Application of Deep Networks to Oil Spill Detection Using Polarimetric Synthetic Aperture Radar Images

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Guandong Chen

2017-09-01

Full Text Available Polarimetric synthetic aperture radar (SAR remote sensing provides an outstanding tool in oil spill detection and classification, for its advantages in distinguishing mineral oil and biogenic lookalikes. Various features can be extracted from polarimetric SAR data. The large number and correlated nature of polarimetric SAR features make the selection and optimization of these features impact on the performance of oil spill classification algorithms. In this paper, deep learning algorithms such as the stacked autoencoder (SAE and deep belief network (DBN are applied to optimize the polarimetric feature sets and reduce the feature dimension through layer-wise unsupervised pre-training. An experiment was conducted on RADARSAT-2 quad-polarimetric SAR image acquired during the Norwegian oil-on-water exercise of 2011, in which verified mineral, emulsions, and biogenic slicks were analyzed. The results show that oil spill classification achieved by deep networks outperformed both support vector machine (SVM and traditional artificial neural networks (ANN with similar parameter settings, especially when the number of training data samples is limited.

Polarimetric analysis of a CdZnTe spectro-imager under multi-pixel irradiation conditions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pinto, M. [LIP-Laboratório de Instrumentação e Física Experimental de Partículas (Portugal); Physics Department, University of Coimbra, Coimbra (Portugal); Curado da Silva, R.M., E-mail: rui.silva@coimbra.lip.pt [LIP-Laboratório de Instrumentação e Física Experimental de Partículas (Portugal); Physics Department, University of Coimbra, Coimbra (Portugal); Maia, J.M. [LIP-Laboratório de Instrumentação e Física Experimental de Partículas (Portugal); Physics Department, University of Beira-Interior, Covilhã (Portugal); Simões, N. [LIP-Laboratório de Instrumentação e Física Experimental de Partículas (Portugal); Physics Department, University of Coimbra, Coimbra (Portugal); Marques, J. [LIP-Laboratório de Instrumentação e Física Experimental de Partículas (Portugal); Centro de Astrofísica, Universidade do Porto, Porto (Portugal); Pereira, L.; Trindade, A.M.F. [LIP-Laboratório de Instrumentação e Física Experimental de Partículas (Portugal); and others

2016-12-21

So far, polarimetry in high-energy astrophysics has been insufficiently explored due to the complexity of the required detection, electronic and signal processing systems. However, its importance is today largely recognized by the astrophysical community, therefore the next generation of high-energy space instruments will certainly provide polarimetric observations, contemporaneously with spectroscopy and imaging. We have been participating in high-energy observatory proposals submitted to ESA Cosmic Vision calls, such as GRI (Gamma-Ray Imager), DUAL and ASTROGAM, where the main instrument was a spectro-imager with polarimetric capabilities. More recently, the H2020 AHEAD project was launched with the objective to promote more coherent and mature future high-energy space mission proposals. In this context of high-energy proposal development, we have tested a CdZnTe detection plane prototype polarimeter under a partially polarized gamma-ray beam generated from an aluminum target irradiated by a {sup 22}Na (511 keV) radioactive source. The polarized beam cross section was 1 cm{sup 2}, allowing the irradiation of a wide multi-pixelated area where all the pixels operate simultaneously as a scatterer and as an absorber. The methods implemented to analyze such multi-pixel irradiation are similar to those required to analyze a spectro-imager polarimeter operating in space, since celestial source photons should irradiate its full pixilated area. Correction methods to mitigate systematic errors inherent to CdZnTe and to the experimental conditions were also implemented. The polarization level (~40%) and the polarization angle (precision of ±5° up to ±9°) obtained under multi-pixel irradiation conditions are presented and compared with simulated data.

Estimation of Bridge Height over Water from Polarimetric SAR Image Data Using Mapping and Projection Algorithm and De-Orientation Theory

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Haipeng; Xu, Feng; Jin, Ya-Qiu; Ouchi, Kazuo

An inversion method of bridge height over water by polarimetric synthetic aperture radar (SAR) is developed. A geometric ray description to illustrate scattering mechanism of a bridge over water surface is identified by polarimetric image analysis. Using the mapping and projecting algorithm, a polarimetric SAR image of a bridge model is first simulated and shows that scattering from a bridge over water can be identified by three strip lines corresponding to single-, double-, and triple-order scattering, respectively. A set of polarimetric parameters based on the de-orientation theory is applied to analysis of three types scattering, and the thinning-clustering algorithm and Hough transform are then employed to locate the image positions of these strip lines. These lines are used to invert the bridge height. Fully polarimetric image data of airborne Pi-SAR at X-band are applied to inversion of the height and width of the Naruto Bridge in Japan. Based on the same principle, this approach is also applicable to spaceborne ALOSPALSAR single-polarization data of the Eastern Ocean Bridge in China. The results show good feasibility to realize the bridge height inversion.

EMISAR: A Dual-frequency, Polarimetric Airborne SAR

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Dall, Jørgen; Christensen, Erik Lintz

2002-01-01

EMISAR is a fully polarimetric, dual frequency (L- and C-band) SAR system designed for remote sensing applications. The data are usually processed to 2×2 m resolution. The system has the capability of C-band cross-track single-pass interferometry and fully polarimetric repeat-pass interferometry....

An Icon-Based Synoptic Visualization of Fully Polarimetric Radar Data

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Iain H. Woodhouse

2012-03-01

Full Text Available The visualization of fully polarimetric radar data is hindered by traditional remote sensing methodologies for displaying data due to the large number of parameters per pixel in such data, and the non-scalar nature of variables such as phase difference. In this paper, a new method is described that uses icons instead of image pixels to represent the image data so that polarimetric properties and geographic context can be visualized together. The icons are parameterized using the alpha-entropy decomposition of polarimetric data. The resulting image allows the following five variables to be displayed simultaneously: unpolarized power, alpha angle, polarimetric entropy, anisotropy and orientation angle. Examples are given for both airborne and laboratory-based imaging.

Evaluation of the Wishart test statistics for polarimetric SAR data

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Skriver, Henning; Nielsen, Allan Aasbjerg; Conradsen, Knut

2003-01-01

A test statistic for equality of two covariance matrices following the complex Wishart distribution has previously been used in new algorithms for change detection, edge detection and segmentation in polarimetric SAR images. Previously, the results for change detection and edge detection have been...... quantitatively evaluated. This paper deals with the evaluation of segmentation. A segmentation performance measure originally developed for single-channel SAR images has been extended to polarimetric SAR images, and used to evaluate segmentation for a merge-using-moment algorithm for polarimetric SAR data....

Polarimetric Segmentation Using Wishart Test Statistic

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Skriver, Henning; Schou, Jesper; Nielsen, Allan Aasbjerg

2002-01-01

A newly developed test statistic for equality of two complex covariance matrices following the complex Wishart distribution and an associated asymptotic probability for the test statistic has been used in a segmentation algorithm. The segmentation algorithm is based on the MUM (merge using moments......) approach, which is a merging algorithm for single channel SAR images. The polarimetric version described in this paper uses the above-mentioned test statistic for merging. The segmentation algorithm has been applied to polarimetric SAR data from the Danish dual-frequency, airborne polarimetric SAR, EMISAR...

Evaluation of applicability of high-resolution multiangle imaging photo-polarimetric observations for aerosol atmospheric correction

Science.gov (United States)

Kalashnikova, Olga; Garay, Michael; Xu, Feng; Diner, David; Seidel, Felix

2016-07-01

Multiangle spectro-polarimetric measurements have been advocated as an additional tool for better understanding and quantifying the aerosol properties needed for atmospheric correction for ocean color retrievals. The central concern of this work is the assessment of the effects of absorbing aerosol properties on remote sensing reflectance measurement uncertainty caused by neglecting UV-enhanced absorption of carbonaceous particles and by not accounting for dust nonsphericity. In addition, we evaluate the polarimetric sensitivity of absorbing aerosol properties in light of measurement uncertainties achievable for the next generation of multi-angle polarimetric imaging instruments, and demonstrate advantages and disadvantages of wavelength selection in the UV/VNIR range. In this work a vector Markov Chain radiative transfer code including bio-optical models was used to quantitatively evaluate in water leaving radiances between atmospheres containing realistic UV-enhanced and non-spherical aerosols and the SEADAS carbonaceous and dust-like aerosol models. The phase matrices for the spherical smoke particles were calculated using a standard Mie code, while those for non-spherical dust particles were calculated using the numerical approach developed for modeling dust for the AERONET network of ground-based sunphotometers. As a next step, we have developed a retrieval code that employs a coupled Markov Chain (MC) and adding/doubling radiative transfer method for joint retrieval of aerosol properties and water leaving radiance from Airborne Multiangle SpectroPolarimetric Imager-1 (AirMSPI-1) polarimetric observations. The AirMSPI-1 instrument has been flying aboard the NASA ER-2 high altitude aircraft since October 2010. AirMSPI typically acquires observations of a target area at 9 view angles between ±67° at 10 m resolution. AirMSPI spectral channels are centered at 355, 380, 445, 470, 555, 660, and 865 nm, with 470, 660, and 865 reporting linear polarization. We

Polarimetric SAR image classification based on discriminative dictionary learning model

Science.gov (United States)

Sang, Cheng Wei; Sun, Hong

2018-03-01

Polarimetric SAR (PolSAR) image classification is one of the important applications of PolSAR remote sensing. It is a difficult high-dimension nonlinear mapping problem, the sparse representations based on learning overcomplete dictionary have shown great potential to solve such problem. The overcomplete dictionary plays an important role in PolSAR image classification, however for PolSAR image complex scenes, features shared by different classes will weaken the discrimination of learned dictionary, so as to degrade classification performance. In this paper, we propose a novel overcomplete dictionary learning model to enhance the discrimination of dictionary. The learned overcomplete dictionary by the proposed model is more discriminative and very suitable for PolSAR classification.

Decomposition of Polarimetric SAR Images Based on Second- and Third-order Statics Analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Kojima, S.; Hensley, S.

2012-12-01

There are many papers concerning the research of the decomposition of polerimetric SAR imagery. Most of them are based on second-order statics analysis that Freeman and Durden [1] suggested for the reflection symmetry condition that implies that the co-polarization and cross-polarization correlations are close to zero. Since then a number of improvements and enhancements have been proposed to better understand the underlying backscattering mechanisms present in polarimetric SAR images. For example, Yamaguchi et al. [2] added the helix component into Freeman's model and developed a 4 component scattering model for the non-reflection symmetry condition. In addition, Arii et al. [3] developed an adaptive model-based decomposition method that could estimate both the mean orientation angle and a degree of randomness for the canopy scattering for each pixel in a SAR image without the reflection symmetry condition. This purpose of this research is to develop a new decomposition method based on second- and third-order statics analysis to estimate the surface, dihedral, volume and helix scattering components from polarimetric SAR images without the specific assumptions concerning the model for the volume scattering. In addition, we evaluate this method by using both simulation and real UAVSAR data and compare this method with other methods. We express the volume scattering component using the wire formula and formulate the relationship equation between backscattering echo and each component such as the surface, dihedral, volume and helix via linearization based on second- and third-order statics. In third-order statics, we calculate the correlation of the correlation coefficients for each polerimetric data and get one new relationship equation to estimate each polarization component such as HH, VV and VH for the volume. As a result, the equation for the helix component in this method is the same formula as one in Yamaguchi's method. However, the equation for the volume

An improved method for polarimetric image restoration in interferometry

Science.gov (United States)

Pratley, Luke; Johnston-Hollitt, Melanie

2016-11-01

Interferometric radio astronomy data require the effects of limited coverage in the Fourier plane to be accounted for via a deconvolution process. For the last 40 years this process, known as `cleaning', has been performed almost exclusively on all Stokes parameters individually as if they were independent scalar images. However, here we demonstrate for the case of the linear polarization P, this approach fails to properly account for the complex vector nature resulting in a process which is dependent on the axes under which the deconvolution is performed. We present here an improved method, `Generalized Complex CLEAN', which properly accounts for the complex vector nature of polarized emission and is invariant under rotations of the deconvolution axes. We use two Australia Telescope Compact Array data sets to test standard and complex CLEAN versions of the Högbom and SDI (Steer-Dwedney-Ito) CLEAN algorithms. We show that in general the complex CLEAN version of each algorithm produces more accurate clean components with fewer spurious detections and lower computation cost due to reduced iterations than the current methods. In particular, we find that the complex SDI CLEAN produces the best results for diffuse polarized sources as compared with standard CLEAN algorithms and other complex CLEAN algorithms. Given the move to wide-field, high-resolution polarimetric imaging with future telescopes such as the Square Kilometre Array, we suggest that Generalized Complex CLEAN should be adopted as the deconvolution method for all future polarimetric surveys and in particular that the complex version of an SDI CLEAN should be used.

Clustering of Multi-Temporal Fully Polarimetric L-Band SAR Data for Agricultural Land Cover Mapping

Science.gov (United States)

Tamiminia, H.; Homayouni, S.; Safari, A.

2015-12-01

Recently, the unique capabilities of Polarimetric Synthetic Aperture Radar (PolSAR) sensors make them an important and efficient tool for natural resources and environmental applications, such as land cover and crop classification. The aim of this paper is to classify multi-temporal full polarimetric SAR data using kernel-based fuzzy C-means clustering method, over an agricultural region. This method starts with transforming input data into the higher dimensional space using kernel functions and then clustering them in the feature space. Feature space, due to its inherent properties, has the ability to take in account the nonlinear and complex nature of polarimetric data. Several SAR polarimetric features extracted using target decomposition algorithms. Features from Cloude-Pottier, Freeman-Durden and Yamaguchi algorithms used as inputs for the clustering. This method was applied to multi-temporal UAVSAR L-band images acquired over an agricultural area near Winnipeg, Canada, during June and July in 2012. The results demonstrate the efficiency of this approach with respect to the classical methods. In addition, using multi-temporal data in the clustering process helped to investigate the phenological cycle of plants and significantly improved the performance of agricultural land cover mapping.

Fast polarimetric dehazing method for visibility enhancement in HSI colour space

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Wenfei; Liang, Jian; Ren, Liyong; Ju, Haijuan; Bai, Zhaofeng; Wu, Zhaoxin

2017-09-01

Image haze removal has attracted much attention in optics and computer vision fields in recent years due to its wide applications. In particular, the fast and real-time dehazing methods are of significance. In this paper, we propose a fast dehazing method in hue, saturation and intensity colour space based on the polarimetric imaging technique. We implement the polarimetric dehazing method in the intensity channel, and the colour distortion of the image is corrected using the white patch retinex method. This method not only reserves the detailed information restoration capacity, but also improves the efficiency of the polarimetric dehazing method. Comparison studies with state of the art methods demonstrate that the proposed method obtains equal or better quality results and moreover the implementation is much faster. The proposed method is promising in real-time image haze removal and video haze removal applications.

Rice status and microwave characteristics: Analysis of rice paddy fields at Kojima Bay [Okayama, Japan] using multi-frequency and polarimetric Pi-SAR radar data images

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ishitsuka, N.; Saito, G.; Ouchi, K.; Davidson, G.; Mohri, K.; Uratsuka, S.

2003-01-01

Abstract South-east Asia has a rainy-season at the crop growing period, and it is difficult to observe agricultural land in this season using optical remote sensing. Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) can observe the earth's surface without being influenced by of clouds. However, it is less useful for observing agricultural land, because satellite SAR has only one data band. Recently, SAR is able to provide multi band and multi polarimetric data. Pi-SAR, an airborne SAR developed by NASDA and CRL, can provide L and X bands and fully polarimetric data. Rice is the main crop in Asia, and we studied the characteristic microwave scatter on rice paddy fields using Pi-SAR data. Our study area was the rice paddy fields in Kojima reclaimed land in Japan. We had two fully polarimetric data sets from 13 July 1999 and 4 October 2000. First, we processed the color polarimetric composite image. Next we calibrated the phase of each polarimetric data using river area by the Kimura method. After that we performed decomposition analysis and drew polarimetric signatures for understanding the status of rice paddy fields. At the rice planting period, rice paddy fields are filled with water and rice plants are very small. The SAR microwave scatters on water surfaces like a mirror, called 'mirror (or specular) reflection'. This phenomenon makes backscatter a small value at the water-covered area. The image from July is about one month after trans-planting and rice plants are 20-40 cm in height. X-band microwave scatters on the rice surface, but L-band microwave passes through rice bodies and shows mirror refraction on water surfaces. Some strong backscatter occur on rice paddy fields especially VV polarization because of bragg scattering. The fields where bragg scattering returns strong VV scatter because the space between rice stems cause resonation in the L-band wavelength. We can easily understand bragg scatter by using polarimetric data. Using the image from October at

An icon-based synoptic visualization of fully polarimetric radar data

OpenAIRE

Woodhouse, I.H.; Turner, Dean

2012-01-01

The visualization of fully polarimetric radar data is hindered by traditional remote sensing methodologies for displaying data due to the large number of parameters per pixel in such data, and the non-scalar nature of variables such as phase difference. In this paper, a new method is described that uses icons instead of image pixels to represent the image data so that polarimetric properties and geographic context can be visualized together. The icons are parameterized using the alpha-entropy...

Microphysical Properties of Frozen Particles Inferred from Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Microwave Imager (GMI) Polarimetric Measurements

Science.gov (United States)

Gong, Jie; Wu, Dongliang

2017-01-01

Scattering differences induced by frozen particle microphysical properties are investigated, using the vertically (V) and horizontally (H) polarized radiances from the Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Microwave Imager (GMI) 89 and 166GHz channels. It is the first study on global frozen particle microphysical properties that uses the dual-frequency microwave polarimetric signals. From the ice cloud scenes identified by the 183.3 3GHz channel brightness temperature (TB), we find that the scatterings of frozen particles are highly polarized with V-H polarimetric differences (PD) being positive throughout the tropics and the winter hemisphere mid-latitude jet regions, including PDs from the GMI 89 and 166GHz TBs, as well as the PD at 640GHz from the ER-2 Compact Scanning Submillimeter-wave Imaging Radiometer (CoSSIR) during the TC4 campaign. Large polarization dominantly occurs mostly near convective outflow region (i.e., anvils or stratiform precipitation), while the polarization signal is small inside deep convective cores as well as at the remote cirrus region. Neglecting the polarimetric signal would result in as large as 30 error in ice water path retrievals. There is a universal bell-curve in the PD TB relationship, where the PD amplitude peaks at 10K for all three channels in the tropics and increases slightly with latitude. Moreover, the 166GHz PD tends to increase in the case where a melting layer is beneath the frozen particles aloft in the atmosphere, while 89GHz PD is less sensitive than 166GHz to the melting layer. This property creates a unique PD feature for the identification of the melting layer and stratiform rain with passive sensors. Horizontally oriented non-spherical frozen particles are thought to produce the observed PD because of different ice scattering properties in the V and H polarizations. On the other hand, changes in the ice microphysical habitats or orientation due to turbulence mixing can also lead to a reduced PD in the deep

Novel Polarimetric SAR Interferometry Algorithms, Phase I

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — Polarimetric radar interferometry (PolInSAR) is a new SAR imaging mode that is rapidly becoming an important technique for bare earth topographic mapping, tree...

Knowledge-based sea ice classification by polarimetric SAR

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Skriver, Henning; Dierking, Wolfgang

2004-01-01

Polarimetric SAR images acquired at C- and L-band over sea ice in the Greenland Sea, Baltic Sea, and Beaufort Sea have been analysed with respect to their potential for ice type classification. The polarimetric data were gathered by the Danish EMISAR and the US AIRSAR which both are airborne...... systems. A hierarchical classification scheme was chosen for sea ice because our knowledge about magnitudes, variations, and dependences of sea ice signatures can be directly considered. The optimal sequence of classification rules and the rules themselves depend on the ice conditions/regimes. The use...... of the polarimetric phase information improves the classification only in the case of thin ice types but is not necessary for thicker ice (above about 30 cm thickness)...

CAMEX-3 POLARIMETRIC SCANNING RADIOMETER (PSR) V1

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — The Polarimetric Scanning Radiometer (PSR) is a versatile airborne microwave imaging radiometer developed by the Georgia Institute of Technology and the NOAA...

Image processing pipeline for segmentation and material classification based on multispectral high dynamic range polarimetric images.

Science.gov (United States)

Martínez-Domingo, Miguel Ángel; Valero, Eva M; Hernández-Andrés, Javier; Tominaga, Shoji; Horiuchi, Takahiko; Hirai, Keita

2017-11-27

We propose a method for the capture of high dynamic range (HDR), multispectral (MS), polarimetric (Pol) images of indoor scenes using a liquid crystal tunable filter (LCTF). We have included the adaptive exposure estimation (AEE) method to fully automatize the capturing process. We also propose a pre-processing method which can be applied for the registration of HDR images after they are already built as the result of combining different low dynamic range (LDR) images. This method is applied to ensure a correct alignment of the different polarization HDR images for each spectral band. We have focused our efforts in two main applications: object segmentation and classification into metal and dielectric classes. We have simplified the segmentation using mean shift combined with cluster averaging and region merging techniques. We compare the performance of our segmentation with that of Ncut and Watershed methods. For the classification task, we propose to use information not only in the highlight regions but also in their surrounding area, extracted from the degree of linear polarization (DoLP) maps. We present experimental results which proof that the proposed image processing pipeline outperforms previous techniques developed specifically for MSHDRPol image cubes.

Three Dimensional Polarimetric Neutron Tomography of Magnetic Fields

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sales, Morten; Strobl, Markus; Shinohara, Takenao

2018-01-01

Through the use of Time-of-Flight Three Dimensional Polarimetric Neutron Tomography (ToF 3DPNT) we have for the first time successfully demonstrated a technique capable of measuring and reconstructing three dimensional magnetic field strengths and directions unobtrusively and non-destructively wi......Through the use of Time-of-Flight Three Dimensional Polarimetric Neutron Tomography (ToF 3DPNT) we have for the first time successfully demonstrated a technique capable of measuring and reconstructing three dimensional magnetic field strengths and directions unobtrusively and non...... and reconstructed, thereby providing the proof-of-principle of a technique able to reveal hitherto unobtainable information on the magnetic fields in the bulk of materials and devices, due to a high degree of penetration into many materials, including metals, and the sensitivity of neutron polarisation to magnetic...... fields. The technique puts the potential of the ToF time structure of pulsed neutron sources to full use in order to optimise the recorded information quality and reduce measurement time....

Polarimetric SAR interferometry-based decomposition modelling for reliable scattering retrieval

Science.gov (United States)

Agrawal, Neeraj; Kumar, Shashi; Tolpekin, Valentyn

2016-05-01

Fully Polarimetric SAR (PolSAR) data is used for scattering information retrieval from single SAR resolution cell. Single SAR resolution cell may contain contribution from more than one scattering objects. Hence, single or dual polarized data does not provide all the possible scattering information. So, to overcome this problem fully Polarimetric data is used. It was observed in previous study that fully Polarimetric data of different dates provide different scattering values for same object and coefficient of determination obtained from linear regression between volume scattering and aboveground biomass (AGB) shows different values for the SAR dataset of different dates. Scattering values are important input elements for modelling of forest aboveground biomass. In this research work an approach is proposed to get reliable scattering from interferometric pair of fully Polarimetric RADARSAT-2 data. The field survey for data collection was carried out for Barkot forest during November 10th to December 5th, 2014. Stratified random sampling was used to collect field data for circumference at breast height (CBH) and tree height measurement. Field-measured AGB was compared with the volume scattering elements obtained from decomposition modelling of individual PolSAR images and PolInSAR coherency matrix. Yamaguchi 4-component decomposition was implemented to retrieve scattering elements from SAR data. PolInSAR based decomposition was the great challenge in this work and it was implemented with certain assumptions to create Hermitian coherency matrix with co-registered polarimetric interferometric pair of SAR data. Regression analysis between field-measured AGB and volume scattering element obtained from PolInSAR data showed highest (0.589) coefficient of determination. The same regression with volume scattering elements of individual SAR images showed 0.49 and 0.50 coefficients of determination for master and slave images respectively. This study recommends use of

Feature-Based Nonlocal Polarimetric SAR Filtering

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xiaoli Xing

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Polarimetric synthetic aperture radar (PolSAR images are inherently contaminated by multiplicative speckle noise, which complicates the image interpretation and image analyses. To reduce the speckle effect, several adaptive speckle filters have been developed based on the weighted average of the similarity measures commonly depending on the model or probability distribution, which are often affected by the distribution parameters and modeling texture components. In this paper, a novel filtering method introduces the coefficient of variance ( CV and Pauli basis (PB to measure the similarity, and the two features are combined with the framework of the nonlocal mean filtering. The CV is used to describe the complexity of various scenes and distinguish the scene heterogeneity; moreover, the Pauli basis is able to express the polarimetric information in PolSAR image processing. This proposed filtering combines the CV and Pauli basis to improve the estimation accuracy of the similarity weights. Then, the similarity of the features is deduced according to the test statistic. Subsequently, the filtering is proceeded by using the nonlocal weighted estimation. The performance of the proposed filter is tested with the simulated images and real PolSAR images, which are acquired by AIRSAR system and ESAR system. The qualitative and quantitative experiments indicate the validity of the proposed method by comparing with the widely-used despeckling methods.

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.

Change Detection with Polarimetric SAR Imagery for Nuclear Verification

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Canty, M.

2015-01-01

This paper investigates the application of multivariate statistical change detection with high-resolution polarimetric SAR imagery acquired from commercial satellite platforms for observation and verification of nuclear activities. A prototype software tool comprising a processing chain starting from single look complex (SLC) multitemporal data through to change detection maps is presented. Multivariate change detection algorithms applied to polarimetric SAR data are not common. This is because, up until recently, not many researchers or practitioners have had access to polarimetric data. However with the advent of several spaceborne polarimetric SAR instruments such as the Japanese ALOS, the Canadian Radarsat-2, the German TerraSAR-X, the Italian COSMO-SkyMed missions and the European Sentinal SAR platform, the situation has greatly improved. There is now a rich source of weather-independent satellite radar data which can be exploited for Nuclear Safeguards purposes. The method will also work for univariate data, that is, it is also applicable to scalar or single polarimetric SAR data. The change detection procedure investigated here exploits the complex Wishart distribution of dual and quad polarimetric imagery in look-averaged covariance matrix format in order to define a per-pixel change/no-change hypothesis test. It includes approximations for the probability distribution of the test statistic, and so permits quantitative significance levels to be quoted for change pixels. The method has been demonstrated previously with polarimetric images from the airborne EMISAR sensor, but is applied here for the first time to satellite platforms. In addition, an improved multivariate method is used to estimate the so-called equivalent number of looks (ENL), which is a critical parameter of the hypothesis test. (author)

Development and validation of P-MODTRAN7 and P-MCScene, 1D and 3D polarimetric radiative transfer models

Science.gov (United States)

Hawes, Frederick T.; Berk, Alexander; Richtsmeier, Steven C.

2016-05-01

A validated, polarimetric 3-dimensional simulation capability, P-MCScene, is being developed by generalizing Spectral Sciences' Monte Carlo-based synthetic scene simulation model, MCScene, to include calculation of all 4 Stokes components. P-MCScene polarimetric optical databases will be generated by a new version (MODTRAN7) of the government-standard MODTRAN radiative transfer algorithm. The conversion of MODTRAN6 to a polarimetric model is being accomplished by (1) introducing polarimetric data, by (2) vectorizing the MODTRAN radiation calculations and by (3) integrating the newly revised and validated vector discrete ordinate model VDISORT3. Early results, presented here, demonstrate a clear pathway to the long-term goal of fully validated polarimetric models.

IMAGE ENHANCEMENT AND SPECKLE REDUCTION OF FULL POLARIMETRIC SAR DATA BY GAUSSIAN MARKOV RANDOM FIELD

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. Mahdian

2013-09-01

Full Text Available In recent years, the use of Polarimetric Synthetic Aperture Radar (PolSAR data in different applications dramatically has been increased. In SAR imagery an interference phenomenon with random behavior exists which is called speckle noise. The interpretation of data encounters some troubles due to the presence of speckle which can be considered as a multiplicative noise affecting all coherent imaging systems. Indeed, speckle degrade radiometric resolution of PolSAR images, therefore it is needful to perform speckle filtering on the SAR data type. Markov Random Field (MRF has proven to be a powerful method for drawing out eliciting contextual information from remotely sensed images. In the present paper, a probability density function (PDF, which is fitted well with the PolSAR data based on the goodness-of-fit test, is first obtained for the pixel-wise analysis. Then the contextual smoothing is achieved with the MRF method. This novel speckle reduction method combines an advanced statistical distribution with spatial contextual information for PolSAR data. These two parts of information are combined based on weighted summation of pixel-wise and contextual models. This approach not only preserves edge information in the images, but also improves signal-to-noise ratio of the results. The method maintains the mean value of original signal in the homogenous areas and preserves the edges of features in the heterogeneous regions. Experiments on real medium resolution ALOS data from Tehran, and also high resolution full polarimetric SAR data over the Oberpfaffenhofen test-site in Germany, demonstrate the effectiveness of the algorithm compared with well-known despeckling methods.

Crop Classification by Polarimetric SAR

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Skriver, Henning; Svendsen, Morten Thougaard; Nielsen, Flemming

1999-01-01

Polarimetric SAR-data of agricultural fields have been acquired by the Danish polarimetric L- and C-band SAR (EMISAR) during a number of missions at the Danish agricultural test site Foulum during 1995. The data are used to study the classification potential of polarimetric SAR data using...

Coupled Retrieval of Liquid Water Cloud and Above-Cloud Aerosol Properties Using the Airborne Multiangle SpectroPolarimetric Imager (AirMSPI)

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, Feng; van Harten, Gerard; Diner, David J.; Davis, Anthony B.; Seidel, Felix C.; Rheingans, Brian; Tosca, Mika; Alexandrov, Mikhail D.; Cairns, Brian; Ferrare, Richard A.; Burton, Sharon P.; Fenn, Marta A.; Hostetler, Chris A.; Wood, Robert; Redemann, Jens

2018-03-01

An optimization algorithm is developed to retrieve liquid water cloud properties including cloud optical depth (COD), droplet size distribution and cloud top height (CTH), and above-cloud aerosol properties including aerosol optical depth (AOD), single-scattering albedo, and microphysical properties from sweep-mode observations by Jet Propulsion Laboratory's Airborne Multiangle SpectroPolarimetric Imager (AirMSPI) instrument. The retrieval is composed of three major steps: (1) initial estimate of the mean droplet size distribution across the entire image of 80-100 km along track by 10-25 km across track from polarimetric cloudbow observations, (2) coupled retrieval of image-scale cloud and above-cloud aerosol properties by fitting the polarimetric data at all observation angles, and (3) iterative retrieval of 1-D radiative transfer-based COD and droplet size distribution at pixel scale (25 m) by establishing relationships between COD and droplet size and fitting the total radiance measurements. Our retrieval is tested using 134 AirMSPI data sets acquired during the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) field campaign ObseRvations of Aerosols above CLouds and their intEractionS. The retrieved above-cloud AOD and CTH are compared to coincident HSRL-2 (HSRL-2, NASA Langley Research Center) data, and COD and droplet size distribution parameters (effective radius reff and effective variance veff) are compared to coincident Research Scanning Polarimeter (RSP) (NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies) data. Mean absolute differences between AirMSPI and HSRL-2 retrievals of above-cloud AOD at 532 nm and CTH are 0.03 and mean absolute differences between RSP and AirMSPI retrievals of COD, reff, and veff in the cloudbow area are 2.33, 0.69 μm, and 0.020, respectively. Neglect of smoke aerosols above cloud leads to an underestimate of image-averaged COD by 15%.

Polsar Land Cover Classification Based on Hidden Polarimetric Features in Rotation Domain and Svm Classifier

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Tao, C.-S.; Chen, S.-W.; Li, Y.-Z.; Xiao, S.-P.

2017-09-01

Land cover classification is an important application for polarimetric synthetic aperture radar (PolSAR) data utilization. Rollinvariant polarimetric features such as H / Ani / text-decoration: overline">α / Span are commonly adopted in PolSAR land cover classification. However, target orientation diversity effect makes PolSAR images understanding and interpretation difficult. Only using the roll-invariant polarimetric features may introduce ambiguity in the interpretation of targets' scattering mechanisms and limit the followed classification accuracy. To address this problem, this work firstly focuses on hidden polarimetric feature mining in the rotation domain along the radar line of sight using the recently reported uniform polarimetric matrix rotation theory and the visualization and characterization tool of polarimetric coherence pattern. The former rotates the acquired polarimetric matrix along the radar line of sight and fully describes the rotation characteristics of each entry of the matrix. Sets of new polarimetric features are derived to describe the hidden scattering information of the target in the rotation domain. The latter extends the traditional polarimetric coherence at a given rotation angle to the rotation domain for complete interpretation. A visualization and characterization tool is established to derive new polarimetric features for hidden information exploration. Then, a classification scheme is developed combing both the selected new hidden polarimetric features in rotation domain and the commonly used roll-invariant polarimetric features with a support vector machine (SVM) classifier. Comparison experiments based on AIRSAR and multi-temporal UAVSAR data demonstrate that compared with the conventional classification scheme which only uses the roll-invariant polarimetric features, the proposed classification scheme achieves both higher classification accuracy and better robustness. For AIRSAR data, the overall classification

POLSAR LAND COVER CLASSIFICATION BASED ON HIDDEN POLARIMETRIC FEATURES IN ROTATION DOMAIN AND SVM CLASSIFIER

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C.-S. Tao

2017-09-01

Full Text Available Land cover classification is an important application for polarimetric synthetic aperture radar (PolSAR data utilization. Rollinvariant polarimetric features such as H / Ani / α / Span are commonly adopted in PolSAR land cover classification. However, target orientation diversity effect makes PolSAR images understanding and interpretation difficult. Only using the roll-invariant polarimetric features may introduce ambiguity in the interpretation of targets’ scattering mechanisms and limit the followed classification accuracy. To address this problem, this work firstly focuses on hidden polarimetric feature mining in the rotation domain along the radar line of sight using the recently reported uniform polarimetric matrix rotation theory and the visualization and characterization tool of polarimetric coherence pattern. The former rotates the acquired polarimetric matrix along the radar line of sight and fully describes the rotation characteristics of each entry of the matrix. Sets of new polarimetric features are derived to describe the hidden scattering information of the target in the rotation domain. The latter extends the traditional polarimetric coherence at a given rotation angle to the rotation domain for complete interpretation. A visualization and characterization tool is established to derive new polarimetric features for hidden information exploration. Then, a classification scheme is developed combing both the selected new hidden polarimetric features in rotation domain and the commonly used roll-invariant polarimetric features with a support vector machine (SVM classifier. Comparison experiments based on AIRSAR and multi-temporal UAVSAR data demonstrate that compared with the conventional classification scheme which only uses the roll-invariant polarimetric features, the proposed classification scheme achieves both higher classification accuracy and better robustness. For AIRSAR data, the overall classification accuracy

Speckle Filtering of GF-3 Polarimetric SAR Data with Joint Restriction Principle.

Science.gov (United States)

Xie, Jinwei; Li, Zhenfang; Zhou, Chaowei; Fang, Yuyuan; Zhang, Qingjun

2018-05-12

Polarimetric SAR (PolSAR) scattering characteristics of imagery are always obtained from the second order moments estimation of multi-polarization data, that is, the estimation of covariance or coherency matrices. Due to the extra-paths that signal reflected from separate scatterers within the resolution cell has to travel, speckle noise always exists in SAR images and has a severe impact on the scattering performance, especially on single look complex images. In order to achieve high accuracy in estimating covariance or coherency matrices, three aspects are taken into consideration: (1) the edges and texture of the scene are distinct after speckle filtering; (2) the statistical characteristic should be similar to the object pixel; and (3) the polarimetric scattering signature should be preserved, in addition to speckle reduction. In this paper, a joint restriction principle is proposed to meet the requirement. Three different restriction principles are introduced to the processing of speckle filtering. First, a new template, which is more suitable for the point or line targets, is designed to ensure the morphological consistency. Then, the extent sigma filter is used to restrict the pixels in the template aforementioned to have an identical statistic characteristic. At last, a polarimetric similarity factor is applied to the same pixels above, to guarantee the similar polarimetric features amongst the optional pixels. This processing procedure is named as speckle filtering with joint restriction principle and the approach is applied to GF-3 polarimetric SAR data acquired in San Francisco, CA, USA. Its effectiveness of keeping the image sharpness and preserving the scattering mechanism as well as speckle reduction is validated by the comparison with boxcar filters and refined Lee filter.

Investigation of the capability of the Compact Polarimetry mode to Reconstruct Full Polarimetry mode using RADARSAT2 data

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S. Boularbah

2012-06-01

Full Text Available Recently, there has been growing interest in dual-pol systems that transmit one polarization and receive two polarizations. Souyris et al. proposed a DP mode called compact polarimetry (CP which is able to reduce the complexity, cost, mass, and data rate of a SAR system while attempting to maintain many capabilities of a fully polarimetric system. This paper provides a comparison of the information content of full quad-pol data and the pseudo quad-pol data derived from compact polarimetric SAR modes. A pseudo-covariance matrix can be reconstructed following Souyris’s approach and is shown to be similar to the full polarimetric (FP covariance matrix. Both the polarimetric signatures based on the kennaugh matrix and the Freeman and Durden decomposition in the context of this compact polarimetry mode are explored. The Freeman and Durden decomposition is used in our study because of its direct relationship to the reflection symmetry. We illustrate our results by using the polarimetric SAR images of Algiers city in Algeria acquired by the RadarSAT2 in C-band.

Contribution of multitemporal polarimetric synthetic aperture radar data for monitoring winter wheat and rapeseed crops

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Betbeder, Julie; Fieuzal, Remy; Philippets, Yannick; Ferro-Famil, Laurent; Baup, Frederic

2016-04-01

This paper aims to evaluate the contribution of multitemporal polarimetric synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data for winter wheat and rapeseed crops parameters [height, leaf area index, and dry biomass (DB)] estimation, during their whole vegetation cycles in comparison to backscattering coefficients and optical data. Angular sensitivities and dynamics of polarimetric indicators were also analyzed following the growth stages of these two common crop types using, in total, 14 radar images (Radarsat-2), 16 optical images (Formosat-2, Spot-4/5), and numerous ground data. The results of this study show the importance of correcting the angular effect on SAR signals especially for copolarized signals and polarimetric indicators associated to single-bounce scattering mechanisms. The analysis of the temporal dynamic of polarimetric indicators has shown their high potential to detect crop growth changes. Moreover, this study shows the high interest of using SAR parameters (backscattering coefficients and polarimetric indicators) for crop parameters estimation during the whole vegetation cycle instead of optical vegetation index. They particularly revealed their high potential for rapeseed height and DB monitoring [i.e., Shannon entropy polarimetry (r2=0.70) and radar vegetation index (r2=0.80), respectively].

Coupled Retrieval of Aerosol Properties and Surface Reflection Using the Airborne Multi-angle SpectroPolarimetric Imager (AirMSPI)

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Xu, F.; van Harten, G.; Kalashnikova, O. V.; Diner, D. J.; Seidel, F. C.; Garay, M. J.; Dubovik, O.

2016-12-01

The Airborne Multi-angle SpectroPolarimetric Imager (AirMSPI) [1] has been flying aboard the NASA ER-2 high altitude aircraft since October 2010. In step-and-stare operation mode, AirMSPI acquires radiance and polarization data at 355, 380, 445, 470*, 555, 660*, 865*, and 935 nm (* denotes polarimetric bands). The imaged area covers about 10 km by 10 km and is observed from 9 view angles between ±67° off of nadir. We have developed an efficient and flexible code that uses the information content of AirMSPI data for a coupled retrieval of aerosol properties and surface reflection. The retrieval was built based on the multi-pixel optimization concept [2], with the use of a hybrid radiative transfer model [3] that combines the Markov Chain [4] and adding/doubling methods [5]. The convergence and robustness of our algorithm is ensured by applying constraints on (a) the spectral variation of the Bidirectional Polarization Distribution Function (BPDF) and angular shape of the Bidirectional Reflectance Distribution Function (BRDF); (b) the spectral variation of aerosol optical properties; and (c) the spatial variation of aerosol parameters across neighboring image pixels. Our retrieval approach has been tested using over 20 AirMSPI datasets having low to moderately high aerosol loadings ( 0.02550-nmSpace Sci. Rev. 16, 527 (1974).

Offshore platform sourced pollution monitoring using space-borne fully polarimetric C and X band synthetic aperture radar.

Science.gov (United States)

Singha, Suman; Ressel, Rudolf

2016-11-15

Use of polarimetric SAR data for offshore pollution monitoring is relatively new and shows great potential for operational offshore platform monitoring. This paper describes the development of an automated oil spill detection chain for operational purposes based on C-band (RADARSAT-2) and X-band (TerraSAR-X) fully polarimetric images, wherein we use polarimetric features to characterize oil spills and look-alikes. Numbers of near coincident TerraSAR-X and RADARSAT-2 images have been acquired over offshore platforms. Ten polarimetric feature parameters were extracted from different types of oil and 'look-alike' spots and divided into training and validation dataset. Extracted features were then used to develop a pixel based Artificial Neural Network classifier. Mutual information contents among extracted features were assessed and feature parameters were ranked according to their ability to discriminate between oil spill and look-alike spots. Polarimetric features such as Scattering Diversity, Surface Scattering Fraction and Span proved to be most suitable for operational services. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Multi-Frequency Polarimetric SAR Classification Based on Riemannian Manifold and Simultaneous Sparse Representation

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Fan Yang

2015-07-01

Full Text Available Normally, polarimetric SAR classification is a high-dimensional nonlinear mapping problem. In the realm of pattern recognition, sparse representation is a very efficacious and powerful approach. As classical descriptors of polarimetric SAR, covariance and coherency matrices are Hermitian semidefinite and form a Riemannian manifold. Conventional Euclidean metrics are not suitable for a Riemannian manifold, and hence, normal sparse representation classification cannot be applied to polarimetric SAR directly. This paper proposes a new land cover classification approach for polarimetric SAR. There are two principal novelties in this paper. First, a Stein kernel on a Riemannian manifold instead of Euclidean metrics, combined with sparse representation, is employed for polarimetric SAR land cover classification. This approach is named Stein-sparse representation-based classification (SRC. Second, using simultaneous sparse representation and reasonable assumptions of the correlation of representation among different frequency bands, Stein-SRC is generalized to simultaneous Stein-SRC for multi-frequency polarimetric SAR classification. These classifiers are assessed using polarimetric SAR images from the Airborne Synthetic Aperture Radar (AIRSAR sensor of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL and the Electromagnetics Institute Synthetic Aperture Radar (EMISAR sensor of the Technical University of Denmark (DTU. Experiments on single-band and multi-band data both show that these approaches acquire more accurate classification results in comparison to many conventional and advanced classifiers.

Airborne polarimetric Doppler weather radar: trade-offs between various engineering specifications

Science.gov (United States)

Vivekanandan, Jothiram; Loew, Eric

2018-01-01

NCAR EOL is investigating potential configurations for the next-generation airborne phased array radar (APAR) that is capable of retrieving dynamic and microphysical characteristics of clouds and precipitation. The APAR will operate at C band. The APAR will use the electronic scanning (e-scan) feature to acquire the optimal number of independent samples for recording research-quality measurements. Since the airborne radar has only a limited time for collecting measurements over a specified region (moving aircraft platform ˜ 100 m s-1), beam multiplexing will significantly enhance its ability to collect high-resolution, research-quality measurements. Beam multiplexing reduces errors in radar measurements while providing rapid updates of scan volumes. Beamwidth depends on the size of the antenna aperture. Beamwidth and directivity of elliptical, circular, and rectangular antenna apertures are compared and radar sensitivity is evaluated for various polarimetric configurations and transmit-receive (T/R) elements. In the case of polarimetric measurements, alternate transmit with alternate receive (single-channel receiver) and simultaneous reception (dual-channel receiver) is compared. From an overall architecture perspective, element-level digitization of T/R module versus digital sub-array is considered with regard to flexibility in adaptive beamforming, polarimetric performance, calibration, and data quality. Methodologies for calibration of the radar and removing bias in polarimetric measurements are outlined. The above-mentioned engineering options are evaluated for realizing an optimal APAR system suitable for measuring the high temporal and spatial resolutions of Doppler and polarimetric measurements of precipitation and clouds.

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

The Effect of Topography on Target Decomposition of Polarimetric SAR Data

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Sang-Eun Park

2015-04-01

Full Text Available Polarimetric target decomposition enables the interpretation of radar images more easily, mostly based on physical assumptions, i.e., fitting physically-based scattering models to the polarimetric SAR observations. However, the model-fitting result cannot be always successful. Particularly, the performance of model-fitting in sloping forests is still an open question. In this study, the effect of ground topography on the model-fitting-based polarimetric decomposition techniques is investigated. The estimation accuracy of each scattering component in the decomposition results are evaluated based on the simulated target matrix by using the incoherent vegetation scattering model that accounts for the tilted scattering surface beneath the forest canopy. Experimental results show that the surface and the double-bounce scattering components can be significantly misestimated due to the topographic slope, even when the volume scattering power is successfully estimated.

Space-borne polarimetric SAR sensors or the golden age of radar polarimetry

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Pottier E.

2010-06-01

Full Text Available SAR Polarimetry represents an active area of research in Active Earth Remote Sensing. This interest is clearly supported by the fact that nowadays there exists, or there will exist in a very next future, a non negligible quantity of launched Polarimetric SAR Spaceborne sensors. The ENVISAT satellite, developed by ESA, was launched on March 2002, and was the first Spaceborne sensor offering an innovative dualpolarization Advanced Synthetic Aperture Radar (ASAR system operating at C-band. The second Polarimetric Spaceborne sensor is ALOS, a Japanese Earth-Observation satellite, developed by JAXA and was launched in January 2006. This mission includes an active L-band polarimetric radar sensor (PALSAR whose highresolution data may be used for environmental and hazard monitoring. The third Polarimetric Spaceborne sensor is TerraSAR-X, a new German radar satellite, developed by DLR, EADS-Astrium and Infoterra GmbH, was launched on June 2007. This sensor carries a dual-polarimetric and high frequency X-Band SAR sensor that can be operated in different modes and offers features that were not available from space before. At least, the Polarimetric Spaceborne sensor, developed by CSA and MDA, and named RADARSAT-2 was launched in December 2007 The Radarsat program was born out the need for effective monitoring of Canada’s icy waters, and some Radarsat-2 capabilities that benefit sea- and river ice applications are the multi-polarization options that will improve ice-edge detection, ice-type discrimination and structure information. The many advances in these different Polarimetric Spaceborne platforms were developed to respond to specific needs for radar data in environmental monitoring applications around the world, like : sea- and river-ice monitoring, marine surveillance, disaster management, oil spill detection, snow monitoring, hydrology, mapping, geology, agriculture, soil characterisation, forestry applications (biomass, allometry, height�

Polarimetric survey of main-belt asteroids. V. The unusual polarimetric behavior of V-type asteroids

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Gil-Hutton, R.; López-Sisterna, C.; Calandra, M. F.

2017-03-01

Aims: We present the results of a polarimetric survey of main-belt asteroids at Complejo Astronómico El Leoncito (CASLEO), San Juan, Argentina. The aims of this survey are to increase the database of asteroid polarimetry, to estimate diversity in polarimetric properties of asteroids that belong to different taxonomic classes, and to search for objects that exhibit anomalous polarimetric properties. Methods: The data were obtained using the CASPROF and CASPOL polarimeters at the 2.15 m telescope. The CASPROF polarimeter is a two-hole aperture polarimeter with rapid modulation and CASPOL is a polarimeter based on a CCD detector, which allows us to observe fainter objects with better signal-to-noise ratio. Results: The survey began in 1995 and data on a large sample of asteroids were obtained until 2012. A second period began in 2013 using a polarimeter with a more sensitive detector in order to study small asteroids, families, and special taxonomic groups. We obtained 55 polarimetric measurements for 28 V-type main belt asteroids, all of them polarimetrically observed for the first time. The data obtained in this survey let us find polarimetric parameters for (1459) Magnya and for a group of 11 small V-type objects with similar polarimetric behavior. These polarization curves are unusual since they show a shallow minimum and a small inversion angle in comparison with (4) Vesta, although they have a steeper slope at α0. This polarimetric behavior could be explained by differences in the regoliths of these asteroids. The observations of (2579) Spartacus, and perhaps also (3944) Halliday, indicate a inversion angle larger than 24-25°. Based on observations carried out at the Complejo Astronómico El Leoncito, operated under agreement between the Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas de la República Argentina and the National Universities of La Plata, Córdoba, and San Juan.

Efficient polarimetric BRDF model.

Science.gov (United States)

Renhorn, Ingmar G E; Hallberg, Tomas; Boreman, Glenn D

2015-11-30

The purpose of the present manuscript is to present a polarimetric bidirectional reflectance distribution function (BRDF) model suitable for hyperspectral and polarimetric signature modelling. The model is based on a further development of a previously published four-parameter model that has been generalized in order to account for different types of surface structures (generalized Gaussian distribution). A generalization of the Lambertian diffuse model is presented. The pBRDF-functions are normalized using numerical integration. Using directional-hemispherical reflectance (DHR) measurements, three of the four basic parameters can be determined for any wavelength. This simplifies considerably the development of multispectral polarimetric BRDF applications. The scattering parameter has to be determined from at least one BRDF measurement. The model deals with linear polarized radiation; and in similarity with e.g. the facet model depolarization is not included. The model is very general and can inherently model extreme surfaces such as mirrors and Lambertian surfaces. The complex mixture of sources is described by the sum of two basic models, a generalized Gaussian/Fresnel model and a generalized Lambertian model. Although the physics inspired model has some ad hoc features, the predictive power of the model is impressive over a wide range of angles and scattering magnitudes. The model has been applied successfully to painted surfaces, both dull and glossy and also on metallic bead blasted surfaces. The simple and efficient model should be attractive for polarimetric simulations and polarimetric remote sensing.

Estimating soil moisture using the Danish polarimetric SAR

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jiankang, Ji; Thomsen, A.; Skriver, Henning

1995-01-01

The results of applying data from the Danish polarimetric SAR (EMISAR) to estimate soil moisture for bare fields are presented. Fully calibrated C-band SAR images for hh, vv and cross polarizations have been used in this study. The measured surface roughness data showed that classical roughness a...... of surface parameters with the bilinear model, the correlation coefficient between the estimated and measured soil moisture, as well as rms height, is about 0.77. To improve the result, the local incidence angles need to be taken into account......The results of applying data from the Danish polarimetric SAR (EMISAR) to estimate soil moisture for bare fields are presented. Fully calibrated C-band SAR images for hh, vv and cross polarizations have been used in this study. The measured surface roughness data showed that classical roughness...... autocorrelation functions (Gaussian and Exponential) were not able to fit natural surfaces well. A Gauss-Exp hybrid model which agreed better with the measured data has been proposed. Theoretical surface scattering models (POM, IEM), as well as an empirical model for retrieval of soil moisture and surface rms...

Estimation of Paddy Rice Variables with a Modified Water Cloud Model and Improved Polarimetric Decomposition Using Multi-Temporal RADARSAT-2 Images

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Zhi Yang

2016-10-01

Full Text Available Rice growth monitoring is very important as rice is one of the staple crops of the world. Rice variables as quantitative indicators of rice growth are critical for farming management and yield estimation, and synthetic aperture radar (SAR has great advantages for monitoring rice variables due to its all-weather observation capability. In this study, eight temporal RADARSAT-2 full-polarimetric SAR images were acquired during rice growth cycle and a modified water cloud model (MWCM was proposed, in which the heterogeneity of the rice canopy in the horizontal direction and its phenological changes were considered when the double-bounce scattering between the rice canopy and the underlying surface was firstly considered as well. Then, three scattering components from an improved polarimetric decomposition were coupled with the MWCM, instead of the backscattering coefficients. Using a genetic algorithm, eight rice variables were estimated, such as the leaf area index (LAI, rice height (h, and the fresh and dry biomass of ears (Fe and De. The accuracy validation showed the MWCM was suitable for the estimation of rice variables during the whole growth season. The validation results showed that the MWCM could predict the temporal behaviors of the rice variables well during the growth cycle (R2 > 0.8. Compared with the original water cloud model (WCM, the relative errors of rice variables with the MWCM were much smaller, especially in the vegetation phase (approximately 15% smaller. Finally, it was discussed that the MWCM could be used, theoretically, for extensive applications since the empirical coefficients in the MWCM were determined in general cases, but more applications of the MWCM are necessary in future work.

PolSAR Land Cover Classification Based on Roll-Invariant and Selected Hidden Polarimetric Features in the Rotation Domain

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Chensong Tao

2017-07-01

Full Text Available Land cover classification is an important application for polarimetric synthetic aperture radar (PolSAR. Target polarimetric response is strongly dependent on its orientation. Backscattering responses of the same target with different orientations to the SAR flight path may be quite different. This target orientation diversity effect hinders PolSAR image understanding and interpretation. Roll-invariant polarimetric features such as entropy, anisotropy, mean alpha angle, and total scattering power are independent of the target orientation and are commonly adopted for PolSAR image classification. On the other aspect, target orientation diversity also contains rich information which may not be sensed by roll-invariant polarimetric features. In this vein, only using the roll-invariant polarimetric features may limit the final classification accuracy. To address this problem, this work uses the recently reported uniform polarimetric matrix rotation theory and a visualization and characterization tool of polarimetric coherence pattern to investigate hidden polarimetric features in the rotation domain along the radar line of sight. Then, a feature selection scheme is established and a set of hidden polarimetric features are selected in the rotation domain. Finally, a classification method is developed using the complementary information between roll-invariant and selected hidden polarimetric features with a support vector machine (SVM/decision tree (DT classifier. Comparison experiments are carried out with NASA/JPL AIRSAR and multi-temporal UAVSAR data. For AIRSAR data, the overall classification accuracy of the proposed classification method is 95.37% (with SVM/96.38% (with DT, while that of the conventional classification method is 93.87% (with SVM/94.12% (with DT, respectively. Meanwhile, for multi-temporal UAVSAR data, the mean overall classification accuracy of the proposed method is up to 97.47% (with SVM/99.39% (with DT, which is also higher

POLARIMETRIC SIGNATURES IDENTIFICATION FOR DIFFERENT FEATURES IN RADARSAT-2 POLSAR IMAGE: A CASE STUDY OF HALAYIB AREA, EGYPT

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A. H. Nasr

2016-06-01

Full Text Available In fully polarized SAR (PolSAR data the returned signal from a target contains all polarizations. More information about this target may be inferred with respect to single-polarization. Distinct polarization separates targets due to its different backscattering responses. A Radarsat-2 PolSAR image acquired on December 2013 of part of Halayib area (Egypt was used in this study. Polarimetric signatures for various features (Wadi deposits, Tonalite, Chlorite schist, and Radar penetrated areas were derived and identified. Their Co-polarized and Cross-polarized signatures were generated, based on the calculation of the backscattered power at various ellipticity and orientation angles. Graphical 3D-representation of these features was provided and more details of their physical information are depicted according to their different polarization bases. The results illustrate that polarimetric signatures, obtained due to factors like surface roughness, dielectric constant and feature orientation, can be an effective representation for analyzing various features. The shape of the signature is significant and can also indicate the scattering mechanisms dominating the features response.

Use of Radarsat-2 polarimetric SAR images for fuel moisture mapping in the Kruger National Park, South Africa

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Kong, M

2015-08-01

Full Text Available of winter, dry). Sample plots were classified into two broad Lowveld site types (herbaceous-dominated and shrub and tree-dominated). Linear and circular polarized backscatters, polarimetric discriminators and polarimetric decomposition parameters were...

Polarimetric Edge Detector Based on the Complex Wishart Distribution

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Skriver, Henning; Schou, Jesper; Nielsen, Allan Aasbjerg

2001-01-01

polarimetric edge detector provides a constant false alarm rate and it utilizes the full polarimetric information. The edge detector has been applied to polarimetric SAR data from the Danish dual-frequency, airborne polarimetric SAR, EMISAR. The results show clearly an improved edge detection performance...

Polarimetric Signatures from a Crop Covered Land Surface Measured by an L-band Polarimetric Radiometer

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Søbjærg, Sten Schmidl; Skou, Niels

2003-01-01

This paper describes preliminary results from field measurements of polarimetric azimuth signatures with the EMIRAD L-band polarimetric radiometer, performed over a land test site at the Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique in Avignon, France. Scans of 180 degrees in azimuth were carried...

Integrated quantitative fractal polarimetric analysis of monolayer lung cancer cells

Science.gov (United States)

Shrestha, Suman; Zhang, Lin; Quang, Tri; Farrahi, Tannaz; Narayan, Chaya; Deshpande, Aditi; Na, Ying; Blinzler, Adam; Ma, Junyu; Liu, Bo; Giakos, George C.

2014-05-01

Digital diagnostic pathology has become one of the most valuable and convenient advancements in technology over the past years. It allows us to acquire, store and analyze pathological information from the images of histological and immunohistochemical glass slides which are scanned to create digital slides. In this study, efficient fractal, wavelet-based polarimetric techniques for histological analysis of monolayer lung cancer cells will be introduced and different monolayer cancer lines will be studied. The outcome of this study indicates that application of fractal, wavelet polarimetric principles towards the analysis of squamous carcinoma and adenocarcinoma cancer cell lines may be proved extremely useful in discriminating among healthy and lung cancer cells as well as differentiating among different lung cancer cells.

Classification and Monitoring of Reed Belts Using Dual-Polarimetric TerraSAR-X Time Series

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Iris Heine

2016-06-01

Full Text Available Synthetic aperture radar polarimetry (PolSAR and polarimetric decomposition techniques have proven to be useful tools for wetland mapping. In this study we classify reed belts and monitor their phenological changes at a natural lake in northeastern Germany using dual-co-polarized (HH, VV TerraSAR-X time series. The time series comprises 19 images, acquired between August 2014 and May 2015, in ascending and descending orbit. We calculated different polarimetric indices using the HH and VV intensities, the dual-polarimetric coherency matrix including dominant and mean alpha scattering angles, and entropy and anisotropy (normalized eigenvalue difference as well as combinations of entropy and anisotropy for the analysis of the scattering scenarios. The image classifications were performed with the random forest classifier and validated with high-resolution digital orthophotos. The time series analysis of the reed belts revealed significant seasonal changes for the double-bounce–sensitive parameters (intensity ratio HH/VV and intensity difference HH-VV, the co-polarimetric coherence phase and the dominant and mean alpha scattering angles and in the dual-polarimetric coherence (amplitude, anisotropy, entropy, and anisotropy-entropy combinations; whereas in summer dense leaves cause volume scattering, in winter, after leaves have fallen, the reed stems cause predominately double-bounce scattering. Our study showed that the five most important parameters for the classification of reed are the intensity difference HH-VV, the mean alpha scattering angle, intensity ratio HH/VV, and the coherence (phase. Due to the better separation of reed and other vegetation (deciduous forest, coniferous forest, meadow, winter acquisitions are preferred for the mapping of reed. Multi-temporal stacks of winter images performed better than summer ones. The combination of ascending and descending images also improved the result as it reduces the influence of the sensor

Multispectral and polarimetric photodetection using a plasmonic metasurface

Science.gov (United States)

Pelzman, Charles; Cho, Sang-Yeon

2018-01-01

We present a metasurface-integrated Si 2-D CMOS sensor array for multispectral and polarimetric photodetection applications. The demonstrated sensor is based on the polarization selective extraordinary optical transmission from periodic subwavelength nanostructures, acting as artificial atoms, known as meta-atoms. The meta-atoms were created by patterning periodic rectangular apertures that support optical resonance at the designed spectral bands. By spatially separating meta-atom clusters with different lattice constants and orientations, the demonstrated metasurface can convert the polarization and spectral information of an optical input into a 2-D intensity pattern. As a proof-of-concept experiment, we measured the linear components of the Stokes parameters directly from captured images using a CMOS camera at four spectral bands. Compared to existing multispectral polarimetric sensors, the demonstrated metasurface-integrated CMOS system is compact and does not require any moving components, offering great potential for advanced photodetection applications.

Analysis of Dual- and Full-Circular Polarimetric SAR Modes for Rice Phenology Monitoring: An Experimental Investigation through Ground-Based Measurements

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yuta Izumi

2017-04-01

Full Text Available Circularly polarized synthetic aperture radar (CP-SAR is known to be insensitive to polarization mismatch losses caused by the Faraday rotation effect and antenna misalignment. Additionally, the dual-circular polarimetric (DCP mode has proven to have more polarimetric information than that of the corresponding mode of linear polarization, i.e., the dual-linear polarimetric (DLP mode. Owing to these benefits, this paper investigates the feasibility of CP-SAR for rice monitoring. A ground-based CP-radar system was exploited, and C-band anechoic chamber data of a self-cultivated Japanese rice paddy were acquired from germination to ripening stages. Temporal variations of polarimetric observables derived from full-circular polarimetric (FCP and DCP as well as synthetically generated DLP data are analyzed and assessed with regard to their effectiveness in phenology retrieval. Among different observations, the H / α ¯ plane and triangle plots obtained by three scattering components (surface, double-bounce, and volume scattering for both the FCP and DCP modes are confirmed to have reasonable capability in discriminating the relevant intervals of rice growth.

SPICES: Spectro-Polarimetric Imaging and Characterization of Exoplanetary Systems - From Planetary Disks To Nearby Super Earths

Science.gov (United States)

Boccaletti, Anthony; Schneider, Jean; Traub, Wes; Lagage, Pierre-Olivier; Stam, Daphne; Gratton, Raffaele; Trauger, John; Cahoy, Kerri; Snik, Frans; Baudoz, Pierre;

A fiber-optic polarimetric demonstration kit

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Eftimov, T; Dimitrova, T L; Ivanov, G

2012-01-01

A simple and multifunctional fiber-optic polarimetric kit on the basis of highly birefringent single-mode fibers is presented. The fiber-optic polarimetric kit allows us to perform the following laboratory exercises: (i) fiber excitation and the measurement of numerical aperture, (ii) polarization preservation and (iii) obtain polarization-sensitive fiberized interferometers.

Exploration of a Polarized Surface Bidirectional Reflectance Model Using the Ground-Based Multiangle SpectroPolarimetric Imager

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

David J. Diner

2012-12-01

Full Text Available Accurate characterization of surface reflection is essential for retrieval of aerosols using downward-looking remote sensors. In this paper, observations from the Ground-based Multiangle SpectroPolarimetric Imager (GroundMSPI are used to evaluate a surface polarized bidirectional reflectance distribution function (PBRDF model. GroundMSPI is an eight-band spectropolarimetric camera mounted on a rotating gimbal to acquire pushbroom imagery of outdoor landscapes. The camera uses a very accurate photoelastic-modulator-based polarimetric imaging technique to acquire Stokes vector measurements in three of the instrument’s bands (470, 660, and 865 nm. A description of the instrument is presented, and observations of selected targets within a scene acquired on 6 January 2010 are analyzed. Data collected during the course of the day as the Sun moved across the sky provided a range of illumination geometries that facilitated evaluation of the surface model, which is comprised of a volumetric reflection term represented by the modified Rahman-Pinty-Verstraete function plus a specular reflection term generated by a randomly oriented array of Fresnel-reflecting microfacets. While the model is fairly successful in predicting the polarized reflection from two grass targets in the scene, it does a poorer job for two manmade targets (a parking lot and a truck roof, possibly due to their greater degree of geometric organization. Several empirical adjustments to the model are explored and lead to improved fits to the data. For all targets, the data support the notion of spectral invariance in the angular shape of the unpolarized and polarized surface reflection. As noted by others, this behavior provides valuable constraints on the aerosol retrieval problem, and highlights the importance of multiangle observations.

Polarization-multiplexing ghost imaging

Science.gov (United States)

Dongfeng, Shi; Jiamin, Zhang; Jian, Huang; Yingjian, Wang; Kee, Yuan; Kaifa, Cao; Chenbo, Xie; Dong, Liu; Wenyue, Zhu

2018-03-01

A novel technique for polarization-multiplexing ghost imaging is proposed to simultaneously obtain multiple polarimetric information by a single detector. Here, polarization-division multiplexing speckles are employed for object illumination. The light reflected from the objects is detected by a single-pixel detector. An iterative reconstruction method is used to restore the fused image containing the different polarimetric information by using the weighted sum of the multiplexed speckles based on the correlation coefficients obtained from the detected intensities. Next, clear images of the different polarimetric information are recovered by demultiplexing the fused image. The results clearly demonstrate that the proposed method is effective.

Detectability Analysis of Road Vehicles in Radarsat-2 Fully Polarimetric SAR Images for Traffic Monitoring

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bo Zhang

2017-02-01

Full Text Available By acquiring information over a wide area regardless of weather conditions and solar illumination, space-borne Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR has the potential to be a promising application for traffic monitoring. However, the backscatter character of a vehicle in a SAR image is unstable and varies with image parameters, such as aspect and incidence angle. To investigate vehicle detectability in SAR images for traffic monitoring applications, images of four common types of vehicles in China were acquired using the fully polarimetric (FP SAR of Radarsat-2 in our experiments. Methods for measuring a vehicle’s aspect angle and backscatter intensity are introduced. The experimental FP SAR images are used to analyze the detectability, which is affected by factors such as vehicle size, vehicle shape, and aspect angle. Moreover, a new metric to improve vehicle detectability in FP SAR images is proposed and compared with the well-known intensity metric. The experimental results show that shape is a crucial factor in affecting the backscatter intensity of vehicles, which also oscillates with varying aspect angle. If the size of a vehicle is smaller than the SAR image resolution, using the intensity metric would result in low detectability. However, it could be improved in an FP SAR image by using the proposed metric. Compared with the intensity metric, the overall detectability is improved from 72% to 90% in our experiments. Therefore, this study indicates that FP SAR images have the ability to detect stationary vehicles on the road and are meaningful for traffic monitoring.

AN UNSUPERVISED CHANGE DETECTION BASED ON TEST STATISTIC AND KI FROM MULTI-TEMPORAL AND FULL POLARIMETRIC SAR IMAGES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

J. Q. Zhao

2016-06-01

Full Text Available Accurate and timely change detection of Earth’s surface features is extremely important for understanding relationships and interactions between people and natural phenomena. Many traditional methods of change detection only use a part of polarization information and the supervised threshold selection. Those methods are insufficiency and time-costing. In this paper, we present a novel unsupervised change-detection method based on quad-polarimetric SAR data and automatic threshold selection to solve the problem of change detection. First, speckle noise is removed for the two registered SAR images. Second, the similarity measure is calculated by the test statistic, and automatic threshold selection of KI is introduced to obtain the change map. The efficiency of the proposed method is demonstrated by the quad-pol SAR images acquired by Radarsat-2 over Wuhan of China.

Object-oriented crop mapping and monitoring using multi-temporal polarimetric RADARSAT-2 data

Science.gov (United States)

Jiao, Xianfeng; Kovacs, John M.; Shang, Jiali; McNairn, Heather; Walters, Dan; Ma, Baoluo; Geng, Xiaoyuan

2014-10-01

The aim of this paper is to assess the accuracy of an object-oriented classification of polarimetric Synthetic Aperture Radar (PolSAR) data to map and monitor crops using 19 RADARSAT-2 fine beam polarimetric (FQ) images of an agricultural area in North-eastern Ontario, Canada. Polarimetric images and field data were acquired during the 2011 and 2012 growing seasons. The classification and field data collection focused on the main crop types grown in the region, which include: wheat, oat, soybean, canola and forage. The polarimetric parameters were extracted with PolSAR analysis using both the Cloude-Pottier and Freeman-Durden decompositions. The object-oriented classification, with a single date of PolSAR data, was able to classify all five crop types with an accuracy of 95% and Kappa of 0.93; a 6% improvement in comparison with linear-polarization only classification. However, the time of acquisition is crucial. The larger biomass crops of canola and soybean were most accurately mapped, whereas the identification of oat and wheat were more variable. The multi-temporal data using the Cloude-Pottier decomposition parameters provided the best classification accuracy compared to the linear polarizations and the Freeman-Durden decomposition parameters. In general, the object-oriented classifications were able to accurately map crop types by reducing the noise inherent in the SAR data. Furthermore, using the crop classification maps we were able to monitor crop growth stage based on a trend analysis of the radar response. Based on field data from canola crops, there was a strong relationship between the phenological growth stage based on the BBCH scale, and the HV backscatter and entropy.

Urban-area extraction from polarimetric SAR image using combination of target decomposition and orientation angle

Science.gov (United States)

Zou, Bin; Lu, Da; Wu, Zhilu; Qiao, Zhijun G.

2016-05-01

The results of model-based target decomposition are the main features used to discriminate urban and non-urban area in polarimetric synthetic aperture radar (PolSAR) application. Traditional urban-area extraction methods based on modelbased target decomposition usually misclassified ground-trunk structure as urban-area or misclassified rotated urbanarea as forest. This paper introduces another feature named orientation angle to improve urban-area extraction scheme for the accurate mapping in urban by PolSAR image. The proposed method takes randomness of orientation angle into account for restriction of urban area first and, subsequently, implements rotation angle to improve results that oriented urban areas are recognized as double-bounce objects from volume scattering. ESAR L-band PolSAR data of the Oberpfaffenhofen Test Site Area was used to validate the proposed algorithm.

Passive Polarimetric Information Processing for Target Classification

Science.gov (United States)

Sadjadi, Firooz; Sadjadi, Farzad

Polarimetric sensing is an area of active research in a variety of applications. In particular, the use of polarization diversity has been shown to improve performance in automatic target detection and recognition. Within the diverse scope of polarimetric sensing, the field of passive polarimetric sensing is of particular interest. This chapter presents several new methods for gathering in formation using such passive techniques. One method extracts three-dimensional (3D) information and surface properties using one or more sensors. Another method extracts scene-specific algebraic expressions that remain unchanged under polariza tion transformations (such as along the transmission path to the sensor).

The CASLEO Polarimetric Survey of Main Belt Asteroids: Updated results

Science.gov (United States)

Gil-Hutton, R.; Cellino, A.; Cañada-Assandri, M.

2011-10-01

We present updated results of the polarimetric survey of main-belt asteroids at Complejo Astronómico El Leoncito (Casleo), San Juan, Argentina, using the 2.15 m telescope and the Torino and CASPROF polarimeters. The goals of this survey are to increase the database of asteroid polarimetry, to estimate diversity in polarimetric properties of asteroids belonging to different taxonomic classes, and to search for objects that exhibit anomalous polarimetric properties. The survey began in 2003, and data for a sample of more than 170 asteroids have been obtained, most of them having been polarimetrically observed for the first time. Using these data we find phase-polarization curves and polarimetric parameters for several taxonomic classes.

PEPSI: the Potsdam Echelle Polarimetric and Spectroscopic Instrument for the LBT

Science.gov (United States)

Strassmeier, K. G.; Woche, M.; Ilyin, I.; Popow, E.; Bauer, S.-M.; Dionies, F.; Fechner, T.; Weber, M.; Hofmann, A.; Storm, J.; Materne, R.; Bittner, W.; Bartus, J.; Granzer, T.; Denker, C.; Carroll, T.; Kopf, M.; DiVarano, I.; Beckert, E.; Lesser, M.

2008-07-01

We present the status of PEPSI, the bench-mounted fibre-fed and stabilized "Potsdam Echelle Polarimetric and Spectroscopic Instrument" for the 2×8.4m Large Binocular Telescope in southern Arizona. PEPSI is under construction at AIP and is scheduled for first light in 2009/10. Its ultra-high-resolution mode will deliver an unprecedented spectral resolution of approximately R=310,000 at high efficiency throughout the entire optical/red wavelength range 390-1050nm without the need for adaptive optics. Besides its polarimetric Stokes IQUV mode, the capability to cover the entire optical range in three exposures at resolutions of 40,000, 130,000 and 310,000 will surpass all existing facilities in terms of light-gathering-power times spectral-coverage product. A solar feed will make use of the spectrograph also during day time. As such, we hope that PEPSI will be the most powerful spectrometer of its kind for the years to come.

Development and Validation of a Polarimetric-MCScene 3D Atmospheric Radiation Model

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Berk, Alexander [Spectral Sciences, Inc., Burlington, MA (United States); Hawes, Frederick [Spectral Sciences, Inc., Burlington, MA (United States); Fox, Marsha [Spectral Sciences, Inc., Burlington, MA (United States)

2016-03-15

Polarimetric measurements can substantially enhance the ability of both spectrally resolved and single band imagery to detect the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, providing data for locating and identifying facilities, materials, and processes of undeclared and proliferant nuclear weapons programs worldwide. Unfortunately, models do not exist that efficiently and accurately predict spectral polarized signatures for the materials of interest embedded in complex 3D environments. Having such a model would enable one to test hypotheses and optimize both the enhancement of scene contrast and the signal processing for spectral signature extraction. The Phase I set the groundwork for development of fully validated polarimetric spectral signature and scene simulation models. This has been accomplished 1. by (a) identifying and downloading state-of-the-art surface and atmospheric polarimetric data sources, (b) implementing tools for generating custom polarimetric data, and (c) identifying and requesting US Government funded field measurement data for use in validation; 2. by formulating an approach for upgrading the radiometric spectral signature model MODTRAN to generate polarimetric intensities through (a) ingestion of the polarimetric data, (b) polarimetric vectorization of existing MODTRAN modules, and (c) integration of a newly developed algorithm for computing polarimetric multiple scattering contributions; 3. by generating an initial polarimetric model that demonstrates calculation of polarimetric solar and lunar single scatter intensities arising from the interaction of incoming irradiances with molecules and aerosols; 4. by developing a design and implementation plan to (a) automate polarimetric scene construction and (b) efficiently sample polarimetric scattering and reflection events, for use in a to be developed polarimetric version of the existing first-principles synthetic scene simulation model, MCScene; and 5. by planning a validation field

Unsupervised Full-Polarimetric SAR Data Segmentation as a Tool for Classification of Agricultural Areas

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hoekman, D.H.; Vissers, M.A.M.; Tran, T.N.

2011-01-01

Versatile, robust and computational efficient methods for radar image segmentation, which preserve the full polarimetric information content, are of importance as research tools, as well as for practical applications in land surface monitoring. The method introduced here consists of several steps.

Compact Polarimetric SAR Ship Detection with m-δ Decomposition Using Visual Attention Model

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lu Xu

2016-09-01

Full Text Available A few previous studies have illustrated the potentials of compact polarimetric Synthetic Aperture Radar (CP SAR in ship detection. In this paper, we design a ship detection algorithm of CP SAR from the perspective of computer vision. A ship detection algorithm using the pulsed cosine transform (PCT visual attention model is proposed to suppress background clutter and highlight conspicuous ship targets. It is the first time that a visual attention model is introduced to CP SAR application. The proposed algorithm is a quick and complete framework for practical use. Polarimetric features—the relative phase δ and volume scattering component—are extracted from m-δ decomposition to eliminate false alarms and modify the PCT model. The constant false alarm rate (CFAR algorithm based on lognormal distribution is adopted to detect ship targets, after a clutter distribution fitting procedure of the modified saliency map. The proposed method is then tested on three simulated circular-transmit-linear-receive (CTLR mode images, which covering East Sea of China. Compared with the detection results of SPAN and the saliency map with only single-channel amplitude, the proposed method achieves the highest detection rates and the lowest misidentification rate and highest figure of merit, proving the effectiveness of polarimetric information of compact polarimetric SAR ship detection and the enhancement from the visual attention model.

Photo-polarimetric sensitivities to layering and mixing of absorbing aerosols

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

O. V. Kalashnikova

2011-09-01

Full Text Available We investigate to what extent multi-angle polarimetric measurements are sensitive to vertical mixing/layering of absorbing aerosols, adopting calibration uncertainty of 1.5% in intensity and 0.5% in the degree of linear polarization of Multiangle Spectro-Polarimetric Imager (MSPI. Employing both deterministic and Monte Carlo radiative transfer codes with polarization, we conduct modeling experiments to determine how the measured Stokes vector elements are affected at UV and short visible wavelengths by the vertical distribution, mixing and layering of smoke and dust aerosols for variety of microphysical parameters. We find that multi-angular polarimetry holds the potential to infer dust-layer heights and thicknesses at blue visible channel due to its lesser sensitivity to changes in dust coarse mode optical properties, but higher sensitivity to the dust vertical profiles. Our studies quantify requirements for obtaining simultaneous information on aerosol layer height and absorption under MSPI measurement uncertainties.

Despeckling Polsar Images Based on Relative Total Variation Model

Science.gov (United States)

Jiang, C.; He, X. F.; Yang, L. J.; Jiang, J.; Wang, D. Y.; Yuan, Y.

2018-04-01

Relatively total variation (RTV) algorithm, which can effectively decompose structure information and texture in image, is employed in extracting main structures of the image. However, applying the RTV directly to polarimetric SAR (PolSAR) image filtering will not preserve polarimetric information. A new RTV approach based on the complex Wishart distribution is proposed considering the polarimetric properties of PolSAR. The proposed polarization RTV (PolRTV) algorithm can be used for PolSAR image filtering. The L-band Airborne SAR (AIRSAR) San Francisco data is used to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm in speckle suppression, structural information preservation, and polarimetric property preservation.

POLCAL - POLARIMETRIC RADAR CALIBRATION

Science.gov (United States)

Vanzyl, J.

1994-01-01

Calibration of polarimetric radar systems is a field of research in which great progress has been made over the last few years. POLCAL (Polarimetric Radar Calibration) is a software tool intended to assist in the calibration of Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) systems. In particular, POLCAL calibrates Stokes matrix format data produced as the standard product by the NASA/Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) airborne imaging synthetic aperture radar (AIRSAR). POLCAL was designed to be used in conjunction with data collected by the NASA/JPL AIRSAR system. AIRSAR is a multifrequency (6 cm, 24 cm, and 68 cm wavelength), fully polarimetric SAR system which produces 12 x 12 km imagery at 10 m resolution. AIRSTAR was designed as a testbed for NASA's Spaceborne Imaging Radar program. While the images produced after 1991 are thought to be calibrated (phase calibrated, cross-talk removed, channel imbalance removed, and absolutely calibrated), POLCAL can and should still be used to check the accuracy of the calibration and to correct it if necessary. Version 4.0 of POLCAL is an upgrade of POLCAL version 2.0 released to AIRSAR investigators in June, 1990. New options in version 4.0 include automatic absolute calibration of 89/90 data, distributed target analysis, calibration of nearby scenes with calibration parameters from a scene with corner reflectors, altitude or roll angle corrections, and calibration of errors introduced by known topography. Many sources of error can lead to false conclusions about the nature of scatterers on the surface. Errors in the phase relationship between polarization channels result in incorrect synthesis of polarization states. Cross-talk, caused by imperfections in the radar antenna itself, can also lead to error. POLCAL reduces cross-talk and corrects phase calibration without the use of ground calibration equipment. Removing the antenna patterns during SAR processing also forms a very important part of the calibration of SAR data. Errors in the

The use of Polarimetric EMISAR for the Mapping and Characterization of the Semi-Natural Environment

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sørensen, Stefán Meulengracht

Methods for segmentation and restoration of SAR data using Markov Random Fields (MRF) have been studied extensively by many researchers over the last two decades. What is of special interest is not only methods for segmentation and classification of SAR data for land cover labeling applications......-natural environments under study are very small, it is crucial for this investigation that the restoration methods are capable of restoring fine structures as well as preserving homogeneous areas. The restorations are carried out in a signal adaptive mode using MRF in a Bayesian framework. Different a priori models...... on statistics derived from the ratio images is presented together with comparative analyses of restorations using ICM and SA. The relation between the restored polarimetric SAR data and in situ data collected at two semi-natural wetland and grassland areas is investigated using multivariate techniques...

A New Ka-Band Scanning Radar Facility: Polarimetric and Doppler Spectra Measurements of Snow Events

Science.gov (United States)

Oue, M.; Kollias, P.; Luke, E. P.; Mead, J.

2017-12-01

Polarimetric radar analyses offer the capability of identification of ice hydrometeor species as well as their spatial distributions. In addition to polarimetric parameter observations, Doppler spectra measurements offer unique insights into ice particle properties according to particle fall velocities. In particular, millimeter-wavelength radar Doppler spectra can reveal supercooled liquid cloud droplets embedded in ice precipitation clouds. A Ka-band scanning polarimetric radar, named KASPR, was installed in an observation facility at Stony Brook University, located 22 km west of the KOKX NEXRAD radar at Upton, NY. The KASPR can measure Doppler spectra and full polarimetric variables, including radar reflectivity, differential reflectivity (ZDR), differential phase (φDP), specific differential phase (KDP), correlation coefficient (ρhv), and linear depolarization ratio (LDR). The facility also includes a micro-rain radar and a microwave radiometer capable of measuring reflectivity profiles and integrated liquid water path, respectively. The instruments collected initial datasets during two snowstorm events and two snow shower events in March 2017. The radar scan strategy was a combination of PPI scans at 4 elevation angles (10, 20, 45, and 60°) and RHI scans in polarimetry mode, and zenith pointing with Doppler spectra collection. During the snowstorm events the radar observed relatively larger ZDR (1-1.5 dB) and enhanced KDP (1-2 ° km-1) at heights corresponding to a plate/dendrite crystal growth regime. The Doppler spectra showed that slower-falling particles ( 1 m s-1). The weakly increased ZDR could be produced by large, faster falling particles such as quasi-spherical aggregates, while the enhanced KDP could be produced by highly-oriented oblate, slowly-falling particles. Below 2 km altitude, measurements of dual wavelength ratio (DWR) based on Ka and S-band reflectivities from the KASPR and NEXRAD radars were available. Larger DWR (>10 dB) suggested

Comparison Between Spectral, Spatial and Polarimetric Classification of Urban and Periurban Landcover Using Temporal Sentinel - 1 Images

Science.gov (United States)

Roychowdhury, K.

2016-06-01

Landcover is the easiest detectable indicator of human interventions on land. Urban and peri-urban areas present a complex combination of landcover, which makes classification challenging. This paper assesses the different methods of classifying landcover using dual polarimetric Sentinel-1 data collected during monsoon (July) and winter (December) months of 2015. Four broad landcover classes such as built up areas, water bodies and wetlands, vegetation and open spaces of Kolkata and its surrounding regions were identified. Polarimetric analyses were conducted on Single Look Complex (SLC) data of the region while ground range detected (GRD) data were used for spectral and spatial classification. Unsupervised classification by means of K-Means clustering used backscatter values and was able to identify homogenous landcovers over the study area. The results produced an overall accuracy of less than 50% for both the seasons. Higher classification accuracy (around 70%) was achieved by adding texture variables as inputs along with the backscatter values. However, the accuracy of classification increased significantly with polarimetric analyses. The overall accuracy was around 80% in Wishart H-A-Alpha unsupervised classification. The method was useful in identifying urban areas due to their double-bounce scattering and vegetated areas, which have more random scattering. Normalized Difference Built-up index (NDBI) and Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) obtained from Landsat 8 data over the study area were used to verify vegetation and urban classes. The study compares the accuracies of different methods of classifying landcover using medium resolution SAR data in a complex urban area and suggests that polarimetric analyses present the most accurate results for urban and suburban areas.

A particle swarm optimized kernel-based clustering method for crop mapping from multi-temporal polarimetric L-band SAR observations

Science.gov (United States)

Tamiminia, Haifa; Homayouni, Saeid; McNairn, Heather; Safari, Abdoreza

2017-06-01

Polarimetric Synthetic Aperture Radar (PolSAR) data, thanks to their specific characteristics such as high resolution, weather and daylight independence, have become a valuable source of information for environment monitoring and management. The discrimination capability of observations acquired by these sensors can be used for land cover classification and mapping. The aim of this paper is to propose an optimized kernel-based C-means clustering algorithm for agriculture crop mapping from multi-temporal PolSAR data. Firstly, several polarimetric features are extracted from preprocessed data. These features are linear polarization intensities, and several statistical and physical based decompositions such as Cloude-Pottier, Freeman-Durden and Yamaguchi techniques. Then, the kernelized version of hard and fuzzy C-means clustering algorithms are applied to these polarimetric features in order to identify crop types. The kernel function, unlike the conventional partitioning clustering algorithms, simplifies the non-spherical and non-linearly patterns of data structure, to be clustered easily. In addition, in order to enhance the results, Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) algorithm is used to tune the kernel parameters, cluster centers and to optimize features selection. The efficiency of this method was evaluated by using multi-temporal UAVSAR L-band images acquired over an agricultural area near Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, during June and July in 2012. The results demonstrate more accurate crop maps using the proposed method when compared to the classical approaches, (e.g. 12% improvement in general). In addition, when the optimization technique is used, greater improvement is observed in crop classification, e.g. 5% in overall. Furthermore, a strong relationship between Freeman-Durden volume scattering component, which is related to canopy structure, and phenological growth stages is observed.

Science data collection with polarimetric SAR

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Dall, Jørgen; Woelders, Kim; Madsen, Søren Nørvang

1996-01-01

Discusses examples on the use of polarimetric SAR in a number of Earth science studies. The studies are presently being conducted by the Danish Center for Remote Sensing. A few studies of the European Space Agency's EMAC programme are also discussed. The Earth science objectives are presented......, and the potential of polarimetric SAR is discussed and illustrated with data collected by the Danish airborne EMISAR system during a number of experiments in 1994 and 1995. The presentation will include samples of data acquired for the different studies...

Ex vivo photometric and polarimetric multilayer characterization of human healthy colon by multispectral Mueller imaging.

Science.gov (United States)

Pierangelo, Angelo; Manhas, Sandeep; Benali, Abdelali; Fallet, Clément; Antonelli, Maria-Rosaria; Novikova, Tatiana; Gayet, Brice; Validire, Pierre; De Martino, Antonello

2012-06-01

Healthy human colon samples were analyzed ex vivo with a multispectral imaging Mueller polarimeter operating from 500 to 700 nm in a backscattering configuration with diffuse light illumination impinging on the innermost tissue layer, the mucosa. The intensity and polarimetric responses were taken on whole tissues first and after progressive exfoliation of the outer layers afterwards. Moreover, these measurements were carried out with two different substrates (one bright and the other dark) successively placed beneath each sample, allowing a reasonably accurate evaluation of the contributions to the overall backscattered light by the various layers. For the shorter investigated wavelengths (500 to 550 nm) the major contribution comes from mucosa and submucosa, while for the longer wavelengths (650 to 700 nm) muscular tissue and fat also contribute significantly. The depolarization has also been studied and is found to be stronger in the red part of the spectrum, mainly due to the highly depolarizing power of the muscular and fat layers.

Simultaneous Differential Polarimetric Measurements and Co-Polar Correlation Coefficient Measurement

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — A polarimetric Doppler weather radar system which allows measurement of linear orthogonal polarimetric variables without a switch by using simultaneous transmission...

Future capabilities of CME polarimetric 3D reconstructions with the METIS instrument: A numerical test

Science.gov (United States)

Pagano, P.; Bemporad, A.; Mackay, D. H.

2015-10-01

Context. Understanding the 3D structure of coronal mass ejections (CMEs) is crucial for understanding the nature and origin of solar eruptions. However, owing to the optical thinness of the solar corona we can only observe the line of sight integrated emission. As a consequence the resulting projection effects hide the true 3D structure of CMEs. To derive information on the 3D structure of CMEs from white-light (total and polarized brightness) images, the polarization ratio technique is widely used. The soon-to-be-launched METIS coronagraph on board Solar Orbiter will use this technique to produce new polarimetric images. Aims: This work considers the application of the polarization ratio technique to synthetic CME observations from METIS. In particular we determine the accuracy at which the position of the centre of mass, direction and speed of propagation, and the column density of the CME can be determined along the line of sight. Methods: We perform a 3D MHD simulation of a flux rope ejection where a CME is produced. From the simulation we (i) synthesize the corresponding METIS white-light (total and polarized brightness) images and (ii) apply the polarization ratio technique to these synthesized images and compare the results with the known density distribution from the MHD simulation. In addition, we use recent results that consider how the position of a single blob of plasma is measured depending on its projected position in the plane of the sky. From this we can interpret the results of the polarization ratio technique and give an estimation of the error associated with derived parameters. Results: We find that the polarization ratio technique reproduces with high accuracy the position of the centre of mass along the line of sight. However, some errors are inherently associated with this determination. The polarization ratio technique also allows information to be derived on the real 3D direction of propagation of the CME. The determination of this is of

The classification of ambiguity in polarimetric reconstruction of coronal mass ejection

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dai, Xinghua; Wang, Huaning; Huang, Xin; Du, Zhanle; He, Han

2014-01-01

The Thomson scattering theory indicates that there exist explicit and implicit ambiguities in polarimetric analyses of coronal mass ejection (CME) observations. We suggest a classification for these ambiguities in CME reconstruction. Three samples, including double explicit, mixed, and double implicit ambiguity, are shown with the polarimetric analyses of STEREO CME observations. These samples demonstrate that this classification is helpful for improving polarimetric reconstruction.

Pulse-based internal calibration of polarimetric SAR

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Dall, Jørgen; Skou, Niels; Christensen, Erik Lintz

1994-01-01

Internal calibration greatly diminishes the dependence on calibration target deployment compared to external calibration. Therefore the Electromagnetics Institute (EMI) at the Technical University of Denmark (TUD) has equipped its polarimetric SAR, EMISAR, with several calibration loops and devel......Internal calibration greatly diminishes the dependence on calibration target deployment compared to external calibration. Therefore the Electromagnetics Institute (EMI) at the Technical University of Denmark (TUD) has equipped its polarimetric SAR, EMISAR, with several calibration loops...

Imaging capabilities of germanium gamma cameras

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Steidley, J.W.

1977-01-01

Quantitative methods of analysis based on the use of a computer simulation were developed and used to investigate the imaging capabilities of germanium gamma cameras. The main advantage of the computer simulation is that the inherent unknowns of clinical imaging procedures are removed from the investigation. The effects of patient scattered radiation were incorporated using a mathematical LSF model which was empirically developed and experimentally verified. Image modifying effects of patient motion, spatial distortions, and count rate capabilities were also included in the model. Spatial domain and frequency domain modeling techniques were developed and used in the simulation as required. The imaging capabilities of gamma cameras were assessed using low contrast lesion source distributions. The results showed that an improvement in energy resolution from 10% to 2% offers significant clinical advantages in terms of improved contrast, increased detectability, and reduced patient dose. The improvements are of greatest significance for small lesions at low contrast. The results of the computer simulation were also used to compare a design of a hypothetical germanium gamma camera with a state-of-the-art scintillation camera. The computer model performed a parametric analysis of the interrelated effects of inherent and technological limitations of gamma camera imaging. In particular, the trade-off between collimator resolution and collimator efficiency for detection of a given low contrast lesion was directly addressed. This trade-off is an inherent limitation of both gamma cameras. The image degrading effects of patient motion, camera spatial distortions, and low count rate were shown to modify the improvements due to better energy resolution. Thus, based on this research, the continued development of germanium cameras to the point of clinical demonstration is recommended

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

Polarimetric C-Band SAR Observations of Sea Ice in the Greenland Sea

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Thomsen, Bjørn Bavnehøj; Nghiem, S.V.; Kwok, R.

1998-01-01

The fully polarimetric EMISAR acquired C-band radar signatures of sea ice in the Greenland Sea during a campaign in March 1995. The authors present maps of polarimetric signatures over an area containing various kinds of ice and discuss the use of polarimetric SAR for identification of ice types...

Direction-dependent Corrections in Polarimetric Radio Imaging. I. Characterizing the Effects of the Primary Beam on Full-Stokes Imaging

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jagannathan, P.; Bhatnagar, S.; Rau, U. [National Radio Astronomy Observatory, Socorro (United States); Taylor, A. R., E-mail: pjaganna@nrao.edu [Department of Astronomy, University of Cape Town (South Africa)

2017-08-01

Next generation radio telescope arrays are being designed and commissioned to accurately measure polarized intensity and rotation measures (RMs) across the entire sky through deep, wide-field radio interferometric surveys. Radio interferometer dish antenna arrays are affected by direction-dependent (DD) gains due to both instrumental and atmospheric effects. In this paper, we demonstrate the effect of DD errors of the parabolic dish antenna array on the measured polarized intensities of radio sources in interferometric images. We characterize the extent of polarimetric image degradation due to the DD gains through wide-band VLA simulations of representative point-source simulations of the radio sky at L band (1–2 GHz). We show that at the 0.5 gain level of the primary beam there is significant flux leakage from Stokes I to Q , U amounting to 10% of the total intensity. We further demonstrate that while the instrumental response averages down for observations over large parallactic angle intervals, full-polarization DD correction is required to remove the effects of DD leakage. We also explore the effect of the DD beam on the RM signals and show that while the instrumental effect is primarily centered around 0 rad-m{sup −2}, the effect is significant over a broad range of RM requiring full polarization DD correction to accurately reconstruct the RM synthesis signal.

COMPARISON BETWEEN SPECTRAL, SPATIAL AND POLARIMETRIC CLASSIFICATION OF URBAN AND PERIURBAN LANDCOVER USING TEMPORAL SENTINEL – 1 IMAGES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

K. Roychowdhury

2016-06-01

Full Text Available Landcover is the easiest detectable indicator of human interventions on land. Urban and peri-urban areas present a complex combination of landcover, which makes classification challenging. This paper assesses the different methods of classifying landcover using dual polarimetric Sentinel-1 data collected during monsoon (July and winter (December months of 2015. Four broad landcover classes such as built up areas, water bodies and wetlands, vegetation and open spaces of Kolkata and its surrounding regions were identified. Polarimetric analyses were conducted on Single Look Complex (SLC data of the region while ground range detected (GRD data were used for spectral and spatial classification. Unsupervised classification by means of K-Means clustering used backscatter values and was able to identify homogenous landcovers over the study area. The results produced an overall accuracy of less than 50% for both the seasons. Higher classification accuracy (around 70% was achieved by adding texture variables as inputs along with the backscatter values. However, the accuracy of classification increased significantly with polarimetric analyses. The overall accuracy was around 80% in Wishart H-A-Alpha unsupervised classification. The method was useful in identifying urban areas due to their double-bounce scattering and vegetated areas, which have more random scattering. Normalized Difference Built-up index (NDBI and Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI obtained from Landsat 8 data over the study area were used to verify vegetation and urban classes. The study compares the accuracies of different methods of classifying landcover using medium resolution SAR data in a complex urban area and suggests that polarimetric analyses present the most accurate results for urban and suburban areas.

Polarimetric signatures of sea ice in the Greenland Sea

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Skriver, Henning; Pedersen, Leif Toudal

1995-01-01

Polarimetric SAR data of sea ice have been acquired by the Danish polarimetric SAR (EMISAR) during a mission at the Greenland Sea in August 1994. Video recordings from a low-altitude acquisition have been used for interpretation of the SAR data. Also, ERS-1 SAR data and NOAA AVHRR-data have been...

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.

Classification of Polarimetric SAR Data Using Dictionary Learning

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Vestergaard, Jacob Schack; Nielsen, Allan Aasbjerg; Dahl, Anders Lindbjerg

2012-01-01

This contribution deals with classification of multilook fully polarimetric synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data by learning a dictionary of crop types present in the Foulum test site. The Foulum test site contains a large number of agricultural fields, as well as lakes, forests, natural vegetation......, grasslands and urban areas, which make it ideally suited for evaluation of classification algorithms. Dictionary learning centers around building a collection of image patches typical for the classification problem at hand. This requires initial manual labeling of the classes present in the data and is thus...... a method for supervised classification. Sparse coding of these image patches aims to maintain a proficient number of typical patches and associated labels. Data is consecutively classified by a nearest neighbor search of the dictionary elements and labeled with probabilities of each class. Each dictionary...

REMOVAL OF SPECTRO-POLARIMETRIC FRINGES BY TWO-DIMENSIONAL PATTERN RECOGNITION

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Casini, R.; Judge, P. G.; Schad, T. A.

2012-01-01

We present a pattern-recognition-based approach to the problem of the removal of polarized fringes from spectro-polarimetric data. We demonstrate that two-dimensional principal component analysis can be trained on a given spectro-polarimetric map in order to identify and isolate fringe structures from the spectra. This allows us, in principle, to reconstruct the data without the fringe component, providing an effective and clean solution to the problem. The results presented in this paper point in the direction of revising the way that science and calibration data should be planned for a typical spectro-polarimetric observing run.

Segment-based change detection for polarimetric SAR data

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Skriver, Henning; Nielsen, Allan Aasbjerg; Conradsen, Knut

2006-01-01

that is needed compared to single polarisation SAR to provide reliable and robust detection of changes. Polarimetric SAR data will be available from satellites in the near future, e.g. the Japanese ALOS, the Canadian Radarsat-2 and the German TerraSAR-X. An appropriate way of representing multi-look fully...... be split into a number of smaller fields, a building may be removed from or added to some area, hedgerows may be removed/added or other type of vegetated areas may be partly removed or added. In this case, ambiguities may arise when segments have changed shape and extent from one image to another...

Wetland Classification for Black Duck Habitat Management Using Combined Polarimetric RADARSAT 2 and SPOT Imagery

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, W.; Hu, B.; Brown, G.

2018-04-01

The black duck population has decreased significantly due to loss of its breeding habitat. Wetlands are an important feature that relates to habitat management and requires monitoring. Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) systems are helpful to map the wetland as the microwave signals are sensitive to water content and can be used to map surface water extent, saturated soils, and flooded vegetation. In this study, RadarSat 2 Polarimetric data is employed to map surface water and track changes in extent over the years through image thresholding and reviewed different approaches of Polarimetric decompositions for detecting flooded vegetation. Also, object-based analysis associated with beaver activity is conducted with combined multispectral SPOT satellite imagery. Results show SAR data has proven ability to improve mapping open water areas and locate flooded vegetation areas.

Relative astrometry of compact flaring structures in Sgr A* with polarimetric very long baseline interferometry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Johnson, Michael D.; Doeleman, Sheperd S.; Fish, Vincent L.; Broderick, Avery E.; Wardle, John F. C.; Marrone, Daniel P.

2014-01-01

We demonstrate that polarimetric interferometry can be used to extract precise spatial information about compact polarized flares of Sgr A*. We show that, for a faint dynamical component, a single interferometric baseline suffices to determine both its polarization and projected displacement from the quiescent intensity centroid. A second baseline enables two-dimensional reconstruction of the displacement, and additional baselines can self-calibrate using the flare, enhancing synthesis imaging of the quiescent emission. We apply this technique to simulated 1.3 mm wavelength observations of a 'hot spot' embedded in a radiatively inefficient accretion disk around Sgr A*. Our results indicate that, even with current sensitivities, polarimetric interferometry with the Event Horizon Telescope can achieve ∼5 μas relative astrometry of compact flaring structures near Sgr A* on timescales of minutes.

X-ray micro-tomography system for small-animal imaging with zoom-in imaging capability

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chun, In Kon; Cho, Myung Hye; Lee, Sang Chul; Cho, Min Hyoung; Lee, Soo Yeol

2004-01-01

Since a micro-tomography system capable of μm-resolution imaging cannot be used for whole-body imaging of a small laboratory animal without sacrificing its spatial resolution, it is desirable for a micro-tomography system to have local imaging capability. In this paper, we introduce an x-ray micro-tomography system capable of high-resolution imaging of a local region inside a small animal. By combining two kinds of projection data, one from a full field-of-view (FOV) scan of the whole body and the other from a limited FOV scan of the region of interest (ROI), we have obtained zoomed-in images of the ROI without any contrast anomalies commonly appearing in conventional local tomography. For experimental verification of the zoom-in imaging capability, we have integrated a micro-tomography system using a micro-focus x-ray source, a 1248 x 1248 flat-panel x-ray detector, and a precision scan mechanism. The mismatches between the two projection data caused by misalignments of the scan mechanism have been estimated with a calibration phantom, and the mismatch effects have been compensated in the image reconstruction procedure. Zoom-in imaging results of bony tissues with a spatial resolution of 10 lp mm -1 suggest that zoom-in micro-tomography can be greatly used for high-resolution imaging of a local region in small-animal studies

Polarimetric SAR interferometry applied to land ice: modeling

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Dall, Jørgen; Papathanassiou, Konstantinos; Skriver, Henning

2004-01-01

This paper introduces a few simple scattering models intended for the application of polarimetric SAR interfer-ometry to land ice. The principal aim is to eliminate the penetration bias hampering ice sheet elevation maps generated with single-channel SAR interferometry. The polarimetric coherent...... scattering models are similar to the oriented-volume model and the random-volume-over-ground model used in vegetation studies, but the ice models are adapted to the different geometry of land ice. Also, due to compaction, land ice is not uniform; a fact that must be taken into account for large penetration...... depths. The validity of the scattering models is examined using L-band polarimetric interferometric SAR data acquired with the EMISAR system over an ice cap located in the percolation zone of the Greenland ice sheet. Radar reflectors were deployed on the ice surface prior to the data acquisition in order...

Agricultural Monitoring in Northeastern Ontario, Canada, Using Multi-Temporal Polarimetric RADARSAT-2 Data

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jeffrey W. Cable

2014-03-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this research is to analyze how changes in acquisition time and incidence angle affect various C-band synthetic aperture radar (SAR polarimetric intensities, co-polarized phase information, polarimetric response plots and decomposition parameters for various crops typical of Northern Ontario, Canada. We examine how these parameters may be used to monitor the growth stages of five common cash crops, namely, barley (Hordeum vulgare, canola (Brassica napus, oat (Avena sativa, soybean (Glycine max and wheat (Triticum spp.. In total, nine RADARSAT-2 polarimetric images were analyzed across a 14-week period beginning in June and ending in September 2011 using two incidence angles of approximately 26° and 41°. As expected, the backscatter intensities for all targets were found to show a higher response when acquired at the steeper incidence angle (26°. All cash crop targets showed a rise and fall in backscatter response over the course of the growing season, coinciding with changing growth stages. Slight phase differences were observed for cereal crops, possibly due to one of the polarizations penetrating between the rows allowing double-bounce to occur. The polarimetric response plots and decompositions offered insight into the scattering mechanisms of each crop type, generally showing an increase in volume scattering as the crops reached maturity. Specifically, the contributions of the crops increased towards the volume scattering component and zones 4 and 2, as the crops matured in regards to the Freeman-Durden and Cloude-Pottier decompositions respectively. Overall, soybean and canola showed a more similar response in comparison to the cereal cash crops. Although the study focused on Northern Ontario, it is anticipated that these results would be relevant in investigations of multi-temporal RADARSAT-2 for agricultural zones with similar crop types.

Change detection in a time series of polarimetric SAR images

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Skriver, Henning; Nielsen, Allan Aasbjerg; Conradsen, Knut

A test statistic for the equality of two or several variance-covariance matrices following the real (as opposed to the complex) Wishart distribution with an associated probability of finding a smaller value of the test statistic is described in the literature [1]. In 2003 we introduced a test...... statistic for the equality of two variance-covariance matrices following the complex Wishart distribution with an associated probability measure [2]. In that paper we also demonstrated the use of the test statistic to change detection over time in both fully polarimetric and azimuthal symmetric SAR data...... positives (postulating a change when there actually is none) and/or false negatives (missing an actual change). Therefore we need to test for equality for all time points simultaneously. In this paper we demonstrate a new test statistic for the equality of several variance-covariance matrices from the real...

Spectral Polarimetric Features Analysis of Wind Turbine Clutter in Weather Radar

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Yin, J.; Krasnov, O.A.; Unal, C.M.H.; Medagli, S.; Russchenberg, H.W.J.

2017-01-01

Wind turbine clutter has gradually become a concern for the radar community for its increasing size and quantity worldwide. Based on the S-band polarimetric Doppler PARSAX radar measurements, this paper demonstrates the micro-Doppler features and spectral-polarimetric characteristic of wind turbine

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

ASTEROID POLARIMETRIC DATABASE V6.0

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — The Asteroid Polarimetric Database (APD) is a collection of asteroid polarimetry results compiled by D.F. Lupishko and S.V. Vasiliev of Karazin Kharkiv National...

Polarimetric studies of polyethylene terephtalate flexible substrates

Science.gov (United States)

Stchakovsky, M.; Garcia-Caurel, E.; Warenghem, M.

2008-12-01

Polymer sheets are currently used worldwide in a wide range of applications. The manufacturing process of these sheets involves extruding machines that stretch the material in both lateral and longitudinal directions with respect to the machine direction, thus inducing birefringence. In most cases, the film obtained is optically biaxial. Polarimetric spectroscopy (Ellipsometry and Mueller Matrix) combined with conoscopic observation are the methods of choice to study these properties. In this work we report an analysis of commercially available polyethylene terephtalate (PET) films used as substrate for food packaging as well as for embedded electronic devices such as solar cells or flexible displays. Initial observation of these films through polarizing microscope in conoscopic mode reveals first the trace of optical axis plane with respect to the film surface and second, whether the optical axis is acute or not. This preliminary study allows optimal sample positioning for further polarimetric studies. The measurements and modelling are done in both reflection and transmission mode on several spectroscopic polarimetric setups from UV to NIR. The models give as a main result, the dielectric tensor of the film as well as its orientation with respect to the laboratory reference frame.

Averaged subtracted polarization imaging for endoscopic diagnostics of surface microstructures on translucent mucosae

Science.gov (United States)

Kanamori, Katsuhiro

2016-07-01

An endoscopic image processing technique for enhancing the appearance of microstructures on translucent mucosae is described. This technique employs two pairs of co- and cross-polarization images under two different linearly polarized lights, from which the averaged subtracted polarization image (AVSPI) is calculated. Experiments were then conducted using an acrylic phantom and excised porcine stomach tissue using a manual experimental setup with ring-type lighting, two rotating polarizers, and a color camera; better results were achieved with the proposed method than with conventional color intensity image processing. An objective evaluation method that uses texture analysis was developed and used to evaluate the enhanced microstructure images. This paper introduces two types of online, rigid-type, polarimetric endoscopic implementations using a polarized ring-shaped LED and a polarimetric camera. The first type uses a beam-splitter-type color polarimetric camera, and the second uses a single-chip monochrome polarimetric camera. Microstructures on the mucosa surface were enhanced robustly with these online endoscopes regardless of the difference in the extinction ratio of each device. These results show that polarimetric endoscopy using AVSPI is both effective and practical for hardware implementation.

Polarimetric neutron scattering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tasset, F.

2001-01-01

Polarimetric Neutron Scattering in introduced, both by, explaining methodological issues and the corresponding instrumental developments. After a short overview of neutron spin polarization and the neutron polarization 3d-vector a pictorial approach of the microscopic theory is used to show how a polarized beam interacts with lattice and magnetic Fourier components in a crystal. Examples are given of using Spherical Neutron Polarimetry (SNP) and the corresponding Cryopad polarimeter for the investigation of non-collinear magnetic structures. (R.P.)

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.;

Polarimetric Scattering Properties of Landslides in Forested Areas and the Dependence on the Local Incidence Angle

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Takashi Shibayama

2015-11-01

Full Text Available This paper addresses the local incidence angle dependence of several polarimetric indices corresponding to landslides in forested areas. Landslide is deeply related to the loss of human lives and their property. Various kinds of remote sensing techniques, including aerial photography, high-resolution optical satellite imagery, LiDAR and SAR interferometry (InSAR, have been available for landslide investigations. SAR polarimetry is potentially an effective measure to investigate landslides because fully-polarimetric SAR (PolSAR data contain more information compared to conventional single- or dual-polarization SAR data. However, research on landslide recognition utilizing polarimetric SAR (PolSAR is quite limited. Polarimetric properties of landslides have not been examined quantitatively so far. Accordingly, we examined the polarimetric scattering properties of landslides by an assessment of how the decomposed scattering power components and the polarimetric correlation coefficient change with the local incidence angle. In the assessment, PolSAR data acquired from different directions with both spaceborne and airborne SARs were utilized. It was found that the surface scattering power and the polarimetric correlation coefficient of landslides significantly decrease with the local incidence angle, while these indices of surrounding forest do not. This fact leads to establishing a method of effective detection of landslide area by polarimetric information.

Analysis of dual polarization images of precipitating clouds collected by the COSMO SkyMed constellation

Science.gov (United States)

Baldini, Luca; Roberto, Nicoletta; Gorgucci, Eugenio; Fritz, Jason; Chandrasekar, V.

2014-07-01

Currently, several satellite missions are employing X-band synthetic aperture radars (SAR) with polarimetric capabilities. In images collected over land by X-band SAR, precipitation results mainly in evident attenuation of the surface returns. Effects of precipitation in polarimetric SAR images and how to exploit them for precipitation studies are emerging topics of interest. This paper investigates polarimetric signatures of precipitation in images collected by the X-band SARs of the Italian Space Agency COSMO SkyMed constellation using the HH-VV alternate polarimetric mode. Analyzed images were collected in 2010 when the constellation was composed of three satellites and operated in the “tandem like” interferometric configuration, which allowed acquisition of the same scene with the same viewing geometry and a minimum decorrelation time of one day. Observations collected in Piedmont (Italy) and Tampa Bay (Florida, US) have been analyzed along with coincident observations collected by operational weather radars, used to reconstruct the component of SAR returns due to precipitation at horizontal and vertical polarization states. Different techniques are used depending on the different characteristics of terrestrial radars. SAR observations reconstructed from terrestrial measurements are in fairly good agreement with actual SAR observations. Results confirm that the attenuation signature in SAR images collected over land is particularly pronounced in the presence of precipitation cells and can be related to the radar reflectivity integrated along the same path. The difference between copolar HH and VV power measurements reveals a differential attenuation due to anisotropy of precipitation, whose range is limited when the SAR incidence angle is low. A specific feature observed in the CosmoSkyMed alternate polarization implementation is the presence of the scalloping effect, a periodic effect along the azimuth direction that cannot always be removed by standard de

Monitoring of Oil Exploitation Infrastructure by Combining Unsupervised Pixel-Based Classification of Polarimetric SAR and Object-Based Image Analysis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Simon Plank

2014-12-01

Full Text Available In developing countries, there is a high correlation between the dependence of oil exports and violent conflicts. Furthermore, even in countries which experienced a peaceful development of their oil industry, land use and environmental issues occur. Therefore, independent monitoring of oil field infrastructure may support problem solving. Earth observation data enables fast monitoring of large areas which allows comparing the real amount of land used by the oil exploitation and the companies’ contractual obligations. The target feature of this monitoring is the infrastructure of the oil exploitation, oil well pads—rectangular features of bare land covering an area of approximately 50–60 m × 100 m. This article presents an automated feature extraction procedure based on the combination of a pixel-based unsupervised classification of polarimetric synthetic aperture radar data (PolSAR and an object-based post-classification. The method is developed and tested using dual-polarimetric TerraSAR-X imagery acquired over the Doba basin in south Chad. The advantages of PolSAR are independence of the cloud coverage (vs. optical imagery and the possibility of detailed land use classification (vs. single-pol SAR. The PolSAR classification uses the polarimetric Wishart probability density function based on the anisotropy/entropy/alpha decomposition. The object-based post-classification refinement, based on properties of the feature targets such as shape and area, increases the user’s accuracy of the methodology by an order of a magnitude. The final achieved user’s and producer’s accuracy is 59%–71% in each case (area based accuracy assessment. Considering only the numbers of correctly/falsely detected oil well pads, the user’s and producer’s accuracies increase to even 74%–89%. In an iterative training procedure the best suited polarimetric speckle filter and processing parameters of the developed feature extraction procedure are

Forest height estimation from mountain forest areas using general model-based decomposition for polarimetric interferometric synthetic aperture radar images

Science.gov (United States)

Minh, Nghia Pham; Zou, Bin; Cai, Hongjun; Wang, Chengyi

2014-01-01

The estimation of forest parameters over mountain forest areas using polarimetric interferometric synthetic aperture radar (PolInSAR) images is one of the greatest interests in remote sensing applications. For mountain forest areas, scattering mechanisms are strongly affected by the ground topography variations. Most of the previous studies in modeling microwave backscattering signatures of forest area have been carried out over relatively flat areas. Therefore, a new algorithm for the forest height estimation from mountain forest areas using the general model-based decomposition (GMBD) for PolInSAR image is proposed. This algorithm enables the retrieval of not only the forest parameters, but also the magnitude associated with each mechanism. In addition, general double- and single-bounce scattering models are proposed to fit for the cross-polarization and off-diagonal term by separating their independent orientation angle, which remains unachieved in the previous model-based decompositions. The efficiency of the proposed approach is demonstrated with simulated data from PolSARProSim software and ALOS-PALSAR spaceborne PolInSAR datasets over the Kalimantan areas, Indonesia. Experimental results indicate that forest height could be effectively estimated by GMBD.

UAVSAR Program: Initial Results from New Instrument Capabilities

Science.gov (United States)

Lou, Yunling; Hensley, Scott; Moghaddam, Mahta; Moller, Delwyn; Chapin, Elaine; Chau, Alexandra; Clark, Duane; Hawkins, Brian; Jones, Cathleen; Marks, Phillip;

Change detection in polarimetric SAR images using complex Wishart distributed matrices

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Conradsen, Knut; Nielsen, Allan Aasbjerg; Skriver, Henning

In surveillance it is important to be able to detect natural or man-made changes e.g. based on sequences of satellite or air borne images of the same area taken at different times. The mapping capability of synthetic aperture radar (SAR) is independent of e.g. cloud cover, and thus this technology...... scattering matrix, and after suitable preprocessing the outcome at each picture element (pixel) may be represented as a 3 by 3 Hermitian matrix following a complex Wishart distribution. One approach to solving the change detection problem based on SAR images is therefore to apply suitable statistical tests...... in the complex Wishart distribution. We propose a set-up for a systematic solution to the (practical) problems using the likelihood ratio test statistics. We show some examples based on a time series of images with 1024 by 1024 pixels....

Assessment of capabilities of multiangle imaging photo-polarimetry for atmospheric correction in presence of absorbing aerosols

Science.gov (United States)

Kalashnikova, O. V.; Garay, M. J.; Xu, F.; Seidel, F. C.; Diner, D. J.

2015-12-01

Satellite remote sensing of ocean color is a critical tool for assessing the productivity of marine ecosystems and monitoring changes resulting from climatic or environmental influences. Yet water-leaving radiance comprises less than 10% of the signal measured from space, making correction for absorption and scattering by the intervening atmosphere imperative. Traditional ocean color retrieval algorithms utilize a standard set of aerosol models and the assumption of negligible water-leaving radiance in the near-infrared. Modern improvements have been developed to handle absorbing aerosols such as urban particulates in coastal areas and transported desert dust over the open ocean, where ocean fertilization can impact biological productivity at the base of the marine food chain. Even so, imperfect knowledge of the absorbing aerosol optical properties or their height distribution results in well-documented sources of error. In the UV, the problem of UV-enhanced absorption and nonsphericity of certain aerosol types are amplified due to the increased Rayleigh and aerosol optical depth, especially at off-nadir view angles. Multi-angle spectro-polarimetric measurements have been advocated as an additional tool to better understand and retrieve the aerosol properties needed for atmospheric correction for ocean color retrievals. The central concern of the work to be described is the assessment of the effects of absorbing aerosol properties on water leaving radiance measurement uncertainty by neglecting UV-enhanced absorption of carbonaceous particles and by not accounting for dust nonsphericity. In addition, we evaluate the polarimetric sensitivity of absorbing aerosol properties in light of measurement uncertainties achievable for the next generation of multi-angle polarimetric imaging instruments, and demonstrate advantages and disadvantages of wavelength selection in the UV/VNIR range. The phase matrices for the spherical smoke particles were calculated using a standard

Comparison of polarimetric cameras

Science.gov (United States)

2017-03-01

Jefferson Davis Highway, Suite 1204, Arlington, VA 22202-4302, and to the Office of Management and Budget , Paperwork Reduction Project (0704-0188...polarimetric camera, remote sensing, space systems 15. NUMBER OF PAGES 93 16. PRICE CODE 17. SECURITY CLASSIFICATION OF REPORT Unclassified 18...2016. Hermann Hall, Monterey, CA. The next data in Figure 37. were collected on 01 December 2016 at 1226 PST on the rooftop of the Marriot Hotel in

On the Use of Generalized Volume Scattering Models for the Improvement of General Polarimetric Model-Based Decomposition

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Qinghua Xie

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Recently, a general polarimetric model-based decomposition framework was proposed by Chen et al., which addresses several well-known limitations in previous decomposition methods and implements a simultaneous full-parameter inversion by using complete polarimetric information. However, it only employs four typical models to characterize the volume scattering component, which limits the parameter inversion performance. To overcome this issue, this paper presents two general polarimetric model-based decomposition methods by incorporating the generalized volume scattering model (GVSM or simplified adaptive volume scattering model, (SAVSM proposed by Antropov et al. and Huang et al., respectively, into the general decomposition framework proposed by Chen et al. By doing so, the final volume coherency matrix structure is selected from a wide range of volume scattering models within a continuous interval according to the data itself without adding unknowns. Moreover, the new approaches rely on one nonlinear optimization stage instead of four as in the previous method proposed by Chen et al. In addition, the parameter inversion procedure adopts the modified algorithm proposed by Xie et al. which leads to higher accuracy and more physically reliable output parameters. A number of Monte Carlo simulations of polarimetric synthetic aperture radar (PolSAR data are carried out and show that the proposed method with GVSM yields an overall improvement in the final accuracy of estimated parameters and outperforms both the version using SAVSM and the original approach. In addition, C-band Radarsat-2 and L-band AIRSAR fully polarimetric images over the San Francisco region are also used for testing purposes. A detailed comparison and analysis of decomposition results over different land-cover types are conducted. According to this study, the use of general decomposition models leads to a more accurate quantitative retrieval of target parameters. However, there

Interference figures of polarimetric interferometry analysis of the human corneal stroma.

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Rodolfo Mastropasqua

Full Text Available A rotating polarimetric 90°-cross linear-filter interferometry system was used to detect the morphological characteristics and features of interference patterns produced in in-vivo corneal stroma in healthy human corneas of 23 subjects. The characteristic corneal isogyres presenting with an evident cross-shaped pattern, grossly aligned with the fixation axis, were observed in all patients with centers within the pupillary dark area, impeding the exact determination of the center point. During the rotational scan in 78.3% of the eyes the cross-shaped pattern of the isogyre gradually separated to form two distinct hyperbolic arcs in opposite quadrants, reaching their maximal separation at 45 degrees with respect to angle of cross-shaped pattern formation. The corneal cross and hyperbolic-pattern repeated every 90° throughout the 360° rotational scan. While the interpretation of the isogyres presents particular difficulties, two summary parameters can be extracted for each cornea: the presence/orientation of a single or two dark areas in post-processed images and isochromes. However, the development of dedicated software for semi-quantitative analysis of these parameters and enantiomorphism may become available in the near future. The possible application of polarimetric interferometry in the field of both corneal pathologies and corneal surgery may be of great interest for clinical purposes.

Change detection in polarimetric SAR data over several time points

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Conradsen, Knut; Nielsen, Allan Aasbjerg; Skriver, Henning

2014-01-01

A test statistic for the equality of several variance-covariance matrices following the complex Wishart distribution is introduced. The test statistic is applied successfully to detect change in C-band EMISAR polarimetric SAR data over four time points.......A test statistic for the equality of several variance-covariance matrices following the complex Wishart distribution is introduced. The test statistic is applied successfully to detect change in C-band EMISAR polarimetric SAR data over four time points....

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

Retrieval of ice thickness from polarimetric SAR data

Science.gov (United States)

Kwok, R.; Yueh, S. H.; Nghiem, S. V.; Huynh, D. D.

1993-01-01

We describe a potential procedure for retrieving ice thickness from multi-frequency polarimetric SAR data for thin ice. This procedure includes first masking out the thicker ice types with a simple classifier and then deriving the thickness of the remaining pixels using a model-inversion technique. The technique used to derive ice thickness from polarimetric observations is provided by a numerical estimator or neural network. A three-layer perceptron implemented with the backpropagation algorithm is used in this investigation with several improved aspects for a faster convergence rate and a better accuracy of the neural network. These improvements include weight initialization, normalization of the output range, the selection of offset constant, and a heuristic learning algorithm. The performance of the neural network is demonstrated by using training data generated by a theoretical scattering model for sea ice matched to the database of interest. The training data are comprised of the polarimetric backscattering coefficients of thin ice and the corresponding input ice parameters to the scattering model. The retrieved ice thickness from the theoretical backscattering coefficients is compare with the input ice thickness to the scattering model to illustrate the accuracy of the inversion method. Results indicate that the network convergence rate and accuracy are higher when multi-frequency training sets are presented. In addition, the dominant backscattering coefficients in retrieving ice thickness are found by comparing the behavior of the network trained backscattering data at various incidence angels. After the neural network is trained with the theoretical backscattering data at various incidence anges, the interconnection weights between nodes are saved and applied to the experimental data to be investigated. In this paper, we illustrate the effectiveness of this technique using polarimetric SAR data collected by the JPL DC-8 radar over a sea ice scene.

Polarimetric Emission of Rain Events: Simulation and Experimental Results at X-Band

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nuria Duffo

2009-06-01

Full Text Available Accurate models are used today for infrared and microwave satellite radiance simulations of the first two Stokes elements in the physical retrieval, data assimilation etc. of surface and atmospheric parameters. Although in the past a number of theoretical and experimental works have studied the polarimetric emission of some natural surfaces, specially the sea surface roughened by the wind (Windsat mission, very limited studies have been conducted on the polarimetric emission of rain cells or other natural surfaces. In this work, the polarimetric emission (four Stokes elements of a rain cell is computed using the polarimetric radiative transfer equation assuming that raindrops are described by Pruppacher-Pitter shapes and that their size distribution follows the Laws-Parsons law. The Boundary Element Method (BEM is used to compute the exact bistatic scattering coefficients for each raindrop shape and different canting angles. Numerical results are compared to the Rayleigh or Mie scattering coefficients, and to Oguchi’s ones, showing that above 1-2 mm raindrop size the exact formulation is required to model properly the scattering. Simulation results using BEM are then compared to the experimental data gathered with a X-band polarimetric radiometer. It is found that the depolarization of the radiation caused by the scattering of non-spherical raindrops induces a non-zero third Stokes parameter, and the differential phase of the scattering coefficients induces a non-zero fourth Stokes parameter.

Polarization ratio property and material classification method in passive millimeter wave polarimetric imaging

Science.gov (United States)

Cheng, Yayun; Qi, Bo; Liu, Siyuan; Hu, Fei; Gui, Liangqi; Peng, Xiaohui

2016-10-01

Polarimetric measurements can provide additional information as compared to unpolarized ones. In this paper, linear polarization ratio (LPR) is created to be a feature discriminator. The LPR properties of several materials are investigated using Fresnel theory. The theoretical results show that LPR is sensitive to the material type (metal or dielectric). Then a linear polarization ratio-based (LPR-based) method is presented to distinguish between metal and dielectric materials. In order to apply this method to practical applications, the optimal range of incident angle have been discussed. The typical outdoor experiments including various objects such as aluminum plate, grass, concrete, soil and wood, have been conducted to validate the presented classification method.

The Potential of Polarimetric and Compact SAR Data in Rice Identification

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shao, Y; Li, K; Liu, L; Yang, Z; Brisco, B

2014-01-01

Rice is a major food staple in the world, and provides food for more than one-third of the global population. The monitoring and mapping of paddy rice in a timely and efficient manner is very important for governments and decision makers. Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) has been proved to be a significant data source in rice monitoring. In this study, RADARSAT-2 polarimetric data were used to simulate compact polarimetry data. The simulated compact data and polarimetric data were then used to evaluate the information content for rice identification. The results indicate that polarimetric SAR can be used for rice identification based on the scattering mechanisms. The compact polarization RH and the RH/RL ratio are very promising for the discrimination of transplanted rice and direct-sown rice. These results require verification in further research

Synergy of optical and polarimetric microwave data for forest resource assessment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Miguel-Ayanz, J.S.

1997-01-01

Data acquired during the Mac-Europe 91 campaign over the Black Forest ( Germany) are used to study the synergy of optical imaging spectrometer data ( AVIRIS) and polarimetric microwave data ( AIRSAR) for forest resource assessment. Original and new derived bands from AIRSAR and AVIRIS data are used to predict age and biomass. The best predictors ( bands) are selected through a multivariate stepwise regression analysis of each of the datasets separately. Then the joint AIRSAR-AVIRIS dataset is analysed. This study shows how the synergistic use of AIRSAR and AVIRIS data improves significantly the predictions obtained from the individual datasets for both age and biomass over the test site. In the analysis of AVIRIS data a new approach for processing large datasets as those provided by imaging spectrometers is presented, so that maximum likelihood classification of these datasets becomes feasible. (author)

A NEW SAR CLASSIFICATION SCHEME FOR SEDIMENTS ON INTERTIDAL FLATS BASED ON MULTI-FREQUENCY POLARIMETRIC SAR IMAGERY

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W. Wang

2017-11-01

Full Text Available We present a new classification scheme for muddy and sandy sediments on exposed intertidal flats, which is based on synthetic aperture radar (SAR data, and use ALOS-2 (L-band, Radarsat-2 (C-band and TerraSAR-X (X-band fully polarimetric SAR imagery to demonstrate its effectiveness. Four test sites on the German North Sea coast were chosen, which represent typical surface compositions of different sediments, vegetation, and habitats, and of which a large amount of SAR is used for our analyses. Both Freeman-Durden and Cloude-Pottier polarimetric decomposition are utilized, and an additional descriptor called Double-Bounce Eigenvalue Relative Difference (DERD is introduced into the feature sets instead of the original polarimetric intensity channels. The classification is conducted following Random Forest theory, and the results are verified using ground truth data from field campaigns and an existing classification based on optical imagery. In addition, the use of Kennaugh elements for classification purposes is demonstrated using both fully and dual-polarization multi-frequency and multi-temporal SAR data. Our results show that the proposed classification scheme can be applied for the discrimination of muddy and sandy sediments using L-, C-, and X-band SAR images, while SAR imagery acquired at short wavelengths (C- and X-band can also be used to detect more detailed features such as bivalve beds on intertidal flats.

Improved microgrid arrangement for integrated imaging polarimeters.

Science.gov (United States)

LeMaster, Daniel A; Hirakawa, Keigo

2014-04-01

For almost 20 years, microgrid polarimetric imaging systems have been built using a 2×2 repeating pattern of polarization analyzers. In this Letter, we show that superior spatial resolution is achieved over this 2×2 case when the analyzers are arranged in a 2×4 repeating pattern. This unconventional result, in which a more distributed sampling pattern results in finer spatial resolution, is also achieved without affecting the conditioning of the polarimetric data-reduction matrix. Proof is provided theoretically and through Stokes image reconstruction of synthesized data.

Estimation of the Above Ground Biomass of Tropical Forests using Polarimetric and Tomographic SAR Data Acquired at P Band and 3-D Imaging Techniques

Science.gov (United States)

Ferro-Famil, L.; El Hajj Chehade, B.; Ho Tong Minh, D.; Tebaldini, S.; LE Toan, T.

2016-12-01

Developing and improving methods to monitor forest biomass in space and time is a timely challenge, especially for tropical forests, for which SAR imaging at larger wavelength presents an interesting potential. Nevertheless, directly estimating tropical forest biomass from classical 2-D SAR images may reveal a very complex and ill-conditioned problem, since a SAR echo is composed of numerous contributions, whose features and importance depend on many geophysical parameters, such has ground humidity, roughness, topography… that are not related to biomass. Recent studies showed that SAR modes of diversity, i.e. polarimetric intensity ratios or interferometric phase centers, do not fully resolve this under-determined problem, whereas Pol-InSAR tree height estimates may be related to biomass through allometric relationships, with, in general over tropical forests, significant levels of uncertainty and lack of robustness. In this context, 3-D imaging using SAR tomography represents an appealing solution at larger wavelengths, for which wave penetration properties ensures a high quality mapping of a tropical forest reflectivity in the vertical direction. This paper presents a series of studies led, in the frame of the preparation of the next ESA mission BIOMASS, on the estimation of biomass over a tropical forest in French Guiana, using Polarimetric SAR Tomographic (Pol-TomSAR) data acquired at P band by ONERA. It is then shown that Pol-TomoSAR significantly improves the retrieval of forest above ground biomass (AGB) in a high biomass forest (200 up to 500 t/ha), with an error of only 10% at 1.5-ha resolution using a reflectivity estimates sampled at a predetermined elevation. The robustness of this technique is tested by applying the same approach over another site, and results show a similar relationship between AGB and tomographic reflectivity over both sites. The excellent ability of Pol-TomSAR to retrieve both canopy top heights and ground topography with an error

Passive Polarimetric Microwave Signatures Observed Over Antarctica

Science.gov (United States)

WindSat satellite-based fully polarimetric passive microwave observations, expressed in the form of the Stokes vector, were analyzed over the Antarctic ice sheet. The vertically and horizontally polarized brightness temperatures (first two Stokes components) from WindSat are shown to be consistent w...

Authentication of gold nanoparticle encoded pharmaceutical tablets using polarimetric signatures.

Science.gov (United States)

Carnicer, Artur; Arteaga, Oriol; Suñé-Negre, Josep M; Javidi, Bahram

2016-10-01

The counterfeiting of pharmaceutical products represents concerns for both industry and the safety of the general public. Falsification produces losses to companies and poses health risks for patients. In order to detect fake pharmaceutical tablets, we propose producing film-coated tablets with gold nanoparticle encoding. These coated tablets contain unique polarimetric signatures. We present experiments to show that ellipsometric optical techniques, in combination with machine learning algorithms, can be used to distinguish genuine and fake samples. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report using gold nanoparticles encoded with optical polarimetric classifiers to prevent the counterfeiting of pharmaceutical products.

Comparative determination of sucrose content in sugar beet by polarimetric and isotope dilution methods

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Malec, K; Szuchnik, A [Institute of Nuclear Research, Warsaw (Poland); Rydel, S; Walerianaczyk, E [Instytut Przemyslu Cukrowniczego, Warsaw (Poland)

1976-01-01

The comparative determination of sucrose content in sugar beets has been investigated by following methods: polarimetric, direct isotope dilution and double carrier-isotope dilution analysis. Basing upon the obtained results it has been ascertained, that in the case of worse quality beets the polarimetric determinations differ greatly from isotopic data.

Forest Structure Characterization Using Jpl's UAVSAR Multi-Baseline Polarimetric SAR Interferometry and Tomography

Science.gov (United States)

Neumann, Maxim; Hensley, Scott; Lavalle, Marco; Ahmed, Razi

2013-01-01

This paper concerns forest remote sensing using JPL's multi-baseline polarimetric interferometric UAVSAR data. It presents exemplary results and analyzes the possibilities and limitations of using SAR Tomography and Polarimetric SAR Interferometry (PolInSAR) techniques for the estimation of forest structure. Performance and error indicators for the applicability and reliability of the used multi-baseline (MB) multi-temporal (MT) PolInSAR random volume over ground (RVoG) model are discussed. Experimental results are presented based on JPL's L-band repeat-pass polarimetric interferometric UAVSAR data over temperate and tropical forest biomes in the Harvard Forest, Massachusetts, and in the La Amistad Park, Panama and Costa Rica. The results are partially compared with ground field measurements and with air-borne LVIS lidar data.

Comparison between Multitemporal and Polarimetric SAR Data for Land Cover Classification

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Skriver, Henning

2008-01-01

The investigation focuses on the determination of the land cover type using SAR data, including single polarisation, dual polarisation and fully polarimetric data, at L-band. The analysed data set was acquired during the AgriSAR 2006 campaign by the airborne ESAR system over the Gormin agricultural...... site (Northeast Germany). The multitemporal acquisitions significantly improve the classification results for single and dual polarization configurations. The best results for the single and dual polarization configurations are better than for the polarimetric mode. Overall, the cross...

Polarimetric Remote Sensing of Atmospheric Particulate Pollutants

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Z.; Zhang, Y.; Hong, J.

2018-04-01

Atmospheric particulate pollutants not only reduce atmospheric visibility, change the energy balance of the troposphere, but also affect human and vegetation health. For monitoring the particulate pollutants, we establish and develop a series of inversion algorithms based on polarimetric remote sensing technology which has unique advantages in dealing with atmospheric particulates. A solution is pointed out to estimate the near surface PM2.5 mass concentrations from full remote sensing measurements including polarimetric, active and infrared remote sensing technologies. It is found that the mean relative error of PM2.5 retrieved by full remote sensing measurements is 35.5 % in the case of October 5th 2013, improved to a certain degree compared to previous studies. A systematic comparison with the ground-based observations further indicates the effectiveness of the inversion algorithm and reliability of results. A new generation of polarized sensors (DPC and PCF), whose observation can support these algorithms, will be onboard GF series satellites and launched by China in the near future.

Moving image compression and generalization capability of constructive neural networks

Science.gov (United States)

Ma, Liying; Khorasani, Khashayar

2001-03-01

To date numerous techniques have been proposed to compress digital images to ease their storage and transmission over communication channels. Recently, a number of image compression algorithms using Neural Networks NNs have been developed. Particularly, several constructive feed-forward neural networks FNNs have been proposed by researchers for image compression, and promising results have been reported. At the previous SPIE AeroSense conference 2000, we proposed to use a constructive One-Hidden-Layer Feedforward Neural Network OHL-FNN for compressing digital images. In this paper, we first investigate the generalization capability of the proposed OHL-FNN in the presence of additive noise for network training and/ or generalization. Extensive experimental results for different scenarios are presented. It is revealed that the constructive OHL-FNN is not as robust to additive noise in input image as expected. Next, the constructive OHL-FNN is applied to moving images, video sequences. The first, or other specified frame in a moving image sequence is used to train the network. The remaining moving images that follow are then generalized/compressed by this trained network. Three types of correlation-like criteria measuring the similarity of any two images are introduced. The relationship between the generalization capability of the constructed net and the similarity of images is investigated in some detail. It is shown that the constructive OHL-FNN is promising even for changing images such as those extracted from a football game.

New and Emerging Satellite Imaging Capabilities in Support of Safeguards

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Johnson, M.; Paquette, J.P.; Spyropoulos, N.; Rainville, L.; Schichor, P.; Hong, M.

2015-01-01

This abstract is focused on new and emerging commercial satellite imagery (CSI) capabilities. For more than a decade, experienced imagery analysts have been exploiting and analyzing CSI in support of the Department of Safeguards. As the remote sensing industry continues to evolve, additional CSI imagery types are becoming available that could enhance our ability to evaluate and verify States' declarations and to investigate the possible presence of undeclared activities. A newly available and promising CSI capability that may have a Safeguards application is Full Motion Video (FMV) imagery collection from satellites. For quite some time, FMV imagery has been collected from airborne platforms, but now FMV sensors are being deployed into space. Like its airborne counterpart, satellite FMV imagery could provide analysts with a great deal of information, including insight into the operational status of facilities and patterns of activity. From a Safeguards perspective, FMV imagery could help the Agency in the evaluation and verification of States' declared facilities and activities. There are advantages of FMV imaging capabilities that cannot be duplicated with other CSI capabilities, including the ability to loiter over areas of interest and the potential to revisit sites multiple times per day. Additional sensor capabilities applicable to the Safeguards mission include, but are not limited to, the following sensors: · Thermal Infrared imaging sensors will be launched in late 2014 to monitor operational status, e.g., heat from a transformer. · High resolution ShortWave Infrared sensors able to characterize materials that could support verification of Additional Protocol declarations under Article 2.a(v). · Unmanned Aerial Vehicles with individual sensors or specific sensor combinations. The Safeguards Symposium provides a forum to showcase and demonstrate safeguards applications for these emerging satellite imaging capabilities. (author)

Comparisons of Circular Transmit and Linear Receive Compact Polarimetric SAR Features for Oil Slicks Discrimination

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yu Li

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Compact polarimetric (CP synthetic aperture radar (SAR has proven its potential in distinguishing oil slicks and look-alikes. Polarimetric information can be retrieved directly from scattering vector or from reconstructed pseudo-Quad-Pol covariance matrix of CP SAR data. In this paper, we analysed features from Circular Transmit and Linear Receive (CTLR CP SAR data that are derived by taking both of these two methods. K-means clustering followed by accuracy assessment was also implemented for performance evaluation. Through experiments that were conducted based on L-band UAVSAR fully polarimetric data, it was found that optimum extraction methods varied for different features. The histogram analysis and segmentation results also demonstrated the comparable performance of CP SAR features in distinguishing different damping properties within oil slicks. This study proposed a framework of statistically analyzing polarimetric SAR (Pol-SAR features and provided guidelines for determining optimum feature extraction methods from CP SAR data and for marine oil-spills detection and classification.

NAMMA NASA POLARIMETRIC DOPPLER WEATHER RADAR (NPOL) V1

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — The NAMMA NASA Polarimetric Doppler Weather Radar (NPOL) dataset used the NPOL, developed by a research team from Wallops Flight Facility, is a fully transportable...

The effect of orbital eccentricity on polarimetric binary diagnostics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aspin, C.; Brown, J.C.; Simmons, J.F.L.

1980-01-01

The polarimetric variation from a binary system with an eccentric orbit, thus non-corotating, are calculated and the effect on determining the system parameters is discussed, relative to the circular case. (Auth.)

Polarimetric survey of main-belt asteroids⋆. III. Results for 33 X-type objects

Science.gov (United States)

Cañada-Assandri, M.; Gil-Hutton, R.; Benavidez, P.

2012-06-01

Aims: We present results of a polarimetric survey of main-belt asteroids at Complejo Astronómico El Leoncito (Casleo), San Juan, Argentina. The aims of this survey are to increase the database of asteroid polarimetry, to estimate diversity in polarimetric properties of asteroids that belong to different taxonomic classes, and to search for objects that exhibit anomalous polarimetric properties. Methods: The data were obtained with the Torino and CASPROF polarimeters at the 2.15 m telescope. The Torino polarimeter is an instrument that allows the simultaneous measurement of polarization in five different bands, and the CASPROF polarimeter is a two-hole aperture polarimeter with rapid modulation. Results: The survey began in 2003, and up to 2009 data of a sample of more than 170 asteroids were obtained. In this paper the results for 33 X-type objects are presented, several of them are being polarimetrically observed for the first time. Using these data we found polarization curves and polarimetric parameters for different groups among this taxonomic class and that there are objects with very different albedo in the sub-classes of the X taxonomic complex. Based on observations carried out at the Complejo Astronómico El Leoncito, operated under agreement between the Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas de la República Argentina and the National Universities of La Plata, Córdoba, and San Juan.Table 1 is only available at the CDS via anonymous ftp to cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (130.79.128.5) or via http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr/viz-bin/qcat?J/A+A/542/A11

Three-Component Decomposition Based on Stokes Vector for Compact Polarimetric SAR

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hanning Wang

2015-09-01

Full Text Available In this paper, a three-component decomposition algorithm is proposed for processing compact polarimetric SAR images. By using the correspondence between the covariance matrix and the Stokes vector, three-component scattering models for CTLR and DCP modes are established. The explicit expression of decomposition results is then derived by setting the contribution of volume scattering as a free parameter. The degree of depolarization is taken as the upper bound of the free parameter, for the constraint that the weighting factor of each scattering component should be nonnegative. Several methods are investigated to estimate the free parameter suitable for decomposition. The feasibility of this algorithm is validated by AIRSAR data over San Francisco and RADARSAT-2 data over Flevoland.

POLARIMETRIC REMOTE SENSING OF ATMOSPHERIC PARTICULATE POLLUTANTS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Z. Li

2018-04-01

Full Text Available Atmospheric particulate pollutants not only reduce atmospheric visibility, change the energy balance of the troposphere, but also affect human and vegetation health. For monitoring the particulate pollutants, we establish and develop a series of inversion algorithms based on polarimetric remote sensing technology which has unique advantages in dealing with atmospheric particulates. A solution is pointed out to estimate the near surface PM2.5 mass concentrations from full remote sensing measurements including polarimetric, active and infrared remote sensing technologies. It is found that the mean relative error of PM2.5 retrieved by full remote sensing measurements is 35.5 % in the case of October 5th 2013, improved to a certain degree compared to previous studies. A systematic comparison with the ground-based observations further indicates the effectiveness of the inversion algorithm and reliability of results. A new generation of polarized sensors (DPC and PCF, whose observation can support these algorithms, will be onboard GF series satellites and launched by China in the near future.

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

Positron imaging system with improved count rate and tomographic capability

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Muehllehner, G.; Buchin, M.P.

1980-01-01

Improvements to a positron camera imaging system are described. A pair of Angear-type scintillation cameras serve as the detectors, each camera being positioned on opposite sides of the organ of interest. Pulse shaping circuits reduce the pulse duration below 900 nanoseconds and the integration time below 500 noneseconds, improving the count rate capability and the counting statistics of the system and thus the image quality and processing speed. The invention also provides means for rotating the opposed camera heads about an axis which passes through the organ of interest. The cameras do not use collimators, and are capable of accepting radiation travelling in planes not perpendicular to the scintillation crystals. (LL)

The Danish polarimetric SAR for remote sensing applications

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Christensen, Erik Lintz; Madsen, Søren Nørvang; Dall, Jørgen

1994-01-01

Presents the Danish polarimetric SAR system, EMISAR, and the approach taken in the system design to achieve a reliable high performance system. The design and implementation of the antenna system as well as the analog and digital hardware are discussed. The SAR utilises a dual polarised microstri...

Searching for Jet Emission in LMXBs: A Polarimetric View

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maria Cristina Baglio

2017-10-01

Full Text Available We present results taken from a study aiming at detecting the emission from relativistic particles jets in neutron star-low mass X-ray binaries using optical polarimetric observations. First, we focus on a polarimetric study performed on the persistent LMXB 4U 0614+091. Once corrected for interstellar effects, we measured an intrinsic linear polarization in the r-band of ~3% at a 3σ confidence level. This is in-line with the observation of an infrared excess in the spectral energy distribution (SED of the source, reported in a previous work, which the authors linked to the optically thin synchrotron emission of a jet. We then present a study performed on the transitional millisecond pulsar PSR J1023+0038 during quiescence. We measured a linear polarization of 1.09 ± 0.27% and 0.90 ± 0.17% in the V and R bands, respectively. The phase-resolved polarimetric curve of the source in the R-band reveals a hint of a sinusoidal modulation at the source orbital period. The NIR -optical SED of the system did not suggest the presence of a jet. We conclude that the optical linear polarization observed for PSR J1023+0038 is possibly due to Thomson scattering with electrons in the disc, as also suggested by the hint of the modulation of the R-band linear polarization at the system orbital period.

A new approach to polarimetric measurements based on birefringent crystals and diode lasers

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ribeiro, Lívia Paulia Dias; Rohwedder, Jarbas José Rodrigues [Chemistry Institute, Department of Analytical Chemistry, UNICAMP, Caixa Postal 6154, CEP: 13087-971 Campinas, SP (Brazil); Pasquini, Celio, E-mail: pasquini@iqm.unicamp.br [Chemistry Institute, Department of Analytical Chemistry, UNICAMP, Caixa Postal 6154, CEP: 13087-971 Campinas, SP (Brazil)

2013-04-10

Highlights: ► New approach to polarimetric measurements is evaluated. ► A robust, with no mechanical moving parts polarimeter is presented. ► The performance of the instrument was evaluated for saccharimetric measurements. ► The uncertainty of the instrument was evaluated as a function of the measured angle. ► Polarimeter allow the use of low cost lasers while obtaining precision as good as 0.003°. -- Abstract: A new polarimetric instrument and measurement method is described based on the use of diode lasers as radiation source (532, 650 and 1064 nm) and birefringent prisms, such as Glan-Laser and Wollaston, as analyzers. The laser radiation is passed through a dichroic polarizer film for further orientation of its polarization plane at 45° in relation to the polarization plane of the analyzer. The polarized beam, oriented in that way, passes the sample cell, impinges the prism surface, and the intensities of the two emerged beams are detected by two twin silicon detectors. Ideally, in the absence of any optically active substances, the crystals produces two orthogonally polarized refracted beams of equal intensity. In the presence of an optically active substance, the arctangent of the square root of the beam intensities ratio is equal to the new polarization angle (β) of the laser beam. The rotation angle imposed for any optically active substance present in the sample cell is then given by: α = (45 – β)°. Because the rotation is obtained by the ratio of the intensities of two beams, it is independent of the laser intensity, which can vary up to ±15% with no significant effect on the accuracy of the polarimetric measurement. The instrument has been evaluated for measurement of optically active substances such as sucrose and fructose. The instrument employs low cost components, is capable of attaining a repeatability of ±0.003° and can measure the rotation angle, over a ±45° range, in less than 2 s. Because it does not present any moving

The orbital inclination of Cygnus XR-1 measured polarimetrically

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dolan, J.F.; Tapia, S.

1989-01-01

The X-ray binary Cyg XR-1/HDE 226868 was observed polarimetrically over one orbit at three different optical wavelengths. The standard theory of Brown, et al. (1978) is used to derive an orbital inclination i = 62 deg (+5 deg, -37 deg), where the error is the 90-percent-confidence interval derived by the method of Simmons, et al. (1980). The value of the orbital inclination is significantly lower than values based on polarimetric observations. The difference is a result of the observational protocols used. A bias toward larger values of the inclination caused by the tidal distortion of the primary is still found in the present result. The inclination derived corresponds to a mass of the compact component of 6.3 solar masses, above the maximum mass of any degenerate configuration consistent with general relativity except a black hole. 37 refs

Polarimetric borehole radar measurement near Nojima fault and its application to subsurface crack characterization; Polarimetric borehole radar ni yoru Nojima danso shuhen no chika kiretsu keisoku jikken

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sato, M.; Taniguchi, Y.; Miwa, T.; Niitsuma, H. [Tohoku University, Sendai (Japan); Ikeda, R. [National Research Institute for Disaster Prevention, Tsukuba (Japan); Makino, K. [Geophysical Surveying and Consulting Co. Ltd., Tokyo (Japan)

1997-05-27

Practical application of subsurface crack characterization by the borehole radar measurement to which the radar polarimetric method was introduced was attempted to measuring objects for which the borehole radar has not been much used, for example, the inside of low loss rock mass or fracture zone where cracks tightly exist. A system was trially manufactured which makes the radar polarimetric measurement possible in the borehole at a 1000m depth and with a about 10cm diameter, and a field experiment was conducted for realizing the subsurface crack characterization near the Nojima fault. For the measuring experiment by the polarimetric borehole radar, used were Iwaya borehole and Hirabayashi borehole drilled in the north of Awaji-shima, Hyogo-ken. In a comparison of both polarization systems of Hirabayashi borehole, reflected waves at depths of 1038m and 1047m are relatively stronger in both polarization systems than those with the same polarization form and at different depths, whereas reflected waves around a 1017m depth are strong only as to the parallel polarization system. Characteristics of the polarization in this experiment indirectly reflect crack structures. 6 refs., 6 figs., 1 tab.

Change detection in a time series of polarimetric SAR data by an omnibus test statistic and its factorization (Conference Presentation)

Science.gov (United States)

Nielsen, Allan A.; Conradsen, Knut; Skriver, Henning

2016-10-01

., Skriver, H., Nielsen, A. A., and Conradsen, K., "CFAR edge detector for polarimetric SAR images," IEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing 41(1): 20-32, 2003. [4] van Zyl, J. J. and Ulaby, F. T., "Scattering matrix representation for simple targets," in Radar Polarimetry for Geoscience Applications, Ulaby, F. T. and Elachi, C., eds., Artech, Norwood, MA (1990). [5] Canty, M. J., Image Analysis, Classification and Change Detection in Remote Sensing,with Algorithms for ENVI/IDL and Python, Taylor & Francis, CRC Press, third revised ed. (2014). [6] Nielsen, A. A., Conradsen, K., and Skriver, H., "Change detection in full and dual polarization, single- and multi-frequency SAR data," IEEE Journal of Selected Topics in Applied Earth Observations and Remote Sensing 8(8): 4041-4048, 2015. [7] Conradsen, K., Nielsen, A. A., and Skriver, H., "Determining the points of change in time series of polarimetric SAR data," IEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing 54(5), 3007-3024, 2016. [9] Christensen, E. L., Skou, N., Dall, J., Woelders, K., rgensen, J. H. J., Granholm, J., and Madsen, S. N., "EMISAR: An absolutely calibrated polarimetric L- and C-band SAR," IEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing 36: 1852-1865 (1998).

Skipping the real world: Classification of PolSAR images without explicit feature extraction

Science.gov (United States)

Hänsch, Ronny; Hellwich, Olaf

2018-06-01

The typical processing chain for pixel-wise classification from PolSAR images starts with an optional preprocessing step (e.g. speckle reduction), continues with extracting features projecting the complex-valued data into the real domain (e.g. by polarimetric decompositions) which are then used as input for a machine-learning based classifier, and ends in an optional postprocessing (e.g. label smoothing). The extracted features are usually hand-crafted as well as preselected and represent (a somewhat arbitrary) projection from the complex to the real domain in order to fit the requirements of standard machine-learning approaches such as Support Vector Machines or Artificial Neural Networks. This paper proposes to adapt the internal node tests of Random Forests to work directly on the complex-valued PolSAR data, which makes any explicit feature extraction obsolete. This approach leads to a classification framework with a significantly decreased computation time and memory footprint since no image features have to be computed and stored beforehand. The experimental results on one fully-polarimetric and one dual-polarimetric dataset show that, despite the simpler approach, accuracy can be maintained (decreased by only less than 2 % for the fully-polarimetric dataset) or even improved (increased by roughly 9 % for the dual-polarimetric dataset).

CFAR Edge Detector for Polarimetric SAR Images

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Schou, Jesper; Skriver, Henning; Nielsen, Allan Aasbjerg

2003-01-01

Finding the edges between different regions in an image is one of the fundamental steps of image analysis, and several edge detectors suitable for the special statistics of synthetic aperture radar (SAR) intensity images have previously been developed. In this paper, a new edge detector for polar...

Ice sheet anisotropy measured with polarimetric ice sounding radar

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Dall, Jørgen

2010-01-01

For polar ice sheets, valuable stress and strain information can be deduced from crystal orientation fabrics (COF) and their prevailing c-axis alignment. Polarimetric radio echo sounding is a promising technique to measure the anisotropic electromagnetic propagation and reflection properties asso...

[Modeling and Simulation of Spectral Polarimetric BRDF].

Science.gov (United States)

Ling, Jin-jiang; Li, Gang; Zhang, Ren-bin; Tang, Qian; Ye, Qiu

2016-01-01

Under the conditions of the polarized light, The reflective surface of the object is affected by many factors, refractive index, surface roughness, and so the angle of incidence. For the rough surface in the different wavelengths of light exhibit different reflection characteristics of polarization, a spectral polarimetric BRDF based on Kirchhof theory is proposee. The spectral model of complex refraction index is combined with refraction index and extinction coefficient spectral model which were got by using the known complex refraction index at different value. Then get the spectral model of surface roughness derived from the classical surface roughness measuring method combined with the Fresnel reflection function. Take the spectral model of refraction index and roughness into the BRDF model, then the spectral polarimetirc BRDF model is proposed. Compare the simulation results of the refractive index varies with wavelength, roughness is constant, the refraction index and roughness both vary with wavelength and origin model with other papers, it shows that, the spectral polarimetric BRDF model can show the polarization characteristics of the surface accurately, and can provide a reliable basis for the application of polarization remote sensing, and other aspects of the classification of substances.

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

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...

Polarimetric imaging of turbid inhomogeneous slab media based on backscattering using a pencil beam for illumination: Monte Carlo simulation

Science.gov (United States)

Otsuki, Soichi

2018-04-01

Polarimetric imaging of absorbing, strongly scattering, or birefringent inclusions is investigated in a negligibly absorbing, moderately scattering, and isotropic slab medium. It was proved that the reduced effective scattering Mueller matrix is exactly calculated from experimental or simulated raw matrices even if the medium is anisotropic and/or heterogeneous, or the outgoing light beam exits obliquely to the normal of the slab surface. The calculation also gives a reasonable approximation of the reduced matrix using a light beam with a finite diameter for illumination. The reduced matrix was calculated using a Monte Carlo simulation and was factorized in two dimensions by the Lu-Chipman polar decomposition. The intensity of backscattered light shows clear and modestly clear differences for absorbing and strongly scattering inclusions, respectively, whereas it shows no difference for birefringent inclusions. Conversely, some polarization parameters, for example, the selective depolarization coefficients exhibit only a slight difference for the absorbing inclusions, whereas they showed clear difference for the strongly scattering or birefringent inclusions. Moreover, these quantities become larger with increasing the difference in the optical properties of the inclusions relative to the surrounding medium. However, it is difficult to recognize inclusions that buried at the depth deeper than 3 mm under the surface. Thus, the present technique can detect the approximate shape and size of these inclusions, and considering the depth where inclusions lie, estimate their optical properties. This study reveals the possibility of the polarization-sensitive imaging of turbid inhomogeneous media using a pencil beam for illumination.

Polarimetric survey of main-belt asteroids. II. Results for 58 B- and C-type objects

Science.gov (United States)

Gil-Hutton, R.; Cañada-Assandri, M.

2012-03-01

Aims: We present results of a polarimetric survey of main-belt asteroids at Complejo Astronómico el Leoncito (CASLEO), San Juan, Argentina. The aims of this survey are to increase the database of asteroid polarimetry, to estimate diversity in polarimetric properties of asteroids that belong to different taxonomic classes, and to search for objects that exhibit anomalous polarimetric properties. Methods: The data were obtained with the Torino and CASPROF polarimeters at the 2.15m telescope. The Torino polarimeter is an instrument that allows simultaneous measurement of polarization in five different bands, and the CASPROF polarimeter is a two-hole aperture polarimeter with rapid modulation. Results: The survey began in 2003, and up to 2009 data on a sample of more than 170 asteroids were obtained. In this paper the results for 58 B- and C-type objects are presented, most of them polarimetrically observed for the first time. Using these data we find phase-polarization curves and polarimetric parameters for these taxonomic classes. Based on observations carried out at the Complejo Astronómico El Leoncito, operated under agreement between the Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas de la República Argentina and the National Universities of La Plata, Córdoba, and San Juan.Tables 1 and 2 are available in electronic form at CDS via anonymous ftp to cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (130.79.128.5) or via http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr/viz-bin/qcat?J/A+A/539/A115

L-Band Polarimetric Correlation Radiometer with Subharmonic Sampling

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rotbøll, Jesper; Søbjærg, Sten Schmidl; Skou, Niels

2001-01-01

A novel L-band radiometer trading analog complexity for digital ditto has been designed and built. It is a fully polarimetric radiometer of the correlation type and it is based on the sub-harmonic sampling principle in which the L-band signal is directly sampled by a fast A to D converter...

Polarimetric purity and the concept of degree of polarization

Science.gov (United States)

Gil, José J.; Norrman, Andreas; Friberg, Ari T.; Setälä, Tero

2018-02-01

The concept of degree of polarization for electromagnetic waves, in its general three-dimensional version, is revisited in the light of the implications of the recent findings on the structure of polarimetric purity and of the existence of nonregular states of polarization [J. J. Gil et al., Phys Rev. A 95, 053856 (2017), 10.1103/PhysRevA.95.053856]. From the analysis of the characteristic decomposition of a polarization matrix R into an incoherent convex combination of (1) a pure state Rp, (2) a middle state Rm given by an equiprobable mixture of two eigenstates of R, and (3) a fully unpolarized state Ru -3 D, it is found that, in general, Rm exhibits nonzero circular and linear degrees of polarization. Therefore, the degrees of linear and circular polarization of R cannot always be assigned to the single totally polarized component Rp. It is shown that the parameter P3 D proposed formerly by Samson [J. C. Samson, Geophys. J. R. Astron. Soc. 34, 403 (1973), 10.1111/j.1365-246X.1973.tb02404.x] takes into account, in a proper and objective form, all the contributions to polarimetric purity, namely, the contributions to the linear and circular degrees of polarization of R as well as to the stability of the plane containing its polarization ellipse. Consequently, P3 D constitutes a natural representative of the degree of polarimetric purity. Some implications for the common convention for the concept of two-dimensional degree of polarization are also analyzed and discussed.

Microphysical retrievals from simultaneous polarimetric and profiling radar observations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. P. Morris

2009-12-01

Full Text Available The character of precipitation detected at the surface is the final product of many microphysical interactions in the cloud above, the combined effects of which may be characterized by the observed drop size distribution (DSD. This necessitates accurate retrieval of the DSD from remote sensing data, especially radar as it offers large areal coverage, high spatial resolution, and rigorous quality control and testing. Combined instrument observations with a UHF wind profiler, an S-band polarimetric weather radar, and a video disdrometer are analyzed for two squall line events occuring during the calendar year 2007. UHF profiler Doppler velocity spectra are used to estimate the DSD aloft, and are complemented by DSDs retrieved from an exponential model applied to polarimetric data. Ground truth is provided by the disdrometer. A complicating factor in the retrieval from UHF profiler spectra is the presence of ambient air motion, which can be corrected using the method proposed by Teshiba et al. (2009, in which a comparison between idealized Doppler spectra calculated from the DSDs retrieved from KOUN and those retrieved from contaminated wind profiler spectra is performed. It is found that DSDs measured using the distrometer at the surface and estimated using the wind profiler and polarimetric weather radar generally showed good agreement. The DSD retrievals using the wind profiler were improved when the estimates of the vertical wind were included into the analysis, thus supporting the method of Teshiba et al. (2009. Furthermore, the the study presents a method of investigating the time and height structure of DSDs.

Target Detection Using an AOTF Hyperspectral Imager

Science.gov (United States)

Cheng, L-J.; Mahoney, J.; Reyes, F.; Suiter, H.

1994-01-01

This paper reports results of a recent field experiment using a prototype system to evaluate the acousto-optic tunable filter polarimetric hyperspectral imaging technology for target detection applications.

Evaluation of Polarimetric SAR Decomposition for Classifying Wetland Vegetation Types

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sang-Hoon Hong

2015-07-01

Full Text Available The Florida Everglades is the largest subtropical wetland system in the United States and, as with subtropical and tropical wetlands elsewhere, has been threatened by severe environmental stresses. It is very important to monitor such wetlands to inform management on the status of these fragile ecosystems. This study aims to examine the applicability of TerraSAR-X quadruple polarimetric (quad-pol synthetic aperture radar (PolSAR data for classifying wetland vegetation in the Everglades. We processed quad-pol data using the Hong & Wdowinski four-component decomposition, which accounts for double bounce scattering in the cross-polarization signal. The calculated decomposition images consist of four scattering mechanisms (single, co- and cross-pol double, and volume scattering. We applied an object-oriented image analysis approach to classify vegetation types with the decomposition results. We also used a high-resolution multispectral optical RapidEye image to compare statistics and classification results with Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR observations. The calculated classification accuracy was higher than 85%, suggesting that the TerraSAR-X quad-pol SAR signal had a high potential for distinguishing different vegetation types. Scattering components from SAR acquisition were particularly advantageous for classifying mangroves along tidal channels. We conclude that the typical scattering behaviors from model-based decomposition are useful for discriminating among different wetland vegetation types.

INVENTORY OF IRRIGATED RICE ECOSYSTEM USING POLARIMETRIC SAR DATA

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

P. Srikanth

2012-08-01

Full Text Available An attempt has been made in the current study to assess the potential of polarimetric SAR data for inventory of kharif rice and the major competing crop like cotton. In the process, physical process of the scattering mechanisms occurring in rice and cotton crops at different phonological stages was studied through the use of temporal Radarsat 2 Fine quadpol SAR data. The temporal dynamics of the volume, double and odd bounce, entropy, anisotropy, alpha parameters and polarimertic signatures, classification through isodata clustering and Wishart techniques were assessed. The Wishart (H-a classification showed higher overall as well as rice and cotton crop accuracies compared to the isodata clustering from Freeman 3-component decomposition. The classification of temporal SAR data sets independently showed that the rice crop forecasting can be advanced with the use of appropriate single date polarimetric SAR data rather than using temporal SAR amplitude data sets with the single polarization in irrigated rice ecosystems

Project PHARUS: Towards a polarimetric C-band airborne SAR

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hoogeboom, P.; Koomen, P.J.; Otten, M.P.G.; Pouwels, H.; Snoeij, P.

1989-01-01

A few years ago three institutes in the Netherlands developed a plan to design and build a polarimetric C-band aircraft SAR system of a novel design, called PHARUS (PHased Array Universal SAR), meant as a replacement for our current digital SLAR system. These institutes are the Physics and

Polarimetric scattering and SAR information retrieval

CERN Document Server

Jin, Ya-Qiu

2013-01-01

Taking an innovative look at Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR), this practical reference fully covers new developments in SAR and its various methodologies and enables readers to interpret SAR imagery An essential reference on polarimetric Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR), this book uses scattering theory and radiative transfer theory as a basis for its treatment of topics. It is organized to include theoretical scattering models and SAR data analysis techniques, and presents cutting-edge research on theoretical modelling of terrain surface. The book includes quantitative app

Reconfigurable digital receiver design and application for instantaneous polarimetric measurement

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Wang, Z.; Krasnov, O.A.; Babur, G.P.; Ligthart, L.P.; Van der Zwan, F.

2011-01-01

This paper presents the development of a reconfigurable receiver to undertake challenging signal processing tasks for a novel polarimetric radar system. The field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs)-based digital receiver samples incoming signals at intermediate frequency (IF) and processes signals

Underwater Topography Detection in Coastal Areas Using Fully Polarimetric SAR Data

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xiaolin Bian

2017-06-01

Full Text Available Fully polarimetric synthetic aperture radar (SAR can provide detailed information on scattering mechanisms that could enable the target or structure to be identified. This paper presents a method to detect underwater topography in coastal areas using high resolution fully polarimetric SAR data, while less prior information is required. The method is based on the shoaling and refraction of long surface gravity waves as they propagate shoreward. First, the surface scattering component is obtained by polarization decomposition. Then, wave fields are retrieved from the two-dimensional (2D spectra by the Fast Fourier Transformation (FFT. Finally, shallow water depths are estimated from the dispersion relation. Applicability and effectiveness of the proposed methodology are tested by using C-band fine quad-polarization mode RADARSAT-2 SAR data over the near-shore area of the Hainan province, China. By comparing with the values from an official electronic navigational chart (ENC, the estimated water depths are in good agreement with them. The average relative error of the detected results from the scattering mechanisms based method and single polarization SAR data are 9.73% and 11.53% respectively. The validation results indicate that the scattering mechanisms based methodology is more effective than only using the single polarization SAR data for underwater topography detection, and will inspire further research on underwater topography detection with fully polarimetric SAR data.

MCM Polarimetric Radiometers for Planar Arrays

Science.gov (United States)

Kangaslahti, Pekka; Dawson, Douglas; Gaier, Todd

2007-01-01

A polarimetric radiometer that operates at a frequency of 40 GHz has been designed and built as a prototype of multiple identical units that could be arranged in a planar array for scientific measurements. Such an array is planned for use in studying the cosmic microwave background (CMB). All of the subsystems and components of this polarimetric radiometer are integrated into a single multi-chip module (MCM) of substantially planar geometry. In comparison with traditional designs of polarimetric radiometers, the MCM design is expected to greatly reduce the cost per unit in an array of many such units. The design of the unit is dictated partly by a requirement, in the planned CMB application, to measure the Stokes parameters I, Q, and U of the CMB radiation with high sensitivity. (A complete definition of the Stokes parameters would exceed the scope of this article. In necessarily oversimplified terms, I is a measure of total intensity of radiation, while Q and U are measures of the relationships between the horizontally and vertically polarized components of radiation.) Because the sensitivity of a single polarimeter cannot be increased significantly, the only way to satisfy the high-sensitivity requirement is to make a large array of polarimeters that operate in parallel. The MCM includes contact pins that can be plugged into receptacles on a standard printed-circuit board (PCB). All of the required microwave functionality is implemented within the MCM; any required supporting non-microwave ("back-end") electronic functionality, including the provision of DC bias and control signals, can be implemented by standard PCB techniques. On the way from a microwave antenna to the MCM, the incoming microwave signal passes through an orthomode transducer (OMT), which splits the radiation into an h + i(nu) beam and an h - i(nu) beam (where, using complex-number notation, h denotes the horizontal component, nu denotes the vertical component, and +/-i denotes a +/-90deg phase

A novel L-band polarimetric radiometer featuring subharmonic sampling

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rotbøll, J.; Søbjærg, Sten Schmidl; Skou, Niels

2003-01-01

A novel L-band radiometer trading analog components for digital circuits has been designed, built and operated. It is a fully polarimetric radiometer of the correlation type, and it is based on the subharmonic sampling principle in which the L-band signal is directly sampled by a fast A to D...

Changes of polarimetric scattering characteristics of ALOS PALSAR caused by the 2011 Eruption of Shinmoe-dake Volcano

Science.gov (United States)

Ohkura, Hiroshi

Full polarimetric SAR images of ALOS PALSAR of Shinmoe-dake volcano in Japan were analyzed. The volcano erupted in January, 2011 and volcano ash deposited more than 10 cm in 12 km (2) and 1 m in 2 km (2) . Two images before and after the eruption were compared based on a point view of the four-component scattering model to detect changes of polarimetric scattering characteristics. The main detected changes are as follows. Total power of the four-component scattering model decreased on a farslope after the eruption. An incident angle on a farslope is larger than the angle on a foreslope. Decrease of surface roughness due to deposited volcanic ashes makes back-scattering smaller in the area of a larger incidence angle. However the rate of the double-bounce component got higher in a forest at the foot of a mountain slope and on a plain, where the ground surface is almost horizontal and the incident angle is relatively-large. Decrease of roughness of the forest floor increases forward scattering on the floor of the larger incident angle. This increases the double-bounced scattering due to bouncing back between the forest floor and trunks which stand "perpendicularly" on the almost horizontal forest floor. The rate of the surface scattering component got higher around an area where layover occurred. In the study area, most of layovers occurred at a ridge where an incidence angle was small. Decrease of surface roughness due to the ash deposit increases the surface scattering power in the area of the small incidence angle.

Investigation of hydrometeor classification uncertainties through the POLARRIS polarimetric radar simulator

Science.gov (United States)

Dolan, B.; Rutledge, S. A.; Barnum, J. I.; Matsui, T.; Tao, W. K.; Iguchi, T.

2017-12-01

POLarimetric Radar Retrieval and Instrument Simulator (POLARRIS) is a framework that has been developed to simulate radar observations from cloud resolving model (CRM) output and subject model data and observations to the same retrievals, analysis and visualization. This framework not only enables validation of bulk microphysical model simulated properties, but also offers an opportunity to study the uncertainties associated with retrievals such as hydrometeor classification (HID). For the CSU HID, membership beta functions (MBFs) are built using a set of simulations with realistic microphysical assumptions about axis ratio, density, canting angles, size distributions for each of ten hydrometeor species. These assumptions are tested using POLARRIS to understand their influence on the resulting simulated polarimetric data and final HID classification. Several of these parameters (density, size distributions) are set by the model microphysics, and therefore the specific assumptions of axis ratio and canting angle are carefully studied. Through these sensitivity studies, we hope to be able to provide uncertainties in retrieved polarimetric variables and HID as applied to CRM output. HID retrievals assign a classification to each point by determining the highest score, thereby identifying the dominant hydrometeor type within a volume. However, in nature, there is rarely just one a single hydrometeor type at a particular point. Models allow for mixing ratios of different hydrometeors within a grid point. We use the mixing ratios from CRM output in concert with the HID scores and classifications to understand how the HID algorithm can provide information about mixtures within a volume, as well as calculate a confidence in the classifications. We leverage the POLARRIS framework to additionally probe radar wavelength differences toward the possibility of a multi-wavelength HID which could utilize the strengths of different wavelengths to improve HID classifications. With

An Airborne Campaign Measuring Wind Signatures from the Sea Surface using an L-band Polarimetric Radiometer

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Søbjærg, Sten Schmidl; Skou, Niels

2003-01-01

A series of circle flights have been carried out over the sea surface, using the EMIRAD L-band polarimetric radiometer. Motion compensation is applied, and polarimetric azimuth signatures are generated. Single tracks show geophysical noise, typically about 2 K, but averaging decreases the noise, ......, but a comparison of the signature to the downwelling galactic background radiation indicates, that the signature may not origin from the wind driven sea surface pattern....

Temporal Decorrelation Effect in Carbon Stocks Estimation Using Polarimetric Interferometry Synthetic Aperture Radar (PolInSAR (Case Study: Southeast Sulawesi Tropical Forest

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Laode M Golok Jaya

2017-07-01

Full Text Available This paper was aimed to analyse the effect of temporal decorrelation in carbon stocks estimation. Estimation of carbon stocks plays important roles particularly to understand the global carbon cycle in the atmosphere regarding with climate change mitigation effort. PolInSAR technique combines the advantages of Polarimetric Synthetic Aperture Radar (PolSAR and Interferometry Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR technique, which is evidenced to have significant contribution in radar mapping technology in the last few years. In carbon stocks estimation, PolInSAR provides information about vertical vegetation structure to estimate carbon stocks in the forest layers. Two coherence Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR images of ALOS PALSAR full-polarimetric with 46 days temporal baseline were used in this research. The study was carried out in Southeast Sulawesi tropical forest. The research method was by comparing three interferometric phase coherence images affected by temporal decorrelation and their impacts on Random Volume over Ground (RvoG model. This research showed that 46 days temporal baseline has a significant impact to estimate tree heights of the forest cover where the accuracy decrease from R2=0.7525 (standard deviation of tree heights is 2.75 meters to R2=0.4435 (standard deviation 4.68 meters and R2=0.3772 (standard deviation 3.15 meters respectively. However, coherence optimisation can provide the best coherence image to produce a good accuracy of carbon stocks.

Polarimetric imaging of retinal disease by polarization sensitive SLO

Science.gov (United States)

Miura, Masahiro; Elsner, Ann E.; Iwasaki, Takuya; Goto, Hiroshi

2015-03-01

Polarimetry imaging is used to evaluate different features of the macular disease. Polarimetry images were recorded using a commercially- available polarization-sensitive scanning laser opthalmoscope at 780 nm (PS-SLO, GDx-N). From data sets of PS-SLO, we computed average reflectance image, depolarized light images, and ratio-depolarized light images. The average reflectance image is the grand mean of all input polarization states. The depolarized light image is the minimum of crossed channel. The ratio-depolarized light image is a ratio between the average reflectance image and depolarized light image, and was used to compensate for variation of brightness. Each polarimetry image is compared with the autofluorescence image at 800 nm (NIR-AF) and autofluorescence image at 500 nm (SW-AF). We evaluated four eyes with geographic atrophy in age related macular degeneration, one eye with retinal pigment epithelium hyperplasia, and two eyes with chronic central serous chorioretinopathy. Polarization analysis could selectively emphasize different features of the retina. Findings in ratio depolarized light image had similarities and differences with NIR-AF images. Area of hyper-AF in NIR-AF images showed high intensity areas in the ratio depolarized light image, representing melanin accumulation. Areas of hypo-AF in NIR-AF images showed low intensity areas in the ratio depolarized light images, representing melanin loss. Drusen were high-intensity areas in the ratio depolarized light image, but NIR-AF images was insensitive to the presence of drusen. Unlike NIR-AF images, SW-AF images showed completely different features from the ratio depolarized images. Polarization sensitive imaging is an effective tool as a non-invasive assessment of macular disease.

Radar image and data fusion for natural hazards characterisation

Science.gov (United States)

Lu, Zhong; Dzurisin, Daniel; Jung, Hyung-Sup; Zhang, Jixian; Zhang, Yonghong

2010-01-01

Fusion of synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images through interferometric, polarimetric and tomographic processing provides an all - weather imaging capability to characterise and monitor various natural hazards. This article outlines interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) processing and products and their utility for natural hazards characterisation, provides an overview of the techniques and applications related to fusion of SAR/InSAR images with optical and other images and highlights the emerging SAR fusion technologies. In addition to providing precise land - surface digital elevation maps, SAR - derived imaging products can map millimetre - scale elevation changes driven by volcanic, seismic and hydrogeologic processes, by landslides and wildfires and other natural hazards. With products derived from the fusion of SAR and other images, scientists can monitor the progress of flooding, estimate water storage changes in wetlands for improved hydrological modelling predictions and assessments of future flood impacts and map vegetation structure on a global scale and monitor its changes due to such processes as fire, volcanic eruption and deforestation. With the availability of SAR images in near real - time from multiple satellites in the near future, the fusion of SAR images with other images and data is playing an increasingly important role in understanding and forecasting natural hazards.

The Development of Polarimetric and Nonpolarimetric Multiwavelength Focal Plane Arrays, Phase I

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — High-performance polarimetric and nonpolarimetric sensing is crucial to upcoming NASA missions, including ACE and CLARREO and the multi-agency VIIRS NPP project. The...

IMPROVED SEARCH OF PRINCIPAL COMPONENT ANALYSIS DATABASES FOR SPECTRO-POLARIMETRIC INVERSION

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Casini, R.; Lites, B. W.; Ramos, A. Asensio; Ariste, A. López

2013-01-01

We describe a simple technique for the acceleration of spectro-polarimetric inversions based on principal component analysis (PCA) of Stokes profiles. This technique involves the indexing of the database models based on the sign of the projections (PCA coefficients) of the first few relevant orders of principal components of the four Stokes parameters. In this way, each model in the database can be attributed a distinctive binary number of 2 4n bits, where n is the number of PCA orders used for the indexing. Each of these binary numbers (indices) identifies a group of ''compatible'' models for the inversion of a given set of observed Stokes profiles sharing the same index. The complete set of the binary numbers so constructed evidently determines a partition of the database. The search of the database for the PCA inversion of spectro-polarimetric data can profit greatly from this indexing. In practical cases it becomes possible to approach the ideal acceleration factor of 2 4n as compared to the systematic search of a non-indexed database for a traditional PCA inversion. This indexing method relies on the existence of a physical meaning in the sign of the PCA coefficients of a model. For this reason, the presence of model ambiguities and of spectro-polarimetric noise in the observations limits in practice the number n of relevant PCA orders that can be used for the indexing

Polarimetric synthetic aperture radar data and the complex Wishart distribution

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nielsen, Allan Aasbjerg; Conradsen, Knut; Skriver, Henning

2003-01-01

distribution. Based on this distribution a test statistic for equality of two such matrices and an associated asymptotic probability for obtaining a smaller value of the test statistic are given and applied to segmentation, change detection and edge detection in polarimetric SAR data. In a case study EMISAR L...

H I anisotropies associated with radio-polarimetric filaments . Steep power spectra associated with cold gas

Science.gov (United States)

Kalberla, P. M. W.; Kerp, J.; Haud, U.; Haverkorn, M.

2017-10-01

Context. LOFAR detected toward 3C 196 linear polarization structures which were found subsequently to be closely correlated with cold filamentary H I structures. The derived direction-dependent H I power spectra revealed marked anisotropies for narrow ranges in velocity, sharing the orientation of the magnetic field as expected for magneto-hydrodynamical (MHD) turbulence. Aims: Using the Galactic portion of the Effelsberg-Bonn H I Survey (EBHIS) we continue our study of such anisotropies in the H I distribution in direction of two WSRT fields, Horologium and Auriga; both are well known for their prominent radio-polarimetric depolarization canals. At 349 MHz the observed pattern in total intensity is insignificant but polarized intensity and polarization angle show prominent ubiquitous structures with so far unknown origin. Methods: Apodizing the H I survey data by applying a rotational symmetric 50% Tukey window, we derive average and position angle dependent power spectra. We fit power laws and characterize anisotropies in the power distribution. We used a Gaussian analysis to determine relative abundances for the cold and warm neutral medium. Results: For the analyzed radio-polarimetric targets significant anisotropies are detected in the H I power spectra; their position angles are aligned to the prominent depolarization canals, initially detected by WSRT. H I anisotropies are associated with steep power spectra. Steep power spectra, associated with cold gas, are detected also in other fields. Conclusions: Radio-polarimetric depolarization canals are associated with filamentary H I structures that belong to the cold neutral medium (CNM). Anisotropies in the CNM are in this case linked to a steepening of the power-spectrum spectral index, indicating that phase transitions in a turbulent medium occur on all scales. Filamentary H I structures, driven by thermal instabilities, and radio-polarimetric filaments are associated with each other. The magneto-ionic medium

Advances in U.S. Land Imaging Capabilities

Science.gov (United States)

Stryker, T. S.

2017-12-01

Advancements in Earth observations, cloud computing, and data science are improving everyday life. Information from land-imaging satellites, such as the U.S. Landsat system, helps us to better understand the changing landscapes where we live, work, and play. This understanding builds capacity for improved decision-making about our lands, waters, and resources, driving economic growth, protecting lives and property, and safeguarding the environment. The USGS is fostering the use of land remote sensing technology to meet local, national, and global challenges. A key dimension to meeting these challenges is the full, free, and open provision of land remote sensing observations for both public and private sector applications. To achieve maximum impact, these data must also be easily discoverable, accessible, and usable. The presenter will describe the USGS Land Remote Sensing Program's current capabilities and future plans to collect and deliver land remote sensing information for societal benefit. He will discuss these capabilities in the context of national plans and policies, domestic partnerships, and international collaboration. The presenter will conclude with examples of how Landsat data is being used on a daily basis to improve lives and livelihoods.

Assessment of Polarimetric SAR Interferometry for Improving Ship Classification based on Simulated Data

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jordi J. Mallorqui

2008-12-01

Full Text Available This paper uses a complete and realistic SAR simulation processing chain, GRECOSAR, to study the potentialities of Polarimetric SAR Interferometry (POLInSAR in the development of new classification methods for ships. Its high processing efficiency and scenario flexibility have allowed to develop exhaustive scattering studies. The results have revealed, first, vessels’ geometries can be described by specific combinations of Permanent Polarimetric Scatterers (PePS and, second, each type of vessel could be characterized by a particular spatial and polarimetric distribution of PePS. Such properties have been recently exploited to propose a new Vessel Classification Algorithm (VCA working with POLInSAR data, which, according to several simulation tests, may provide promising performance in real scenarios. Along the paper, explanation of the main steps summarizing the whole research activity carried out with ships and GRECOSAR are provided as well as examples of the main results and VCA validation tests. Special attention will be devoted to the new improvements achieved, which are related to simulations processing a new and highly realistic sea surface model. The paper will show that, for POLInSAR data with fine resolution, VCA can help to classify ships with notable robustness under diverse and adverse observation conditions.

Polarimetric neutron spin echo: Feasibility and first results

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pappas, C. [Hahn-Meitner Institut Berlin, Glienickerstr. 100, 14109 Berlin (Germany)], E-mail: pappas@hmi.de; Lelievre-Berna, E. [Institut Laue-Langevin, 6, Rue Jules Horowitz, 38042 Grenoble (France); Bentley, P. [Hahn-Meitner Institut Berlin, Glienickerstr. 100, 14109 Berlin (Germany); Bourgeat-Lami, E. [Institut Laue-Langevin, 6, Rue Jules Horowitz, 38042 Grenoble (France); Moskvin, E. [Hahn-Meitner Institut Berlin, Glienickerstr. 100, 14109 Berlin (Germany); PNPI, 188300 Gatchina, Leningrad District (Russian Federation); Thomas, M. [Institut Laue-Langevin, 6, Rue Jules Horowitz, 38042 Grenoble (France); Grigoriev, S.; Dyadkin, V. [PNPI, 188300 Gatchina, Leningrad District (Russian Federation)

2008-07-21

Neutron Spin Echo (NSE) spectroscopy uses polarized neutrons and accordingly polarization analysis is an intrinsic feature of NSE. However, the multifaceted dynamics of antiferromagnets and helimagnets require more than the classical NSE set-up. Here we present the feasibility test and first results of a new and powerful technique: Polarimetric NSE, obtained by combining the wide angle NSE spectrometer SPAN, developed at HMI with the zero-field polarimeter Cryopad developed at ILL.

Polarimetric neutron spin echo: Feasibility and first results

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pappas, C.; Lelievre-Berna, E.; Bentley, P.; Bourgeat-Lami, E.; Moskvin, E.; Thomas, M.; Grigoriev, S.; Dyadkin, V.

2008-01-01

Neutron Spin Echo (NSE) spectroscopy uses polarized neutrons and accordingly polarization analysis is an intrinsic feature of NSE. However, the multifaceted dynamics of antiferromagnets and helimagnets require more than the classical NSE set-up. Here we present the feasibility test and first results of a new and powerful technique: Polarimetric NSE, obtained by combining the wide angle NSE spectrometer SPAN, developed at HMI with the zero-field polarimeter Cryopad developed at ILL

Restoration of polarimetric SAR images using simulated annealing

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Schou, Jesper; Skriver, Henning

2001-01-01

approach favoring one of the objectives. An algorithm for estimating the radar cross-section (RCS) for intensity SAR images has previously been proposed in the literature based on Markov random fields and the stochastic optimization method simulated annealing. A new version of the algorithm is presented......Filtering synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images ideally results in better estimates of the parameters characterizing the distributed targets in the images while preserving the structures of the nondistributed targets. However, these objectives are normally conflicting, often leading to a filtering...

Programmable liquid crystal waveplate polarization gratings as elements for polarimetric and interference applications

Science.gov (United States)

Moreno, I.; Davis, J. A.

2010-06-01

We review the use of a parallel aligned nematic liquid crystal spatial light modulator as a very useful and flexible device for polarimetric and interferometric applications. The device acts as a programmable pixelated waveplate, and the encoding of a linear grating permits its use as a polarization beam splitter. When a grating with a reduced period is encoded, the diffracted beams are spatially separated and the device can be used for polarimetric analysis. On the contrary when a large period grating is displayed, the beams are not spatially separated, and they are useful to realize a common path interferometric system with polarization sensitivity. The flexibility offered by the programmability of the display allows non-conventional uses, including the analysis of light beams with structured spatial polarizations.

Polarimetric survey of main-belt asteroids. I. Results for fifty seven S-, L-, and K-type objects

Science.gov (United States)

Gil-Hutton, R.; Cañada-Assandri, M.

2011-05-01

Aims: We present the first results of a polarimetric survey of main-belt asteroids at Complejo Astronómico El Leoncito (Casleo), San Juan, Argentina. The aims of this survey are to increase the database of asteroid polarimetry, to estimate diversity in polarimetric properties of asteroids that belong to different taxonomic classes, and to search for objects that exhibit anomalous polarimetric properties, similar to those shown by the asteroid (234) Barbara. Methods: The data were obtained with the Torino and CASPROF polarimeters at the 2.15 m telescope. The Torino polarimeter is an instrument that allows the simultaneous measurement of polarization in five different bands, and the CASPROF polarimeter is a two-hole aperture polarimeter with rapid modulation. Results: The survey began in 2003, and up to 2009 data on a sample of more than 170 asteroids were obtained. In this paper the results of 57 S-, L-, and K-type objects are presented, most of them are being polarimetrically observed for the first time. Using these data we find phase-polarization curves and polarimetric parameters for these taxonomic classes. Furthermore, we also find two candidates, (397) Vienna and (458) Hercynia, that could have a phase-polarization curve with a large inversion angle. Based on observations carried out at the Complejo Astronómico El Leoncito, operated under agreement between the Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas de la República Argentina and the National Universities of La Plata, Córdoba, and San Juan.Tables 1 and 2 are only available in electronic form at the CDS via anonymous ftp to cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (130.79.128.5) or via http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr/viz-bin/qcat?j/A+A/529/A86

A polarimetric survey of symbiotic stars

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schulte-Ladbeck, R.E.; Magalhaes, A.M.; Magalhaes, A.M.

1990-01-01

We present optical and near-infrared linear polarization observations of 24 symbiotic stars, 14 observed with polarimetry for the first time. In combination with published data, we find that ∼ 50% of the symbiotics observed polarimetrically show evidence for intrinsic polarization. We discuss the results in the light of previous observations and comment on the temporal variability and wavelength dependence of the polarization. Dust scattering is identified as the dominant mechanism producing polarization in symbiotic stars. While we cannot exclude that some symbiotic systems are completely engulfed in their dust shells our data indicate that the Hα emission line may originate from outside of the dust-scattering envelopes in some systems

Positron imaging system with improved count rate and tomographic capability

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1979-01-01

A system with improved count rate capability for detecting the radioactive distribution of positron events within an organ of interest in a living subject is described. Objects of the invention include improving the scintillation crystal and pulse processing electronics, avoiding the limitations of collimators and provide an Arger camera positron imaging system that avoids the use of collimators. (U.K.)

The GNSS polarimetric radio-occultation technique to sense precipitation events: a new concept to be tested aboard PAZ Low Earth Satellite

Science.gov (United States)

Tomás, Sergio; Oliveras, Santi; Cardellach, Estel; Rius, Antonio

2013-04-01

The Radio Occultation and Heavy Precipitation (ROHP) experiment, to be conducted aboard the Spanish PAZ satellite, consists of a radio occultation (RO) mission provided with dual-polarization capabilities. The research with polarimetric RO data has the goal of assessing the capabilities and limitations of this technique to infer profiles of heavy precipitation. The technique aims to provide vertical profiles of precipitation simultaneously to the vertical profiles of thermodynamic parameters (standard RO products) perfectly collocated both in space and time. If successful, the polarimetric RO will represent the first technique able to provide these complementary information on precipitation. This is a relevant input for studies on heavy and violent rainfall events, which being poorly represented by the current-generation of Numerical Weather Prediction and General Circulation Models appear to be difficult to forecast on all time-scales. The Low Earth Orbiter hosting this experiment, to be launched in 2013, will orbit at 500 km altitude in a near-Polar orbit. The Radio Occulation payload includes a RO GNSS receiver and a dual polarization (H/V) limb oriented antenna to capture the signals of setting GNSS transmitters. NOAA and UCAR participate in the ground-segment of the radiometric experiment to enable near-real time dissemination of the level-1 standard RO products. The space-based GNSS RO technique scans the atmosphere vertically at fine resolution (close to 300 meter in the troposphere) by precisely measure the delay between a GNSS transmitter and a GNSS receiver aboard a Low Earth Orbiter, when the former is setting below or rising above the Earth limb. The standard, thermodynamical, products are extracted from the excess delay induced by the atmosphere at different layers. This presentation will not focus on this well-established application, but a novel concept using polarimetry to also retrieve rain information. The precipitation-measurement principle is

Calibration Efforts and Unique Capabilities of the HST Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph

Science.gov (United States)

Monroe, TalaWanda R.; Proffitt, Charles R.; Welty, Daniel; Branton, Doug; Carlberg, Joleen K.; debes, John Henry; Lockwood, Sean; Riley, Allyssa; Sohn, Sangmo Tony; Sonnentrucker, Paule G.; Walborn, Nolan R.; Jedrzejewski, Robert I.

2018-01-01

The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS) continues to offer the astronomy community the ability to carry out innovative UV and optical spectroscopic and imaging studies, two decades after its deployment on the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). Most notably, STIS provides spectroscopy in the FUV and NUV, including high spectral resolution echelle modes, imaging in the FUV, optical spectroscopy, and coronagraphic capabilities. Additionally, spatial scanning on the CCD with the long-slits is now possible to enable very high S/N spectroscopic observations without saturation while mitigating telluric and fringing concerns in the far red and near-IR. This new mode may especially benefit the diffuse interstellar bands and exoplanet transiting communities. We present recent calibration efforts for the instrument, including work to optimize the calibration of the echelle spectroscopic modes by improving the flux agreement of overlapping spectral orders affected by changes in the grating blaze function since HST Servicing Mission 4. We also discuss considerations to maintain the wavelength precision of the spectroscopic modes, and the current capabilities of CCD spectroscopic spatial trails.

Polarimetric LIDAR with FRI sampling for target characterization

Science.gov (United States)

Wijerathna, Erandi; Creusere, Charles D.; Voelz, David; Castorena, Juan

2017-09-01

Polarimetric LIDAR is a significant tool for current remote sensing applications. In addition, measurement of the full waveform of the LIDAR echo provides improved ranging and target discrimination, although, data storage volume in this approach can be problematic. In the work presented here, we investigated the practical issues related to the implementation of a full waveform LIDAR system to identify polarization characteristics of multiple targets within the footprint of the illumination beam. This work was carried out on a laboratory LIDAR testbed that features a flexible arrangement of targets and the ability to change the target polarization characteristics. Targets with different retardance characteristics were illuminated with a linearly polarized laser beam and the return pulse intensities were analyzed by rotating a linear analyzer polarizer in front of a high-speed detector. Additionally, we explored the applicability and the limitations of applying a sparse sampling approach based on Finite Rate of Innovations (FRI) to compress and recover the characteristic parameters of the pulses reflected from the targets. The pulse parameter values extracted by the FRI analysis were accurate and we successfully distinguished the polarimetric characteristics and the range of multiple targets at different depths within the same beam footprint. We also demonstrated the recovery of an unknown target retardance value from the echoes by applying a Mueller matrix system model.

First Polarimetric GNSS-R Measurements from a Stratospheric Flight over Boreal Forests

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hugo Carreno-Luengo

2015-10-01

Full Text Available The first-ever dual-frequency multi-constellation Global Navigation Satellite Systems Reflectometry (GNSS-R polarimetric measurements over boreal forests and lakes from the stratosphere are presented. Data were collected during the European Space Agency (ESA sponsored Balloon Experiments for University Students (BEXUS 19 stratospheric balloon experiment using the P(Y and C/A Reflect Ometer (PYCARO instrument operated in closed-loop mode. Maps of the polarimetric ratio for L1 and L2 Global Positioning System (GPS and GLObal Navigation Satellite System (GLONASS, and for E1 Galileo signals are derived from the float phase at 27,000 m height, and the specular points are geolocalized on the Earth’s surface. Polarimetric ratio ( maps over boreal forests are shown to be in the range 2–16 dB for the different GNSS codes. This result suggests that the scattering is taking place not only over the soil, but over the different forests elements as well. Additionally to the interpretation of the experimental results a theoretical investigation of the different contributions to the total reflectivity over boreal forests is performed using a bistatic scattering model. The simulated cross- (reflected Left Hand Circular Polarization LHCP and co-polar (reflected Right Hand Circular Polarization RHCP reflectivities are evaluated for the soil, the canopy, and the canopy–soil interactions for three different biomass densities: 725 trees/ha, 150 trees/ha and 72 trees/ha. For elevation angles larger than the Brewster angle, it is found that the cross-polar signal is dominant when just single reflections over the forests are evaluated, while in the case of multiple reflections the co-polar signal becomes the largest one. The first-ever dual-frequency multi-constellation Global Navigation Satellite Systems Reflectometry (GNSS-R polarimetric measurements over boreal forests and lakes from the stratosphere are presented. Data were collected during the European Space

Predictive capability of average Stokes polarimetry for simulation of phase multilevel elements onto LCoS devices.

Science.gov (United States)

Martínez, Francisco J; Márquez, Andrés; Gallego, Sergi; Ortuño, Manuel; Francés, Jorge; Pascual, Inmaculada; Beléndez, Augusto

2015-02-20

Parallel-aligned (PA) liquid-crystal on silicon (LCoS) microdisplays are especially appealing in a wide range of spatial light modulation applications since they enable phase-only operation. Recently we proposed a novel polarimetric method, based on Stokes polarimetry, enabling the characterization of their linear retardance and the magnitude of their associated phase fluctuations or flicker, exhibited by many LCoS devices. In this work we apply the calibrated values obtained with this technique to show their capability to predict the performance of spatially varying phase multilevel elements displayed onto the PA-LCoS device. Specifically we address a series of multilevel phase blazed gratings. We analyze both their average diffraction efficiency ("static" analysis) and its associated time fluctuation ("dynamic" analysis). Two different electrical configuration files with different degrees of flicker are applied in order to evaluate the actual influence of flicker on the expected performance of the diffractive optical elements addressed. We obtain a good agreement between simulation and experiment, thus demonstrating the predictive capability of the calibration provided by the average Stokes polarimetric technique. Additionally, it is obtained that for electrical configurations with less than 30° amplitude for the flicker retardance, they may not influence the performance of the blazed gratings. In general, we demonstrate that the influence of flicker greatly diminishes when the number of quantization levels in the optical element increases.

Superpixel Segmentation for Polsar Images with Local Iterative Clustering and Heterogeneous Statistical Model

Science.gov (United States)

Xiang, D.; Ni, W.; Zhang, H.; Wu, J.; Yan, W.; Su, Y.

2017-09-01

Superpixel segmentation has an advantage that can well preserve the target shape and details. In this research, an adaptive polarimetric SLIC (Pol-ASLIC) superpixel segmentation method is proposed. First, the spherically invariant random vector (SIRV) product model is adopted to estimate the normalized covariance matrix and texture for each pixel. A new edge detector is then utilized to extract PolSAR image edges for the initialization of central seeds. In the local iterative clustering, multiple cues including polarimetric, texture, and spatial information are considered to define the similarity measure. Moreover, a polarimetric homogeneity measurement is used to automatically determine the tradeoff factor, which can vary from homogeneous areas to heterogeneous areas. Finally, the SLIC superpixel segmentation scheme is applied to the airborne Experimental SAR and PiSAR L-band PolSAR data to demonstrate the effectiveness of this proposed segmentation approach. This proposed algorithm produces compact superpixels which can well adhere to image boundaries in both natural and urban areas. The detail information in heterogeneous areas can be well preserved.

SUPERPIXEL SEGMENTATION FOR POLSAR IMAGES WITH LOCAL ITERATIVE CLUSTERING AND HETEROGENEOUS STATISTICAL MODEL

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

D. Xiang

2017-09-01

Full Text Available Superpixel segmentation has an advantage that can well preserve the target shape and details. In this research, an adaptive polarimetric SLIC (Pol-ASLIC superpixel segmentation method is proposed. First, the spherically invariant random vector (SIRV product model is adopted to estimate the normalized covariance matrix and texture for each pixel. A new edge detector is then utilized to extract PolSAR image edges for the initialization of central seeds. In the local iterative clustering, multiple cues including polarimetric, texture, and spatial information are considered to define the similarity measure. Moreover, a polarimetric homogeneity measurement is used to automatically determine the tradeoff factor, which can vary from homogeneous areas to heterogeneous areas. Finally, the SLIC superpixel segmentation scheme is applied to the airborne Experimental SAR and PiSAR L-band PolSAR data to demonstrate the effectiveness of this proposed segmentation approach. This proposed algorithm produces compact superpixels which can well adhere to image boundaries in both natural and urban areas. The detail information in heterogeneous areas can be well preserved.

Preliminary Evaluation of GAOFEN-3 Polarimetric and Radiometric Accuracy by Corner Reflectors in Inner Mongolia

Science.gov (United States)

Shi, L.; Ding, X.; Li, P.; Yang, J.; Zhao, L.; Yang, L.; Chang, Y.; Yan, L.

2018-04-01

On August 10, 2016, China launched its first C-band full polarimetric radar satellite, named Gaofen-3 (GF-3), for urban and agriculture monitoring, landslide detection, ocean applications, etc. According to the design specification, GF-3 is expected to work at -35 dB crosstalk and 0.5 dB channel imbalance, with less than 10 degree error. The absolute radiometric bias is expected to be less than 1.5 dB in a single scene and 2.0 dB when operating for a long time. To complete the calibration and evaluation, the Institute of Electronics, Chinese Academy Sciences (IECAS) built a test site at Inner Mongolia, and deployed active reflectors (ARs) and trihedral corner reflectors (CRs) to solve and evaluate the hardware distortion. To the best of the authors' knowledge, the product accuracy of GF-3 has not been comprehensively evaluated in any open publication. The remote sensing community urgently requires a detailed report about the product accuracy and stability, before any subsequent application. From June to August of 2017, IECAS begun its second round ground campaign and deployed 10 CRs to evaluate product distortions. In this paper, we exploit Inner Mongolia CRs to investigate polarimetric and radiometric accuracy of QPSI I Stripmap. Although some CRs found fall into AR side lobe, the rest CRs enable us to preliminarily evaluate the accuracy of some special imaging beams. In the experimental part, the image of July 6, 2017 was checked by 5 trihedral CRs and the integration estimation method demonstrated the crosstalk varying from -42.65 to -32.74 dB, and the channel imbalance varying from -0.21 to 0.47 with phase error from -2.4 to 0.2 degree. Comparing with the theoretical radar cross-section of 1.235 m trihedral CR, i.e. 35 dB, the radiometric error varies about 0.20 ± 0.29 dB in HH channel and 0.40 ± 0.20 dB in VV channel.

The first international workshop on "Advancement of POLarimetric Observations: calibration and improved aerosol retrievals": APOLO-2017

Science.gov (United States)

Dubovik, Oleg; Li, Zhengqiang; Mishchenko, Michael I.

2018-06-01

The international workshop on "Advancement of POLarimetric Observations: calibration and improved aerosol retrievals-2017" (APOLO-2017) took place in Hefei, China on 24 - 27 October 2017. This was the inaugural meeting of a planned series of workshops on satellite polarimetry aimed at addressing the rapidly growing interest of the scientific community in polarimetric remote-sensing observations from space. The workshop was held at the Anhui Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics, Hefei, widely known for 15 years of experience in the development of research polarimetry sensors and for hosting the building in parallel of several orbital polarimeters.

Probing the Innermost Regions of AGN Jets and Their Magnetic Fields with RadioAstron. I. Imaging BL Lacertae at 21 Microarcsecond Resolution

Science.gov (United States)

Gómez, José L.; Lobanov, Andrei P.; Bruni, Gabriele; Kovalev, Yuri Y.; Marscher, Alan P.; Jorstad, Svetlana G.; Mizuno, Yosuke; Bach, Uwe; Sokolovsky, Kirill V.; Anderson, James M.; Galindo, Pablo; Kardashev, Nikolay S.; Lisakov, Mikhail M.

2016-02-01

We present the first polarimetric space very long baseline interferometry (VLBI) imaging observations at 22 GHz. BL Lacertae was observed in 2013 November 10 with the RadioAstron space VLBI mission, including a ground array of 15 radio telescopes. The instrumental polarization of the space radio telescope is found to be less than 9%, demonstrating the polarimetric imaging capabilities of RadioAstron at 22 GHz. Ground-space fringes were obtained up to a projected baseline distance of 7.9 Earth diameters in length, allowing us to image the jet in BL Lacertae with a maximum angular resolution of 21 μas, the highest achieved to date. We find evidence for emission upstream of the radio core, which may correspond to a recollimation shock at about 40 μas from the jet apex, in a pattern that includes other recollimation shocks at approximately 100 and 250 μas from the jet apex. Polarized emission is detected in two components within the innermost 0.5 mas from the core, as well as in some knots 3 mas downstream. Faraday rotation analysis, obtained from combining RadioAstron 22 GHz and ground-based 15 and 43 GHz images, shows a gradient in rotation measure and Faraday-corrected polarization vector as a function of position angle with respect to the core, suggesting that the jet in BL Lacertae is threaded by a helical magnetic field. The intrinsic de-boosted brightness temperature in the unresolved core exceeds 3× {10}12 K, suggesting, at the very least, departure from equipartition of energy between the magnetic field and radiating particles.

Complex Wishart distribution based analysis of polarimetric synthetic aperture radar data

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nielsen, Allan Aasbjerg; Skriver, Henning; Conradsen, Knut

2007-01-01

statistic for equality of two such matrices and an associated asymptotic probability for obtaining a smaller value of the test statistic are given and applied to change detection, edge detection and segmentation in polarimetric SAR data. In a case study EMISAR L-band data from 17 April 1998 and 20 May 1998...

Change detection in polarimetric SAR data and the complex Wishart distribution

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Conradsen, Knut; Nielsen, Allan Aasbjerg; Schou, Jesper

2001-01-01

. Based on this distribution a test statistic for equality of two such matrices and an associated asymptotic probability for obtaining a smaller value of the test statistic are given and applied to change detection in polarimetric SAR data. In a case study EMISAR L-band data from 17 April 1998 and 20 May...

Full polarimetric millimetre wave radar for stand-off security screening

Science.gov (United States)

Blackhurst, Eddie; Salmon, Neil; Southgate, Matthew

2017-10-01

The development and measurements are described of a frequency modulated continuous wave (FMCW) mono-static millimetre wave full polarimetric radar, operating at k-band (18 to 26 GHz). The system has been designed to explore the feasibility of using full polarimetry for the detection of concealed weapons, and person borne improvised explosive devices (PBIED). The philosophy of this scheme is a means to extract the maximum information content from a target which is normally in the single spatial pixel (sometimes sub-pixel) configuration in stand-off (tens of metres) and crowd surveillance scenarios. The radar comprises a vector network analyser (VNA), an orthomode transducer and a conical horn antenna. A calibration strategy is discussed and demonstrated using a variety of known calibration targets with known reflective properties, including a flat metal plate, dihedral reflector, metal sphere, helix and dipole. The orthomode transducer is based on a high performance linear polarizer of the turnstile type with isolation better than - 35dB between orthogonal polarisations. The calibration enables the polarimetric Sinclair scattering matrix to be measured at each frequency for coherent polarimetry, and this can be extended using multiple measurements via the Kennaugh matrix to investigate incoherent full polarimetry.

Evaluation of AirMSPI photopolarimetric retrievals of smoke properties with in-situ observations collected during the ImPACT-PM field campaign

Science.gov (United States)

Kalashnikova, O. V.; Garay, M. J.; Xu, F.; Seidel, F.; Diner, D. J.; Seinfeld, J.; Bates, K. H.; Kong, W.; Kenseth, C.; Cappa, C. D.

2017-12-01

We introduce and evaluate an approach for obtaining closure between in situ and polarimetric remote sensing observations of smoke properties obtained during the collocated CIRPAS Twin Otter and ER-2 aircraft measurements of the Lebec fire event on July 8, 2016. We investigate the utility of multi-angle, spectropolarimetric remote sensing imagery to evaluate the relative contribution of organics, non-organic and black carbon particles to smoke particulate composition. The remote sensing data were collected during the Imaging Polarimetric and Characterization of Tropospheric Particular Matter (ImPACT-PM) field campaign by the Airborne Multiangle SpectroPolarimetric Imager (AirMSPI), which flew on NASA's high-altitude ER-2 aircraft. The ImPACT-PM field campaign was a joint JPL/Caltech effort to combine measurements from the Terra Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MISR), AirMSPI, in situ airborne measurements, and a chemical transport model to validate remote sensing retrievals of different types of airborne particulate matter with a particular emphasis on carbonaceous aerosols. The in-situ aerosol data were collected with a suite of Caltech instruments on board the CIRPAS Twin Otter aircraft and included the Aerosol Mass Spectrometer (AMS), the Differential Mobility Analyzer (DMA), and the Single Particle Soot Photometer (SP-2). The CIRPAS Twin Otter aircraft was also equipped with the Particle Soot Absorption Photometer (PSAP), nephelometer, a particle counter, and meteorological sensors. We found that the multi-angle polarimetric observations are capable of fire particulate emission monitoring by particle type as inferred from the in-situ airborne measurements. Modeling of retrieval sensitivities show that the characterization of black carbon is the most challenging. The work aims at evaluating multi-angle, spectropolarimetric capabilities for particulate matter characterization in support of the Multi-Angle Imager for Aerosols (MAIA) satellite investigation

Prototype Theory Based Feature Representation for PolSAR Images

OpenAIRE

Huang Xiaojing; Yang Xiangli; Huang Pingping; Yang Wen

2016-01-01

This study presents a new feature representation approach for Polarimetric Synthetic Aperture Radar (PolSAR) image based on prototype theory. First, multiple prototype sets are generated using prototype theory. Then, regularized logistic regression is used to predict similarities between a test sample and each prototype set. Finally, the PolSAR image feature representation is obtained by ensemble projection. Experimental results of an unsupervised classification of PolSAR images show that our...

A near-infrared, optical, and ultraviolet polarimetric and timing investigation of complex equatorial dusty structures

Science.gov (United States)

Marin, F.; Rojas Lobos, P. A.; Hameury, J. M.; Goosmann, R. W.

2018-05-01

Context. From stars to active galactic nuclei, many astrophysical systems are surrounded by an equatorial distribution of dusty material that is, in a number of cases, spatially unresolved even with cutting edge facilities. Aims: In this paper, we investigate if and how one can determine the unresolved and heterogeneous morphology of dust distribution around a central bright source using time-resolved polarimetric observations. Methods: We used polarized radiative transfer simulations to study a sample of circumnuclear dusty morphologies. We explored a grid of geometrically variable models that are uniform, fragmented, and density stratified in the near-infrared, optical, and ultraviolet bands, and we present their distinctive time-dependent polarimetric signatures. Results: As expected, varying the structure of the obscuring equatorial disk has a deep impact on the inclination-dependent flux, polarization degree and angle, and time lags we observe. We find that stratified media are distinguishable by time-resolved polarimetric observations, and that the expected polarization is much higher in the infrared band than in the ultraviolet. However, because of the physical scales imposed by dust sublimation, the average time lags of months to years between the total and polarized fluxes are important; these time lags lengthens the observational campaigns necessary to break more sophisticated, and therefore also more degenerated, models. In the ultraviolet band, time lags are slightly shorter than in the infrared or optical bands, and, coupled to lower diluting starlight fluxes, time-resolved polarimetry in the UV appears more promising for future campaigns. Conclusions: Equatorial dusty disks differ in terms of inclination-dependent photometric, polarimetric, and timing observables, but only the coupling of these different markers can lead to inclination-independent constraints on the unresolved structures. Even though it is complex and time consuming, polarized

Potential of Combining Optical and Dual Polarimetric SAR Data for Improving Mangrove Species Discrimination Using Rotation Forest

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hongsheng Zhang

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Classification of mangrove species using satellite images is important for investigating the spatial distribution of mangroves at community and species levels on local, regional and global scales. Hence, studies of mangrove deforestation and reforestation are imperative to support the conservation of mangrove forests. However, accurate discrimination of mangrove species remains challenging due to many factors such as data resolution, species number and spectral confusion between species. In this study, three different combinations of datasets were designed from Worldview-3 and Radarsat-2 data to classify four mangrove species, Kandelia obovate (KO, Avicennia marina (AM, Acanthus ilicifolius (AI and Aegiceras corniculatum (AC. Then, the Rotation Forest (RoF method was employed to classify the four mangrove species. Results indicated the benefits of dual polarimetric SAR data with an improvement of accuracy by 2–3%, which can be useful for more accurate large-scale mapping of mangrove species. Moreover, the difficulty of classifying different mangrove species, in order of increasing difficulty, was identified as KO < AM < AI < AC. Dual polarimetric SAR data are recognized to improve the classification of AI and AC species. Although this improvement is not remarkable, it is consistent for all three methods. The improvement can be particularly important for large-scale mapping of mangrove forest at the species level. These findings also provide useful guidance for future studies using multi-source satellite data for mangrove monitoring and conservation.

THE LOW BACKSCATTERING OBJECTS CLASSIFICATION IN POLSAR IMAGE BASED ON BAG OF WORDS MODEL USING SUPPORT VECTOR MACHINE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

L. Yang

2018-04-01

Full Text Available Due to the forward scattering and block of radar signal, the water, bare soil, shadow, named low backscattering objects (LBOs, often present low backscattering intensity in polarimetric synthetic aperture radar (PolSAR image. Because the LBOs rise similar backscattering intensity and polarimetric responses, the spectral-based classifiers are inefficient to deal with LBO classification, such as Wishart method. Although some polarimetric features had been exploited to relieve the confusion phenomenon, the backscattering features are still found unstable when the system noise floor varies in the range direction. This paper will introduce a simple but effective scene classification method based on Bag of Words (BoW model using Support Vector Machine (SVM to discriminate the LBOs, without relying on any polarimetric features. In the proposed approach, square windows are firstly opened around the LBOs adaptively to determine the scene images, and then the Scale-Invariant Feature Transform (SIFT points are detected in training and test scenes. The several SIFT features detected are clustered using K-means to obtain certain cluster centers as the visual word lists and scene images are represented using word frequency. At last, the SVM is selected for training and predicting new scenes as some kind of LBOs. The proposed method is executed over two AIRSAR data sets at C band and L band, including water, bare soil and shadow scenes. The experimental results illustrate the effectiveness of the scene method in distinguishing LBOs.

Classification d'images RSO polarimétriques à haute résolution spatiale sur site urbain.

OpenAIRE

Soheili Majd , Maryam

2014-01-01

In this research, our aim is to assess the potential of a one single look high spatial resolution polarimetric radar image for the classification of urban areas. For that purpose, we concentrate on classes corresponding to different kinds of roofs, objects and ground surfaces.At first, we propose a uni-variate statistical analysis of polarimetric and texture attributes, that can be used in a classification algorithm. We perform a statistical analysis of descriptors and show that the Fisher di...

Polarimetric and Structural Properties of a Boreal Forest at P-Band and L-Band

Science.gov (United States)

Tebaldini, S.; Rocca, F.

2010-12-01

With this paper we investigate the structural and polarimetric of the boreal forest within the Krycklan river catchment, Northern Sweden, basing on multi-polarimetric and multi-baseline SAR surveys at P-Band and L-Band collected in the framework of the ESA campaign BioSAR 2008. The analysis has been carried out by applying the Algebraic Synthesis (AS) technique, recently introduced in literature, which provides a theoretical framework for the decomposition of the backscattered signal into ground-only and volume-only contributions, basing on both baseline and polarization diversity. The availability of multiple baselines allows the formation of a synthetic aperture not only along the azimuth direction but also in elevation. Accordingly, the backscattered echoes can be focused not only in the slant range, azimuth plane, but in the whole 3D space. This is the rationale of the SAR Tomography (T-SAR) concept, which has been widely considered in the literature of the last years. It follows that, as long as the penetration in the scattering volume is guaranteed, the vertical profile of the vegetation layer is retrieved by separating backscatter contributions along the vertical direction, which is the main reason for the exploitation of Tomographic techniques at longer wavelengths. Still, the capabilities of T-SAR are limited to imaging the global vertical structure of the electromagnetic scattering in a certain polarization. It then becomes important to develop methodologies for the investigation of the vertical structure of different Scattering Mechanisms (SMs), such as ground and volume scattering, in such a way as to derive information that can be delivered also outside the field of Radar processing. This is an issue that may become relevant at longer wavelengths, such as P-Band, where the presence of multiple scattering arising from the interaction with terrain could hinder the correct reconstruction of the forest structure. The availability of multiple polarizations

Improving Wishart Classification of Polarimetric SAR Data Using the Hopfield Neural Network Optimization Approach

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Íñigo Molina

2012-11-01

Full Text Available This paper proposes the optimization relaxation approach based on the analogue Hopfield Neural Network (HNN for cluster refinement of pre-classified Polarimetric Synthetic Aperture Radar (PolSAR image data. We consider the initial classification provided by the maximum-likelihood classifier based on the complex Wishart distribution, which is then supplied to the HNN optimization approach. The goal is to improve the classification results obtained by the Wishart approach. The classification improvement is verified by computing a cluster separability coefficient and a measure of homogeneity within the clusters. During the HNN optimization process, for each iteration and for each pixel, two consistency coefficients are computed, taking into account two types of relations between the pixel under consideration and its corresponding neighbors. Based on these coefficients and on the information coming from the pixel itself, the pixel under study is re-classified. Different experiments are carried out to verify that the proposed approach outperforms other strategies, achieving the best results in terms of separability and a trade-off with the homogeneity preserving relevant structures in the image. The performance is also measured in terms of computational central processing unit (CPU times.

High-speed imaging polarimetry using liquid crystal modulators

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ambs P.

2010-06-01

Full Text Available This paper deals with dynamic polarimetric imaging techniques. The basics of modern polarimetry have been known for one and a half century, but no practical high-speed implementation providing the full polarization information is currently available. Various methods are reviewed which prove to be a trade-off between the complexity of the optical set-up and the amount of polarimetric information they provide (ie the number of components of the Stokes vector. Techniques using liquid crystal devices, incepted in the late 1990's, are emphasized. Optical set-ups we implemented are presented. We particularly focus on high-speed techniques (i.e. faster than 200 Hz using ferroelectric liquid crystal devices.

The Ecosystems SAR (EcoSAR) an Airborne P-band Polarimetric InSAR for the Measurement of Vegetation Structure, Biomass and Permafrost

Science.gov (United States)

Rincon, Rafael F.; Fatoyinbo, Temilola; Ranson, K. Jon; Osmanoglu, Batuhan; Sun, Guoqing; Deshpande, Manohar D.; Perrine, Martin L.; Du Toit, Cornelis F.; Bonds, Quenton; Beck, Jaclyn;

A test statistic in the complex Wishart distribution and its application to change detection in polarimetric SAR data

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Conradsen, Knut; Nielsen, Allan Aasbjerg; Schou, Jesper

2003-01-01

. Based on this distribution, a test statistic for equality of two such matrices and an associated asymptotic probability for obtaining a smaller value of the test statistic are derived and applied successfully to change detection in polarimetric SAR data. In a case study, EMISAR L-band data from April 17...... to HH, VV, or HV data alone, the derived test statistic reduces to the well-known gamma likelihood-ratio test statistic. The derived test statistic and the associated significance value can be applied as a line or edge detector in fully polarimetric SAR data also....

GPM GROUND VALIDATION NASA S-BAND DUAL POLARIMETRIC (NPOL) DOPPLER RADAR IFLOODS V1

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — The GPM Ground Validation NASA S-Band Dual Polarimetric (NPOL) Doppler Radar IFloodS data set was collected from April 30, 2013 to June 16, 2013 near Traer, Iowa as...

AUTOMATED DATA PRODUCTION FOR A NOVEL AIRBORNE MULTIANGLE SPECTROPOLARIMETRIC IMAGER (AIRMSPI

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

V. M. Jovanovic

2012-07-01

Full Text Available A novel polarimetric imaging technique making use of rapid retardance modulation has been developed by JPL as a part of NASA's Instrument Incubator Program. It has been built into the Airborne Multiangle SpectroPolarimetric Imager (AirMSPI under NASA's Airborne Instrument Technology Transition Program, and is aimed primarily at remote sensing of the amounts and microphysical properties of aerosols and clouds. AirMSPI includes an 8-band (355, 380, 445, 470, 555, 660, 865, 935 nm pushbroom camera that measures polarization in a subset of the bands (470, 660, and 865 nm. The camera is mounted on a gimbal and acquires imagery in a configurable set of along-track viewing angles ranging between +67°and –67° relative to nadir. As a result, near simultaneous multi-angle, multi-spectral, and polarimetric measurements of the targeted areas at a spatial resolution ranging from 7 m to 20 m (depending on the viewing angle can be derived. An automated data production system is being built to support high data acquisition rate in concert with co-registration and orthorectified mapping requirements. To date, a number of successful engineering checkout flights were conducted in October 2010, August-September 2011, and January 2012. Data products resulting from these flights will be presented.

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...

Maritime target and sea clutter measurements with a coherent Doppler polarimetric surveillance radar

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Smith, A.J.E.; Gelsema, S.J.; Kester, L.J.H.M.; Melief, H.W.; Premel Cabic, G.; Theil, A.; Woudenberg, E.

2002-01-01

Doppler polarimetry in a surveillance radar for the maritime surface picture is considered. This radar must be able to detect low-RCS targets in littoral environments. Measurements on such targets have been conducted with a coherent polarimetric measurement radar in March 2001 and preliminary

Commissioning and quality assurance of the x-ray volume imaging system of an image-guided radiotherapy capable linear accelerator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Muralidhar, K.R.; Narayana Murthy, P.; Kumar, Rajneesh

2008-01-01

An Image-Guided Radiotherapy-capable linear accelerator (Elekta Synergy) was installed at our hospital, which is equipped with a kV x-ray volume imaging (XVI) system and electronic portal imaging device (iViewGT). The objective of this presentation is to describe the results of commissioning measurements carried out on the XVI facility to verify the manufacturer's specifications and also to evolve a QA schedule which can be used to test its performance routinely. The QA program consists of a series of tests (safety features, geometric accuracy, and image quality). These tests were found to be useful to assess the performance of the XVI system and also proved that XVI system is very suitable for image-guided high-precision radiation therapy. (author)

Commissioning and quality assurance of the X-ray volume Imaging system of an image-guided radiotherapy capable linear accelerator

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Muralidhar K

2008-01-01

Full Text Available An Image-Guided Radiotherapy-capable linear accelerator (Elekta Synergy was installed at our hospital, which is equipped with a kV x-ray volume imaging (XVI system and electronic portal imaging device (iViewGT. The objective of this presentation is to describe the results of commissioning measurements carried out on the XVI facility to verify the manufacturer′s specifications and also to evolve a QA schedule which can be used to test its performance routinely. The QA program consists of a series of tests (safety features, geometric accuracy, and image quality. These tests were found to be useful to assess the performance of the XVI system and also proved that XVI system is very suitable for image-guided high-precision radiation therapy.

Biophysical Forest Type Characterization in the Colombian Amazon by Airborne Polarimetric SAR

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hoekman, D.H.; Quiñones, M.J.

2002-01-01

Fully polarimetric C-, L-, and P-band data were collected by NASA's AirSAR system in May 1993 at the Araracuara test site, a well-surveyed forest reserve in the center of the Colombian Amazon. The area is characterized by a high diversity of forest types, soil types, and flooding conditions. In this

Polarimetric scattering model for estimation of above ground biomass of multilayer vegetation using ALOS-PALSAR quad-pol data

Science.gov (United States)

Sai Bharadwaj, P.; Kumar, Shashi; Kushwaha, S. P. S.; Bijker, Wietske

Forests are important biomes covering a major part of the vegetation on the Earth, and as such account for seventy percent of the carbon present in living beings. The value of a forest's above ground biomass (AGB) is considered as an important parameter for the estimation of global carbon content. In the present study, the quad-pol ALOS-PALSAR data was used for the estimation of AGB for the Dudhwa National Park, India. For this purpose, polarimetric decomposition components and an Extended Water Cloud Model (EWCM) were used. The PolSAR data orientation angle shifts were compensated for before the polarimetric decomposition. The scattering components obtained from the polarimetric decomposition were used in the Water Cloud Model (WCM). The WCM was extended for higher order interactions like double bounce scattering. The parameters of the EWCM were retrieved using the field measurements and the decomposition components. Finally, the relationship between the estimated AGB and measured AGB was assessed. The coefficient of determination (R2) and root mean square error (RMSE) were 0.4341 and 119 t/ha respectively.

DARK SPOT DETECTION USING INTENSITY AND THE DEGREE OF POLARIZATION IN FULLY POLARIMETRIC SAR IMAGES FOR OIL POLUTION MONITORING

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

F. Zakeri

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Oil spill surveillance is of great environmental and economical interest, directly contributing to improve environmental protection. Monitoring of oil spills using synthetic aperture radar (SAR has received a considerable attention over the past few years, notably because of SAR data abilities like all-weather and day-and-night capturing. The degree of polarization (DoP is a less computationally complex quantity characterizing a partially polarized electromagnetic field. The key to the proposed approach is making use of DoP as polarimetric information besides intensity ones to improve dark patches detection as the first step of oil spill monitoring. In the proposed approach first simple intensity threshold segmentation like Otsu method is applied to the image. Pixels with intensities below the threshold are regarded as potential dark spot pixels while the others are potential background pixels. Second, the DoP of potential dark spot pixels is estimated. Pixels with DoP below a certain threshold are the real dark-spot pixels. Choosing the threshold is a critical and challenging step. In order to solve choosing the appropriate threshold, we introduce a novel but simple method based on DoP of potential dark spot pixels. Finally, an area threshold is used to eliminate any remaining false targets. The proposed approach is tested on L band NASA/JPL UAVSAR data, covering the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Comparing the obtained results from the new method with conventional approaches like Otsu, K-means and GrowCut shows better achievement of the proposed algorithm. For instance, mean square error (MSE 65%, Overall Accuracy 20% and correlation 40% are improved.

Dark SPOT Detection Using Intensity and the Degree of Polarization in Fully Polarimetric SAR Images for Oil Polution Monitoring

Science.gov (United States)

Zakeri, F.; Amini, J.

2015-12-01

Oil spill surveillance is of great environmental and economical interest, directly contributing to improve environmental protection. Monitoring of oil spills using synthetic aperture radar (SAR) has received a considerable attention over the past few years, notably because of SAR data abilities like all-weather and day-and-night capturing. The degree of polarization (DoP) is a less computationally complex quantity characterizing a partially polarized electromagnetic field. The key to the proposed approach is making use of DoP as polarimetric information besides intensity ones to improve dark patches detection as the first step of oil spill monitoring. In the proposed approach first simple intensity threshold segmentation like Otsu method is applied to the image. Pixels with intensities below the threshold are regarded as potential dark spot pixels while the others are potential background pixels. Second, the DoP of potential dark spot pixels is estimated. Pixels with DoP below a certain threshold are the real dark-spot pixels. Choosing the threshold is a critical and challenging step. In order to solve choosing the appropriate threshold, we introduce a novel but simple method based on DoP of potential dark spot pixels. Finally, an area threshold is used to eliminate any remaining false targets. The proposed approach is tested on L band NASA/JPL UAVSAR data, covering the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Comparing the obtained results from the new method with conventional approaches like Otsu, K-means and GrowCut shows better achievement of the proposed algorithm. For instance, mean square error (MSE) 65%, Overall Accuracy 20% and correlation 40% are improved.

Research on visible and near infrared spectral-polarimetric properties of soil polluted by crude oil

Science.gov (United States)

Shen, Hui-yan; Zhou, Pu-cheng; Pan, Bang-long

2017-10-01

Hydrocarbon contaminated soil can impose detrimental effects on forest health and quality of agricultural products. To manage such consequences, oil leak indicators should be detected quickly by monitoring systems. Remote sensing is one of the most suitable techniques for monitoring systems, especially for areas which are uninhabitable and difficulty to access. The most available physical quantities in optical remote sensing domain are the intensity and spectral information obtained by visible or infrared sensors. However, besides the intensity and wavelength, polarization is another primary physical quantity associated with an optical field. During the course of reflecting light-wave, the surface of soil polluted by crude oil will cause polarimetric properties which are related to the nature of itself. Thus, detection of the spectralpolarimetric properties for soil polluted by crude oil has become a new remote sensing monitoring method. In this paper, the multi-angle spectral-polarimetric instrument was used to obtain multi-angle visible and near infrared spectralpolarimetric characteristic data of soil polluted by crude oil. And then, the change rule between polarimetric properties with different affecting factors, such as viewing zenith angle, incidence zenith angle of the light source, relative azimuth angle, waveband of the detector as well as different grain size of soil were discussed, so as to provide a scientific basis for the research on polarization remote sensing for soil polluted by crude oil.

Proof-of-concept and feasibility demonstrations for an avalanche photodiode/photoelastic modulator-based imaging polarimeter

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — Building on the successful heritage of JPL’s Multiangle SpectroPolarimetric Imager (MSPI), we propose infusing HgCdTe avalanche photodiode (APD) array technology...

BUILT-UP AREA DETECTION BASED ON SUBSPACE PROJECTIONS USING POLARIMETRIC SAR DATA

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

R. Bordbari

2017-09-01

Full Text Available The task of detecting and identifying objects remotely has long been an area of intense interest and active research. Active sensing of objects with radio waves is a whole new domain of target detection which is made available by radar remote sensors. Land cover/use information extraction is one of the most important applications of radar remote sensing, especially in urban areas. In this paper, we take a new look at the built-up area extraction problem in polarimetric SAR (PolSAR data and assume canonical scattering mechanisms as our signal sources which combination of them with appropriate weight fractions formed a scattering vector of each pixel. The set of the scattering mechanisms is divided into two groups: the scattering mechanism of built-up area, and non-objected scattering mechanisms. Then, we describe a technique which simultaneously annihilates the effect of non-objected scattering mechanisms, and detects the presence of a scattering mechanism of interest. The experimental results on several quad-polarimetric datasets show the significant agreement with expected results, while saving computational complexity.

Optical polarization: background and camouflage

Science.gov (United States)

Škerlind, Christina; Hallberg, Tomas; Eriksson, Johan; Kariis, Hans; Bergström, David

2017-10-01

Polarimetric imaging sensors in the electro-optical region, already military and commercially available in both the visual and infrared, show enhanced capabilities for advanced target detection and recognition. The capabilities arise due to the ability to discriminate between man-made and natural background surfaces using the polarization information of light. In the development of materials for signature management in the visible and infrared wavelength regions, different criteria need to be met to fulfil the requirements for a good camouflage against modern sensors. In conventional camouflage design, the aimed design of the surface properties of an object is to spectrally match or adapt it to a background and thereby minimizing the contrast given by a specific threat sensor. Examples will be shown from measurements of some relevant materials and how they in different ways affect the polarimetric signature. Dimensioning properties relevant in an optical camouflage from a polarimetric perspective, such as degree of polarization, the viewing or incident angle, and amount of diffuse reflection, mainly in the infrared region, will be discussed.

An ultra-low power CMOS image sensor with on-chip energy harvesting and power management capability.

Science.gov (United States)

Cevik, Ismail; Huang, Xiwei; Yu, Hao; Yan, Mei; Ay, Suat U

2015-03-06

An ultra-low power CMOS image sensor with on-chip energy harvesting and power management capability is introduced in this paper. The photodiode pixel array can not only capture images but also harvest solar energy. As such, the CMOS image sensor chip is able to switch between imaging and harvesting modes towards self-power operation. Moreover, an on-chip maximum power point tracking (MPPT)-based power management system (PMS) is designed for the dual-mode image sensor to further improve the energy efficiency. A new isolated P-well energy harvesting and imaging (EHI) pixel with very high fill factor is introduced. Several ultra-low power design techniques such as reset and select boosting techniques have been utilized to maintain a wide pixel dynamic range. The chip was designed and fabricated in a 1.8 V, 1P6M 0.18 µm CMOS process. Total power consumption of the imager is 6.53 µW for a 96 × 96 pixel array with 1 V supply and 5 fps frame rate. Up to 30 μW of power could be generated by the new EHI pixels. The PMS is capable of providing 3× the power required during imaging mode with 50% efficiency allowing energy autonomous operation with a 72.5% duty cycle.

Mapping wetlands in Nova Scotia with multi-beam RADARSAT-2 Polarimetric SAR, optical satellite imagery, and Lidar data

Science.gov (United States)

Jahncke, Raymond; Leblon, Brigitte; Bush, Peter; LaRocque, Armand

2018-06-01

Wetland maps currently in use by the Province of Nova Scotia, namely the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) wetland inventory map and the swamp wetland classes of the DNR forest map, need to be updated. In this study, wetlands were mapped in an area southwest of Halifax, Nova Scotia by classifying a combination of multi-date and multi-beam RADARSAT-2 C-band polarimetric SAR (polSAR) images with spring Lidar, and fall QuickBird optical data using the Random Forests (RF) classifier. The resulting map has five wetland classes (open-water/marsh complex, open bog, open fen, shrub/treed fen/bog, swamp), plus lakes and various upland classes. Its accuracy was assessed using data from 156 GPS wetland sites collected in 2012 and compared to the one obtained with the current wetland map of Nova Scotia. The best overall classification was obtained using a combination of Lidar, RADARSAT-2 HH, HV, VH, VV intensity with polarimetric variables, and QuickBird multispectral (89.2%). The classified image was compared to GPS validation sites to assess the mapping accuracy of the wetlands. It was first done considering a group consisting of all wetland classes including lakes. This showed that only 69.9% of the wetland sites were correctly identified when only the QuickBird classified image was used in the classification. With the addition of variables derived from lidar, the number of correctly identified wetlands increased to 88.5%. The accuracy remained the same with the addition of RADARSAT-2 (88.5%). When we tested the accuracy for identifying wetland classes (e.g. marsh complex vs. open bog) instead of grouped wetlands, the resulting wetland map performed best with either QuickBird and Lidar, or QuickBird, Lidar, and RADARSAT-2 (66%). The Province of Nova Scotia's current wetland inventory and its associated wetland classes (aerial-photo interpreted) were also assessed against the GPS wetland sites. This provincial inventory correctly identified 62.2% of the grouped wetlands

Generalized Calibration of the Polarimetric Albedo Scale of Asteroids

Science.gov (United States)

Lupishko, D. F.

2018-03-01

Six different calibrations of the polarimetric albedo scale of asteroids have been published so far. Each of them contains its particular random and systematic errors and yields its values of geometric albedo. On the one hand, this complicates their analysis and comparison; on the other hand, it becomes more and more difficult to decide which of the proposed calibrations should be used. Moreover, in recent years, new databases on the albedo of asteroids obtained from the radiometric surveys of the sky with the orbital space facilities (the InfraRed Astronomical Satellite (IRAS), the Japanese astronomical satellite AKARI (which means "light"), the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE), and the Near-Earth Object Wide-field Survey Explorer (NEOWISE)) have appeared; and the database on the diameters and albedos of asteroids obtained from their occultations of stars has substantially increased. Here, we critically review the currently available calibrations and propose a new generalized calibration derived from the interrelations between the slope h and the albedo and between P min and the albedo. This calibration is based on all of the available series of the asteroid albedos and the most complete data on the polarization parameters of asteroids. The generalized calibration yields the values of the polarimetric albedo of asteroids in the system unified with the radiometric albedos and the albedos obtained from occultations of stars by asteroids. This, in turn, removes the difficulties in their comparison, joint analysis, etc.

Effect of Medium Symmetries in Limiting the Number of Parameters Estimated with Polarimetric Interferometry

Science.gov (United States)

Moghaddam, Mahta

2000-01-01

The addition of interferometric backscattering pairs to the conventional polarimetric SAR data over forests and other vegetated areas increases the dimensionality of the data space, in principle enabling the estimation of a larger number of vegetation parameters. Without regard to the sensitivity of these data to vegetation scattering parameters, this paper poses the question: Will increasing the data channels as such result in a one-to-one increase in the number of parameters that can be estimated, or do vegetation and data properties inherently limit that number otherwise? In this paper, the complete polarimetric interferometric covariance matrix is considered and various symmetry properties of the scattering medium are used to study whether any of the correlation pairs can be eliminated. The number of independent pairs has direct consequences in their utility in parameter estimation schemes, since the maximum number of parameters that can be estimated cannot exceed the number of unique measurements. The independent components of the polarimetric interferometric SAR (POL/INSAR) data are derived for media with reflection, rotation, and azimuth symmetries, which are often encountered in vegetated surfaces. Similar derivations have been carried out before for simple polarimetry, i.e., zero baseline. This paper extends those to the interferometric case of general nonzero baselines. It is shown that depending on the type of symmetries present, the number of independent available measurements that can be used to estimate medium parameters will vary. In particular, whereas in the general case there are 27 mathematically independent measurements possible from a polarimetric interferometer, this number can be reduced to 15, 9, and 6 if the medium has reflection, rotation, or azimuthal symmetries, respectively. The results can be used in several ways in the interpretation of SAR data and the development of parameter estimation schemes, which will be discussed at the

PRELIMINARY RESULTS OF ESTIMATING SOIL MOISTURE OVER BARE SOIL USING FULL-POLARIMETRIC ALOS-2 DATA

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. Sekertekin

2016-10-01

Full Text Available Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR imaging system is one of the most effective way for Earth observation. The aim of this study is to present the preliminary results about estimating soil moisture using L-band Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR data. Full-polarimetric (HH, HV, VV, VH ALOS-2 data, acquired on 22.04.2016 with the incidence angle of 30.4o, were used in the study. Simultaneously with the SAR acquisition, in-situ soil moisture samples over bare agricultural lands were collected and evaluated using gravimetric method. Backscattering coefficients for all polarizations were obtained and linear regression analysis was carried out with in situ moisture measurements. The best correlation coefficient was observed with VV polarization. Cross-polarized backscattering coefficients were not so sensitive to soil moisture content. In the study, it was observed that soil moisture maps can be retrieved with the accuracy about 14% (RMSE.

Aerosol Retrieval Sensitivity and Error Analysis for the Cloud and Aerosol Polarimetric Imager on Board TanSat: The Effect of Multi-Angle Measurement

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xi Chen

2017-02-01

Full Text Available Aerosol scattering is an important source of error in CO2 retrievals from satellite. This paper presents an analysis of aerosol information content from the Cloud and Aerosol Polarimetric Imager (CAPI onboard the Chinese Carbon Dioxide Observation Satellite (TanSat to be launched in 2016. Based on optimal estimation theory, aerosol information content is quantified from radiance and polarization observed by CAPI in terms of the degrees of freedom for the signal (DFS. A linearized vector radiative transfer model is used with a linearized Mie code to simulate observation and sensitivity (or Jacobians with respect to aerosol parameters. In satellite nadir mode, the DFS for aerosol optical depth is the largest, but for mode radius, it is only 0.55. Observation geometry is found to affect aerosol DFS based on the aerosol scattering phase function from the comparison between different viewing zenith angles or solar zenith angles. When TanSat is operated in target mode, we note that multi-angle retrieval represented by three along-track measurements provides additional 0.31 DFS on average, mainly from mode radius. When adding another two measurements, the a posteriori error decreases by another 2%–6%. The correlation coefficients between retrieved parameters show that aerosol is strongly correlated with surface reflectance, but multi-angle retrieval can weaken this correlation.

A WFS-SVM Model for Soil Salinity Mapping in Keriya Oasis, Northwestern China Using Polarimetric Decomposition and Fully PolSAR Data

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ilyas Nurmemet

2018-04-01

Full Text Available Timely monitoring and mapping of salt-affected areas are essential for the prevention of land degradation and sustainable soil management in arid and semi-arid regions. The main objective of this study was to develop Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR polarimetry techniques for improved soil salinity mapping in the Keriya Oasis in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (Xinjiang, China, where salinized soil appears to be a major threat to local agricultural productivity. Multiple polarimetric target decomposition, optimal feature subset selection (wrapper feature selector, WFS, and support vector machine (SVM algorithms were used for optimal soil salinization classification using quad-polarized PALSAR-2 data. A threefold exercise was conducted. First, 16 polarimetric decomposition methods were implemented and a wide range of polarimetric parameters and SAR discriminators were derived in order to mine hidden information in PolSAR data. Second, the optimal polarimetric feature subset that constitutes 19 polarimetric elements was selected adopting the WFS approach; optimum classification parameters were identified, and the optimal SVM classification model was obtained by employing a cross-validation method. Third, the WFS-SVM classification model was constructed, optimized, and implemented based on the optimal match of polarimetric features and optimum classification parameters. Soils with different salinization degrees (i.e., highly, moderately and slightly salinized soils were extracted. Finally, classification results were compared with the Wishart supervised classification and conventional SVM classification to examine the performance of the proposed method for salinity mapping. Detailed field investigations and ground data were used for the validation of the adopted methods. The overall accuracy and kappa coefficient of the proposed WFS-SVM model were 87.57% and 0.85, respectively that were much higher than those obtained by the Wishart supervised

Polarimetric survey of main-belt asteroids. IV. New results from the first epoch of the CASLEO survey

Science.gov (United States)

Gil-Hutton, R.; Cellino, A.; Bendjoya, Ph.

2014-09-01

Aims: We present results of a polarimetric survey of main-belt asteroids at Complejo Astronómico El Leoncito (CASLEO), San Juan, Argentina. The aims of this survey are to increase the database of asteroid polarimetry, to estimate diversity in polarimetric properties of asteroids that belong to different taxonomic classes, and to search for objects that exhibit anomalous polarimetric properties. Methods: The data were obtained using the Torino and CASPROF polarimeters at the 2.15m telescope. The Torino polarimeter is an instrument that allows simultaneous measurement of polarization in five different bands, and the CASPROF polarimeter is a two-hole aperture polarimeter with rapid modulation. Results: The survey began in 1995, and until 2012 data on a large sample of asteroids were obtained. We here present and analyze the unpublished results for 129 asteroids of different taxonomic types, 56 which were polarimetrically observed for the first time. We find that the asteroids (402) Chloe and (729) Watsonia are Barbarians, and asteroid (269) Justitia shows a phase - polarization curve that seems to have a small inversion angle. Data obtained in UBVRI colors allow us to sketch an analysis of the wavelength dependence of the degree of linear polarization for 31 asteroids, in spite of some large error bars in some cases. Based on observations carried out at the Complejo Astronómico El Leoncito, operated under agreement between the Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas de la República Argentina and the National Universities of La Plata, Córdoba, and San Juan.Table 1 is only available at the CDS via anonymous ftp to http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (ftp://130.79.128.5) or via http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr/viz-bin/qcat?J/A+A/569/A122

Image processing for the Advanced Radiographic Capability (ARC) at the National Ignition Facility

Science.gov (United States)

Leach, Richard R.; Awwal, Abdul A. S.; Lowe-Webb, Roger; Miller-Kamm, Victoria; Orth, Charles; Roberts, Randy; Wilhelmsen, Karl

2016-09-01

The Advance Radiographic Capability (ARC) at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) is a laser system that employs up to four petawatt (PW) lasers to produce a sequence of short-pulse kilo-Joule laser pulses with controllable delays that generate X-rays to provide backlighting for high-density internal confinement fusion (ICF) capsule targets. Multi-frame, hard-X-ray radiography of imploding NIF capsules is a capability which is critical to the success of NIF's missions. ARC is designed to employ up to eight backlighters with tens-of-picosecond temporal resolution, to record the dynamics and produce an X-ray "motion picture" of the compression and ignition of cryogenic deuterium-tritium targets. ARC will generate tens-of-picosecond temporal resolution during the critical phases of ICF shots. Additionally, ARC supports a variety of other high energy density experiments including fast ignition studies on NIF. The automated alignment image analysis algorithms use digital camera sensor images to direct ARC beams onto the tens-of-microns scale metal wires. This paper describes the ARC automatic alignment sequence throughout the laser chain from pulse initiation to target with an emphasis on the image processing algorithms that generate the crucial alignment positions for ARC. The image processing descriptions and flow diagrams detail the alignment control loops throughout the ARC laser chain beginning in the ARC high-contrast front end (HCAFE), on into the ARC main laser area, and ending in the ARC target area.

An Ultra-Low Power CMOS Image Sensor with On-Chip Energy Harvesting and Power Management Capability

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ismail Cevik

2015-03-01

Full Text Available An ultra-low power CMOS image sensor with on-chip energy harvesting and power management capability is introduced in this paper. The photodiode pixel array can not only capture images but also harvest solar energy. As such, the CMOS image sensor chip is able to switch between imaging and harvesting modes towards self-power operation. Moreover, an on-chip maximum power point tracking (MPPT-based power management system (PMS is designed for the dual-mode image sensor to further improve the energy efficiency. A new isolated P-well energy harvesting and imaging (EHI pixel with very high fill factor is introduced. Several ultra-low power design techniques such as reset and select boosting techniques have been utilized to maintain a wide pixel dynamic range. The chip was designed and fabricated in a 1.8 V, 1P6M 0.18 µm CMOS process. Total power consumption of the imager is 6.53 µW for a 96 × 96 pixel array with 1 V supply and 5 fps frame rate. Up to 30 μW of power could be generated by the new EHI pixels. The PMS is capable of providing 3× the power required during imaging mode with 50% efficiency allowing energy autonomous operation with a 72.5% duty cycle.

Three axis vector atomic magnetometer utilizing polarimetric technique

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pradhan, Swarupananda, E-mail: spradhan@barc.gov.in, E-mail: pradhans75@gmail.com [Laser and Plasma Technology Division, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai 400085, India and Homi Bhabha National Institute, Department of Atomic Energy, Mumbai 400094 (India)

2016-09-15

The three axis vector magnetic field measurement based on the interaction of a single elliptically polarized light beam with an atomic system is described. The magnetic field direction dependent atomic responses are extracted by the polarimetric detection in combination with laser frequency modulation and magnetic field modulation techniques. The magnetometer geometry offers additional critical requirements like compact size and large dynamic range for space application. Further, the three axis magnetic field is measured using only the reflected signal (one polarization component) from the polarimeter and thus can be easily expanded to make spatial array of detectors and/or high sensitivity field gradient measurement as required for biomedical application.

Precipitation microphysics characteristics of a Typhoon Matmo (2014) rainband after landfall over eastern China based on polarimetric radar observations

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Mingjun; Zhao, Kun; Xue, Ming; Zhang, Guifu; Liu, Su; Wen, Long; Chen, Gang

2016-10-01

The evolution of microphysical characteristics of a rainband in Typhoon Matmo (2014) over eastern China, through its onset, developing, mature, and dissipating stages, is documented using observations from an S band polarimetric Doppler radar and a two-dimensional video disdrometer (2DVD). The drop size distributions observed by the 2DVD and retrieved from the polarimetric radar measurements indicate that the convection in the rainband generally contains smaller drops and higher number concentrations than the typical maritime type convection described in Bringi et al. (2003). The average mass-weighted mean diameter (Dm) of convective precipitation in the rainband is about 1.41 mm, and the average logarithmic normalized intercept (Nw) is 4.67 log10 mm-1 m-3. To further investigate the dominant microphysical processes, the evolution of the vertical structures of polarimetric variables is examined. Results show that complex ice processes are involved above the freezing level, while it is most likely that the accretion and/or coalescence processes dominate below the freezing level throughout the rainband life cycle. A combined examination of the polarimetric measurements and profiles of estimated vertical liquid and ice water contents indicates that the conversion of cloud water into rainwater through cloud water accretion by raindrops plays a dominant role in producing heavy rainfall. The high estimated precipitation efficiency of 50% also suggests that cloud water accretion is the dominant mechanism for producing heavy rainfall. This study represents the first time that radar and 2DVD observations are used together to characterize the microphysical characteristics and precipitation efficiency for typhoon rainbands in China.

SAFARI new and improved: extending the capabilities of SPICA's imaging spectrometer

Science.gov (United States)

Roelfsema, Peter; Giard, Martin; Najarro, Francisco; Wafelbakker, Kees; Jellema, Willem; Jackson, Brian; Sibthorpe, Bruce; Audard, Marc; Doi, Yasuo; di Giorgio, Anna; Griffin, Matthew; Helmich, Frank; Kamp, Inga; Kerschbaum, Franz; Meyer, Michael; Naylor, David; Onaka, Takashi; Poglitch, Albrecht; Spinoglio, Luigi; van der Tak, Floris; Vandenbussche, Bart

2014-08-01

The Japanese SPace Infrared telescope for Cosmology and Astrophysics, SPICA, aims to provide astronomers with a truly new window on the universe. With a large -3 meter class- cold -6K- telescope, the mission provides a unique low background environment optimally suited for highly sensitive instruments limited only by the cosmic background itself. SAFARI, the SpicA FAR infrared Instrument SAFARI, is a Fourier Transform imaging spectrometer designed to fully exploit this extremely low far infrared background environment. The SAFARI consortium, comprised of European and Canadian institutes, has established an instrument reference design based on a Mach-Zehnder interferometer stage with outputs directed to three extremely sensitive Transition Edge Sensor arrays covering the 35 to 210 μm domain. The baseline instrument provides R > 1000 spectroscopic imaging capabilities over a 2' by 2' field of view. A number of modifications to the instrument to extend its capabilities are under investigation. With the reference design SAFARI's sensitivity for many objects is limited not only by the detector NEP but also by the level of broad band background radiation - the zodiacal light for the shorter wavelengths and satellite baffle structures for the longer wavelengths. Options to reduce this background are dedicated masks or dispersive elements which can be inserted in the optics as required. The resulting increase in sensitivity can directly enhance the prime science goals of SAFARI; with the expected enhanced sensitivity astronomers would be in a better position to study thousands of galaxies out to redshift 3 and even many hundreds out to redshifts of 5 or 6. Possibilities to increase the wavelength resolution, at least for the shorter wavelength bands, are investigated as this would significantly enhance SAFARI's capabilities to study star and planet formation in our own galaxy.

An analytical model for the description of the full-polarimetric sea surface Doppler signature

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Fois, F.; Hoogeboom, P.; Le Chevalier, F.; Stoffelen, A.

2015-01-01

This paper describes an analytical model of the full-polarimetric sea surface scattering and Doppler signature. The model combines the small-slope-approximation theory (at the second order) with a weak nonlinear sea surface representation. Such a model is used to examine the variation of the Doppler

Toward automated face detection in thermal and polarimetric thermal imagery

Science.gov (United States)

Gordon, Christopher; Acosta, Mark; Short, Nathan; Hu, Shuowen; Chan, Alex L.

2016-05-01

Visible spectrum face detection algorithms perform pretty reliably under controlled lighting conditions. However, variations in illumination and application of cosmetics can distort the features used by common face detectors, thereby degrade their detection performance. Thermal and polarimetric thermal facial imaging are relatively invariant to illumination and robust to the application of makeup, due to their measurement of emitted radiation instead of reflected light signals. The objective of this work is to evaluate a government off-the-shelf wavelet based naïve-Bayes face detection algorithm and a commercial off-the-shelf Viola-Jones cascade face detection algorithm on face imagery acquired in different spectral bands. New classifiers were trained using the Viola-Jones cascade object detection framework with preprocessed facial imagery. Preprocessing using Difference of Gaussians (DoG) filtering reduces the modality gap between facial signatures across the different spectral bands, thus enabling more correlated histogram of oriented gradients (HOG) features to be extracted from the preprocessed thermal and visible face images. Since the availability of training data is much more limited in the thermal spectrum than in the visible spectrum, it is not feasible to train a robust multi-modal face detector using thermal imagery alone. A large training dataset was constituted with DoG filtered visible and thermal imagery, which was subsequently used to generate a custom trained Viola-Jones detector. A 40% increase in face detection rate was achieved on a testing dataset, as compared to the performance of a pre-trained/baseline face detector. Insights gained in this research are valuable in the development of more robust multi-modal face detectors.

VizieR Online Data Catalog: Main-belt asteroids polarimetric survey. II. (Gil-Hutton+, 2012)

Science.gov (United States)

Gil-Hutton, R.; Canada-Assandri, M.

2012-01-01

Results for the objects observed during the polarimetric survey of main-belt asteroids. The observations were carried out during different observing runs between May 2004 and November 2009 at the 2.15m telescope of the CASLEO, San Juan, Argentina, using the Torino and CASPROF polarimeters. (3 data files).

Review of fluorescence guided surgery systems: identification of key performance capabilities beyond indocyanine green imaging

Science.gov (United States)

DSouza, Alisha V.; Lin, Huiyun; Henderson, Eric R.; Samkoe, Kimberley S.; Pogue, Brian W.

2016-01-01

Abstract. There is growing interest in using fluorescence imaging instruments to guide surgery, and the leading options for open-field imaging are reviewed here. While the clinical fluorescence-guided surgery (FGS) field has been focused predominantly on indocyanine green (ICG) imaging, there is accelerated development of more specific molecular tracers. These agents should help advance new indications for which FGS presents a paradigm shift in how molecular information is provided for resection decisions. There has been a steady growth in commercially marketed FGS systems, each with their own differentiated performance characteristics and specifications. A set of desirable criteria is presented to guide the evaluation of instruments, including: (i) real-time overlay of white-light and fluorescence images, (ii) operation within ambient room lighting, (iii) nanomolar-level sensitivity, (iv) quantitative capabilities, (v) simultaneous multiple fluorophore imaging, and (vi) ergonomic utility for open surgery. In this review, United States Food and Drug Administration 510(k) cleared commercial systems and some leading premarket FGS research systems were evaluated to illustrate the continual increase in this performance feature base. Generally, the systems designed for ICG-only imaging have sufficient sensitivity to ICG, but a fraction of the other desired features listed above, with both lower sensitivity and dynamic range. In comparison, the emerging research systems targeted for use with molecular agents have unique capabilities that will be essential for successful clinical imaging studies with low-concentration agents or where superior rejection of ambient light is needed. There is no perfect imaging system, but the feature differences among them are important differentiators in their utility, as outlined in the data and tables here. PMID:27533438

Review of fluorescence guided surgery systems: identification of key performance capabilities beyond indocyanine green imaging

Science.gov (United States)

DSouza, Alisha V.; Lin, Huiyun; Henderson, Eric R.; Samkoe, Kimberley S.; Pogue, Brian W.

2016-08-01

There is growing interest in using fluorescence imaging instruments to guide surgery, and the leading options for open-field imaging are reviewed here. While the clinical fluorescence-guided surgery (FGS) field has been focused predominantly on indocyanine green (ICG) imaging, there is accelerated development of more specific molecular tracers. These agents should help advance new indications for which FGS presents a paradigm shift in how molecular information is provided for resection decisions. There has been a steady growth in commercially marketed FGS systems, each with their own differentiated performance characteristics and specifications. A set of desirable criteria is presented to guide the evaluation of instruments, including: (i) real-time overlay of white-light and fluorescence images, (ii) operation within ambient room lighting, (iii) nanomolar-level sensitivity, (iv) quantitative capabilities, (v) simultaneous multiple fluorophore imaging, and (vi) ergonomic utility for open surgery. In this review, United States Food and Drug Administration 510(k) cleared commercial systems and some leading premarket FGS research systems were evaluated to illustrate the continual increase in this performance feature base. Generally, the systems designed for ICG-only imaging have sufficient sensitivity to ICG, but a fraction of the other desired features listed above, with both lower sensitivity and dynamic range. In comparison, the emerging research systems targeted for use with molecular agents have unique capabilities that will be essential for successful clinical imaging studies with low-concentration agents or where superior rejection of ambient light is needed. There is no perfect imaging system, but the feature differences among them are important differentiators in their utility, as outlined in the data and tables here.

Identification of hydrometeor mixtures in polarimetric radar measurements and their linear de-mixing

Science.gov (United States)

Besic, Nikola; Ventura, Jordi Figueras i.; Grazioli, Jacopo; Gabella, Marco; Germann, Urs; Berne, Alexis

2017-04-01

The issue of hydrometeor mixtures affects radar sampling volumes without a clear dominant hydrometeor type. Containing a number of different hydrometeor types which significantly contribute to the polarimetric variables, these volumes are likely to occur in the vicinity of the melting layer and mainly, at large distance from a given radar. Motivated by potential benefits for both quantitative and qualitative applications of dual-pol radar, we propose a method for the identification of hydrometeor mixtures and their subsequent linear de-mixing. This method is intrinsically related to our recently proposed semi-supervised approach for hydrometeor classification. The mentioned classification approach [1] performs labeling of radar sampling volumes by using as a criterion the Euclidean distance with respect to five-dimensional centroids, depicting nine hydrometeor classes. The positions of the centroids in the space formed by four radar moments and one external parameter (phase indicator), are derived through a technique of k-medoids clustering, applied on a selected representative set of radar observations, and coupled with statistical testing which introduces the assumed microphysical properties of the different hydrometeor types. Aside from a hydrometeor type label, each radar sampling volume is characterized by an entropy estimate, indicating the uncertainty of the classification. Here, we revisit the concept of entropy presented in [1], in order to emphasize its presumed potential for the identification of hydrometeor mixtures. The calculation of entropy is based on the estimate of the probability (pi ) that the observation corresponds to the hydrometeor type i (i = 1,ṡṡṡ9) . The probability is derived from the Euclidean distance (di ) of the observation to the centroid characterizing the hydrometeor type i . The parametrization of the d → p transform is conducted in a controlled environment, using synthetic polarimetric radar datasets. It ensures balanced

Simulated multipolarized MAPSAR images to distinguish agricultural crops

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wagner Fernando Silva

2012-06-01

Full Text Available Many researchers have shown the potential of Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR images for agricultural applications, particularly for monitoring regions with limitations in terms of acquiring cloud free optical images. Recently, Brazil and Germany began a feasibility study on the construction of an orbital L-band SAR sensor referred to as MAPSAR (Multi-Application Purpose SAR. This sensor provides L-band images in three spatial resolutions and polarimetric, interferometric and stereoscopic capabilities. Thus, studies are needed to evaluate the potential of future MAPSAR images. The objective of this study was to evaluate multipolarized MAPSAR images simulated by the airborne SAR-R99B sensor to distinguish coffee, cotton and pasture fields in Brazil. Discrimination among crops was evaluated through graphical and cluster analysis of mean backscatter values, considering single, dual and triple polarizations. Planting row direction of coffee influenced the backscatter and was divided into two classes: parallel and perpendicular to the sensor look direction. Single polarizations had poor ability to discriminate the crops. The overall accuracies were less than 59 %, but the understanding of the microwave interaction with the crops could be explored. Combinations of two polarizations could differentiate various fields of crops, highlighting the combination VV-HV that reached 78 % overall accuracy. The use of three polarizations resulted in 85.4 % overall accuracy, indicating that the classes pasture and parallel coffee were fully discriminated from the other classes. These results confirmed the potential of multipolarized MAPSAR images to distinguish the studied crops and showed considerable improvement in the accuracy of the results when the number of polarizations was increased.

Security protection of DICOM medical images using dual-layer reversible watermarking with tamper detection capability.

Science.gov (United States)

Tan, Chun Kiat; Ng, Jason Changwei; Xu, Xiaotian; Poh, Chueh Loo; Guan, Yong Liang; Sheah, Kenneth

2011-06-01

Teleradiology applications and universal availability of patient records using web-based technology are rapidly gaining importance. Consequently, digital medical image security has become an important issue when images and their pertinent patient information are transmitted across public networks, such as the Internet. Health mandates such as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act require healthcare providers to adhere to security measures in order to protect sensitive patient information. This paper presents a fully reversible, dual-layer watermarking scheme with tamper detection capability for medical images. The scheme utilizes concepts of public-key cryptography and reversible data-hiding technique. The scheme was tested using medical images in DICOM format. The results show that the scheme is able to ensure image authenticity and integrity, and to locate tampered regions in the images.

Spacial Variation in SAR Images of Different Resolution for Agricultural Fields

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sandholt, Inge; Skriver, Henning

1999-01-01

The spatial variation in two types of Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) images covering agricultural fields is analysed. C-band polarimetric SAR data from the Danish airborne SAR, EMISAR, have been compared to space based ERS-1 C-band SAR with respect to scale and effect of polarization. The general...

Optical fiber-based full Mueller polarimeter for endoscopic imaging using a two-wavelength simultaneous measurement method.

Science.gov (United States)

Vizet, Jérémy; Manhas, Sandeep; Tran, Jacqueline; Validire, Pierre; Benali, Abdelali; Garcia-Caurel, Enric; Pierangelo, Angelo; De Martino, Antonello; Pagnoux, Dominique

2016-07-01

This paper reports a technique based on spectrally differential measurement for determining the full Mueller matrix of a biological sample through an optical fiber. In this technique, two close wavelengths were used simultaneously, one for characterizing the fiber and the other for characterizing the assembly of fiber and sample. The characteristics of the fiber measured at one wavelength were used to decouple its contribution from the measurement on the assembly of fiber and sample and then to extract sample Mueller matrix at the second wavelength. The proof of concept was experimentally validated by measuring polarimetric parameters of various calibrated optical components through the optical fiber. Then, polarimetric images of histological cuts of human colon tissues were measured, and retardance, diattenuation, and orientation of the main axes of fibrillar regions were displayed. Finally, these images were successfully compared with images obtained by a free space Mueller microscope. As the reported method does not use any moving component, it offers attractive integration possibilities with an endoscopic probe.

EFFECT OF POLARIMETRIC NOISE ON THE ESTIMATION OF TWIST AND MAGNETIC ENERGY OF FORCE-FREE FIELDS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tiwari, Sanjiv Kumar; Venkatakrishnan, P.; Gosain, Sanjay; Joshi, Jayant

2009-01-01

The force-free parameter α, also known as helicity parameter or twist parameter, bears the same sign as the magnetic helicity under some restrictive conditions. The single global value of α for a whole active region gives the degree of twist per unit axial length. We investigate the effect of polarimetric noise on the calculation of global α value and magnetic energy of an analytical bipole. The analytical bipole has been generated using the force-free field approximation with a known value of constant α and magnetic energy. The magnetic parameters obtained from the analytical bipole are used to generate Stokes profiles from the Unno-Rachkovsky solutions for polarized radiative transfer equations. Then we add random noise of the order of 10 -3 of the continuum intensity (I c ) in these profiles to simulate the real profiles obtained by modern spectropolarimeters such as Hinode (SOT/SP), SVM (USO), ASP, DLSP, POLIS, and SOLIS etc. These noisy profiles are then inverted using a Milne-Eddington inversion code to retrieve the magnetic parameters. Hundred realizations of this process of adding random noise and polarimetric inversion is repeated to study the distribution of error in global α and magnetic energy values. The results show that (1) the sign of α is not influenced by polarimetric noise and very accurate values of global twist can be calculated, and (2) accurate estimation of magnetic energy with uncertainty as low as 0.5% is possible under the force-free condition.

Geomorphological mapping of ice-free areas using polarimetric RADARSAT-2 data on Fildes Peninsula and Ardley Island, Antarctica

Science.gov (United States)

Schmid, T.; López-Martínez, J.; Guillaso, S.; Serrano, E.; D'Hondt, O.; Koch, M.; Nieto, A.; O'Neill, T.; Mink, S.; Durán, J. J.; Maestro, A.

2017-09-01

Satellite-borne Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) has been used for characterizing and mapping in two relevant ice-free areas in the South Shetland Islands. The objective has been to identify and characterize land surface covers that mainly include periglacial and glacial landforms, using fully polarimetric SAR C band RADARSAT-2 data, on Fildes Peninsula that forms part of King George Island, and Ardley Island. Polarimetric parameters obtained from the SAR data, a selection of field based training and validation sites and a supervised classification approach, using the support vector machine were chosen to determine the spatial distribution of the different landforms. Eight periglacial and glacial landforms were characterized according to their scattering mechanisms using a set of 48 polarimetric parameters. The mapping of the most representative surface covers included colluvial deposits, stone fields and pavements, patterned ground, glacial till and rock outcrops, lakes and glacier ice. The overall accuracy of the results was estimated at 81%, a significant value when mapping areas that are within isolated regions where access is limited. Periglacial surface covers such as stone fields and pavements occupy 25% and patterned ground over 20% of the ice-free areas. These are results that form the basis for an extensive monitoring of the ice-free areas throughout the northern Antarctic Peninsula region.

Performance Considerations for the SIMPL Single Photon, Polarimetric, Two-Color Laser Altimeter as Applied to Measurements of Forest Canopy Structure and Composition

Science.gov (United States)

Dabney, Philip W.; Harding, David J.; Valett, Susan R.; Vasilyev, Aleksey A.; Yu, Anthony W.

2012-01-01

The Slope Imaging Multi-polarization Photon-counting Lidar (SIMPL) is a multi-beam, micropulse airborne laser altimeter that acquires active and passive polarimetric optical remote sensing measurements at visible and near-infrared wavelengths. SIMPL was developed to demonstrate advanced measurement approaches of potential benefit for improved, more efficient spaceflight laser altimeter missions. SIMPL data have been acquired for wide diversity of forest types in the summers of 2010 and 2011 in order to assess the potential of its novel capabilities for characterization of vegetation structure and composition. On each of its four beams SIMPL provides highly-resolved measurements of forest canopy structure by detecting single-photons with 15 cm ranging precision using a narrow-beam system operating at a laser repetition rate of 11 kHz. Associated with that ranging data SIMPL provides eight amplitude parameters per beam unlike the single amplitude provided by typical laser altimeters. Those eight parameters are received energy that is parallel and perpendicular to that of the plane-polarized transmit pulse at 532 nm (green) and 1064 nm (near IR), for both the active laser backscatter retro-reflectance and the passive solar bi-directional reflectance. This poster presentation will cover the instrument architecture and highlight the performance of the SIMPL instrument with examples taken from measurements for several sites with distinct canopy structures and compositions. Specific performance areas such as probability of detection, after pulsing, and dead time, will be highlighted and addressed, along with examples of their impact on the measurements and how they limit the ability to accurately model and recover the canopy properties. To assess the sensitivity of SIMPL's measurements to canopy properties an instrument model has been implemented in the FLIGHT radiative transfer code, based on Monte Carlo simulation of photon transport. SIMPL data collected in 2010 over

Measurement of the position resolution of the Gas Pixel Detector

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Soffitta, Paolo; Muleri, Fabio; Fabiani, Sergio; Costa, Enrico; Bellazzini, Ronaldo; Brez, Alessandro; Minuti, Massimo; Pinchera, Michele; Spandre, Gloria

2013-01-01

The Gas Pixel Detector was designed and built as a focal plane instrument for X-ray polarimetry of celestial sources, the last unexplored subtopics of X-ray astronomy. It promises to perform detailed and sensitive measurements resolving extended sources and detecting polarization in faint sources in crowded fields at the focus of telescopes of good angular resolution. Its polarimetric and spectral capability were already studied in earlier works. Here we investigate for the first time, with both laboratory measurements and Monte Carlo simulations, its imaging properties to confirm its unique capability to carry out imaging spectral-polarimetry in future X-ray missions.

Dual-band infrared capabilities for imaging buried object sites

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Del Grande, N.K.; Durbin, P.F.; Gorvad, M.R.; Perkins, D.E.; Clark, G.A.; Hernandez, J.E.; Sherwood, R.J.

1993-04-02

We discuss dual-band infrared (DBIR) capabilities for imaging buried object sizes. We identify physical features affecting thermal contrast needed to distinguish buried object sites from undisturbed sites or surface clutter. Apart from atmospheric transmission and system performance, these features include: object size, shape, and burial depth; ambient soil, disturbed soil and object site thermal diffusivity differences; surface temperature, emissivity, plant-cover, slope, albedo and roughness variations; weather conditions and measurement times. We use good instrumentation to measure the time-varying temperature differences between buried object sites and undisturbed soil sites. We compare near surface soil temperature differences with radiometric infrared (IR) surface temperature differences recorded at 4.7 {plus_minus} 0.4 {mu}m and at 10.6 {plus_minus} 1.0 {mu}m. By producing selective DBIR image ratio maps, we distinguish temperature-difference patterns from surface emissivity effects. We discuss temperature differences between buried object sites, filled hole site (without buried objects), cleared (undisturbed) soil sites, and grass-covered sites (with and without different types of surface clutter). We compare temperature, emissivity-ratio, visible and near-IR reflectance signatures of surface objects, leafy plants and sod. We discuss the physical aspects of environmental, surface and buried target features affecting interpretation of buried targets, surface objects and natural backgrounds.

Exploring the Validity Range of the Polarimetric Two-Scale Two-Component Model for Soil Moisture Retrieval by Using AGRISAR Data

Science.gov (United States)

Di Martino, Gerardo; Iodice, Antonio; Natale, Antonio; Riccio, Daniele; Ruello, Giuseppe

2015-04-01

The recently proposed polarimetric two-scale two- component model (PTSTCM) in principle allows us obtaining a reasonable estimation of the soil moisture even in moderately vegetated areas, where the volumetric scattering contribution is non-negligible, provided that the surface component is dominant and the double-bounce component is negligible. Here we test the PTSTCM validity range by applying it to polarimetric SAR data acquired on areas for which, at the same times of SAR acquisitions, ground measurements of soil moisture were performed. In particular, we employ the AGRISAR'06 database, which includes data from several fields covering a period that spans all the phases of vegetation growth.

Evaluation of Digital Classification of Polarimetric SAR Data for Iron-Mineralized Laterites Mapping in the Amazon Region

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cleber G. Oliveira

2013-06-01

Full Text Available This study evaluates the potential of C- and L-band polarimetric SAR data for the discrimination of iron-mineralized laterites in the Brazilian Amazon region. The study area is the N1 plateau located on the northern border of the Carajás Mineral Province, the most important Brazilian mineral province which has numerous mineral deposits, particularly the world’s largest iron deposits. The plateau is covered by low-density savanna-type vegetation (campus rupestres which contrasts visibly with the dense equatorial forest. The laterites are subdivided into three units: chemical crust, iron-ore duricrust, and hematite, of which only the latter two are of economic interest. Full polarimetric data from the airborne R99B sensor of the SIVAM/CENSIPAM (L-band system and the RADARSAT-2 satellite (C-band were evaluated. The study focused on an assessment of distinct schemes for digital classification based on decomposition theory and hybrid approach, which incorporates statistical analysis as input data derived from the target decomposition modeling. The results indicated that the polarimetric classifications presented a poor performance, with global Kappa values below 0.20. The accuracy for the identification of units of economic interest varied from 55% to 89%, albeit with high commission error values. In addition, the results using L-band were considered superior compared to C-band, which suggest that the roughness scale for laterite discrimination in the area is nearer to L than to C-band.

Comparison of vehicle-mounted forward-looking polarimetric infrared and downward-looking infrared sensors for landmine detection

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Cremer, F.; Schavemaker, J.G.M.; Jong, W. de; Schutte, K.

2003-01-01

This paper gives a comparison of two vehicle-mounted infrared systems for landmine detection. The first system is a down-ward looking standard infrared camera using processing methods developed within the EU project LOTUS. The second system is using a forward-looking polarimetric infrared camera.

AXIS: An instrument for imaging Compton radiographs using the Advanced Radiography Capability on the NIF

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hall, G. N., E-mail: hall98@llnl.gov; Izumi, N.; Tommasini, R.; Carpenter, A. C.; Palmer, N. E.; Zacharias, R.; Felker, B.; Holder, J. P.; Allen, F. V.; Bell, P. M.; Bradley, D.; Montesanti, R.; Landen, O. L. [Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, 7000 East Avenue, Livermore, California 94550 (United States)

2014-11-15

Compton radiography is an important diagnostic for Inertial Confinement Fusion (ICF), as it provides a means to measure the density and asymmetries of the DT fuel in an ICF capsule near the time of peak compression. The AXIS instrument (ARC (Advanced Radiography Capability) X-ray Imaging System) is a gated detector in development for the National Ignition Facility (NIF), and will initially be capable of recording two Compton radiographs during a single NIF shot. The principal reason for the development of AXIS is the requirement for significantly improved detection quantum efficiency (DQE) at high x-ray energies. AXIS will be the detector for Compton radiography driven by the ARC laser, which will be used to produce Bremsstrahlung X-ray backlighter sources over the range of 50 keV–200 keV for this purpose. It is expected that AXIS will be capable of recording these high-energy x-rays with a DQE several times greater than other X-ray cameras at NIF, as well as providing a much larger field of view of the imploded capsule. AXIS will therefore provide an image with larger signal-to-noise that will allow the density and distribution of the compressed DT fuel to be measured with significantly greater accuracy as ICF experiments are tuned for ignition.

AXIS: an instrument for imaging Compton radiographs using the Advanced Radiography Capability on the NIF.

Science.gov (United States)

Hall, G N; Izumi, N; Tommasini, R; Carpenter, A C; Palmer, N E; Zacharias, R; Felker, B; Holder, J P; Allen, F V; Bell, P M; Bradley, D; Montesanti, R; Landen, O L

2014-11-01

Compton radiography is an important diagnostic for Inertial Confinement Fusion (ICF), as it provides a means to measure the density and asymmetries of the DT fuel in an ICF capsule near the time of peak compression. The AXIS instrument (ARC (Advanced Radiography Capability) X-ray Imaging System) is a gated detector in development for the National Ignition Facility (NIF), and will initially be capable of recording two Compton radiographs during a single NIF shot. The principal reason for the development of AXIS is the requirement for significantly improved detection quantum efficiency (DQE) at high x-ray energies. AXIS will be the detector for Compton radiography driven by the ARC laser, which will be used to produce Bremsstrahlung X-ray backlighter sources over the range of 50 keV-200 keV for this purpose. It is expected that AXIS will be capable of recording these high-energy x-rays with a DQE several times greater than other X-ray cameras at NIF, as well as providing a much larger field of view of the imploded capsule. AXIS will therefore provide an image with larger signal-to-noise that will allow the density and distribution of the compressed DT fuel to be measured with significantly greater accuracy as ICF experiments are tuned for ignition.

Land-cover mapping using multitemporal, dual-frequency polarimetric SAR data

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Skriver, Henning; Schou, Jesper; Dierking, Wolfgang

2000-01-01

during the growing season acquired a lot of data over a Danish agricultural site. The data acquisitions were co-ordinated with ground surveys to obtain a detailed land cover map. The test area contains a large number of different land cover classes, such as more than 10 different crop types, deciduous......The Danish Center for Remote Sensing (DCRS) is, in collaboration with the Danish mapping agency, conducting a study on topographic mapping using SAR data, and land cover mapping results are presented. The Danish EMISAR system (an L- and C-band, fully polarimetric, airborne SAR) have in 1994 to 1999...

Diurnal Variation of Tropical Ice Cloud Microphysics inferred from Global Precipitation Measurement Microwave Imager (GPM-GMI)'s Polarimetric Measurement

Science.gov (United States)

Gong, J.; Zeng, X.; Wu, D. L.; Li, X.

2017-12-01

Diurnal variation of tropical ice cloud has been well observed and examined in terms of the area of coverage, occurring frequency, and total mass, but rarely on ice microphysical parameters (habit, size, orientation, etc.) because of lack of direct measurements of ice microphysics on a high temporal and spatial resolutions. This accounts for a great portion of the uncertainty in evaluating ice cloud's role on global radiation and hydrological budgets. The design of Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) mission's procession orbit gives us an unprecedented opportunity to study the diurnal variation of ice microphysics on the global scale for the first time. Dominated by cloud ice scattering, high-frequency microwave polarimetric difference (PD, namely the brightness temperature difference between vertically- and horizontally-polarized paired channel measurements) from the GPM Microwave Imager (GMI) has been proven by our previous study to be very valuable to infer cloud ice microphysical properties. Using one year of PD measurements at 166 GHz, we found that cloud PD exhibits a strong diurnal cycle in the tropics (25S-25N). The peak PD amplitude varies as much as 35% over land, compared to only 6% over ocean. The diurnal cycle of the peak PD value is strongly anti-correlated with local ice cloud occurring frequency and the total ice mass with a leading period of 3 hours for the maximum correlation. The observed PD diurnal cycle can be explained by the change of ice crystal axial ratio. Using a radiative transfer model, we can simulate the observed 166 GHz PD-brightness temperature curve as well as its diurnal variation using different axial ratio values, which can be caused by the diurnal variation of ice microphysical properties including particle size, percentage of horizontally-aligned non-spherical particles, and ice habit. The leading of the change of PD ahead of ice cloud mass and occurring frequency implies the important role microphysics play in the

Experimental test of the background rejection, through imaging capability, of a highly segmented AGATA germanium detector

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Doncel, M.; Recchia, F.; Quintana, B.; Gadea, A.; Farnea, E.

2010-01-01

The development of highly segmented germanium detectors as well as the algorithms to identify the position of the interaction within the crystal opens the possibility to locate the γ-ray source using Compton imaging algorithms. While the Compton-suppression shield, coupled to the germanium detector in conventional arrays, works also as an active filter against the γ rays originated outside the target, the new generation of position sensitive γ-ray detector arrays has to fully rely on tracking capabilities for this purpose. In specific experimental conditions, as the ones foreseen at radioactive beam facilities, the ability to discriminate background radiation improves the sensitivity of the gamma spectrometer. In this work we present the results of a measurement performed at the Laboratori Nazionali di Legnaro (LNL) aiming the evaluation of the AGATA detector capabilities to discriminate the origin of the γ rays on an event-by-event basis. It will be shown that, exploiting the Compton scattering formula, it is possible to track back γ rays coming from different positions, assigning them to specific emitting locations. These imaging capabilities are quantified for a single crystal AGATA detector.

Tropical Mangrove Mapping Using Fully-Polarimetric Radar Data

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bambang Trisasongko

2009-09-01

Full Text Available Although mangrove is one of important ecosystems in the world, it has been abused and exploited by human for various purposes. Monitoring mangrove is therefore required to maintain a balance between economy and conservation and provides up-to-date information for rehabilitation. Optical remote sensing data have delivered such information, however ever-changing atmospheric disturbance may significantly decrease thematic content. In this research, Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR fully polarimetric data were evaluated to present an alternative for mangrove mapping. Assessment using three statistical trees was performed on both tonal and textural data. It was noticeable that textural data delivered fairly good improvement which reduced the error rate to around 5-6% at L-band. This suggests that insertion of textural data is more important than any information derived from decomposition algorithm.

The Establishment of the SAR images database System Based on Oracle and ArcSDE

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhou, Jijin; Li, Zhen; Chen, Quan; Tian, Bangsen

2014-01-01

Synthetic aperture radar is a kind of microwave imaging system, and has the advantages of multi-band, multi-polarization and multi-angle. At present, there is no SAR images database system based on typical features. For solving problems in interpretation and identification, a new SAR images database system of the typical features is urgent in the current development need. In this article, a SAR images database system based on Oracle and ArcSDE was constructed. The main works involving are as follows: (1) SAR image data was calibrated and corrected geometrically and geometrically. Besides, the fully polarimetric image was processed as the coherency matrix[T] to preserve the polarimetric information. (2) After analyzing multiple space borne SAR images, the metadata table was defined as: IMAGEID; Name of features; Latitude and Longitude; Sensor name; Range and Azimuth resolution etc. (3) Through the comparison between GeoRaster and ArcSDE, result showed ArcSDE is a more appropriate technology to store images in a central database. The System stores and manages multisource SAR image data well, reflects scattering, geometry, polarization, band and angle characteristics, and combines with analysis of the managed objects and service objects of the database as well as focuses on constructing SAR image system in the aspects of data browse and data retrieval. According the analysis of characteristics of SAR images such as scattering, polarization, incident angle and wave band information, different weights can be given to these characteristics. Then an interpreted tool is formed to provide an efficient platform for interpretation

High spatial precision nano-imaging of polarization-sensitive plasmonic particles

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Yunbo; Wang, Yipei; Lee, Somin Eunice

2018-02-01

Precise polarimetric imaging of polarization-sensitive nanoparticles is essential for resolving their accurate spatial positions beyond the diffraction limit. However, conventional technologies currently suffer from beam deviation errors which cannot be corrected beyond the diffraction limit. To overcome this issue, we experimentally demonstrate a spatially stable nano-imaging system for polarization-sensitive nanoparticles. In this study, we show that by integrating a voltage-tunable imaging variable polarizer with optical microscopy, we are able to suppress beam deviation errors. We expect that this nano-imaging system should allow for acquisition of accurate positional and polarization information from individual nanoparticles in applications where real-time, high precision spatial information is required.

Automated chromatographic system with polarimetric detection laser applied in the control of fermentation processes and seaweed extracts characterization

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fajer, V.; Naranjo, S.; Mora, W.; Patinno, R.; Coba, E.; Michelena, G.

2012-01-01

There are presented applications and innovations of chromatographic and polarimetric systems in which develop methodologies for measuring the input molasses and the resulting product of a fermentation process of alcohol from a rich honey and evaluation of the fermentation process honey servery in obtaining a drink native to the Yucatan region. Composition was assessed optically active substances in seaweed, of interest to the pharmaceutical industry. The findings provide measurements alternative raw materials and products of the sugar industry, beekeeping and pharmaceutical liquid chromatography with automated polarimetric detection reduces measurement times up to 15 min, making it comparable to the times of high chromatography resolution, significantly reducing operating costs. By chromatography system with polarimetric detection (SCDP) is new columns have included standard size designed by the authors, which allow process samples with volumes up to 1 ml and reduce measurement time to 15 min, decreasing to 5 times the volume sample and halving the time of measurement. Was evaluated determining the concentration of substances using the peaks of the chromatograms obtained for the different columns and calculate the uncertainty of measurements. The results relating to the improvement of a data acquisition program (ADQUIPOL v.2.0) and new programs for the preparation of chromatograms (CROMAPOL CROMAPOL V.1.0 and V.1.2) provide important benefits, which allow a considerable saving of time the processing of the results and can be applied in other chromatography systems with the appropriate adjustments. (Author)

Values of Deploying a Compact Polarimetric Radar to Monitor Extreme Precipitation in a Mountainous Area: Mineral County, Colorado

Science.gov (United States)

Cheong, B. L.; Kirstetter, P. E.; Yu, T. Y.; Busto, J.; Speeze, T.; Dennis, J.

2015-12-01

Precipitation in mountainous regions can trigger flash floods and landslides especially in areas affected by wildfire. Because of the small space-time scales required for observation, they remain poorly observed. A light-weighted X-band polarimetric radar can rapidly respond to the situation and provide continuous rainfall information with high resolution for flood forecast and emergency management. A preliminary assessment of added values to the operational practice in Mineral county, Colorado was performed in Fall 2014 and Summer 2015 with a transportable polarimetric radar deployed at the Lobo Overlook. This region is one of the numerous areas in the Rocky Mountains where the WSR-88D network does not provide sufficient weather coverage due to blockages, and the limitations have impeded forecasters and local emergency managers from making accurate predictions and issuing weather warnings. High resolution observations were collected to document the precipitation characteristics and demonstrate the added values of deploying a small weather radar in such context. The analysis of the detailed vertical structure of precipitation explain the decreased signal sampled by the operational radars. The specific microphysics analyzed though polarimetry suggest that the operational Z-R relationships may not be appropriate to monitor severe weather over this wildfire affected region. Collaboration with the local emergency managers and the National Weather Service shows the critical value of deploying mobile, polarimetric and unmanned radars in complex terrain. Several selected cases are provided in this paper for illustration.

High-cadence Imaging and Imaging Spectroscopy at the GREGOR Solar Telescope—A Collaborative Research Environment for High-resolution Solar Physics

Science.gov (United States)

Denker, Carsten; Kuckein, Christoph; Verma, Meetu; González Manrique, Sergio J.; Diercke, Andrea; Enke, Harry; Klar, Jochen; Balthasar, Horst; Louis, Rohan E.; Dineva, Ekaterina

2018-05-01

In high-resolution solar physics, the volume and complexity of photometric, spectroscopic, and polarimetric ground-based data significantly increased in the last decade, reaching data acquisition rates of terabytes per hour. This is driven by the desire to capture fast processes on the Sun and the necessity for short exposure times “freezing” the atmospheric seeing, thus enabling ex post facto image restoration. Consequently, large-format and high-cadence detectors are nowadays used in solar observations to facilitate image restoration. Based on our experience during the “early science” phase with the 1.5 m GREGOR solar telescope (2014–2015) and the subsequent transition to routine observations in 2016, we describe data collection and data management tailored toward image restoration and imaging spectroscopy. We outline our approaches regarding data processing, analysis, and archiving for two of GREGOR’s post-focus instruments (see http://gregor.aip.de), i.e., the GREGOR Fabry–Pérot Interferometer (GFPI) and the newly installed High-Resolution Fast Imager (HiFI). The heterogeneous and complex nature of multidimensional data arising from high-resolution solar observations provides an intriguing but also a challenging example for “big data” in astronomy. The big data challenge has two aspects: (1) establishing a workflow for publishing the data for the whole community and beyond and (2) creating a collaborative research environment (CRE), where computationally intense data and postprocessing tools are colocated and collaborative work is enabled for scientists of multiple institutes. This requires either collaboration with a data center or frameworks and databases capable of dealing with huge data sets based on virtual observatory (VO) and other community standards and procedures.

MuSICa at GRIS: a prototype image slicer for EST at GREGOR

Science.gov (United States)

Calcines, A.; Collados, M.; López, R. L.

2013-05-01

This communication presents a prototype image slicer for the 4-m European Solar Telescope (EST) designed for the spectrograph of the 1.5-m GREGOR solar telescope (GRIS). The design of this integral field unit has been called MuSICa (Multi-Slit Image slicer based on collimator-Camera). It is a telecentric system developed specifically for the integral field, high resolution spectrograph of EST and presents multi-slit capability, reorganizing a bidimensional field of view of 80 arcsec^{2} into 8 slits, each one of them with 200 arcsec length × 0.05 arcsec width. It minimizes the number of optical components needed to fulfil this multi-slit capability, three arrays of mirrors: slicer, collimator and camera mirror arrays (the first one flat and the other two spherical). The symmetry of the layout makes it possible to overlap the pupil images associated to each part of the sliced entrance field of view. A mask with only one circular aperture is placed at the pupil position. This symmetric characteristic offers some advantages: facilitates the manufacturing process, the alignment and reduces the costs. In addition, it is compatible with two modes of operation: spectroscopic and spectro-polarimetric, offering a great versatility. The optical quality of the system is diffraction-limited. The prototype will improve the performances of GRIS at GREGOR and is part of the feasibility study of the integral field unit for the spectrographs of EST. Although MuSICa has been designed as a solar image slicer, its concept can also be applied to night-time astronomical instruments (Collados et al. 2010, Proc. SPIE, Vol. 7733, 77330H; Collados et al. 2012, AN, 333, 901; Calcines et al. 2010, Proc. SPIE, Vol. 7735, 77351X)

Mapping submarine sand waves with multiband imaging radar - 2. Experimental results and model comparison

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Vogelzang, J.; Wensink, G.J.; Calkoen, C.J.; Kooij, M.W.A. van der

1997-01-01

On August 16, 1989, and on July 12, 1991, experiments were performed to study the mapping of submarine sand waves with the airborne imaging radar, a polarimetric (and, in 1991, interferometric) airborne P, L, and C band synthetic aperture radar system. The experiments took place in an area 30 km off

Polarimetric and Indoor Imaging Fusion Based on Compressive Sensing

Science.gov (United States)

2013-04-01

34 in Proc. IEEE Radar Conf, Rome, Italy , May 2008. [17] M. G. Amin, F. Ahmad, W. Zhang, "A compressive sensing approach to moving target... Ferrara , J. Jackson, and M. Stuff, "Three-dimensional sparse-aperture moving-target imaging," in Proc. SPIE, vol. 6970, 2008. [43] M. Skolnik (Ed

A small-animal imaging system capable of multipinhole circular/helical SPECT and parallel-hole SPECT

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Qian Jianguo; Bradley, Eric L.; Majewski, Stan; Popov, Vladimir; Saha, Margaret S.; Smith, Mark F.; Weisenberger, Andrew G.; Welsh, Robert E.

2008-01-01

We have designed and built a small-animal single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) imaging system equipped with parallel-hole and multipinhole collimators and capable of circular or helical SPECT. Copper-beryllium parallel-hole collimators suitable for imaging the ∼35 keV photons from the decay of 125 I have been built and installed to achieve useful spatial resolution over a range of object-detector distances and to reduce imaging time on our dual-detector array. To address the resolution limitations in the parallel-hole SPECT and the sensitivity and limited field of view of single-pinhole SPECT, we have incorporated multipinhole circular and helical SPECT in addition to expanding the parallel-hole SPECT capabilities. The pinhole SPECT system is based on a 110 mm diameter circular detector equipped with a pixellated NaI(Tl) scintillator array (1x1x5 mm 3 /pixel). The helical trajectory is accomplished by two stepping motors controlling the rotation of the detector-support gantry and displacement of the animal bed along the axis of rotation of the gantry. Results obtained in SPECT studies of various phantoms show an enlarged field of view, very good resolution and improved sensitivity using multipinhole circular or helical SPECT. Collimators with one, three and five, 1-mm-diameter pinholes have been implemented and compared in these tests. Our objective is to develop a system on which one may readily select a suitable mode of either parallel-hole SPECT or pinhole circular or helical SPECT for a variety of small animal imaging applications

Polarimetric mountain based radio-occultation for rain detection: The ROHP-PAZ ground campaign

Science.gov (United States)

Padulles, Ramon; Cardellach, Estel; Tomas, Sergio; de la Torre, Manuel; Turk, Joe

2014-05-01

The Radio Occultation and Heavy Precipitation experiment aboard the PAZ Low Earth Orbiter (ROHP-PAZ) is a mission of opportunity: The Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (MICINN) approved in 2009 a proposal to include a polarimetric Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) Radio-Occultation (RO) payload on board of the Spanish Earth Observation satellite PAZ. This will be a new technique that has never been tested before, that aims to improve the knowledge of precipitation through simultaneous thermodynamic and vertical rain profiles. Prior to the launch of the satellite, expected for 2014, a ground experimental campaign is being conducted with the goal of starting the process of identifying and understanding all the factors that might affect the polarimetric RO observables. The campaign is being carried out at the top of Puig Sesolles, a 1667m peak in the Natural Park of Montseny (41º46'24 N, 2º26'17 E), 50 km N-NE from Barcelona, with clear views over the horizon to the South (East to West) direction, an area in which intense precipitation events tend to occur a few times per year. The campaign uses a ICE-CSIC/IEEC's GOLD-RTR open-loop receiver initially designed for collecting GNSS signals reflected off the sea surface. The receiver has been adjusted to track occulting GNSS radio-links. A double polarization (H and V) GNSS antenna has been designed and manufactured by the Polytechnic University of Barcelona (UPC) team for this particular ground-based experiment. The antenna is a phase-array made of 7 elements, each of them being a square patch built using a Rogers 4003 substrate, and symmetrically fed by four probes. It provides a pattern of 12.9 dB peak gain, 45 degrees half-power beam-width, and <-35 dB cross-polar isolation at the peak (better than -30 dB in the main lobe). The preliminary results show that not only precipitation, but also other factors are affecting the GNSS signal, wich means that the polarimetric signal is richer than expected

Evaluation of two "integrated" polarimetric Quantitative Precipitation Estimation (QPE) algorithms at C-band

Science.gov (United States)

Tabary, Pierre; Boumahmoud, Abdel-Amin; Andrieu, Hervé; Thompson, Robert J.; Illingworth, Anthony J.; Le Bouar, Erwan; Testud, Jacques

2011-08-01

SummaryTwo so-called "integrated" polarimetric rate estimation techniques, ZPHI ( Testud et al., 2000) and ZZDR ( Illingworth and Thompson, 2005), are evaluated using 12 episodes of the year 2005 observed by the French C-band operational Trappes radar, located near Paris. The term "integrated" means that the concentration parameter of the drop size distribution is assumed to be constant over some area and the algorithms retrieve it using the polarimetric variables in that area. The evaluation is carried out in ideal conditions (no partial beam blocking, no ground-clutter contamination, no bright band contamination, a posteriori calibration of the radar variables ZH and ZDR) using hourly rain gauges located at distances less than 60 km from the radar. Also included in the comparison, for the sake of benchmarking, is a conventional Z = 282 R1.66 estimator, with and without attenuation correction and with and without adjustment by rain gauges as currently done operationally at Météo France. Under those ideal conditions, the two polarimetric algorithms, which rely solely on radar data, appear to perform as well if not better, pending on the measurements conditions (attenuation, rain rates, …), than the conventional algorithms, even when the latter take into account rain gauges through the adjustment scheme. ZZDR with attenuation correction is the best estimator for hourly rain gauge accumulations lower than 5 mm h -1 and ZPHI is the best one above that threshold. A perturbation analysis has been conducted to assess the sensitivity of the various estimators with respect to biases on ZH and ZDR, taking into account the typical accuracy and stability that can be reasonably achieved with modern operational radars these days (1 dB on ZH and 0.2 dB on ZDR). A +1 dB positive bias on ZH (radar too hot) results in a +14% overestimation of the rain rate with the conventional estimator used in this study (Z = 282R1.66), a -19% underestimation with ZPHI and a +23

A Novel Strategy of Ambiguity Correction for the Improved Faraday Rotation Estimator in Linearly Full-Polarimetric SAR Data

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jinhui Li

2018-04-01

Full Text Available Spaceborne synthetic aperture radar (SAR missions operating at low frequencies, such as L-band or P-band, are significantly influenced by the ionosphere. As one of the serious ionosphere effects, Faraday rotation (FR is a remarkable distortion source for the polarimetric SAR (PolSAR application. Various published FR estimators along with an improved one have been introduced to solve this issue, all of which are implemented by processing a set of PolSAR real data. The improved estimator exhibits optimal robustness based on performance analysis, especially in term of the system noise. However, all published estimators, including the improved estimator, suffer from a potential FR angle (FRA ambiguity. A novel strategy of the ambiguity correction for those FR estimators is proposed and shown as a flow process, which is divided into pixel-level and image-level correction. The former is not yet recognized and thus is considered in particular. Finally, the validation experiments show a prominent performance of the proposed strategy.

A Novel Strategy of Ambiguity Correction for the Improved Faraday Rotation Estimator in Linearly Full-Polarimetric SAR Data.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Jinhui; Ji, Yifei; Zhang, Yongsheng; Zhang, Qilei; Huang, Haifeng; Dong, Zhen

2018-04-10

Spaceborne synthetic aperture radar (SAR) missions operating at low frequencies, such as L-band or P-band, are significantly influenced by the ionosphere. As one of the serious ionosphere effects, Faraday rotation (FR) is a remarkable distortion source for the polarimetric SAR (PolSAR) application. Various published FR estimators along with an improved one have been introduced to solve this issue, all of which are implemented by processing a set of PolSAR real data. The improved estimator exhibits optimal robustness based on performance analysis, especially in term of the system noise. However, all published estimators, including the improved estimator, suffer from a potential FR angle (FRA) ambiguity. A novel strategy of the ambiguity correction for those FR estimators is proposed and shown as a flow process, which is divided into pixel-level and image-level correction. The former is not yet recognized and thus is considered in particular. Finally, the validation experiments show a prominent performance of the proposed strategy.

Classification of PolSAR Images Using Multilayer Autoencoders and a Self-Paced Learning Approach

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wenshuai Chen

2018-01-01

Full Text Available In this paper, a novel polarimetric synthetic aperture radar (PolSAR image classification method based on multilayer autoencoders and self-paced learning (SPL is proposed. The multilayer autoencoders network is used to learn the features, which convert raw data into more abstract expressions. Then, softmax regression is applied to produce the predicted probability distributions over all the classes of each pixel. When we optimize the multilayer autoencoders network, self-paced learning is used to accelerate the learning convergence and achieve a stronger generalization capability. Under this learning paradigm, the network learns the easier samples first and gradually involves more difficult samples in the training process. The proposed method achieves the overall classification accuracies of 94.73%, 94.82% and 78.12% on the Flevoland dataset from AIRSAR, Flevoland dataset from RADARSAT-2 and Yellow River delta dataset, respectively. Such results are comparable with other state-of-the-art methods.

Oil Spill detection off the eastern coast of India using Sentinel-1 dual polarimeteric SAR imagery

Science.gov (United States)

De, S.; Bhattacharya, A.; Gautam, R.

2017-12-01

Among the various Earth observing sensors, the spaceborne Polarimetric Synthetic Aperture Radar (PolSAR) is considered as one of the most flexible and has been widely used in disaster response applications due to its all-weather illumination independent capability. Sentinel-1 is a two-satellite constellation with a C-band polarimetric Synthetic Aperture Radar (PolSAR) sensor, which provides global coverage with a 12-day repeat cycle in the same acquisition geometry, and the possibility of a 3-day repeat imaging in independent geometry, making it ideal for operational geodynamic monitoring. The proposed study aims to detect changes in polarimetric parameters associated with an oil spill event occurred off the coast of Ennore, Tamil Nadu, India (13.228° N Lon: 80.363° E ) on 28 January 2017. The initial spill covered an area of approximately 7.26 sq. km, spreading to an area of 12.56 sq. km. in a single day. The spread was mainly attributed to the strong shore parallel southerly current. To this end, two PolSAR images were used from before and after the event acquired on 17 and 29 January 2017, respectively in dual-polarimetric (VV,VH) interferometric wide swath mode and with same acquisition geometry. The images are first calibrated, co-registered and terrain corrected to make them comparable in a geo-coordinate framework. A refined Lee speckle filter is applied with a 5x5 window to reduce the influence of coherent speckle. The pair of images are then used to generate a hellinger distance based change index corresponding to each polarimetric channel. The indices are then applied as input to a Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) with the objective of discriminating the areas corresponding to changes due to the oil spill, movement of ships, rough ocean surface etc. The final result is a binary change detection map of the oil spill area. The results obtained were compared with that obtained by survey of the affected oil spill area by the Integrated Coastal and Marine

Statistics-based optimization of the polarimetric radar hydrometeor classification algorithm and its application for a squall line in South China

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Chong; Liu, Liping; Wei, Ming; Xi, Baozhu; Yu, Minghui

2018-03-01

A modified hydrometeor classification algorithm (HCA) is developed in this study for Chinese polarimetric radars. This algorithm is based on the U.S. operational HCA. Meanwhile, the methodology of statistics-based optimization is proposed including calibration checking, datasets selection, membership functions modification, computation thresholds modification, and effect verification. Zhuhai radar, the first operational polarimetric radar in South China, applies these procedures. The systematic bias of calibration is corrected, the reliability of radar measurements deteriorates when the signal-to-noise ratio is low, and correlation coefficient within the melting layer is usually lower than that of the U.S. WSR-88D radar. Through modification based on statistical analysis of polarimetric variables, the localized HCA especially for Zhuhai is obtained, and it performs well over a one-month test through comparison with sounding and surface observations. The algorithm is then utilized for analysis of a squall line process on 11 May 2014 and is found to provide reasonable details with respect to horizontal and vertical structures, and the HCA results—especially in the mixed rain-hail region—can reflect the life cycle of the squall line. In addition, the kinematic and microphysical processes of cloud evolution and the differences between radar-detected hail and surface observations are also analyzed. The results of this study provide evidence for the improvement of this HCA developed specifically for China.

Accuracy of the hypothetical sky-polarimetric Viking navigation versus sky conditions: revealing solar elevations and cloudinesses favourable for this navigation method

Science.gov (United States)

Száz, Dénes; Farkas, Alexandra; Barta, András; Kretzer, Balázs; Blahó, Miklós; Egri, Ádám; Szabó, Gyula; Horváth, Gábor

2017-09-01

According to Thorkild Ramskou's theory proposed in 1967, under overcast and foggy skies, Viking seafarers might have used skylight polarization analysed with special crystals called sunstones to determine the position of the invisible Sun. After finding the occluded Sun with sunstones, its elevation angle had to be measured and its shadow had to be projected onto the horizontal surface of a sun compass. According to Ramskou's theory, these sunstones might have been birefringent calcite or dichroic cordierite or tourmaline crystals working as polarizers. It has frequently been claimed that this method might have been suitable for navigation even in cloudy weather. This hypothesis has been accepted and frequently cited for decades without any experimental support. In this work, we determined the accuracy of this hypothetical sky-polarimetric Viking navigation for 1080 different sky situations characterized by solar elevation θ and cloudiness ρ, the sky polarization patterns of which were measured by full-sky imaging polarimetry. We used the earlier measured uncertainty functions of the navigation steps 1, 2 and 3 for calcite, cordierite and tourmaline sunstone crystals, respectively, and the newly measured uncertainty function of step 4 presented here. As a result, we revealed the meteorological conditions under which Vikings could have used this hypothetical navigation method. We determined the solar elevations at which the navigation uncertainties are minimal at summer solstice and spring equinox for all three sunstone types. On average, calcite sunstone ensures a more accurate sky-polarimetric navigation than tourmaline and cordierite. However, in some special cases (generally at 35° ≤ θ ≤ 40°, 1 okta ≤ ρ ≤ 6 oktas for summer solstice, and at 20° ≤ θ ≤ 25°, 0 okta ≤ ρ ≤ 4 oktas for spring equinox), the use of tourmaline and cordierite results in smaller navigation uncertainties than that of calcite. Generally, under clear or less cloudy

MR imaging of the lumber spine; Visualization capability of the nerve root

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ishibashi, Kazumasa; Hieda, Hiroshi; Goto, Takeshi; Goto, Hiroshi; Koga, Hiromichi; Hiraoka, Kouji (Moji Rousai Hospital, Fukuoka (Japan))

1991-01-01

We studied visualization capability of the nerve root in mainly coronary section pattern using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). MRI was carried out in 91 patients with lumbago and sciatica. Coronary section was additionally photographed in 58 cases of these patients (32 with intervertebral hernia, 20 with spinal canal stenosis, 2 with spondylolytic spondylolisthesis, 2 with compression fracture and the other 2 patients). The visualization capability of the nerve root was studied with photographing 2 pulse systems of the coronary section by using spin echo and field echo methods. The high signal area of the cerebrospinal fluid and nerve root in the normal lumbar vertebra was noted by field echo method, and pattern that is visualized by myelogram was obtained. The coincidence of the main foci (disturbed lesions of the nerve root) in the intervertebral hernia and coronary section pattern was noted in 21 of 32 cases (64.5%) with considerably high ratio. The condition of the nerve root in the blocked lesion was visualized in the spinal canal stenosis. (author).

Polarimetric survey of main-belt asteroids. VI. New results from the second epoch of the CASLEO survey

Science.gov (United States)

Gil-Hutton, R.; García-Migani, E.

2017-11-01

Aims: We present the results of a polarimetric survey of main-belt asteroids at Complejo Astronómico El Leoncito (CASLEO), San Juan, Argentina. The aims of this survey are to increase the database of asteroid polarimetry and to estimate the diversity in the polarimetric properties of asteroids that belong to different taxonomic classes. Methods: The data were obtained using the CASPOL polarimeter at the 2.15 m telescope. CASPOL is a polarimeter based on a CCD detector and a Savart plate. The survey began in 1995 and data on a large sample of asteroids were obtained until 2012. A second period began in 2013 using a polarimeter with a more sensitive detector in order to study small asteroids, families, and special taxonomic groups. Results: We present and analyze the unpublished results for 128 asteroids of different taxonomic types, 55 of them observed for the first time. The observational data allowed us to find probable new cases of Barbarian objects but also two D-type objects, (565) Marbachia and (1481) Tubingia, that seem to have phase-polarization curves with a large inversion angle. The data obtained combined with data from the literature enabled us to find phase-polarization curves for 121 objects of different taxonomic types and to study the relations between several polarimetric and physical parameters. Using an approximation for the phase-polarization curve we found the index of refraction of the surface material and the scatter separation distance for all the objects with known polarimetric parameters. We also found that the inversion angle is a function of the index of refraction of the surface, while the phase angle where the minimum of polarization is produced provides information about the distance between scatter particles or, to some extent, the porosity of the surface. Based on observations carried out at the Complejo Astronómico El Leoncito, operated under agreement between the Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas de la

Polarimetric Radar Retrievals in Southeast Texas During Hurricane Harvey

Science.gov (United States)

Wolff, D. B.; Petersen, W. A.; Tokay, A.; Marks, D. A.; Pippitt, J. L.; Kirstetter, P. E.

2017-12-01

Hurricane Harvey hit the Texas Gulf Coast as a major hurricane on August 25, 2017 before exiting the state as a tropical storm on September 1, 2017. In its wake, it left a flood of historic proportions, with some areas measuring 60 inches of rain over a five-day period. Although the storm center stayed west of the immediate Houston area training bands of precipitation impacted the Houston area for five full days. The National Weather Service (NWS) WSR88D dual-polarimetric radar (KHGX), located southeast of Houston, maintained operations for the entirety of the event. The Harris County Flood Warning System (HCFWS) had 150 rain gauges deployed in its network and seven NWS Automated Surface Observing Systems (ASOS) rain gauges are also located in the area. In this study, we used the full radar data set to retrieve daily and event-total precipitation estimates within 120 km of the KHGX radar for the period August 25-29, 2017. These estimates were then compared to the HCFWS and ASOS gauges. Three different polarimetric hybrid rainfall retrievals were used: Ciffeli et al. 2011; Bringi et al. 2004; and, Chen et al. 2017. Each of these hybrid retrievals have demonstrated robust performance in the past. However, both daily and event-total comparisons from each of these retrievals compared to those of HCFWS and ASOS rain gauge networks resulted in significant underestimates by the radar retrievals. These radar underestimates are concerning. Sources of error and variance will be investigated to understand the source of radar-gauge disagreement. One current hypothesis is that due to the large number of small drops often found in hurricanes, the differential reflectivity and specific differential phase are relatively small so that the hybrid algorithms use only the reflectivity/rain rate procedure (so called Z-R relationships), and hence rarely invoke the ZDR or KDP procedures. Thus, an alternative Z-R relationship must be invoked to retrieve accurate rain rate estimates.

Integrated, Dual Orthogonal Antennas for Polarimetric Ground Penetrating Radar

Science.gov (United States)

Pauli, Mario; Wiesbeck, Werner

2015-04-01

developed [4]. If OFDM signals are used for the radiation, the carriers can be split in even and odd carriers and fed to the two orthogonally polarized transmit antennas. By using OFDM, the de-correlation of the two subcarrier groups becomes inherently high. Due to the orthogonality of OFDM subcarriers the de-correlation only depends on the quality of the hardware and the signal processing. They can be simultaneously radiated and received by the two antennas. This could result in a significant improvement of the GPR sensor system. The antenna has been realized and first measurements have been conducted. During the forthcoming EGU 2015 General Assembly the detailed electromagnetic background and the function of the dual linear, orthogonal polarized antenna will be presented as well as results in GPR relevant frequencies. Also, an approach of a planar feeding network will be presented. This abstract is a contribution to Session GI3.1 "Civil Engineering Applications of Ground Penetrating Radar," organized by the COST Action TU1208. References [1] Carin, L.; Kapoor, R.; Baum, C.E., "Polarimetric SAR imaging of buried landmines," IEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing, vol. 36 iss. 6, pp.1985-1988, 1998. [2] T. Schultze, M. Porebska, W. Wiesbeck, and I. Willms, "Onsets for the recognition of objects and image refinement using UWB Radar," in Proceedings of the German Microwave Conference GeMiC 2008, CD-ROM, Hamburg-Harburg, Germany, Mar. 2008. [3] G. Adamiuk, S. Beer, W. Wiesbeck, and T. Zwick, "Dual-Orthogonal Polarized Antenna for UWB-IR Technology," IEEE Antennas and Wireless Propagation Letters, vol. 8, pp. 981-984, Jul. 2009. [4] Adamiuk, W. Wiesbeck, and T. Zwick, "Differential Feeding as a Concept for the Realization of Broadband Dual-Polarized Antennas with Very High Polarization Purity," in 2009 IEEE International Symposium on Antennas & Propagation, Charleston, South Carolina, USA, Jun. 2009.

A System for Compressive Spectral and Polarization Imaging at Short Wave Infrared (SWIR) Wavelengths

Science.gov (United States)

2017-10-18

UV -­‐ VIS -­‐IR   60mm   Apo   Macro  lens   Jenoptik-­‐Inc   $5,817.36   IR... VIS /NIR Compressive Spectral Imager”, Proceedings of IEEE International Conference on Image Processing (ICIP ’15), Quebec City, Canada, (September...imaging   system   will   lead   to   a   wide-­‐band   VIS -­‐NIR-­‐SWIR   compressive  spectral  and  polarimetric

Detection of buried pipes by polarimetric borehole radar; Polarimetric borehole radar ni yoru maisetsukan no kenshutsu jikken

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sato, M.; Niitsuma, H. [Tohoku University, Sendai (Japan); Nakauchi, T. [Osaka Gas Co. Ltd., Osaka (Japan)

1997-05-27

If the borehole radar is utilized for detection of buried pipes, the underground radar measurement becomes possible even in the situation where the mesurement on the earth surface is difficult, for example, such a place as under the road where there is much traffic. However, since buried pipes are horizontally installed and the existing borehole radar can send/receive only vertical polarization, the measurement conducted comes to be poor in efficiency from a viewpoint of the polarization utilization. Therefore, by introducing the polarimetric borehole radar to the detection of buried pipes, a basic experiment was conducted for the effective detection of horizontal buried pipes. Proposing the use of a slot antenna which can send/receive horizontal polarization in borehole in addition to a dipole antenna which sends/receives vertical polarization, developed was a step frequency type continuous wave radar of a network analyzer basis. As a result of the experiment, it was confirmed that reflection from buried pipes is largely dependent on polarization. Especially, it was found that in the slot dipole cross polarization mesurement, reflection from buried pipes can be emphasized. 4 refs., 5 figs.

The aperture synthesis imaging capability of the EISCAT_3D radars

Science.gov (United States)

La Hoz, Cesar; Belyey, Vasyl

2010-05-01

The built-in Aperture Synthesis Imaging Radar (ASIR) capabilities of the EISCAT_3D system, complemented with multiple beams and rapid beam scanning, is what will make the new radar truly three dimensional and justify its name. With the EISCAT_3D radars it will be possible to make investigations in 3-dimensions of several important phenomena such as Natural Enhanced Ion Acoustic Lines (NEIALs), Polar Mesospheric Summer and Winter Echoes (PMSE and PMWE), meteors, space debris, atmospheric waves and turbulence in the mesosphere, upper troposphere and possibly the lower stratosphere. Of particular interest and novelty is the measurement of the structure in electron density created by aurora that produce incoherent scatter. With scale sizes of the order of tens of meters, the imaging of these structures will be conditioned only by the signal to noise ratio which is expected to be high during some of these events, since the electron density can be significantly enhanced. The electron density inhomogeneities and plasma structures excited by artificial ionospheric heating could conceivable be resolved by the radars provided that their variation during the integration time is not great.

A high resolution polarimetric L-band SAR-design and first results

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Skou, Niels; Granholm, Johan; Woelders, Kim

1995-01-01

the range of the radar is 64 km with a noise equivalent sigma naught of -20 dB. The antenna is a stacked microstrip patch array with the feed structure on the back side of the antenna panel to reduce unwanted radiation. The cross polar level is below -35 dB. The polarization switch is a relatively...... over the EMISAR calibration scene: An agricultural site in Denmark featuring a range of different fields and forested areas as well as several trihedrals and dihedrals. Based on the imagery data, sensor performance is assessed. The L- & C-band polarimetric EMISAR instrument is one of the key sensors...

A New Polarimetric Study of Cygnus A Using JVLA from 2-18GHz

Science.gov (United States)

Lerato Sebokolodi, Makhuduga; Perley, Rick; Carilli, Chris; Smirnov, Oleg M.; Makhathini, Sphesihle

2018-01-01

Polarimetric studies of Cygnus A [5, 1, 2, 3] have shown that this radio galaxy has unusually large rotation measures ranging from -4000 to +3000 rad m -2 for the eastern lobe (E-lobe) and -2000 to +1300 rad m -2 for western lobe(W-lobe). A challenge since then has been to identify the medium(s) responsible for these high Faraday rotations (FR). Although a majority of the FR must arise from the surrounding cluster gas, an unknown portion may arise either in the sheath or within the lobes. In these cases, some depolarization must result, along with a non λ 2 rotation of the plane of polarization. Detecting such a depolarization will enable an estimate of the internal (and/or sheath) thermal gas density. [1] found significant depolarization associated with the inner regions of the E-lobe and no depolarization associated with the W-lobe. This depolarization could be either internal to the source (Faraday depolarization) or due to unresolved small-scale fluctuations in the foreground screen (beam depolarization) [1]. The former is expected to impose significant deviations in the λ2 -law, none of which have been found to date, nor could have been found due to the limited number of frequencies employed in these studies.Since 2015, new JVLA polarimetric observations of Cygnus A have been taken, in all four configurations, covering the frequency range from 2 to 18GHz. These new data provide thousands of frequency channels at high resolution and sensitivity – opening a new opportunity to study in great detail the physics of the jets, lobes and the magnetic field of the X-ray cluster medium and lobes. Our objective is to analyze these new polarimetric data with the expectation of extending the previous work and more importantly, to investigate the possibility of any significantdeviations from the λ2-law. Initial analysis shows significant deviations from λ2 -law associated with the W-lobe. We will present these results in detail, and also the results from RM

A theoretical and numerical study of polarimetric scattering and emission from random rough surfaces with anisotropic directional spectrum

Science.gov (United States)

Yueh, S. H.; Kwok, R.

1993-01-01

In this paper, theoretical and numerical results of the polarimetric scattering and emission from random rough surfaces with anisotropic directional spectrum are presented for the remote sensing of ocean and soil surfaces. The polarimetric scattered field for rough dielectric surfaces is derived to the second order by the small perturbation method (SPM). It is found that the second-order scattered field is coherent in nature, and its coefficients for different polarizations present the lowest-order corrections to the Fresnel reflection coefficients of the surfaces. In addition, the cross-polarized (HV and VH) components of the coherent fields are reciprocal and not zero for surfaces with anisotropic directional spectrum when the azimuth angle of the incident direction is not aligned with the symmetry directions of surfaces. In order to verify the energy conservation condition of the theoretical results, which is important if the theory is to be applied to the passive polarimetry of rough surfaces, a Monte Carlo simulation is performed to numerically calculate the polarimetric reflectivities of one-dimensional random rough surfaces which are generated with a prescribed power-law spectrum in the spectral domain and transformed to the spatial domain by the FFT. The surfaces simulated by this approach are periodic with the period corresponding to the low-wavenumber cutoff. To calculate the scattering from periodic dielectric surfaces, the authors present a new numerical technique which applies the Floquet theorem to reduce the problem to one period and does not require the evaluation of one-dimensional periodic Green's function used in the conventional method of moment formulation. Once the scattering coefficients are obtained, the polarimetric Stokes vectors for the emission from the random surfaces are then calculated according to the Kirchhoff's law and are illustrated as functions of relative azimuth observation and row directions. The second-order SPM is also

The Slope Imaging Multi-Polarization Photon-Counting Lidar: Development and Performance Results

Science.gov (United States)

Dabney, Phillip

2010-01-01

The Slope Imaging Multi-polarization Photon-counting Lidar is an airborne instrument developed to demonstrate laser altimetry measurement methods that will enable more efficient observations of topography and surface properties from space. The instrument was developed through the NASA Earth Science Technology Office Instrument Incubator Program with a focus on cryosphere remote sensing. The SIMPL transmitter is an 11 KHz, 1064 nm, plane-polarized micropulse laser transmitter that is frequency doubled to 532 nm and split into four push-broom beams. The receiver employs single-photon, polarimetric ranging at 532 and 1064 nm using Single Photon Counting Modules in order to achieve simultaneous sampling of surface elevation, slope, roughness and depolarizing scattering properties, the latter used to differentiate surface types. Data acquired over ice-covered Lake Erie in February, 2009 are documenting SIMPL s measurement performance and capabilities, demonstrating differentiation of open water and several ice cover types. ICESat-2 will employ several of the technologies advanced by SIMPL, including micropulse, single photon ranging in a multi-beam, push-broom configuration operating at 532 nm.

Rainfall Estimation Using Specific Differential Phase for the First Operational Polarimetric Radar in Korea

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cheol-Hwan You

2014-01-01

Full Text Available To assess the performance of rainfall estimation using specific differential phase observed by Bislsan radar, the first polarimetric radar in Korea, three rainfall cases occurring in 2011 were selected, each caused by different conditions: the first is the Changma front and typhoon, the second is only the Changma front, and the third is only a typhoon. For quantitative use of specific differential phase (KDP, a data quality algorithm was developed for differential phase shift (ΦDP, composed of two steps; the first involves removal of scattered noise and the second is unfolding of ΦDP. This order of the algorithm is necessary so as not to remove unfolded areas, which are the real meteorological target. All noise was removed and the folded ΦDP were unfolded successfully for this study. RKDP relations for S-band radar were calculated for 84,754 samples of observed drop size distribution (DSD using different drop shape assumptions. The relation for the Bringi drop shape showed the best statistics: 0.28 for normalized error, and 6.7 mm for root mean square error for rainfall heavier than 10 mm h-1. Because the drop shape assumption affects the accuracy of rainfall estimation differently for different rainfall types, such characteristics should be taken into account to estimate rainfall more accurately using polarimetric variables.

Super-resolution for imagery from integrated microgrid polarimeters.

Science.gov (United States)

Hardie, Russell C; LeMaster, Daniel A; Ratliff, Bradley M

2011-07-04

Imagery from microgrid polarimeters is obtained by using a mosaic of pixel-wise micropolarizers on a focal plane array (FPA). Each distinct polarization image is obtained by subsampling the full FPA image. Thus, the effective pixel pitch for each polarization channel is increased and the sampling frequency is decreased. As a result, aliasing artifacts from such undersampling can corrupt the true polarization content of the scene. Here we present the first multi-channel multi-frame super-resolution (SR) algorithms designed specifically for the problem of image restoration in microgrid polarization imagers. These SR algorithms can be used to address aliasing and other degradations, without sacrificing field of view or compromising optical resolution with an anti-aliasing filter. The new SR methods are designed to exploit correlation between the polarimetric channels. One of the new SR algorithms uses a form of regularized least squares and has an iterative solution. The other is based on the faster adaptive Wiener filter SR method. We demonstrate that the new multi-channel SR algorithms are capable of providing significant enhancement of polarimetric imagery and that they outperform their independent channel counterparts.

Calibration of EFOSC2 Broadband Linear Imaging Polarimetry

Science.gov (United States)

Wiersema, K.; Higgins, A. B.; Covino, S.; Starling, R. L. C.

2018-03-01

The European Southern Observatory Faint Object Spectrograph and Camera v2 is one of the workhorse instruments on ESO's New Technology Telescope, and is one of the most popular instruments at La Silla observatory. It is mounted at a Nasmyth focus, and therefore exhibits strong, wavelength and pointing-direction-dependent instrumental polarisation. In this document, we describe our efforts to calibrate the broadband imaging polarimetry mode, and provide a calibration for broadband B, V, and R filters to a level that satisfies most use cases (i.e. polarimetric calibration uncertainty 0.1%). We make our calibration codes public. This calibration effort can be used to enhance the yield of future polarimetric programmes with the European Southern Observatory Faint Object Spectrograph and Camera v2, by allowing good calibration with a greatly reduced number of standard star observations. Similarly, our calibration model can be combined with archival calibration observations to post-process data taken in past years, to form the European Southern Observatory Faint Object Spectrograph and Camera v2 legacy archive with substantial scientific potential.

Determination of the full polarimetric transition matrix of a magnetized plasma from measurements of phase only

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Segre, S.E.

1996-09-01

It is shown that, by using a convenient modulated input polarization, it is possible to determine the full plasma polarimetric transition matrix purely from phase measurements. These are advantageous compared to previously proposed amplitude measurements. Two alternative sets of configurations for the input polarization are considered. The elements of the transition matrix thus found can be used in the reconstruction of the MHD equilibrium

GHRSST Level 2P Gridded Global Subskin Sea Surface Temperature from WindSat polarimetric radiometer on the Coriolis satellite (GDS version 1)

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — This dataset contains sea surface temperature derived from observations made by the WindSat Polarimetric Radiometer developed by the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL)...

Screening Mississippi River Levees Using Texture-Based and Polarimetric-Based Features from Synthetic Aperture Radar Data

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lalitha Dabbiru

2017-03-01

Full Text Available This article reviews the use of synthetic aperture radar remote sensing data for earthen levee mapping with an emphasis on finding the slump slides on the levees. Earthen levees built on the natural levees parallel to the river channel are designed to protect large areas of populated and cultivated land in the Unites States from flooding. One of the signs of potential impending levee failure is the appearance of slump slides. On-site inspection of levees is expensive and time-consuming; therefore, a need to develop efficient techniques based on remote sensing technologies is mandatory to prevent failures under flood loading. Analysis of multi-polarized radar data is one of the viable tools for detecting the problem areas on the levees. In this study, we develop methods to detect anomalies on the levee, such as slump slides and give levee managers new tools to prioritize their tasks. This paper presents results of applying the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA Jet Propulsion Lab (JPL’s Uninhabited Aerial Vehicle Synthetic Aperture Radar (UAVSAR quad-polarized L-band data to detect slump slides on earthen levees. The study area encompasses a portion of levees of the lower Mississippi River in the United States. In this paper, we investigate the performance of polarimetric and texture features for efficient levee classification. Texture features derived from the gray level co-occurrence (GLCM matrix and discrete wavelet transform were computed and analyzed for efficient levee classification. The pixel-based polarimetric decomposition features, such as entropy, anisotropy, and scattering angle were also computed and applied to the support vector machine classifier to characterize the radar imagery and compared the results with texture-based classification. Our experimental results showed that inclusion of textural features derived from the SAR data using the discrete wavelet transform (DWT features and GLCM features provided

Using polarimetric radar observations and probabilistic inference to develop the Bayesian Observationally-constrained Statistical-physical Scheme (BOSS), a novel microphysical parameterization framework

Science.gov (United States)

van Lier-Walqui, M.; Morrison, H.; Kumjian, M. R.; Prat, O. P.

2016-12-01

Microphysical parameterization schemes have reached an impressive level of sophistication: numerous prognostic hydrometeor categories, and either size-resolved (bin) particle size distributions, or multiple prognostic moments of the size distribution. Yet, uncertainty in model representation of microphysical processes and the effects of microphysics on numerical simulation of weather has not shown a improvement commensurate with the advanced sophistication of these schemes. We posit that this may be caused by unconstrained assumptions of these schemes, such as ad-hoc parameter value choices and structural uncertainties (e.g. choice of a particular form for the size distribution). We present work on development and observational constraint of a novel microphysical parameterization approach, the Bayesian Observationally-constrained Statistical-physical Scheme (BOSS), which seeks to address these sources of uncertainty. Our framework avoids unnecessary a priori assumptions, and instead relies on observations to provide probabilistic constraint of the scheme structure and sensitivities to environmental and microphysical conditions. We harness the rich microphysical information content of polarimetric radar observations to develop and constrain BOSS within a Bayesian inference framework using a Markov Chain Monte Carlo sampler (see Kumjian et al., this meeting for details on development of an associated polarimetric forward operator). Our work shows how knowledge of microphysical processes is provided by polarimetric radar observations of diverse weather conditions, and which processes remain highly uncertain, even after considering observations.

Optical polarimetric and near-infrared photometric study of the RCW95 Galactic H II region

Science.gov (United States)

Vargas-González, J.; Roman-Lopes, A.; Santos, F. P.; Franco, G. A. P.; Santos, J. F. C.; Maia, F. F. S.; Sanmartim, D.

2018-02-01

We carried out an optical polarimetric study in the direction of the RCW 95 star-forming region in order to probe the sky-projected magnetic field structure by using the distribution of linear polarization segments which seem to be well aligned with the more extended cloud component. A mean polarization angle of θ = 49.8° ± 7.7°7 was derived. Through the spectral dependence analysis of polarization it was possible to obtain the total-to-selective extinction ratio (RV) by fitting the Serkowski function, resulting in a mean value of RV = 2.93 ± 0.47. The foreground polarization component was estimated and is in agreement with previous studies in this direction of the Galaxy. Further, near-infrared (NIR) images from Vista Variables in the Via Láctea (VVV) survey were collected to improve the study of the stellar population associated with the H II region. The Automated Stellar Cluster Analysis algorithm was employed to derive structural parameters for two clusters in the region, and a set of PAdova and TRieste Stellar Evolution Code (PARSEC) isochrones was superimposed on the decontaminated colour-magnitude diagrams to estimate an age of about 3 Myr for both clusters. Finally, from the NIR photometry study combined with spectra obtained with the Ohio State Infrared Imager and Spectrometer mounted at the Southern Astrophysics Research Telescope we derived the spectral classification of the main ionizing sources in the clusters associated with IRAS 15408-5356 and IRAS 15412-5359, both objects classified as O4V stars.

Spectral and polarimetric characterization of gazeous and telluric planets with SEE COAST

Science.gov (United States)

Boccaletti, A.; Baudoz, P.; Mawet, D.; Schneider, J.; Tinetti, G.; Galicher, R.; Stam, D.; Cavarroc, C.; Hough, J.; Doel, P.; Pinfield, D.; Keller, C.-U.; Beuzit, J.-L.; Udry, S.; Ferrari, A.; Martin, E.; Ménard, F.; Sein, E.

2011-07-01

SEE COAST stands for Super Earth Explorer - Coronagraphic Off-Axis Space Telescope. The concept was initially proposed to ESA for Cosmic Vision. None of the direct detection exoplanet proposals were selected in 2007 and we are now pursuing our efforts to consolidate the astrophysical program and the technical developments for the next call for proposal. The prime objective of SEE COAST is to contribute to the understanding of the formation and evolution of planetary systems. Exploring the diversity of these objects is therefore the main driver to define the instrumentation. In the next decade the improvement of radial velocity instruments and obviously temporal coverage will provide us with a large numbers of long period giants as well as telluric planets, namely Super Earths. Obtaining the spectral and polarimetric signatures of these objects in the visible range to measure atmospheric parameters (molecular composition, clouds, soils, …) will be unique and with important scientific returns. A space mission complementary to near IR instruments like SPHERE, GPI, JWST and later ELTs for the full characterization of giants and Super Earths is a first secure step towards the longer term goal that is the characterization of telluric planets with mass and atmosphere comparable to that of the Earth. An overview of the astrophysical motivation and the trade-off that lead to a simple integrated concept of a space-based high contrast imaging instrument are given here.

The Feasibility Evaluation of Land Use Change Detection Using GAOFEN-3 Data

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, G.; Sun, Y.; Zhao, Z.

2018-04-01

GaoFen-3 (GF-3) satellite, is the first C band and multi-polarimetric Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellite in China. In order to explore the feasibility of GF-3 satellite in remote sensing interpretation and land-use remote sensing change detection, taking Guangzhou, China as a study area, the full polarimetric image of GF-3 satellite with 8 m resolution of two temporal as the data source. Firstly, the image is pre-processed by orthorectification, image registration and mosaic, and the land-use remote sensing digital orthophoto map (DOM) in 2017 is made according to the each county. Then the classification analysis and judgment of ground objects on the image are carried out by means of ArcGIS combining with the auxiliary data and using artificial visual interpretation, to determine the area of changes and the category of change objects. According to the unified change information extraction principle to extract change areas. Finally, the change detection results are compared with 3 m resolution TerraSAR-X data and 2 m resolution multi-spectral image, and the accuracy is evaluated. Experimental results show that the accuracy of the GF-3 data is over 75 % in detecting the change of ground objects, and the detection capability of new filling soil is better than that of TerraSAR-X data, verify the detection and monitoring capability of GF-3 data to the change information extraction, also, it shows that GF-3 can provide effective data support for the remote sensing detection of land resources.

GHRSST Level 3U Global Subskin Sea Surface Temperature from the WindSat Polarimetric Radiometer on the Coriolis satellite (GDS version 2)

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — The WindSat Polarimetric Radiometer, launched on January 6, 2003 aboard the Department of Defense Coriolis satellite, was designed to measure the ocean surface wind...

Analytical Aspects of Total Starch Polarimetric Determination in Some Cereals

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rodica Caprita

2016-10-01

Full Text Available Starch is the most important digestible polysaccharide present in foods and feeds. The starch concentration in cereals cannot be determined directly, because the starch is contained within a structurally and chemically complex matrix. Fine grinding and boiling in dilute HCl are preparative steps necessary for complete release of the starch granules from the protein matrix. Starch can be determined using simple and inexpensive physical methods, such as density, refractive index or optical rotation assessment. The polarimetric method allows the determination even of small starch contents due to its extremely high specific rotation. For more accurate results, the contribution of free sugars is eliminated by dissolution in 40% (V/V ethanol. The influence of other optically active substances, which might interfere, is removed by filtration/clarification prior to the optical rotation measurement.

Vegetation Parameter Extraction Using Dual Baseline Polarimetric SAR Interferometry Data

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, H.; Wang, C.; Chen, X.; Tang, Y.

2009-04-01

For vegetation parameter inversion, the single baseline polarimetric SAR interferometry (POLinSAR) technique, such as the three-stage method and the ESPRIT algorithm, is limited by the observed data with the minimum ground to volume amplitude ration, which effects the estimation of the effective phase center for the vegetation canopy or the surface, and thus results in the underestimated vegetation height. In order to remove this effect of the single baseline inversion techniques in some extend, another baseline POLinSAR data is added on vegetation parameter estimation in this paper, and a dual baseline POLinSAR technique for the extraction of the vegetation parameter is investigated and improved to reduce the dynamic bias for the vegetation parameter estimation. Finally, the simulated data and real data are used to validate this dual baseline technique.

Accuracy of sun localization in the second step of sky-polarimetric Viking navigation for north determination: a planetarium experiment.

Science.gov (United States)

Farkas, Alexandra; Száz, Dénes; Egri, Ádám; Blahó, Miklós; Barta, András; Nehéz, Dóra; Bernáth, Balázs; Horváth, Gábor

2014-07-01

It is a widely discussed hypothesis that Viking seafarers might have been able to locate the position of the occluded sun by means of dichroic or birefringent crystals, the mysterious sunstones, with which they could analyze skylight polarization. Although the atmospheric optical prerequisites and certain aspects of the efficiency of this sky-polarimetric Viking navigation have been investigated, the accuracy of the main steps of this method has not been quantitatively examined. To fill in this gap, we present here the results of a planetarium experiment in which we measured the azimuth and elevation errors of localization of the invisible sun. In the planetarium sun localization was performed in two selected celestial points on the basis of the alignments of two small sections of two celestial great circles passing through the sun. In the second step of sky-polarimetric Viking navigation the navigator needed to determine the intersection of two such celestial circles. We found that the position of the sun (solar elevation θ(S), solar azimuth φ(S)) was estimated with an average error of +0.6°≤Δθ≤+8.8° and -3.9°≤Δφ≤+2.0°. We also calculated the compass direction error when the estimated sun position is used for orienting with a Viking sun-compass. The northern direction (ω(North)) was determined with an error of -3.34°≤Δω(North)≤+6.29°. The inaccuracy of the second step of this navigation method was high (Δω(North)=-16.3°) when the solar elevation was 5°≤θ(S)≤25°, and the two selected celestial points were far from the sun (at angular distances 95°≤γ(1), γ(2)≤115°) and each other (125°≤δ≤145°). Considering only this second step, the sky-polarimetric navigation could be more accurate in the mid-summer period (June and July), when in the daytime the sun is high above the horizon for long periods. In the spring (and autumn) equinoctial period, alternative methods (using a twilight board, for example) might be more

Image Simulation and Assessment of the Colour and Spatial Capabilities of the Colour and Stereo Surface Imaging System (CaSSIS) on the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter

Science.gov (United States)

Tornabene, Livio L.; Seelos, Frank P.; Pommerol, Antoine; Thomas, Nicholas; Caudill, C. M.; Becerra, Patricio; Bridges, John C.; Byrne, Shane; Cardinale, Marco; Chojnacki, Matthew; Conway, Susan J.; Cremonese, Gabriele; Dundas, Colin M.; El-Maarry, M. R.; Fernando, Jennifer; Hansen, Candice J.; Hansen, Kayle; Harrison, Tanya N.; Henson, Rachel; Marinangeli, Lucia; McEwen, Alfred S.; Pajola, Maurizio; Sutton, Sarah S.; Wray, James J.

2018-02-01

This study aims to assess the spatial and visible/near-infrared (VNIR) colour/spectral capabilities of the 4-band Colour and Stereo Surface Imaging System (CaSSIS) aboard the ExoMars 2016 Trace Grace Orbiter (TGO). The instrument response functions for the CaSSIS imager was used to resample spectral libraries, modelled spectra and to construct spectrally ( i.e., in I/F space) and spatially consistent simulated CaSSIS image cubes of various key sites of interest and for ongoing scientific investigations on Mars. Coordinated datasets from Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) are ideal, and specifically used for simulating CaSSIS. The Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars (CRISM) provides colour information, while the Context Imager (CTX), and in a few cases the High-Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE), provides the complementary spatial information at the resampled CaSSIS unbinned/unsummed pixel resolution (4.6 m/pixel from a 400-km altitude). The methodology used herein employs a Gram-Schmidt spectral sharpening algorithm to combine the ˜18-36 m/pixel CRISM-derived CaSSIS colours with I/F images primarily derived from oversampled CTX images. One hundred and eighty-one simulated CaSSIS 4-colour image cubes (at 18-36 m/pixel) were generated (including one of Phobos) based on CRISM data. From these, thirty-three "fully"-simulated image cubes of thirty unique locations on Mars ( i.e., with 4 colour bands at 4.6 m/pixel) were made. All simulated image cubes were used to test both the colour capabilities of CaSSIS by producing standard colour RGB images, colour band ratio composites (CBRCs) and spectral parameters. Simulated CaSSIS CBRCs demonstrated that CaSSIS will be able to readily isolate signatures related to ferrous (Fe2+) iron- and ferric (Fe3+) iron-bearing deposits on the surface of Mars, ices and atmospheric phenomena. Despite the lower spatial resolution of CaSSIS when compared to HiRISE, the results of this work demonstrate that Ca

Capabilities and Impact on Wind Analyses of the Hurricane Imaging Radiometer (HIRAD)

Science.gov (United States)

Miller, Timothy L.; Amarin, Ruba; Atlas, Robert; Bailey, M. C.; Black, Peter; Buckley, Courtney; James, Mark; Johnson, James; Jones, Linwood; Ruf, Christopher;

Design and development of a microwave multifrequency polarimetric scatterometer for biosphere remote sensing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stjernman, A.

1995-05-01

The main topic of this research report is the design and development of a multifrequency, polarimetric scatterometer for biosphere remote sensing. The system was developed using a standard HP network analyzer, a crossed log-periodic dipole antenna and a reflector. The scatterometer functions in a linear polarization basis between the L- and X-bands and gathers full-polarimetric information. The standard S-parameter measurements using the network analyzer were related to surface and volume scattering coefficients of rough surface, snow cover and vegetation media. The scatterometer measurements were carried out in the frequency domain to make use of narrow band filters in the receiver chain. The fast Fourier transform was used to convert the frequency domain measurements to the time domain. The range resolution of the system was 20 cm; azimuthal and elevation resolutions are determined by the antenna beam widths. Range side lobes were reduced by making use of appropriate weighting (Kaiser-Bessel window) functions. The accuracy of target characterization depends on the quality of scatterometer calibration. A novel technique to estimate the absolute gain and crosstalk of the radar system was developed. Using a distortion matrix approach, the cross-polarization response of the system was improved by 10 to 25 dB. The radar measurements were validated by comparing point target radar observations with the corresponding theoretical values. Also, measurements of fading decorrelation distance and decorrelation bandwidth or rough surfaces were in good agreement with the theory. Backscatter observations of vegetation and snow cover were comparable to earlier published values for a similar environment. 50 refs, 56 figs, 1 tab

Design and development of a microwave multifrequency polarimetric scatterometer for biosphere remote sensing

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Stjernman, A

1995-05-01

The main topic of this research report is the design and development of a multifrequency, polarimetric scatterometer for biosphere remote sensing. The system was developed using a standard HP network analyzer, a crossed log-periodic dipole antenna and a reflector. The scatterometer functions in a linear polarization basis between the L- and X-bands and gathers full-polarimetric information. The standard S-parameter measurements using the network analyzer were related to surface and volume scattering coefficients of rough surface, snow cover and vegetation media. The scatterometer measurements were carried out in the frequency domain to make use of narrow band filters in the receiver chain. The fast Fourier transform was used to convert the frequency domain measurements to the time domain. The range resolution of the system was 20 cm; azimuthal and elevation resolutions are determined by the antenna beam widths. Range side lobes were reduced by making use of appropriate weighting (Kaiser-Bessel window) functions. The accuracy of target characterization depends on the quality of scatterometer calibration. A novel technique to estimate the absolute gain and crosstalk of the radar system was developed. Using a distortion matrix approach, the cross-polarization response of the system was improved by 10 to 25 dB. The radar measurements were validated by comparing point target radar observations with the corresponding theoretical values. Also, measurements of fading decorrelation distance and decorrelation bandwidth or rough surfaces were in good agreement with the theory. Backscatter observations of vegetation and snow cover were comparable to earlier published values for a similar environment. 50 refs, 56 figs, 1 tab.

A secret-sharing-based method for authentication of grayscale document images via the use of the PNG image with a data repair capability.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Che-Wei; Tsai, Wen-Hsiang

2012-01-01

A new blind authentication method based on the secret sharing technique with a data repair capability for grayscale document images via the use of the Portable Network Graphics (PNG) image is proposed. An authentication signal is generated for each block of a grayscale document image, which, together with the binarized block content, is transformed into several shares using the Shamir secret sharing scheme. The involved parameters are carefully chosen so that as many shares as possible are generated and embedded into an alpha channel plane. The alpha channel plane is then combined with the original grayscale image to form a PNG image. During the embedding process, the computed share values are mapped into a range of alpha channel values near their maximum value of 255 to yield a transparent stego-image with a disguise effect. In the process of image authentication, an image block is marked as tampered if the authentication signal computed from the current block content does not match that extracted from the shares embedded in the alpha channel plane. Data repairing is then applied to each tampered block by a reverse Shamir scheme after collecting two shares from unmarked blocks. Measures for protecting the security of the data hidden in the alpha channel are also proposed. Good experimental results prove the effectiveness of the proposed method for real applications.

Landslide Mapping in Vegetated Areas Using Change Detection Based on Optical and Polarimetric SAR Data

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Simon Plank

2016-04-01

Full Text Available Mapping of landslides, quickly providing information about the extent of the affected area and type and grade of damage, is crucial to enable fast crisis response, i.e., to support rescue and humanitarian operations. Most synthetic aperture radar (SAR data-based landslide detection approaches reported in the literature use change detection techniques, requiring very high resolution (VHR SAR imagery acquired shortly before the landslide event, which is commonly not available. Modern VHR SAR missions, e.g., Radarsat-2, TerraSAR-X, or COSMO-SkyMed, do not systematically cover the entire world, due to limitations in onboard disk space and downlink transmission rates. Here, we present a fast and transferable procedure for mapping of landslides, based on change detection between pre-event optical imagery and the polarimetric entropy derived from post-event VHR polarimetric SAR data. Pre-event information is derived from high resolution optical imagery of Landsat-8 or Sentinel-2, which are freely available and systematically acquired over the entire Earth’s landmass. The landslide mapping is refined by slope information from a digital elevation model generated from bi-static TanDEM-X imagery. The methodology was successfully applied to two landslide events of different characteristics: A rotational slide near Charleston, West Virginia, USA and a mining waste earthflow near Bolshaya Talda, Russia.

The GLORIE Campaign: Assessment of the Capabilities of Airborne GNSS-R for Land Remote Sensing.

Science.gov (United States)

Mangiarotti, S.; Motte, E.; Zribi, M., Sr.; Fanise, P., Sr.

2015-12-01

In June and July 2015 an intensive flight campaign was conducted over the south west of France to test the sensitivity of Global Navigation Satellite System Reflectometry (GNSS-R) to the geophysical parameters of continental surfaces. Namely, the parameters of interest were soil moisture, soil roughness, plant water content, forest biomass and level of inland water bodies and rivers. We used the GLORI polarimetric GNSS-R instrument, collecting raw 10MSPS 2-bit IQ direct (RHCP, zenith) and reflected (RHCP and LHCP, nadir) signals at GPS L1 frequency aboard the ATR-42 aircraft of the SAFIRE fleet. Simultaneous measurement of aircraft attitude and position were recorded. The flight plan included flyovers of several areas of interests, with collocated ground truth measurements of soil moisture, soil roughness, cultivated biomass, and forest biomass. Also flyovers of ponds, lakes and river were included for power calibration and altimetry retrievals. In total, 6 flights were performed between June 19th and July 6th, representing more than 15 hours of raw data. A conventional GNSS-R processing of the data was performed in order to compute the direct and reflected complex waveforms. A preliminary data analysis based on the variations of the ratio of reflected maximum correlation amplitude in the LHCP antenna to direct maximum correlated amplitude shows measurements sensitivity to soil type, land use and incidence angle. Also, first altimetric retrievals using phase-delay techniques shows very promising results over calm waters. Current work is ongoing in order to fit the observed polarimetric measurements with innovative bistatic scattering models capable of taking into account complex geometries and land use configurations.

[Modeling polarimetric BRDF of leaves surfaces].

Science.gov (United States)

Xie, Dong-Hui; Wang, Pei-Juan; Zhu, Qi-Jiang; Zhou, Hong-Min

2010-12-01

The purpose of the present paper is to model a physical polarimetric bidirectional reflectance distribution function (pBRDF), which can character not only the non-Lambertian but also the polarized features in order that the pBRDF can be applied to analyze the relationship between the degree of polarization and the physiological and biochemical parameters of leaves quantitatively later. Firstly, the bidirectional polarized reflectance distributions from several leaves surfaces were measured by the polarized goniometer developed by Changchun Institute of Optics, Fine Mechanics and Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences. The samples of leaves include two pieces of zea mays L. leaves (young leaf and mature leaf) and a piece of E. palcherrima wild leaf. Non-Lambertian characteristics of directional reflectance from the surfaces of these three leaves are obvious. A Cook-Torrance model was modified by coupling the polarized Fresnel equations to simulate the bidirectional polarized reflectance properties of leaves surfaces. The three parameters in the modified pBRDF model, such as diffuse reflectivity, refractive index and roughness of leaf surface were inversed with genetic algorithm (GA). It was found that the pBRDF model can fit with the measured data well. In addition, these parameters in the model are related with both the physiological and biochemical properties and the polarized characteristics of leaves, therefore it is possible to build the relationships between them later.

Accuracy of the hypothetical sky-polarimetric Viking navigation versus sky conditions: revealing solar elevations and cloudinesses favourable for this navigation method.

Science.gov (United States)

Száz, Dénes; Farkas, Alexandra; Barta, András; Kretzer, Balázs; Blahó, Miklós; Egri, Ádám; Szabó, Gyula; Horváth, Gábor

2017-09-01

According to Thorkild Ramskou's theory proposed in 1967, under overcast and foggy skies, Viking seafarers might have used skylight polarization analysed with special crystals called sunstones to determine the position of the invisible Sun. After finding the occluded Sun with sunstones, its elevation angle had to be measured and its shadow had to be projected onto the horizontal surface of a sun compass. According to Ramskou's theory, these sunstones might have been birefringent calcite or dichroic cordierite or tourmaline crystals working as polarizers. It has frequently been claimed that this method might have been suitable for navigation even in cloudy weather. This hypothesis has been accepted and frequently cited for decades without any experimental support. In this work, we determined the accuracy of this hypothetical sky-polarimetric Viking navigation for 1080 different sky situations characterized by solar elevation θ and cloudiness ρ , the sky polarization patterns of which were measured by full-sky imaging polarimetry. We used the earlier measured uncertainty functions of the navigation steps 1, 2 and 3 for calcite, cordierite and tourmaline sunstone crystals, respectively, and the newly measured uncertainty function of step 4 presented here. As a result, we revealed the meteorological conditions under which Vikings could have used this hypothetical navigation method. We determined the solar elevations at which the navigation uncertainties are minimal at summer solstice and spring equinox for all three sunstone types. On average, calcite sunstone ensures a more accurate sky-polarimetric navigation than tourmaline and cordierite. However, in some special cases (generally at 35° ≤  θ  ≤ 40°, 1 okta ≤  ρ  ≤ 6 oktas for summer solstice, and at 20° ≤  θ  ≤ 25°, 0 okta ≤  ρ  ≤ 4 oktas for spring equinox), the use of tourmaline and cordierite results in smaller navigation uncertainties than that of calcite

Investigating the Innermost Jet Structures of Blazar S5 0716+714 Using Uniquely Dense Intra-day Photo-polarimetric Observations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gopal Bhatta

2016-10-01

Full Text Available The sub-hour timescale variability commonly observed in blazars—widely known as intra-day or microvariability—has been extensively studied in optical photo-polarimetric bands over the past 25–30 years. In addition, there have been comprehensive theoretical discussions on the topic, with various models and scenarios proposed; however, the phenomenon still remains relatively poorly understood. Here we present the summary of our optical microvariability studies over the past few years based on multi-frequency photo-polarimetric Whole Earth Blazar Telescope (WEBT observation campaigns. The primary objective of the study was to explore the characteristics of the source microvariability on timescales of a few minutes to a few days using exceptionally dense photo-polarimetric observations. The results show that the source often displays fast variability with an amplitude as large as 0.3 mag within a few hours, as well as color variability on similar time scales often characterized by “bluer-when-brighter” trend. Similarly, the correlation between variability in flux and polarization appears to depend upon the configuration of the optical polarization angle relative to the positional angle of the innermost radio core of the jet. Other fascinating observations include a sudden and temporary disappearance in the observed variability lasting for ∼6 h. In addition, the modeling of individual microflares strongly suggests that the phenomenon of microvariability can be best explained by convolved emission from compact emission sites distributed stochastically in the turbulent jet. Besides, analysis of some of the well resolved micro-flares exhibiting high degrees of polarization points towards a complex magnetic geometry pervading the jet with the possible presence of small-scale regions of highly ordered and enhanced magnetic field similar to so-called “magnetic islands”.

Actividades del grupo EEF en el contexto de la red europea TMR "Polarimetría radar: Teoría y aplicaciones"

OpenAIRE

Fabregas Canovas, Francisco Javier; López Martínez, Carlos; Broquetas Ibars, Antoni

2000-01-01

The activity of the EEF group in the TMR European Project Radar Polarimetry: Theory and Applications will be presented in this paper. We have developed new polarimetric-interferometric retrieval algorithms and enhancement techniques. These methods will be showed briefly in the next points. Peer Reviewed

Image simulation and assessment of the colour and spatial capabilities of the Colour and Stereo Surface Imaging System (CaSSIS) on the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter

Science.gov (United States)

Tornabene, Livio L.; Seelos, Frank P.; Pommerol, Antoine; Thomas, Nicolas; Caudill, Christy M.; Becerra, Patricio; Bridges, John C.; Byrne, Shane; Cardinale, Marco; Chojnacki, Matthew; Conway, Susan J.; Cremonese, Gabriele; Dundas, Colin M.; El-Maarry, M. R.; Fernando, Jennifer; Hansen, Candice J.; Hansen, Kayle; Harrison, Tanya N.; Henson, Rachel; Marinangeli, Lucia; McEwen, Alfred S.; Pajola, Maurizio; Sutton, Sarah S.; Wray, James J.

2018-01-01

This study aims to assess the spatial and visible/near-infrared (VNIR) colour/spectral capabilities of the 4-band Colour and Stereo Surface Imaging System (CaSSIS) aboard the ExoMars 2016 Trace Grace Orbiter (TGO). The instrument response functions for the CaSSIS imager was used to resample spectral libraries, modelled spectra and to construct spectrally (i.e., in I/F space) and spatially consistent simulated CaSSIS image cubes of various key sites of interest and for ongoing scientific investigations on Mars. Coordinated datasets from Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) are ideal, and specifically used for simulating CaSSIS. The Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars (CRISM) provides colour information, while the Context Imager (CTX), and in a few cases the High-Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE), provides the complementary spatial information at the resampled CaSSIS unbinned/unsummed pixel resolution (4.6 m/pixel from a 400-km altitude). The methodology used herein employs a Gram-Schmidt spectral sharpening algorithm to combine the ∼18–36 m/pixel CRISM-derived CaSSIS colours with I/F images primarily derived from oversampled CTX images. One hundred and eighty-one simulated CaSSIS 4-colour image cubes (at 18–36 m/pixel) were generated (including one of Phobos) based on CRISM data. From these, thirty-three “fully”-simulated image cubes of thirty unique locations on Mars (i.e., with 4 colour bands at 4.6 m/pixel) were made. All simulated image cubes were used to test both the colour capabilities of CaSSIS by producing standard colour RGB images, colour band ratio composites (CBRCs) and spectral parameters. Simulated CaSSIS CBRCs demonstrated that CaSSIS will be able to readily isolate signatures related to ferrous (Fe2+) iron- and ferric (Fe3+) iron-bearing deposits on the surface of Mars, ices and atmospheric phenomena. Despite the lower spatial resolution of CaSSIS when compared to HiRISE, the results of this work demonstrate that

Satellite-based Tropical Cyclone Monitoring Capabilities

Science.gov (United States)

Hawkins, J.; Richardson, K.; Surratt, M.; Yang, S.; Lee, T. F.; Sampson, C. R.; Solbrig, J.; Kuciauskas, A. P.; Miller, S. D.; Kent, J.

2012-12-01

Satellite remote sensing capabilities to monitor tropical cyclone (TC) location, structure, and intensity have evolved by utilizing a combination of operational and research and development (R&D) sensors. The microwave imagers from the operational Defense Meteorological Satellite Program [Special Sensor Microwave/Imager (SSM/I) and the Special Sensor Microwave Imager Sounder (SSMIS)] form the "base" for structure observations due to their ability to view through upper-level clouds, modest size swaths and ability to capture most storm structure features. The NASA TRMM microwave imager and precipitation radar continue their 15+ yearlong missions in serving the TC warning and research communities. The cessation of NASA's QuikSCAT satellite after more than a decade of service is sorely missed, but India's OceanSat-2 scatterometer is now providing crucial ocean surface wind vectors in addition to the Navy's WindSat ocean surface wind vector retrievals. Another Advanced Scatterometer (ASCAT) onboard EUMETSAT's MetOp-2 satellite is slated for launch soon. Passive microwave imagery has received a much needed boost with the launch of the French/Indian Megha Tropiques imager in September 2011, basically greatly supplementing the very successful NASA TRMM pathfinder with a larger swath and more frequent temporal sampling. While initial data issues have delayed data utilization, current news indicates this data will be available in 2013. Future NASA Global Precipitation Mission (GPM) sensors starting in 2014 will provide enhanced capabilities. Also, the inclusion of the new microwave sounder data from the NPP ATMS (Oct 2011) will assist in mapping TC convective structures. The National Polar orbiting Partnership (NPP) program's VIIRS sensor includes a day night band (DNB) with the capability to view TC cloud structure at night when sufficient lunar illumination exits. Examples highlighting this new capability will be discussed in concert with additional data fusion efforts.

Capabilities of diffusion-weighted and fresh blood imaging in depicting fresh thrombus. Presidential award proceedings

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ando, Ritsuko; Manabe, Tsutomu; Tazawa, Satoru

2007-01-01

We examined the capabilities of diffusion-weighted (DWI) and fresh-blood imaging (FBI) in depicting thrombus. A paper-clay phantom holding test syringes of various sizes filled with either contrast medium or fresh human blood were scanned using a 1.5T magnetic resonance (MR) imaging unit, and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values and signal intensities on DWI and FBI of the specimens were obtained. FBI depicted all the specimens regardless of syringe diameter, but DWI failed to image the syringe measuring 0.5 cm in diameter. B-factors and/or number of acquisitions (NAQ) seemed responsible for DWI's depiction capability. ADC values and signal intensities on DWI and FBI correlated with the viscosity of the contrast medium samples. Clotted blood, the most viscous of the samples, had the smallest ADC value and no relationship with signal intensities on DWI and FBI. Larger b-factors reduced signal intensity in contrast medium on DWI, but signals decreased only minimally in clotted blood. The result suggested that although viscosity was the influential factor for signal intensities on DWI in contrast medium, other factors, such as particle sizes of fibrin and hemoglobin, accounted for the low ADC values in clotting blood. T 2 relaxation time seemed to play a significant role in making signal intensities on DWI irrelevant to b-factors. Despite lapsed time, the clots were persistently hyperintense on FBI with a tendency to decrease only gradually. On DWI, there was a certain period when signal intensities were high and ADC values were low. The signal intensities on DWI and ADC values were considered to be influenced by the process of clot formation, and disappearance of signal seemed likely attributable to degeneration of protein and organization of the clot. (author)

A Radarsat-2 Polarimetric Analysis Over The UNESCO Site In Danger Of Samarra (Iraq)

Science.gov (United States)

Dore, Nicole; Patruno, Jolanda; Pottier, Eric; Crespi, Mattia

2013-04-01

This work has as goal the detection of archaeological probable buried remains and the monitoring of the external ones. The archaeological site taken into account for this purpose is the area of the ancient octagonal city of al-Qadisiyya funded by Harun al-Rashid. This city, located in the southern part of the Samarra territory, was abandoned unfinished when the caliph moved to Raqqa (Syria) in 796 A.D. Bigness of the structures, unstable political situation and agricultural expansion threats, that let the city of Samarra be inscribed in the UNESO list of sites in danger since 2007, gave us a reason more to investigate this area. The study was carried out with four fine quad-pol imagery of the Canadian satellite RADARSAT-2, launched in December 2007. However C-band lower capability of penetration compared to ALOS PALSAR L-band, the choice of this satellite is due to its higher spatial resolution compared to the PALSAR one. Thanks to the higher spatial resolution and the location of the site in a semi desert area, we succeeded in balancing a probable lower waves penetration. Our analysis focused on four polarimetric images, two with a 23° incidence angle and two with a 45° incidence angle, acquired in different moments of the year 2012. The difference between the angles was motivated, respectively, by the possibility of a higher penetration of the microwaves in the ground and by the higher possibility of double bounce response in the case of presence of buried structures. The time spacing, on the other hand, allowed a temporal analysis over different months of the same year accompanied by meteorological condition available on the web for the zone. This type of analysis, however, allowed the identification of the qanāt (the underground channel present in the northern part of the octagonal city of al-Qadisiyya) and other structures, thanks to differences visible in all the products. The potentiality of this SAR research for archaeology is well known, in particular

Uniting Satellite Data With Health Records to Address the Societal Impacts of Particulate Air Pollution: NASA's Multi-Angle Imager for Aerosols

Science.gov (United States)

Nastan, A.; Diner, D. J.

2017-12-01

Epidemiological studies have demonstrated convincingly that airborne particulate matter has a major impact on human health, particularly in urban areas. However, providing an accurate picture of the health effects of various particle mixtures — distinguished by size, shape, and composition — is difficult due to the constraints of currently available measurement tools and the heterogeneity of atmospheric chemistry and human activities over space and time. The Multi-Angle Imager for Aerosols (MAIA) investigation, currently in development as part of NASA's Earth Venture Instrument Program, will address this issue through a powerful combination of technologies and informatics. Atmospheric measurements collected by the MAIA satellite instrument featuring multiangle and innovative polarimetric imaging capabilities will be combined with available ground monitor data and a chemical transport model to produce maps of speciated particulate matter at 1 km spatial resolution for a selected set of globally distributed cities. The MAIA investigation is also original in integrating data providers (atmospheric scientists), data users (epidemiologists), and stakeholders (public health experts) into a multidisciplinary science team that will tailor the observation and analysis strategy within each target area to improve our understanding of the linkages between different particle types and adverse human health outcomes.

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

Characterizing SOI Wafers By Use Of AOTF-PHI

Science.gov (United States)

Cheng, Li-Jen; Li, Guann-Pyng; Zang, Deyu

1995-01-01

Developmental nondestructive method of characterizing layers of silicon-on-insulator (SOI) wafer involves combination of polarimetric hyperspectral imaging by use of acousto-optical tunable filters (AOTF-PHI) and computational resources for extracting pertinent data on SOI wafers from polarimetric hyperspectral images. Offers high spectral resolution and both ease and rapidity of optical-wavelength tuning. Further efforts to implement all of processing of polarimetric spectral image data in special-purpose hardware for sake of procesing speed. Enables characterization of SOI wafers in real time for online monitoring and adjustment of production. Also accelerates application of AOTF-PHI to other applications in which need for high-resolution spectral imaging, both with and without polarimetry.

THE IMAGING PROPERTIES OF THE GAS PIXEL DETECTOR AS A FOCAL PLANE POLARIMETER

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fabiani, S.; Costa, E.; Del Monte, E.; Muleri, F.; Soffitta, P.; Rubini, A. [INAF-IAPS, via del Fosso del Cavaliere 100, I-00133 Roma (Italy); Bellazzini, R.; Brez, A.; De Ruvo, L.; Minuti, M.; Pinchera, M.; Sgró, C.; Spandre, G. [INFN Sezione di Pisa, Largo B. Pontecorvo, 3, I-56127 Pisa (Italy); Spiga, D.; Tagliaferri, G.; Pareschi, G.; Basso, S.; Citterio, O. [INAF-Osservatorio Astronomico di Brera, via Brera 28, I-20121 Milano (Italy); Burwitz, V.; Burkert, W., E-mail: sergio.fabiani@iaps.inaf.it [Max-Planck-Institut für extraterrestrische Physik, Gautinger Str. 45, D-82061 Neuired (Germany); and others

2014-06-01

X-rays are particularly suited to probing the physics of extreme objects. However, despite the enormous improvements of X-ray astronomy in imaging, spectroscopy, and timing, polarimetry remains largely unexplored. We propose the photoelectric polarimeter Gas Pixel Detector (GPD) as a candidate instrument to fill the gap created by more than 30 yr without measurements. The GPD, in the focus of a telescope, will increase the sensitivity of orders of magnitude. Moreover, since it can measure the energy, the position, the arrival time, and the polarization angle of every single photon, it allows us to perform polarimetry of subsets of data singled out from the spectrum, the light curve, or an image of the source. The GPD has an intrinsic, very fine imaging capability, and in this work we report on the calibration campaign carried out in 2012 at the PANTER X-ray testing facility of the Max-Planck-Institut für extraterrestrische Physik of Garching (Germany) in which, for the first time, we coupled it with a JET-X optics module with a focal length of 3.5 m and an angular resolution of 18 arcsec at 4.5 keV. This configuration was proposed in 2012 aboard the X-ray Imaging Polarimetry Explorer (XIPE) in response to the ESA call for a small mission. We derived the imaging and polarimetric performance for extended sources like pulsar wind nebulae and supernova remnants as case studies for the XIPE configuration and also discuss possible improvements by coupling the detector with advanced optics that have a finer angular resolution and larger effective areas to study extended objects with more detail.

Retrieval of Macro- and Micro-Physical Properties of Oceanic Hydrosols from Polarimetric Observations

Science.gov (United States)

Ibrahim, Amir; Gilerson, Alexander; Chowdhary, Jacek; Ahmed, Samir

2016-01-01

Remote sensing has mainly relied on measurements of scalar radiance and its spectral and angular features to retrieve micro- and macro-physical properties of aerosols/hydrosols. However, it is recognized that measurements that include the polarimetric characteristics of light provide more intrinsic information about particulate scattering. To take advantage of this, we used vector radiative transfer (VRT) simulations and developed an analytical relationship to retrieve the macro and micro-physical properties of the oceanic hydrosols. Specifically, we investigated the relationship between the observed degree of linear polarization (DoLP) and the ratio of attenuation-to- absorption coefficients (c/a) in water, from which the scattering coefficient can be readily computed (b equals c minus a), after retrieving a. This relationship was parameterized for various scattering geometries, including sensor zenith/azimuth angles relative to the Sun's principal plane, and for varying Sun zenith angles. An inversion method was also developed for the retrieval of the microphysical properties of hydrosols, such as the bulk refractive index and the particle size distribution. The DoLP vs c/a relationship was tested and validated against in-situ measurements of underwater light polarization obtained by a custom-built polarimeter and measurements of the coefficients a and c, obtained using an in-water WET (Western Environmental Technologies) Labs ac-s (attenuation coefficients In-Situ Spectrophotometer) instrument package. These measurements confirmed the validity of the approach, with retrievals of attenuation coefficients showing a high coefficient of determination depending on the wavelength. We also performed a sensitivity analysis of the DoLP at the Top of Atmosphere (TOA) over coastal waters showing the possibility of polarimetric remote sensing application for ocean color.

Laboratory polarization and permittivity measurements to interpret dust polarimetric observations and in-situ radar studies. Significance for Rosetta mission at 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko

Science.gov (United States)

Levasseur-Regourd, Anny-Chantal; Brouet, Yann; Hadamcik, Edith; Heggy, Essam; Hines, Dean; Lasue, Jérémie; Renard, Jean-Baptiste

2015-08-01

Polarimetric astronomical observations on dust clouds and regolithic surfaces require laboratory simulations on samples to provide information on properties (size distribution, porosity, refractive index) of the scattering media. Similarly, in-situ radar investigations in the solar system require laboratory studies on samples to infer physical properties (e.g. porosity, ice/dust ratio) of sub-surfaces and interiors. Recent developments are illustrated with present studies related to the Rosetta mission, which begun its rendezvous with comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimeko (C-G) and landed the Philae module on its nucleus in 2014.We will summarize laboratory simulations with the PROGRA2 suite of instruments that study (in the visible to near IR domain) the polarimetric properties of dust samples in microgravity conditions or on surfaces [1], with emphasis on the interpretation of polarimetric observations of C-G, during its previous perihelion passages from Earth observatories, and currently from HST [2,3]. The presence of large dust particles in the pre-perihelion coma previously inferred from remote observations agrees with Rosetta ground truth [4]. We will also present measurements on the permittivity (in the millimeter to meter domain) of various dust samples, with emphasis on porous samples [5,6]. Results provide constraints on the properties of the subsurface and interior of C-G, as explored by MIRO on Rosetta and CONSERT on Philae.Such studies are relevant for the interpretation of polarimetric observations of other dust clouds (e.g. debris disks, interplanetary dust cloud, clouds in planetary atmospheres) and surfaces (e.g. planets, moons), as well as for those of other radar characterization studies (e.g. Mars, moons, asteroids).[1] Levasseur-Regourd et al. In Polarization of stars and planetary systems, Cambridge UP, in press 2015.[2] Hadamcik et al. A&A 517 2010.[3] Hines and Levasseur-Regourd, PSS submitted 2015.[4] Schulz et al. Nature 518 2015.[5] Heggy et al

Efficient Estimation of Spectral Moments and the Polarimetric Variables on Weather Radars, Sonars, Sodars, Acoustic Flow Meters, Lidars, and Similar Active Remote Sensing Instruments

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — A method for estimation of Doppler spectrum, its moments, and polarimetric variables on pulsed weather radars which uses over sampled echo components at a rate...

Polarimetric rainfall retrieval from a C-Band weather radar in a tropical environment (The Philippines)

Science.gov (United States)

Crisologo, I.; Vulpiani, G.; Abon, C. C.; David, C. P. C.; Bronstert, A.; Heistermann, Maik

2014-11-01

We evaluated the potential of polarimetric rainfall retrieval methods for the Tagaytay C-Band weather radar in the Philippines. For this purpose, we combined a method for fuzzy echo classification, an approach to extract and reconstruct the differential propagation phase, Φ DP , and a polarimetric self-consistency approach to calibrate horizontal and differential reflectivity. The reconstructed Φ DP was used to estimate path-integrated attenuation and to retrieve the specific differential phase, K DP . All related algorithms were transparently implemented in the Open Source radar processing software wradlib. Rainfall was then estimated from different variables: from re-calibrated reflectivity, from re-calibrated reflectivity that has been corrected for path-integrated attenuation, from the specific differential phase, and from a combination of reflectivity and specific differential phase. As an additional benchmark, rainfall was estimated by interpolating the rainfall observed by rain gauges. We evaluated the rainfall products for daily and hourly accumulations. For this purpose, we used observations of 16 rain gauges from a five-month period in the 2012 wet season. It turned out that the retrieval of rainfall from K DP substantially improved the rainfall estimation at both daily and hourly time scales. The measurement of reflectivity apparently was impaired by severe miscalibration while K DP was immune to such effects. Daily accumulations of rainfall retrieved from K DP showed a very low estimation bias and small random errors. Random scatter was, though, strongly present in hourly accumulations.

MAXIMUM LIKELIHOOD CLASSIFICATION OF HIGH-RESOLUTION SAR IMAGES IN URBAN AREA

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. Soheili Majd

2012-09-01

Full Text Available In this work, we propose a state-of-the-art on statistical analysis of polarimetric synthetic aperture radar (SAR data, through the modeling of several indices. We concentrate on eight ground classes which have been carried out from amplitudes, co-polarisation ratio, depolarization ratios, and other polarimetric descriptors. To study their different statistical behaviours, we consider Gauss, log- normal, Beta I, Weibull, Gamma, and Fisher statistical models and estimate their parameters using three methods: method of moments (MoM, maximum-likelihood (ML methodology, and log-cumulants method (MoML. Then, we study the opportunity of introducing this information in an adapted supervised classification scheme based on Maximum–Likelihood and Fisher pdf. Our work relies on an image of a suburban area, acquired by the airborne RAMSES SAR sensor of ONERA. The results prove the potential of such data to discriminate urban surfaces and show the usefulness of adapting any classical classification algorithm however classification maps present a persistant class confusion between flat gravelled or concrete roofs and trees.

SENSITIVITY OF STACKED IMAGING DETECTORS TO HARD X-RAY POLARIZATION

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Muleri, Fabio; Campana, Riccardo, E-mail: fabio.muleri@iaps.inaf.it [INAF-IAPS, Via del Fosso del Cavaliere 100, I-00133 Roma (Italy)

2012-06-01

The development of multi-layer optics which allow to focus photons up to 100 keV and more promises an enormous jump in sensitivity in the hard X-ray energy band. This technology is already planned to be exploited by future missions dedicated to spectroscopy and imaging at energies >10 keV, e.g., Astro-H and NuSTAR. Nevertheless, our understanding of the hard X-ray sky would greatly benefit from carrying out contemporaneous polarimetric measurements, because the study of hard spectral tails and of polarized emission are often two complementary diagnostics of the same non-thermal and acceleration processes. At energies above a few tens of keV, the preferred technique to detect polarization involves the determination of photon directions after a Compton scattering. Many authors have asserted that stacked detectors with imaging capabilities can be exploited for this purpose. If it is possible to discriminate those events which initially interact in the first detector by Compton scattering and are subsequently absorbed by the second layer, then the direction of scattering is singled out from the hit pixels in the two detectors. In this paper, we give the first detailed discussion of the sensitivity of such a generic design to the X-ray polarization. The efficiency and the modulation factor are calculated analytically from the geometry of the instruments and then compared with the performance as derived by means of Geant4 Monte Carlo simulations.

ISOPHOT - Capabilities and performance

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lemke, D.; Klaas, U.; Abolins, J.

1996-01-01

ISOPHOT covers the largest wavelength range on ISO from 2.5 to 240 mu m. Its scientific capabilities include multi filter and multi-aperture photometry, polarimetry, imaging and spectrophotometry. All modes can optionally include a focal plane chopper. The backbone of the photometric calibration...

Crystal and source characterization for the Crystal Backlighter Imager capability at the National Ignition Facility

Science.gov (United States)

Krauland, C. M.; Hall, G. N.; Buscho, J. G.; Hibbard, R.; McCarville, T. J.; Lowe-Webb, R.; Ayers, S. L.; Kalantar, D.; Kohut, T.; Kemp, G. E.; Bradley, D. K.; Bell, P.; Landen, O. L.; Brewster, T. N.; Piston, K.

2017-10-01

The Crystal Backlighter Imager (CBI) is a very narrow bandwidth ( 10 eV) x-ray radiography system that uses Bragg reflection from a spherically-curved crystal at near normal incidence. This diagnostic has the capability to image late in an ICF implosion because it only requires the brightness of the backlighter to be larger than the capsule self-emission in that narrow bandwidth. While the limited bandwidth is advantageous for this reason, it also requires that the effective energy of the backlighter atomic line is known to 1 eV accuracy for proper crystal alignment. Any Doppler shift in the line energy must be understood for the imaging system to work. The work presented details characterization experiments done at the Jupiter Laser Facility with a Si (8 6 2) crystal that will be used with a Selenium backlighter in the NIF CBI diagnostic. We used the spherically-bent crystals to image a small ( 200 µm) He α source generated by the Janus laser on a Se foil. Scanning Bragg angles over multiple shots allowed us to map out the spectral line intensity distribution for optimal alignment in NIF. A subsequent Doppler shift measurement using CBI on NIF will also be presented with complementary HYDRA modeling for both experiments. Prepared by LLNL under Contract DE-AC52-07NA27344 and by General Atomics under Contract DE-NA0001808.

Statistically Optimized Inversion Algorithm for Enhanced Retrieval of Aerosol Properties from Spectral Multi-Angle Polarimetric Satellite Observations

Science.gov (United States)

Dubovik, O; Herman, M.; Holdak, A.; Lapyonok, T.; Taure, D.; Deuze, J. L.; Ducos, F.; Sinyuk, A.

2011-01-01

The proposed development is an attempt to enhance aerosol retrieval by emphasizing statistical optimization in inversion of advanced satellite observations. This optimization concept improves retrieval accuracy relying on the knowledge of measurement error distribution. Efficient application of such optimization requires pronounced data redundancy (excess of the measurements number over number of unknowns) that is not common in satellite observations. The POLDER imager on board the PARASOL microsatellite registers spectral polarimetric characteristics of the reflected atmospheric radiation at up to 16 viewing directions over each observed pixel. The completeness of such observations is notably higher than for most currently operating passive satellite aerosol sensors. This provides an opportunity for profound utilization of statistical optimization principles in satellite data inversion. The proposed retrieval scheme is designed as statistically optimized multi-variable fitting of all available angular observations obtained by the POLDER sensor in the window spectral channels where absorption by gas is minimal. The total number of such observations by PARASOL always exceeds a hundred over each pixel and the statistical optimization concept promises to be efficient even if the algorithm retrieves several tens of aerosol parameters. Based on this idea, the proposed algorithm uses a large number of unknowns and is aimed at retrieval of extended set of parameters affecting measured radiation.

Heterogeneity Measurement Based on Distance Measure for Polarimetric SAR Data

Science.gov (United States)

Xing, Xiaoli; Chen, Qihao; Liu, Xiuguo

2018-04-01

To effectively test the scene heterogeneity for polarimetric synthetic aperture radar (PolSAR) data, in this paper, the distance measure is introduced by utilizing the similarity between the sample and pixels. Moreover, given the influence of the distribution and modeling texture, the K distance measure is deduced according to the Wishart distance measure. Specifically, the average of the pixels in the local window replaces the class center coherency or covariance matrix. The Wishart and K distance measure are calculated between the average matrix and the pixels. Then, the ratio of the standard deviation to the mean is established for the Wishart and K distance measure, and the two features are defined and applied to reflect the complexity of the scene. The proposed heterogeneity measure is proceeded by integrating the two features using the Pauli basis. The experiments conducted on the single-look and multilook PolSAR data demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method for the detection of the scene heterogeneity.

Development, Capabilities, and Impact on Wind Analyses of the Hurricane Imaging Radiometer (HIRAD)

Science.gov (United States)

Miller, T.; Amarin, R.; Atlas, R.; Bailey, M.; Black, P.; Buckley, C.; Chen, S.; El-Nimri, S.; Hood, R.; James, M.;

Diagnostic imaging capabilities of the Ocelot -Optical Coherence Tomography System, ex-vivo evaluation and clinical relevance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dohad, Suhail; Shao, John; Cawich, Ian; Kankaria, Manish; Desai, Arjun

2015-01-01

consistent physician interpretation of images acquired by the Ocelot and the Dragonfly OCT systems in-spite of distinct image processing algorithms and catheter configurations. This represents a dramatic shift away from both fluoroscopic imaging and diagnostic-only OCT imaging during peripheral arterial intervention towards therapeutic devices that incorporate real time diagnostic OCT imaging. In the clinical practice, these diagnostic capabilities have translated to best-in-class safety and efficacy for CTO crossing using the Ocelot catheter

Success of sky-polarimetric Viking navigation: revealing the chance Viking sailors could reach Greenland from Norway.

Science.gov (United States)

Száz, Dénes; Horváth, Gábor

2018-04-01

According to a famous hypothesis, Viking sailors could navigate along the latitude between Norway and Greenland by means of sky polarization in cloudy weather using a sun compass and sunstone crystals. Using data measured in earlier atmospheric optical and psychophysical experiments, here we determine the success rate of this sky-polarimetric Viking navigation. Simulating 1000 voyages between Norway and Greenland with varying cloudiness at summer solstice and spring equinox, we revealed the chance with which Viking sailors could reach Greenland under the varying weather conditions of a 3-week-long journey as a function of the navigation periodicity Δ t if they analysed sky polarization with calcite, cordierite or tourmaline sunstones. Examples of voyage routes are also presented. Our results show that the sky-polarimetric navigation is surprisingly successful on both days of the spring equinox and summer solstice even under cloudy conditions if the navigator determined the north direction periodically at least once in every 3 h, independently of the type of sunstone used for the analysis of sky polarization. This explains why the Vikings could rule the Atlantic Ocean for 300 years and could reach North America without a magnetic compass. Our findings suggest that it is not only the navigation periodicity in itself that is important for higher navigation success rates, but also the distribution of times when the navigation procedure carried out is as symmetrical as possible with respect to the time point of real noon.

Success of sky-polarimetric Viking navigation: revealing the chance Viking sailors could reach Greenland from Norway

Science.gov (United States)

Száz, Dénes; Horváth, Gábor

2018-04-01

According to a famous hypothesis, Viking sailors could navigate along the latitude between Norway and Greenland by means of sky polarization in cloudy weather using a sun compass and sunstone crystals. Using data measured in earlier atmospheric optical and psychophysical experiments, here we determine the success rate of this sky-polarimetric Viking navigation. Simulating 1000 voyages between Norway and Greenland with varying cloudiness at summer solstice and spring equinox, we revealed the chance with which Viking sailors could reach Greenland under the varying weather conditions of a 3-week-long journey as a function of the navigation periodicity Δt if they analysed sky polarization with calcite, cordierite or tourmaline sunstones. Examples of voyage routes are also presented. Our results show that the sky-polarimetric navigation is surprisingly successful on both days of the spring equinox and summer solstice even under cloudy conditions if the navigator determined the north direction periodically at least once in every 3 h, independently of the type of sunstone used for the analysis of sky polarization. This explains why the Vikings could rule the Atlantic Ocean for 300 years and could reach North America without a magnetic compass. Our findings suggest that it is not only the navigation periodicity in itself that is important for higher navigation success rates, but also the distribution of times when the navigation procedure carried out is as symmetrical as possible with respect to the time point of real noon.

POLARIMETRIC OBSERVATIONS OF {sigma} ORIONIS E

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Carciofi, A. C.; Faes, D. M. [Instituto de Astronomia, Geofisica e Ciencias Atmosfericas, Universidade de Sao Paulo, Rua do Matao 1226, Cidade Universitaria, 05508-900 Sao Paulo, SP (Brazil); Townsend, R. H. D. [Department of Astronomy, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Sterling Hall, 475 N. Charter Street, Madison, WI 53706 (United States); Bjorkman, J. E., E-mail: carciofi@usp.br [Ritter Observatory, Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Toledo, Toledo, OH 43606 (United States)

2013-03-20

Some massive stars possess strong magnetic fields that confine plasma in the circumstellar environment. These magnetospheres have been studied spectroscopically, photometrically, and, more recently, interferometrically. Here we report on the first firm detection of a magnetosphere in continuum linear polarization, as a result of monitoring {sigma} Ori E at the Pico dos Dias Observatory. The non-zero intrinsic polarization indicates an asymmetric structure whose minor elongation axis is oriented 150. Degree-Sign 0 east of the celestial north. A modulation of the polarization was observed with a period of half of the rotation period, which supports the theoretical prediction of the presence of two diametrally opposed, corotating blobs of gas. A phase lag of -0.085 was detected between the polarization minimum and the primary minimum of the light curve, suggestive of a complex shape of the plasma clouds. We present a preliminary analysis of the data with the Rigidly Rotating Magnetosphere model, which could not reproduce simultaneously the photometric and polarimetric data. A toy model comprising two spherical corotating blobs joined by a thin disk proved more successful in reproducing the polarization modulation. With this model we were able to determine that the total scattering mass of the thin disk is similar to the mass of the blobs (2M{sub b}/M{sub d} = 1.2) and that the blobs are rotating counterclockwise on the plane of the sky. This result shows that polarimetry can provide a diagnostic of the geometry of clouds, which will serve as an important constraint for improving the Rigidly Rotating Magnetosphere model.

Structural Classification of Marshes with Polarimetric SAR Highlighting the Temporal Mapping of Marshes Exposed to Oil

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Elijah Ramsey

2015-09-01

Full Text Available Empirical relationships between field-derived Leaf Area Index (LAI and Leaf Angle Distribution (LAD and polarimetric synthetic aperture radar (PolSAR based biophysical indicators were created and applied to map S. alterniflora marsh canopy structure. PolSAR and field data were collected near concurrently in the summers of 2010, 2011, and 2012 in coastal marshes, and PolSAR data alone were acquired in 2009. Regression analyses showed that LAI correspondence with the PolSAR biophysical indicator variables equaled or exceeded those of vegetation water content (VWC correspondences. In the final six regressor model, the ratio HV/VV explained 49% of the total 77% explained LAI variance, and the HH-VV coherence and phase information accounted for the remainder. HV/HH dominated the two regressor LAD relationship, and spatial heterogeneity and backscatter mechanism followed by coherence information dominated the final three regressor model that explained 74% of the LAD variance. Regression results applied to 2009 through 2012 PolSAR images showed substantial changes in marsh LAI and LAD. Although the direct cause was not substantiated, following a release of freshwater in response to the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill, the fairly uniform interior marsh structure of 2009 was more vertical and dense shortly after the oil spill cessation. After 2010, marsh structure generally progressed back toward the 2009 uniformity; however, the trend was more disjointed in oil impact marshes.

Invisibility cloak with image projection capability.

Science.gov (United States)

Banerjee, Debasish; Ji, Chengang; Iizuka, Hideo

2016-12-13

Investigations of invisibility cloaks have been led by rigorous theories and such cloak structures, in general, require extreme material parameters. Consequently, it is challenging to realize them, particularly in the full visible region. Due to the insensitivity of human eyes to the polarization and phase of light, cloaking a large object in the full visible region has been recently realized by a simplified theory. Here, we experimentally demonstrate a device concept where a large object can be concealed in a cloak structure and at the same time any images can be projected through it by utilizing a distinctively different approach; the cloaking via one polarization and the image projection via the other orthogonal polarization. Our device structure consists of commercially available optical components such as polarizers and mirrors, and therefore, provides a significant further step towards practical application scenarios such as transparent devices and see-through displays.

Three Radial Gaps in the Disk of TW Hydrae Imaged with SPHERE

Science.gov (United States)

van Boekel, R.; Henning, Th.; Menu, J.; de Boer, J.; Langlois, M.; Müller, A.; Avenhaus, H.; Boccaletti, A.; Schmid, H. M.; Thalmann, Ch.; Benisty, M.; Dominik, C.; Ginski, Ch.; Girard, J. H.; Gisler, D.; Lobo Gomes, A.; Menard, F.; Min, M.; Pavlov, A.; Pohl, A.; Quanz, S. P.; Rabou, P.; Roelfsema, R.; Sauvage, J.-F.; Teague, R.; Wildi, F.; Zurlo, A.

2017-03-01

We present scattered light images of the TW Hya disk performed with the Spectro-Polarimetric High-contrast Exoplanet REsearch instrument in Polarimetric Differential Imaging mode at 0.63, 0.79, 1.24, and 1.62 μm. We also present H2/H3-band angular differential imaging (ADI) observations. Three distinct radial depressions in the polarized intensity distribution are seen, around ≈85, ≈21, and ≲6 au.21 The overall intensity distribution has a high degree of azimuthal symmetry; the disk is somewhat brighter than average toward the south and darker toward the north-west. The ADI observations yielded no signifiant detection of point sources in the disk. Our observations have a linear spatial resolution of 1-2 au, similar to that of recent ALMA dust continuum observations. The sub-micron-sized dust grains that dominate the light scattering in the disk surface are strongly coupled to the gas. We created a radiative transfer disk model with self-consistent temperature and vertical structure iteration and including grain size-dependent dust settling. This method may provide independent constraints on the gas distribution at higher spatial resolution than is feasible with ALMA gas line observations. We find that the gas surface density in the “gaps” is reduced by ≈50% to ≈80% relative to an unperturbed model. Should embedded planets be responsible for carving the gaps then their masses are at most a few 10 {{{M}}}\\oplus . The observed gaps are wider, with shallower flanks, than expected for planet-disk interaction with such low-mass planets. If forming planetary bodies have undergone collapse and are in the “detached phase,” then they may be directly observable with future facilities such as the Mid-Infrared E-ELT Imager and Spectrograph at the E-ELT.

A geometrical optics polarimetric bidirectional reflectance distribution function for dielectric and metallic surfaces.

Science.gov (United States)

Hyde, M W; Schmidt, J D; Havrilla, M J

2009-11-23

A polarimetric bidirectional reflectance distribution function (pBRDF), based on geometrical optics, is presented. The pBRDF incorporates a visibility (shadowing/masking) function and a Lambertian (diffuse) component which distinguishes it from other geometrical optics pBRDFs in literature. It is shown that these additions keep the pBRDF bounded (and thus a more realistic physical model) as the angle of incidence or observation approaches grazing and better able to model the behavior of light scattered from rough, reflective surfaces. In this paper, the theoretical development of the pBRDF is shown and discussed. Simulation results of a rough, perfect reflecting surface obtained using an exact, electromagnetic solution and experimental Mueller matrix results of two, rough metallic samples are presented to validate the pBRDF.

Assessment of cold neutron radiography capability

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McDonald, T.E. Jr.; Roberts, J.A.

1998-01-01

This is the final report of a one-year, Laboratory Directed Research and Development (LDRD) project at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). The authors goals were to demonstrate and assess cold neutron radiography techniques at the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center (LANSCE), Manual Lujan Neutron Scattering Center (Lujan Center), and to investigate potential applications of the capability. The authors have obtained images using film and an amorphous silicon detector. In addition, a new technique they have developed allows neutron radiographs to be made using only a narrow range of neutron energies. Employing this approach and the Bragg cut-off phenomena in certain materials, they have demonstrated material discrimination in radiography. They also demonstrated the imaging of cracks in a sample of a fire-set case that was supplied by Sandia National Laboratory, and they investigated whether the capability could be used to determine the extent of coking in jet engine nozzles. The LANSCE neutron radiography capability appears to have applications in the DOE stockpile maintenance and science-based stockpile stewardship (SBSS) programs, and in industry

Derivation of the pure Faraday and Cotton-Mouton effects when polarimetric effects in a tokamak are large

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Segre, S E; Zanza, V

2006-01-01

When polarimetric effects are large the Cotton-Mouton and Faraday effects do not combine linearly and it is not possible to separate exactly the pure Cotton-Mouton effect W 1 and the pure Faraday effect, W 3 . Four alternative approximate expressions for W 1 and W 3 in terms of measurable quantities are examined for tokamak configurations. Two of these approximations proposed recently are found to be preferable, some previous statements concerning them are corrected and the errors incurred by their use are evaluated

Polarimetric SAR Interferometry based modeling for tree height and aboveground biomass retrieval in a tropical deciduous forest

Science.gov (United States)

Kumar, Shashi; Khati, Unmesh G.; Chandola, Shreya; Agrawal, Shefali; Kushwaha, Satya P. S.

2017-08-01

The regulation of the carbon cycle is a critical ecosystem service provided by forests globally. It is, therefore, necessary to have robust techniques for speedy assessment of forest biophysical parameters at the landscape level. It is arduous and time taking to monitor the status of vast forest landscapes using traditional field methods. Remote sensing and GIS techniques are efficient tools that can monitor the health of forests regularly. Biomass estimation is a key parameter in the assessment of forest health. Polarimetric SAR (PolSAR) remote sensing has already shown its potential for forest biophysical parameter retrieval. The current research work focuses on the retrieval of forest biophysical parameters of tropical deciduous forest, using fully polarimetric spaceborne C-band data with Polarimetric SAR Interferometry (PolInSAR) techniques. PolSAR based Interferometric Water Cloud Model (IWCM) has been used to estimate aboveground biomass (AGB). Input parameters to the IWCM have been extracted from the decomposition modeling of SAR data as well as PolInSAR coherence estimation. The technique of forest tree height retrieval utilized PolInSAR coherence based modeling approach. Two techniques - Coherence Amplitude Inversion (CAI) and Three Stage Inversion (TSI) - for forest height estimation are discussed, compared and validated. These techniques allow estimation of forest stand height and true ground topography. The accuracy of the forest height estimated is assessed using ground-based measurements. PolInSAR based forest height models showed enervation in the identification of forest vegetation and as a result height values were obtained in river channels and plain areas. Overestimation in forest height was also noticed at several patches of the forest. To overcome this problem, coherence and backscatter based threshold technique is introduced for forest area identification and accurate height estimation in non-forested regions. IWCM based modeling for forest

Evaluation of state-of-the-art imaging systems for in vivo monitoring of retinal structure in mice: current capabilities and limitations

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Pengfei; Zam, Azhar; Pugh, Edward N.; Zawadzki, Robert J.

2014-02-01

Animal models of human diseases play an important role in studying and advancing our understanding of these conditions, allowing molecular level studies of pathogenesis as well as testing of new therapies. Recently several non-invasive imaging modalities including Fundus Camera, Scanning Laser Ophthalmoscopy (SLO) and Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) have been successfully applied to monitor changes in the retinas of the living animals in experiments in which a single animal is followed over a portion of its lifespan. Here we evaluate the capabilities and limitations of these three imaging modalities for visualization of specific structures in the mouse eye. Example images acquired from different types of mice are presented. Future directions of development for these instruments and potential advantages of multi-modal imaging systems are discussed as well.

Radiative Grain Alignment in Protoplanetary Disks: Implications for Polarimetric Observations

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tazaki, Ryo [Department of Astronomy, Graduate School of Science, Kyoto University, Kitashirakawa-Oiwake-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606–8502 (Japan); Lazarian, Alexandre [Department of Astronomy, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706 (United States); Nomura, Hideko, E-mail: rtazaki@kusastro.kyoto-u.ac.jp [Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 2-12-1 Ookayama, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 152–8551 (Japan)

2017-04-10

We apply the theory of radiative torque (RAT) alignment for studying protoplanetary disks around a T-Tauri star and perform 3D radiative transfer calculations to provide the expected maps of polarized radiation to be compared with observations, such as with ALMA. We revisit the issue of grain alignment for large grains expected in the protoplanetary disks and find that mm-sized grains at the midplane do not align with the magnetic field since the Larmor precession timescale for such large grains becomes longer than the gaseous damping timescale. Hence, for these grains the RAT theory predicts that the alignment axis is determined by the grain precession with respect to the radiative flux. As a result, we expect that the polarization will be in the azimuthal direction for a face-on disk. It is also shown that if dust grains have superparamagnetic inclusions, magnetic field alignment is possible for (sub-)micron grains at the surface layer of disks, and this can be tested by mid-infrared polarimetric observations.

The Imaging X-Ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE)

Science.gov (United States)

Weisskopf, Martin C.; Ramsey, Brian; O’Dell, Stephen; Tennant, Allyn; Elsner, Ronald; Soffita, Paolo; Bellazzini, Ronaldo; Costa, Enrico; Kolodziejczak, Jeffery; Kaspi, Victoria;

Structural classification of marshes with Polarimetric SAR highlighting the temporal mapping of marshes exposed to oil

Science.gov (United States)

Ramsey, Elijah W.; Rangoonwala, Amina; Jones, Cathleen E.

2015-01-01

Empirical relationships between field-derived Leaf Area Index (LAI) and Leaf Angle Distribution (LAD) and polarimetric synthetic aperture radar (PolSAR) based biophysical indicators were created and applied to map S. alterniflora marsh canopy structure. PolSAR and field data were collected near concurrently in the summers of 2010, 2011, and 2012 in coastal marshes, and PolSAR data alone were acquired in 2009. Regression analyses showed that LAI correspondence with the PolSAR biophysical indicator variables equaled or exceeded those of vegetation water content (VWC) correspondences. In the final six regressor model, the ratio HV/VV explained 49% of the total 77% explained LAI variance, and the HH-VV coherence and phase information accounted for the remainder. HV/HH dominated the two regressor LAD relationship, and spatial heterogeneity and backscatter mechanism followed by coherence information dominated the final three regressor model that explained 74% of the LAD variance. Regression results applied to 2009 through 2012 PolSAR images showed substantial changes in marsh LAI and LAD. Although the direct cause was not substantiated, following a release of freshwater in response to the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill, the fairly uniform interior marsh structure of 2009 was more vertical and dense shortly after the oil spill cessation. After 2010, marsh structure generally progressed back toward the 2009 uniformity; however, the trend was more disjointed in oil impact marshes.             

Synthetic aperture radar capabilities in development

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Miller, M. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab., CA (United States)

1994-11-15

The Imaging and Detection Program (IDP) within the Laser Program is currently developing an X-band Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) to support the Joint US/UK Radar Ocean Imaging Program. The radar system will be mounted in the program`s Airborne Experimental Test-Bed (AETB), where the initial mission is to image ocean surfaces and better understand the physics of low grazing angle backscatter. The Synthetic Aperture Radar presentation will discuss its overall functionality and a brief discussion on the AETB`s capabilities. Vital subsystems including radar, computer, navigation, antenna stabilization, and SAR focusing algorithms will be examined in more detail.

Polarimetric signatures indicative of severe storm development - the Pentecost event 2014

Science.gov (United States)

Troemel, Silke; Diederich, Malte; Evaristo, Raquel; Ryzhkov, Alexander; Simmer, Clemens

2015-04-01

The 2014 Pentecost weekend storms in Europe were a series of severe supercell storms which followed a heatwave in early June 2014, resulting from a Spanish plume synoptic weather pattern. Outbreaks of severe weather were reported from these storm developments with the worst damages occurring over the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia on 9 June, where the storm was described as one of the most violent in decades by the German weather service (DWD). During this event six fatalities, wind gusts up to 150km/h, hail and a flash flood in Düsseldorf has been reported. Monitoring and analysis of high-impact weather using weather radars of shorter wavelength (X- and C-bands) requires special methods, i.e. anomalous high attenuation and differential attenuation due to very large raindrops originating from melting large hail has to be investigated and corrected. During the Pentecost event a record breaking ZDR bias of up to -25dB has been observed. Different strategies for reliable attenuation correction and rainfall estimation for this extreme event are explored and will be presented. A national 3D composite of polarimetric moments covering Germany with 1km horizontal, 250m vertical, and 5 minutes temporal resolution has been generated. 10 C-band radars from the DWD radar network, recently upgraded to polarimetry, have been included. Meanie3D, a 3D scale space tracking algorithm, is applied to the composite to investigate the magnitudes and temporal development of the 3 fundamental steps of a storms lifecycle: 1) high values of differential reflectivity ZDR aloft first indicate a developing cell, 2) ZDR-columns (these are vertical columns of high differential reflectivity) then indicate the updraft zone of a cell in the mature state. The vertical extent of the ZDR-column is thus a measure of the strength of the updraft and for the ensuing rainfall enhancement. 3) The very first big drops reach the surface before the most intense rain begins. This is reflected by the

Modified polarimetric bidirectional reflectance distribution function with diffuse scattering: surface parameter estimation

Science.gov (United States)

Zhan, Hanyu; Voelz, David G.

2016-12-01

The polarimetric bidirectional reflectance distribution function (pBRDF) describes the relationships between incident and scattered Stokes parameters, but the familiar surface-only microfacet pBRDF cannot capture diffuse scattering contributions and depolarization phenomena. We propose a modified pBRDF model with a diffuse scattering component developed from the Kubelka-Munk and Le Hors et al. theories, and apply it in the development of a method to jointly estimate refractive index, slope variance, and diffuse scattering parameters from a series of Stokes parameter measurements of a surface. An application of the model and estimation approach to experimental data published by Priest and Meier shows improved correspondence with measurements of normalized Mueller matrix elements. By converting the Stokes/Mueller calculus formulation of the model to a degree of polarization (DOP) description, the estimation results of the parameters from measured DOP values are found to be consistent with a previous DOP model and results.

Space- and Ground-based Coronal Spectro-Polarimetry

Science.gov (United States)

Fineschi, Silvano; Bemporad, Alessandro; Rybak, Jan; Capobianco, Gerardo

This presentation gives an overview of the near-future perspectives of ultraviolet and visible-light spectro-polarimetric instrumentation for probing coronal magnetism from space-based and ground-based observatories. Spectro-polarimetric imaging of coronal emission-lines in the visible-light wavelength-band provides an important diagnostics tool of the coronal magnetism. The interpretation in terms of Hanle and Zeeman effect of the line-polarization in forbidden emission-lines yields information on the direction and strength of the coronal magnetic field. As study case, this presentation will describe the Torino Coronal Magnetograph (CorMag) for the spectro-polarimetric observation of the FeXIV, 530.3 nm, forbidden emission-line. CorMag - consisting of a Liquid Crystal (LC) Lyot filter and a LC linear polarimeter - has been recently installed on the Lomnicky Peak Observatory 20cm Zeiss coronagraph. The preliminary results from CorMag will be presented. The linear polarization by resonance scattering of coronal permitted line-emission in the ultraviolet (UV)can be modified by magnetic fields through the Hanle effect. Space-based UV spectro-polarimeters would provide an additional tool for the disgnostics of coronal magnetism. As a case study of space-borne UV spectro-polarimeters, this presentation will describe the future upgrade of the Sounding-rocket Coronagraphic Experiment (SCORE) to include the capability of imaging polarimetry of the HI Lyman-alpha, 121.6 nm. SCORE is a multi-wavelength imager for the emission-lines, HeII 30.4 nm and HI 121.6 nm, and visible-light broad-band emission of the polarized K-corona. SCORE has flown successfully in 2009. This presentation will describe how in future re-flights SCORE could observe the expected Hanle effect in corona with a HI Lyman-alpha polarimeter.

Polarimetric signatures of a canopy of dielectric cylinders based on first and second order vector radiative transfer theory

Science.gov (United States)

Tsang, Leung; Chan, Chi Hou; Kong, Jin AU; Joseph, James

1992-01-01

Complete polarimetric signatures of a canopy of dielectric cylinders overlying a homogeneous half space are studied with the first and second order solutions of the vector radiative transfer theory. The vector radiative transfer equations contain a general nondiagonal extinction matrix and a phase matrix. The energy conservation issue is addressed by calculating the elements of the extinction matrix and the elements of the phase matrix in a manner that is consistent with energy conservation. Two methods are used. In the first method, the surface fields and the internal fields of the dielectric cylinder are calculated by using the fields of an infinite cylinder. The phase matrix is calculated and the extinction matrix is calculated by summing the absorption and scattering to ensure energy conservation. In the second method, the method of moments is used to calculate the elements of the extinction and phase matrices. The Mueller matrix based on the first order and second order multiple scattering solutions of the vector radiative transfer equation are calculated. Results from the two methods are compared. The vector radiative transfer equations, combined with the solution based on method of moments, obey both energy conservation and reciprocity. The polarimetric signatures, copolarized and depolarized return, degree of polarization, and phase differences are studied as a function of the orientation, sizes, and dielectric properties of the cylinders. It is shown that second order scattering is generally important for vegetation canopy at C band and can be important at L band for some cases.

Laboratory Measurements of Single-Particle Polarimetric Spectrum

Science.gov (United States)

Gritsevich, M.; Penttila, A.; Maconi, G.; Kassamakov, I.; Helander, P.; Puranen, T.; Salmi, A.; Hæggström, E.; Muinonen, K.

2017-12-01

Measuring scattering properties of different targets is important for material characterization, remote sensing applications, and for verifying theoretical results. Furthermore, there are usually simplifications made when we model targets and compute the scattering properties, e.g., ideal shape or constant optical parameters throughout the target material. Experimental studies help in understanding the link between the observed properties and computed results. Experimentally derived Mueller matrices of studied particles can be used as input for larger-scale scattering simulations, e.g., radiative transfer computations. This method allows to bypass the problem of using an idealized model for single-particle optical properties. While existing approaches offer ensemble- and orientation-averaged particle properties, our aim is to measure individual particles with controlled or known orientation. With the newly developed scatterometer, we aim to offer novel possibility to measure single, small (down to μm-scale) targets and their polarimetric spectra. This work presents an experimental setup that measures light scattered by a fixed small particle with dimensions ranging between micrometer and millimeter sizes. The goal of our setup is nondestructive characterization of such particles by measuring light of multiple wavelengths scattered in 360° in a horizontal plane by an ultrasonically levitating sample, whilst simultaneously controlling its 3D position and orientation. We describe the principles and design of our instrument and its calibration. We also present example measurements of real samples. This study was conducted under the support from the European Research Council, in the frame of the Advanced Grant project No. 320773 `Scattering and Absorption of Electromagnetic Waves in Particulate Media' (SAEMPL).

First Image Products from EcoSAR - Osa Peninsula, Costa Rica

Science.gov (United States)

Osmanoglu, Batuhan; Lee, SeungKuk; Rincon, Rafael; Fatuyinbo, Lola; Bollian, Tobias; Ranson, Jon

2016-01-01

Designed especially for forest ecosystem studies, EcoSAR employs state-of-the-art digital beamforming technology to generate wide-swath, high-resolution imagery. EcoSARs dual antenna single-pass imaging capability eliminates temporal decorrelation from polarimetric and interferometric analysis, increasing the signal strength and simplifying models used to invert forest structure parameters. Antennae are physically separated by 25 meters providing single pass interferometry. In this mode the radar is most sensitive to topography. With 32 active transmit and receive channels, EcoSARs digital beamforming is an order of magnitude more versatile than the digital beamforming employed on the upcoming NISAR mission. EcoSARs long wavelength (P-band, 435 MHz, 69 cm) measurements can be used to simulate data products for ESAs future BIOMASS mission, allowing scientists to develop algorithms before the launch of the satellite. EcoSAR can also be deployed to collect much needed data where BIOMASS satellite wont be allowed to collect data (North America, Europe and Arctic), filling in the gaps to keep a watchful eye on the global carbon cycle. EcoSAR can play a vital role in monitoring, reporting and verification schemes of internationals programs such as UN-REDD (United Nations Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation) benefiting global society. EcoSAR was developed and flown with support from NASA Earth Sciences Technology Offices Instrument Incubator Program.

Soil Moisture Estimation over Vegetated Agricultural Areas: Tigris Basin, Turkey from Radarsat-2 Data by Polarimetric Decomposition Models and a Generalized Regression Neural Network

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mehmet Siraç Özerdem

2017-04-01

Full Text Available Determining the soil moisture in agricultural fields is a significant parameter to use irrigation systems efficiently. In contrast to standard soil moisture measurements, good results might be acquired in a shorter time over large areas by remote sensing tools. In order to estimate the soil moisture over vegetated agricultural areas, a relationship between Radarsat-2 data and measured ground soil moistures was established by polarimetric decomposition models and a generalized regression neural network (GRNN. The experiments were executed over two agricultural sites on the Tigris Basin, Turkey. The study consists of four phases. In the first stage, Radarsat-2 data were acquired on different dates and in situ measurements were implemented simultaneously. In the second phase, the Radarsat-2 data were pre-processed and the GPS coordinates of the soil sample points were imported to this data. Then the standard sigma backscattering coefficients with the Freeman–Durden and H/A/α polarimetric decomposition models were employed for feature extraction and a feature vector with four sigma backscattering coefficients (σhh, σhv, σvh, and σvv and six polarimetric decomposition parameters (entropy, anisotropy, alpha angle, volume scattering, odd bounce, and double bounce were generated for each pattern. In the last stage, GRNN was used to estimate the regional soil moisture with the aid of feature vectors. The results indicated that radar is a strong remote sensing tool for soil moisture estimation, with mean absolute errors around 2.31 vol %, 2.11 vol %, and 2.10 vol % for Datasets 1–3, respectively; and 2.46 vol %, 2.70 vol %, 7.09 vol %, and 5.70 vol % on Datasets 1 & 2, 2 & 3, 1 & 3, and 1 & 2 & 3, respectively.

Preliminary assessment of the imaging capability of the YAP-(S)PET small animal scanner in neuroscience

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bartoli, Antonietta; Belcari, Nicola; Stark, Daniela; Hoehnemann, Sabine; Piel, Markus; Jennewein, Marc; Schmitt, Ulrich; Tillmanns, Julia; Thews, Oliver; Hiemke, Christoph; Roesch, Frank; Del Guerra, Alberto

2006-01-01

The new and fully engineered version of the YAP-(S)PET small animal scanner has been tested at the University of Mainz for preliminary assessment of its imaging capability for studies related to neuropharmacology and psychiatry. The main feature of the scanner is the capability to combine PET and SPECT techniques. It allows the development of new and interesting protocols for the investigation of many biological phenomena, more effectively than with PET or SPECT modalities alone. The scanner is made up of four detector heads, each one composed of a 4x4 cm 2 of YAlO 3 :Ce (or YAP:Ce) matrix, and has a field of view (FOV) of 4 cm axiallyx4 cm o transaxially. In PET mode, the volume resolution is less than 8 mm 3 and is nearly constant over the whole FOV, while the sensitivity is about 2%. The SPECT performance is not so good, due to the presence of the multi-hole lead collimator in front of each head. Nevertheless, the YAP-PET scanner offers excellent resolution and sensitivity for performing on the availability of D2-like dopamine receptors on mice and rats in both PET and SPECT modalities

Impact of seeing and host galaxy into the analysis of photo-polarimetric microvariability in blazars. Case study of the nearby blazars 1ES 1959+650 and HB89 2201+044

Science.gov (United States)

Sosa, M. S.; von Essen, C.; Andruchow, I.; Cellone, S. A.

2017-11-01

Blazars, a type of Active Galactic Nuclei, present a particular orientation of their jets close to the line of sight. Their radiation is thus relativistically beamed, giving rise to extreme behaviors, specially strong variability on very short timescales (I.e., microvariability). Here we present simultaneous photometric and polarimetric observations of two relatively nearby blazars, 1ES 1959+650 and HB89 2201+044, that were obtained using the Calar Alto Faint Object Spectrograph mounted at the 2.2 m telescope in Calar Alto, Spain. An outstanding characteristic of these two blazars is the presence of well resolved host galaxies. This particular feature allows us to produce a study of their intrinsic polarization, a measurement of the polarization state of the galactic nucleus unaffected by the host galaxy. To carry out this work, we computed photometric fluxes from which we calculated the degree and orientation of the blazars polarization. Then, we analyzed the depolarizing effect introduced by the host galaxy with the main goal to recover the intrinsic polarization of the galactic nucleus, carefully taking into consideration the spurious polarimetric variability introduced by changes in seeing along the observing nights. We find that the two blazars do not present intra-night photo-polarimetric variability, although we do detect a significant inter-night variability. Comparing polarimetric values before and after accounting for the host galaxies, we observe a significant difference in the polarization degree of about 1% in the case of 1ES 1959+650, and 0.3% in the case of HB89 2201+044, thus evidencing the non-negligible impact introduced by the host galaxies. We note that this host galaxy effect depends on the waveband, and varies with changing seeing conditions, so it should be particularly considered when studying frequency-dependent polarization in blazars. Based on observations collected at the Centro Astronómico Hispano Alemán (CAHA) at Calar Alto, operated

The use of multifrequency and polarimetric SIR-C/X-SAR data in geologic studies of Bir Safsaf, Egypt

Science.gov (United States)

Schaber, G.G.; McCauley, J.F.; Breed, C.S.

1997-01-01

Bir Safsaf, within the hyperarid 'core' of the Sahara in the Western Desert of Egypt, was recognized following the SIR-A and SIR-B missions in the 1980s as one of the key localities in northeast Africa, where penetration of dry sand by radar signals delineates previously unknown, sand-buried paleodrainage valleys ('radar-rivers') of middle Tertiary to Quaternary age. The Bir Safsaf area was targeted as a focal point for further research in sand penetration and geologic mapping using the multifrequency and polarimetric SIR-C/X-SAR sensors. Analysis of the SIR-C/X-SAR data from Bir Safsaf provides important new information on the roles of multiple SAR frequency and polarimetry in portraying specific types of geologic units, materials, and structures mostly hidden from view on the ground and on Landsat TM images by a relatively thin, but extensive blanket of blow sand. Basement rock units (granitoids and gneisses) and the fractures associated with them at Bir Safsaf are shown here for the first time to be clearly delineated using C- and L-band SAR images. The detectability of most geologic features is dependent primarily on radar frequency, as shown for wind erosion patterns in bedrock at X-band (3 cm wavelength), and for geologic units and sand and clay-filled fractures in weathered crystal-line basement rocks at C-band (6 cm) and L-band (24 cm). By contrast, Quaternary paleodrainage channels are detectable at all three radar frequencies owing, among other things, to an usually thin cover of blow sand. The SIR-C/X-SAR data investigated to date enable us to make specific recommendations about the utility of certain radar sensor configurations for geologic and paleoenvironmental reconnaissance in desert regions.Analysis of the shuttle imaging radar-C/X-synthetic aperture radar (SIR-C/X-SAR) data from Bir Safsaf provides important new information on the roles of multiple SAR frequency and polarimetry in portraying specific types of geologic units, materials, and

Multi-Pixel Simultaneous Classification of PolSAR Image Using Convolutional Neural Networks

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, Xin; Gui, Rong; Pu, Fangling

2018-01-01

Convolutional neural networks (CNN) have achieved great success in the optical image processing field. Because of the excellent performance of CNN, more and more methods based on CNN are applied to polarimetric synthetic aperture radar (PolSAR) image classification. Most CNN-based PolSAR image classification methods can only classify one pixel each time. Because all the pixels of a PolSAR image are classified independently, the inherent interrelation of different land covers is ignored. We use a fixed-feature-size CNN (FFS-CNN) to classify all pixels in a patch simultaneously. The proposed method has several advantages. First, FFS-CNN can classify all the pixels in a small patch simultaneously. When classifying a whole PolSAR image, it is faster than common CNNs. Second, FFS-CNN is trained to learn the interrelation of different land covers in a patch, so it can use the interrelation of land covers to improve the classification results. The experiments of FFS-CNN are evaluated on a Chinese Gaofen-3 PolSAR image and other two real PolSAR images. Experiment results show that FFS-CNN is comparable with the state-of-the-art PolSAR image classification methods. PMID:29510499

Optical diagnostic of breast cancer using Raman, polarimetric and fluorescence spectroscopy

Science.gov (United States)

Anwar, Shahzad; Firdous, Shamaraz; Rehman, Aziz-ul; Nawaz, Muhammed

2015-04-01

We presented the optical diagnostic of normal and cancerous human breast tissues using Raman, polarimetric and fluorescence spectroscopic techniques. Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death among women worldwide. Optical diagnostics of cancer offered early intervention and the greatest chance of cure. Spectroscopic data were collected from freshly excised surgical specimens of normal tissues with Raman bands at 800, 1171 and 1530 cm-1 arising mainly by lipids, nucleic acids, proteins, carbohydrates and amino acids. For breast cancer, Raman bands are observed at 1070, 1211, 1495, 1583 and 1650 cm-1. Results demonstrate that the spectra of normal tissue are dominated by lipids and amino acids. Polarization decomposition of the Mueller matrix and confocal microscopic fluorescence provides detailed description of cancerous tissue and distinguishes between the normal and malignant one. Based on these findings, we successfully differentiate normal and malignant breast tissues at an early stage of disease. There is a need to develop a new tool for noninvasive, real-time diagnosis of tissue abnormalities and a test procedure for detecting breast cancer at an early stage.

25 años de experiencia en la evaluación comparativa de la determinación de sacarosa por polarimetría y cromatografía líquida de alta eficiencia (HPLC) en miel final

OpenAIRE

Estuardo Edmundo Monroy-Benítez

2015-01-01

El presente trabajo es una investigación basada en larecopilación y análisis histórico para evaluar la concen-tración de sacarosa en miel final a partir de los datosrecopilados durante 25 años, realizando comparacionesmetodológicas entre polarimetría y cromatografía líqui-da de alta eficiencia.La presentación de los resultados de la investigaciónentre las dos metodologías actualmente utilizadas, seenfoca en confirmar que el método de polarimetría no esexacto para determinar la concentración d...

CloudSat-Based Assessment of GPM Microwave Imager Snowfall Observation Capabilities

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Giulia Panegrossi

2017-12-01

Full Text Available The sensitivity of Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM Microwave Imager (GMI high-frequency channels to snowfall at higher latitudes (around 60°N/S is investigated using coincident CloudSat observations. The 166 GHz channel is highlighted throughout the study due to its ice scattering sensitivity and polarization information. The analysis of three case studies evidences the important combined role of total precipitable water (TPW, supercooled cloud water, and background surface composition on the brightness temperature (TB behavior for different snow-producing clouds. A regression tree statistical analysis applied to the entire GMI-CloudSat snowfall dataset indicates which variables influence the 166 GHz polarization difference (166 ∆TB and its relation to snowfall. Critical thresholds of various parameters (sea ice concentration (SIC, TPW, ice water path (IWP are established for optimal snowfall detection capabilities. The 166 ∆TB can identify snowfall events over land and sea when critical thresholds are exceeded (TPW > 3.6 kg·m−2, IWP > 0.24 kg·m−2 over land, and SIC > 57%, TPW > 5.1 kg·m−2 over sea. The complex combined 166 ∆TB-TB relationship at higher latitudes and the impact of supercooled water vertical distribution are also investigated. The findings presented in this study can be exploited to improve passive microwave snowfall detection algorithms.

MuSICa: the Multi-Slit Image Slicer for the est Spectrograph

Science.gov (United States)

Calcines, A.; López, R. L.; Collados, M.

2013-09-01

Integral field spectroscopy (IFS) is a technique that allows one to obtain the spectra of all the points of a bidimensional field of view simultaneously. It is being applied to the new generation of the largest night-time telescopes but it is also an innovative technique for solar physics. This paper presents the design of a new image slicer, MuSICa (Multi-Slit Image slicer based on collimator-Camera), for the integral field spectrograph of the 4-m aperture European Solar Telescope (EST). MuSICa is a multi-slit image slicer that decomposes an 80 arcsec2 field of view into slices of 50 μm and reorganizes it into eight slits of 0.05 arcsec width × 200 arcsec length. It is a telecentric system with an optical quality at diffraction limit compatible with the two modes of operation of the spectrograph: spectroscopic and spectro-polarimetric. This paper shows the requirements, technical characteristics and layout of MuSICa, as well as other studied design options.

All-sky-imaging capabilities for ionospheric space weather research using geomagnetic conjugate point observing sites

Science.gov (United States)

Martinis, C.; Baumgardner, J.; Wroten, J.; Mendillo, M.

2018-04-01

Optical signatures of ionospheric disturbances exist at all latitudes on Earth-the most well known case being visible aurora at high latitudes. Sub-visual emissions occur equatorward of the auroral zones that also indicate periods and locations of severe Space Weather effects. These fall into three magnetic latitude domains in each hemisphere: (1) sub-auroral latitudes ∼40-60°, (2) mid-latitudes (20-40°) and (3) equatorial-to-low latitudes (0-20°). Boston University has established a network of all-sky-imagers (ASIs) with sites at opposite ends of the same geomagnetic field lines in each hemisphere-called geomagnetic conjugate points. Our ASIs are autonomous instruments that operate in mini-observatories situated at four conjugate pairs in North and South America, plus one pair linking Europe and South Africa. In this paper, we describe instrument design, data-taking protocols, data transfer and archiving issues, image processing, science objectives and early results for each latitude domain. This unique capability addresses how a single source of disturbance is transformed into similar or different effects based on the unique "receptor" conditions (seasonal effects) found in each hemisphere. Applying optical conjugate point observations to Space Weather problems offers a new diagnostic approach for understanding the global system response functions operating in the Earth's upper atmosphere.

Spectro-polarimetric study of the early evolutionary phases of the most massive galaxies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vernet, Joel

2001-01-01

This research thesis addresses the study of the early phases of evolution of the most massive galaxies (giant elliptic), a fundamental process which is a matter of study for various reasons exposed by the author in his introduction. While presented results are based on spectro-polarimetric observations, the author first presents specific instruments and methods used by spectropolarimetry which provides access to variations of all vectorial properties of light, without loss of information. Then, he reports the study of a near powerful radio-galaxy, Cygnus A, the study of nine radio-galaxies with a high redshift, and the study of a far ultra-luminous infrared galaxy (SMM J02399-0136). Results are then discussed and perspectives of research are proposed. Appendices present the theoretical study of the contribution of massive stars to the diffuse extragalactic ionizing background, and observations made on a near radio-galaxy (NGC 6251)

Four-Component Scattering Power Decomposition Algorithm with Rotation of Covariance Matrix Using ALOS-PALSAR Polarimetric Data

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Yasuhiro Nakamura

2012-07-01

Full Text Available The present study introduces the four-component scattering power decomposition (4-CSPD algorithm with rotation of covariance matrix, and presents an experimental proof of the equivalence between the 4-CSPD algorithms based on rotation of covariance matrix and coherency matrix. From a theoretical point of view, the 4-CSPD algorithms with rotation of the two matrices are identical. Although it seems obvious, no experimental evidence has yet been presented. In this paper, using polarimetric synthetic aperture radar (POLSAR data acquired by Phased Array L-band SAR (PALSAR on board of Advanced Land Observing Satellite (ALOS, an experimental proof is presented to show that both algorithms indeed produce identical results.

Forest parameter estimation using polarimetric SAR interferometry techniques at low frequencies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Seung-Kuk

2013-01-01

Polarimetric Synthetic Aperture Radar Interferometry (Pol-InSAR) is an active radar remote sensing technique based on the coherent combination of both polarimetric and interferometric observables. The Pol-InSAR technique provided a step forward in quantitative forest parameter estimation. In the last decade, airborne SAR experiments evaluated the potential of Pol-InSAR techniques to estimate forest parameters (e.g., the forest height and biomass) with high accuracy over various local forest test sites. This dissertation addresses the actual status, potentials and limitations of Pol-InSAR inversion techniques for 3-D forest parameter estimations on a global scale using lower frequencies such as L- and P-band. The multi-baseline Pol-InSAR inversion technique is applied to optimize the performance with respect to the actual level of the vertical wave number and to mitigate the impact of temporal decorrelation on the Pol-InSAR forest parameter inversion. Temporal decorrelation is a critical issue for successful Pol-InSAR inversion in the case of repeat-pass Pol-InSAR data, as provided by conventional satellites or airborne SAR systems. Despite the limiting impact of temporal decorrelation in Pol-InSAR inversion, it remains a poorly understood factor in forest height inversion. Therefore, the main goal of this dissertation is to provide a quantitative estimation of the temporal decorrelation effects by using multi-baseline Pol-InSAR data. A new approach to quantify the different temporal decorrelation components is proposed and discussed. Temporal decorrelation coefficients are estimated for temporal baselines ranging from 10 minutes to 54 days and are converted to height inversion errors. In addition, the potential of Pol-InSAR forest parameter estimation techniques is addressed and projected onto future spaceborne system configurations and mission scenarios (Tandem-L and BIOMASS satellite missions at L- and P-band). The impact of the system parameters (e.g., bandwidth

Visualization of and Software for Omnibus Test Based Change Detected in a Time Series of Polarimetric SAR Data

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nielsen, Allan Aasbjerg; Conradsen, Knut; Skriver, Henning

2017-01-01

Based on an omnibus likelihood ratio test statistic for the equality of several variance-covariance matrices following the complex Wishart distribution and a factorization of this test statistic with associated p-values, change analysis in a time series of multilook polarimetric SAR data...... in the covariance matrix representation is carried out. The omnibus test statistic and its factorization detect if and when change occurs. Using airborne EMISAR and spaceborne RADARSAT-2 data this paper focuses on change detection based on the p-values, on visualization of change at pixel as well as segment level......, and on computer software....

An omnibus likelihood test statistic and its factorization for change detection in time series of polarimetric SAR data

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nielsen, Allan Aasbjerg; Conradsen, Knut; Skriver, Henning

2016-01-01

Based on an omnibus likelihood ratio test statistic for the equality of several variance-covariance matrices following the complex Wishart distribution with an associated p-value and a factorization of this test statistic, change analysis in a short sequence of multilook, polarimetric SAR data...... in the covariance matrix representation is carried out. The omnibus test statistic and its factorization detect if and when change(s) occur. The technique is demonstrated on airborne EMISAR L-band data but may be applied to Sentinel-1, Cosmo-SkyMed, TerraSAR-X, ALOS and RadarSat-2 or other dual- and quad...

Change detection in a time series of polarimetric SAR data by an omnibus test statistic and its factorization

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nielsen, Allan Aasbjerg; Conradsen, Knut; Skriver, Henning

2016-01-01

Based on an omnibus likelihood ratio test statistic for the equality of several variance-covariance matrices following the complex Wishart distribution with an associated p-value and a factorization of this test statistic, change analysis in a short sequence of multilook, polarimetric SAR data...... in the covariance matrix representation is carried out. The omnibus test statistic and its factorization detect if and when change(s) occur. The technique is demonstrated on airborne EMISAR L-band data but may be applied to Sentinel-1, Cosmo-SkyMed, TerraSAR-X, ALOS and RadarSat-2 or other dual- and quad...

Preliminary assessment of the imaging capability of the YAP-(S)PET small animal scanner in neuroscience

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bartoli, Antonietta [Department of Physics ' E. Fermi' and Center of Excellence ' AmbiSEN' , University of Pisa, and INFN, Sezione di Pisa, Pisa I- 56127 (Italy)]. E-mail: bartoli@df.unipi.it; Belcari, Nicola [Department of Physics ' E. Fermi' and Center of Excellence ' AmbiSEN' , University of Pisa, and INFN, Sezione di Pisa, Pisa I- 56127 (Italy); Stark, Daniela [Institute of Nuclear Chemistry, University of Mainz, Mainz D-55099 (Germany); Hoehnemann, Sabine [Institute of Nuclear Chemistry, University of Mainz, Mainz D-55099 (Germany); Piel, Markus [Institute of Nuclear Chemistry, University of Mainz, Mainz D-55099 (Germany); Jennewein, Marc [Institute of Nuclear Chemistry, University of Mainz, Mainz D-55099 (Germany); Schmitt, Ulrich [Department of Psychiatry, University of Mainz, Mainz D-55099 (Germany); Tillmanns, Julia [Institute of Physiology and Pathophysiology, University of Mainz, Mainz D-55099 (Germany); Thews, Oliver [Institute of Physiology and Pathophysiology, University of Mainz, Mainz D-55099 (Germany); Hiemke, Christoph [Department of Psychiatry, University of Mainz, Mainz D-55099 (Germany); Roesch, Frank [Institute of Nuclear Chemistry, University of Mainz, Mainz D-55099 (Germany); Del Guerra, Alberto [Department of Physics ' E. Fermi' and Center of Excellence ' AmbiSEN' , University of Pisa, and INFN, Sezione di Pisa, Pisa I- 56127 (Italy)

2006-12-20

The new and fully engineered version of the YAP-(S)PET small animal scanner has been tested at the University of Mainz for preliminary assessment of its imaging capability for studies related to neuropharmacology and psychiatry. The main feature of the scanner is the capability to combine PET and SPECT techniques. It allows the development of new and interesting protocols for the investigation of many biological phenomena, more effectively than with PET or SPECT modalities alone. The scanner is made up of four detector heads, each one composed of a 4x4 cm{sup 2} of YAlO{sub 3}:Ce (or YAP:Ce) matrix, and has a field of view (FOV) of 4 cm axiallyx4 cm o transaxially. In PET mode, the volume resolution is less than 8 mm{sup 3} and is nearly constant over the whole FOV, while the sensitivity is about 2%. The SPECT performance is not so good, due to the presence of the multi-hole lead collimator in front of each head. Nevertheless, the YAP-PET scanner offers excellent resolution and sensitivity for performing on the availability of D2-like dopamine receptors on mice and rats in both PET and SPECT modalities.

Forest anisotropy assessment by means of spatial variations analysis of PolSAR backscattering

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. V. Dmitriev

2017-06-01

Full Text Available The possibility to synthesize polarization response from earth covers at any desired combination of transmit and receive antenna polarizations is the significant advantage of polarimetric radar. It permits better identification of dominant scattering mechanisms especially when analyzing polarization signatures. These signatures depict more details of physical information from target backscattering in various polarization bases. However, polarization signatures cannot reveal spatial variations of the radar backscattering caused by volume heterogeneity of a target. This paper proposes a new approach for estimating volume target heterogeneity from polarimetric synthetic aperture radar (PolSAR images. The approach is based on the analysis of a novel type of polarization signature, which we call fractal polarization signature (FPS. This signature is a result of polarization synthesis of initial fully polarimetric data and subsequent fractal analysis of synthesized images. It is displayed as a 3D plot and can be produced for each point in an image. It is shown that FPS describes backscattering variations or image roughness at different states of polarization. Fully polarimetric data of SIR-C and ALOS PALSAR at ascending/descending orbits were used for testing the proposed approach. The azimuthal dependence of the radar backscattering variations is discovered when analyzing backscattering from a pine forest. It correlates with the results of a field survey of trees branch distribution.

On the trail of Vikings with polarized skylight: experimental study of the atmospheric optical prerequisites allowing polarimetric navigation by Viking seafarers.

Science.gov (United States)

Horváth, Gábor; Barta, András; Pomozi, István; Suhai, Bence; Hegedüs, Ramón; Akesson, Susanne; Meyer-Rochow, Benno; Wehner, Rüdiger

2011-03-12

Between AD 900 and AD 1200 Vikings, being able to navigate skillfully across the open sea, were the dominant seafarers of the North Atlantic. When the Sun was shining, geographical north could be determined with a special sundial. However, how the Vikings could have navigated in cloudy or foggy situations, when the Sun's disc was unusable, is still not fully known. A hypothesis was formulated in 1967, which suggested that under foggy or cloudy conditions, Vikings might have been able to determine the azimuth direction of the Sun with the help of skylight polarization, just like some insects. This hypothesis has been widely accepted and is regularly cited by researchers, even though an experimental basis, so far, has not been forthcoming. According to this theory, the Vikings could have determined the direction of the skylight polarization with the help of an enigmatic birefringent crystal, functioning as a linearly polarizing filter. Such a crystal is referred to as 'sunstone' in one of the Viking's sagas, but its exact nature is unknown. Although accepted by many, the hypothesis of polarimetric navigation by Vikings also has numerous sceptics. In this paper, we summarize the results of our own celestial polarization measurements and psychophysical laboratory experiments, in which we studied the atmospheric optical prerequisites of possible sky-polarimetric navigation in Tunisia, Finland, Hungary and the high Arctic.

Comparison of STIR turbo SE imaging and diffusion-weighted imaging of the lung: capability for detection and subtype classification of pulmonary adenocarcinomas

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Koyama, Hisanobu; Ohno, Yoshiharu; Onishi, Yumiko; Matsumoto, Keiko; Nogami, Munenobu; Takenaka, Daisuke; Sugimura, Kazuro [Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine, Department of Radiology, Kobe, Hyogo (Japan); Aoyama, Nobukazu [Kobe University Hospital, Division of Radiology, Kobe (Japan); Nishio, Wataru [Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine, Division of Cardiovascular, Thoracic and Pediatric Surgery, Kobe (Japan); Ohbayashi, Chiho [Hyogo Cancer Center, Division of Pathology, Akashi (Japan)

2010-04-15

The aim of the study was to evaluate the diagnostic performance of diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) for detection and subtype classification in pulmonary adenocarcinomas through comparison with short TI inversion recovery turbo spin-echo imaging sequence (STIR). Thirty-two patients (mean age, 65.2 years) with 33 adenocarcinomas (mean diameter, 27.6 mm) were enrolled in this study. The detection rates of both sequences were compared. The ADC values on DWI and the contrast ratio (CR) between cancer and muscle on STIR were measured and those were compared across subtype classifications. Finally, ROC-based positive tests were performed to differentiate subtype classifications, and differentiation capabilities were compared. The DWI detection rate [85% (28/33)] was significantly lower than that of STIR [100% (33/33), P < 0.05]. The ADC values showed no significant difference regarding subtype classification; however, the CRs of bronchio-alveolar carcinomas (BACs) were significantly lower than those of other types (P < 0.05). When threshold values for differentiating BACs from others were adapted, the sensitivity and accuracy of DWI were significantly lower than those of STIR (P < 0.05). For differentiating adenocarcinomas with mixed subtypes from those with no BA component, there were no significant differences between the two sequences. STIR is more sensitive for detection and subtype classification than DWI. (orig.)

Optical design of the PEPSI high-resolution spectrograph at LBT

Science.gov (United States)

Andersen, Michael I.; Spano, Paolo; Woche, Manfred; Strassmeier, Klaus G.; Beckert, Erik

2004-09-01

PEPSI is a high-resolution, fiber fed echelle spectrograph with polarimetric capabilities for the LBT. In order to reach a maximum resolution R=120.000 in polarimetric mode and 300.000 in integral light mode with high efficiency in the spectral range 390-1050~nm, we designed a white-pupil configuration with Maksutov collimators. Light is dispersed by an R4 31.6 lines/mm monolithic echelle grating mosaic and split into two arms through dichroics. The two arms, optimized for the spectral range 390-550~nm and 550-1050~nm, respectively, consist of Maksutov transfer collimators, VPH-grism cross dispersers, optimized dioptric cameras and 7.5K x 7.5K 8~μ CCDs. Fibers of different core sizes coupled to different image-slicers allow a high throughput, comparable to that of direct feed instruments. The optical configuration with only spherical and cylindrical surfaces, except for one aspherical surface in each camera, reduces costs and guarantees high optical quality. PEPSI is under construction at AIP with first light expected in 2006.

RETRIEVAL OF AEROSOL MICROPHYSICAL PROPERTIES BASED ON THE OPTIMAL ESTIMATION METHOD: INFORMATION CONTENT ANALYSIS FOR SATELLITE POLARIMETRIC REMOTE SENSING MEASUREMENTS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

W. Z. Hou

2018-04-01

Full Text Available This paper evaluates the information content for the retrieval of key aerosol microphysical and surface properties for multispectral single-viewing satellite polarimetric measurements cantered at 410, 443, 555, 670, 865, 1610 and 2250 nm over bright land. To conduct the information content analysis, the synthetic data are simulated by the Unified Linearized Vector Radiative Transfer Model (UNLVTM with the intensity and polarization together over bare soil surface for various scenarios. Following the optimal estimation theory, a principal component analysis method is employed to reconstruct the multispectral surface reflectance from 410 nm to 2250 nm, and then integrated with a linear one-parametric BPDF model to represent the contribution of polarized surface reflectance, thus further to decouple the surface-atmosphere contribution from the TOA measurements. Focusing on two different aerosol models with the aerosol optical depth equal to 0.8 at 550 nm, the total DFS and DFS component of each retrieval aerosol and surface parameter are analysed. The DFS results show that the key aerosol microphysical properties, such as the fine- and coarse-mode columnar volume concentration, the effective radius and the real part of complex refractive index at 550 nm, could be well retrieved with the surface parameters simultaneously over bare soil surface type. The findings of this study can provide the guidance to the inversion algorithm development over bright surface land by taking full use of the single-viewing satellite polarimetric measurements.

Retrieval of Aerosol Microphysical Properties Based on the Optimal Estimation Method: Information Content Analysis for Satellite Polarimetric Remote Sensing Measurements

Science.gov (United States)

Hou, W. Z.; Li, Z. Q.; Zheng, F. X.; Qie, L. L.

2018-04-01

This paper evaluates the information content for the retrieval of key aerosol microphysical and surface properties for multispectral single-viewing satellite polarimetric measurements cantered at 410, 443, 555, 670, 865, 1610 and 2250 nm over bright land. To conduct the information content analysis, the synthetic data are simulated by the Unified Linearized Vector Radiative Transfer Model (UNLVTM) with the intensity and polarization together over bare soil surface for various scenarios. Following the optimal estimation theory, a principal component analysis method is employed to reconstruct the multispectral surface reflectance from 410 nm to 2250 nm, and then integrated with a linear one-parametric BPDF model to represent the contribution of polarized surface reflectance, thus further to decouple the surface-atmosphere contribution from the TOA measurements. Focusing on two different aerosol models with the aerosol optical depth equal to 0.8 at 550 nm, the total DFS and DFS component of each retrieval aerosol and surface parameter are analysed. The DFS results show that the key aerosol microphysical properties, such as the fine- and coarse-mode columnar volume concentration, the effective radius and the real part of complex refractive index at 550 nm, could be well retrieved with the surface parameters simultaneously over bare soil surface type. The findings of this study can provide the guidance to the inversion algorithm development over bright surface land by taking full use of the single-viewing satellite polarimetric measurements.

Polarimetric observations of the innermost regions of relativistic jets in X-ray binaries

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Russell D.M.

2013-12-01

Full Text Available Synchrotron emission from the relativistic jets launched close to black holes and neutron stars can be highly linearly polarized, depending on the configuration of the magnetic field. In X-ray binaries, optically thin synchrotron emission from the compact jets resides at infrared–optical wavelengths. The polarimetric signature of the jets is detected in the infrared and is highly variable in some X-ray binaries. This reveals the magnetic geometry in the compact jet, in a region close enough to the black hole that it is influenced by its strong gravity. In some cases the magnetic field is turbulent and variable near the jet base. In Cyg X–1, the origin of the γ-ray, X-ray and some of the infrared polarization is likely the optically thin synchrotron power law from the inner regions of the jet. In order to reproduce the polarization properties, the magnetic field in this region must be highly ordered, in contrast to other sources.

Compact polarimetric synthetic aperture radar for monitoring soil moisture condition

Science.gov (United States)

Merzouki, A.; McNairn, H.; Powers, J.; Friesen, M.

2017-12-01

Coarse resolution soil moisture maps are currently operationally delivered by ESA's SMOS and NASA's SMAP passive microwaves sensors. Despite this evolution, operational soil moisture monitoring at the field scale remains challenging. A number of factors contribute to this challenge including the complexity of the retrieval that requires advanced SAR systems with enhanced temporal revisit capabilities. Since the launch of RADARSAT-2 in 2007, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) has been evaluating the accuracy of these data for estimating surface soil moisture. Thus, a hybrid (multi-angle/multi-polarization) retrieval approach was found well suited for the planned RADARSAT Constellation Mission (RCM) considering the more frequent relook expected with the three satellite configuration. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the capability of C-band CP data to estimate soil moisture over agricultural fields, in anticipation of the launch of RCM. In this research we introduce a new CP approach based on the IEM and simulated RCM CP mode intensities from RADARSAT-2 images acquired at different dates. The accuracy of soil moisture retrieval from the proposed multi-polarization and hybrid methods will be contrasted with that from a more conventional quad-pol approach, and validated against in situ measurements by pooling data collected over AAFC test sites in Ontario, Manitoba and Saskatchewan, Canada.

Multiple Convective Cell Identification and Tracking Algorithm for documenting time-height evolution of measured polarimetric radar and lightning properties

Science.gov (United States)

Rosenfeld, D.; Hu, J.; Zhang, P.; Snyder, J.; Orville, R. E.; Ryzhkov, A.; Zrnic, D.; Williams, E.; Zhang, R.

2017-12-01

A methodology to track the evolution of the hydrometeors and electrification of convective cells is presented and applied to various convective clouds from warm showers to super-cells. The input radar data are obtained from the polarimetric NEXRAD weather radars, The information on cloud electrification is obtained from Lightning Mapping Arrays (LMA). The development time and height of the hydrometeors and electrification requires tracking the evolution and lifecycle of convective cells. A new methodology for Multi-Cell Identification and Tracking (MCIT) is presented in this study. This new algorithm is applied to time series of radar volume scans. A cell is defined as a local maximum in the Vertical Integrated Liquid (VIL), and the echo area is divided between cells using a watershed algorithm. The tracking of the cells between radar volume scans is done by identifying the two cells in consecutive radar scans that have maximum common VIL. The vertical profile of the polarimetric radar properties are used for constructing the time-height cross section of the cell properties around the peak reflectivity as a function of height. The LMA sources that occur within the cell area are integrated as a function of height as well for each time step, as determined by the radar volume scans. The result of the tracking can provide insights to the evolution of storms, hydrometer types, precipitation initiation and cloud electrification under different thermodynamic, aerosol and geographic conditions. The details of the MCIT algorithm, its products and their performance for different types of storm are described in this poster.

Single image super-resolution via regularized extreme learning regression for imagery from microgrid polarimeters

Science.gov (United States)

Sargent, Garrett C.; Ratliff, Bradley M.; Asari, Vijayan K.

2017-08-01

The advantage of division of focal plane imaging polarimeters is their ability to obtain temporally synchronized intensity measurements across a scene; however, they sacrifice spatial resolution in doing so due to their spatially modulated arrangement of the pixel-to-pixel polarizers and often result in aliased imagery. Here, we propose a super-resolution method based upon two previously trained extreme learning machines (ELM) that attempt to recover missing high frequency and low frequency content beyond the spatial resolution of the sensor. This method yields a computationally fast and simple way of recovering lost high and low frequency content from demosaicing raw microgrid polarimetric imagery. The proposed method outperforms other state-of-the-art single-image super-resolution algorithms in terms of structural similarity and peak signal-to-noise ratio.

Exploring imaging capabilities of the extended prestack wavefield

KAUST Repository

Alkhalifah, Tariq Ali

2013-08-19

The dynamic form of the double square-root (DSR) equation provides a mechanism to extrapolate prestack wavefields by moving the sources and receivers in space with respect to a potential image (scatterer) point. Its classical implementation for imaging often assumes sources and receivers are at the same horizontal surface. Reverse time migration (RTM), as well as common shot migrations in general, through its separate treatment of the sources and receivers, allows for more exibility in source and receiver configurations. A simple modication to the classical DSR equation provides such exibility. Specically, we define a 7-dimensional prestack wavefield for 3-D media that includes the vertical source and receiver offset. The corresponding dispersion relation can be used to extrapolate such wavefields. However, the cost for such a definition and extrapolation can be prohibitive, considering the high dimensionality of the problem. We reduce the dimensionality by recognizing that the sources and receivers often share the same horizontal plane, and thus, obtain the conventional DSR formulation. An efficient implementation of DSR in time yields extrapolation speeds that nominally exceed those obtained from reverse time migration. We can also reduce the dimensionality by setting the horizontal offset between the source and receiver at the image point to zero, or using a DSR-like formulation to correct for source-receiver vertical offset or topography.

Exploring imaging capabilities of the extended prestack wavefield

KAUST Repository

Alkhalifah, Tariq Ali; Wu, Zedong; Fomel, Sergey

2013-01-01

The dynamic form of the double square-root (DSR) equation provides a mechanism to extrapolate prestack wavefields by moving the sources and receivers in space with respect to a potential image (scatterer) point. Its classical implementation for imaging often assumes sources and receivers are at the same horizontal surface. Reverse time migration (RTM), as well as common shot migrations in general, through its separate treatment of the sources and receivers, allows for more exibility in source and receiver configurations. A simple modication to the classical DSR equation provides such exibility. Specically, we define a 7-dimensional prestack wavefield for 3-D media that includes the vertical source and receiver offset. The corresponding dispersion relation can be used to extrapolate such wavefields. However, the cost for such a definition and extrapolation can be prohibitive, considering the high dimensionality of the problem. We reduce the dimensionality by recognizing that the sources and receivers often share the same horizontal plane, and thus, obtain the conventional DSR formulation. An efficient implementation of DSR in time yields extrapolation speeds that nominally exceed those obtained from reverse time migration. We can also reduce the dimensionality by setting the horizontal offset between the source and receiver at the image point to zero, or using a DSR-like formulation to correct for source-receiver vertical offset or topography.

Imaging capabilities of SXT for Solar-A

Science.gov (United States)

Lemen, J. R.; Acton, L. W.; Brown, W. A.; Bruner, M. E.; Catura, R. C.

1991-01-01

The present study characterizes the Soft X-ray Telescope (SXT), a grazing-incidence solar X-ray telescope which will be flown on the Japanese Solar-A satellite. X-ray tests showed that the SXT mirror meets or exceeds design requirements. SXT advantages over Skylab are: improved time resolution (not less than 0.5 s), greatly decreased mirror scatter, coaligned aspect telescope to intersperse images of sunspots and magnetic plage, and digital data readout.

A polarimetric scattering database for non-spherical ice particles at microwave wavelengths

Science.gov (United States)

Lu, Yinghui; Jiang, Zhiyuan; Aydin, Kultegin; Verlinde, Johannes; Clothiaux, Eugene E.; Botta, Giovanni

2016-10-01

The atmospheric science community has entered a period in which electromagnetic scattering properties at microwave frequencies of realistically constructed ice particles are necessary for making progress on a number of fronts. One front includes retrieval of ice-particle properties and signatures from ground-based, airborne, and satellite-based radar and radiometer observations. Another front is evaluation of model microphysics by application of forward operators to their outputs and comparison to observations during case study periods. Yet a third front is data assimilation, where again forward operators are applied to databases of ice-particle scattering properties and the results compared to observations, with their differences leading to corrections of the model state. Over the past decade investigators have developed databases of ice-particle scattering properties at microwave frequencies and made them openly available. Motivated by and complementing these earlier efforts, a database containing polarimetric single-scattering properties of various types of ice particles at millimeter to centimeter wavelengths is presented. While the database presented here contains only single-scattering properties of ice particles in a fixed orientation, ice-particle scattering properties are computed for many different directions of the radiation incident on them. These results are useful for understanding the dependence of ice-particle scattering properties on ice-particle orientation with respect to the incident radiation. For ice particles that are small compared to the wavelength, the number of incident directions of the radiation is sufficient to compute reasonable estimates of their (randomly) orientation-averaged scattering properties. This database is complementary to earlier ones in that it contains complete (polarimetric) scattering property information for each ice particle - 44 plates, 30 columns, 405 branched planar crystals, 660 aggregates, and 640 conical

Completion and Testing of PACS SWIR Channel

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — PACS SWIR has important technological innovations that will be necessary to meet the mission requirements for wide FOV, hyperangle capability, high polarimetric...

Simulations of the x-ray imaging capabilities of the silicon drift detectors (SDD) for the LOFT wide-field monitor

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Evangelista, Y.; Campana, R.; Del Monte, E.

2012-01-01

Detector (LAD), carrying an unprecedented effective area of 10 m^2, is complemented by a coded-mask Wide Field Monitor, in charge of monitoring a large fraction of the sky potentially accessible to the LAD, to provide the history and context for the sources observed by LAD and to trigger its observations...... on their most interesting and extreme states. In this paper we present detailed simulations of the imaging capabilities of the Silicon Drift Detectors developed for the LOFT Wide Field Monitor detection plane. The simulations explore a large parameter space for both the detector design and the environmental...

Monitoring flooding and vegetation on seasonally inundated floodplains with multifrequency polarimetric synthetic aperture radar

Science.gov (United States)

Hess, Laura Lorraine

The ability of synthetic aperture radar to detect flooding and vegetation structure was evaluated for three seasonally inundated floodplain sites supporting a broad variety of wetland and upland vegetation types: two reaches of the Solimoes floodplain in the central Amazon, and the Magela Creek floodplain in Northern Territory, Australia. For each site, C- and L-band polarimetric Shuttle Imaging Radar-C (SIR-C) data was obtained at both high- and low-water stages. Inundation status and vegetation structure were documented simultaneous with the SIR-C acquisitions using low-altitude videography and ground measurements. SIR-C images were classified into cover states defined by vegetation physiognomy and presence of standing water, using a decision-tree model with backscattering coefficients at HH, VV, and HV polarizations as input variables. Classification accuracy was assessed using user's accuracy, producer's accuracy, and kappa coefficient for a test population of pixels. At all sites, both C- and L-band were necessary to accurately classify cover types with two dates. HH polarization was most. useful for distinguishing flooded from non-flooded vegetation (C-HH for macrophyte versus pasture, L-HH for flooded versus non-flooded forest), and cross-polarized L-band data provided the best separation between woody and non-woody vegetation. Increases in L-HH backscattering due to flooding were on the order of 3--4 dB for closed-canopy varzea and igapo forest, and 4--7 dB, for open Melaleuca woodland. The broad range of physiognomies and stand structures found in both herbaceous and woody wetland communities, combined with the variation in the amount of emergent canopy caused by water level fluctuations and phenologic changes, resulted in a large range in backscattering characteristics of wetland communities both within and between sites. High accuracies cannot be achieved for these communities using single-date, single-band, single-polarization data, particularly in the

Polarimetric study of the interstellar medium in Taurus Dark Clouds

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hsu, J.

1985-01-01

An optical linear polarimetric survey was completed for more than 300 stars in an area of 6.5 0 x 10 0 toward the Taurus Dark Clouds Complex. It was found that the orientation of the magnetic field is roughly perpendicular to the elongation direction of the dust lanes, indicating cloud contraction along the magnetic field lines. The distance to the front edge of the dark clouds in Taurus is determined to be 126 pc. There is only insignificant amount of obscuring material between the cloud complex and the Sun. Besides the polarization data, the reddenings of about 250 stars were also obtained from the UBV photometry. The mean polarization to reddening ratio in the Taurus region is 4.6, which is similar to that of the general interstellar matter. The wavelengths of maximum polarization were determined for 30 stars in Taurus. They show an average value of lambda/sub max/ = 0.57 μm, which is only slightly higher than the mean value of the general interstellar medium, lambda/sub max/ = 0.55 μm. A few stars that show higher values of lambda/sub max/ are found near the small isolated regions of very high extinction. One such highly obscured small region where very complex long chain molecules have been discovered in the ratio spectra, is the Taurus Molecular Cloud 1

Adjoint Methods for Adjusting Three-Dimensional Atmosphere and Surface Properties to Fit Multi-Angle Multi-Pixel Polarimetric Measurements

Science.gov (United States)

Martin, William G.; Cairns, Brian; Bal, Guillaume

2014-01-01

This paper derives an efficient procedure for using the three-dimensional (3D) vector radiative transfer equation (VRTE) to adjust atmosphere and surface properties and improve their fit with multi-angle/multi-pixel radiometric and polarimetric measurements of scattered sunlight. The proposed adjoint method uses the 3D VRTE to compute the measurement misfit function and the adjoint 3D VRTE to compute its gradient with respect to all unknown parameters. In the remote sensing problems of interest, the scalar-valued misfit function quantifies agreement with data as a function of atmosphere and surface properties, and its gradient guides the search through this parameter space. Remote sensing of the atmosphere and surface in a three-dimensional region may require thousands of unknown parameters and millions of data points. Many approaches would require calls to the 3D VRTE solver in proportion to the number of unknown parameters or measurements. To avoid this issue of scale, we focus on computing the gradient of the misfit function as an alternative to the Jacobian of the measurement operator. The resulting adjoint method provides a way to adjust 3D atmosphere and surface properties with only two calls to the 3D VRTE solver for each spectral channel, regardless of the number of retrieval parameters, measurement view angles or pixels. This gives a procedure for adjusting atmosphere and surface parameters that will scale to the large problems of 3D remote sensing. For certain types of multi-angle/multi-pixel polarimetric measurements, this encourages the development of a new class of three-dimensional retrieval algorithms with more flexible parametrizations of spatial heterogeneity, less reliance on data screening procedures, and improved coverage in terms of the resolved physical processes in the Earth?s atmosphere.

P and e identification capabilities CAPRICE

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Basini, G. [INFN, Laboratori Nazionali di Frascati, Rome (Italy); Codino, A.; Grimani, C. [Perugia Univ. (Italy)]|[INFN, Perugia (Italy); De Pascale, M.P. [Rome Univ. `Tor Vergata` (Italy)]|[INFN, Rome (Italy); Hof, M. [Siegen Univ. (Germany). Fachbereich Physik; Golden, R.L. [New Mexico State Univ., Las Cruces, NM (United States). Particle Astrophysics Lab.; Brancaccio, F.; Bocciolini, M. [Florence Univ. (Italy)]|[INFN, Florence (Italy); Barbiellini, G.; Boezio, M. [Trieste Univ. (Italy)]|[INFN, Trieste (Italy)

1995-09-01

The cosmic antiparticle ring imaging Cherenkov experiment (CAPRICE) flew on a stratospheric balloon 8-9 August 1994 over northern Canada and collected data for more than 21 hours with less than 5 g/cm{sup 2} of residual atmosphere. The instrument includes a solid radiator RICH detector and an electromagnetic calorimeter for particle identification in the magnetic spectrometer. Preliminary antiproton and positron identification capabilities are presented.

Incompatible Images

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sassene, Michel J.; Hertzum, Morten

2008-01-01

is, however, based on a taken-for-granted image of asthmatics as, per se, striving to be symptom-free. This image is incompatible with interviewed asthmatics' day-to-day performances of their asthma, and renders invisible (a) that their asthma performances emphasize an economy of good passages...... and of feeling capable, (b) that they achieve the objective of feeling capable in quite different ways, and (c) that feeling capable does not per se equal being symptom-free all the time. To attain long-term use of self-management systems and other patient-centred e-health systems, such systems must acknowledge...

Detection and Characterization of Hedgerows Using TerraSAR-X Imagery

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Julie Betbeder

2014-04-01

Full Text Available Whilst most hedgerow functions depend upon hedgerow structure and hedgerow network patterns, in many ecological studies information on the fragmentation of hedgerows network and canopy structure is often retrieved in the field in small areas using accurate ground surveys and estimated over landscapes in a semi-quantitative manner. This paper explores the use of radar SAR imagery to (i detect hedgerow networks; and (ii describe the hedgerow canopy heterogeneity using TerraSAR-X imagery. The extraction of hedgerow networks was achieved using an object-oriented method using two polarimetric parameters: the Single Bounce and the Shannon Entropy derived from one TerraSAR-X image. The hedgerow canopy heterogeneity estimated from field measurements was compared with two backscattering coefficients and three polarimetric parameters derived from the same image. The results show that the hedgerow network and its fragmentation can be identified with a very good accuracy (Kappa index: 0.92. This study also reveals the high correlation between one polarimetric parameter, the Shannon entropy, and the canopy fragmentation measured in the field. Therefore, VHSR radar images can both precisely detect the presence of wooded hedgerow networks and characterize their structure, which cannot be achieved with optical images.

Diagnosis of uterine cervix cancer using Müller polarimetry: a comparison with histopathology

Science.gov (United States)

Rehbinder, Jean; Deby, Stanislas; Haddad, Huda; Teig, Benjamin; Nazac, André; Pierangelo, Angelo; Moreau, François

2015-07-01

Today around 275000 women a year in the world keep dying from the cancer of uterine cervix due to the difficulty to meet the logistic requirements of an organized screening in the developing world. Polarimetric imaging is a new promising technique with a tremendous potential for applications in biomedical diagnostics: it is sensitive to slight morphological changes in tissues, can provide wide field images for the screening and requires light sources such as a LED for example. This work intends to characterize the polarimetric response of the uterine cervix in its healthy and pathological states. An extensive series of ex-vivo measurements is in progress the Kremlin Bicêtre hospital near Paris using an imaging multispectral Mueller polarimeter in backscattering configuration. The goal of this study is to evaluate the performances of polarimetric imaging technique in terms of sensitivity and specificity for the detection of healthy epithelia (Healthy Squamous epithelium and Malpighian Metaplasia) with respect to the diagnosis provided by pathologists from histology slides as the "gold standard". We show that, at λ=550nm, performances as high as 62% sensitivity and 64% specificity are achieved by optimizing a simple threshold on the scalar retardance values.

Refueling machine with relative positioning capability

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Challberg, R.C.; Jones, C.R.

1998-01-01

A refueling machine is disclosed having relative positioning capability for refueling a nuclear reactor. The refueling machine includes a pair of articulated arms mounted on a refueling bridge. Each arm supports a respective telescoping mast. Each telescoping mast is designed to flex laterally in response to application of a lateral thrust on the end of the mast. A pendant mounted on the end of the mast carries an air-actuated grapple, television cameras, ultrasonic transducers and waterjet thrusters. The ultrasonic transducers are used to detect the gross position of the grapple relative to the bail of a nuclear fuel assembly in the fuel core. The television cameras acquire an image of the bail which is compared to a pre-stored image in computer memory. The pendant can be rotated until the television image and the pre-stored image match within a predetermined tolerance. Similarly, the waterjet thrusters can be used to apply lateral thrust to the end of the flexible mast to place the grapple in a fine position relative to the bail as a function of the discrepancy between the television and pre-stored images. 11 figs

Refueling machine with relative positioning capability

Science.gov (United States)

Challberg, R.C.; Jones, C.R.

1998-12-15

A refueling machine is disclosed having relative positioning capability for refueling a nuclear reactor. The refueling machine includes a pair of articulated arms mounted on a refueling bridge. Each arm supports a respective telescoping mast. Each telescoping mast is designed to flex laterally in response to application of a lateral thrust on the end of the mast. A pendant mounted on the end of the mast carries an air-actuated grapple, television cameras, ultrasonic transducers and waterjet thrusters. The ultrasonic transducers are used to detect the gross position of the grapple relative to the bail of a nuclear fuel assembly in the fuel core. The television cameras acquire an image of the bail which is compared to a pre-stored image in computer memory. The pendant can be rotated until the television image and the pre-stored image match within a predetermined tolerance. Similarly, the waterjet thrusters can be used to apply lateral thrust to the end of the flexible mast to place the grapple in a fine position relative to the bail as a function of the discrepancy between the television and pre-stored images. 11 figs.

ImageX: new and improved image explorer for astronomical images and beyond

Science.gov (United States)

Hayashi, Soichi; Gopu, Arvind; Kotulla, Ralf; Young, Michael D.

2016-08-01

The One Degree Imager - Portal, Pipeline, and Archive (ODI-PPA) has included the Image Explorer interactive image visualization tool since it went operational. Portal users were able to quickly open up several ODI images within any HTML5 capable web browser, adjust the scaling, apply color maps, and perform other basic image visualization steps typically done on a desktop client like DS9. However, the original design of the Image Explorer required lossless PNG tiles to be generated and stored for all raw and reduced ODI images thereby taking up tens of TB of spinning disk space even though a small fraction of those images were being accessed by portal users at any given time. It also caused significant overhead on the portal web application and the Apache webserver used by ODI-PPA. We found it hard to merge in improvements made to a similar deployment in another project's portal. To address these concerns, we re-architected Image Explorer from scratch and came up with ImageX, a set of microservices that are part of the IU Trident project software suite, with rapid interactive visualization capabilities useful for ODI data and beyond. We generate a full resolution JPEG image for each raw and reduced ODI FITS image before producing a JPG tileset, one that can be rendered using the ImageX frontend code at various locations as appropriate within a web portal (for example: on tabular image listings, views allowing quick perusal of a set of thumbnails or other image sifting activities). The new design has decreased spinning disk requirements, uses AngularJS for the client side Model/View code (instead of depending on backend PHP Model/View/Controller code previously used), OpenSeaDragon to render the tile images, and uses nginx and a lightweight NodeJS application to serve tile images thereby significantly decreasing the Time To First Byte latency by a few orders of magnitude. We plan to extend ImageX for non-FITS images including electron microscopy and radiology scan

OPTICAL PHOTOMETRIC AND POLARIMETRIC INVESTIGATION OF NGC 1931

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pandey, A. K.; Eswaraiah, C.; Sharma, Saurabh; Yadav, Ram Kesh; Samal, M. R.; Chauhan, N.; Chen, W. P.; Jose, J.; Ojha, D. K.; Chandola, H. C.

2013-01-01

We present optical photometric and polarimetric observations of stars toward NGC 1931 with the aim of deriving cluster parameters such as distance, reddening, age, and luminosity/mass function as well as understanding dust properties and star formation in the region. The distance to the cluster is found to be 2.3 ± 0.3 kpc and the reddening E(B – V) in the region is found to be variable. The stellar density contours reveal two clusters in the region. The observations suggest a differing reddening law within the cluster region. Polarization efficiency of the dust grains toward the direction of the cluster is found to be less than that for the general diffuse interstellar medium (ISM). The slope of the mass function (–0.98 ± 0.22) in the southern region in the mass range of 0.8 ☉ < 9.8 is found to be shallower in comparison to that in the northern region (–1.26 ± 0.23), which is comparable to the Salpeter value (–1.35). The K-band luminosity function (KLF) of the region is found to be comparable to the average value of the slope (∼0.4) for young clusters obtained by Lada and Lada; however, the slope of the KLF is steeper in the northern region as compared to the southern region. The region is probably ionized by two B2 main-sequence-type stars. The mean age of the young stellar objects (YSOs) is found to be 2 ± 1 Myr, which suggests that the identified YSOs could be younger than the ionizing sources of the region. The morphology of the region, the distribution and ages of the YSOs, and ionizing sources indicate a triggered star formation in the region.

Surveys and Analysis of RFI in Preparation for SMOS: Results from Airborne Campaigns and First Impressions from Satellite Data

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Balling, Jan E.; Kristensen, Steen Savstrup; Søbjærg, Sten Schmidl

2011-01-01

Several soil moisture and sea salinity campaigns, including airborne L-band radiometer measurements, have been carried out in preparation for the European Space Agency Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) mission. The radiometer used in this context is fully polarimetric and is capable......, other detection methods have been investigated as well. In particular, inspection of the third and fourth Stokes parameters shows promising results—possibly as a complement to the kurtosis method. The kurtosis method, however, cannot be used with SMOS data. Since SMOS is fully polarimetric, the third...... and fourth Stokes parameter method is an option, and a first assessment using a fully polarimetric SMOS data set looks promising. Finally, a variable incidence angle signature algorithm is introduced, and the possibility of using this as an RFI indicator is discussed....

Technobabble: Photoshop 6 Converges Web, Print Photograph-Editing Capabilities.

Science.gov (United States)

Communication: Journalism Education Today, 2001

2001-01-01

Discusses the newly-released Adobe Photoshop 6, and its use in student publications. Notes its refined text-handling capabilities, a more user-friendly interface, integrated vector functions, easier preparation of Web images, and new and more powerful layer functions. (SR)

Power Transmission Tower Series Extraction in PolSAR Image Based on Time-Frequency Analysis and A-Contrario Theory

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dongqing Peng

2016-11-01

Full Text Available Based on Time-Frequency (TF analysis and a-contrario theory, this paper presents a new approach for extraction of linear arranged power transmission tower series in Polarimetric Synthetic Aperture Radar (PolSAR images. Firstly, the PolSAR multidimensional information is analyzed using a linear TF decomposition approach. The stationarity of each pixel is assessed by testing the maximum likelihood ratio statistics of the coherency matrix. Then, based on the maximum likelihood log-ratio image, a Cell-Averaging Constant False Alarm Rate (CA-CFAR detector with Weibull clutter background and a post-processing operator is used to detect point-like targets in the image. Finally, a searching approach based on a-contrario theory is applied to extract the linear arranged targets from detected point-like targets. The experimental results on three sets of PolSAR data verify the effectiveness of this approach.

North error estimation based on solar elevation errors in the third step of sky-polarimetric Viking navigation.

Science.gov (United States)

Száz, Dénes; Farkas, Alexandra; Barta, András; Kretzer, Balázs; Egri, Ádám; Horváth, Gábor

2016-07-01

The theory of sky-polarimetric Viking navigation has been widely accepted for decades without any information about the accuracy of this method. Previously, we have measured the accuracy of the first and second steps of this navigation method in psychophysical laboratory and planetarium experiments. Now, we have tested the accuracy of the third step in a planetarium experiment, assuming that the first and second steps are errorless. Using the fists of their outstretched arms, 10 test persons had to estimate the elevation angles (measured in numbers of fists and fingers) of black dots (representing the position of the occluded Sun) projected onto the planetarium dome. The test persons performed 2400 elevation estimations, 48% of which were more accurate than ±1°. We selected three test persons with the (i) largest and (ii) smallest elevation errors and (iii) highest standard deviation of the elevation error. From the errors of these three persons, we calculated their error function, from which the North errors (the angles with which they deviated from the geographical North) were determined for summer solstice and spring equinox, two specific dates of the Viking sailing period. The range of possible North errors Δ ω N was the lowest and highest at low and high solar elevations, respectively. At high elevations, the maximal Δ ω N was 35.6° and 73.7° at summer solstice and 23.8° and 43.9° at spring equinox for the best and worst test person (navigator), respectively. Thus, the best navigator was twice as good as the worst one. At solstice and equinox, high elevations occur the most frequently during the day, thus high North errors could occur more frequently than expected before. According to our findings, the ideal periods for sky-polarimetric Viking navigation are immediately after sunrise and before sunset, because the North errors are the lowest at low solar elevations.

Spatial resolution measurements of the advanced radiographic capability x-ray imaging system at energies relevant to Compton radiography

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hall, G. N., E-mail: hall98@llnl.gov; Izumi, N.; Landen, O. L.; Tommasini, R.; Holder, J. P.; Hargrove, D.; Bradley, D. K.; Lumbard, A.; Cruz, J. G.; Piston, K.; Bell, P. M.; Carpenter, A. C.; Palmer, N. E.; Felker, B.; Rekow, V.; Allen, F. V. [Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, 7000 East Avenue, Livermore, California 94550 (United States); Lee, J. J.; Romano, E. [National Security Technologies LLC, 161 S Vasco Rd., Livermore, California 94551 (United States)

2016-11-15

Compton radiography provides a means to measure the integrity, ρR and symmetry of the DT fuel in an inertial confinement fusion implosion near peak compression. Upcoming experiments at the National Ignition Facility will use the ARC (Advanced Radiography Capability) laser to drive backlighter sources for Compton radiography experiments and will use the newly commissioned AXIS (ARC X-ray Imaging System) instrument as the detector. AXIS uses a dual-MCP (micro-channel plate) to provide gating and high DQE at the 40–200 keV x-ray range required for Compton radiography, but introduces many effects that contribute to the spatial resolution. Experiments were performed at energies relevant to Compton radiography to begin characterization of the spatial resolution of the AXIS diagnostic.

Satellite instrument provides nighttime sensing capability

Science.gov (United States)

Showstack, Randy

2012-12-01

"This is not your father's low-light sensor," Steve Miller, senior research scientist and deputy director of the Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere at Colorado State University, Fort Collins, said at a 5 December news briefing at the AGU Fall Meeting. He and others at the briefing were showing off the nighttime sensing capability of the day/night band of the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) of instruments onboard the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (NPP) Earth-observing research satellite, a joint NASA and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) satellite that was launched on 28 October 2011. Noting that low-light satellite technology has been available for about 40 years, Miller said that the VIIRS day/night band "is truly a paradigm shift in the technology and capability."

MULTIFREQUENCY PHOTO-POLARIMETRIC WEBT OBSERVATION CAMPAIGN ON THE BLAZAR S5 0716+714: SOURCE MICROVARIABILITY AND SEARCH FOR CHARACTERISTIC TIMESCALES

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bhatta, G.; Stawarz, Ł.; Ostrowski, M.; Markowitz, A.; Akitaya, H.; Arkharov, A. A.; Bachev, R.; Benítez, E.; Borman, G. A.; Carosati, D.; Cason, A. D.; Chanishvili, R.; Damljanovic, G.; Dhalla, S.; Frasca, A.; Hiriart, D.; Hu, S-M.

2016-01-01

Here we report on the results of the Whole Earth Blazar Telescope photo-polarimetric campaign targeting the blazar S5 0716+71, organized in 2014 March to monitor the source simultaneously in BVRI and near-IR filters. The campaign resulted in an unprecedented data set spanning ∼110 hr of nearly continuous, multiband observations, including two sets of densely sampled polarimetric data mainly in the R filter. During the campaign, the source displayed pronounced variability with peak-to-peak variations of about 30% and “bluer-when-brighter” spectral evolution, consisting of a day-timescale modulation with superimposed hour-long microflares characterized by ∼0.1 mag flux changes. We performed an in-depth search for quasi-periodicities in the source light curve; hints for the presence of oscillations on timescales of ∼3 and ∼5 hr do not represent highly significant departures from a pure red-noise power spectrum. We observed that, at a certain configuration of the optical polarization angle (PA) relative to the PA of the innermost radio jet in the source, changes in the polarization degree (PD) led the total flux variability by about 2 hr; meanwhile, when the relative configuration of the polarization and jet angles altered, no such lag could be noted. The microflaring events, when analyzed as separate pulse emission components, were found to be characterized by a very high PD (>30%) and PAs that differed substantially from the PA of the underlying background component, or from the radio jet positional angle. We discuss the results in the general context of blazar emission and energy dissipation models.

MULTIFREQUENCY PHOTO-POLARIMETRIC WEBT OBSERVATION CAMPAIGN ON THE BLAZAR S5 0716+714: SOURCE MICROVARIABILITY AND SEARCH FOR CHARACTERISTIC TIMESCALES

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bhatta, G.; Stawarz, Ł.; Ostrowski, M. [Astronomical Observatory of Jagiellonian University, ul. Orla 171, 30-244 Krakow (Poland); Markowitz, A. [Center for Astrophysics and Space Sciences, University of California, San Diego, 9500 Gilman Dr., La Jolla, CA 92093-0424 (United States); Akitaya, H. [Hiroshima Astrophysical Science Center, Hiroshima University, Higashi-Hiroshima, Hiroshima 739-8526 (Japan); Arkharov, A. A. [Main (Pulkovo) Astronomical Observatory of RAS, Pulkovskoye shosse, 60, 196140 St. Petersburg (Russian Federation); Bachev, R. [Institute of Astronomy, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, 72, Tsarigradsko Shosse Blvd., 1784 Sofia (Bulgaria); Benítez, E. [Instituto de Astronomía, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico DF (Mexico); Borman, G. A. [Crimean Astrophysical Observatory, P/O Nauchny, Crimea, 298409 (Russian Federation); Carosati, D. [EPT Observatories, Tijarafe, La Palma (Spain); Cason, A. D. [Private address, 105 Glen Pine Trail, Dawnsonville, GA 30534 (United States); Chanishvili, R. [Abastumani Observatory, Mt. Kanobili, 0301 Abastumani, Georgia (United States); Damljanovic, G. [Astronomical Observatory, Volgina 7, 11060 Belgrade (Serbia); Dhalla, S. [Florida International University, Miami, FL 33199 (United States); Frasca, A. [INAF—Osservatorio Astrofisico di Catania (Italy); Hiriart, D. [Instituto de Astronomía, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ensenada (Mexico); Hu, S-M., E-mail: gopalbhatta716@gmail.com [Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Optical Astronomy and Solar-Terrestrial Environment, Institute of Space Sciences, Shandong University at Weihai, 264209 Weihai (China); and others

2016-11-01

Here we report on the results of the Whole Earth Blazar Telescope photo-polarimetric campaign targeting the blazar S5 0716+71, organized in 2014 March to monitor the source simultaneously in BVRI and near-IR filters. The campaign resulted in an unprecedented data set spanning ∼110 hr of nearly continuous, multiband observations, including two sets of densely sampled polarimetric data mainly in the R filter. During the campaign, the source displayed pronounced variability with peak-to-peak variations of about 30% and “bluer-when-brighter” spectral evolution, consisting of a day-timescale modulation with superimposed hour-long microflares characterized by ∼0.1 mag flux changes. We performed an in-depth search for quasi-periodicities in the source light curve; hints for the presence of oscillations on timescales of ∼3 and ∼5 hr do not represent highly significant departures from a pure red-noise power spectrum. We observed that, at a certain configuration of the optical polarization angle (PA) relative to the PA of the innermost radio jet in the source, changes in the polarization degree (PD) led the total flux variability by about 2 hr; meanwhile, when the relative configuration of the polarization and jet angles altered, no such lag could be noted. The microflaring events, when analyzed as separate pulse emission components, were found to be characterized by a very high PD (>30%) and PAs that differed substantially from the PA of the underlying background component, or from the radio jet positional angle. We discuss the results in the general context of blazar emission and energy dissipation models.

A new scheme for urban impervious surface classification from SAR images

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Hongsheng; Lin, Hui; Wang, Yunpeng

2018-05-01

Urban impervious surfaces have been recognized as a significant indicator for various environmental and socio-economic studies. There is an increasingly urgent demand for timely and accurate monitoring of the impervious surfaces with satellite technology from local to global scales. In the past decades, optical remote sensing has been widely employed for this task with various techniques. However, there are still a range of challenges, e.g. handling cloud contamination on optical data. Therefore, the Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) was introduced for the challenging task because it is uniquely all-time- and all-weather-capable. Nevertheless, with an increasing number of SAR data applied, the methodology used for impervious surfaces classification remains unchanged from the methods used for optical datasets. This shortcoming has prevented the community from fully exploring the potential of using SAR data for impervious surfaces classification. We proposed a new scheme that is comparable to the well-known and fundamental Vegetation-Impervious surface-Soil (V-I-S) model for mapping urban impervious surfaces. Three scenes of fully polarimetric Radsarsat-2 data for the cities of Shenzhen, Hong Kong and Macau were employed to test and validate the proposed methodology. Experimental results indicated that the overall accuracy and Kappa coefficient were 96.00% and 0.8808 in Shenzhen, 93.87% and 0.8307 in Hong Kong and 97.48% and 0.9354 in Macau, indicating the applicability and great potential of the new scheme for impervious surfaces classification using polarimetric SAR data. Comparison with the traditional scheme indicated that this new scheme was able to improve the overall accuracy by up to 4.6% and Kappa coefficient by up to 0.18.

Structural Capability of an Organization toward Innovation Capability

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nielsen, Susanne Balslev; Momeni, Mostafa

2016-01-01

The scholars in the field of strategic management have developed two major approaches for attainment of competitive advantage: an approach based on environmental opportunities, and another one based on internal capabilities of an organization. Some investigations in the last two decades have...... indicated that the advantages relying on the internal capabilities of organizations may determine the competitive position of organizations better than environmental opportunities do. Characteristics of firms shows that one of the most internal capabilities that lead the organizations to the strongest...... competitive advantage in the organizations is the innovation capability. The innovation capability is associated with other organizational capabilities, and many organizations have focused on the need to identify innovation capabilities.This research focuses on recognition of the structural aspect...

Spectropolarimetric Imaging Observations

Science.gov (United States)

Bradley, Christine Lavella

The capability to map anthropogenic aerosol quantities and properties over land can provide significant insights for climate and environmental studies on global and regional scales. One of the primary challenges in aerosol information monitoring is separating two signals measured by downward-viewing airborne or spaceborne instruments: the light scattered from the aerosols and light reflected from the Earth's surface. In order to study the aerosols independently, the surface signal needs to be subtracted out from the measurements. Some observational modalities, such as multispectral and multiangle, do not provide enough information to uniquely define the Earth's directional reflectance properties for this task due to the high magnitude and inhomogeneity of albedo for land surface types. Polarization, however, can provide additional information to define surface reflection. To improve upon current measurement capabilities of aerosols over urban areas, Jet Propulsion Laboratory developed the Multiangle SpectroPolarimetric Imager (MSPI) that can accurately measure the Degree of Linear Polarization to 0.5%. In particular, data acquired by the ground-based prototype, GroundMSPI, is used for directional reflectance studies of outdoor surfaces in this dissertation. This work expands upon an existing model, the microfacet model, to characterize the polarized bidirectional reflectance distribution function (pBRDF) of surfaces and validate an assumption, the Spectral Invariance Hypothesis, on the surface pBRDF that is used in aerosol retrieval algorithms. The microfacet model is commonly used to represent the pBRDF of Earth's surface types, such as ocean and land. It represents a roughened surface comprised of randomly oriented facets that specularly reflect incoming light into the upward hemisphere. The analytic form of the pBRDF for this model assumes only a single reflection of light from the microfaceted surface. If the incoming illumination is unpolarized, as it is with

TH-AB-209-12: Tissue Equivalent Phantom with Excised Human Tissue for Assessing Clinical Capabilities of Coherent Scatter Imaging Applications

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Albanese, K; Morris, R; Spencer, J [Medical Physics Graduate Program, Duke University, Durham, NC (United States); Greenberg, J [Dept. of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Duke University, Durham, NC (United States); Kapadia, A [Carl E Ravin Advanced Imaging Laboratories, Durham, NC (United States)

2016-06-15

Purpose: Previously we reported the development of anthropomorphic tissue-equivalent scatter phantoms of the human breast. Here we present the first results from the scatter imaging of the tissue equivalent breast phantoms for breast cancer diagnosis. Methods: A breast phantom was designed to assess the capability of coded aperture coherent x-ray scatter imaging to classify different types of breast tissue (adipose, fibroglandular, tumor). The phantom geometry was obtained from a prone breast geometry scanned on a dedicated breast CT system. The phantom was 3D printed using the segmented DICOM breast CT data. The 3D breast phantom was filled with lard (as a surrogate for adipose tissue) and scanned in different geometries alongside excised human breast tissues (obtained from lumpectomy and mastectomy procedures). The raw data were reconstructed using a model-based reconstruction algorithm and yielded the location and form factor (i.e., momentum transfer (q) spectrum) of the materials that were imaged. The measured material form factors were then compared to the ground truth measurements acquired by x-ray diffraction (XRD) imaging. Results: Our scatter imaging system was able to define the location and composition of the various materials and tissues within the phantom. Cancerous breast tissue was detected and classified through automated spectral matching and an 86% correlation threshold. The total scan time for the sample was approximately 10 minutes and approaches workflow times for clinical use in intra-operative or other diagnostic tasks. Conclusion: This work demonstrates the first results from an anthropomorphic tissue equivalent scatter phantom to characterize a coherent scatter imaging system. The functionality of the system shows promise in applications such as intra-operative margin detection or virtual biopsy in the diagnosis of breast cancer. Future work includes using additional patient-derived tissues (e.g., human fat), and modeling additional organs

Optical biopsy of tissue with Mueller polarimetry: theory and experiments (Conference Presentation)

Science.gov (United States)

Novikova, Tatiana; Meglinski, Igor; Garcia-Caurel, Enric; Bykov, Alexander; Rehbinder, Jean; Deby, Stanislas; Vizet, Jérémy; Pierangelo, Angelo; Moreau, François; Validire, Pierre; Benali, Abdelali; Gayet, Brice; Teig, Benjamin; Nazac, André; Ossikovski, Razvigor

2017-02-01

The rise of optical biopsy as an alternative to classical biopsy is dictated by ongoing technological progress: any type of measurements has to be fast, precise, non-invasive and implemented in-vivo. The use of polarized light for optical biopsy has a long history. As Mueller-Stokes formalism provides the most complete description of polarized light interaction with any type of sample (even depolarizing one) we explored the capabilities of in-house multi-wavelength Mueller imaging polarimeter for the detection of pre-malignancy and malignancy. Our studies were performed with both scattering phantom tissues (in transmission configuration) and specimens of human colon and uterine cervix (in backscattering configuration). For the interpretation of measurement results we decomposed Mueller matrix of a sample into product of elementary Mueller matrices of homogeneous diattenuator, retarder, and depolarizer. This phenomenological approach does not require the exact solution of Maxwell equations and provides the "effective" values of polarimetric properties of sample. Exploring differential Mueller matrix formalism for fluctuating medium we showed that depolarization in homogeneous turbid medium varied parabolically with the pathlength of transmitted light, while the standard deviation of elementary polarization properties of medium depends linearly on the concentration of scatterers. Neither scattering phantoms nor human tissue possessed any measurable diattenuation in backscattering configuration. The polarimetric images of tissue depolarization power, scalar birefringence and orientation of optical axis were compared with the analysis of histological slides. The spectral dependence of depolarization power and scalar birefringence values ascertained the potential of imaging Mueller polarimetry to discriminate healthy and diseased tissue zones.

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.

Effect of Beam Scanning on Target Polarization Scattering Matrix Observed by Fully Polarimetric Phased-array Radar

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Li Mianquan

2016-04-01

Full Text Available The polarization feature of a fully Polarimetric Phased-Array Radar (PPAR antenna varies according to the beam-scanning angle, thereby introducing two problems on the target Polarization Scattering Matrix (PSM measurement. First, the antenna polarization basis is defined within the vertical cross-section of an electromagnetic wave propagation direction, and the polarization basis of each beam direction angle is not identical, resulting in the PSM of a fixed-posture target observed by PPAR being not identical for different beam-scanning angles. Second, the cross polarization of the PPAR antenna increases with increasing beamscanning angle, resulting in a crosstalk among the elements of PSM observed by PPAR. This study focuses on the analysis of the abovementioned two aspects of the effect of beam scanning on target PSM observed by PPAR. The results will establish a more accurate observation of the equation for the precision PSM measurement of PPAR.

Single-photon imaging

CERN Document Server

Seitz, Peter

2011-01-01

The acquisition and interpretation of images is a central capability in almost all scientific and technological domains. In particular, the acquisition of electromagnetic radiation, in the form of visible light, UV, infrared, X-ray, etc. is of enormous practical importance. The ultimate sensitivity in electronic imaging is the detection of individual photons. With this book, the first comprehensive review of all aspects of single-photon electronic imaging has been created. Topics include theoretical basics, semiconductor fabrication, single-photon detection principles, imager design and applications of different spectral domains. Today, the solid-state fabrication capabilities for several types of image sensors has advanced to a point, where uncoooled single-photon electronic imaging will soon become a consumer product. This book is giving a specialist´s view from different domains to the forthcoming “single-photon imaging” revolution. The various aspects of single-photon imaging are treated by internati...

Single-photon imaging

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Seitz, Peter; Theuwissen, Albert J.P.

2011-01-01

The acquisition and interpretation of images is a central capability in almost all scientific and technological domains. In particular, the acquisition of electromagnetic radiation, in the form of visible light, UV, infrared, X-ray, etc. is of enormous practical importance. The ultimate sensitivity in electronic imaging is the detection of individual photons. With this book, the first comprehensive review of all aspects of single-photon electronic imaging has been created. Topics include theoretical basics, semiconductor fabrication, single-photon detection principles, imager design and applications of different spectral domains. Today, the solid-state fabrication capabilities for several types of image sensors has advanced to a point, where uncooled single-photon electronic imaging will soon become a consumer product. This book is giving a specialist's view from different domains to the forthcoming ''single-photon imaging'' revolution. The various aspects of single-photon imaging are treated by internationally renowned, leading scientists and technologists who have all pioneered their respective fields. (orig.)

A Parameterized Inversion Model for Soil Moisture and Biomass from Polarimetric Backscattering Coefficients

Science.gov (United States)

Truong-Loi, My-Linh; Saatchi, Sassan; Jaruwatanadilok, Sermsak

2012-01-01

A semi-empirical algorithm for the retrieval of soil moisture, root mean square (RMS) height and biomass from polarimetric SAR data is explained and analyzed in this paper. The algorithm is a simplification of the distorted Born model. It takes into account the physical scattering phenomenon and has three major components: volume, double-bounce and surface. This simplified model uses the three backscattering coefficients ( sigma HH, sigma HV and sigma vv) at low-frequency (P-band). The inversion process uses the Levenberg-Marquardt non-linear least-squares method to estimate the structural parameters. The estimation process is entirely explained in this paper, from initialization of the unknowns to retrievals. A sensitivity analysis is also done where the initial values in the inversion process are varying randomly. The results show that the inversion process is not really sensitive to initial values and a major part of the retrievals has a root-mean-square error lower than 5% for soil moisture, 24 Mg/ha for biomass and 0.49 cm for roughness, considering a soil moisture of 40%, roughness equal to 3cm and biomass varying from 0 to 500 Mg/ha with a mean of 161 Mg/ha

Research and Development of a portable microfocus x-ray system capable of providing ultra-high resolutions images of improvised explosive devices

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Korkala, G.

1989-01-01

The utilization of x-ray screening has long been a recognized valuable tool as a means to evaluate and identify suspect articles for possible improvised explosive devices. Recent bombings indicate an increase in technical sophistication by the terrorist which demand additional means to further the possibility of detecting these devices before they reach their target or detonate. This paper discusses history of the use of x-ray and the design parameters of a portable micro-focus x-ray system capable of providing ultra high resolution radiographs as well as being able to be used with additional state-of-the-art imaging systems

Binding abilities of a chiral calix[4]resorcinarene: a polarimetric investigation on a complex case of study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marco Russo

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Polarimetry was used to investigate the binding abilities of a chiral calix[4]resorcinarene derivative, bearing L-proline subunits, towards a set of suitably selected organic guests. The simultaneous formation of 1:1 and 2:1 host–guest inclusion complexes was observed in several cases, depending on both the charge status of the host and the structure of the guest. Thus, the use of the polarimetric method was thoroughly revisited, in order to keep into account the occurrence of multiple equilibria. Our data indicate that the stability of the host–guest complexes is affected by an interplay between Coulomb interactions, π–π interactions, desolvation effects and entropy-unfavorable conformational dynamic restraints. Polarimetry is confirmed as a very useful and versatile tool for the investigation of supramolecular interactions with chiral hosts, even in complex systems involving multiple equilibria.

Evaluation of the polarization properties of a Philips-type prism for the construction of imaging polarimeters

Science.gov (United States)

Fernandez-Borda, R.; Waluschka, E.; Pellicori, S.; Martins, J. V.; Ramos-Izquierdo, L.; Cieslak, J. D.; Thompson, P.

2009-08-01

The design and construction of wide FOV imaging polarimeters for use in atmospheric remote sensing requires significant attention to the prevention of artificial polarization induced by the optical elements. Surface, coatings, and angles of incidence throughout the system must be carefully designed in order to minimize these artifacts because the remaining instrumental bias polarization is the main factor which drives the final polarimetric accuracy of the system. In this work, we present a detailed evaluation and analysis to explore the possibility of retrieving the initial polarization state of the light traveling through a generic system that has inherent instrumental polarization. Our case is a wide FOV lens and a splitter device. In particular, we chose as splitter device a Philips-type prism, because it is able to divide the signal in 3 independent channels that could be simultaneously analyze to retrieve the three first elements of the Stoke vector (in atmospheric applications the elliptical polarization can be neglected [1]). The Philips-type configuration is a versatile, compact and robust prism device that is typically used in three color camera systems. It has been used in some commercial polarimetric cameras which do not claim high accuracy polarization measurements [2]. With this work, we address the accuracy of our polarization inversion and measurements made with the Philips-type beam divider.

Security surveillance challenges and proven thermal imaging capabilities in real-world applications

Science.gov (United States)

Francisco, Glen L.; Roberts, Sharon

2004-09-01

Uncooled thermal imaging was first introduced to the public in early 1980's by Raytheon (legacy Texas Instruments Defense Segment Electronics Group) as a solution for military applications. Since the introduction of this technology, Raytheon has remained the leader in this market as well as introduced commercial versions of thermal imaging products specifically designed for security, law enforcement, fire fighting, automotive and industrial uses. Today, low cost thermal imaging for commercial use in security applications is a reality. Organizations of all types have begun to understand the advantages of using thermal imaging as a means to solve common surveillance problems where other popular technologies fall short. Thermal imaging has proven to be a successful solution for common security needs such as: ¸ vision at night where lighting is undesired and 24x7 surveillance is needed ¸ surveillance over waterways, lakes and ports where water and lighting options are impractical ¸ surveillance through challenging weather conditions where other technologies will be challenged by atmospheric particulates ¸ low maintenance requirements due to remote or difficult locations ¸ low cost over life of product Thermal imaging is now a common addition to the integrated security package. Companies are relying on thermal imaging for specific applications where no other technology can perform.

Super-resolution post-processing for satellites with yaw-steering capability

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Van den Dool, R

2012-10-01

Full Text Available We describe a method for improving Earth observation satellite image resolution, for specific areas of interest where the sensor design resolution is insufficient. Our method may be used for satellites with yaw-steering capability, such as Nigeria...

Imaging and Non-Imaging Polarimetric Methods for Remote Sensing

Science.gov (United States)

2016-02-09

Unlimited 13. SUPPLEMENTARY NOTES 14. ABSTRACT During the lifetime of this project, the research team signi˝cantly advanced the state of...2015 ABSTRACT During the lifetime of this project, the research team signicantly advanced the state of understanding of modu- lated polarimeter systems...only four measurements are required to uniquely invert Eq. 3.4. However, it is common to employ more than 4 measurements in order to help improve the

Neutron imaging and applications a reference for the imaging community

CERN Document Server

McGreevy, Robert L; Bilheux, Hassina Z

2009-01-01

Offers an introduction to the basics of neutron beam production in addition to the wide scope of techniques that enhance imaging application capabilities. This title features a section that describes imaging single grains in polycrystalline materials, neutron imaging of geological materials and other materials science and engineering areas.

Impact of Personnel Capabilities on Organizational Innovation Capability

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nielsen, Susanne Balslev; Momeni, Mostafa

2016-01-01

in this rapidly changing world. This research focuses on definition of the personnel aspect of innovation capability, and proposes a conceptual model based on the scientific articles of academic literature on organisations innovation capability. This paper includes an expert based validation in three rounds...... of the Delphi method. And for the purpose of a better appreciation of the relationship dominating the factors of the model, it has distributed the questionnaire to Iranian companies in the Food industry. This research proposed a direct relationship between Innovation Capability and the Personnel Capability...

Multi-Angle Imager for Aerosols (MAIA) Investigation of Airborne Particle Health Impacts

Science.gov (United States)

Diner, D. J.

2016-12-01

Airborne particulate matter (PM) is a well-known cause of heart disease, cardiovascular and respiratory illness, low birth weight, and lung cancer. The Global Burden of Disease (GBD) Study ranks PM as a major environmental risk factor worldwide. Global maps of PM2.5concentrations derived from satellite instruments, including MISR and MODIS, have provided key contributions to the GBD and many other health-related investigations. Although it is well established that PM exposure increases the risks of mortality and morbidity, our understanding of the relative toxicity of specific PM types is relatively poor. To address this, the Multi-Angle Imager for Aerosols (MAIA) investigation was proposed to NASA's third Earth Venture Instrument (EVI-3) solicitation. The satellite instrument that is part of the investigation is a multiangle, multispectral, and polarimetric camera system based on the first and second generation Airborne Multiangle SpectroPolarimetric Imagers, AirMSPI and AirMSPI-2. MAIA was selected for funding in March 2016. Estimates of the abundances of different aerosol types from the WRF-Chem model will be combined with MAIA instrument data. Geostatistical models derived from collocated surface and MAIA retrievals will then be used to relate retrieved fractional column aerosol optical depths to near-surface concentrations of major PM constituents, including sulfate, nitrate, organic carbon, black carbon, and dust. Epidemiological analyses of geocoded birth, death, and hospital records will be used to associate exposure to PM types with adverse health outcomes. MAIA launch is planned for early in the next decade. The MAIA instrument incorporates a pair of cameras on a two-axis gimbal to provide regional multiangle observations of selected, globally distributed target areas. Primary Target Areas (PTAs) on five continents are chosen to include major population centers covering a range of PM concentrations and particle types, surface-based aerosol sunphotometers

Theoretical assessment of the potential to deduce microphysical characteristics of ice clouds from polarimetric radar measurements at 95 GHz; Theoretische Untersuchungen zur Ableitung mikrophysikalischer Parameter von Eiswolken aus polarimetrischen Radarmessungen bei 95 GHz

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lemke, H.M. [GKSS-Forschungszentrum Geesthacht GmbH (Germany). Inst. fuer Atmosphaerenphysik

2000-07-01

The potential of polarimetric radar measurements at 95 GHz to derive microphysical cloud characteristics is assessed. Scattering by atmospheric ice crystals is calculated applying the discrete dipole approximation (DDA) for single crystals of various shape, size, and orientation. The results are combined to acquire radar signals for collections of particles representing the radar volume. Expressing the particle size with respect to the radius of a volume equivalent sphere, the co-plar reflectivity is only slightly affected by particle shape variations. Thus, keeping the limitations of such an approach in mind, the simplified representation of crystals as spheres is applicable. On the other hand, the signal is strongly influenced by the particle size and the total ice water content. Polarimetric radar parameters like linear depolarisation ratio and differential reflectivity are almost independent of size and ice water content. They are predominantly affected by the crystal shape and orientation and therefore have a potential to deduce information about ice crystal habits. Unfortunately, to date such measurements are subject to technical restrictions. (orig.)

Polarimetric receiver in the forty gigahertz band: new instrument for the Q-U-I joint Tenerife experiment

Science.gov (United States)

Villa, Enrique; Cano, Juan L.; Aja, Beatriz; Terán, J. Vicente; de la Fuente, Luisa; Mediavilla, Ángel; Artal, Eduardo

2018-03-01

This paper describes the analysis, design and characterization of a polarimetric receiver developed for covering the 35 to 47 GHz frequency band in the new instrument aimed at completing the ground-based Q-U-I Joint Tenerife Experiment. This experiment is designed to measure polarization in the Cosmic Microwave Background. The described high frequency instrument is a HEMT-based array composed of 29 pixels. A thorough analysis of the behaviour of the proposed receiver, based on electronic phase switching, is presented for a noise-like linearly polarized input signal, obtaining simultaneously I, Q and U Stokes parameters of the input signal. Wideband subsystems are designed, assembled and characterized for the polarimeter. Their performances are described showing appropriate results within the 35-to-47 GHz frequency band. Functionality tests are performed at room and cryogenic temperatures with adequate results for both temperature conditions, which validate the receiver concept and performance.

Depth-resolved ballistic imaging in a low-depth-of-field optical Kerr gated imaging system

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zheng, Yipeng; Tan, Wenjiang, E-mail: tanwenjiang@mail.xjtu.edu.cn; Si, Jinhai; Ren, YuHu; Xu, Shichao; Hou, Xun [Key Laboratory for Physical Electronics and Devices of the Ministry of Education and Shaanxi Key Lab of Information Photonic Technique, School of Electronics and Information Engineering, Xi' an Jiaotong University, Xianning-xilu 28, Xi' an 710049 (China); Tong, Junyi [Departments of Applied Physics, Xi' an University of Technology, Xi' an 710048 (China)

2016-09-07

We demonstrate depth-resolved imaging in a ballistic imaging system, in which a heterodyned femtosecond optical Kerr gate is introduced to extract useful imaging photons for detecting an object hidden in turbid media and a compound lens is proposed to ensure both the depth-resolved imaging capability and the long working distance. Two objects of about 15-μm widths hidden in a polystyrene-sphere suspension have been successfully imaged with approximately 600-μm depth resolution. Modulation-transfer-function curves with the object in and away from the object plane have also been measured to confirm the depth-resolved imaging capability of the low-depth-of-field (low-DOF) ballistic imaging system. This imaging approach shows potential for application in research of the internal structure of highly scattering fuel spray.

Dictionary-enhanced imaging cytometry

Science.gov (United States)

Orth, Antony; Schaak, Diane; Schonbrun, Ethan

2017-02-01

State-of-the-art high-throughput microscopes are now capable of recording image data at a phenomenal rate, imaging entire microscope slides in minutes. In this paper we investigate how a large image set can be used to perform automated cell classification and denoising. To this end, we acquire an image library consisting of over one quarter-million white blood cell (WBC) nuclei together with CD15/CD16 protein expression for each cell. We show that the WBC nucleus images alone can be used to replicate CD expression-based gating, even in the presence of significant imaging noise. We also demonstrate that accurate estimates of white blood cell images can be recovered from extremely noisy images by comparing with a reference dictionary. This has implications for dose-limited imaging when samples belong to a highly restricted class such as a well-studied cell type. Furthermore, large image libraries may endow microscopes with capabilities beyond their hardware specifications in terms of sensitivity and resolution. We call for researchers to crowd source large image libraries of common cell lines to explore this possibility.

Capability Paternalism

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Claassen, R.J.G.|info:eu-repo/dai/nl/269266224

A capability approach prescribes paternalist government actions to the extent that it requires the promotion of specific functionings, instead of the corresponding capabilities. Capability theorists have argued that their theories do not have much of these paternalist implications, since promoting

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.

Development of an MR-compatible hand exoskeleton that is capable of providing interactive robotic rehabilitation during fMRI imaging.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Sangjoon J; Kim, Yeongjin; Lee, Hyosang; Ghasemlou, Pouya; Kim, Jung

2018-02-01

Following advances in robotic rehabilitation, there have been many efforts to investigate the recovery process and effectiveness of robotic rehabilitation procedures through monitoring the activation status of the brain. This work presents the development of a two degree-of-freedom (DoF) magnetic resonance (MR)-compatible hand device that can perform robotic rehabilitation procedures inside an fMRI scanner. The device is capable of providing real-time monitoring of the joint angle, angular velocity, and joint force produced by the metacarpophalangeal (MCP) and proximal interphalangeal (PIP) joints of four fingers. For force measurement, a custom reflective optical force sensor was developed and characterized in terms of accuracy error, hysteresis, and repeatability in the MR environment. The proposed device consists of two non-magnetic ultrasonic motors to provide assistive and resistive forces to the MCP and PIP joints. With actuation and sensing capabilities, both non-voluntary-passive movements and active-voluntary movements can be implemented. The MR compatibility of the device was verified via the analysis of the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of MR images of phantoms. SNR drops of 0.25, 2.94, and 11.82% were observed when the device was present but not activated, when only the custom force sensor was activated, and when both the custom force sensor and actuators were activated, respectively.

Magnetic nanosensor particles in luminescence upconversion capability.

Science.gov (United States)

Wilhelm, Stefan; Hirsch, Thomas; Scheucher, Elisabeth; Mayr, Torsten; Wolfbeis, Otto S

2011-09-05

Nanoparticles (NPs) exhibit interesting size-dependent electrical, optical, magnetic, and chemical properties that cannot be observed in their bulk counterparts. The synthesis of NPs (i.e., crystalline particles ranging in size from 1 to 100 nm) has been intensely studied in the past decades. Magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) form a particularly attractive class of NPs and have found numerous applications such as in magnetic resonance imaging to visualize cancer, cardiovascular, neurological and other diseases. Other uses include drug targeting, tissue imaging, magnetic immobilization, hyperthermia, and magnetic resonance imaging. MNPs, due to their magnetic properties, can be easily separated from (often complex) matrices and manipulated by applying external magnetic field. Near-infrared to visible upconversion luminescent nanoparticles (UCLNPs) form another type of unusual nanoparticles. They are capable of emitting visible light upon NIR light excitation. Lanthanide-doped (Yb, Er) hexagonal NaYF₄ UCLNPs are the most efficient upconversion phosphors known up to now. The use of UCLNPs for in vitro imaging of cancer cells and in vivo imaging in tissues has been demonstrated. UCLNPs show great potential as a new class of luminophores for biological, biomedical, and sensor applications. We are reporting here on our first results on the combination of MNP and UCLNP technology within an ongoing project supported by the DFG and the FWF (Austria).

Impact of Reducing Polarimetric SAR Input on the Uncertainty of Crop Classifications Based on the Random Forests Algorithm

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Loosvelt, Lien; Peters, Jan; Skriver, Henning

2012-01-01

Although the use of multidate polarimetric synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data for highly accurate land cover classification has been acknowledged in the literature, the high dimensionality of the data set remains a major issue. This study presents two different strategies to reduce the number...... acquired by the Danish EMISAR on four dates within the period April to July in 1998. The predictive capacity of each feature is analyzed by the importance score generated by random forests (RF). Results show that according to the variation in importance score over time, a distinction can be made between...... general and specific features for crop classification. Based on the importance ranking, features are gradually removed from the single-date data sets in order to construct several multidate data sets with decreasing dimensionality. In the accuracy-oriented and efficiency-oriented reduction, the input...

Quantitative luminescence imaging system

Science.gov (United States)

Erwin, David N.; Kiel, Johnathan L.; Batishko, Charles R.; Stahl, Kurt A.

1990-01-01

The QLIS images and quantifies low-level chemiluminescent reactions in an electromagnetic field. It is capable of real time nonperturbing measurement and simultaneous recording of many biochemical and chemical reactions such as luminescent immunoassays or enzyme assays. The system comprises image transfer optics, a low-light level digitizing camera with image intensifying microchannel plates, an image process or, and a control computer. The image transfer optics may be a fiber image guide with a bend, or a microscope, to take the light outside of the RF field. Output of the camera is transformed into a localized rate of cumulative digitalized data or enhanced video display or hard-copy images. The system may be used as a luminescent microdosimetry device for radiofrequency or microwave radiation, as a thermal dosimeter, or in the dosimetry of ultra-sound (sonoluminescence) or ionizing radiation. It provides a near-real-time system capable of measuring the extremely low light levels from luminescent reactions in electromagnetic fields in the areas of chemiluminescence assays and thermal microdosimetry, and is capable of near-real-time imaging of the sample to allow spatial distribution analysis of the reaction. It can be used to instrument three distinctly different irradiation configurations, comprising (1) RF waveguide irradiation of a small Petri-dish-shaped sample cell, (2) RF irradiation of samples in a microscope for the microscopie imaging and measurement, and (3) RF irradiation of small to human body-sized samples in an anechoic chamber.

High-resolution optical polarimetric elastography for measuring the mechanical properties of tissue

Science.gov (United States)

Hudnut, Alexa W.; Armani, Andrea M.

2018-02-01

Traditionally, chemical and molecular markers have been the predominate method in diagnostics. Recently, alternate methods of determining tissue and disease characteristics have been proposed based on testing the mechanical behavior of biomaterials. Existing methods for performing elastography measurements, such as atomic force microscopy, compression testing, and ultrasound elastography, require either extensive sample processing or have poor resolution. In the present work, we demonstrate an optical polarimetric elastography device to characterize the mechanical properties of salmon skeletal muscle. A fiber-coupled 1550nm laser paired with an optical polarizer is used to create a fiber optic sensing region. By measuring the change in polarization from the initial state to the final state within the fiber sensing region with a polarimeter, the loading-unloading curves can be determined for the biomaterial. The device is used to characterize the difference between samples with a range of collagen membranes. The loading-unloading curves are used to determine the change in polarization phase and energy loss of the samples at 10%, 20% and 30% strain. As expected, the energy loss is a better metric for measuring the mechanical properties of the tissues because it incorporates the entire loading-unloading curve rather than a single point. Using this metric, it is demonstrated the device can repeatedly differentiate between the different membrane configurations.

Automated Cart with VIS/NIR Hyperspectral Reflectance and Fluorescence Imaging Capabilities

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alan M. Lefcourt

2016-12-01

Full Text Available A system to take high-resolution Visible/Near Infra-Red (VIS/NIR hyperspectral reflectance and fluorescence images in outdoor fields using ambient lighting or a pulsed laser (355 nm, respectively, for illumination purposes was designed, built, and tested. Components of the system include a semi-autonomous cart, a gated-intensified camera, a spectral adapter, a frequency-triple Nd:YAG (Neodymium-doped Yttrium Aluminium Garnet laser, and optics to convert the Gaussian laser beam into a line-illumination source. The front wheels of the cart are independently powered by stepper motors that support stepping or continuous motion. When stepping, a spreadsheet is used to program parameters of image sets to be acquired at each step. For example, the spreadsheet can be used to set delays before the start of image acquisitions, acquisition times, and laser attenuation. One possible use of this functionality would be to establish acquisition parameters to facilitate the measurement of fluorescence decay-curve characteristics. The laser and camera are mounted on an aluminum plate that allows the optics to be calibrated in a laboratory setting and then moved to the cart. The system was validated by acquiring images of fluorescence responses of spinach leaves and dairy manure.

Prognosis parameters and polarimetric properties of erythrocytes of the patients suffering from arterial hypertension and coronary heart disease at various patterns of left ventricular remodeling

Science.gov (United States)

Ivaschuk, Oleg I.; Kolomoiets, M. Y.; Mikhaliev, K. O.; Chursina, T. Ya.

2011-09-01

The results of examination of 35 arterial hypertension and coronary heart disease patients are presented. The clinical, paraclinical and echocardiographic examinations were performed, and the parameters of prognosis (survival) according to Seattle Heart Failure Model, as well as the optical (polarimetric) properties of erythrocytic suspension were determined. The group of patients under examination was stratified by patterns of remodeling of left ventricle (LV). It was determined that increasing of anisotropy of erythrocytic suspension along LV remodeling patterns continuum correlates with aggravation of structural and functional state of LV and is associated with unfavorable prognosis.

Meterwavelength Single-pulse Polarimetric Emission Survey. III. The Phenomenon of Nulling in Pulsars

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Basu, Rahul; Mitra, Dipanjan; Melikidze, George I., E-mail: rahulbasu.astro@gmail.com [Janusz Gil Institute of Astronomy, University of Zielona Góra, ul. Szafrana 2, 65–516 Zielona Góra (Poland)

2017-09-10

A detailed analysis of nulling was conducted for the pulsars studied in the Meterwavelength Single-pulse Polarimetric Emission Survey. We characterized nulling in 36 pulsars including 17 pulsars where the phenomenon was reported for the first time. The most dominant nulls lasted for a short duration, less than five periods. Longer duration nulls extending to hundreds of periods were also seen in some cases. A careful analysis showed the presence of periodicities in the transition from the null to the burst states in 11 pulsars. In our earlier work, fluctuation spectrum analysis showed multiple periodicities in 6 of these 11 pulsars. We demonstrate that the longer periodicity in each case was associated with nulling. The shorter periodicities usually originate from subpulse drifting. The nulling periodicities were more aligned with the periodic amplitude modulation, indicating a possible common origin for both. The most prevalent nulls last for a single period and can be potentially explained using random variations affecting the plasma processes in the pulsar magnetosphere. On the other hand, longer-duration nulls require changes in the pair-production processes, which need an external triggering mechanism for the changes. The presence of periodic nulling puts an added constraint on the triggering mechanism, which also needs to be periodic.

Insertion of the human sodium iodide symporter to facilitate deep tissue imaging does not alter oncolytic or replication capability of a novel vaccinia virus

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mittra Arjun

2011-03-01

Full Text Available Abstract Introduction Oncolytic viruses show promise for treating cancer. However, to assess therapeutic efficacy and potential toxicity, a noninvasive imaging modality is needed. This study aimed to determine if insertion of the human sodium iodide symporter (hNIS cDNA as a marker for non-invasive imaging of virotherapy alters the replication and oncolytic capability of a novel vaccinia virus, GLV-1h153. Methods GLV-1h153 was modified from parental vaccinia virus GLV-1h68 to carry hNIS via homologous recombination. GLV-1h153 was tested against human pancreatic cancer cell line PANC-1 for replication via viral plaque assays and flow cytometry. Expression and transportation of hNIS in infected cells was evaluated using Westernblot and immunofluorescence. Intracellular uptake of radioiodide was assessed using radiouptake assays. Viral cytotoxicity and tumor regression of treated PANC-1tumor xenografts in nude mice was also determined. Finally, tumor radiouptake in xenografts was assessed via positron emission tomography (PET utilizing carrier-free 124I radiotracer. Results GLV-1h153 infected, replicated within, and killed PANC-1 cells as efficiently as GLV-1h68. GLV-1h153 provided dose-dependent levels of hNIS expression in infected cells. Immunofluorescence detected transport of the protein to the cell membrane prior to cell lysis, enhancing hNIS-specific radiouptake (P In vivo, GLV-1h153 was as safe and effective as GLV-1h68 in regressing pancreatic cancer xenografts (P 124I-PET. Conclusion Insertion of the hNIS gene does not hinder replication or oncolytic capability of GLV-1h153, rendering this novel virus a promising new candidate for the noninvasive imaging and tracking of oncolytic viral therapy.

Microscopy image segmentation tool: Robust image data analysis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Valmianski, Ilya, E-mail: ivalmian@ucsd.edu; Monton, Carlos; Schuller, Ivan K. [Department of Physics and Center for Advanced Nanoscience, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, California 92093 (United States)

2014-03-15

We present a software package called Microscopy Image Segmentation Tool (MIST). MIST is designed for analysis of microscopy images which contain large collections of small regions of interest (ROIs). Originally developed for analysis of porous anodic alumina scanning electron images, MIST capabilities have been expanded to allow use in a large variety of problems including analysis of biological tissue, inorganic and organic film grain structure, as well as nano- and meso-scopic structures. MIST provides a robust segmentation algorithm for the ROIs, includes many useful analysis capabilities, and is highly flexible allowing incorporation of specialized user developed analysis. We describe the unique advantages MIST has over existing analysis software. In addition, we present a number of diverse applications to scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, magnetic force microscopy, scanning tunneling microscopy, and fluorescent confocal laser scanning microscopy.

Microscopy image segmentation tool: Robust image data analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Valmianski, Ilya; Monton, Carlos; Schuller, Ivan K.

2014-03-01

We present a software package called Microscopy Image Segmentation Tool (MIST). MIST is designed for analysis of microscopy images which contain large collections of small regions of interest (ROIs). Originally developed for analysis of porous anodic alumina scanning electron images, MIST capabilities have been expanded to allow use in a large variety of problems including analysis of biological tissue, inorganic and organic film grain structure, as well as nano- and meso-scopic structures. MIST provides a robust segmentation algorithm for the ROIs, includes many useful analysis capabilities, and is highly flexible allowing incorporation of specialized user developed analysis. We describe the unique advantages MIST has over existing analysis software. In addition, we present a number of diverse applications to scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, magnetic force microscopy, scanning tunneling microscopy, and fluorescent confocal laser scanning microscopy.

Microscopy image segmentation tool: Robust image data analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Valmianski, Ilya; Monton, Carlos; Schuller, Ivan K.

2014-01-01

We present a software package called Microscopy Image Segmentation Tool (MIST). MIST is designed for analysis of microscopy images which contain large collections of small regions of interest (ROIs). Originally developed for analysis of porous anodic alumina scanning electron images, MIST capabilities have been expanded to allow use in a large variety of problems including analysis of biological tissue, inorganic and organic film grain structure, as well as nano- and meso-scopic structures. MIST provides a robust segmentation algorithm for the ROIs, includes many useful analysis capabilities, and is highly flexible allowing incorporation of specialized user developed analysis. We describe the unique advantages MIST has over existing analysis software. In addition, we present a number of diverse applications to scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, magnetic force microscopy, scanning tunneling microscopy, and fluorescent confocal laser scanning microscopy

GOTCHA experience report: three-dimensional SAR imaging with complete circular apertures

Science.gov (United States)

Ertin, Emre; Austin, Christian D.; Sharma, Samir; Moses, Randolph L.; Potter, Lee C.

2007-04-01

We study circular synthetic aperture radar (CSAR) systems collecting radar backscatter measurements over a complete circular aperture of 360 degrees. This study is motivated by the GOTCHA CSAR data collection experiment conducted by the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL). Circular SAR provides wide-angle information about the anisotropic reflectivity of the scattering centers in the scene, and also provides three dimensional information about the location of the scattering centers due to a non planar collection geometry. Three dimensional imaging results with single pass circular SAR data reveals that the 3D resolution of the system is poor due to the limited persistence of the reflectors in the scene. We present results on polarimetric processing of CSAR data and illustrate reasoning of three dimensional shape from multi-view layover using prior information about target scattering mechanisms. Next, we discuss processing of multipass (CSAR) data and present volumetric imaging results with IFSAR and three dimensional backprojection techniques on the GOTCHA data set. We observe that the volumetric imaging with GOTCHA data is degraded by aliasing and high sidelobes due to nonlinear flightpaths and sparse and unequal sampling in elevation. We conclude with a model based technique that resolves target features and enhances the volumetric imagery by extrapolating the phase history data using the estimated model.

Applications of digital image analysis capability in Idaho

Science.gov (United States)

Johnson, K. A.

1981-01-01

The use of digital image analysis of LANDSAT imagery in water resource assessment is discussed. The data processing systems employed are described. The determination of urban land use conversion of agricultural land in two southwestern Idaho counties involving estimation and mapping of crop types and of irrigated land is described. The system was also applied to an inventory of irrigated cropland in the Snake River basin and establishment of a digital irrigation water source/service area data base for the basin. Application of the system to a determination of irrigation development in the Big Lost River basin as part of a hydrologic survey of the basin is also described.

Building EOS capability for Malaysia - the options

Science.gov (United States)

Subari, M. D.; Hassan, A.

2014-06-01

Earth observation satellite (EOS) is currently a major tool to monitor earth dynamics and increase human understanding of earth surface process. Since the early 80s, Malaysia has been using EOS images for various applications, such as weather forecasting, land use mapping, agriculture, environment monitoring and others. Until now, all EOS images were obtained from foreign satellite systems. Realising on the strategic need of having its own capability, Malaysia embarked into EOS development programs in the early 90s. Starting with TiungSAT-1, a micro-satellite carrying small camera, then followed by RazakSAT, a small satellite carrying 2.5 m panchromatic (PAN) medium-aperture-camera, the current satellite program development, the RazakSAT-2, designed to carry a 1.0 m high resolution PAN and 4.0m multi-spectral camera, would become a strategic initiative of the government in developing and accelerating the nation's capability in the area of satellite technology and its application. Would this effort continue until all needs of the remote sensing community being fulfilled by its own EOS? This paper will analyze the intention of the Malaysian government through its National Space Policy and other related policy documents, and proposes some policy options on this. Key factors to be considered are specific data need of the EOS community, data availability and the more subjective political motivations such as national pride.

Microwave imaging

CERN Document Server

Pastorino, Matteo

2010-01-01

An introduction to the most relevant theoretical and algorithmic aspects of modern microwave imaging approaches Microwave imaging-a technique used in sensing a given scene by means of interrogating microwaves-has recently proven its usefulness in providing excellent diagnostic capabilities in several areas, including civil and industrial engineering, nondestructive testing and evaluation, geophysical prospecting, and biomedical engineering. Microwave Imaging offers comprehensive descriptions of the most important techniques so far proposed for short-range microwave imaging-in

Dynamic capabilities, Marketing Capability and Organizational Performance

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Adriana Roseli Wünsch Takahashi

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The goal of the study is to investigate the influence of dynamic capabilities on organizational performance and the role of marketing capabilities as a mediator in this relationship in the context of private HEIs in Brazil. As a research method we carried out a survey with 316 IES and data analysis was operationalized with the technique of structural equation modeling. The results indicate that the dynamic capabilities have influence on organizational performance only when mediated by marketing ability. The marketing capability has an important role in the survival, growth and renewal on educational services offerings for HEIs in private sector, and consequently in organizational performance. It is also demonstrated that mediated relationship is more intense for HEI with up to 3,000 students and other organizational profile variables such as amount of courses, the constitution, the type of institution and type of education do not significantly alter the results.

A Novel Fusion-Based Ship Detection Method from Pol-SAR Images

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wenguang Wang

2015-09-01

Full Text Available A novel fusion-based ship detection method from polarimetric Synthetic Aperture Radar (Pol-SAR images is proposed in this paper. After feature extraction and constant false alarm rate (CFAR detection, the detection results of HH channel, diplane scattering by Pauli decomposition and helical factor by Barnes decomposition are fused together. The confirmed targets and potential target pixels can be obtained after the fusion process. Using the difference degree of the target, potential target pixels can be classified. The fusion-based ship detection method works accurately by utilizing three different features comprehensively. The result of applying the technique to measured Airborne Synthetic Radar (AIRSAR data shows that the novel detection method can achieve better performance in both ship’s detection and ship’s shape preservation compared to the result of K-means clustering method and the Notch Filter method.

Development of a Vision-Based Situational Awareness Capability for Unmanned Surface Vessels

Science.gov (United States)

2017-09-01

camera), which is similar to the movement of the ship in the electro-optics (EO) video imagery. An image of the model representing the ship with a...with both color video imagery and infrared video imagery, and the results obtained from processing the images demonstrated the viability of using this...situational awareness capability, which is required to achieve autonomous navigation. The algorithm was tested with both color video imagery and infrared

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

Sandia Laboratories technical capabilities. Auxiliary capabilities: environmental health information science

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1975-09-01

Sandia Laboratories is an engineering laboratory in which research, development, testing, and evaluation capabilities are integrated by program management for the generation of advanced designs. In fulfilling its primary responsibility to ERDA, Sandia Laboratories has acquired extensive research and development capabilities. The purpose of this series of documents is to catalog the many technical capabilities of the Laboratories. After the listing of capabilities, supporting information is provided in the form of highlights, which show applications. This document deals with auxiliary capabilities, in particular, environmental health and information science. (11 figures, 1 table) (RWR)

MODERN CAPABILITIES OF BREAST PATHOLOGY DIAGNOSTICS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

I. V. Vysotskaya

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Every year more than 1 million new cases of breast cancer are being recorded worldwide. Choice of appropriate tactics of treatment depends on the timely diagnosis and correct assessment of the prevalence of cancer.The algorithm of patient»s examination includes clinical examination, X-ray mammography and ultrasonic diagnosis of breast. However, this is not sufficient for a complete interpretation of the patient»s condition in case of non-palpable breast formations, ambiguous interpretation of imaging under structural changes, increased density of breast tissue, etc.In this regard, the introduction of new technologies and their evaluation in terms of practicality is a logical and developing method of early diagnosis of breast pathology.One of the methods that enables enhancing the information capability of ultrasonic diagnosis of breast is elastography. It allows for the differential diagnosis of benign and malignant changes not only in the breast tissue, but also in the areas of regional lymph drainage.Promising method of modern diagnostic breast care is digital mammography tomosynthesis. However, in spite of the first and very optimisticdata, this technique is still far from standard.Complex diagnostics of breast pathology, in addition to clinical data and imaging results, are based on information obtained from biopsies. At the present stage core-biopsy is considered as the best way of verification, where the resulting material is subjected to immunohistochemical studies.Thus, the spectrum of diagnostic capabilities is constantly expanding. Highly informative techniques included in the daily practice today enable clinicians to achieve optimal results in curing even greater number of patients.

Tissue polarimetry: concepts, challenges, applications, and outlook.

Science.gov (United States)

Ghosh, Nirmalya; Vitkin, I Alex

2011-11-01

Polarimetry has a long and successful history in various forms of clear media. Driven by their biomedical potential, the use of the polarimetric approaches for biological tissue assessment has also recently received considerable attention. Specifically, polarization can be used as an effective tool to discriminate against multiply scattered light (acting as a gating mechanism) in order to enhance contrast and to improve tissue imaging resolution. Moreover, the intrinsic tissue polarimetry characteristics contain a wealth of morphological and functional information of potential biomedical importance. However, in a complex random medium-like tissue, numerous complexities due to multiple scattering and simultaneous occurrences of many scattering and polarization events present formidable challenges both in terms of accurate measurements and in terms of analysis of the tissue polarimetry signal. In order to realize the potential of the polarimetric approaches for tissue imaging and characterization/diagnosis, a number of researchers are thus pursuing innovative solutions to these challenges. In this review paper, we summarize these and other issues pertinent to the polarized light methodologies in tissues. Specifically, we discuss polarized light basics, Stokes-Muller formalism, methods of polarization measurements, polarized light modeling in turbid media, applications to tissue imaging, inverse analysis for polarimetric results quantification, applications to quantitative tissue assessment, etc.

Photometric and polarimetric variability and mass-loss rate of the massive binary Wolf-Rayet star HDE 311884 (WN6 + 05: V)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moffat, A.F.J.; Drissen, L.; Robert, C.; Lamontagne, R.; Coziol, R.

1990-01-01

Photometric and polarimetric monitoring of the Wolf-Rayet (W-R) + O-type binary system HDE 311884 = WR 47 over many orbital cycles shows the clear effects of phase-dependent electron scattering of O-star light as the orbiting O companion shines through varying column density of W-R stellar wind material. In contrast to this wind-type eclipse, the stars themselves do not quite eclipse. Both photometry and polarimetry give a consistent estimate of the mass-loss rate of the W-R component: at about 0.00003 solar mass/yr. The orbital inclination, i = 70 deg, along with the previously published velocity orbit, yields high masses: M(WN6) = 48 solar masses and M(O5:V) = 57 solar masses. 33 refs

VIP: Vortex Image Processing Package for High-contrast Direct Imaging

Science.gov (United States)

Gomez Gonzalez, Carlos Alberto; Wertz, Olivier; Absil, Olivier; Christiaens, Valentin; Defrère, Denis; Mawet, Dimitri; Milli, Julien; Absil, Pierre-Antoine; Van Droogenbroeck, Marc; Cantalloube, Faustine; Hinz, Philip M.; Skemer, Andrew J.; Karlsson, Mikael; Surdej, Jean

2017-07-01

We present the Vortex Image Processing (VIP) library, a python package dedicated to astronomical high-contrast imaging. Our package relies on the extensive python stack of scientific libraries and aims to provide a flexible framework for high-contrast data and image processing. In this paper, we describe the capabilities of VIP related to processing image sequences acquired using the angular differential imaging (ADI) observing technique. VIP implements functionalities for building high-contrast data processing pipelines, encompassing pre- and post-processing algorithms, potential source position and flux estimation, and sensitivity curve generation. Among the reference point-spread function subtraction techniques for ADI post-processing, VIP includes several flavors of principal component analysis (PCA) based algorithms, such as annular PCA and incremental PCA algorithms capable of processing big datacubes (of several gigabytes) on a computer with limited memory. Also, we present a novel ADI algorithm based on non-negative matrix factorization, which comes from the same family of low-rank matrix approximations as PCA and provides fairly similar results. We showcase the ADI capabilities of the VIP library using a deep sequence on HR 8799 taken with the LBTI/LMIRCam and its recently commissioned L-band vortex coronagraph. Using VIP, we investigated the presence of additional companions around HR 8799 and did not find any significant additional point source beyond the four known planets. VIP is available at http://github.com/vortex-exoplanet/VIP and is accompanied with Jupyter notebook tutorials illustrating the main functionalities of the library.

Extending the imaging volume for biometric iris recognition.

Science.gov (United States)

Narayanswamy, Ramkumar; Johnson, Gregory E; Silveira, Paulo E X; Wach, Hans B

2005-02-10

The use of the human iris as a biometric has recently attracted significant interest in the area of security applications. The need to capture an iris without active user cooperation places demands on the optical system. Unlike a traditional optical design, in which a large imaging volume is traded off for diminished imaging resolution and capacity for collecting light, Wavefront Coded imaging is a computational imaging technology capable of expanding the imaging volume while maintaining an accurate and robust iris identification capability. We apply Wavefront Coded imaging to extend the imaging volume of the iris recognition application.

Surveys and Analysis of RFI in The Smos Context

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Skou, Niels; Balling, Jan E.; Søbjærg, Sten Schmidl

2010-01-01

Several soil moisture and sea salinity campaigns, including airborne L-band radiometer measurements, have been carried out in preparation for the ESA Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) mission. The radiometer used in this context is fully polarimetric and is capable of detecting Radio...

Microphysical Structures of Hurricane Irma Observed by Polarimetric Radar

Science.gov (United States)

Didlake, A. C.; Kumjian, M. R.

2017-12-01

This study examines dual-polarization radar observations of Hurricane Irma as its center passed near the WSR-88D radar in Puerto Rico, capturing needed microphysical information of a mature tropical cyclone. Twenty hours of observations continuously sampled the inner core precipitation features. These data were analyzed by annuli and azimuth, providing a bulk characterization of the primary eyewall, secondary eyewall, and rainbands as they varied around the storm. Polarimetric radar variables displayed distinct signatures of convective and stratiform precipitation in the primary eyewall and rainbands that were organized in a manner consistent with the expected kinematic asymmetry of a storm in weak environmental wind shear but with moderate low-level storm-relative flow. In the front quadrants of the primary eyewall, vertical profiles of differential reflectivity (ZDR) exhibit increasing values with decreasing height consistent with convective precipitation processes. In particular, the front-right quadrant exhibits a signature in reflectivity (ZH) and ZDR indicating larger, sparser drops, which is consistent with a stronger updraft present in this quadrant. In the rear quadrants, a sharply peaked ZDR maximum occurs within the melting layer, which is attributed of stratiform processes. In the rainbands, the convective to stratiform transition can be seen traveling from the front-right to the front-left quadrant. The front-right quadrant exhibits lower co-polar correlation coefficient (ρHV) values in the 3-8 km altitude layer, suggesting larger vertical spreading of various hydrometeors that occurs in convective vertical motions. The front-left quadrant exhibits larger ρHV values, suggesting less diversity of hydrometeor shapes, consistent with stratiform processes. The secondary eyewall did not exhibit a clear signature of processes preferred in a specific quadrant, and a temporal analysis of the secondary eyewall revealed a complex evolution of its structure

Semiconductor Laser Multi-Spectral Sensing and Imaging

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Han Q. Le

2010-01-01

Full Text Available Multi-spectral laser imaging is a technique that can offer a combination of the laser capability of accurate spectral sensing with the desirable features of passive multispectral imaging. The technique can be used for detection, discrimination, and identification of objects by their spectral signature. This article describes and reviews the development and evaluation of semiconductor multi-spectral laser imaging systems. Although the method is certainly not specific to any laser technology, the use of semiconductor lasers is significant with respect to practicality and affordability. More relevantly, semiconductor lasers have their own characteristics; they offer excellent wavelength diversity but usually with modest power. Thus, system design and engineering issues are analyzed for approaches and trade-offs that can make the best use of semiconductor laser capabilities in multispectral imaging. A few systems were developed and the technique was tested and evaluated on a variety of natural and man-made objects. It was shown capable of high spectral resolution imaging which, unlike non-imaging point sensing, allows detecting and discriminating objects of interest even without a priori spectroscopic knowledge of the targets. Examples include material and chemical discrimination. It was also shown capable of dealing with the complexity of interpreting diffuse scattered spectral images and produced results that could otherwise be ambiguous with conventional imaging. Examples with glucose and spectral imaging of drug pills were discussed. Lastly, the technique was shown with conventional laser spectroscopy such as wavelength modulation spectroscopy to image a gas (CO. These results suggest the versatility and power of multi-spectral laser imaging, which can be practical with the use of semiconductor lasers.

Semiconductor laser multi-spectral sensing and imaging.

Science.gov (United States)

Le, Han Q; Wang, Yang

2010-01-01

Multi-spectral laser imaging is a technique that can offer a combination of the laser capability of accurate spectral sensing with the desirable features of passive multispectral imaging. The technique can be used for detection, discrimination, and identification of objects by their spectral signature. This article describes and reviews the development and evaluation of semiconductor multi-spectral laser imaging systems. Although the method is certainly not specific to any laser technology, the use of semiconductor lasers is significant with respect to practicality and affordability. More relevantly, semiconductor lasers have their own characteristics; they offer excellent wavelength diversity but usually with modest power. Thus, system design and engineering issues are analyzed for approaches and trade-offs that can make the best use of semiconductor laser capabilities in multispectral imaging. A few systems were developed and the technique was tested and evaluated on a variety of natural and man-made objects. It was shown capable of high spectral resolution imaging which, unlike non-imaging point sensing, allows detecting and discriminating objects of interest even without a priori spectroscopic knowledge of the targets. Examples include material and chemical discrimination. It was also shown capable of dealing with the complexity of interpreting diffuse scattered spectral images and produced results that could otherwise be ambiguous with conventional imaging. Examples with glucose and spectral imaging of drug pills were discussed. Lastly, the technique was shown with conventional laser spectroscopy such as wavelength modulation spectroscopy to image a gas (CO). These results suggest the versatility and power of multi-spectral laser imaging, which can be practical with the use of semiconductor lasers.

Detecting Emergence, Growth, and Senescence of Wetland Vegetation with Polarimetric Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR Data

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alisa L. Gallant

2014-03-01

Full Text Available Wetlands provide ecosystem goods and services vitally important to humans. Land managers and policymakers working to conserve wetlands require regularly updated information on the statuses of wetlands across the landscape. However, wetlands are challenging to map remotely with high accuracy and consistency. We investigated the use of multitemporal polarimetric synthetic aperture radar (SAR data acquired with Canada’s Radarsat-2 system to track within-season changes in wetland vegetation and surface water. We speculated, a priori, how temporal and morphological traits of different types of wetland vegetation should respond over a growing season with respect to four energy-scattering mechanisms. We used ground-based monitoring data and other ancillary information to assess the limits and consistency of the SAR data for tracking seasonal changes in wetlands. We found the traits of different types of vertical emergent wetland vegetation were detected well with the SAR data and corresponded with our anticipated backscatter responses. We also found using data from Landsat’s optical/infrared sensors in conjunction with SAR data helped remove confusion of wetland features with upland grasslands. These results suggest SAR data can provide useful monitoring information on the statuses of wetlands over time.

Detecting emergence, growth, and senescence of wetland vegetation with polarimetric synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data

Science.gov (United States)

Gallant, Alisa L.; Kaya, Shannon G.; White, Lori; Brisco, Brian; Roth, Mark F.; Sadinski, Walter J.; Rover, Jennifer

2014-01-01

Wetlands provide ecosystem goods and services vitally important to humans. Land managers and policymakers working to conserve wetlands require regularly updated information on the statuses of wetlands across the landscape. However, wetlands are challenging to map remotely with high accuracy and consistency. We investigated the use of multitemporal polarimetric synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data acquired with Canada’s Radarsat-2 system to track within-season changes in wetland vegetation and surface water. We speculated, a priori, how temporal and morphological traits of different types of wetland vegetation should respond over a growing season with respect to four energy-scattering mechanisms. We used ground-based monitoring data and other ancillary information to assess the limits and consistency of the SAR data for tracking seasonal changes in wetlands. We found the traits of different types of vertical emergent wetland vegetation were detected well with the SAR data and corresponded with our anticipated backscatter responses. We also found using data from Landsat’s optical/infrared sensors in conjunction with SAR data helped remove confusion of wetland features with upland grasslands. These results suggest SAR data can provide useful monitoring information on the statuses of wetlands over time.

Cell phones as imaging sensors

Science.gov (United States)

Bhatti, Nina; Baker, Harlyn; Marguier, Joanna; Berclaz, Jérôme; Süsstrunk, Sabine

2010-04-01

Camera phones are ubiquitous, and consumers have been adopting them faster than any other technology in modern history. When connected to a network, though, they are capable of more than just picture taking: Suddenly, they gain access to the power of the cloud. We exploit this capability by providing a series of image-based personal advisory services. These are designed to work with any handset over any cellular carrier using commonly available Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS) and Short Message Service (SMS) features. Targeted at the unsophisticated consumer, these applications must be quick and easy to use, not requiring download capabilities or preplanning. Thus, all application processing occurs in the back-end system (i.e., as a cloud service) and not on the handset itself. Presenting an image to an advisory service in the cloud, a user receives information that can be acted upon immediately. Two of our examples involve color assessment - selecting cosmetics and home décor paint palettes; the third provides the ability to extract text from a scene. In the case of the color imaging applications, we have shown that our service rivals the advice quality of experts. The result of this capability is a new paradigm for mobile interactions - image-based information services exploiting the ubiquity of camera phones.

Dynamic capabilities and innovation capabilities: The case of the ‘Innovation Clinic’

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fred Strønen

2017-01-01

Full Text Available In this explorative study, we investigate the relationship between dynamic capabilities and innovation capabilities. Dynamic capabilities are at the core of strategic management in terms of how firms can ensure adaptation to changing environments over time. Our paper follows two paths of argumentation. First, we review and discuss some major contributions to the theories on ordinary capabilities, dynamic capabilities, and innovation capabilities. We seek to identify different understandings of the concepts in question, in order to clarify the distinctions and relationships between dynamic capabilities and innovation capabilities. Second, we present a case study of the ’Innovation Clinic’ at a major university hospital, including four innovation projects. We use this case study to explore and discuss how dynamic capabilities can be extended, as well as to what extent innovation capabilities can be said to be dynamic. In our conclusion, we discuss the conditions for nurturing ‘dynamic innovation capabilities’ in organizations.