cazenave, Frédéric; Yu, Nan; Boudevillain, Brice; Faure, Dominique; Gaussiat, Nicolas

2017-04-01

Operating weather radars in high-mountain regions faces the following well-known dilemma: (1) installing radar on top of mountains allows for the detection of severe summer convective events over 360° but may give poor QPE performance during a very significant part of the year when the 0°C isotherm is located below or close to the radar altitude; (2) installing radar at lower altitudes may lead to better QPE over sensitive areas such as cities located in valleys, but at the cost of reduced visibility and detection capability in other geographical sectors. We have the opportunity to study this question in detail in the region of Grenoble (an Alpine city of 500 000 inhabitants with an average altitude of 210 m asl) with a pair of X-band polarimetric weather radars operated respectively by Meteo-France on top of Mount Moucherotte (1920 m asl) and by IGE on the Grenoble Campus (213 m asl). The XPORT radar (IGE) performs a combination of PPIs at elevations of 3.5, 7.5, 15 and 25° complemented by two RHIs in the vertical plane passing by the two radar sites, in order to document the 4D precipitation variability within the Grenoble intermountain valley. In the proposed communication, preliminary results of this experiment (started in September 2016) will be presented with highlights on (1) the calibration of the two radar systems, (2) the characterization of the melting layer during significant precipitation events (>5mm/day) occurring in autumn, winter and spring; (3) the simulation of the relative effects of attenuation and non-uniform beam filling at X-band and (4) the possibility to use the mountain returns for quantifying the attenuation by the rain and the melting layer.

Airborn Ku-band polarimetric radar remote sensing of terrestrial snow cover

Science.gov (United States)

Simon H. Yueh; Steve J. Dinardo; Ahmed Akgiray; Richard West; Donald W. Cline; Kelly Elder

2009-01-01

Characteristics of the Ku-band polarimetric scatterometer (POLSCAT) data acquired from five sets of aircraft flights in the winter months of 2006-2008 for the second Cold Land Processes Experiment (CLPX-II) in Colorado are described in this paper. The data showed the response of the Ku-band radar echoes to snowpack changes for various types of background vegetation in...

a Study of Precipitation Using Dual-Frequency and Interferometric Doppler Radars.

Science.gov (United States)

Chilson, Phillip Bruce

The primary focus of this dissertation involves the investigation of precipitation using Doppler radar but using distinctly different methods. Each method will be treated separately. The first part describes an investigation of a tropical thunderstorm that occurred in the summer of 1991 over the National Astronomy and Ionosphere Center in Arecibo, Puerto Rico. Observations were made using a vertically pointing, dual-wavelength, collinear beam Doppler radar which permits virtually simultaneous observations of the same pulse volume using transmission and reception of coherent UHF and VHF signals on alternate pulses. This made it possible to measure directly the vertical wind within the sampling volume using the VHF signal while using the UHF signal to study the nature of the precipitation. The observed storm showed strong similarities with systems observed in the Global Atmospheric Research Program's (GARP) Atlantic Tropical Experiment (GATE) study. The experiment provided a means of determining various parameters associated with the storm, such as the vertical air velocity, the mean fall speeds of the precipitation, and the reflectivity. Rogers proposed a means of deducing the mean fall speed of precipitation particles using the radar reflectivity factor. Using the data from our experiment, the mean precipitation fall speeds were calculated and compared with those that would be inferred from Rogers' method. The results suggest the Rogers method of estimating mean precipitation fall speeds to be unreliable in turbulent environments. The second part reports observations made with the 50 MHz Middle and Upper Atmosphere (MU) radar located at Shigaraki, Japan during May of 1992. The facility was operated in a spatial interferometry (SI) mode while observing frontal precipitation. The data suggest that the presence of precipitation can produce a bias in the SI cross-spectral phase that in turn creates an overestimation of the horizontal wind. The process is likened to

Application of dual-wavelength spectrophotometry to the uranium ore analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jin Wenlong; Yao Mingxia; Yin Zinan; Guo Hancheng.

1988-03-01

In the buffer solution (pH 2.2) with citric acid and sodium hydrogen phosphate, the uranium in ores can be directly determined with arsenazo III by dual-wavelength spectrophotometric method when Triethylenetetraminehexaacetic acid, diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid and maleic acid are added as masking agents. The measuring wavelength and referential wavelength are 653.0 nm and 607.5 nm respectively. The interference of calcium can be fully eliminated because of its equivalent absorbance at these two wavelengths. The method is simple and rapid. The coefficient of variation (n=5) is less than 5% for 0.06% ∼ 0.5% of uranium in five certified reference materials. The values obtained for U agree with the certified values

Dual wavelength multiple-angle light scattering system for cryptosporidium detection

Science.gov (United States)

Buaprathoom, S.; Pedley, S.; Sweeney, S. J.

2012-06-01

A simple, dual wavelength, multiple-angle, light scattering system has been developed for detecting cryptosporidium suspended in water. Cryptosporidium is a coccidial protozoan parasite causing cryptosporidiosis; a diarrheal disease of varying severity. The parasite is transmitted by ingestion of contaminated water, particularly drinking-water, but also accidental ingestion of bathing-water, including swimming pools. It is therefore important to be able to detect these parasites quickly, so that remedial action can be taken to reduce the risk of infection. The proposed system combines multiple-angle scattering detection of a single and two wavelengths, to collect relative wavelength angle-resolved scattering phase functions from tested suspension, and multivariate data analysis techniques to obtain characterizing information of samples under investigation. The system was designed to be simple, portable and inexpensive. It employs two diode lasers (violet InGaN-based and red AlGaInP-based) as light sources and silicon photodiodes as detectors and optical components, all of which are readily available. The measured scattering patterns using the dual wavelength system showed that the relative wavelength angle-resolved scattering pattern of cryptosporidium oocysts was significantly different from other particles (e.g. polystyrene latex sphere, E.coli). The single wavelength set up was applied for cryptosporidium oocysts'size and relative refractive index measurement and differential measurement of the concentration of cryptosporidium oocysts suspended in water and mixed polystyrene latex sphere suspension. The measurement results showed good agreement with the control reference values. These results indicate that the proposed method could potentially be applied to online detection in a water quality control system.

Narrow band wavelength selective filter using grating assisted single ring resonator

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Prabhathan, P., E-mail: PPrabhathan@ntu.edu.sg; Murukeshan, V. M. [Centre for Optical and Laser Engineering (COLE), School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, 50 Nanyang Avenue, Singapore 639798 (Singapore)

2014-09-15

This paper illustrates a filter configuration which uses a single ring resonator of larger radius connected to a grating resonator at its drop port to achieve single wavelength selectivity and switching property with spectral features suitable for on-chip wavelength selection applications. The proposed configuration is expected to find applications in silicon photonics devices such as, on-chip external cavity lasers and multi analytic label-free biosensors. The grating resonator has been designed for a high Q-factor, high transmittivity, and minimum loss so that the wavelength selectivity of the device is improved. The proof-of-concept device has been demonstrated on a Silicon-on-Insulator (SOI) platform through electron beam lithography and Reactive Ion Etching (RIE) process. The transmission spectrum shows narrow band single wavelength selection and switching property with a high Free Spectral Range (FSR) ∼60 nm and side band rejection ratio >15 dB.

Atmospheric and Fog Effects on Ultra-Wide Band Radar Operating at Extremely High Frequencies.

Science.gov (United States)

Balal, Nezah; Pinhasi, Gad A; Pinhasi, Yosef

2016-05-23

The wide band at extremely high frequencies (EHF) above 30 GHz is applicable for high resolution directive radars, resolving the lack of free frequency bands within the lower part of the electromagnetic spectrum. Utilization of ultra-wideband signals in this EHF band is of interest, since it covers a relatively large spectrum, which is free of users, resulting in better resolution in both the longitudinal and transverse dimensions. Noting that frequencies in the millimeter band are subjected to high atmospheric attenuation and dispersion effects, a study of the degradation in the accuracy and resolution is presented. The fact that solid-state millimeter and sub-millimeter radiation sources are producing low power, the method of continuous-wave wideband frequency modulation becomes the natural technique for remote sensing and detection. Millimeter wave radars are used as complementary sensors for the detection of small radar cross-section objects under bad weather conditions, when small objects cannot be seen by optical cameras and infrared detectors. Theoretical analysis for the propagation of a wide "chirped" Frequency-Modulated Continuous-Wave (FMCW) radar signal in a dielectric medium is presented. It is shown that the frequency-dependent (complex) refractivity of the atmospheric medium causes distortions in the phase of the reflected signal, introducing noticeable errors in the longitudinal distance estimations, and at some frequencies may also degrade the resolution.

Compact 1 × 2 and 2 × 2 Dual Polarized Series-Fed Antenna Array for X-Band Airborne Synthetic Aperture Radar Applications

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Venkata Kishore Kothapudi

2018-04-01

Full Text Available In this paper, compact linear dual polarized series-fed 1 × 2 linear and 2 × 2 planar arrays antennas for airborne SAR applications are proposed. The proposed antenna design consists of a square radiating patch that is placed on top of the substrate, a quarter wave transformer and 50-Ω matched transformer. Matching between a radiating patch and the 50-Ω microstrip line is accomplished through a direct coupled-feed technique with the help of an impedance inverter (λ/4 impedance transformer placed at both horizontal and vertical planes, in the case of the 2 × 2 planar array. The overall size for the prototype-1 and prototype-2 fabricated antennas are 1.9305 × 0.9652 × 0.05106 λ03 and 1.9305 × 1.9305 × 0.05106 λ03, respectively. The fabricated structure has been tested, and the experimental results are similar to the simulated ones. The CST MWS simulated and vector network analyzer measured reflection coefficient (S11 results were compared, and they indicate that the proposed antenna prototype-1 yields the impedance bandwidth > 140 MHz (9.56–9.72 GHz defined by S11 140 MHz for all the individual ports. The surface currents and the E- and H-field distributions were studied for a better understanding of the polarization mechanism. The measured results of the proposed dual polarized antenna were in accordance with the simulated analysis and showed good performance of the S-parameters and radiation patterns (co-pol and cross-pol, gain, efficiency, front-to-back ratio, half-power beam width at the resonant frequency. With these features and its compact size, the proposed antenna will be suitable for X-band airborne synthetic aperture radar applications.

A dual-band reconfigurable Yagi-Uda antenna with diverse radiation patterns

Science.gov (United States)

Saurav, Kushmanda; Sarkar, Debdeep; Srivastava, Kumar Vaibhav

2017-07-01

In this paper, a dual-band pattern reconfigurable antenna is proposed. The antenna comprises of a dual-band complementary split ring resonators (CSRRs) loaded dipole as the driven element and two copper strips with varying lengths as parasitic segments on both sides of the driven dipole. PIN diodes are used with the parasitic elements to control their electrical length. The CSRRs loading provide a lower order mode in addition to the reference dipole mode, while the parasitic elements along with the PIN diodes are capable of switching the omni-directional radiation of the dual-band driven element to nine different configurations of radiation patterns which include bi-directional end-fire, broadside, and uni-directional end-fire in both the operating bands. A prototype of the designed antenna together with the PIN diodes and DC bias lines is fabricated to validate the concept of dual-band radiation pattern diversity. The simulation and measurement results are in good agreement. The proposed antenna can be used in wireless access points for PCS and WLAN applications.

Miniaturized UHF, S-, and Ka-band RF MEMS Filters for Small Form Factor, High Performance EVA Radio, Phase II

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — In Phase II of this SBIR, Harmonic Devices (HDI) proposes to develop miniaturized MEMS filters at UHF, S-band and Ka-band to address the requirements of NASA's...

An Assessment of Wind Plant Complex Flows Using Advanced Doppler Radar Measurements

Science.gov (United States)

Gunter, W. S.; Schroeder, J.; Hirth, B.; Duncan, J.; Guynes, J.

2015-12-01

As installed wind energy capacity continues to steadily increase, the need for comprehensive measurements of wind plant complex flows to further reduce the cost of wind energy has been well advertised by the industry as a whole. Such measurements serve diverse perspectives including resource assessment, turbine inflow and power curve validation, wake and wind plant layout model verification, operations and maintenance, and the development of future advanced wind plant control schemes. While various measurement devices have been matured for wind energy applications (e.g. meteorological towers, LIDAR, SODAR), this presentation will focus on the use of advanced Doppler radar systems to observe the complex wind flows within and surrounding wind plants. Advanced Doppler radars can provide the combined advantage of a large analysis footprint (tens of square kilometers) with rapid data analysis updates (a few seconds to one minute) using both single- and dual-Doppler data collection methods. This presentation demonstrates the utility of measurements collected by the Texas Tech University Ka-band (TTUKa) radars to identify complex wind flows occurring within and nearby operational wind plants, and provide reliable forecasts of wind speeds and directions at given locations (i.e. turbine or instrumented tower sites) 45+ seconds in advance. Radar-derived wind maps reveal commonly observed features such as turbine wakes and turbine-to-turbine interaction, high momentum wind speed channels between turbine wakes, turbine array edge effects, transient boundary layer flow structures (such as wind streaks, frontal boundaries, etc.), and the impact of local terrain. Operational turbine or instrumented tower data are merged with the radar analysis to link the observed complex flow features to turbine and wind plant performance.

Evaluation and Performance Analysis of 3D Printing Technique for Ka-Band Antenna Production

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Armendariz, Unai; Rommel, Simon; Rodríguez Páez, Juan Sebastián

2016-01-01

This paper presents the design and fabrication of 3D printed WR-28 waveguide horn antennas operating in the Ka-band frequency range between 26.5GHz and 40GHz. Three antennas are fabricated from polylactide acid filaments in conductive and non-conductive variants; the latter is covered...

On-chip microparticle detection and sizing using a dual-wavelength waveguide laser

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bernhardi, Edward H.; van der Werf, Kees O; Hollink, Anton J F; Worhoff, Kerstin; De Ridder, Rene M.; Subramaniam, Vinod; Pollnau, Markus

2013-01-01

An integrated intra-laser-cavity microparticle sensor based on a dual-phase-shift, dual-wavelength distributed-feedback channel waveguide laser in Al2O3:Yb3+ is presented. Real-time detection and accurate size measurement of single microparticles with diameters ranging between 1 μm and 20 μm are

Asynchronous and synchronous dual-wavelength pulse generation in a passively mode-locked fiber laser with a mode-locker.

Science.gov (United States)

Hu, Guoqing; Pan, Yingling; Zhao, Xin; Yin, Siyao; Zhang, Meng; Zheng, Zheng

2017-12-01

The evolution from asynchronous to synchronous dual-wavelength pulse generation in a passively mode-locked fiber laser is experimentally investigated by tailoring the intracavity dispersion. Through tuning the intracavity-loss-dependent gain profile and the birefringence-induced filter effect, asynchronous dual-wavelength soliton pulses can be generated until the intracavity anomalous dispersion is reduced to ∼8  fs/nm. The transition from asynchronous to synchronous pulse generation is then observed at an elevated pump power in the presence of residual anomalous dispersion, and it is shown that pulses are temporally synchronized at the mode-locker in the cavity. Spectral sidelobes are observed and could be attributed to the four-wave-mixing effect between dual-wavelength pulses at the carbon nanotube mode-locker. These results could provide further insight into the design and realization of such dual-wavelength ultrafast lasers for different applications such as dual-comb metrology as well as better understanding of the inter-pulse interactions in such dual-comb lasers.

High-power dual-wavelength external-Cavity diode laser based on tapered amplifier with tunable terahertz frequency difference

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Chi, Mingjun; Jensen, Ole Bjarlin; Petersen, Paul Michael

2011-01-01

Tunable dual-wavelength operation of a diode laser system based on a tapered diode amplifier with double-Littrow external-cavity feedback is demonstrated around 800nm. The two wavelengths can be tuned individually, and the frequency difference of the two wavelengths is tunable from 0.5 to 5:0 THz......, this is the highest output power from a dual-wavelength diode laser system operating with tunable terahertz frequency difference. © 2011 Optical Society of America....

Evaluation of a color fused dual-band NVG

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hogervorst, M.A.; Toet, A.

2009-01-01

We designed and evaluated a dual-band Night Vision Goggles sensor system. The sensor system consists of two optically aligned NVGs fitted with filters splitting the sensitive range into a visual and a near-infrared band. The Color-the-night technique (Hogervorst & Toet, FUSION2008) was used to fuse

Automated dual-wavelength spectrophotometer optimized for phytochrome assay

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pratt, L.H.; Wampler, J.E.; Rich, E.S. Jr.

1985-01-01

A microcomputer-controlled dual-wavelength spectrophotometer suitable for automated phytochrome assay is described. The optomechanical unit provides for sequential irradiation of the sample by the two measuring wavelengths with intervening dark intervals and for actinic irradiation to interconvert phytochrome between its two forms. Photomultiplier current is amplified, converted to a digital value and transferred into the computer using a custom-designed IEEE-488 bus interface. The microcomputer calculates mathematically both absorbance and absorbance difference values with dynamic correction for photomultiplier dark current. In addition, the computer controls the operating parameters of the spectrophotometer via a separate interface. These parameters include control of the durations of measuring and actinic irradiation intervals and their sequence. 14 references, 4 figures

Compact Dual-Band Bandpass Filter Using Stubs Loaded Ring Resonator

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, Jin

2016-01-01

This paper presents a novel second-order dual-band bandpass filter (BPF) by using proposed stubs loaded ring resonator. The resonant behavior of proposed stubs loaded ring resonator is analyzed by even-/odd-mode method, which shows its multiple-mode resonant characteristic. Parameters sweep is done so as to give the design guidelines. As an example, a second-order dual-band BPF operating at 1.8/5.2 GHz for GSM and WLAN applications is designed, fabricated and measured. The fabricated filter has a very compact size of 0.05λg×0.15λg. Measured results also show that the proposed dual-band BPF has a better than 20 dB rejection upper stopband from 5.47 GHz to 12.56 GHz. Good agreement is shown between the simulated and measured results.

Radiometric Calibration of a Dual-Wavelength, Full-Waveform Terrestrial Lidar.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Zhan; Jupp, David L B; Strahler, Alan H; Schaaf, Crystal B; Howe, Glenn; Hewawasam, Kuravi; Douglas, Ewan S; Chakrabarti, Supriya; Cook, Timothy A; Paynter, Ian; Saenz, Edward J; Schaefer, Michael

2016-03-02

Radiometric calibration of the Dual-Wavelength Echidna(®) Lidar (DWEL), a full-waveform terrestrial laser scanner with two simultaneously-pulsing infrared lasers at 1064 nm and 1548 nm, provides accurate dual-wavelength apparent reflectance (ρ(app)), a physically-defined value that is related to the radiative and structural characteristics of scanned targets and independent of range and instrument optics and electronics. The errors of ρ(app) are 8.1% for 1064 nm and 6.4% for 1548 nm. A sensitivity analysis shows that ρ(app) error is dominated by range errors at near ranges, but by lidar intensity errors at far ranges. Our semi-empirical model for radiometric calibration combines a generalized logistic function to explicitly model telescopic effects due to defocusing of return signals at near range with a negative exponential function to model the fall-off of return intensity with range. Accurate values of ρ(app) from the radiometric calibration improve the quantification of vegetation structure, facilitate the comparison and coupling of lidar datasets from different instruments, campaigns or wavelengths and advance the utilization of bi- and multi-spectral information added to 3D scans by novel spectral lidars.

Stable Dual-Wavelength Fibre Laser with Bragg Gratings Fabricated in a Polarization-Maintaining Erbium-Doped Fibre

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lin, Wang; Feng-Ping, Yan; Xiang-Qiao, Mao; Shui-Sheng, Jian

2008-01-01

A new polarization-independent dual-wavelength fibre laser by fabricating a uniform FBG and a chirped FBG in a polarization-maintaining erbium-doped fibre (PM-EDF) is proposed and demonstrated. The wavelength spacing is 0.18nm and the optical signal-to-noise ratio is greater than 50dB with pump power of 246mW. Chirped FBG is used to make the reflectivity wavelengths of two PM-FBGs match easier. Since both EDF and FBGs are polarization-maintaining without splices and the two wavelengths are polarization-independent, the maximum amplitude variation and wavelength shifts for both lasing wavelength with 3-min intervals over a period of six hours are less than 0.2 dB and 0.005 nm, respectively, which shows stable dual-wavelength output

Tunable dual-band subwavelength imaging with a wire medium slab loaded with nanostructured graphene metasurfaces

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ali Forouzmand

2015-07-01

Full Text Available In this paper, we demonstrate that a wire medium slab loaded with graphene-nanopatch metasurfaces (GNMs enables the enhancement of evanescent waves for the subwavelength imaging at terahertz (THz frequencies. The analysis is based on the nonlocal homogenization model for wire medium with the additional boundary condition at the connection of wires to graphene. The physical mechanism behind this lens can be described as the surface plasmons excitement at the lower and upper GNMs which are coupled by an array of metallic wires. The dual nature (capacitive/inductive of the GNM is utilized in order to design a dual-band lens in which the unique controllable properties of graphene and the structural parameters of wire medium (WM slab provide more degrees of freedom in controlling two operating frequency bands. The lens can support the subwavelength imaging simultaneously at two tunable distinct frequencies with the resolution better than λ/6 even if the distance between GNMs is a significant fraction of wavelength (>λ/5.5. The major future challenges in the fabrication of the lens have been demonstrated and a promising approach for the practical configuration of the lens has been proposed.

ANALYSIS OF DEBRIS FLOW DISASTER DUE TO HEAVY RAIN BY X-BAND MP RADAR DATA

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. Nishio

2016-06-01

Full Text Available On August 20 of 2014, Hiroshima City (Japan was struck by local heavy rain from an autumnal rain front. The resultant debris flow disaster claimed 75 victims and destroyed many buildings. From 1:30 am to 4:30 am on August 20, the accumulated rainfall in Hiroshima City exceeded 200 mm. Serious damage occurred in the Asakita and Asaminami wards of Hiroshima City. As a disaster prevention measure, local heavy rain (localized torrential rains is usually observed by the Automated Meteorological Data Acquisition System (AMeDAS operated by the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA and by the C-band radar operated by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT of Japan, with spatial resolutions of 2.5 km and 1 km, respectively. The new X-band MP radar system enables more detailed rainfall observations than the C-band radar. In fact, this radar can observe local rainfall throughout Japan in near-real time over a minimum mesh size of 250 m. A fine-scale accumulated rainfall monitoring system is crucial for disaster prevention, and potential disasters can be alerted by the hazard levels of the accumulated rainfall.

A compact O-plus C-band switchable quad-wavelength fiber laser using arrayed waveguide grating

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Latif, A A; Zulkifli, M Z; Hassan, N A; Ahmad, H; Harun, S W; Ghani, Z A

2010-01-01

In this paper, a design of a quad-wavelength fiber laser (QWFL) operating in two different regions namely the O-band covering from 1302 nm to1317.4 nm and C-band from 1530.5 nm to 1548.0 nm is presented. Two different ASE sources from semiconductor optical amplifiers (SOAs) are used, one at 1310 nm and the other at1550 nm. By using a 1×24 channels arrayed waveguide grating (AWG) with 100 GHz interchannel spacing, the system is capable of generating 24 different wavelengths in more than 24 ways of quad-wavelength fiber laser with 0.6 nm and 0.8 nm of interval channel for O-band and C-band regions, respectively

Analysis of high resolution land clutter using an X-band radar

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Melebari, A

2015-10-01

Full Text Available . Measurements were performed with an X-band radar system with two instantaneous bandwidths of 40 MHz and 400 MHz. The clutter data was analyzed by fitting the amplitude Probability Distribution Function (PDF) to different distributions using the Method...

Wide frequency independently controlled dual-band inkjet-printed antenna

KAUST Repository

AbuTarboush, Hattan F.; Shamim, Atif

2014-01-01

.2 and 23.7%, respectively. These dual-bands have the ability to be controlled independently between 1.1 and 7.5 GHz without affecting the other band. In addition, the proposed antenna can be assigned for different mobile and wireless applications

Tropical-forest biomass estimation at X-Band from the spaceborne TanDEM-X interferometer

Science.gov (United States)

R. Treuhaft; F. Goncalves; J.R. dos Santos; M. Keller; M. Palace; S.N. Madsen; F. Sullivan; P.M.L.A. Graca

2014-01-01

This letter reports the sensitivity of X-band interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) data from the first dual-spacecraft radar interferometer, TanDEM-X, to variations in tropical-forest aboveground biomass (AGB). It also reports the first tropical-forest AGB estimates fromTanDEM-X data. Tropical forests account for...

Terahertz-wave differential detection based on simultaneous dual-wavelength up-conversion

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yuma Takida

2017-03-01

Full Text Available We report a terahertz (THz-wave differential detection based on simultaneous dual-wavelength up-conversion in a nonlinear optical MgO:LiNbO3 crystal with optical and electronic THz-wave sources. The broadband parametric gain and noncollinear phase-matching of MgO:LiNbO3 provide efficient conversion from superposed THz waves to spatially distributed near-infrared (NIR beams to function as a dispersive THz-wave spectrometer without any additional dispersive element. We show that the μW-level THz waves from two independent sources, a 0.78-THz injection-seeded THz-wave parametric generator (is-TPG and a 1.14-THz resonant tunneling diode (RTD, are simultaneously up-converted to two NIR waves and then detected with two NIR photodetectors. By applying a balanced detection scheme to this dual-frequency detection, we demonstrate THz-wave differential imaging of maltose and polyethylene pellets in the transmission geometry. This dual-wavelength detection is applicable to more than three frequencies and broadband THz-wave radiation for real-time THz-wave spectroscopic detection and imaging.

Ka-Band MMIC Subarray Technology Program (Ka-Mist)

Science.gov (United States)

Pottinger, W.

1995-01-01

Ka-band monolithic microwave integrated circuit (MMIC) arrays have been considered as having high potential for increasing the capability of space, aircraft, and land mobile communication systems in terms of scan performance, data rate, link margin, and flexibility while offering a significant reduction in size, weight, and power consumption. Insertion of MMIC technology into antenna systems, particularly at millimeter wave frequencies using low power and low noise amplifiers in closed proximity to the radiating elements, offers a significant improvement in the array transmit efficiency, receive system noise figure, and overall array reliability. Application of active array technology also leads to the use of advanced beamforming techniques that can improve beam agility, diversity, and adaptivity to complex signal environments. The objective of this program was to demonstrate the technical feasibility of the 'tile' array packaging architecture at EHF via the insertion of 1990 MMIC technology into a functional tile array or subarray module. The means test of this objective was to demonstrate and deliver to NASA a minimum of two 4 x 4 (16 radiating element) subarray modules operating in a transmit mode at 29.6 GHz. Available (1990) MMIC technology was chosen to focus the program effort on the novel interconnect schemes and packaging requirements rather than focusing on MMIC development. Major technical achievements of this program include the successful integration of two 4 x 4 subarray modules into a single antenna array. This 32 element array demonstrates a transmit EIRP of over 300 watts yielding an effective directive power gain in excess of 55 dB at 29.63 GHz. The array has been actively used as the transmit link in airborne/terrestrial mobile communication experiments accomplished via the ACTS satellite launched in August 1993.

Electrically tunable zero dispersion wavelengths in photonic crystal fibers filled with a dual frequency addressable liquid crystal

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wahle, Markus; Kitzerow, Heinz-Siegfried

2015-01-01

We present a liquid crystal (LC) infiltrated photonic crystal fiber, which enables the electrical tuning of the position of zero dispersion wavelengths (ZDWs). A dual frequency addressable liquid crystal is aligned perpendicular on the inclusion walls of a photonic crystal fiber, which results in an escaped radial director field. The orientation of the LC is controlled by applying an external electric field. Due to the high index of the liquid crystal the fiber guides light by the photonic band gap effect. Multiple ZDWs exist in the visible and near infrared. The positions of the ZDWs can be either blue or red shifted depending on the frequency of the applied voltage

A diode-pumped Nd:YAlO3 dual-wavelength yellow light source

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang, Jing; Zhai, Pei; Xia, Jing; Li, Shutao; Fu, Xihong

2013-01-01

We present what is, to the best of our knowledge, the first diode-pumped Nd:YAlO 3 (Nd:YAP) continuous-wave (cw) dual-wavelength yellow laser at 593 nm and 598 nm, based on sum-frequency generation between 1064 and 1339 nm in a-axis polarization using LBO crystal and between 1079 and 1341 nm in c-axis polarization using PPKTP crystal, respectively. At an incident pump power of 17.3 W, the maximum output power obtained at 593 nm and 598 nm is 0.18 W and 1.86 W, respectively. The laser experiment shows that Nd:YAP crystal can be used for an efficient diode-pumped dual-wavelength yellow laser system. (paper)

Dual-wavelength high-power diode laser system based on an external-cavity tapered amplifier with tunable frequency difference

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Chi, Mingjun; Jensen, Ole Bjarlin; Petersen, Paul Michael

2012-01-01

knowledge, this is the broadest tuning range of the frequency difference from a dual-wavelength diode laser system. The spectrum, output power, and beam quality of the diode laser system are characterized. The power stability of each wavelength is measured, and the power fluctuations of the two wavelengths......A dual-wavelength high-power semiconductor laser system based on a tapered amplifier with double-Littrow external cavity is demonstrated around 800 nm. The two wavelengths can be tuned individually, and the frequency difference of the two wavelengths is tunable from 0.5 to 10.0 THz. To our...

Towards Snowpack Characterization using C-band Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR)

Science.gov (United States)

Park, J.; Forman, B. A.

2017-12-01

Sentinel 1A and 1B, operated by the European Space Agency (ESA), carries a C-band synthetic aperture radar (SAR) sensor that can be used to monitor terrestrial snow properties. This study explores the relationship between terrestrial snow-covered area, snow depth, and snow water equivalent with Sentinel 1 backscatter observations in order to better characterize snow mass. Ground-based observations collected by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration - Cooperative Remote Sensing Science and Technology Center (NOAA-CREST) in Caribou, Maine in the United States are also used in the comparative analysis. Sentinel 1 Ground Range Detected (GRD) imagery with Interferometric Wide swath (IW) were preprocessed through a series of steps accounting for thermal noise, sensor orbit, radiometric calibration, speckle filtering, and terrain correction using ESA's Sentinel Application Platform (SNAP) software package, which is an open-source module written in Python. Comparisons of dual-polarized backscatter coefficients (i.e., σVV and σVH) with in-situ measurements of snow depth and SWE suggest that cross-polarized backscatter observations exhibit a modest correlation between both snow depth and SWE. In the case of the snow-covered area, a multi-temporal change detection method was used. Results using Sentinel 1 yield similar spatial patterns as when using hyperspectral observations collected by the MODerate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS). These preliminary results suggest the potential application of Sentinel 1A/1B backscatter coefficients towards improved discrimination of snow cover, snow depth, and SWE. One goal of this research is to eventually merge C-band SAR backscatter observations with other snow information (e.g., passive microwave brightness temperatures) as part of a multi-sensor snow assimilation framework.

Dual wavelength operation in diode-end-pumped hybrid vanadate ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Dual wavelength operation at 1062.8 nm and 1064.1 nm in a diode-pumped hybrid laser comprising of Nd3+-doped birefringent YVO4 and GdVO4 crystals is demon-strated. A detailed characterization of the laser is performed under CW and pulsed operation. Under Q-switching, 4 W of average power at 5 kHz repetition ...

Simulation of simultaneously obtaining ocean temperature and salinity using dual-wavelength Brillouin lidar

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yu, Yin; Ma, Yong; Li, Hao; Huang, Jun; Fang, Yu; Liang, Kun; Zhou, Bo

2014-01-01

A method for simultaneously obtaining the ocean temperature and salinity based on dual-wavelength Brillouin lidar is proposed in this letter. On the basis of the relationships between the temperature and salinity and the Brillouin shifts, a retrieval model for retrieving the temperature and salinity is established. By using the retrieval model, the ocean temperature and salinity can be simultaneously obtained through the Brillouin shifts. Simulation based on dual-wavelength Brillouin lidar is also carried out for verification of the accuracy of the retrieval model. Results show that the errors of the retrieval model for temperature and salinity are ±0.27 °C and ±0.33‰. (letter)

Interrogation of weak Bragg grating sensors based on dual-wavelength differential detection.

Science.gov (United States)

Cheng, Rui; Xia, Li

2016-11-15

It is shown that for weak Bragg gratings the logarithmic ratio of reflected intensities at any two wavelengths within the spectrum follows a linear relationship with the Bragg wavelength shift, with a slope proportional to their wavelength spacing. This finding is exploited to develop a flexible, efficient, and cheap interrogation solution of weak fiber Bragg grating (FBGs), especially ultra-short FBGs, in distributed sensing based on dual-wavelength differential detection. The concept is experimentally studied in both single and distributed sensing systems with ultra-short FBG sensors. The work may form the basis of new and promising FBG interrogation techniques based on detecting discrete rather than continuous spectra.

Phase retrieval from the phase-shift moiré fringe patterns in simultaneous dual-wavelength interferometry

Science.gov (United States)

Cheng, Jinlong; Gao, Zhishan; Bie, Shuyou; Dou, Yimeng; Ni, Ruihu; Yuan, Qun

2018-02-01

Simultaneous dual-wavelength interferometry (SDWI) could extend the measured range of each single-wavelength interferometry. The moiré fringe generated in SDWI indirectly represents the information of the measured long synthetic-wavelength ({λ }{{S}}) phase, thus the phase demodulation is rather arduous. To address this issue, we present a method to convert the moiré fringe pattern into a synthetic-wavelength interferogram (moiré to synthetic-wavelength, MTS). After the square of the moiré fringe pattern in the MTS method, the additive moiré pattern is turned into a multiplicative one. And the synthetic-wavelength interferogram could be obtained by a low-pass filtering in spectrum of the multiplicative moiré fringe pattern. Therefore, when the dual-wavelength interferometer is implemented with the π/2 phase shift at {λ }{{S}}, a sequence of synthetic-wavelength phase-shift interferograms with π/2 phase shift could be obtained after the MTS method processing on the captured moiré fringe patterns. And then the synthetic-wavelength phase could be retrieved by the conventional phase-shift algorithm. Compared with other methods in SDWI, the proposed MTS approach could reduce the restriction of the phase shift and frame numbers for the adoption of the conventional phase-shift algorithm. Following, numerical simulations are executed to evaluate the performance of the MTS method in processing time, frames of interferograms and the phase shift error compensation. And the necessary linear carrier for MTS method is less than 0.11 times of the traditional dual-wavelength spatial-domain Fourier transform method. Finally, the deviations for MTS method in experiment are 0.97% for a step with the height of 7.8 μm and 1.11% for a Fresnel lens with the step height of 6.2328 μm.

Dual-wavelength external cavity laser device for fluorescence suppression in Raman spectroscopy

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Xuting; Cai, Zhijian; Wu, Jianhong

2017-10-01

Raman spectroscopy has been widely used in the detection of drugs, pesticides, explosives, food additives and environmental pollutants, for its characteristics of fast measurement, easy sample preparation, and molecular structure analyzing capability. However, fluorescence disturbance brings a big trouble to these applications, with strong fluorescence background covering up the weak Raman signals. Recently shifted excitation Raman difference spectroscopy (SERDS) not only can completely remove the fluorescence background, but also can be easily integrated into portable Raman spectrometers. Usually, SERDS uses two lasers with small wavelength gap to excite the sample, then acquires two spectra, and subtracts one to the other to get the difference spectrum, where the fluorescence background will be rejected. So, one key aspects of successfully applying SERDS method is to obtain a dual-wavelength laser source. In this paper, a dual-wavelength laser device design based on the principles of external cavity diode laser (ECDL) is proposed, which is low-cost and compact. In addition, it has good mechanical stability because of no moving parts. These features make it an ideal laser source for SERDS technique. The experiment results showed that the device can emit narrow-spectral-width lasers of two wavelengths, with the gap smaller than 2 nanometers. The laser power corresponding to each wavelength can be up to 100mW.

Optimization of dual-wavelength intravascular photoacoustic imaging of atherosclerotic plaques using Monte Carlo optical modeling

Science.gov (United States)

Dana, Nicholas; Sowers, Timothy; Karpiouk, Andrei; Vanderlaan, Donald; Emelianov, Stanislav

2017-10-01

Coronary heart disease (the presence of coronary atherosclerotic plaques) is a significant health problem in the industrialized world. A clinical method to accurately visualize and characterize atherosclerotic plaques is needed. Intravascular photoacoustic (IVPA) imaging is being developed to fill this role, but questions remain regarding optimal imaging wavelengths. We utilized a Monte Carlo optical model to simulate IVPA excitation in coronary tissues, identifying optimal wavelengths for plaque characterization. Near-infrared wavelengths (≤1800 nm) were simulated, and single- and dual-wavelength data were analyzed for accuracy of plaque characterization. Results indicate light penetration is best in the range of 1050 to 1370 nm, where 5% residual fluence can be achieved at clinically relevant depths of ≥2 mm in arteries. Across the arterial wall, fluence may vary by over 10-fold, confounding plaque characterization. For single-wavelength results, plaque segmentation accuracy peaked at 1210 and 1720 nm, though correlation was poor (blood, a primary and secondary wavelength near 1210 and 1350 nm, respectively, may offer the best implementation of dual-wavelength IVPA imaging. These findings could guide the development of a cost-effective clinical system by highlighting optimal wavelengths and improving plaque characterization.

Advanced mobile satellite communications system using Ka and MM-wave bands in Japan's R and D satellite project

Science.gov (United States)

Isobe, Shunkichi; Ohmori, Shingo; Hamamoto, Naokazu; Yamamoto, Minoru

1991-01-01

Communications Research Laboratory (CRL) studied an advanced mobile satellite communications system using Ka and millimeter-wave bands in the R&D Satellite project. The project started in 1990 and the satellite will be launched in 1997. On-board multi-beam interconnecting is one of basic functions to realize one-hop connection among Very Small Aperture Terminals (VSATs), mobile, and hand-held terminals in future mobile satellite communications system. An Intermediate Frequency (IF) filter bank and regenerative transponder are suitable for this function. The transponder configuration of an advanced mobile communications mission of the R&D Satellite for experiment is shown. High power transmitters of Ka and millimeter-wave bands, a 3x3 IF filter band and Single Channel Per Carrier/Time Division Multiplexing (SCPC/TDM) regenerative MODEMS, which will be boarded on the R&D Satellite, are being developed for the purpose of studying the feasibility of advanced mobile communications system.

From ASCAT to Sentinel-1: Soil Moisture Monitoring using European C-Band Radars

Science.gov (United States)

Wagner, Wolfgang; Bauer-Marschallinger, Bernhard; Hochstöger, Simon

2016-04-01

The Advanced Scatterometer (ASCAT) is a C-Band radar instrument flown on board of the series of three METOP satellites. Albeit not operating in one of the more favorable longer wavelength ranges (S, L or P-band) as the dedicated Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) and Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) missions, it is one of main microwave sensors used for monitoring of soil moisture on a global scale. Its attractiveness for soil moisture monitoring applications stems from its operational status, high radiometric accuracy and stability, short revisit time, multiple viewing directions and long heritage (Wagner et al. 2013). From an application perspective, its main limitation is its spatial resolution of about 25 km, which does not allow resolving soil moisture patterns driven by smaller-scale hydrometeorological processes (e.g. convective precipitation, runoff patterns, etc.) that are themselves related to highly variable land surface characteristics (soil characteristics, topography, vegetation cover, etc.). Fortunately, the technique of aperture synthesis allows to significantly improve the spatial resolution of spaceborne radar instruments up to the meter scale. Yet, past Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) missions had not yet been designed to achieve a short revisit time required for soil moisture monitoring. This has only changed recently with the development and launch of SMAP (Entekhabi et al. 2010) and Sentinel-1 (Hornacek et al. 2012). Unfortunately, the SMAP radar failed only after a few months of operations, which leaves Sentinel-1 as the only currently operational SAR mission capable of delivering high-resolution radar observations with a revisit time of about three days for Europe, about weekly for most crop growing regions worldwide, and about bi-weekly to monthly over the rest of the land surface area. Like ASCAT, Sentinel-1 acquires C-band backscatter data in VV polarization over land. Therefore, for the interpretation of both ASCAT and Sentinel-1

Fpga based L-band pulse doppler radar design and implementation

Science.gov (United States)

Savci, Kubilay

As its name implies RADAR (Radio Detection and Ranging) is an electromagnetic sensor used for detection and locating targets from their return signals. Radar systems propagate electromagnetic energy, from the antenna which is in part intercepted by an object. Objects reradiate a portion of energy which is captured by the radar receiver. The received signal is then processed for information extraction. Radar systems are widely used for surveillance, air security, navigation, weather hazard detection, as well as remote sensing applications. In this work, an FPGA based L-band Pulse Doppler radar prototype, which is used for target detection, localization and velocity calculation has been built and a general-purpose Pulse Doppler radar processor has been developed. This radar is a ground based stationary monopulse radar, which transmits a short pulse with a certain pulse repetition frequency (PRF). Return signals from the target are processed and information about their location and velocity is extracted. Discrete components are used for the transmitter and receiver chain. The hardware solution is based on Xilinx Virtex-6 ML605 FPGA board, responsible for the control of the radar system and the digital signal processing of the received signal, which involves Constant False Alarm Rate (CFAR) detection and Pulse Doppler processing. The algorithm is implemented in MATLAB/SIMULINK using the Xilinx System Generator for DSP tool. The field programmable gate arrays (FPGA) implementation of the radar system provides the flexibility of changing parameters such as the PRF and pulse length therefore it can be used with different radar configurations as well. A VHDL design has been developed for 1Gbit Ethernet connection to transfer digitized return signal and detection results to PC. An A-Scope software has been developed with C# programming language to display time domain radar signals and detection results on PC. Data are processed both in FPGA chip and on PC. FPGA uses fixed

High-power terahertz optical pulse generation with a dual-wavelength harmonically mode-locked Yb:YAG laser

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhuang, W Z; Chang, M T; Su, K W; Huang, K F; Chen, Y F

2013-01-01

We report on high-power terahertz optical pulse generation with a dual-wavelength harmonically mode-locked Yb:YAG laser. A semiconductor saturable absorber mirror is developed to achieve synchronously mode-locked operation at two spectral bands centered at 1031.67 and 1049.42 nm with a pulse duration of 1.54 ps and a pulse repetition rate of 80.3 GHz. With a diamond heat spreader to improve the heat removal efficiency, the average output power can be up to 1.1 W at an absorbed pump power of 5.18 W. The autocorrelation traces reveal that the mode-locked pulse is modulated with a beat frequency of 4.92 THz and displays a modulation depth to be greater than 80%. (paper)

A study on the use of radar and lidar for characterizing ultragiant aerosol

Science.gov (United States)

Madonna, F.; Amodeo, A.; D'Amico, G.; Pappalardo, G.

2013-09-01

19 April to 19 May 2010, volcanic aerosol layers originating from the Eyjafjallajökull volcano were observed at the Institute of Methodologies for Environmental Analysis of the National Research Council of Italy Atmospheric Observatory, named CIAO (40.60°N, 15.72°E, 760 m above sea level), in Southern Italy with a multiwavelength Raman lidar. During this period, ultragiant aerosols were also observed at CIAO using a colocated 8.45 mm wavelength Doppler radar. The Ka-band radar signatures observed in four separate days (19 April and 7, 10, and 13 May) are consistent with the observation of nonspherical ultragiant aerosols characterized by values of linear depolarization ratio (LDR) higher than -4 dB. Air mass back trajectory analysis suggests a volcanic origin of the ultragiant aerosols observed by the radar. The observed values of the radar reflectivity (Ze) are consistent with a particle effective radius (r) larger than 50-75 µm. Scattering simulations based on the T-matrix approach show that the high LDR values can be explained if the observed particles have an absolute aspect ratio larger than 3.0 and consist of an internal aerosol core and external ice shell, with a variable radius ratio ranging between 0.2 and 0.7 depending on the shape and aspect ratio. Comparisons between daytime vertical profiles of aerosol backscatter coefficient (β) as measured by lidar and radar LDR reveal a decrease of β where ultragiant particles are observed. Scattering simulations based on Mie theory show how the lidar capability in typing ultragiant aerosols could be limited by low number concentrations or by the presence of an external ice shell covering the aerosol particles. Preferential vertical alignment of the particles is discussed as another possible reason for the decrease of β.

An Algorithm for Surface Current Retrieval from X-band Marine Radar Images

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chengxi Shen

2015-06-01

Full Text Available In this paper, a novel current inversion algorithm from X-band marine radar images is proposed. The routine, for which deep water is assumed, begins with 3-D FFT of the radar image sequence, followed by the extraction of the dispersion shell from the 3-D image spectrum. Next, the dispersion shell is converted to a polar current shell (PCS using a polar coordinate transformation. After removing outliers along each radial direction of the PCS, a robust sinusoidal curve fitting is applied to the data points along each circumferential direction of the PCS. The angle corresponding to the maximum of the estimated sinusoid function is determined to be the current direction, and the amplitude of this sinusoidal function is the current speed. For validation, the algorithm is tested against both simulated radar images and field data collected by a vertically-polarized X-band system and ground-truthed with measurements from an acoustic Doppler current profiler (ADCP. From the field data, it is observed that when the current speed is less than 0.5 m/s, the root mean square differences between the radar-derived and the ADCP-measured current speed and direction are 7.3 cm/s and 32.7°, respectively. The results indicate that the proposed procedure, unlike most existing current inversion schemes, is not susceptible to high current speeds and circumvents the need to consider aliasing. Meanwhile, the relatively low computational cost makes it an excellent choice in practical marine applications.

Detection of hail signatures from single-polarization C-band radar reflectivity

Science.gov (United States)

Kunz, Michael; Kugel, Petra I. S.

2015-02-01

Five different criteria that estimate hail signatures from single-polarization radar data are statistically evaluated over a 15-year period by categorical verification against loss data provided by a building insurance company. The criteria consider different levels or thresholds of radar reflectivity, some of them complemented by estimates of the 0 °C level or cloud top temperature. Applied to reflectivity data from a single C-band radar in southwest Germany, it is found that all criteria are able to reproduce most of the past damage-causing hail events. However, the criteria substantially overestimate hail occurrence by up to 80%, mainly due to the verification process using damage data. Best results in terms of highest Heidke Skill Score HSS or Critical Success Index CSI are obtained for the Hail Detection Algorithm (HDA) and the Probability of Severe Hail (POSH). Radar-derived hail probability shows a high spatial variability with a maximum on the lee side of the Black Forest mountains and a minimum in the broad Rhine valley.

Space Radar Image of Colombian Volcano

Science.gov (United States)

1999-01-01

This is a radar image of a little known volcano in northern Colombia. The image was acquired on orbit 80 of space shuttle Endeavour on April 14, 1994, by the Spaceborne Imaging Radar C/X-Band Synthetic Aperture Radar (SIR-C/X-SAR). The volcano near the center of the image is located at 5.6 degrees north latitude, 75.0 degrees west longitude, about 100 kilometers (65 miles) southeast of Medellin, Colombia. The conspicuous dark spot is a lake at the bottom of an approximately 3-kilometer-wide (1.9-mile) volcanic collapse depression or caldera. A cone-shaped peak on the bottom left (northeast rim) of the caldera appears to have been the source for a flow of material into the caldera. This is the northern-most known volcano in South America and because of its youthful appearance, should be considered dormant rather than extinct. The volcano's existence confirms a fracture zone proposed in 1985 as the northern boundary of volcanism in the Andes. The SIR-C/X-SAR image reveals another, older caldera further south in Colombia, along another proposed fracture zone. Although relatively conspicuous, these volcanoes have escaped widespread recognition because of frequent cloud cover that hinders remote sensing imaging in visible wavelengths. Four separate volcanoes in the Northern Andes nations ofColombia and Ecuador have been active during the last 10 years, killing more than 25,000 people, including scientists who were monitoring the volcanic activity. Detection and monitoring of volcanoes from space provides a safe way to investigate volcanism. The recognition of previously unknown volcanoes is important for hazard evaluations because a number of major eruptions this century have occurred at mountains that were not previously recognized as volcanoes. Spaceborne Imaging Radar-C and X-band Synthetic Aperture Radar (SIR-C/X-SAR) is part of NASA's Mission to Planet Earth. The radars illuminate Earth with microwaves allowing detailed observations at any time, regardless of

Wide field-of-view dual-band multispectral muzzle flash detection

Science.gov (United States)

Montoya, J.; Melchor, J.; Spiliotis, P.; Taplin, L.

2013-06-01

Sensor technologies are undergoing revolutionary advances, as seen in the rapid growth of multispectral methodologies. Increases in spatial, spectral, and temporal resolution, and in breadth of spectral coverage, render feasible sensors that function with unprecedented performance. A system was developed that addresses many of the key hardware requirements for a practical dual-band multispectral acquisition system, including wide field of view and spectral/temporal shift between dual bands. The system was designed using a novel dichroic beam splitter and dual band-pass filter configuration that creates two side-by-side images of a scene on a single sensor. A high-speed CMOS sensor was used to simultaneously capture data from the entire scene in both spectral bands using a short focal-length lens that provided a wide field-of-view. The beam-splitter components were arranged such that the two images were maintained in optical alignment and real-time intra-band processing could be carried out using only simple arithmetic on the image halves. An experiment related to limitations of the system to address multispectral detection requirements was performed. This characterized the system's low spectral variation across its wide field of view. This paper provides lessons learned on the general limitation of key hardware components required for multispectral muzzle flash detection, using the system as a hardware example combined with simulated multispectral muzzle flash and background signatures.

A photo-excited broadband to dual-band tunable terahertz prefect metamaterial polarization converter

Science.gov (United States)

Zhu, Jianfeng; Yang, Yang; Li, Shufang

2018-04-01

A new and simple design of photo-excited broadband to dual-band tunable terahertz (THz) metamaterial cross polarization converter is proposed in this paper. The tunable converter is a sandwich structure with the center-cut cross-shaped metallic patterned structure as a resonator, the middle dielectric layer as a spacer and the bottom metallic film as the ground. The conductivity of the photoconductive semiconductor (Silicon) filled in the gap of the cross-shaped metallic resonator can be tuned by the incident pump power, leading to an easy modulation of the electromagnetic response of the proposed converter. The results show that the proposed cross-polarization converter can be tuned from a broadband with polarization conversion ratio (PCR) beyond 95% (1.86-2.94 THz) to dual frequency bands (fl = 1 . 46 THz &fh = 2 . 9 THz). The conversion peaks can reach 99.9% for the broadband and, 99.5% (fl) and 99.7% (fh) for the dual-band, respectively. Most importantly, numerical simulations demonstrate that the broadband/dual-band polarization conversion mechanism of the converter originates from the localized surface plasmon modes, which make the design simple and different from previous designs. With these good features, the proposed broadband to dual-band tunable polarization converter is expected to be used in widespread applications.

Evaluating UV-C LED disinfection performance and investigating potential dual-wavelength synergy.

Science.gov (United States)

Beck, Sara E; Ryu, Hodon; Boczek, Laura A; Cashdollar, Jennifer L; Jeanis, Kaitlyn M; Rosenblum, James S; Lawal, Oliver R; Linden, Karl G

2017-02-01

A dual-wavelength UV-C LED unit, emitting at peaks of 260 nm, 280 nm, and the combination of 260|280 nm together was evaluated for its inactivation efficacy and energy efficiency at disinfecting Escherichia coli, MS2 coliphage, human adenovirus type 2 (HAdV2), and Bacillus pumilus spores, compared to conventional low-pressure and medium-pressure UV mercury vapor lamps. The dual-wavelength unit was also used to measure potential synergistic effects of multiple wavelengths on bacterial and viral inactivation and DNA and RNA damage. All five UV sources demonstrated similar inactivation of E. coli. For MS2, the 260 nm LED was most effective. For HAdV2 and B. pumilus, the MP UV lamp was most effective. When measuring electrical energy per order of reduction, the LP UV lamp was most efficient for inactivating E. coli and MS2; the LP UV and MP UV mercury lamps were equally efficient for HAdV2 and B. pumilus spores. Among the UV-C LEDs, there was no statistical difference in electrical efficiency for inactivating MS2, HAdV2, and B. pumilus spores. The 260 nm and 260|280 nm LEDs had a statistical energy advantage for E. coli inactivation. For UV-C LEDs to match the electrical efficiency per order of log reduction of conventional LP UV sources, they must reach efficiencies of 25-39% or be improved on by smart reactor design. No dual wavelength synergies were detected for bacterial and viral inactivation nor for DNA and RNA damage. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Theoretical Modeling and Analysis of L- and P-band Radar Backscatter Sensitivity to Soil Active Layer Dielectric Variations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jinyang Du

2015-07-01

Full Text Available Freeze-thaw (FT and moisture dynamics within the soil active layer are critical elements of boreal, arctic and alpine ecosystems, and environmental change assessments. We evaluated the potential for detecting dielectric changes within different soil layers using combined L- and P-band radar remote sensing as a prerequisite for detecting FT and moisture profile changes within the soil active layer. A two-layer scattering model was developed and validated for simulating radar responses from vertically inhomogeneous soil. The model simulations indicated that inhomogeneity in the soil dielectric profile contributes to both L- and P-band backscatter, but with greater P-band sensitivity at depth. The difference in L- and P-band responses to soil dielectric profile inhomogeneity appears suitable for detecting associated changes in soil active layer conditions. Additional evaluation using collocated airborne radar (AIRSAR observations and in situ soil moisture measurements over alpine tundra indicates that combined L- and P-band SAR observations are sensitive to soil dielectric profile heterogeneity associated with variations in soil moisture and FT conditions.

High gain L-band erbium-doped fiber amplifier with two-stage ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

stage erbium-doped fiber amplifier; amplified spontaneous emission. Abstract. An experiment on gain enhancement in the long wavelength band erbium-doped fiber amplifier (L-band EDFA) is demonstrated using dual forward pumping scheme ...

A highly stable and switchable dual-wavelength laser using coupled microfiber Mach-Zehnder interferometer as an optical filter

Science.gov (United States)

Jasim, A. A.; Ahmad, H.

2017-12-01

The generation and switching of dual-wavelength laser based on compact coupled microfiber Mach-Zehnder interferometer (CM-MZI) is reported. The CM-MZI is constructed by overlapping two portions of a single tapered optical fiber which has a diameter of 9 μm as to create multi-mode interference and also to produce spatial mode beating as to suppress mode competition in the homogeneous gain medium. The system is able to generate a dual-wavelength laser output that can be switched with the aid of the polarization rotation technique. Four dual-wavelength oscillation pairs are obtained from the interference fringe peaks of the CM-MZI comb filter with a switched channel spacing of 1.5 nm, 3.0 nm, and 6.0 nm. The wavelength spacing is stable at different pump powers. The lasing wavelength has a 3-dB linewidth of about 30 pm and peak-to-floor ration of about 55 dB at a pump power of 38 mW.

Toward Exploring the Synergy Between Cloud Radar Polarimetry and Doppler Spectral Analysis in Deep Cold Precipitating Systems in the Arctic

Science.gov (United States)

Oue, Mariko; Kollias, Pavlos; Ryzhkov, Alexander; Luke, Edward P.

2018-03-01

The study of Arctic ice and mixed-phase clouds, which are characterized by a variety of ice particle types in the same cloudy volume, is challenging research. This study illustrates a new approach to qualitative and quantitative analysis of the complexity of ice and mixed-phase microphysical processes in Arctic deep precipitating systems using the combination of Ka-band zenith-pointing radar Doppler spectra and quasi-vertical profiles of polarimetric radar variables measured by a Ka/W-band scanning radar. The results illustrate the frequent occurrence of multimodal Doppler spectra in the dendritic/planar growth layer, where locally generated, slower-falling particle populations are well separated from faster-falling populations in terms of Doppler velocity. The slower-falling particle populations contribute to an increase of differential reflectivity (ZDR), while an enhanced specific differential phase (KDP) in this dendritic growth temperature range is caused by both the slower and faster-falling particle populations. Another area with frequent occurrence of multimodal Doppler spectra is in mixed-phase layers, where both populations produce ZDR and KDP values close to 0, suggesting the occurrence of a riming process. Joint analysis of the Doppler spectra and the polarimetric radar variables provides important insight into the microphysics of snow formation and allows the separation of the contributions of ice of different habits to the values of reflectivity and ZDR.

Dual-Polarimetric Radar-Based Tornado Debris Signatures and Paths Associated with Tornadoes Over Northern Alabama During the Historic Outbreak of 27 April 2011

Science.gov (United States)

Carey, Lawrence D.; Schultz, Christopher J.; Schultz, Elise V.; Petersen, Walter A.; Gatlin, Patrick N.; Knupp, Kevin R.; Molthan, Andrew L.; Jedloved, Gary J.; Carcione, Brian C.; Darden, Christopher B.;

A new low-cost 10 ns pulsed K(a)-band radar.

Science.gov (United States)

Eskelinen, Pekka; Ylinen, Juhana

2011-07-01

Two Gunn oscillators, conventional intermediate frequency building blocks, and a modified GaAs diode detector are combined to form a portable monostatic 10 ns instrumentation radar for outdoor K(a)-band radar cross section measurements. At 37.8 GHz the radar gives +20 dBm output power and its tangential sensitivity is -76 dBm. Processing bandwidth is 125 MHz, which also allows for some frequency drift in the Gunn devices. Intra-pulse frequency chirp is less than 15 MHz. All functions are steered by a microcontroller. First measurements convince that the construction has a reasonable ability to reduce close-to-ground surface clutter and gives an effective way of resolving target detail. This is beneficial especially when amplitude fluctuations disturb measurements with longer pulses. The new unit operates on 12 V dc, draws a current of less than 3 A, and weighs 5 kg.

Combined High Spectral Resolution Lidar and Millimeter Wavelength Radar Measurement of Ice Crystal Precipitation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Eloranta, Edwin [Univ. of Wisconsin, Madison, WI (United States)

2016-10-28

The goal of this research has been to improve measurements of snowfall using a combination of millimeter-wavelength radar and High Spectral Resolution Lidar (HSRL) Observations. Snowflakes are large compared to the 532nm HSRL wavelength and small compared to the 3.2 and 8.6 mm wavelength radars used in this study. This places the particles in the optical scattering regime of the HSRL, where extinction cross-section is proportional to the projected area of the particles, and in the Rayleigh regime for the radar, where the backscatter cross-section is proportional to the mass-squared of the particles. Forming a ratio of the radar measured cross-section to the HSRL measured cross section eliminates any dependence on the number of scattering particles, yielding a quantity proportional to the average mass-squared of the snowflakes over the average area of the flakes. Using simultaneous radar measurements of particle fall velocities, which are dependent particle mass and cross-sectional area it is possible to derive the average mass of the snow flakes, and with the radar measured fall velocities compute the snowfall rate. Since this retrieval requires the optical extinction cross-section we began by considering errors this quantity. The HSRL is particularly good at measuring the backscatter cross-section. In previous studies of snowfall in the high Arctic were able to estimate the extinction cross-section directly as a fixed ratio to the backscatter cross-section. Measurements acquired in the STORMVEX experiment in Colorado showed that this approach was not valid in mid-latitude snowfalls and that direct measurement of the extinction cross-section is required. Attempts to measure the extinction directly uncovered shortcomings in thermal regulation and mechanical stability of the newly deployed DOE HSRL systems. These problems were largely mitigated by modifications installed in both of the DOE systems. We also investigated other sources of error in the HSRL direct

Dual-band linearly and circularly polarized microstrip patch antennas with meandering slot and metallic vias

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Zhang, Jin; Lin, Xianqi; Yu, Jiawei

2018-01-01

performances. The characteristics are analyzed in detail where we find that the existence of the vias also improves the impedance matching. Four samples are designed, where dual-band with both linear polarization, dual-band with circular- and linear-polarization, and single band with linear polarization...

Synergistic Use of Spacecraft Telecom Links for Collection of Planetary Radar Science Data

Science.gov (United States)

Asmar, S.; Bell, D. J.; Chahat, N. E.; Decrossas, E.; Dobreva, T.; Duncan, C.; Ellliot, H.; Jin, C.; Lazio, J.; Miller, J.; Preston, R.

2017-12-01

On multiple solar system missions, radar instruments have been used to probe subsurface geomorphology and to infer chemical composition based on the dielectric signature derived from the reflected signal. Example spacecraft radar instruments are the 90 MHz CONSERT radar used to probe the interior of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko to a depth of 760m, the 20 MHz SHARAD instrument used to investigate Mars subsurface ice features from Mars orbit at depths of 300 to 3000 meters and the upcoming RIMFAX 150 MHz to 1200 MHz ground penetrating radar that will ride on the Mars 2020 rover investigating to a depth of 10m below the rover. In all of these applications, the radar frequency and signal structures were chosen to match science goals of desired depth of penetration and spatial resolution combined with the expected subsurface materials and structures below the surface. Recently, JPL investigators have proposed a new radar science paradigm, synergistic use of the telecom hardware and telecom links to collect bistatic or monostatic radar signatures. All JPL spacecraft employ telecom hardware that operates at UHF (400 MHz and 900 MHz), X-band (8 GHz) or Ka-band (32 GHz). Using existing open-loop record functions in these radios, the telecom hardware can be used to capture opportunistic radar signatures from telecom signals penetrating the surface and reflecting off of subsurface structures. This paper reports on telecom strategies, radar science applications and recent laboratory and field tests to demonstrate the effectiveness of telecom link based radar data collection.

Single-Layer, Dual-Port, Dual-Band, and Orthogonal-Circularly Polarized Microstrip Antenna Array with Low Frequency Ratio

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Min Wang

2018-01-01

Full Text Available A single-layer, dual-port, dual-band, and dual circularly polarized (CP microstrip array is designed for satellite communication in this paper. The operating frequencies are 8.2 and 8.6 GHz with a very low ratio of 1.05. First, a rectangular patch element is fed through microstrip lines at two orthogonal edges to excite two orthogonal dominant modes of TM01 and TM10. The very low frequency ratio can be realized with high polarization isolations. Then, a 2-by-2 dual-band dual-CP subarray is constructed by two independent sets of sequentially rotated (SR feed structures. An 8-by-8 array is designed on the single-layer thin substrate. Finally, by utilizing one-to-four power dividers and semirigid coaxial cables, a 16-by-16 array is developed to achieve higher gain. Measured results show that the 16-by-16 array has 15 dB return loss (RL bandwidths of 4.81% and 6.75% and 3 dB axial ratio (AR bandwidths of 2.84% and 1.57% in the lower and the upper bands, respectively. Isolations of 18.6 dB and 19.4 dB and peak gains of 25.1 dBic and 25.6 dBic are obtained at 8.2 and 8.6 GHz, respectively.

Design of dual band FSS by using quadruple L-slot technique

Science.gov (United States)

Fauzi, Noor Azamiah Md; Aziz, Mohamad Zoinol Abidin Abd.; Said, Maizatul Alice Meor; Othman, Mohd Azlishah; Ahmad, Badrul Hisham; Malek, Mohd Fareq Abd

2015-05-01

This paper presents a new design of dual band frequency selective surface (FSS) for band pass microwave transmission application. FSS can be used on energy saving glass to improve the transmission of wireless communication signals through the glass. The microwave signal will be attenuate when propagate throughout the different structure such as building. Therefore, some of the wireless communication system cannot be used in the optimum performance. The aim of this paper is designed, simulated and analyzed the new dual band FSS structure for microwave transmission. This design is based on a quadruple L slot combined with cross slot to produce pass band at 900 MHz and 2.4 GHz. The vertical of pair inverse L slot is used as the band pass for the frequency of 2.4GHz. While, the horizontal of pair inverse L slot is used as the band pass at frequency 900MHz. This design is simulated and analyzed by using Computer Simulation Technology (CST) Microwave Studio (MWS) software. The characteristics of the transmission (S21) and reflection (S11) of the dual band FSS were simulater and analyzed. The bandwidth of the first band is 118.91MHz which covered the frequency range from 833.4MHz until 952.31MHz. Meanwhile, the bandwidth for the second band is 358.84MHz which covered the frequency range from 2.1475GHz until 2.5063GHz. The resonance/center frequency of this design is obtained at 900MHz with a 26.902dB return loss and 2.37GHz with 28.506dB a return loss. This FSS is suitable as microwave filter for GSM900 and WLAN 2.4GHz application.

Tunable dual-wavelength filter and its group delay dispersion in domain-engineered lithium niobate

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Guang-hao Shao

2016-12-01

Full Text Available A tunable dual-wavelength filter is experimentally demonstrated in domain-engineered lithium niobate. Application of an electric field on the y-surfaces of the sample results in the optical axes rotating clockwise and anticlockwise, which makes selective polarization rotation. The quasi phase-matching wavelengths could be adjusted through suitable domain design. A unique dual valley spectrum is obtained in a periodically poled lithium niobate structure with a central defect if the sample is placed between two parallel polarizers. The expected bandwidth could be varied from ∼1 nm to ∼40 nm. Moreover, both the spectral response and group delay dispersion could be engineered.

Improving Weather Radar Precipitation Estimates by Combining two Types of Radars

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nielsen, Jesper Ellerbæk; Thorndahl, Søren Liedtke; Rasmussen, Michael R.

2014-01-01

This paper presents a demonstration of how Local Area Weather Radar (LAWR) X-band measurements can be combined with meteorological C–band measurements into a single radar product. For this purpose, a blending method has been developed which combines the strengths of the two radar systems. Combining...... the two radar types achieves a radar product with both long range and high temporal resolution. It is validated that the blended radar product performs better than the individual radars based on ground observations from laser disdrometers. However, the data combination is challenged by lower performance...... of the LAWR. Although both radars benefits from the data combination, it is also found that advection based temporal interpolation is a more favourable method for increasing the temporal resolution of meteorological C–band measurements....

New Techniques for Radar Altimetry of Sea Ice and the Polar Oceans

Science.gov (United States)

Armitage, T. W. K.; Kwok, R.; Egido, A.; Smith, W. H. F.; Cullen, R.

2017-12-01

Satellite radar altimetry has proven to be a valuable tool for remote sensing of the polar oceans, with techniques for estimating sea ice thickness and sea surface height in the ice-covered ocean advancing to the point of becoming routine, if not operational, products. Here, we explore new techniques in radar altimetry of the polar oceans and the sea ice cover. First, we present results from fully-focused SAR (FFSAR) altimetry; by accounting for the phase evolution of scatterers in the scene, the FFSAR technique applies an inter-burst coherent integration, potentially over the entire duration that a scatterer remains in the altimeter footprint, which can narrow the effective along track resolution to just 0.5m. We discuss the improvement of using interleaved operation over burst-more operation for applying FFSAR processing to data acquired by future missions, such as a potential CryoSat follow-on. Second, we present simulated sea ice retrievals from the Ka-band Radar Interferometer (KaRIn), the instrument that will be launched on the Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) mission in 2021, that is capable of producing swath images of surface elevation. These techniques offer the opportunity to advance our understanding of the physics of the ice-covered oceans, plus new insight into how we interpret more conventional radar altimetry data in these regions.

Dual-band reflective polarization converter based on slotted wire resonators

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Fengxia; Zhang, Linbo; Zhou, Peiheng; Chen, Haiyan; Zhao, Rui; Zhou, Yang; Liang, Difei; Lu, Haipeng; Deng, Longjiang

2018-02-01

A dual-band and high-efficiency reflective linear polarization converter composed of a layer of slotted metal wires has been proposed. Both the simulated and experimental results indicate that the structure can convert a linearly polarized wave to its cross-polarized state for two distinct frequency bands under normal incidence: 9.8-15.1 and 19.2-25.7 GHz. This phenomenon is attributed to a resonance that corresponds to the "trapped mode" at 15.8 GHz. This mode is stable with structural parameters and incident angle at a relatively wide range, and thus becomes promising for dual-band (also multiband) devices design. By surface current distribution and electric field analysis, the operation mechanism has been illuminated, especially for the "trapped mode", identified by the equally but also oppositely directed currents in each unit cell.

A dual-polarized broadband planar antenna and channelizing filter bank for millimeter wavelengths

Science.gov (United States)

O'Brient, Roger; Ade, Peter; Arnold, Kam; Edwards, Jennifer; Engargiola, Greg; Holzapfel, William L.; Lee, Adrian T.; Myers, Michael J.; Quealy, Erin; Rebeiz, Gabriel; Richards, Paul; Suzuki, Aritoki

2013-02-01

We describe the design, fabrication, and testing of a broadband log-periodic antenna coupled to multiple cryogenic bolometers. This detector architecture, optimized here for astrophysical observations, simultaneously receives two linear polarizations with two octaves of bandwidth at millimeter wavelengths. The broad bandwidth signal received by the antenna is divided into sub-bands with integrated in-line frequency-selective filters. We demonstrate two such filter banks: a diplexer with two sub-bands and a log-periodic channelizer with seven contiguous sub-bands. These detectors have receiver efficiencies of 20%-40% and percent level polarization isolation. Superconducting transition-edge sensor bolometers detect the power in each sub-band and polarization. We demonstrate circularly symmetric beam patterns, high polarization isolation, accurately positioned bands, and high optical efficiency. The pixel design is applicable to astronomical observations of intensity and polarization at millimeter through sub-millimeter wavelengths. As compared with an imaging array of pixels measuring only one band, simultaneous measurements of multiple bands in each pixel has the potential to result in a higher signal-to-noise measurement while also providing spectral information. This development facilitates compact systems with high mapping speeds for observations that require information in multiple frequency bands.

High Efficiency Traveling-Wave Tube Power Amplifier for Ka-Band Software Defined Radio on International Space Station-A Platform for Communications Technology Development

Science.gov (United States)

Simons, Rainee N.; Force, Dale A.; Kacpura, Thomas J.

2013-01-01

The design, fabrication and RF performance of the output traveling-wave tube amplifier (TWTA) for a space based Ka-band software defined radio (SDR) is presented. The TWTA, the SDR and the supporting avionics are integrated to forms a testbed, which is currently located on an exterior truss of the International Space Station (ISS). The SDR in the testbed communicates at Ka-band frequencies through a high-gain antenna directed to NASA s Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System (TDRSS), which communicates to the ground station located at White Sands Complex. The application of the testbed is for demonstrating new waveforms and software designed to enhance data delivery from scientific spacecraft and, the waveforms and software can be upgraded and reconfigured from the ground. The construction and the salient features of the Ka-band SDR are discussed. The testbed is currently undergoing on-orbit checkout and commissioning and is expected to operate for 3 to 5 years in space.

Shuttle orbiter Ku-band radar/communications system design evaluation. Deliverable test equipment evaluation

Science.gov (United States)

Maronde, R. G.

1980-07-01

The Ku-band test equipment, known as the Deliverable System Test equipment (DSTE), is reviewed and evaluated. The DSTE is semiautomated and computer programs were generated for 14 communication mode tests and 17 radar mode tests. The 31 test modules provide a good cross section of tests with which to exercise the Ku-band system; however, it is very limited when being used to verify Ku-band system performance. More detailed test descriptions are needed, and a major area of concern is the DSTE sell-off procedure which is inadequate.

Effects of surface roughness on sea ice freeboard retrieval with an Airborne Ku-Band SAR radar altimeter

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hendricks, Stefan; Stenseng, Lars; Helm, Veit

2010-01-01

to investigate sea ice volume changes on an Arctic wide scale. Freeboard retrieval requires precise radar range measurements to the ice surface, therefore we investigate the penetration of the Ku-Band radar waves into the overlying snow cover as well as the effects of sub-footprint-scale surface roughness using...... airborne radar and laser altimeters. We find regional variable penetration of the radar signal at late spring conditions, where the difference of the radar and the reference laser range measurement never agrees with the expected snow thickness. In addition, a rough surface can lead to biases...

Wind turbine clutter mitigation in coastal UHF radar.

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Jing; Pan, Chao; Wang, Caijun; Jiang, Dapeng; Wen, Biyang

2014-01-01

Coastal UHF radar provides a unique capability to measure the sea surface dynamic parameters and detect small moving targets, by exploiting the low energy loss of electromagnetic waves propagating along the salty and good conducting ocean surface. It could compensate the blind zone of HF surface wave radar at close range and reach further distance than microwave radars. However, its performance is susceptible to wind turbines which are usually installed on the shore. The size of a wind turbine is much larger than the wavelength of radio waves at UHF band, which results in large radar cross section. Furthermore, the rotation of blades adds time-varying Doppler frequency to the clutter and makes the suppression difficult. This paper proposes a mitigation method which is based on the specific periodicity of wind turbine clutter and performed mainly in the time-frequency domain. Field experimental data of a newly developed UHF radar are used to verify this method, and the results prove its effectiveness.

Installing the earth station of Ka-band satellite frequency in Malaysia: conceptual framework for site decision

Science.gov (United States)

Mahmud, M. R.; Reba, M. N. M.; Jaw, S. W.; Arsyad, A.; Ibrahim, M. A. M.

2017-05-01

This paper developed a conceptual framework in determining the suitable location in installing the earth station for Ka-band satellite communication in Malaysia. This current evolution of high throughput satellites experienced major challenge due to Malaysian climate. Because Ka-band frequency is highly attenuated by the rainfall; it is an enormous challenge to define the most appropriate site for the static communication. Site diversity, a measure to anticipate this conflict by choosing less attenuated region and geographically change the transmission strategy on season basis require accurate spatio-temporal information on the geographical, environmental and hydro-climatology at local scale. Prior to that request, this study developed a conceptual framework to cater the needs. By using the digital spatial data, acquired from site measurement and remote sensing, the proposed framework applied a multiple criteria analysis to perform the tasks of site selection. With the advancement of high resolution remotely sensed data, site determination can be conducted as in Malaysia; accommodating a new, fast, and effective satellite communication. The output of this study is one of the pioneer contributions to create a high tech-society.

Space Radar Image of Flevoland, Netherlands

Science.gov (United States)

1999-01-01

This is a three-frequency false color image of Flevoland, The Netherlands, centered at 52.4 degrees north latitude, 5.4 degrees east longitude. This image was acquired by the Spaceborne Imaging Radar-C and X-Band Synthetic Aperture Radar (SIR-C/X-SAR) aboard space shuttle Endeavour on April 14, 1994. It was produced by combining data from the X-band, C-band and L-band radars. The area shown is approximately 25 kilometers by 28 kilometers (15-1/2 by 17-1/2 miles). Flevoland, which fills the lower two-thirds of the image, is a very flat area that is made up of reclaimed land that is used for agriculture and forestry. At the top of the image, across the canal from Flevoland, is an older forest shown in red; the city of Harderwijk is shown in white on the shore of the canal. At this time of the year, the agricultural fields are bare soil, and they show up in this image in blue. The changes in the brightness of the blue areas are equal to the changes in roughness. The dark blue areas are water and the small dots in the canal are boats. This SIR-C/X-SAR supersite is being used for both calibration and agricultural studies. Several soil and crop ground-truth studies will be conducted during the shuttle flight. In addition, about 10calibration devices and 10 corner reflectors have been deployed to calibrate and monitor the radar signal. One of these transponders can be seen as a bright star in the lower right quadrant of the image. This false-color image was made using L-band total power in the red channel, C-band total power in the green channel, and X-band VV polarization in the blue channel. Spaceborne Imaging Radar-C and X-Synthetic Aperture Radar (SIR-C/X-SAR) is part of NASA's Mission to Planet Earth. The radars illuminate Earth with microwaves allowing detailed observations at any time, regardless of weather or sunlight conditions. SIR-C/X-SAR uses three microwave wavelengths: L-band (24 cm), C-band (6 cm) and X-band (3 cm). The multi-frequency data will be used by

Intra-laser-cavity microparticle sensing with a dual-wavelength distributed-feedback laser

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bernhardi, Edward H.; van der Werf, Kees O; Hollink, Anton J F; Wörhoff, Kerstin; de Ridder, René M; Subramaniam, Vinod; Pollnau, Markus

An integrated intra-laser-cavity microparticle sensor based on a dual-wavelength distributed-feedback channel waveguide laser in ytterbium-doped amorphous aluminum oxide on a silicon substrate is demonstrated. Real-time detection and accurate size measurement of single micro-particles with diameters

Modeling L-band synthetic aperture radar observations through dielectric changes in soil moisture and vegetation over shrublands

Science.gov (United States)

L-band airborne synthetic aperture radar observations were made over California shrublands to better understand the effects by soil and vegetation parameters on backscatter. Temporal changes in radar backscattering coefficient (s0) of up to 3 dB were highly correlated to surface soil moisture but no...

Efficient phase locking of two dual-wavelength fiber amplifiers by an all-optical self-feedback loop

Science.gov (United States)

Lei, Bing; Chen, Keshan; Yao, Tianfu; Shi, Jianhua; Hu, Haojun

2017-10-01

Efficient phase locking of two dual-wavelength fiber amplifiers has been demonstrated by using a self-feedback coupling and intracavity filtering configuration, and the effect of bandwidth and wavelength spacing on their phase locking performances have been investigated in experiment. Two independent fiber lasers with different operating wavelength were combined incoherently by a 3 dB fiber coupler to form a dual-wavelength seed source laser, which was injected into the fiber amplifiers' coupling array through the self-feedback loop. The effect of bandwidth and wavelength spacing was researched by altering the seed laser's pump power and operating wavelengths respectively. As long as the feedback loop and the single-mode fiber filtering configuration were well constructed in the unidirectional ring laser cavity, stable phase locking states and high fringe visibility interference patterns could always be obtained in our experiment. When the spacing of two operating wavelength was varied from 1.6 nm to 19.6 nm, the fringe visibility decreased slightly with the increase of wavelength spacing, and the corresponding fringe visibility was always larger than 0.6. In conclusion, we believe that efficient phase locking of several multi-wavelength laser sources is also feasible by passive self-adjusting methods, and keeping the component laser beams' phase relationship stable and fixed is more important than controlling their operating wavelengths.

Recent Developments of Reflectarray Antennas in Dual-Reflector Configurations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Carolina Tienda

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Recent work on dual-reflector antennas involving reflectarrays is reviewed in this paper. Both dual-reflector antenna with a reflectarray subreflector and dual-reflectarrays antennas with flat or parabolic main reflectarray are considered. First, a general analysis technique for these two configurations is described. Second, results for beam scanning and contoured-beam applications in different frequency bands are shown and discussed. The performance and capabilities of these antennas are shown by describing some practical design cases for radar, satellite communications, and direct broadcast satellite (DBS applications.

Dual and tri-band bandpass filters based on novel Π-shaped resonator

Science.gov (United States)

Xiao, Jian-Kang; Zhu, Wen-Jun; Zhao, Wei

2014-05-01

A novel Π-shaped resonator is proposed, and compact dual-band and tri-band bandpass filters that meet IEEE 802.11 application requirements by using the new resonator are designed. The dual-band bandpass filter centres at 2.45 and 5.6 GHz with a simulated passband insertion loss of no more than 0.8 dB, and the tri-band bandpass filter which is got by two-path coupling achieves simulated passband insertion loss of no more than 1.1 dB. The new designs are demonstrated by experiment. The new filters have advantages of simple and compact structures, low passband insertion losses, good frequency selectivity and miniature circuit sizes. All these have prospect to be applied in future wireless communication systems.

Space Radar Image of Maui, Hawaii

Science.gov (United States)

1994-01-01

This spaceborne radar image shows the 'Valley Island' of Maui, Hawaii. The cloud-penetrating capabilities of radar provide a rare view of many parts of the island, since the higher elevations are frequently shrouded in clouds. The light blue and yellow areas in the lowlands near the center are sugar cane fields. The three major population centers, Lahaina on the left at the western tip of island, Wailuku left of center, and Kihei in the lower center appear as small yellow, white or purple mottled areas. West Maui volcano, in the lower left, is 1800 meters high (5900 feet) and is considered extinct. The entire eastern half of the island consists of East Maui volcano, which rises to an elevation of 3200 meters (10,500 feet) and features a spectacular crater called Haleakala at its summit. Haleakala Crater was produced by erosion during previous ice ages rather than by volcanic activity, although relatively recent small eruptions have produced the numerous volcanic cones and lava flows that can be seen on the floor of the crater. The most recent eruption took place near the coast at the southwestern end of East Maui volcano in the late 1700s. Such a time frame indicates that East Maui should be considered a dormant, rather than an extinct volcano. A new eruption is therefore possible in the next few hundred years. The multi-wavelength capability of the SIR-C radar also permits differences in the vegetation cover on the middle flanks of East Maui to be identified. Rain forests appear in yellow, while grassland is shown in dark green, pink and blue. Radar images such as this one are being used by scientists to understand volcanic processes and to assess potential threats that future activity may pose to local populations. This image was acquired by Spaceborne Imaging Radar-C/X-Band Synthetic Aperture Radar (SIR-C/X-SAR) onboard the space shuttle Endeavour on April 16, 1994. The image is 73.7 kilometers by 48.7 kilometers (45.7 miles by 30.2 miles) and is centered at 20

Ultra-Broad Band Radar Cross Section Reduction of Waveguide Slot Antenna with Metamaterials

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Qiang Fu

2016-06-01

Full Text Available To reduce the radar cross section of a waveguide slot antenna, a three-layer metamaterial is presented based on orthogonal double split-ring resonators. The absorption characteristics of three-layer metamaterial are demonstrated by simulation. Moreover, the metamaterials have been loaded on common waveguide slot antenna according to the surface current distribution. The ultra-broad band radar cross section reduction of the antenna with metamaterials had been theoretically and experimentally investigated by radiating and scattering performances. Experimental and simulated results showed that the proposed antenna with metamaterials performed broadband radar cross section reduction from 3.9 GHz to 18 GHz and the gain had been improved due to the coupling effect between slot and the period structure. The maximal radar cross section reduction achieved 17.81 dB at 8.68 GHz for x-polarized incidence and 21.79 dB at 6.25 GHz for y-polarized waves.

Quality Control and Calibration of the Dual-Polarization Radar at Kwajalein, RMI

Science.gov (United States)

Marks, David A.; Wolff, David B.; Carey, Lawrence D.; Tokay, Ali

2010-01-01

Weather radars, recording information about precipitation around the globe, will soon be significantly upgraded. Most of today s weather radars transmit and receive microwave energy with horizontal orientation only, but upgraded systems have the capability to send and receive both horizontally and vertically oriented waves. These enhanced "dual-polarimetric" (DP) radars peer into precipitation and provide information on the size, shape, phase (liquid / frozen), and concentration of the falling particles (termed hydrometeors). This information is valuable for improved rain rate estimates, and for providing data on the release and absorption of heat in the atmosphere from condensation and evaporation (phase changes). The heating profiles in the atmosphere influence global circulation, and are a vital component in studies of Earth s changing climate. However, to provide the most accurate interpretation of radar data, the radar must be properly calibrated and data must be quality controlled (cleaned) to remove non-precipitation artifacts; both of which are challenging tasks for today s weather radar. The DP capability maximizes performance of these procedures using properties of the observed precipitation. In a notable paper published in 2005, scientists from the Cooperative Institute for Mesoscale Meteorological Studies (CIMMS) at the University of Oklahoma developed a method to calibrate radars using statistically averaged DP measurements within light rain. An additional publication by one of the same scientists at the National Severe Storms Laboratory (NSSL) in Norman, Oklahoma introduced several techniques to perform quality control of radar data using DP measurements. Following their lead, the Topical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) Satellite Validation Office at NASA s Goddard Space Flight Center has fine-tuned these methods for specific application to the weather radar at Kwajalein Island in the Republic of the Marshall Islands, approximately 2100 miles

Dual HF radar study of the subauroral polarization stream

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

R. A. Makarevich

2008-01-01

Full Text Available The dual HF radars comprising the Tasman International Geophysical Environment Radar (TIGER system often observe localized high-velocity F-region plasma flows (≥1500 m/s in the midnight sector (20:00–02:00 MLT at magnetic latitudes as low as Λ=60° S. The flow channels exhibit large variability in the latitudinal extent and electric field strength, and are similar to the subauroral polarization stream or SAPS, a plasma convection feature thought to be related to the polarization electric field due to the charge separation during substorm and storm development. In this study, the 2-D plasma drift velocity within the channel is derived for each of the two TIGER radars from the maximum velocities measured in all 16 radar beams within the latitudinally narrow channel, and the time variation of the subauroral electric field is examined near substorm onset. It is demonstrated that the flow channel often does not have a clear onset, rather it manifests differently in different phases of its evolution and can persist for at least two substorm cycles. During the growth phase the electric fields within the flow channel are difficult to distinguish from those of the background auroral convection but they start to increase near substorm onset and peak during the recovery phase, in contrast to what has been reported previously for auroral convection which peaks just before the substorm onset and falls sharply at the substorm onset. The response times to substorm onset range from −5 to +40 min and show some dependence on the substorm location with longer delays observed for substorms eastward of the radars' viewing area. The propagation velocity of the high-velocity region is also investigated by comparing the observations from the two closely-spaced TIGER radars. The observations are consistent with the notion that the polarization electric field is established with the energetic ions drifting westward and equatorward from the initial substorm

Modeling radar backscattering from melting snowflakes using spheroids with nonuniform distribution of water

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tyynelä, Jani; Leinonen, Jussi; Moisseev, Dmitri; Nousiainen, Timo; Lerber, Annakaisa von

2014-01-01

In a number of studies it is reported that at the early stages, melting of aggregate snowflakes is enhanced at lower parts. In this paper, the manifestation of the resulting nonuniform distribution of water is studied for radar backscattering cross sections at C, Ku, Ka and W bands. The melting particles are described as spheroids with a mixture of water and air at the bottom part of the particle and a mixture of ice and air at the upper part. The radar backscattering is modeled using the discrete-dipole approximation in a horizontally pointing geometry. The results are compared to the T-matrix method, Mie theory, and the Rayleigh approximation using the Maxwell Garnett mixing formula. We find that the differential reflectivity and the linear depolarization ratio show systematic differences between the discrete-dipole approximation and the T-matrix method, but that the differences are relatively small. The horizontal cross sections show only small differences between the methods with the aspect ratio and the presence of resonance peaks having a larger effect on it than the nonuniform distribution of water. Overall, the effect of anisotropic distribution of water, reported for early stages of melting, is not significant for radar observations at the studied frequencies. -- Highlights: • We model backscattering from spheroidal melting snowflakes at C, Ku, Ka, and W bands. • We study the effect of anisotropic distribution of meltwater in the snow particles. • We find systematic, but relatively small differences for the backscattering properties. • We find that the aspect ratio and resonance peaks have a bigger effect than anisotropic distribution of water. • Anisotropic distribution of water is not significant for radar observations at early stages of melting

Ground Radar Polarimetric Observations of High-Frequency Earth-Space Communication Links

Science.gov (United States)

Bolen, Steve; Chandrasekar, V.; Benjamin, Andrew

2002-01-01

Strategic roadmaps for NASA's Human Exploration and Development of Space (REDS) enterprise support near-term high-frequency communication systems that provide moderate to high data rates with dependable service. Near-earth and human planetary exploration will baseline Ka-Band, but may ultimately require the use of even higher frequencies. Increased commercial demand on low-frequency earth-space bands has also led to increased interest in the use of higher frequencies in regions like K u - and K,- band. Data is taken from the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) Precipitation Radar (PR), which operates at 13.8 GHz, and the true radar reflectivity profile is determined along the PR beam via low-frequency ground based polarimetric observations. The specific differential phase (Kdp) is measured along the beam and a theoretical model is used to determine the expected specific attenuation (k). This technique, called the k-Kdp method, uses a Fuzzy-Logic model to determine the hydrometeor type along the PR beam from which the appropriate k-Kdp relationship is used to determine k and, ultimately, the total path-integrated attenuation (PIA) on PR measurements. Measurements from PR and the NCAR S-POL radar were made during the TEFLUN-B experiment that took place near Melbourne, FL in 1998, and the TRMM-LBA campaign near Ji-Parana, Brazil in 1999.

Design and experimental verification of a dual-band metamaterial filter

Science.gov (United States)

Zhu, Hong-Yang; Yao, Ai-Qin; Zhong, Min

2016-10-01

In this paper, we present the design, simulation, and experimental verification of a dual-band free-standing metamaterial filter operating in a frequency range of 1 THz-30 THz. The proposed structure consists of periodically arranged composite air holes, and exhibits two broad and flat transmission bands. To clarify the effects of the structural parameters on both resonant transmission bands, three sets of experiments are performed. The first resonant transmission band shows a shift towards higher frequency when the side width w 1 of the main air hole is increased. In contrast, the second resonant transmission band displays a shift towards lower frequency when the side width w 2 of the sub-holes is increased, while the first resonant transmission band is unchanged. The measured results indicate that these resonant bands can be modulated individually by simply optimizing the relevant structural parameters (w 1 or w 2) for the required band. In addition, these resonant bands merge into a single resonant band with a bandwidth of 7.7 THz when w 1 and w 2 are optimized simultaneously. The structure proposed in this paper adopts different resonant mechanisms for transmission at different frequencies and thus offers a method to achieve a dual-band and low-loss filter. Project supported by the Doctorate Scientific Research Foundation of Hezhou University, China (Grant No. HZUBS201503), the Promotion of the Basic Ability of Young and Middle-aged Teachers in Universities Project of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China (Grant No. KY2016YB453), the Guangxi Colleges and Universities Key Laboratory Symbolic Computation, China, Engineering Data Processing and Mathematical Support Autonomous Discipline Project of Hezhou University, China (Grant No. 2016HZXYSX01).

Development of wide band digital receiver for atmospheric radars using COTS board based SDR

Science.gov (United States)

Yasodha, Polisetti; Jayaraman, Achuthan; Thriveni, A.

2016-07-01

Digital receiver extracts the received echo signal information, and is a potential subsystem for atmospheric radar, also referred to as wind profiling radar (WPR), which provides the vertical profiles of 3-dimensional wind vector in the atmosphere. This paper presents the development of digital receiver using COTS board based Software Defined Radio technique, which can be used for atmospheric radars. The developmental work is being carried out at National Atmospheric Research Laboratory (NARL), Gadanki. The digital receiver consists of a commercially available software defined radio (SDR) board called as universal software radio peripheral B210 (USRP B210) and a personal computer. USRP B210 operates over a wider frequency range from 70 MHz to 6 GHz and hence can be used for variety of radars like Doppler weather radars operating in S/C bands, in addition to wind profiling radars operating in VHF, UHF and L bands. Due to the flexibility and re-configurability of SDR, where the component functionalities are implemented in software, it is easy to modify the software to receive the echoes and process them as per the requirement suitable for the type of the radar intended. Hence, USRP B210 board along with the computer forms a versatile digital receiver from 70 MHz to 6 GHz. It has an inbuilt direct conversion transceiver with two transmit and two receive channels, which can be operated in fully coherent 2x2 MIMO fashion and thus it can be used as a two channel receiver. Multiple USRP B210 boards can be synchronized using the pulse per second (PPS) input provided on the board, to configure multi-channel digital receiver system. RF gain of the transceiver can be varied from 0 to 70 dB. The board can be controlled from the computer via USB 3.0 interface through USRP hardware driver (UHD), which is an open source cross platform driver. The USRP B210 board is connected to the personal computer through USB 3.0. Reference (10 MHz) clock signal from the radar master oscillator

Dual Super-Systolic Core for Real-Time Reconstructive Algorithms of High-Resolution Radar/SAR Imaging Systems

Science.gov (United States)

Atoche, Alejandro Castillo; Castillo, Javier Vázquez

2012-01-01

A high-speed dual super-systolic core for reconstructive signal processing (SP) operations consists of a double parallel systolic array (SA) machine in which each processing element of the array is also conceptualized as another SA in a bit-level fashion. In this study, we addressed the design of a high-speed dual super-systolic array (SSA) core for the enhancement/reconstruction of remote sensing (RS) imaging of radar/synthetic aperture radar (SAR) sensor systems. The selected reconstructive SP algorithms are efficiently transformed in their parallel representation and then, they are mapped into an efficient high performance embedded computing (HPEC) architecture in reconfigurable Xilinx field programmable gate array (FPGA) platforms. As an implementation test case, the proposed approach was aggregated in a HW/SW co-design scheme in order to solve the nonlinear ill-posed inverse problem of nonparametric estimation of the power spatial spectrum pattern (SSP) from a remotely sensed scene. We show how such dual SSA core, drastically reduces the computational load of complex RS regularization techniques achieving the required real-time operational mode. PMID:22736964

Rain Fade Compensation for Ka-Band Communications Satellites

Science.gov (United States)

Mitchell, W. Carl; Nguyen, Lan; Dissanayake, Asoka; Markey, Brian; Le, Anh

1997-01-01

This report provides a review and evaluation of rain fade measurement and compensation techniques for Ka-band satellite systems. This report includes a description of and cost estimates for performing three rain fade measurement and compensation experiments. The first experiment deals with rain fade measurement techniques while the second one covers the rain fade compensation techniques. The third experiment addresses a feedback flow control technique for the ABR service (for ATM-based traffic). The following conclusions were observed in this report; a sufficient system signal margin should be allocated for all carriers in a network, that is a fixed clear-sky margin should be typically in the range of 4-5 dB and should be more like 15 dB in the up link for moderate and heavy rain zones; to obtain a higher system margin it is desirable to combine the uplink power control technique with the technique that implements the source information rate and FEC code rate changes resulting in a 4-5 dB increase in the dynamic part of the system margin. The experiments would assess the feasibility of the fade measurements and compensation techniques, and ABR feedback control technique.

The effects of LMWOAs on biodegradation of multi-component PAHs in aqueous solution using dual-wavelength fluorimetry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wei Xingyuan; Sang Lingzi; Chen Jianing; Zhu Yaxian; Zhang Yong

2009-01-01

Biodegradation of dissolved fluorene (Flu), phenanthrene (Ph) and pyrene (Py), three polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), singly or as a mixture of the three, by two bacterial strains, MEBIC 5140 (Mycobacterium flavescens) and MEBIC 5141 (Mycobacterium scrofulaceum), as well as the effects of low molecular weight organic acids (LMWOAs), e.g. malic acid, citric acid and butyric acid on biodegradation of the three PAHs in mineral salts medium aqueous solution were investigated using a newly established dual-wavelength fluorimetric method. The results showed that biodegradation processes can be monitored simultaneously, quickly and simply by dual-wavelength fluorimetry. Both co-metabolism and inhibitory effects were found during the biodegradation of the three PAHs by MEBIC 5140 and MEBIC 5141. Positive effects of butyric acid and negative effects of citric acid on biodegradation of the three PAHs in a mixture were observed. - Biodegradation processes of dissolved multi-component PAHs in a mixture and effects of LMWOAs were investigated using a dual-wavelength fluorimetry.

Dual Band Metamaterial Antenna For LTE/Bluetooth/WiMAX System.

Science.gov (United States)

Hasan, Md Mehedi; Faruque, Mohammad Rashed Iqbal; Islam, Mohammad Tariqul

2018-01-19

A compact metamaterial inspired antenna operate at LTE, Bluetooth and WiMAX frequency band is introduced in this paper. For the lower band, the design utilizes an outer square metallic strip forcing the patch to radiate as an equivalent magnetic-current loop. For the upper band, another magnetic current loop is created by adding metamaterial structure near the feed line on the patch. The metamaterial inspired antenna dimension of 42 × 32 mm 2 compatible to wireless devices. Finite integration technique based CST Microwave Studio simulator has been used to design and numerical investigation as well as lumped circuit model of the metamaterial antenna is explained with proper mathematical derivation. The achieved measured dual band operation of the conventional antenna are sequentially, 0.561~0.578 GHz, 2.346~2.906 GHz, and 2.91~3.49 GHz, whereas the metamaterial inspired antenna shows dual-band operation from 0.60~0.64 GHz, 2.67~3.40 GHz and 3.61~3.67 GHz, respectively. Therefore, the metamaterial antenna is applicable for LTE and WiMAX applications. Besides, the measured metamaterial antenna gains of 0.15~3.81 dBi and 3.47~3.75 dBi, respectively for the frequency band of 2.67~3.40 GHz and 3.61~3.67 GHz.

Ka-Band Waveguide Two-Way Hybrid Combiner for MMIC Amplifiers

Science.gov (United States)

Simons, Rainee N.; Chevalier, Christine T.; Wintucky, Edwin G.; Freeman, Jon C.

2010-01-01

The design, simulation, and characterization of a novel Ka-band (32.05 0.25 GHz) rectangular waveguide two-way branch-line hybrid unequal power combiner (with port impedances matched to that of a standard WR-28 waveguide) has been created to combine input signals, which are in phase and with an amplitude ratio of two. The measured return loss and isolation of the branch-line hybrid are better than 22 and 27 dB, respectively. The measured combining efficiency is 92.9 percent at the center frequency of 32.05 GHz. This circuit is efficacious in combining the unequal output power from two Ka-band GaAs pseudomorphic high electron mobility transistor (pHEMT) monolithic microwave integrated circuit (MMIC) power amplifiers (PAs) with high efficiency. The component parts include the branch-line hybrid-based power combiner and the MMIC-based PAs. A two-way branch-line hybrid is a four-port device with all ports matched; power entering port 1 is divided in phase, and into the ratio 2:1 between ports 3 and 4. No power is coupled to port 2. MMICs are a type of integrated circuit fabricated on GaAs that operates at microwave frequencies, and performs the function of signal amplification. The power combiner is designed to operate over the frequency band of 31.8 to 32.3 GHz, which is NASA's deep space frequency band. The power combiner would have an output return loss better than 20 dB. Isolation between the output port and the isolated port is greater than 25 dB. Isolation between the two input ports is greater than 25 dB. The combining efficiency would be greater than 90 percent when the ratio of the two input power levels is two. The power combiner is machined from aluminum with E-plane split-block arrangement, and has excellent reliability. The flexibility of this design allows the combiner to be customized for combining the power from MMIC PAs with an arbitrary power output ratio. In addition, it allows combining a low-power GaAs MMIC with a high-power GaN MMIC. The arbitrary

Analysis of Standards Efficiency in Digital Television Via Satellite at Ku and Ka Bands

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Landeros-Ayala Salvador

2013-06-01

Full Text Available In this paper, an analysis on the main technical features of digital television standards for satellite transmission is carried out. Based on simulations and link budgets, the standard with the best operational performance is defined, based on simulations and link budget analysis, as well as a comparative efficiency analysis is conducted for the Ku and Ka bands for both transparent and regenerative transponders in terms of power, bandwidth, information rate and link margin, including clear sky, uplink rain, downlink rain and rain in both.

Advanced mobile satellite communications using COMETS satellite in MM-wave and Ka-band

Science.gov (United States)

Ohmori, Shingo; Isobe, Shunkichi; Takeuchi, Makoto; Naito, Hideyuki

1993-01-01

Early in the 21st century, the demand for personal communications using mobile, hand-held, and VSAT terminals will rapidly increase. In a future system, many different types of services should be provided with one-hop connection. The Communications Research Laboratory (CRL) has studied a future advanced mobile satellite communications system using millimeter wave and Ka band. In 1990, CRL started the Communications and Broadcasting Engineering Test Satellite (COMETS) project. The satellite has been developed in conjunction with NASDA and will be launched in 1997. This paper describes the COMETS payload configuration and the experimental system for the advanced mobile communications mission.

Space Radar Image of Manaus, Brazil

Science.gov (United States)

1999-01-01

These two images were created using data from the Spaceborne Imaging Radar-C/X-Band Synthetic Aperture Radar (SIR-C/X-SAR). On the left is a false-color image of Manaus, Brazil acquired April 12, 1994, onboard space shuttle Endeavour. In the center of this image is the Solimoes River just west of Manaus before it combines with the Rio Negro to form the Amazon River. The scene is around 8 by 8 kilometers (5 by 5 miles) with north toward the top. The radar image was produced in L-band where red areas correspond to high backscatter at HH polarization, while green areas exhibit high backscatter at HV polarization. Blue areas show low backscatter at VV polarization. The image on the right is a classification map showing the extent of flooding beneath the forest canopy. The classification map was developed by SIR-C/X-SAR science team members at the University of California,Santa Barbara. The map uses the L-HH, L-HV, and L-VV images to classify the radar image into six categories: Red flooded forest Green unflooded tropical rain forest Blue open water, Amazon river Yellow unflooded fields, some floating grasses Gray flooded shrubs Black floating and flooded grasses Data like these help scientists evaluate flood damage on a global scale. Floods are highly episodic and much of the area inundated is often tree-covered. Spaceborne Imaging Radar-C and X-Synthetic Aperture Radar (SIR-C/X-SAR) is part of NASA's Mission to Planet Earth. The radars illuminate Earth with microwaves allowing detailed observations at any time, regardless of weather or sunlight conditions. SIR-C/X-SAR uses three microwave wavelengths: L-band (24 cm), C-band (6 cm) and X-band (3 cm). The multi-frequency data will be used by the international scientific community to better understand the global environment and how it is changing. The SIR-C/X-SAR data, complemented by aircraft and ground studies, will give scientists clearer insights into those environmental changes which are caused by nature and those

Tunable and stable single-longitudinal-mode dual-wavelength erbium fiber laser with 1.3 nm mode spacing output

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yeh, C H; Shih, F Y; Wang, C H; Chow, C W; Chi, S

2008-01-01

In this investigation, we propose and investigate a stable and tunable dual-wavelength erbium-doped fiber (EDF) ring laser with self-injected Fabry-Perot laser diode (FP-LD) scheme. By using an FP-LD incorporated with a tunable bandpass filter (TBF) within the gain cavity, the fiber laser can lase at two single-longitudinal-mode (SLM) wavelengths simultaneously due to the self-injected operation. The proposed dual-wavelength laser has a good performance of the output power and optical side-mode suppression ratio (SMSR). The laser also shows a wide tuning range from 1523.08 to 1562.26 nm. Besides, the output stabilities of the fiber laser are also discussed

A fast dual wavelength laser beam fluid-less optical CT scanner for radiotherapy 3D gel dosimetry I: design and development

Science.gov (United States)

Ramm, Daniel

2018-02-01

Three dimensional dosimetry by optical CT readout of radiosensitive gels or solids has previously been indicated as a solution for measurement of radiotherapy 3D dose distributions. The clinical uptake of these dosimetry methods has been limited, partly due to impracticalities of the optical readout such as the expertise and labour required for refractive index fluid matching. In this work a fast laser beam optical CT scanner is described, featuring fluid-less and dual wavelength operation. A second laser with a different wavelength is used to provide an alternative reference scan to the commonly used pre-irradiation scan. Transmission data for both wavelengths is effectively acquired simultaneously, giving a single scan process. Together with the elimination of refractive index fluid matching issues, scanning practicality is substantially improved. Image quality and quantitative accuracy were assessed for both dual and single wavelength methods. The dual wavelength scan technique gave improvements in uniformity of reconstructed optical attenuation coefficients in the sample 3D volume. This was due to a reduction of artefacts caused by scan to scan changes. Optical attenuation measurement accuracy was similar for both dual and single wavelength modes of operation. These results established the basis for further work on dosimetric performance.

Oil Slick Observation at Low Incidence Angles in Ku-Band

Science.gov (United States)

Panfilova, M. A.; Karaev, V. Y.; Guo, Jie

2018-03-01

On the 20 April 2010 the oil platform Deep Water Horizon in the Gulf of Mexico suffered an explosion during the final phases of drilling an exploratory well. As a result, an oil film covered the sea surface area of several thousand square kilometers. In the present paper the data of the Ku-band Precipitation Radar, which operates at low incidence angles, were used to explore the oil spill event. The two-scale model of the scattering surface was used to describe radar backscatter from the sea surface. The algorithm for retrieval of normalized radar cross section at nadir and the total slope variance of large-scale waves compared to the wavelength of electromagnetic wave (22 mm) was developed for the Precipitation Radar swath. It is shown that measurements at low incidence angles can be used for oil spill detection. This is the first time that the dependence of mean square slope of large-scale waves on wind speed has been obtained for oil slicks from Ku-band data, and compared to mean square slope obtained by Cox and Munk from optical data.

The Next Generation Airborne Polarimetric Doppler Radar

Science.gov (United States)

Vivekanandan, J.; Lee, Wen-Chau; Loew, Eric; Salazar, Jorge; Chandrasekar, V.

2013-04-01

NCAR's Electra Doppler radar (ELDORA) with a dual-beam slotted waveguide array using dual-transmitter, dual-beam, rapid scan and step-chirped waveform significantly improved the spatial scale to 300m (Hildebrand et al. 1996). However, ELDORA X-band radar's penetration into precipitation is limited by attenuation and is not designed to collect polarimetric measurements to remotely estimate microphysics. ELDORA has been placed on dormancy because its airborne platform (P3 587) was retired in January 2013. The US research community has strongly voiced the need to continue measurement capability similar to the ELDORA. A critical weather research area is quantitative precipitation estimation/forecasting (QPE/QPF). In recent years, hurricane intensity change involving eye-eyewall interactions has drawn research attention (Montgomery et al., 2006; Bell and Montgomery, 2006). In the case of convective precipitation, two issues, namely, (1) when and where convection will be initiated, and (2) determining the organization and structure of ensuing convection, are key for QPF. Therefore collocated measurements of 3-D winds and precipitation microphysics are required for achieving significant skills in QPF and QPE. Multiple radars in dual-Doppler configuration with polarization capability estimate dynamical and microphysical characteristics of clouds and precipitation are mostly available over land. However, storms over complex terrain, the ocean and in forest regions are not observable by ground-based radars (Bluestein and Wakimoto, 2003). NCAR/EOL is investigating potential configurations for the next generation airborne radar that is capable of retrieving dynamic and microphysical characteristics of clouds and precipitation. ELDORA's slotted waveguide array radar is not compatible for dual-polarization measurements. Therefore, the new design has to address both dual-polarization capability and platform requirements to replace the ELDORA system. NCAR maintains a C-130

Design of UWB Monopole Antenna with Dual Notched Bands Using One Modified Electromagnetic-Bandgap Structure

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, Ziqiang

2013-01-01

A modified electromagnetic-bandgap (M-EBG) structure and its application to planar monopole ultra-wideband (UWB) antenna are presented. The proposed M-EBG which comprises two strip patch and an edge-located via can perform dual notched bands. By properly designing and placing strip patch near the feedline, the proposed M-EBG not only possesses a simple structure and compact size but also exhibits good band rejection. Moreover, it is easy to tune the dual notched bands by altering the dimensions of the M-EBG. A demonstration antenna with dual band-notched characteristics is designed and fabricated to validate the proposed method. The results show that the proposed antenna can satisfy the requirements of VSWR WLAN) at 3.5 GHz and 5.5 GHz, respectively. PMID:24170984

Multi-species trace gas sensing with dual-wavelength QCLs

Science.gov (United States)

Hundt, P. Morten; Tuzson, Béla; Aseev, Oleg; Liu, Chang; Scheidegger, Philipp; Looser, Herbert; Kapsalidis, Filippos; Shahmohammadi, Mehran; Faist, Jérôme; Emmenegger, Lukas

2018-06-01

Instrumentation for environmental monitoring of gaseous pollutants and greenhouse gases tends to be complex, expensive, and energy demanding, because every compound measured relies on a specific analytical technique. This work demonstrates an alternative approach based on mid-infrared laser absorption spectroscopy with dual-wavelength quantum cascade lasers (QCLs). The combination of two dual- and one single-DFB QCL yields high-precision measurements of CO (0.08 ppb), CO2 (100 ppb), NH3 (0.02 ppb), NO (0.4 ppb), NO2 (0.1 ppb), N2O (0.045 ppb), and O3 (0.11 ppb) simultaneously in a compact setup (45 × 45 cm2). The lasers are driven time-multiplexed in intermittent continuous wave mode with a repetition rate of 1 kHz. The individual spectra are real-time averaged (1 s) by an FPGA-based data acquisition system. The instrument was assessed for environmental monitoring and benchmarked with reference instrumentation to demonstrate its potential for compact multi-species trace gas sensing.

Image registration for a UV-Visible dual-band imaging system

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Tao; Yuan, Shuang; Li, Jianping; Xing, Sheng; Zhang, Honglong; Dong, Yuming; Chen, Liangpei; Liu, Peng; Jiao, Guohua

2018-06-01

The detection of corona discharge is an effective way for early fault diagnosis of power equipment. UV-Visible dual-band imaging can detect and locate corona discharge spot at all-weather condition. In this study, we introduce an image registration protocol for this dual-band imaging system. The protocol consists of UV image denoising and affine transformation model establishment. We report the algorithm details of UV image preprocessing, affine transformation model establishment and relevant experiments for verification of their feasibility. The denoising algorithm was based on a correlation operation between raw UV images, a continuous mask and the transformation model was established by using corner feature and a statistical method. Finally, an image fusion test was carried out to verify the accuracy of affine transformation model. It has proved the average position displacement error between corona discharge and equipment fault at different distances in a 2.5m-20 m range are 1.34 mm and 1.92 mm in the horizontal and vertical directions, respectively, which are precise enough for most industrial applications. The resultant protocol is not only expected to improve the efficiency and accuracy of such imaging system for locating corona discharge spot, but also supposed to provide a more generalized reference for the calibration of various dual-band imaging systems in practice.

Surface Roughness of the Moon Derived from Multi-frequency Radar Data

Science.gov (United States)

Fa, W.

2011-12-01

Surface roughness of the Moon provides important information concerning both significant questions about lunar surface processes and engineering constrains for human outposts and rover trafficabillity. Impact-related phenomena change the morphology and roughness of lunar surface, and therefore surface roughness provides clues to the formation and modification mechanisms of impact craters. Since the Apollo era, lunar surface roughness has been studied using different approaches, such as direct estimation from lunar surface digital topographic relief, and indirect analysis of Earth-based radar echo strengths. Submillimeter scale roughness at Apollo landing sites has been studied by computer stereophotogrammetry analysis of Apollo Lunar Surface Closeup Camera (ALSCC) pictures, whereas roughness at meter to kilometer scale has been studied using laser altimeter data from recent missions. Though these studies shown lunar surface roughness is scale dependent that can be described by fractal statistics, roughness at centimeter scale has not been studied yet. In this study, lunar surface roughnesses at centimeter scale are investigated using Earth-based 70 cm Arecibo radar data and miniature synthetic aperture radar (Mini-SAR) data at S- and X-band (with wavelengths 12.6 cm and 4.12 cm). Both observations and theoretical modeling show that radar echo strengths are mostly dominated by scattering from the surface and shallow buried rocks. Given the different penetration depths of radar waves at these frequencies (< 30 m for 70 cm wavelength, < 3 m at S-band, and < 1 m at X-band), radar echo strengths at S- and X-band will yield surface roughness directly, whereas radar echo at 70-cm will give an upper limit of lunar surface roughness. The integral equation method is used to model radar scattering from the rough lunar surface, and dielectric constant of regolith and surface roughness are two dominate factors. The complex dielectric constant of regolith is first estimated

Lightning and radar observations of hurricane Rita landfall

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Henderson, Bradley G [Los Alamos National Laboratory; Suszcynsky, David M [Los Alamos National Laboratory; Hamlin, Timothy E [Los Alamos National Laboratory; Jeffery, C A [Los Alamos National Laboratory; Wiens, Kyle C [TEXAS TECH U.; Orville, R E [TEXAS A& M

2009-01-01

Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) owns and operates an array of Very-Low Frequency (VLF) sensors that measure the Radio-Frequency (RF) waveforms emitted by Cloud-to-Ground (CG) and InCloud (IC) lightning. This array, the Los Alamos Sferic Array (LASA), has approximately 15 sensors concentrated in the Great Plains and Florida, which detect electric field changes in a bandwidth from 200 Hz to 500 kHz (Smith et al., 2002). Recently, LANL has begun development of a new dual-band RF sensor array that includes the Very-High Frequency (VHF) band as well as the VLF. Whereas VLF lightning emissions can be used to deduce physical parameters such as lightning type and peak current, VHF emissions can be used to perform precise 3d mapping of individual radiation sources, which can number in the thousands for a typical CG flash. These new dual-band sensors will be used to monitor lightning activity in hurricanes in an effort to better predict intensification cycles. Although the new LANL dual-band array is not yet operational, we have begun initial work utilizing both VLF and VHF lightning data to monitor hurricane evolution. In this paper, we present the temporal evolution of Rita's landfall using VLF and VHF lightning data, and also WSR-88D radar. At landfall, Rita's northern eyewall experienced strong updrafts and significant lightning activity that appear to mark a transition between oceanic hurricane dynamics and continental thunderstorm dynamics. In section 2, we give a brief overview of Hurricane Rita, including its development as a hurricane and its lightning history. In the following section, we present WSR-88D data of Rita's landfall, including reflectivity images and temporal variation. In section 4, we present both VHF and VLF lightning data, overplotted on radar reflectivity images. Finally, we discuss our observations, including a comparison to previous studies and a brief conclusion.

Wavelength conversion from C- to L-band at 10 Gbit/s including transmission over 80 km of SSMF

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Poulsen, Henrik Nørskov; Buxens Azcoaga, Alvaro Juan; Clausen, Anders

2000-01-01

As the need for capacity increases, means to accommodate the growth is getting increasingly important. Hence, higher bit rates and an ever increasing number of WDM channels is being employed. This has led to the introduction of the L-band (ranging from 1570 to 1610 nm) as the new transmission...... window, opening up for-in conjunction with the C-band-an astonishing 80 nm of available bandwidth. However, as the number of wavelength channels increases, the need for wavelength conversion is becoming ever more pronounced. To perform the wavelength conversion, interferometric structures...... such as the monolithically integrated Mach-Zehnder interferometers (SOA-MZI) using semiconductor optical amplifiers as phase-shifting elements have proven excellent candidates. Here we present the conversion and transmission properties of a fully packaged device capable of wavelength conversion from C- to L-band having more...

Dual wavelength imaging of a scrape-off layer in an advanced beam-driven field-reversed configuration

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Osin, D.; Schindler, T., E-mail: dosin@trialphaenergy.com [Tri Alpha Energy, Inc., P.O. Box 7010, Rancho Santa Margarita, California 92688-7010 (United States)

2016-11-15

A dual wavelength imaging system has been developed and installed on C-2U to capture 2D images of a He jet in the Scrape-Off Layer (SOL) of an advanced beam-driven Field-Reversed Configuration (FRC) plasma. The system was designed to optically split two identical images and pass them through 1 nm FWHM filters. Dual wavelength images are focused adjacent on a large format CCD chip and recorded simultaneously with a time resolution down to 10 μs using a gated micro-channel plate. The relatively compact optical system images a 10 cm plasma region with a spatial resolution of 0.2 cm and can be used in a harsh environment with high electro-magnetic noise and high magnetic field. The dual wavelength imaging system provides 2D images of either electron density or temperature by observing spectral line pairs emitted by He jet atoms in the SOL. A large field of view, combined with good space and time resolution of the imaging system, allows visualization of macro-flows in the SOL. First 2D images of the electron density and temperature observed in the SOL of the C-2U FRC are presented.

Proposal for a Joint NASA/KSAT Ka-band RF Propagation Terminal at Svalbard, Norway

Science.gov (United States)

Volosin, Jeffrey; Acosta, Roberto; Nessel, James; McCarthy, Kevin; Caroglanian, Armen

2010-01-01

This slide presentation discusses the placement of a Ka-band RF Propagation Terminal at Svalbard, Norway. The Near Earth Network (NEN) station would be managed by Kongsberg Satellite Services (KSAT) and would benefit NASA and KSAT. There are details of the proposed NASA/KSAT campaign, and the responsibilities each would agree to. There are several reasons for the placement, a primary reason is comparison with the Alaska site, Based on climatological similarities/differences with Alaska, Svalbard site expected to have good radiometer/beacon agreement approximately 99% of time.

Monolithic dual-band HgCdTe infrared detector structure

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Parish, G

1997-07-01

Full Text Available A monolithic HgCdTe photoconductive device structure is presented that is suitable for dual-band optically registered infrared photodetection in the two atmospheric transmission windows of 3-5 mu m and 8-12 mu m, which correspond to the mid...

A Cascaded Self-Similar Rat-Race Hybrid Coupler Architecture and its Compact Ka-Band Implementation

Science.gov (United States)

2017-03-01

real-estate and limit the system-level performance, including bandwidth, gain, and energy - efficiency. These many challenges are positioning passive...and are used in numerous RF/mm-wave systems for radar and wireless communications. Although a Marchand balun covers a large bandwidth, it is...requires multiple λ/4 transmission lines (t-lines), making its on-chip designs very costly even for RF/mm-wave bands. Reported miniaturized rat-race

Design of UWB Monopole Antenna with Dual Notched Bands Using One Modified Electromagnetic-Bandgap Structure

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hao Liu

2013-01-01

Full Text Available A modified electromagnetic-bandgap (M-EBG structure and its application to planar monopole ultra-wideband (UWB antenna are presented. The proposed M-EBG which comprises two strip patch and an edge-located via can perform dual notched bands. By properly designing and placing strip patch near the feedline, the proposed M-EBG not only possesses a simple structure and compact size but also exhibits good band rejection. Moreover, it is easy to tune the dual notched bands by altering the dimensions of the M-EBG. A demonstration antenna with dual band-notched characteristics is designed and fabricated to validate the proposed method. The results show that the proposed antenna can satisfy the requirements of VSWR < 2 over UWB 3.1–10.6 GHz, except for the rejected bands of the world interoperability for microwave access (WiMAX and the wireless local area network (WLAN at 3.5 GHz and 5.5 GHz, respectively.

Crosstalk eliminating and low-density parity-check codes for photochromic dual-wavelength storage

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Meicong; Xiong, Jianping; Jian, Jiqi; Jia, Huibo

2005-01-01

Multi-wavelength storage is an approach to increase the memory density with the problem of crosstalk to be deal with. We apply Low Density Parity Check (LDPC) codes as error-correcting codes in photochromic dual-wavelength optical storage based on the investigation of LDPC codes in optical data storage. A proper method is applied to reduce the crosstalk and simulation results show that this operation is useful to improve Bit Error Rate (BER) performance. At the same time we can conclude that LDPC codes outperform RS codes in crosstalk channel.

Miniaturized dual-band antenna array with double-negative (DNG) metamaterial for wireless applications

Science.gov (United States)

Alqadami, Abdulrahman Shueai Mohsen; Jamlos, Mohd Faizal; Soh, Ping Jack; Rahim, Sharul Kamal Abdul; Vandenbosch, Guy A. E.; Narbudowicz, Adam

2017-01-01

A miniaturized dual-band antenna array using a negative index metamaterial is presented for WiMAX, LTE, and WLAN applications. This left-handed metamaterial plane is located behind the antenna array, and its unit cell is a combination of split-ring resonator, square electric ring resonator, and rectangular electrical coupled resonator. This enables the achievement of a metamaterial structure exhibiting both negative permittivity and permeability, which results in antenna size miniaturization, efficiency, and gain enhancement. Moreover, the proposed metamaterial antenna has realized dual-band operating frequencies compared to a single frequency for normal antenna. The measured reflection coefficient (S11) shows a 50.25% bandwidth in the lower band (from 2.119 to 3.058 GHz) and 4.27% in the upper band (from 5.058 to 5.276 GHz). Radiation efficiency obtained in the lower and upper band are >95 and 80%, respectively.

Dual-wavelength mid-infrared CW and Q-switched laser in diode end-pumped Tm,Ho:GdYTaO4 crystal

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Beibei; Gao, Congcong; Dou, Renqin; Nie, Hongkun; Sun, Guihua; Liu, Wenpeng; Yu, Haijuan; Wang, Guoju; Zhang, Qingli; Lin, Xuechun; He, Jingliang; Wang, Wenjun; Zhang, Bingyuan

2018-02-01

Dual-wavelength continuous-wave and Q-switched lasers are demonstrated in a Tm,Ho:GdYTaO4 crystal under 790 nm laser diode end pumping for the first time to the best of our knowledge. The laser operates with a dual wavelength at 1949.677 nm and 2070 nm for continuous-wave with a spacing of about 120 nm. The maximum output power is 0.332 W with a pump power of 3 W. By using graphene as the saturable absorber, a passively Q-switched operation is performed with a dual-wavelength at 1950.323 nm and 2068.064 nm with a wavelength interval of about 118 nm. The maximum average output power of the Q-switched laser goes up to 200 mW with a minimum pulse duration of 1.2 µs and a maximum repetition rate of 34.72 kHz.

Single- and dual-wavelength laser pulses induced modification in 10×(Al/Ti)/Si multilayer system

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Salatić, B. [University of Belgrade, Institute of Physics Belgrade, Pregrevica 118, 11080 Belgrade (Serbia); Petrović, S., E-mail: spetro@vinca.rs [University of Belgrade, Institute of Nuclear Science-Vinča, POB 522, 11001 Belgrade (Serbia); Peruško, D. [University of Belgrade, Institute of Nuclear Science-Vinča, POB 522, 11001 Belgrade (Serbia); Čekada, M.; Panjan, P. [Jožef Stefan Institute, Jamova 39, 1000 Ljubljana (Slovenia); Pantelić, D.; Jelenković, B. [University of Belgrade, Institute of Physics Belgrade, Pregrevica 118, 11080 Belgrade (Serbia)

2016-01-01

Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • Experimental and numerical study of laser-induced ablation and micro-sized crater formation. • Dual-wavelength pulses induce creation of wider and deeper craters due to synergies of two processes. • Sunflower-like structure formed by dual-wavelength pulses at low irradiance. • Numerical model of nanosecond pulsed laser ablation for complex (Al/Ti)/Si system has been developed. - Abstract: The surface morphology of the ablation craters created in the multilayer 10×(Al/Ti)/Si system by nanosecond laser pulses at single- and dual wavelength has been studied experimentally and numerically. A complex multilayer thin film including ten (Al/Ti) bilayers deposited by ion sputtering on Si(1 0 0) substrate to a total thickness of 260 nm were illuminated at different laser irradiance in the range 0.25–3.5 × 10{sup 9} W cm{sup −2}. Single pulse laser irradiation was done at normal incidence in air, with the single wavelength, either at 532 nm or 1064 nm or with both laser light simultaneously in the ratio of 1:10 for energy per pulse between second harmonic and 1064 nm. Most of the absorbed laser energy was rapidly transformed into heat, producing intensive modifications of composition and morphology on the sample surface. The results show an increase in surface roughness, formation of specific nanostructures, appearance of hydrodynamic features and ablation of surface material with crater formation. Applying a small fraction (10%) of the second harmonic in dual-wavelength pulses, a modification of the 10×(Al/Ti)/Si system by a single laser pulse was reflected in the formation of wider and/or deeper craters. Numerical calculations show that the main physical mechanism in ablation process is normal evaporation without phase explosion. The calculated and experimental results agree relatively well for the whole irradiance range, what makes the model applicable to complex Al/Ti multilayer systems.

Space Radar Image of West Texas - SAR scan

Science.gov (United States)

1999-01-01

forthcoming Canadian RADARSAT satellite. Spaceborne Imaging Radar-C and X-band Synthetic Aperture Radar (SIR-C/X-SAR) is part of NASA's Mission to Planet Earth. The radars illuminate Earth with microwaves, allowing detailed observations at any time, regardless of weather or sunlight conditions. SIR-C/X-SAR uses three microwave wavelengths: L-band (24 cm), C-band (6 cm) and X-band (3 cm). The multi-frequency data will be used by the international scientific community to better understand the global environment and how it is changing. The SIR-C/X-SAR data, complemented by aircraft and ground studies, will give scientists clearer insights into those environmental changes which are caused by nature and those changes which are induced by human activity. SIR-C was developed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. X-SAR was developed by the Dornier and Alenia Spazio companies for the German space agency, Deutsche Agentur fuer Raumfahrtangelegenheiten (DARA), and the Italian space agency, Agenzia Spaziale Italiana (ASI), with the Deutsche Forschungsanstalt fuer Luft und Raumfahrt e.v.(DLR), the major partner in science, operations, and data processing of X-SAR.

Dual-Mode Dual-Band Microstrip Bandpass Filter Based on Fourth Iteration T-Square Fractal and Shorting Pin

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

E. S. Ahmed

2012-06-01

Full Text Available A new class of dual mode microstrip fractal resonator is proposed and developed for miniaturization of the dual band bandpass filter. The perimeter of the proposed resonator is increased by employing fourth iteration T-square fractal shape. Consequently the lower resonant frequency of the filter is decreased without increasing the usable space. The self similarity of the usable structure enables it to produce the two degenerate modes which are coupled using the proper perturbation technique. The shorting pin is placed at the null in the surface current distribution at the center of the resonator. This shorting pin is coactively coupled to the resonant circuit of the resonator, effectively coupled to the lower degenerate mode and reduces the lower edge band resonant frequency. By adjusting the resonator dimensions and the size of the shorting pin, the resonant frequency and the out-of-band rejection around the transmission bands can be controlled to meet the design requirements. The simulated response of the designed filter has two transmission bands, the first band is from 2.34-3.65 GHz with resonant frequencies at 2.47GHz and 3.55GHz, the second band is from 4.37-5.324GHz with resonant frequencies at 4.5GHz and 5.13GHz. In the pass bands, the group delay is less than 0.65 ns. The proposed filter can be applied to WLAN (2.4 GHz and 5.2 GHz and WiMAX (3.5 GHz and Bluetooth and ZigBee (4.9 GHz.

Wide Band and Wide Azimuth Beam Effect on High-resolution Synthetic Aperture Radar Radiometric Calibration

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hong Jun

2015-06-01

Full Text Available Passive corner reflectors and active transponders are often used as man-made reference targets in Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR radiometric calibration, With the emergence of new radar systems and the increasing demand for greater accuracy, wide-band and wide-beam radars challenge the hypothesis that the Radar Cross Section (RCS of reference targets is constant. In this study, the FEKO electromagnetic simulation software is used to obtain the change curve of the target RCS as a function of frequency and aspect angle while incorporating high-resolution point-target SAR simulation, and quantitatively analyzing the effect of the modulation effect on SAR images. The simulation results suggest that the abovementioned factors affect the SAR calibration by more than 0.2 dB within a fractional bandwidth greater than 10% or azimuth beam width of more than 20°, which must be corrected in the data processing.

Wide frequency independently controlled dual-band inkjet-printed antenna

KAUST Repository

AbuTarboush, Hattan F.

2014-01-08

A low-cost inkjet-printed multiband monopole antenna is presented. The unique advantage of the proposed antenna is the freedom to adjust and set the dual-band of the antenna independently over a wide range (148.83%). To demonstrate the independent control feature, the 2.4 and 3.4 GHz bands for the wireless local area network (WLAN) and worldwide interoperability for microwave access (WiMAX) applications are selected as an example. The measured impedance bandwidths for the 2.4 and 3.4 GHz are 15.2 and 23.7%, respectively. These dual-bands have the ability to be controlled independently between 1.1 and 7.5 GHz without affecting the other band. In addition, the proposed antenna can be assigned for different mobile and wireless applications such as GPS, PCS, GSM 1800, 1900, UMTS, and up to 5-GHz WLAN and WiMAX applications. The mechanism of independent control of each radiator through dimensional variation is discussed in detail. The antenna has a compact size of 10 × 37.3 × 0.44 mm3, leaving enough space for the driving electronics on the paper substrate. The measured results from the prototype are in good agreement with the simulated results. Owing to inkjet printing on an ordinary paper, the design is extremely light weight and highly suitable for low cost and large volume manufacturing. © The Institution of Engineering and Technology 2013.

Common volume coherent and incoherent scatter radar observations of mid-latitude sporadic E-layers and QP echoes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

D. L. Hysell

2004-09-01

Full Text Available Common-volume observations of sporadic E-layers made on 14-15 June 2002 with the Arecibo incoherent scatter radar and a 30MHz coherent scatter radar imager located on St. Croix are described. Operating in dual-beam mode, the Arecibo radar detected a slowly descending sporadic E-layer accompanied by a series of dense E-region plasma clouds at a time when the coherent scatter radar was detecting quasi-periodic (QP echoes. Using coherent radar imaging, we collocate the sources of the coherent scatter with the plasma clouds observed by Arecibo. In addition to patchy, polarized scattering regions drifting through the radar illuminated volume, which have been observed in previous imaging experiments, the 30MHz radar also detected large-scale electrostatic waves in the E-region over Puerto Rico, with a wavelength of about 30km and a period of about 10min, propagating to the southwest. Both the intensity and the Doppler shifts of the coherent echoes were modulated by the wave.

X-band Linac for a 6 MeV dual-head radiation therapy gantry

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, Seung Hyun; Shin, Seung-Wook; Lee, Jongchul; Kim, Hui-Su [WCU Department of Energy Science, Suwon 440-746 (Korea, Republic of); Lee, Byeong-No; Lee, Byung-Chul [Radiation Instrumentation Research Division, Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Jeongeup 56212 (Korea, Republic of); Park, Hyung-dal; Song, Ki-back [Radiation Technology eXcellence (RTX), Daejeon 305-500 (Korea, Republic of); Song, Ho-seung; Mun, Sangchul; Ha, Donghyup [School of Information and Communication Engineering, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon 440-746 (Korea, Republic of); Chai, Jong-Seo, E-mail: jschai@skku.edu [School of Information and Communication Engineering, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon 440-746 (Korea, Republic of)

2017-04-21

We developed a design for a 6 MeV X-band linear accelerator for radiation therapy in a dual-head gantry layout. The dual-head gantry has two linacs that can be operated independently. Each X-band linac accelerates electron bunches using high-power RF and generates X-rays for radiation therapy. It requires a versatile RF system and pulse sequence to accomplish various radiation therapy procedures. The RF system consists of 9.3 GHz, 2 MW X-band magnetron and associated RF transmission components. A test linac was assembled and operated to characterize its RF performance without beam. This paper presents these results along with a description of the gantry linacs and their operational requirements.

Potential of airborne radar to support the assessment of land cover in a tropical rain forest environment

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Sanden, van der J.J.; Hoekman, D.H.

1999-01-01

The potential of airborne radar systems as tools for collecting information in support of the assessment of tropical primary forests and derived cover types was examined. SAR systems operating with high spatial resolutions and different wavelengths (i.e., X-, C-, L- and P-band) acquired data in

Dual band metamaterial perfect absorber based on Mie resonances

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Liu, Xiaoming; Lan, Chuwen; Li, Bo; Zhou, Ji, E-mail: zhouji@tsinghua.edu.cn [State Key Laboratory of New Ceramics and Fine Processing, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084 (China); Bi, Ke [School of Science, Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications, Beijing 100876 (China); Zhao, Qian [State Key Lab of Tribology, Department of Precision Instruments and Mechanology, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084 (China)

2016-08-08

We numerically and experimentally demonstrated a polarization insensitive dual-band metamaterial perfect absorber working in wide incident angles based on the two magnetic Mie resonances of a single dielectric “atom” with simple structure. Two absorption bands with simulated absorptivity of 99% and 96%, experimental absorptivity of 97% and 94% at 8.45 and 11.97 GHz were achieved due to the simultaneous magnetic and electric resonances in dielectric “atom” and copper plate. Mie resonances of dielectric “atom” provide a simple way to design metamaterial perfect absorbers with high symmetry.

Estimating snow water equivalent (SWE) using interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR)

Science.gov (United States)

Deeb, Elias J.

Since the early 1990s, radar interferometry and interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) have been used extensively to measure changes in the Earth's surface. Previous research has presented theory for estimating snow properties, including potential for snow water equivalent (SWE) retrieval, using InSAR. The motivation behind using remote sensing to estimate SWE is to provide a more complete, continuous set of "observations" to assist in water management operations, climate change studies, and flood hazard forecasting. The research presented here primarily investigates the feasibility of using the InSAR technique at two different wavelengths (C-Band and L-Band) for SWE retrieval of dry snow within the Kuparuk watershed, North Slope, Alaska. Estimating snow distribution around meteorological towers on the coastal plain using a three-day repeat orbit of C-Band InSAR data was successful (Chapter 2). A longer wavelength L-band SAR is evaluated for SWE retrievals (Chapter 3) showing the ability to resolve larger snow accumulation events over a longer period of time. Comparisons of InSAR estimates and late spring manual sampling of SWE show a R2 = 0.61 when a coherence threshold is used to eliminate noisy SAR data. Qualitative comparisons with a high resolution digital elevation model (DEM) highlight areas of scour on windward slopes and areas of deposition on leeward slopes. When compared to a mid-winter transect of manually sampled snow depths, the InSAR SWE estimates yield a RMSE of 2.21cm when a bulk snow density is used and corrections for bracketing the satellite acquisition timing is performed. In an effort to validate the interaction of radar waves with a snowpack, the importance of the "dry snow" assumption for the estimation of SWE using InSAR is tested with an experiment in Little Cottonwood Canyon, Alta, Utah (Chapter 5). Snow wetness is shown to have a significant effect on the velocity of propagation within the snowpack. Despite the radar

Detection Thresholds of Falling Snow From Satellite-Borne Active and Passive Sensors

Science.gov (United States)

Skofronick-Jackson, Gail M.; Johnson, Benjamin T.; Munchak, S. Joseph

2013-01-01

There is an increased interest in detecting and estimating the amount of falling snow reaching the Earths surface in order to fully capture the global atmospheric water cycle. An initial step toward global spaceborne falling snow algorithms for current and future missions includes determining the thresholds of detection for various active and passive sensor channel configurations and falling snow events over land surfaces and lakes. In this paper, cloud resolving model simulations of lake effect and synoptic snow events were used to determine the minimum amount of snow (threshold) that could be detected by the following instruments: the W-band radar of CloudSat, Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Dual-Frequency Precipitation Radar (DPR)Ku- and Ka-bands, and the GPM Microwave Imager. Eleven different nonspherical snowflake shapes were used in the analysis. Notable results include the following: 1) The W-band radar has detection thresholds more than an order of magnitude lower than the future GPM radars; 2) the cloud structure macrophysics influences the thresholds of detection for passive channels (e.g., snow events with larger ice water paths and thicker clouds are easier to detect); 3) the snowflake microphysics (mainly shape and density)plays a large role in the detection threshold for active and passive instruments; 4) with reasonable assumptions, the passive 166-GHz channel has detection threshold values comparable to those of the GPM DPR Ku- and Ka-band radars with approximately 0.05 g *m(exp -3) detected at the surface, or an approximately 0.5-1.0-mm * h(exp -1) melted snow rate. This paper provides information on the light snowfall events missed by the sensors and not captured in global estimates.

Dual-Doppler Feasibility Study

Science.gov (United States)

Huddleston, Lisa L.

2012-01-01

When two or more Doppler weather radar systems are monitoring the same region, the Doppler velocities can be combined to form a three-dimensional (3-D) wind vector field thus providing for a more intuitive analysis of the wind field. A real-time display of the 3-D winds can assist forecasters in predicting the onset of convection and severe weather. The data can also be used to initialize local numerical weather prediction models. Two operational Doppler Radar systems are in the vicinity of Kennedy Space Center (KSC) and Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (CCAFS); these systems are operated by the 45th Space Wing (45 SW) and the National Weather Service Melbourne, Fla. (NWS MLB). Dual-Doppler applications were considered by the 45 SW in choosing the site for the new radar. Accordingly, the 45th Weather Squadron (45 WS), NWS MLB and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration tasked the Applied Meteorology Unit (AMU) to investigate the feasibility of establishing dual-Doppler capability using the two existing systems. This study investigated technical, hardware, and software requirements necessary to enable the establishment of a dual-Doppler capability. Review of the available literature pertaining to the dual-Doppler technique and consultation with experts revealed that the physical locations and resulting beam crossing angles of the 45 SW and NWS MLB radars make them ideally suited for a dual-Doppler capability. The dual-Doppler equations were derived to facilitate complete understanding of dual-Doppler synthesis; to determine the technical information requirements; and to determine the components of wind velocity from the equation of continuity and radial velocity data collected by the two Doppler radars. Analysis confirmed the suitability of the existing systems to provide the desired capability. In addition, it is possible that both 45 SW radar data and Terminal Doppler Weather Radar data from Orlando International Airport could be used to alleviate any

Estimate of rain evaporation rates from dual-wavelength lidar measurements: comparison against a model analytical solution

Science.gov (United States)

Lolli, Simone; Di Girolamo, Paolo; Demoz, Belay; Li, Xiaowen; Welton, Ellsworth J.

2018-04-01

Rain evaporation significantly contributes to moisture and heat cloud budgets. In this paper, we illustrate an approach to estimate the median volume raindrop diameter and the rain evaporation rate profiles from dual-wavelength lidar measurements. These observational results are compared with those provided by a model analytical solution. We made use of measurements from the multi-wavelength Raman lidar BASIL.

Influence of laser wavelength on the thermal responses of port wine stain lesions in light, moderate and heavy pigmented skin

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li, D.; Chen, B.; Wu, W.J.; Ying, Z.X.

2017-01-01

Highlights: • Laser surgery for port wine stain (PWS) was studied by local non-equilibrium theory. • Wavelength selection in laser surgery under various skin pigmentation was explored. • High pigmented skin prefers to 585 nm rather then 595 nm. • Dual-wavelength laser (585/595 + 1064 nm) has better clinic effect than single one. • Deep buried blood vessels can be damaged by 595/1064 nm dual-wavelength laser. - Abstract: Pulsed dye laser (PDL) in visible band (e.g. 585 or 595 nm) together with cryogen spray cooling has become the golden standard for treatment of vascular malformation such as port wine stain (PWS). However, due to the limited energy penetration depth of the PDL, deeply buried blood vessels are likely to survive from the laser irradiation. Nd:YAG laser in near infrared (1064 nm) has great potential in the laser treatment of PWS due to its deeper penetration depth. In this study, the influence of laser wavelength in treating PWS lesions with various melanin concentrations in epidermis was theoretically investigated by a two-temperature model following the local thermal non-equilibrium theory of porous media. The results showed that deeply buried blood vessels can be coagulated by dual-wavelength laser combing 585 or 595 nm with 1064 nm laser. Furthermore, the therapeutic results by dual-wavelength laser were highly related to the melanin concentration in epidermis. In the light and moderate pigmented skin, the 595/1064 nm dual-wavelength laser showed better treatment effect in treating PWS with deeply-buried blood vessels than of 585/1064 nm dual-wavelength laser. For a high pigmented skin, the 585/1064 nm dual-wavelength laser showed better treatment effect than 595/1064 nm dual-wavelength laser.

A Codesigned Compact Dual-Band Filtering Antenna with PIN Loaded for WLAN Applications

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shanxiong Chen

2014-01-01

Full Text Available A codesigned compact dual-band filtering antenna incorporating a PIN diode for 2.45/5.2 GHz wireless local area network (WLAN applications is proposed in this paper. The integrated filtering antenna system consists of a simple monopole radiator, a microstrip dual-band band-pass filter, and a PIN diode. The performance of the filtering antenna is notably promoted by optimizing the impedance between the antenna and the band-pass filter, with good selectivity and out-of-band rejection. The design process follows the approach of the synthesis of band-pass filter. In addition, the PIN diode is incorporated in the filtering antenna for further size reduction, which also widens the coverage of the bandwidth by about 230% for 2.4 GHz WLAN. With the presence of small size and good filtering performances, the proposed filtering antenna is a good candidate for the wireless communication systems. Prototypes of the proposed filtering antenna incorporating a PIN diode are fabricated and measured. The measured results including return losses and radiation patterns are presented.

Circularly Polarized S Band Dual Frequency Square Patch Antenna Using Glass Microfiber Reinforced PTFE Composite

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. Samsuzzaman

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Circularly polarized (CP dual frequency cross-shaped slotted patch antenna on 1.575 mm thick glass microfiber reinforced polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE composite material substrate is designed and fabricated for satellite applications. Asymmetric cross-shaped slots are embedded in the middle of the square patch for CP radiation and four hexagonal slots are etched on the four sides of the square patch for desired dual frequency. Different substrate materials have been analysed to achieve the desired operating band. The experimental results show that the impedance bandwidth is approximately 30 MHz (2.16 GHz to 2.19 GHz for lower band and 40 MHz (3.29 GHz to 3.33 GHz for higher band with an average peak gain of 6.59 dBiC and 5.52 dBiC, respectively. Several optimizations are performed to obtain the values of the antenna physical parameters. Moreover, the proposed antenna possesses compactness, light weight, simplicity, low cost, and circularly polarized. It is an attractive candidate for dual band satellite antennas where lower band can be used for uplink and upper band can be used for downlink.

Use of the SAR (Synthetic Aperture Radar) P band for detection of the Moche and Lambayeque canal networks in the Apurlec region, Perù

Science.gov (United States)

Ilaria Pannaccione Apa, Maria; Santovito, Maria Rosaria; Pica, Giulia; Catapano, Ilaria; Fornaro, Gianfranco; Lanari, Riccardo; Soldovieri, Francesco; Wester La Torre, Carlos; Fernandez Manayalle, Marco Antonio; Longo, Francesco; Facchinetti, Claudia; Formaro, Roberto

2016-04-01

In recent years, research attention has been devoted to the development of a new class of airborne radar systems using low frequency bands ranging from VHF/UHF to P and L ones. In this frame, the Italian Space Agency (ASI) has promoted the development of a new multi-mode and multi-band airborne radar system, which can be considered even a "proof-of-concept" for the next space-borne missions. In particular, in agreement with the ASI, the research consortium CO.RI.S.T.A. has in charge the design, development and flight validation of such a kind of system, which is the first airborne radar entirely built in Italy. The aim was to design and realize a radar system able to work in different modalities as: nadir-looking sounder at VHF band (163 MHz); side-looking imager (SAR) at P band with two channels at 450 MHz and 900 MHz. The P-band is a penetration radar. Exploiting penetration features of low frequency electromagnetic waves, dielectric discontinuities of observed scene due to inhomogeneous materials rise up and can be detected on the resulting image. Therefore buried objects or targets placed under vegetation may be detected. Penetration capabilities essentially depend on microwave frequency. Typically, penetration distance is inversely proportional to microwave frequency. The higher the frequency, the lower the penetration depth. Terrain characteristics affect penetration capabilities. Humidity acts as a shield to microwave penetration. Hence terrain with high water content are not good targets for P-band applicability. Science community, governments and space agencies have increased their interest about low frequency radar for their useful applicability in climatology, ecosystem monitoring, glaciology, archaeology. The combination of low frequency and high relative bandwidth of such a systems has a large applicability in both military and civilian applications, ranging from forestry applications, biomass measuring, archaeological and geological exploration

Use of the 37-38 GHz and 40-40.5 GHz Ka-bands for Deep Space Communications

Science.gov (United States)

Morabito, David; Hastrup, Rolf

2004-01-01

This paper covers a wide variety of issues associated with the implementation and use of these frequency bands for deep space communications. Performance issues, such as ground station pointing stability, ground antenna gain, antenna pattern, and propagation effects such as due to atmospheric, charged-particle and space loss at 37 GHz, will be addressed in comparison to the 32 GHz Ka-band deep space allocation. Issues with the use of and competition for this spectrum also will be covered. The state of the hardware developed (or proposed) for operating in this frequency band will be covered from the standpoint of the prospects for achieving higher data rates that could be accommodated in the available bandwidth. Hardware areas to be explored include modulators, digital-to-analog converters, filters, power amplifiers, receivers, and antennas. The potential users of the frequency band will be explored as well as their anticipated methods to achieve the potential high data rates and the implications of the competition for bandwidth.

Tunable, high-repetition-rate, dual-signal-wavelength femtosecond optical parametric oscillator based on BiB3O6

Science.gov (United States)

Meng, Xianghao; Wang, Zhaohua; Tian, Wenlong; Fang, Shaobo; Wei, Zhiyi

2018-01-01

We have demonstrated a high-repetition-rate tunable femtosecond dual-signal-wavelength optical parametric oscillator (OPO) based on BiB3O6 (BiBO) crystal, synchronously pumped by a frequency-doubled mode-locked Yb:KGW laser. The cavity is simple since no dispersion compensators are used in the cavity. The wavelength range of dual-signal is widely tunable from 710 to 1000 nm. Tuning is accomplished by rotating phase-matching angle of BiBO, and optimizing cavity length and output coupler. Using a 3.75 W pump laser, the maximum average dual-signal output power is 760 mW at 707 and 750 nm, leading to a conversion efficiency of 20.3% not taking into account the idler power. Our experimental results show a non-critical phase-matching configuration pumped by a high peak power laser source. The operation of the dual-signal benefits from the balance of phase matching and group velocity mismatching between the two signals.

Estimation of surface roughness in a semiarid region from C-band ERS-1 synthetic aperture radar data

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

E. E. Sano

1999-12-01

Full Text Available In this study, we investigated the feasibility of using the C-band European Remote Sensing Satellite (ERS-1 synthetic aperture radar (SAR data to estimate surface soil roughness in a semiarid rangeland. Radar backscattering coefficients were extracted from a dry and a wet season SAR image and were compared with 47 in situ soil roughness measurements obtained in the rocky soils of the Walnut Gulch Experimental Watershed, southeastern Arizona, USA. Both the dry and the wet season SAR data showed exponential relationships with root mean square (RMS height measurements. The dry C-band ERS-1 SAR data were strongly correlated (R² = 0.80, while the wet season SAR data have somewhat higher secondary variation (R² = 0.59. This lower correlation was probably provoked by the stronger influence of soil moisture, which may not be negligible in the wet season SAR data. We concluded that the single configuration C-band SAR data is useful to estimate surface roughness of rocky soils in a semiarid rangeland.

A Detailed Examination of the GPM Core Satellite Gridded Text Product

Science.gov (United States)

Stocker, Erich Franz; Kelley, Owen A.; Kummerow, C.; Huffman, George; Olson, William S.; Kwiatowski, John M.

2015-01-01

The Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) mission quarter-degree gridded-text product has a similar file format and a similar purpose as the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) 3G68 quarter-degree product. The GPM text-grid format is an hourly summary of surface precipitation retrievals from various GPM instruments and combinations of GPM instruments. The GMI Goddard Profiling (GPROF) retrieval provides the widest swath (800 km) and does the retrieval using the GPM Microwave Imager (GMI). The Ku radar provides the widest radar swath (250 km swath) and also provides continuity with the TRMM Ku Precipitation Radar. GPM's Ku+Ka band matched swath (125 km swath) provides a dual-frequency precipitation retrieval. The "combined" retrieval (125 km swath) provides a multi-instrument precipitation retrieval based on the GMI, the DPR Ku radar, and the DPR Ka radar. While the data are reported in hourly grids, all hours for a day are packaged into a single text file that is g-zipped to reduce file size and to speed up downloading. The data are reported on a 0.25deg x 0.25 deg grid.

A reconfigurable frequency-selective surface for dual-mode multi-band filtering applications

Science.gov (United States)

Majidzadeh, Maryam; Ghobadi, Changiz; Nourinia, Javad

2017-03-01

A reconfigurable single-layer frequency-selective surface (FSS) with dual-mode multi-band modes of operation is presented. The proposed structure is printed on a compact 10 × 10 mm2 FR4 substrate with the thickness of 1.6 mm. A simple square loop is printed on the front side while another one along with two defected vertical arms is deployed on the backside. To realise the reconfiguration, two pin diodes are embedded on the backside square loop. Suitable insertion of conductive elements along with pin diodes yields in dual-mode multi-band rejection of applicable in service frequency ranges. The first operating mode due to diodes' 'ON' state provides rejection of 2.4 GHz WLAN in 2-3 GHz, 5.2/5.8 GHz WLAN and X band in 5-12 GHz, and a part of Ku band in 13.9-16 GHz. In diodes 'OFF' state, the FSS blocks WLAN in 4-7.3 GHz, X band in 8-12.7 GHz as well as part of Ku band in 13.7-16.7 GHz. As well, high attenuation of incident waves is observed by a high shielding effectiveness (SE) in the blocked frequency bands. Also, a stable behaviour against different polarisations and angles of incidence is obtained. Comprehensive studies are conducted on a fabricated prototype to assess its performance from which encouraging results are obtained.

Variability in millimeter wave scattering properties of dendritic ice crystals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Botta, Giovanni; Aydin, Kültegin; Verlinde, Johannes

2013-01-01

A detailed electromagnetic scattering model for ice crystals is necessary for calculating radar reflectivity from cloud resolving model output in any radar simulator. The radar reflectivity depends on the backscattering cross sections and size distributions of particles in the radar resolution volume. The backscattering cross section depends on the size, mass and distribution of mass within the crystal. Most of the available electromagnetic scattering data for ice hydrometeors rely on simple ice crystal types and a single mass–dimensional relationship for a given type. However, a literature survey reveals that the mass–dimensional relationships for dendrites cover a relatively broad region in the mass–dimensional plane. This variability of mass and mass distribution of dendritic ice crystals cause significant variability in their backscattering cross sections, more than 10 dB for all sizes (0.5–5 mm maximum dimension) and exceeding 20 dB for the larger ones at X-, Ka-, and W-band frequencies. Realistic particle size distributions are used to calculate radar reflectivity and ice water content (IWC) for three mass–dimensional relationships. The uncertainty in the IWC for a given reflectivity spans an order of magnitude in value at all three frequencies because of variations in the unknown mass–dimensional relationship and particle size distribution. The sensitivity to the particle size distribution is reduced through the use of dual frequency reflectivity ratios, e.g., Ka- and W-band frequencies, together with the reflectivity at one of the frequencies for estimating IWC. -- Highlights: • Millimeter wave backscattering characteristics of dendritic crystals are modeled. • Natural variability of dendrite shapes leads to large variability in their mass. • Dendrite mass variability causes large backscattering cross section variability. • Reflectivity–ice water content relation is sensitive to mass and size distribution. • Dual frequency

Effects of laser wavelengths and pulse energy ratio on the emission enhancement in dual pulse LIBS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ahmed, Rizwan; Iqbal, Javed; Baig, M Aslam

2015-01-01

We present new studies on the effects of laser wavelengths, pulse energy ratio and interpulse delay between two laser pulses in the collinear dual pulse configuration of laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) on an iron sample in air using the fundamental (1064 nm) and the second harmonics (532 nm) of Nd:YAG lasers. In the dual pulse LIBS, an optimum value of interpulse delay with an appropriate combination of laser wavelengths, and laser pulse energy ratio, yields a 30 times signal intensity enhancement in the neutral iron lines as compared with single pulse LIBS. A comparison in the spatial variations of electron temperature along the axis of the plume expansion in single and double pulse LIBS has also been studied. (letter)

A wave-bending structure at Ka-band using 3D-printed metamaterial

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Junqiang; Liang, Min; Xin, Hao

2018-03-01

Three-dimensional printing technologies enable metamaterials of complex structures with arbitrary inhomogeneity. In this work, a 90° wave-bending structure at the Ka-band (26.5-40 GHz) based on 3D-printed metamaterials is designed, fabricated, and measured. The wave-bending effect is realized through a spatial distribution of varied effective dielectric constants. Based on the effective medium theory, different effective dielectric constants are accomplished by special, 3D-printable unit cells, which allow different ratios of dielectric to air at the unit cell level. In contrast to traditional, metallic-structure-included metamaterial designs, the reported wave-bending structure here is all dielectric and implemented by the polymer-jetting technique, which features rapid, low-cost, and convenient prototyping. Both simulation and experiment results demonstrate the effectiveness of the wave-bending structure.

Determination of radar MTF

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chambers, D. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab., CA (United States)

1994-11-15

The ultimate goal of the Current Meter Array (CMA) is to be able to compare the current patterns detected with the array with radar images of the water surface. The internal wave current patterns modulate the waves on the water surface giving a detectable modulation of the radar cross-section (RCS). The function relating the RCS modulations to the current patterns is the Modulation Transfer Function (MTF). By comparing radar images directly with co-located CMA measurements the MTF can be determined. In this talk radar images and CMA measurements from a recent experiment at Loch Linnhe, Scotland, will be used to make the first direct determination of MTF for an X and S band radar at low grazing angles. The technical problems associated with comparing radar images to CMA data will be explained and the solution method discussed. The results suggest the both current and strain rate contribute equally to the radar modulation for X band. For S band, the strain rate contributes more than the current. The magnitude of the MTF and the RCS modulations are consistent with previous estimates when the wind is blowing perpendicular to the radar look direction.

Pattern Synthesis of Dual-band Shared Aperture Interleaved Linear Antenna Arrays

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

H. Guo

2014-09-01

Full Text Available This paper presents an approach to improve the efficiency of an array aperture by interleaving two different arrays in the same aperture area. Two sub-arrays working at different frequencies are interleaved in the same linear aperture area. The available aperture area is efficiently used. The element positions of antenna array are optimized by using Invasive Weed Optimization (IWO to reduce the peak side lobe level (PSLL of the radiation pattern. To overcome the shortness of traditional methods which can only fulfill the design of shared aperture antenna array working at the same frequency, this method can achieve the design of dual-band antenna array with wide working frequency range. Simulation results show that the proposed method is feasible and efficient in the synthesis of dual-band shared aperture antenna array.

High Rate User Ka-Band Phased Array Antenna Test Results

Science.gov (United States)

Caroglanian, Armen; Perko, Kenneth; Seufert, Steve; Dod, Tom; Warshowsky, Jay; Day, John H. (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

The High Rate User Phased Array Antenna (HRUPAA) is a Ka-Band planar phased array designed by the Harris Corporation for the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. The HRUPAA permits a satellite to downlink data either to a ground station or through the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System (TDRSS). The HRUPAA is scanned electronically by ground station / user satellite command over a 120 degree cone angle. The phased array has the advantage of not imparting attitude disturbances to the user spacecraft. The 288-element transmit-only array has distributed RF amplifiers integrated behind each of the printed patch antenna elements. The array has 33 dBW EIRP and is left-hand circularly polarized. An engineering model of a partially populated array has been developed and delivered to NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. This report deals with the testing of the engineering model at the Goddard Antenna Range near-field and compact range facilities. The antenna specifications are described first, followed by the test plan and test results.

Calculation of attenuation by rain using the DAH model and diameter of antennas for the Ka Band in Mexico; Calculo de atenuacion por lluvia usando el modelo DAH y diametro de antena para Banda Ka en Mexico

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Landeros-Ayala, S.; Neri-Vela, R; Cruz-Sanchez, H.; Hernandez-Bautista, H. [Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, Mexico, D.F. (Mexico)

2002-03-01

In the last years, the peak in the demand of satellite communication service has caused the saturation in the use of the frequencies corresponding to the band, Cand Ku. Due to this, the engineers have looked for viable alternatives, in order to satisfy the current requisition, as well as the future demand, for which a considerable increment is expected. One of these alternatives is the use of the Ka Band (20Hz/30Hz), that is why the importance of studying the propagation effects that are experienced at these frequencies, especially the attenuation effect by rain, as in this case, where it is significant. The present article has the purpose to describe the use of the Modelo DAH (whose authors are Asoka Dissanayake, Jeremy Allnutt and Fatim Haidara), mixed with the global maps of distribution of rain by Crane, for the calculation of the attenuation by rain in satellite communication systems operated in the Ka Band. Besides, antenna diameters for the systems of communications in Ka Band in different locations of the Mexican Republic, using for it the attenuation margins for rain obtained through the Modelo DAH, and using as references the characteristics of the ANIK F2 satellite and a terrestrial station VSAT, are proposed. [Spanish] En los ultimos anos, el auge en la demanda de servicios de comunicacion por satelite ha provocado la saturacion en los uso de la frecuencia correspondientes a las bandas C y Ku. Debido a esta razon, se han buscado alternativas viables para poder satisfacer la demanda actual, asi como la demanda futura, para la cual se espera un incremento considerable. Una de estas alternativas es el uso de Banda Ka (20Hz/30Hz), de ahi la importancia del estudio sobre los efectos de programacion que se experimentan a esta frecuencia, en especial, el efecto de atencion por lluvias, ya que sen este caso resulta ser significativa. El presente articulo tiene como finalidad describir el uso del Modelo DAH (cuyos autores son Asoka Dissanayake, Jeremy Allnutt y

Nanosecond radar system based on repetitive pulsed relativistic BWO

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bunkin, B.V.; Gaponov-Grekhov, A.V.; Eltchaninov, A.S.; Zagulov, F.Ya.; Korovin, S.D.; Mesyats, G.A.; Osipov, M.L.; Otlivantchik, E.A.; Petelin, M.I.; Prokhorov, A.M.

1993-01-01

The paper presents the results of studies of a nanosecond radar system based on repetitive pulsed relativistic BWO. A pulsed power repetitive accelerator producing electron beams of electron energy 500-700 keV and current 5 kA in pulses of duraction 10 ns with a repetition rate of 100 pps is described. The results of experiments with a high-voltage gas-filled spark gap and a cold-cathode vacuum diode under the conditions of high repetition rates are given. Also presented are the results of studies of a relativistic BWO operating with a wavelength of 3 cm. It is shown that for a high-current beam electron energy of 500-700 keV, the BWO efficiency can reach 35%, the microwave power being 10 9 W. A superconducting solenoid creating a magnetic field of 30 kOe was used for the formation and transportation of the high-current electron beam. In conclusion, the outcome of tests of a nanosecond radar station based on a pulsed power repetitive accelerator and a relativistic BWO is reported

Characterization of hydrometeors in Sahelian convective systems with an X-band radar and comparison with in situ measurements. Part I : Sensitivity of polarimetric radar particle identification retrieval and case study evaluation

OpenAIRE

Cazenave, Frédéric; Gosset, Marielle; Kacou, M.; Alcoba, M.; Fontaine, E.; Duroure, C.; Dolan, B.

2016-01-01

The particle identification scheme developed by Dolan and Rutledge for X-band polarimetric radar is tested for the first time in Africa and compared with in situ measurements. The data were acquired during the Megha-Tropiques mission algorithm-validation campaign that occurred in Niger in 2010. The radar classification is compared with the in situ observations gathered by an instrumented aircraft for the 13 August 2010 squall-line case. An original approach has been developed for the radar-in...

Dual-wavelength electroluminescence from an n-ZnO/p-GaN heterojunction light emitting diode

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tsai, Bor-Sheng; Chiu, Hung-Jen; Chen, Tai-Hong; Lai, Li-Wen; Ho, Chai-Cheng; Liu, Day-Shan

2015-01-01

Highlights: • The LEDs fabricated by 450 °C- and 700 °C-annealed n-ZnO/p-GaN heterojunction structures were investigated. • The structure annealed at 700 °C emitted yellowish light composed of the dual-wavelength radiations centered at 420 and 610 nm. • The long-wavelength radiation was attributed to emerge from the deep-level emission and the Ga–O interlayer emission. - Abstract: We investigated the electro-optical properties of light emitting diodes (LEDs) fabricated by using the n-ZnO/p-GaN heterojunction structures annealed at 450 °C and 700 °C, in vacuum ambient. A dominant near-UV emission at approximately 420 nm was observed from the LED fabricated by the 450 °C-annealed n-ZnO/p-GaN heterojunction structure, whereas that of the structure annealed at 700 °C emitted a yellowish light composed of the dual-wavelength emissions centered at 420 and 610 nm. The mechanism responsible for the broad long-wavelength radiation was ascribed to the transitions associated with both the deep-level emissions due to the activation of the native defects on the n-ZnO side surface and the formation of the Ga–O interlayer resulting from the in-diffusion of oxygen atoms to the p-GaN side surface of the n-ZnO/p-GaN interface.

Using a fast dual-wavelength imaging ellipsometric system to measure the flow thickness profile of an oil thin film

Science.gov (United States)

Kuo, Chih-Wei; Han, Chien-Yuan; Jhou, Jhe-Yi; Peng, Zeng-Yi

2017-11-01

Dual-wavelength light sources with stroboscopic illumination technique were applied in a process of photoelastic modulated ellipsometry to retrieve two-dimensional ellipsometric parameters of thin films on a silicon substrate. Two laser diodes were alternately switched on and modulated by a programmable pulse generator to generate four short pulses at specific temporal phase angles in a modulation cycle, and short pulses were used to freeze the intensity variation of the PEM modulated signal that allows ellipsometric images to be captured by a charge-coupled device. Although the phase retardation of a photoelastic modulator is related to the light wavelength, we employed an equivalent phase retardation technique to avoid any setting from the photoelastic modulator. As a result, the ellipsometric parameters of different wavelengths may be rapidly obtained using this dual-wavelength ellipsometric system every 4 s. Both static and dynamic experiments are demonstrated in this work.

Implementation and investigation of circular slot UWB antenna with dual-band-notched characteristics

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

DadashZadeh Gholamreza

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract The design and analysis of an ultra wideband aperture antenna with dual-band-notched characteristics are presented. The proposed antenna consists of a circular ring exciting stub on the front side and a circular slot on the back ground plane. By utilizing a parasitic strip and a T-shaped stub on the antenna structure, two notched bands of 850 MHz (3.5-4.35 GHz and 900 MHz (5.05-5.95 GHz are achieved. The proposed antenna is fabricated and measured. Measured results show that this antenna operates from 2.3 GHz to upper 11 GHz for voltage standing wave ratio less than 2, except two frequency notched bands of 3.5-4.35 and 5.05-5.95 GHz. Moreover, the experimental results show that proposed antenna has stable radiation patterns and constant gain. A conceptual circuit model, which is based on the measured impedance of the proposed antenna, is also shown to investigate the dual-band-notched characteristics.

Quantum radar

CERN Document Server

Lanzagorta, Marco

2011-01-01

This book offers a concise review of quantum radar theory. Our approach is pedagogical, making emphasis on the physics behind the operation of a hypothetical quantum radar. We concentrate our discussion on the two major models proposed to date: interferometric quantum radar and quantum illumination. In addition, this book offers some new results, including an analytical study of quantum interferometry in the X-band radar region with a variety of atmospheric conditions, a derivation of a quantum radar equation, and a discussion of quantum radar jamming.This book assumes the reader is familiar w

Modification of Banding in Dual-Phase Steels via Thermal Processing

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mukherjee, Krishnendu; Thomas, L. S.; Bos, C.

2014-01-01

The potential to utilize controlled thermal processing to minimize banding in a DP780 steel with 2 wt pct Mn was evaluated on samples processed on a Gleeble® 3500 thermomechanical processing simulator. All processing histories were selected to result in final dual-phase steel microstructures...... simulating microstructures achievable during annealing of initially cold rolled sheet. Strip samples were processed to evaluate the effects of heating rate, annealing time, annealing temperature, and cooling rate. The degree of banding in the final microstructures was evaluated with standard light optical...... microscopic techniques. Results are presented to illustrate that the extent of banding depended on control of both heating and cooling rates, and a specific processing history based on a two-stage heating rate can be used to minimize visible banding in selected final heat treated products....

A quasi-three-level dual-wavelength thin-disk laser at 1024 and 1030 nm based on a diode-pumped Yb:YAG crystal

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sun, G C; Li, Y D; Zhao, M; Chen, X Y; Wang, J B; Chen, G B

2013-01-01

A diode-end-pumped Yb:YAG dual-wavelength continuous-wave (cw) laser that generates simultaneous laser action at wavelengths of 1024 and 1030 nm is demonstrated for the first time. A total output power of 897 mW for the dual-wavelength was achieved at an incident pump power of 17.8 W. Furthermore, intracavity sum-frequency mixing at 1024 and 1030 nm was then realized in an LBO crystal to reach the green range. We obtained a total cw output power of 85 mW at 513.5 nm. (paper)

Utilizing the Vertical Variability of Precipitation to Improve Radar QPE

Science.gov (United States)

Gatlin, Patrick N.; Petersen, Walter A.

2016-01-01

Characteristics of the melting layer and raindrop size distribution can be exploited to further improve radar quantitative precipitation estimation (QPE). Using dual-polarimetric radar and disdrometers, we found that the characteristic size of raindrops reaching the ground in stratiform precipitation often varies linearly with the depth of the melting layer. As a result, a radar rainfall estimator was formulated using D(sub m) that can be employed by polarimetric as well as dual-frequency radars (e.g., space-based radars such as the GPM DPR), to lower the bias and uncertainty of conventional single radar parameter rainfall estimates by as much as 20%. Polarimetric radar also suffers from issues associated with sampling the vertical distribution of precipitation. Hence, we characterized the vertical profile of polarimetric parameters (VP3)-a radar manifestation of the evolving size and shape of hydrometeors as they fall to the ground-on dual-polarimetric rainfall estimation. The VP3 revealed that the profile of ZDR in stratiform rainfall can bias dual-polarimetric rainfall estimators by as much as 50%, even after correction for the vertical profile of reflectivity (VPR). The VP3 correction technique that we developed can improve operational dual-polarimetric rainfall estimates by 13% beyond that offered by a VPR correction alone.

A U-Shaped Slot UWB Antenna with Flexible and Wide Tunable Dual Notch Band

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhang Zhongmin

2016-01-01

Full Text Available A coplanar waveguide (CPW fed ultra-wideband (UWB antenna with flexible and wide tunable dual bandnotched characteristics is proposed in this paper. The dual band-notched function is achieved by using an U-shaped slot inserted into the ellipse radiation patch and by using an elliptic parasitic slit placed near the ground plane. The wide tunable band-notched characteristic is implemented by adjusting the length of U-shaped slot and by adjusting the length of ellipse parasitic slit. The design aims to achieve wide reconfigurable band-notched features on the UWB antenna. The simulated results indicate that the proposed antenna has a wide bandwidth (VSWR under 2 from 2.9GHz to 12.6GHz with fractional bandwidth of 125%, and has a wide tunable notch band center frequency from 4.5GHz to 12.4GHz.

Observation of stable bound soliton with dual-wavelength in a passively mode-locked Er-doped fiber laser

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zheng Yu; Tian Jin-Rong; Dong Zi-Kai; Xu Run-Qin; Li Ke-Xuan; Song Yan-Rong

2017-01-01

A phase-locked bound state soliton with dual-wavelength is observed experimentally in a passively mode-locked Er-doped fiber (EDF) laser with a fiber loop mirror (FLM). The pulse duration of the soliton is 15 ps and the peak-to-peak separation is 125 ps. The repetition rate of the pulse sequence is 3.47 MHz. The output power is 11.8 mW at the pump power of 128 mW, corresponding to the pulse energy of 1.52 nJ. The FLM with a polarization controller can produce a comb spectrum, which acts as a filter. By adjusting the polarization controller or varying the pump power, the central wavelength of the comb spectrum can be tuned. When it combines with the reflective spectrum of the fiber Bragg grating, the total spectrum of the cavity can be cleaved into two parts, then the bound state soliton with dual-wavelength at 1549.7 nm and 1550.4 nm is obtained. (paper)

Cross-validation Methodology between Ground and GPM Satellite-based Radar Rainfall Product over Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) Metroplex

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, H.; Chandrasekar, V.; Biswas, S.

2015-12-01

Over the past two decades, a large number of rainfall products have been developed based on satellite, radar, and/or rain gauge observations. However, to produce optimal rainfall estimation for a given region is still challenging due to the space time variability of rainfall at many scales and the spatial and temporal sampling difference of different rainfall instruments. In order to produce high-resolution rainfall products for urban flash flood applications and improve the weather sensing capability in urban environment, the center for Collaborative Adaptive Sensing of the Atmosphere (CASA), in collaboration with National Weather Service (NWS) and North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG), has developed an urban radar remote sensing network in DFW Metroplex. DFW is the largest inland metropolitan area in the U.S., that experiences a wide range of natural weather hazards such as flash flood and hailstorms. The DFW urban remote sensing network, centered by the deployment of eight dual-polarization X-band radars and a NWS WSR-88DP radar, is expected to provide impacts-based warning and forecasts for benefit of the public safety and economy. High-resolution quantitative precipitation estimation (QPE) is one of the major goals of the development of this urban test bed. In addition to ground radar-based rainfall estimation, satellite-based rainfall products for this area are also of interest for this study. Typical example is the rainfall rate product produced by the Dual-frequency Precipitation Radar (DPR) onboard Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Core Observatory satellite. Therefore, cross-comparison between ground and space-based rainfall estimation is critical to building an optimal regional rainfall system, which can take advantages of the sampling differences of different sensors. This paper presents the real-time high-resolution QPE system developed for DFW urban radar network, which is based upon the combination of S-band WSR-88DP and X-band

High Selectivity Dual-Band Bandpass Filter with Tunable Lower Passband

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wei-Qiang Pan

2015-01-01

Full Text Available This paper presents a novel method to design dual-band bandpass filters with tunable lower passband and fixed upper passband. It utilizes a trimode resonator with three controllable resonant modes. Discriminating coupling is used to suppress the unwanted mode to avoid the interference. Varactors are utilized to realize tunable responses. The bandwidth of the two bands can be controlled individually. Transmission zeros are generated near the passband edges, resulting in high selectivity. For demonstration, a tunable bandpass filter is implemented. Good agreement between the prediction and measurement validates the proposed method.

Coordinated measurements made by the Sondrestrom radar and the Polar Bear ultraviolet imager

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Robinson, R.; Vondrak, R.; Dabbs, T.; Vickrey, J.; Eastes, R.; Del Greco, F.; Huffman, R.; Meng, C.; Daniell, R.; Strickland, D.; Vondrak, R.

1992-01-01

In 1986 and 1987 the Sondrestrom incoherent scatter radar in Greenland was operated routinely in coordination with selected overpasses of the Polar Bear satellite. For these experiments the auroral ionospheric remote sensor on Polar Bear obtained images of auroral emissions in two far ultraviolet wavelength bands centered at approximately 136 and 160 nm and one visible band centered at 391.4 nm. Measurements at these three wavelengths were extracted from the images for comparison with the coincident radar measurements. Model calculations have shown that for Maxwellian incident electron distributions the ratio between the 136-nm luminosity and 391.4-nm luminosity can be used to estimate the mean energy of precipitating electrons. Once the mean energy is known, then either of the two emissions can be used to determine the total energy flux. This procedure is used to determine the properties of the incident electron distribution during three midnight sector auroral events over Sondre Stromfjord. The incident electron flux is then used to calculate the expected height profile of electron density which is compared with the simultaneous and coincident radar measurements. The results show that the derived profiles agree well with the measured profiles both in the peak electron density and the altitude of the peak. The accuracy with which the peak of the profile is predicted by this technique is such that many important ionospheric parameters can be reliably inferred from remote measurements, including, for example, the height-integrated electrical conductivities

HTS dual-band bandpass filters using stub-loaded hair-pin resonators for mobile communication systems

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sekiya, N., E-mail: nsekiya@yamanashi.ac.jp; Sugiyama, S.

2014-09-15

Highlights: • We have developed a HTS five-pole dual-band bandpass filter using stub-loaded hair-pin resonators. • The proposed dual-band BPF can independently control of the center frequency. • Flexibly adjustment of the bandwidth can be achieved by the H-shaped waveguide. • The proposed BPF is evaluated by simulation and measurement with good agreement. - Abstract: A HTS dual-band bandpass filter is developed to obtain sharp-cut off characteristics for mobile communication systems. The filter is composed of five stub-loaded hair-pin resonators with H-shaped waveguides between them. The main advantage of the proposed filter is to allow independent control of the center frequency of the first and second bands. The bandwidths can be flexibly adjusted using the H-shaped waveguide. An electromagnetic simulator was used to design and analyze the filter, which have a 3.5-GHz center frequency and a 70-MHz (2%) bandwidth for the first band and a 5.0-GHz center frequency and a 100-MHz (2%) bandwidth for the second band. The filter was fabricated using YBa{sub 2}Cu{sub 3}O{sub y} thin film on an Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} substrate. Ground plane was fabricated using Au thin film. The measured frequency responses of the filter tally well with the simulated ones.

Initial assessment of an airborne Ku-band polarimetric SAR.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Raynal, Ann Marie; Doerry, Armin Walter

2013-02-01

Polarimetric synthetic aperture radar (SAR) has been used for a variety of dual-use research applications since the 1940s. By measuring the direction of the electric field vector from radar echoes, polarimetry may enhance an analysts understanding of scattering effects for both earth monitoring and tactical surveillance missions. Polarimetry may provide insight into surface types, materials, or orientations for natural and man-made targets. Polarimetric measurements may also be used to enhance the contrast between scattering surfaces such as man-made objects and their surroundings. This report represents an initial assessment of the utility of, and applications for, polarimetric SAR at Ku-band for airborne or unmanned aerial systems.

First experiences of the operational use of a dual-polarisation weather radar in Finland

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Saltikoff, Elena; Nevvonen, Ljubov [Finnish Meteorological Institute, Helsinki (Finland)

2011-06-15

Many national weather services are currently bringing dual-polarisation radars into operational use, after three decades of its use in research. In Finland, three systems are already running operationally, and the data are integrated into the national weather service infrastructure. This opens up new possibilities for applications, but also sets new challenges for measurement design. Our solution has been to alternate measurements optimized for dual-polarisation with another set of measurements optimized for the best quality of Doppler velocity data. This paper describes how the new measurement schedule was designed, balancing between the different needs of the end-users. Our experience after a few months of usage is illustrated with three case studies in weather situations typical of the Finnish climate. (orig.)

Space Radar Image of Bebedauro, Brazil, seasonal

Science.gov (United States)

1994-01-01

-C/X-SAR) is part of NASA's Mission to Planet Earth. The radars illuminate Earth with microwaves, allowing detailed observations at any time, regardless of weather or sunlight conditions. SIR-C/X-SAR uses three microwave wavelengths: L-band (24 cm), C-band (6 cm) and X-band (3 cm). The multi-frequency data will be used by the international scientific community to better understand the global environment and how it is changing. The SIR-C/X-SAR data, complemented by aircraft and ground studies, will give scientists clearer insights into those environmental changes which are caused by nature and those changes which are induced by human activity. SIR-C was developed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. X-SAR was developed by the Dornier and Alenia Spazio companies for the German space agency, Deutsche Agentur fuer Raumfahrtangelegenheiten (DARA), and the Italian space agency, Agenzia Spaziale Italiana (ASI), with the Deutsche Forschungsanstalt fuer Luft und Raumfahrt e.V. (DLR), the major partner in science, operations and data processing of X-SAR.

Using snowflake surface-area-to-volume ratio to model and interpret snowfall triple-frequency radar signatures

Science.gov (United States)

Gergely, Mathias; Cooper, Steven J.; Garrett, Timothy J.

2017-10-01

The snowflake microstructure determines the microwave scattering properties of individual snowflakes and has a strong impact on snowfall radar signatures. In this study, individual snowflakes are represented by collections of randomly distributed ice spheres where the size and number of the constituent ice spheres are specified by the snowflake mass and surface-area-to-volume ratio (SAV) and the bounding volume of each ice sphere collection is given by the snowflake maximum dimension. Radar backscatter cross sections for the ice sphere collections are calculated at X-, Ku-, Ka-, and W-band frequencies and then used to model triple-frequency radar signatures for exponential snowflake size distributions (SSDs). Additionally, snowflake complexity values obtained from high-resolution multi-view snowflake images are used as an indicator of snowflake SAV to derive snowfall triple-frequency radar signatures. The modeled snowfall triple-frequency radar signatures cover a wide range of triple-frequency signatures that were previously determined from radar reflectivity measurements and illustrate characteristic differences related to snow type, quantified through snowflake SAV, and snowflake size. The results show high sensitivity to snowflake SAV and SSD maximum size but are generally less affected by uncertainties in the parameterization of snowflake mass, indicating the importance of snowflake SAV for the interpretation of snowfall triple-frequency radar signatures.

Forest biomass, canopy structure, and species composition relationships with multipolarization L-band synthetic aperture radar data

Science.gov (United States)

Sader, Steven A.

1987-01-01

The effect of forest biomass, canopy structure, and species composition on L-band synthetic aperature radar data at 44 southern Mississippi bottomland hardwood and pine-hardwood forest sites was investigated. Cross-polarization mean digital values for pine forests were significantly correlated with green weight biomass and stand structure. Multiple linear regression with five forest structure variables provided a better integrated measure of canopy roughness and produced highly significant correlation coefficients for hardwood forests using HV/VV ratio only. Differences in biomass levels and canopy structure, including branching patterns and vertical canopy stratification, were important sources of volume scatter affecting multipolarization radar data. Standardized correction techniques and calibration of aircraft data, in addition to development of canopy models, are recommended for future investigations of forest biomass and structure using synthetic aperture radar.

Lock threshold deterioration induced by antenna vibration and signal coupling effects in hypersonic vehicle carrier tracking system of Ka band

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Congying ZHU

2018-04-01

Full Text Available The envelope of a hypersonic vehicle is affected by severe fluctuating pressure, which causes the airborne antenna to vibrate slightly. This vibration mixes with the transmitted signals and thus introduces additional multiplicative phase noise. Antenna vibration and signal coupling effects as well as their influence on the lock threshold of the hypersonic vehicle carrier tracking system of the Ka band are investigated in this study. A vibration model is initially established to obtain phase noise in consideration of the inherent relationship between vibration displacement and electromagnetic wavelength. An analytical model of the Phase-Locked Loop (PLL, which is widely used in carrier tracking systems, is established. The coupling effects on carrier tracking performance are investigated and quantitatively analyzed by imposing the multiplicative phase noise on the PLL model. Simulation results show that the phase noise presents a Gaussian distribution and is similar to vibration displacement variation. A large standard deviation in vibration displacement exerts a significant effect on the lock threshold. A critical standard deviation is observed in the PLL of Binary Phase Shift Keying (BPSK and Quadrature Phase Shift Keying (QPSK signals. The effect on QPSK signals is more severe than that on BPSK signals. The maximum tolerable standard deviations normalized by the wavelength of the carrier are 0.04 and 0.02 for BPSK and QPSK signals, respectively. With these critical standard deviations, lock thresholds are increased from −12 and −4 dB to 3 and −2 dB, respectively. Keywords: Antenna vibration, Carrier tracking performance, Lock threshold, Phase locked loop, Tracking Telemetry and Command (TT&C signals

Second-order multiple-scattering theory associated with backscattering enhancement for a millimeter wavelength weather radar with a finite beam width

Science.gov (United States)

Kobayashi, Satoru; Tanelli, Simone; Im, Eastwood

2005-01-01

Effects of multiple scattering on reflectivity are studied for millimeter wavelength weather radars. A time-independent vector theory, including up to second-order scattering, is derived for a single layer of hydrometeors of a uniform density and a uniform diameter. In this theory, spherical waves with a Gaussian antenna pattern are used to calculate ladder and cross terms in the analytical scattering theory. The former terms represent the conventional multiple scattering, while the latter terms cause backscattering enhancement in both the copolarized and cross-polarized components. As the optical thickness of the hydrometeor layer increases, the differences from the conventional plane wave theory become more significant, and essentially, the reflectivity of multiple scattering depends on the ratio of mean free path to radar footprint radius. These results must be taken into account when analyzing radar reflectivity for use in remote sensing.

Dual-Band Split-Ring Antenna Design for WLAN Applications

OpenAIRE

BAŞARAN, S. Cumhur; ERDEMLİ, Yunus E.

2014-01-01

A dual-band microstrip antenna based on split-ring elements is introduced for WLAN (2.4/5.2 GHz) applications. The proposed split-ring antenna (SRA) has a compact novel design which provides about 2% impedance-bandwidth without a need for additional matching network. Analysis and design of the proposed microstrip antenna is carried out by means of full-wave simulators based on the finite-element method.

Space Radar Image of Kilauea Volcano, Hawaii

Science.gov (United States)

1994-01-01

radar missions to help in better understanding the processes responsible for volcanic eruptions and earthquakes. Spaceborne Imaging Radar-C and X-band Synthetic Aperture Radar (SIR-C/X-SAR) is part of NASA's Mission to Planet Earth. The radars illuminate Earth with microwaves, allowing detailed observations at any time, regardless of weather or sunlight conditions. SIR-C/X-SAR uses three microwave wavelengths: L-band (24 cm), C-band (6 cm) and X-band (3 cm). The multi-frequency data will be used by the international scientific community to better understand the global environment and how it is changing. The SIR-C/X-SAR data, complemented by aircraft and ground studies, will give scientists clearer insights into those environmental changes which are caused by nature and those changes which are induced by human activity. SIR-C was developed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. X-SAR was developed by the Dornier and Alenia Spazio companies for the German space agency, Deutsche Agentur fuer Raumfahrtangelegenheiten (DARA), and the Italian space agency, Agenzia Spaziale Italiana (ASI), with the Deutsche Forschungsanstalt fuer Luft und Raumfahrt e.V.(DLR), the major partner in science, operations and data processing of X-SAR.

Study of sea-surface slope distribution and its effect on radar backscatter based on Global Precipitation Measurement Ku-band precipitation radar measurements

Science.gov (United States)

Yan, Qiushuang; Zhang, Jie; Fan, Chenqing; Wang, Jing; Meng, Junmin

2018-01-01

The collocated normalized radar backscattering cross-section measurements from the Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Ku-band precipitation radar (KuPR) and the winds from the moored buoys are used to study the effect of different sea-surface slope probability density functions (PDFs), including the Gaussian PDF, the Gram-Charlier PDF, and the Liu PDF, on the geometrical optics (GO) model predictions of the radar backscatter at low incidence angles (0 deg to 18 deg) at different sea states. First, the peakedness coefficient in the Liu distribution is determined using the collocations at the normal incidence angle, and the results indicate that the peakedness coefficient is a nonlinear function of the wind speed. Then, the performance of the modified Liu distribution, i.e., Liu distribution using the obtained peakedness coefficient estimate; the Gaussian distribution; and the Gram-Charlier distribution is analyzed. The results show that the GO model predictions with the modified Liu distribution agree best with the KuPR measurements, followed by the predictions with the Gaussian distribution, while the predictions with the Gram-Charlier distribution have larger differences as the total or the slick filtered, not the radar filtered, probability density is included in the distribution. The best-performing distribution changes with incidence angle and changes with wind speed.

Stable narrow spacing dual-wavelength Q-switched graphene oxide embedded in a photonic crystal fiber

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ahmad, H; Soltanian, M R K; Alimadad, M; Harun, S W

2014-01-01

An ultra-stable dual-wavelength saturable absorber based on a cladding-embedded commercial graphene oxide (GO) solution by capillary action in a solid core photonic crystal fiber (PCF) is demonstrated for the first time. The saturation absorption property is achieved through evanescent coupling between the guided light and the cladding-filled graphene layers. Stable spacing dual-wavelength fiber lasing is attained by controlling the polarization state of a simple 0.9 m long ring of highly doped Leikki Er80-8/125 erbium-doped fiber as the primary gain medium with PCF, polarization controller and tunable bandpass filter. Embedded GO is used to generate the desired pulsed output, and the laser is capable of generating pulses having a repetition rate of 24 kHz with an average output power and pulse energy of 0.167 mW and 8.98 nJ, respectively, at the maximum pump power of 220 mW. (paper)

Energetics of small scale turbulence in the lower stratosphere from high resolution radar measurements

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

J. Dole

2001-08-01

Full Text Available Very high resolution radar measurements were performed in the troposphere and lower stratosphere by means of the PROUST radar. The PROUST radar operates in the UHF band (961 MHz and is located in St. Santin, France (44°39’ N, 2°12’ E. A field campaign involving high resolution balloon measurements and the PROUST radar was conducted during April 1998. Under the classical hypothesis that refractive index inhomogeneities at half radar wavelength lie within the inertial subrange, assumed to be isotropic, kinetic energy and temperature variance dissipation rates were estimated independently in the lower stratosphere. The dissipation rate of temperature variance is proportional to the dissipation rate of available potential energy. We therefore estimate the ratio of dissipation rates of potential to kinetic energy. This ratio is a key parameter of atmospheric turbulence which, in locally homogeneous and stationary conditions, is simply related to the flux Richardson number, Rf .Key words. Meteorology and atmospheric dynamics (turbulence – Radio science (remote sensing

Simultaneous Ka-Band Site Characterization: Goldstone, CA, White Sands, NM, and Guam, USA

Science.gov (United States)

Acosta, Roberto; Morse, Jacquelynne; Zemba, Michael; Nessel, James; Morabito, David; Caroglanian, Armen

2011-01-01

To statistically characterize atmospheric effects on Ka-band links at NASA operational sites, NASA has constructed site test interferometers (STI s) which directly measure the tropospheric phase stability and rain attenuation. These instruments observe an unmodulated beacon signal broadcast from a geostationary satellite (e.g., Anik F2) and measure the phase difference between the signals received by the two antennas and its signal attenuation. Three STI s have been deployed so far: the first one at the NASA Deep Space Network Tracking Complex in Goldstone, California (May 2007); the second at the NASA White Sands Complex, in Las Cruses, New Mexico (February 2009); and the third at the NASA Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS) Remote Ground Terminal (GRGT) complex in Guam (May 2010). Two station-years of simultaneous atmospheric phase fluctuation data have been collected at Goldstone and White Sands, while one year of data has been collected in Guam. With identical instruments operating simultaneously, we can directly compare the phase stability and rain attenuation at the three sites. Phase stability is analyzed statistically in terms of the root-mean-square (rms) of the tropospheric induced time delay fluctuations over 10 minute blocks. For two years, the time delay fluctuations at the DSN site in Goldstone, CA, have been better than 2.5 picoseconds (ps) for 90% of the time (with reference to zenith), meanwhile at the White Sands, New Mexico site, the time delay fluctuations have been better than 2.2 ps with reference to zenith) for 90% of time. For Guam, the time delay fluctuations have been better than 12 ps (reference to zenith) at 90% of the time, the higher fluctuations are as expected from a high humidity tropical rain zone. This type of data analysis, as well as many other site quality characteristics (e.g., rain attenuation, infrastructure, etc.) will be used to determine the suitability of all the sites for NASA s future communication services at Ka-band.

Dual Band Magnonic Crystals: Model System and Basic Spin Wave Dynamics

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Federico Montoncello

2016-01-01

Full Text Available We investigate a special design of two-dimensional magnonic crystal, consisting of two superimposed lattices with different lattice constants, such that spin waves (SWs can propagate either in one or the other sublattice, depending on which of the two frequency bands they belong to. The SW bands are separated by a very large bandgap (in our model system, 6 GHz, easily tunable by changing the direction of an applied magnetic field, and the overlap of their spatial distribution, for any frequency of their bands, is always negligible. These properties make the designed system an ideal test system for a magnonic dual band waveguide, where the simultaneous excitation and subsequent propagation of two independent SW signals are allowed, with no mutual interference.

In vivo glucose monitoring using dual-wavelength polarimetry to overcome corneal birefringence in the presence of motion.

Science.gov (United States)

Pirnstill, Casey W; Malik, Bilal H; Gresham, Vincent C; Coté, Gerard L

2012-09-01

Over the past 35 years considerable research has been performed toward the investigation of noninvasive and minimally invasive glucose monitoring techniques. Optical polarimetry is one noninvasive technique that has shown promise as a means to ascertain blood glucose levels through measuring the glucose concentrations in the anterior chamber of the eye. However, one of the key limitations to the use of optical polarimetry as a means to noninvasively measure glucose levels is the presence of sample noise caused by motion-induced time-varying corneal birefringence. In this article our group presents, for the first time, results that show dual-wavelength polarimetry can be used to accurately detect glucose concentrations in the presence of motion-induced birefringence in vivo using New Zealand White rabbits. In total, nine animal studies (three New Zealand White rabbits across three separate days) were conducted. Using the dual-wavelength optical polarimetric approach, in vivo, an overall mean average relative difference of 4.49% (11.66 mg/dL) was achieved with 100% Zone A+B hits on a Clarke error grid, including 100% falling in Zone A. The results indicate that dual-wavelength polarimetry can effectively be used to significantly reduce the noise due to time-varying corneal birefringence in vivo, allowing the accurate measurement of glucose concentration in the aqueous humor of the eye and correlating that with blood glucose.

A Novel Dual-Band Rectenna for Ambient RF Energy Harvesting at GSM 900 MHz and 1800 MHz

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dinh Khanh Ho

2017-06-01

Full Text Available This paper presents a novel dual-band rectenna for RF energy harvesting system. This rectenna is created from a dual-band antenna and a dual-band rectifier which operates at GSM bands (900 MHz and 1800 MHz. The printed monopole antenna is miniaturized by two meander-lines. The received signal from the receiving antenna is rectified by a voltage double using Schottky diode SMS-7630. The rectifier is optimized for low input power level of -20dBm using harmonic balance. Prototype is designed and fabricated. The simulation is validated by measurement with power conversion efficiency of 20% and 40.8% (in measurement at the input power level of -20dBm. The proposed rectenna has output voltage from 183-415 mV. From the measured results, this rectenna provides the possibility to harvest the ambient electromagnetic energy for powering low-power electronic devices.

Raindrop Size Distribution in Different Climatic Regimes from Disdrometer and Dual-Polarized Radar Analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Bringi, V. N.; Chandrasekar, V.; Hubbert, J.; Gorgucci, E.; Randeu, W. L.; Schoenhuber, M.

2003-01-01

The application of polarimetric radar data to the retrieval of raindrop size distribution parameters and rain rate in samples of convective and stratiform rain types is presented. Data from the Colorado State University (CSU), CHILL, NCAR S-band polarimetric (S-Pol), and NASA Kwajalein radars are analyzed for the statistics and functional relation of these parameters with rain rate. Surface drop size distribution measurements using two different disdrometers (2D video and RD-69) from a number of climatic regimes are analyzed and compared with the radar retrievals in a statistical and functional approach. The composite statistics based on disdrometer and radar retrievals suggest that, on average, the two parameters (generalized intercept and median volume diameter) for stratiform rain distributions lie on a straight line with negative slope, which appears to be consistent with variations in the microphysics of stratiform precipitation (melting of larger, dry snow particles versus smaller, rimed ice particles). In convective rain, `maritime-like' and `continental-like' clusters could be identified in the same two-parameter space that are consistent with the different multiplicative coefficients in the Z = aR1.5 relations quoted in the literature for maritime and continental regimes.

Space Radar Image of Chernobyl

Science.gov (United States)

1994-01-01

This is an image of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant and its surroundings, centered at 51.17 north latitude and 30.15 west longitude. The image was acquired by the Spaceborne Imaging Radar-C and X-band Synthetic Aperture Radar aboard the space shuttle Endeavour on its 16th orbit on October 1, 1994. The area is located on the northern border of the Ukraine Republic and was produced by using the L-band (horizontally transmitted and received) polarization. The differences in the intensity are due to differences in vegetation cover, with brighter areas being indicative of more vegetation. These data were acquired as part of a collaboration between NASA and the National Space Agency of Ukraine in Remote Sensing and Earth Sciences. NASA has included several sites provided by the Ukrainian space agency as targets of opportunity during the second flight of SIR-C/X-SAR. The Ukrainian space agency also plans to conduct airborne surveys of these sites during the mission. The Chernobyl nuclear power plant is located toward the top of the image near the Pripyat River. The 12-kilometer (7.44-mile)-long cooling pond is easily distinguishable as an elongated dark shape in the center near the top of the image. The reactor complex is visible as the bright area to the extreme left of the cooling pond and the city of Chernobyl is the bright area just below the cooling pond next to the Pripyat River. The large dark area in the bottom right of the image is the Kiev Reservoir just north of Kiev. Also visible is the Dnieper River, which feeds into the Kiev Reservoir from the top of the image. The Soviet government evacuated 116,000 people within 30 kilometers (18.6 miles) of the Chernobyl reactor after the explosion and fire on April 26, 1986. Spaceborne Imaging Radar-C and X-band Synthetic Aperture Radar (SIR-C/X-SAR) is part of NASA's Mission to Planet Earth. The radars illuminate Earth with microwaves, allowing detailed observations at any time, regardless of weather or sunlight

Spaceborne Radar for Mapping Forest and Land Use Changes

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Joshi, Neha Pankaj

Degradation (REDD+). The implementation and effectiveness of such mechanisms relies partially on continuous observations of forests using satellite technology and partially on ground-based measurements of forest aboveground volume/biomass (AGV/AGB), carbon density and changes therein. Together, these means...... of forest monitoring enable the development of policies and measures to alter current trends in global forest and biodiversity loss. This thesis investigates the use of long wavelength (~23 cm, L-band) spaceborne radar, which has all-weather and canopy-penetration capabilities, acquired by the Advanced Land...... Observing Satellite (ALOS) for forest monitoring. Using a combination of local expert knowledge, plot inventories, and data from lidar and optical sensors, it aims to understand (1) whether forest disturbance dynamics may be detected with radar, and (2) what physical and macroecological properties influence...

The radio-on-fiber-wavelength-division-multiplexed-passive-optical network (WDM-RoF-PON) for wireless and wire layout with linearly-polarized dual-wavelength fiber laser and carrier reusing

Science.gov (United States)

Ji, Wei; Chang, Jun

2013-07-01

In this paper, we design a WDM-RoF-PON based on linearly-polarized dual-wavelength fiber laser and CSRZ-DPSK, which can achieve wire-line and wireless access synchronously. With the CSRZ-DPSK modulation, the wireless access in ONU can save RF source and the frequency of radio carrier can be controlled by OLT. The dual-wavelength fiber laser is the union light source of WDM-PON with polarization multiplexing. By the RSOA and downstream light source reusing, the ONU can save omit laser source and makes the WDM-PON to be colorless. The networking has the credible transmission property, including wireless access and fiber transmission. The networking also has excellent covering range.

A stable dual-wavelength Q-switch using a compact passive device containing photonics crystal fiber embedded with carbon platinum

Science.gov (United States)

Safaei, R.; Amiri, I. S.; Rezayi, M.; Ahmad, H.

2018-01-01

A compact fiber laser utilizing platinum nanoparticles doped on carbon (Pt/C) embedded in photonic crystal fiber capable of generating a stable Q-switch dual-wavelength is designed and verified. Stable Q-switch pulses, with a repetition rate of 73.6 kHz, pulse width of 1.45 µs and power of 3.8 nJ in two separated wavelengths of 1557.39 nm and 1558.86 nm at a pump power of 350 mW, have been obtained. This is a novel method for generating Q-switch dual-wavelength pulses using a well-protected component that introduces both a saturable absorber and Mach-Zehnder interferometer effects simultaneously in the laser cavity. Furthermore, to best of our knowledge, this is the first time that Pt/C nanoparticles have been used in a saturable absorber for optical pulse generation.

Multi-wavelength fiber laser in the S-band region using a Sagnac loop mirror as a comb generator in an SOA gain medium

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zulkifli, M Z; Hassan, N A; Awang, N A; Ahmad, H; Ghani, Z A; Harun, S W

2010-01-01

A simple design of multi-wavelength generation in the S-band region of the optical network transmission is proposed. The design consists of broad-band fiber Bragg grating (BB-FBG), which acts as a filter to enhance operation in the S-band region. A Sagnac loop mirror (SLM) is used to generate multiple wavelength oscillations in the ring cavity. The output consists of 60 lasing wavelengths oscillating simultaneously between 1464 nm and 1521 nm with a spacing of 0.92 nm and an output linewidth of 0.66 nm

Dual-wavelength DFB quantum cascade lasers: sources for multi-species trace gas spectroscopy

Science.gov (United States)

Kapsalidis, Filippos; Shahmohammadi, Mehran; Süess, Martin J.; Wolf, Johanna M.; Gini, Emilio; Beck, Mattias; Hundt, Morten; Tuzson, Béla; Emmenegger, Lukas; Faist, Jérôme

2018-06-01

We report on the design, fabrication, and performance of dual-wavelength distributed-feedback (DFB) quantum cascade lasers (QCLs) emitting at several wavelengths in the mid-infrared (mid-IR) spectrum. In this work, two new designs are presented: for the first one, called "Neighbour" DFB, two single-mode DFB QCLs are fabricated next to each other, with minimal lateral distance, to allow efficient beam-coupling into multi-pass gas cells. In addition, the minimal distance allows either laser to be used as an integrated heater for the other, allowing to extend the tuning range of its neighbour without any electrical cross-talk. For the second design, the Vernier effect was used to realize a switchable DFB laser, with two target wavelengths which are distant by about 300 cm^{-1}. These devices are promising laser sources for Tunable Diode Laser Absorption Spectroscopy applications targeting simultaneous detection of multiple gasses, with distant spectral features, in compact and mobile setups.

A New Fractal-Based Miniaturized Dual Band Patch Antenna for RF Energy Harvesting

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sika Shrestha

2014-01-01

Full Text Available The growth of wireless communications in recent years has made it necessary to develop compact, lightweight multiband antennas. Compact antennas can achieve the same performance as large antennas do with low price and with greater system integration. Dual-frequency microstrip antennas for transmission and reception represent promising approach for doubling the system capacity. In this work, a miniaturized dual band antenna operable at 2.45 and 5.8 GHz is constructed by modifying the standard microstrip patch antenna geometry into a fractal structure. In addition to miniaturization and dual band nature, the proposed antenna also removes unwanted harmonics without the use of additional filter component. Using a finite-element-method-based high frequency structure simulator (HFSS, the antenna is designed and its performance in terms of return loss, impedance matching, radiation pattern, and voltage standing wave ratio (VSWR is demonstrated. Simulation results are shown to be in close agreement with performance measurements from an actual antenna fabricated on an FR4 substrate. The proposed antenna can be integrated with a rectifier circuit to develop a compact rectenna that can harvest RF energy in both of these frequency bands at a reduction in size of 25.98% relative to a conventional rectangular patch antenna.

Light polarization management via reflection from arrays of sub-wavelength metallic twisted bands

Science.gov (United States)

Nawrot, M.; Haberko, J.; Zinkiewicz, Ł.; Wasylczyk, P.

2017-12-01

With constant progress of nano- and microfabrication technologies, photolithography in particular, a number of sub-wavelength metallic structures have been demonstrated that can be used to manipulate light polarization. Numerical simulations of light propagation hint that helical twisted bands can have interesting polarization properties. We use three-dimensional two-photon photolithography (direct laser writing) to fabricate a few-micrometer-thick arrays of twisted bands and coat them uniformly with metal. We demonstrate that circular polarization can be generated from linear polarization upon reflection from such structures over a broad range of frequencies in the mid infrared.

Fabrication of Ceramic Layer-by-Layer Infrared Wavelength Photonic Band Gap Crystals

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kang, Henry Hao-Chuan [Iowa State Univ., Ames, IA (United States)

2004-12-19

Photonic band gap (PBG) crystals, also known as photonic crystals, are periodic dielectric structures which form a photonic band gap that prohibit the propagation of electromagnetic (EM) waves of certain frequencies at any incident angles. Photonic crystals have several potential applications including zero-threshold semiconductor lasers, the inhibition of spontaneous emission, dielectric mirrors, and wavelength filters. If defect states are introduced in the crystals, light can be guided from one location to another or even a sharp bending of light in micron scale can be achieved. This generates the potential for optical waveguide and optical circuits, which will contribute to the improvement in the fiber-optic communications and the development of high-speed computers.

An FSS-Backed 20/30 GHz Circularly Polarized Reflectarray for a Shared Aperture L- and Ka-Band Satellite Communication Antenna

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Smith, Thomas Gunst; Gothelf, Ulrich; Kim, Oleksiy S.

2014-01-01

antenna. The reflectarray is based on the concentric dual split-loop element backed by a concentric dual-loop FSS element. The reflectarray comprises 80 × 80 elements and it is printed on a 40 ×40 cm2 Rogers 5880 substrate, while the L-band antenna is a 2 × 2 patch array. The reflectarray antenna has been...

ARM Cloud Radar Simulator Package for Global Climate Models Value-Added Product

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhang, Yuying [North Carolina State Univ., Raleigh, NC (United States); Xie, Shaocheng [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)

2017-05-01

It has been challenging to directly compare U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Climate Research Facility ground-based cloud radar measurements with climate model output because of limitations or features of the observing processes and the spatial gap between model and the single-point measurements. To facilitate the use of ARM radar data in numerical models, an ARM cloud radar simulator was developed to converts model data into pseudo-ARM cloud radar observations that mimic the instrument view of a narrow atmospheric column (as compared to a large global climate model [GCM] grid-cell), thus allowing meaningful comparison between model output and ARM cloud observations. The ARM cloud radar simulator value-added product (VAP) was developed based on the CloudSat simulator contained in the community satellite simulator package, the Cloud Feedback Model Intercomparison Project (CFMIP) Observation Simulator Package (COSP) (Bodas-Salcedo et al., 2011), which has been widely used in climate model evaluation with satellite data (Klein et al., 2013, Zhang et al., 2010). The essential part of the CloudSat simulator is the QuickBeam radar simulator that is used to produce CloudSat-like radar reflectivity, but is capable of simulating reflectivity for other radars (Marchand et al., 2009; Haynes et al., 2007). Adapting QuickBeam to the ARM cloud radar simulator within COSP required two primary changes: one was to set the frequency to 35 GHz for the ARM Ka-band cloud radar, as opposed to 94 GHz used for the CloudSat W-band radar, and the second was to invert the view from the ground to space so as to attenuate the beam correctly. In addition, the ARM cloud radar simulator uses a finer vertical resolution (100 m compared to 500 m for CloudSat) to resolve the more detailed structure of clouds captured by the ARM radars. The ARM simulator has been developed following the COSP workflow (Figure 1) and using the capabilities available in COSP

Dual Band Planar Inverted F Antenna (PIFA with L-Shape Configuration

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

khlouf Munzer Mohamad

2017-01-01

Full Text Available One of the most used antennas in mobile devices is planar inverted F antenna (PIFA. PIFA can be design in dual band frequencies due to the coverage of the wireless service in a mobile device that requires a multiple frequencies. However, the consideration of technical operation has to be combined with an evaluation of the antenna radiation impact on the users. A procedure of PIFA work in GSM (867-960MHz and GSM (1710-1899MHz is done using CST Software. The dual band frequency response is obtained by means of an insertion of an L-shaped slot, which is use to tune the operation frequencies. The prototype of the antenna is fabricated as model by CST Software and evaluated. It is found out that the PIFA antenna has a good efficiency, bandwidth as well as produce a maximum gain for the antenna. A key and innovative research is still underway to broaden performance parameters of the antenna.

A Compact CPW-Fed UWB Antenna with Dual Band-Notched Characteristics

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Aiting Wu

2013-01-01

Full Text Available A compact CPW-fed planar UWB antenna with dual band-notched property is presented. The dual band rejection is achieved by etching a C-shaped slot on the radiation patch and two L-shaped parasitic strips in the ground plane. The experimental and measured results show that the proposed antenna exhibits an impedance bandwidth over an ultrawideband frequency range from 2.4 to 12.5 GHz with VSWR less than 2, except for two stopbands at 3.3 to 3.75 GHz and 5.07 to 5.83 GHz for filtering the WiMAX and WLAN signals, respectively. It also demonstrates a nearly omnidirectional radiation pattern. The fabricated antenna has a tiny size, only 32 mm × 32 mm × 0.508 mm. The simulated results are compared with the measured performance and show good agreement. The simple structure, compact size, and good characteristics make the proposed antenna an excellent candidate for UWB applications.

Design, Manufacturing, and Testing of a 20/30-GHz Dual-Band Circularly Polarized Reflectarray Antenna

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Smith, Thomas Gunst; Gothelf, Ulrich; Kim, Oleksiy S.

2013-01-01

This letter documents the design, manufacturing, and testing of a single-layer dual-band circularly polarized reflectarray antenna for 19.7–20.2 and 29.5–30.0 GHz. The reflectarray is designed using the concentric dual split-loop element and the variable rotation technique that enables full 360......$^{\\circ}$ phase adjustment simultaneously in two separate frequency bands. The elements have been optimized to suppress cross-polar reflection. Thereafter, the element data is included in a design tool that computes the reflectarray layout and the associated radiation patterns. The reflectarray...

Laser-based ultrasonics by dual-probe interferometer detection and narrow-band ultrasound generation

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Jin

1993-01-01

Despite the advantages of laser-based ultrasonic (LBU) systems, the overall sensitivity of LBU systems needs to be improved for practical applications. Progress is reported to achieve better LBU detection accuracy and sensitivity for applications with surface waves and Lamb waves. A novel dual-probe laser interferometer has been developed to measure the same signal at two points. The dual-probe interferometer is a modification of a conventional single-probe interferometer in that the reference beam is guided to a second detecting point on the specimen surface to form a differential measurement mode, which measure the difference of the displacements at the two points. This dual-probe interferometer is particularly useful for accurate measurements of the speed and attenuation of surface waves and Lamb waves. The dual-probe interferometer has been applied to obtain accurate measurements of the surface wave speed and attenuation on surfaces of increasing surface roughness. It has also been demonstrated that with an appropriate signal processing method, namely, the power cepstrum method, the dual-probe interferometer is applicable to measure the local surface wave speed even when the probe separation is so small that the two waveforms in the interferometer output signal overlap in the time domain. Narrow-band signal generation and detection improve the sensitivity of LBU systems. It is proposed to use a diffraction grating to form an array of illuminating strips which form a source of narrowband surface and Lamb waves. The line-array of thermoelastic sources generates narrow-band signals whose frequency and bandwidth can be easily controlled. The optimum line-array parameters, such as width, spacing and the number of lines in the array have been derived theoretically and verified experimentally. Narrow-band signal generation with optimum parameters has been demonstrated. The enhanced LBU system with dual-probe detection and narrowband signal generation has been

Coastal flood inundation monitoring with Satellite C-band and L-band Synthetic Aperture Radar data

Science.gov (United States)

Ramsey, Elijah W.; Rangoonwala, Amina; Bannister, Terri

2013-01-01

Satellite Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) was evaluated as a method to operationally monitor the occurrence and distribution of storm- and tidal-related flooding of spatially extensive coastal marshes within the north-central Gulf of Mexico. Maps representing the occurrence of marsh surface inundation were created from available Advanced Land Observation Satellite (ALOS) Phased Array type L-Band SAR (PALSAR) (L-band) (21 scenes with HH polarizations in Wide Beam [100 m]) data and Environmental Satellite (ENVISAT) Advanced SAR (ASAR) (C-band) data (24 scenes with VV and HH polarizations in Wide Swath [150 m]) during 2006-2009 covering 500 km of the Louisiana coastal zone. Mapping was primarily based on a decrease in backscatter between reference and target scenes, and as an extension of previous studies, the flood inundation mapping performance was assessed by the degree of correspondence between inundation mapping and inland water levels. Both PALSAR- and ASAR-based mapping at times were based on suboptimal reference scenes; however, ASAR performance seemed more sensitive to reference-scene quality and other types of scene variability. Related to water depth, PALSAR and ASAR mapping accuracies tended to be lower when water depths were shallow and increased as water levels decreased below or increased above the ground surface, but this pattern was more pronounced with ASAR. Overall, PALSAR-based inundation accuracies averaged 84% (n = 160), while ASAR-based mapping accuracies averaged 62% (n = 245).

Space Radar Image of Manaus region of Brazil

Science.gov (United States)

1994-01-01

the first and second flights of the SIR-C/X-SAR system have validated the interpretation of the radar images. Spaceborne Imaging Radar-C and X-band Synthetic Aperture Radar (SIR-C/X-SAR) is part of NASA's Mission to Planet Earth. The radars illuminate Earth with microwaves, allowing detailed observations at any time, regardless of weather or sunlight conditions. SIR-C/X-SAR uses three microwave wavelengths: L-band (24 cm), C-band (6 cm) and X-band (3 cm). The multi-frequency data will be used by the international scientific community to better understand the global environment and how it is changing. The SIR-C/X-SAR data, complemented by aircraft and ground studies, will give scientists clearer insights into those environmental changes which are caused by nature and those changes which are induced by human activity. SIR-C was developed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. X-SAR was developed by the Dornier and Alenia Spazio companies for the German space agency, Deutsche Agentur fuer Raumfahrtangelegenheiten (DARA), and the Italian space agency, Agenzia Spaziale Italiana (ASI), with the Deutsche Forschungsanstalt fuer Luft und Raumfahrt e.V.(DLR), the major partner in science, operations and data processing of X-SAR.

Highly miniaturised semi-loop meandered dual-band MIMO antenna system

KAUST Repository

Jehangir, Syed S.

2017-12-05

A novel dual-band two-element directional multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO) antenna system is presented with 68% miniaturisation, which is achieved using a semi-loop meandered driven element and a small ground plane. The centre frequency of operation is 2 GHz. The antenna system covers two bands: the telemetry L-band 1.27-1.43 GHz and the global system for mobile communications/long-term evolution band 1.8-2.133 GHz. The simulation and measurement results are in good agreement. The proposed antenna system mimics the quasi-Yagi antenna configuration with a measured front-to-back ratio of around 15 dB at 1.35 GHz and 17 dB at 2 GHz, which is achieved without using a large ground plane, extra metallic structures, multiple reflector elements, or any complex technique. A gain of more than 5 dBi is measured for the single element with a total radiation efficiency of around 85% in both bands. The measured isolation of the proposed MIMO antenna is more than 15 dB with < 0.0785 measured envelope correlation coefficient values in both bands.

Highly miniaturised semi-loop meandered dual-band MIMO antenna system

KAUST Repository

Jehangir, Syed S.; Sharawi, Mohammad S.; Shamim, Atif

2017-01-01

A novel dual-band two-element directional multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO) antenna system is presented with 68% miniaturisation, which is achieved using a semi-loop meandered driven element and a small ground plane. The centre frequency of operation is 2 GHz. The antenna system covers two bands: the telemetry L-band 1.27-1.43 GHz and the global system for mobile communications/long-term evolution band 1.8-2.133 GHz. The simulation and measurement results are in good agreement. The proposed antenna system mimics the quasi-Yagi antenna configuration with a measured front-to-back ratio of around 15 dB at 1.35 GHz and 17 dB at 2 GHz, which is achieved without using a large ground plane, extra metallic structures, multiple reflector elements, or any complex technique. A gain of more than 5 dBi is measured for the single element with a total radiation efficiency of around 85% in both bands. The measured isolation of the proposed MIMO antenna is more than 15 dB with < 0.0785 measured envelope correlation coefficient values in both bands.

Comparison of FPS-16 radar/jimsphere and NASA's 50-MHz radar wind profiler turbulence indicators

Science.gov (United States)

Susko, Michael

1993-01-01

Measurements of the wind and turbulent regions from the surface to 16 km by the FPS-11 radar/jimsphere system are reported with particular attention given to the use of these turbulence and wind assessments to validate the NASA 50-MHz radar wind profiler. Wind profile statistics were compared at 150-m wavelengths, a wavelength validated from 20 jimspheres, simultaneously tracked by FPS-16 and FPQ-14 radar, and the resulting analysis of auto spectra, cross-spectra, and coherence squared spectra of the wind profiles. Results demonstrate that the NASA prototype wind profiler is an excellent monitoring device illustrating the measurements of the winds within 1/2 hour of launch zero.

25–34 GHz Single-Pole, Double-Throw CMOS Switches for a Ka-Band Phased-Array Transceiver

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sangyong Park

2018-01-01

Full Text Available This paper presents two single-pole, double-throw (SPDT mm-wave switches for Ka-band phased-array transceivers, fabricated with a 65-nm complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS process. One switch employs cross-biasing (CB control with a single supply, while the other uses dual-supply biasing (DSB control with positive and negative voltages. Negative voltages were generated internally, using a ring oscillator and a charge pump. Identical gate and body floated N-type metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistors (N-MOSFETs in a triple well were used as the switch core transistors. Inductors were used to improve the isolation between the transmitter (TX and receiver (RX, as well as insertion loss, by canceling the parasitic capacitance of the switch core transistors at resonance. The size of the proposed radio frequency (RF switch is 260 μm × 230 μm, excluding all pads. The minimum insertion losses of the CB and DSB switches were 2.1 dB at 28 GHz and 1.93 dB at 24 GHz, respectively. Between 25 GHz and 34 GHz, the insertion losses were less than 2.3 dB and 2.5 dB, the return losses were less than 16.7 dB and 17.3 dB, and the isolation was over 18.4 dB and 15.3 dB, respectively. The third order input intercept points (IIP3 of the CB and DSB switches were 38.4 dBm and 39 dBm at 28 GHz, respectively.

CAMEX-4 TOGA RADAR V1

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — The TOGA radar dataset consists of browse and radar data collected from the TOGA radar during the CAMEX-4 experiment. TOGA is a C-band linear polarized doppler radar...

P-band radar ice sounding in Antarctica

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Dall, Jørgen; Kusk, Anders; Kristensen, Steen Savstrup

2012-01-01

In February 2011, the Polarimetric Airborne Radar Ice Sounder (POLARIS) was flown in Antarctica in order to assess the feasibility of a potential space-based radar ice sounding mission. The campaign has demonstrated that the basal return is detectable in areas with up to 3 km thick cold ice, in a...

Quantitative Estimation of Above Ground Crop Biomass using Ground-based, Airborne and Spaceborne Low Frequency Polarimetric Synthetic Aperture Radar

Science.gov (United States)

Koyama, C.; Watanabe, M.; Shimada, M.

2016-12-01

Estimation of crop biomass is one of the important challenges in environmental remote sensing related to agricultural as well as hydrological and meteorological applications. Usually passive optical data (photographs, spectral data) operating in the visible and near-infrared bands is used for such purposes. The virtue of optical remote sensing for yield estimation, however, is rather limited as the visible light can only provide information about the chemical characteristics of the canopy surface. Low frequency microwave signals with wavelength longer 20 cm have the potential to penetrate through the canopy and provide information about the whole vertical structure of vegetation from the top of the canopy down to the very soil surface. This phenomenon has been well known and exploited to detect targets under vegetation in the military radar application known as FOPEN (foliage penetration). With the availability of polarimetric interferometric SAR data the use PolInSAR techniques to retrieve vertical vegetation structures has become an attractive tool. However, PolInSAR is still highly experimental and suitable data is not yet widely available. In this study we focus on the use of operational dual-polarization L-band (1.27 GHz) SAR which is since the launch of Japan's Advanced Land Observing Satellite (ALOS, 2006-2011) available worldwide. Since 2014 ALOS-2 continues to deliver such kind of partial polarimetric data for the entire land surface. In addition to these spaceborne data sets we use airborne L-band SAR data acquired by the Japanese Pi-SAR-L2 as well as ultra-wideband (UWB) ground based SAR data operating in the frequency range from 1-4 GHz. By exploiting the complex dual-polarization [C2] Covariance matrix information, the scattering contributions from the canopy can be well separated from the ground reflections allowing for the establishment of semi-empirical relationships between measured radar reflectivity and the amount of fresh-weight above

Coherent dual-frequency lidar system design for distance and speed measurements

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Zheng, Xingyuan; Zhao, Changming; Zhang, Haiyang; Zheng, Zheng; Yang, Hongzhi

2018-01-01

Lidars have a wide range of applications in military detection and civilian remote sensing. Coherent Dual-Frequency Lidar (CDFL) is a new concept of laser radar that is using electrical coherence instead of optical coherence. It uses laser with two coherent frequency components as transmitting wave. The method is based on the use of an optically-carried radio frequency (RF) signal, which is the frequency difference between the two components, which is specially designed for distance and speed measurements. It not only ensures the system has the characteristics of high spatial resolution, high ranging and velocity precision of laser radar, but also can use mature signal processing technology of microwave radar, and it is a research direction that attracts more concern in recent years. A CDFL detection system is constructed and field experiment is carried out. In the system, a narrow linewidth fiber laser with a wavelength of 1064nm is adopted. The dual-frequency laser with frequency difference of 200MHz and 200.6MHz is obtained by acousto-optic frequency shift and recombination. The maximum output power of dual frequency laser is 200mW. The receiver consists of all-fiber balanced InGaAs photo-detector and homemade analog signal processing board. The experimental results show that the distance resolution and velocity resolution of the system are 0.1m and 0.1m/s separately when the working distance is greater than 200m, and the spatial resolution is 0.5mrad.

Space Radar Image of Bahia

Science.gov (United States)

1994-01-01

. The radars illuminate Earth with microwaves, allowing detailed observations at any time, regardless of weather or sunlight conditions. SIR-C/X-SAR uses three microwave wavelengths: L-band (24 cm), C-band (6 cm) and X-band (3 cm). The multi-frequency data will be used by the international scientific community to better understand the global environment and how it is changing. The SIR-C/X-SAR data, complemented by aircraft and ground studies, will give scientists clearer insights into those environmental changes which are caused by nature and those changes which are induced by human activity. SIR-C was developed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. X-SAR was developed by the Dornier and Alenia Spazio companies for the German space agency, Deutsche Agentur fuer Raumfahrtangelegenheiten (DARA), and the Italian space agency, Agenzia Spaziale Italiana (ASI) with the Deutsche Forschungsanstalt fuer luft und Raumfahrt e.V.(DLR), the major partner in science, operations and data processing of X-SAR.

Using snowflake surface-area-to-volume ratio to model and interpret snowfall triple-frequency radar signatures

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M. Gergely

2017-10-01

Full Text Available The snowflake microstructure determines the microwave scattering properties of individual snowflakes and has a strong impact on snowfall radar signatures. In this study, individual snowflakes are represented by collections of randomly distributed ice spheres where the size and number of the constituent ice spheres are specified by the snowflake mass and surface-area-to-volume ratio (SAV and the bounding volume of each ice sphere collection is given by the snowflake maximum dimension. Radar backscatter cross sections for the ice sphere collections are calculated at X-, Ku-, Ka-, and W-band frequencies and then used to model triple-frequency radar signatures for exponential snowflake size distributions (SSDs. Additionally, snowflake complexity values obtained from high-resolution multi-view snowflake images are used as an indicator of snowflake SAV to derive snowfall triple-frequency radar signatures. The modeled snowfall triple-frequency radar signatures cover a wide range of triple-frequency signatures that were previously determined from radar reflectivity measurements and illustrate characteristic differences related to snow type, quantified through snowflake SAV, and snowflake size. The results show high sensitivity to snowflake SAV and SSD maximum size but are generally less affected by uncertainties in the parameterization of snowflake mass, indicating the importance of snowflake SAV for the interpretation of snowfall triple-frequency radar signatures.

Knowledge-based decision tree approach for mapping spatial distribution of rice crop using C-band synthetic aperture radar-derived information

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Mishra, Varun Narayan; Prasad, Rajendra; Kumar, Pradeep; Srivastava, Prashant K.; Rai, Praveen Kumar

2017-10-01

Updated and accurate information of rice-growing areas is vital for food security and investigating the environmental impact of rice ecosystems. The intent of this work is to explore the feasibility of dual-polarimetric C-band Radar Imaging Satellite-1 (RISAT-1) data in delineating rice crop fields from other land cover features. A two polarization combination of RISAT-1 backscatter, namely ratio (HH/HV) and difference (HH-HV), significantly enhanced the backscatter difference between rice and nonrice categories. With these inputs, a QUEST decision tree (DT) classifier is successfully employed to extract the spatial distribution of rice crop areas. The results showed the optimal polarization combination to be HH along with HH/HV and HH-HV for rice crop mapping with an accuracy of 88.57%. Results were further compared with a Landsat-8 operational land imager (OLI) optical sensor-derived rice crop map. Spatial agreement of almost 90% was achieved between outputs produced from Landsat-8 OLI and RISAT-1 data. The simplicity of the approach used in this work may serve as an effective tool for rice crop mapping.

A Flexible Monopole Antenna with Dual-Notched Band Function for Ultrawideband Applications

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Xiaoyan Zhang

2014-01-01

Full Text Available We present a flexible ultrawideband (UWB planar monopole antenna with dual-notched band characteristic printed on a polyimide substrate. The antenna is fed by a step coplanar waveguide (CPW that provides smooth transitional impedance for improved matching. It operates from 2.76 to 10.6 GHz with return loss greater than 10 dB except for the notch band to reduce the interference with existing 3.5 GHz WiMAX band and 5.5 GHz WLAN band. With a combination of rectangular and circle patches in which the U-shaped slot is carved, the overall size of antenna is 30 mm × 20 mm. Moreover, a pair of arc-shaped stubs located at both sides of the feed line is utilized to create the notch band for WiMAX band. The results also show that the antenna has omnidirectional radiation pattern and smooth gain over the entire operational band.

Phased Array Radar Network Experiment for Severe Weather

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Ushio, T.; Kikuchi, H.; Mega, T.; Yoshikawa, E.; Mizutani, F.; Takahashi, N.

2017-12-01

Phased Array Weather Radar (PAWR) was firstly developed in 2012 by Osaka University and Toshiba under a grant of NICT using the Digital Beamforming Technique, and showed a impressive thunderstorm behavior with 30 second resolution. After that development, second PAWR was installed in Kobe city about 60 km away from the first PAWR site, and Tokyo Metropolitan University, Osaka Univeristy, Toshiba and the Osaka Local Government started a new project to develop the Osaka Urban Demonstration Network. The main sensor of the Osaka Network is a 2-node Phased Array Radar Network and lightning location system. Data products that are created both in local high performance computer and Toshiba Computer Cloud, include single and multi-radar data, vector wind, quantitative precipitation estimation, VIL, nowcasting, lightning location and analysis. Each radar node is calibarated by the baloon measurement and through the comparison with the GPM (Global Precipitation Measurement)/ DPR (Dual Frequency Space borne Radar) within 1 dB. The attenuated radar reflectivities obtained by the Phased Array Radar Network at X band are corrected based on the bayesian scheme proposed in Shimamura et al. [2016]. The obtained high resolution (every 30 seconds/ 100 elevation angles) 3D reflectivity and rain rate fields are used to nowcast the surface rain rate up to 30 minutes ahead. These new products are transferred to Osaka Local Government in operational mode and evaluated by several section in Osaka Prefecture. Furthermore, a new Phased Array Radar with polarimetric function has been developed in 2017, and will be operated in the fiscal year of 2017. In this presentation, Phased Array Radar, network architecuture, processing algorithm, evalution of the social experiment and first Multi-Prameter Phased Array Radar experiment are presented.

Relating multifrequency radar backscattering to forest biomass: Modeling and AIRSAR measurement

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Sun, Guo-Qing; Ranson, K. Jon

1992-01-01

During the last several years, significant efforts in microwave remote sensing were devoted to relating forest parameters to radar backscattering coefficients. These and other studies showed that in most cases, the longer wavelength (i.e. P band) and cross-polarization (HV) backscattering had higher sensitivity and better correlation to forest biomass. This research examines this relationship in a northern forest area through both backscatter modeling and synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data analysis. The field measurements were used to estimate stand biomass from forest weight tables. The backscatter model described by Sun et al. was modified to simulate the backscattering coefficients with respect to stand biomass. The average number of trees per square meter or radar resolution cell, and the average tree height or diameter breast height (dbh) in the forest stand are the driving parameters of the model. The rest of the soil surface, orientation, and size distributions of leaves and branches, remain unchanged in the simulations.

AirMOSS P-Band Radar Retrieval of Subcanopy Soil Moisture Profile

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Tabatabaeenejad, A.; Burgin, M. S.; Duan, X.; Moghaddam, M.

2013-12-01

Knowledge of soil moisture, as a key variable of the Earth system, plays an important role in our under-standing of the global water, energy, and carbon cycles. The importance of such knowledge has led NASA to fund missions such as Soil Moisture Active and Passive (SMAP) and Airborne Microwave Observatory of Subcanopy and Subsurface (AirMOSS). The AirMOSS mission seeks to improve the estimates of the North American Net Ecosystem Exchange (NEE) by providing high-resolution observations of the root zone soil moisture (RZSM) over regions representative of the major North American biomes. AirMOSS flies a P-band SAR to penetrate vegetation and into the root zone to provide estimates of RZSM. The flights cover areas containing flux tower sites in regions from the boreal forests in Saskatchewan, Canada, to the tropical forests in La Selva, Costa Rica. The radar snapshots are used to generate estimates of RZSM via inversion of a scattering model of vegetation overlying soils with variable moisture profiles. These retrievals will be used to generate a time record of RZSM, which will be integrated with an ecosystem demography model in order to estimate the respiration and photosynthesis carbon fluxes. The aim of this work is the retrieval of the moisture profile over AirMOSS sites using the collected P-band radar data. We have integrated layered-soil scattering models into a forest scattering model; for the backscattering from ground and for the trunk-ground double-bounce mechanism, we have used a layered small perturbation method and a coherent scattering model of layered soil, respectively. To estimate the soil moisture profile, we represent it as a second-order polynomial in the form of az2 + bz + c, where z is the depth and a, b, and c are the coefficients to be retrieved from radar measurements. When retrieved, these coefficients give us the soil moisture up to a prescribed depth of validity. To estimate the unknown coefficients of the polynomial, we use simulated

Estimation of High-Frequency Earth-Space Radio Wave Signals via Ground-Based Polarimetric Radar Observations

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Bolen, Steve; Chandrasekar, V.

2002-01-01

Expanding human presence in space, and enabling the commercialization of this frontier, is part of the strategic goals for NASA's Human Exploration and Development of Space (HEDS) enterprise. Future near-Earth and planetary missions will support the use of high-frequency Earth-space communication systems. Additionally, increased commercial demand on low-frequency Earth-space links in the S- and C-band spectra have led to increased interest in the use of higher frequencies in regions like Ku and Ka-band. Attenuation of high-frequency signals, due to a precipitating medium, can be quite severe and can cause considerable disruptions in a communications link that traverses such a medium. Previously, ground radar measurements were made along the Earth-space path and compared to satellite beacon data that was transmitted to a ground station. In this paper, quantitative estimation of the attenuation along the propagation path is made via inter-comparisons of radar data taken from the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) Precipitation Radar (PR) and ground-based polarimetric radar observations. Theoretical relationships between the expected specific attenuation (k) of spaceborne measurements with ground-based measurements of reflectivity (Zh) and differential propagation phase shift (Kdp) are developed for various hydrometeors that could be present along the propagation path, which are used to estimate the two-way path-integrated attenuation (PIA) on the PR return echo. Resolution volume matching and alignment of the radar systems is performed, and a direct comparison of PR return echo with ground radar attenuation estimates is made directly on a beam-by-beam basis. The technique is validated using data collected from the TExas and Florida UNderflights (TEFLUN-B) experiment and the TRMM large Biosphere-Atmosphere experiment in Amazonia (LBA) campaign. Attenuation estimation derived from this method can be used for strategiC planning of communication systems for

Investigation of Weather Radar Quantitative Precipitation Estimation Methodologies in Complex Orography

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mario Montopoli

2017-02-01

Full Text Available Near surface quantitative precipitation estimation (QPE from weather radar measurements is an important task for feeding hydrological models, limiting the impact of severe rain events at the ground as well as aiding validation studies of satellite-based rain products. To date, several works have analyzed the performance of various QPE algorithms using actual and synthetic experiments, possibly trained by measurement of particle size distributions and electromagnetic models. Most of these studies support the use of dual polarization radar variables not only to ensure a good level of data quality but also as a direct input to rain estimation equations. One of the most important limiting factors in radar QPE accuracy is the vertical variability of particle size distribution, which affects all the acquired radar variables as well as estimated rain rates at different levels. This is particularly impactful in mountainous areas, where the sampled altitudes are likely several hundred meters above the surface. In this work, we analyze the impact of the vertical profile variations of rain precipitation on several dual polarization radar QPE algorithms when they are tested in a complex orography scenario. So far, in weather radar studies, more emphasis has been given to the extrapolation strategies that use the signature of the vertical profiles in terms of radar co-polar reflectivity. This may limit the use of the radar vertical profiles when dual polarization QPE algorithms are considered. In that case, all the radar variables used in the rain estimation process should be consistently extrapolated at the surface to try and maintain the correlations among them. To avoid facing such a complexity, especially with a view to operational implementation, we propose looking at the features of the vertical profile of rain (VPR, i.e., after performing the rain estimation. This procedure allows characterization of a single variable (i.e., rain when dealing with

Surveying glacier bedrock topography with a helicopter-borne dual-polarization ground-penetrating radar system

Science.gov (United States)

Langhammer, L.; Rabenstein, L.; Schmid, L.; Bauder, A.; Schaer, P.; Maurer, H.

2017-12-01

Glacier mass estimations are crucial for future run-off projections in the Swiss Alps. Traditionally, ice thickness modeling approaches and ground-based radar transects have been the tools of choice for estimating glacier volume in high mountain areas, but these methods either contain high uncertainties or are logistically expensive and offer mostly only sparse subsurface information. We have developed a helicopter-borne dual-polarization ground-penetrating radar (GPR) system, which enhances operational feasibility in rough, high-elevation terrain and increases the data output per acquisition campaign significantly. Our system employs a prototype pulseEKKO device with two broadside 25-MHz antenna pairs fixed to a helicopter-towed wooden frame. Additionally attached to the system are a laser altimeter for measuring the flight height above ground, three GPS receivers for accurate positioning and a GoPro camera for obtaining visual images of the surface. Previous investigations have shown the significant impact of the antenna dipole orientation on the detectability of the bedrock reflection. For optimal results, the dipoles of the GPR should be aligned parallel to the strike direction of the surrounding mountain walls. In areas with a generally unknown bedrock topography, such as saddle areas or diverging zones, a dual-polarization system is particularly useful. This could be demonstrated with helicopter-borne GPR profiles acquired on more than 25 glaciers in the Swiss Alps. We observed significant differences in ice-bedrock interface visibility depending on the orientation of the antennas.

Observation of Whole Flushing Process of a River Sand Bar by a Flood Using X-Band Radar

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Satoshi Takewaka

2016-05-01

Full Text Available Morphological changes during a flood event in July 2010 were observed with X-band marine radar at the mouth of Tenryu River, Shizuoka, Japan. Radar images were collected hourly for more than 72 h from the beginning of the flood and processed into time-averaged images. Changes in the morphology of the area were interpreted from the time-averaged images, revealing that the isolated river dune was washed away by the flood, the width of the river mouth increased gradually, and the river mouth terrace expanded radially. Furthermore, image analysis of the radar images was applied to estimate the migration speed of the brightness pattern, which is assumed to be a proxy of bottom undulation of the river bed. The migration was observed to be faster when the water level gradient between the river channel and sea increased.

Wavelength-Dependent Differential Interference Contrast Microscopy: Selectively Imaging Nanoparticle Probes in Live Cells