Engineering topics

Lin, Qian

Publications and source records attributed to Lin, Qian.

7 records

DOE OSTI2018

A three-dimensional photonic topological insulator using a two-dimensional ring resonator lattice with a synthetic frequency dimension

In the development of topological photonics, achieving three-dimensional topological insulators is of notable interest since it enables the exploration of new topological physics with photons and promises novel photonic devices that are robust against disorders in three dimensions. Previous theoretical proposals toward three-dimensional topological insulators use complex geometries that are challenging to implement. On the basis of the concept of synthetic dimension, we show that a two-dimensional array of ring resonators, which was previously demonstrated to exhibit a two-dimensional topological insulator phase, automatically becomes a three-dimensional topological insulator when the frequency dimension is taken into account. Moreover, by modulating a few of the resonators, a screw dislocation along the frequency axis can be created, which provides robust one-way transport of photons along the frequency axis. Demonstrating the physics of screw dislocation in a topological system has been a substantial challenge in solid-state systems. Our work indicates that the physics of three-dimensional topological insulators can be explored in standard integrated photonic platforms, leading to opportunities for novel devices that control the frequency of light.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

NASA NTRS2004

Implementation of a Thick-Film Composite Li-Ion Microcathode Using Carbon Nanotubes as the Conductive Filler

This paper describes the development of a thick-film microcathode for use in Li-ion microbatteries in order to provide increased power and energy per area. These cathodes take advantage of a composite porous electrode structure, utilizing carbon nanotubes (CNT) as the conductive filler. The use of carbon nanotubes was found to significantly reduce the measured resistance of the electrodes, increase active material accessibility, and improve electrode performance. In particular, the cycling and power performance of the thick-film cathodes was significantly improved, and the need for compression was eliminated. Cathode thickness and CNT content were optimized to maximize capacity and power performance. Power capability of >50 mW/sq cm (17 mA/sq cm) with discharge capacity of >0.17 mAh/sq cm was demonstrated. The feasibility of fabricating thick-film microcathodes capable of providing the power and capacity needed for use in autonomous microsensor systems was also demonstrated.

Lin, Qian↗

NASA NTRS1992

New approaches in interferometric SAR data processing

It is well established that interferometric synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images can be inverted to perform surface elevation mapping. Among the factors critical to the mapping accuracy are registration of the interfering SAR images and phase unwrapping. A novel registration algorithm is presented that determines the registration parameters through optimization. A new figure of merit is proposed that evaluates the registration result during the optimization. The phase unwrapping problem is approached through a new method involving fringe line detection. The algorithms are tested with two SEASAT SAR images of terrain near Yellowstone National Park. These images were collected on Seasat orbits 1334 and 1420, which were very close together in space, i.e., less than 100 m. The resultant elevation map is compared with the USGS digital terrain elevation model.

Lin, Qian↗

NASA NTRS1992

Registration of interferometric SAR images

Interferometric synthetic aperture radar (INSAR) is a new way of performing topography mapping. Among the factors critical to mapping accuracy is the registration of the complex SAR images from repeated orbits. A new algorithm for registering interferometric SAR images is presented. A new figure of merit, the average fluctuation function of the phase difference image, is proposed to evaluate the fringe pattern quality. The process of adjusting the registration parameters according to the fringe pattern quality is optimized through a downhill simplex minimization algorithm. The results of applying the proposed algorithm to register two pairs of Seasat SAR images with a short baseline (75 m) and a long baseline (500 m) are shown. It is found that the average fluctuation function is a very stable measure of fringe pattern quality allowing very accurate registration.

Lin, Qian↗

NASA NTRS1991

Topography estimation with interferometric synthetic aperture radar using fringe detection

Methods are presented for using Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) interferometry data to estimate surface topography. An expression is given to relate the elevation of a ground point to the phase difference of SAR images received from two spatially separated antennas. An iterative algorithm which solves for the position and elevation of each point in the image simultaneously is developed. One of the critical issues that determines the accuracy of the terrain mapping is the phase unwrapping. An approach to the problem by fringe line detection is proposed. The algorithms are tested with two Seasat SAR images of terrain near Yellowstone National Park. The resultant elevation map is compared with a USGS terrain elevation model. The error of the SAR elevation with respect to the digital terrain map is about 8.2 percent of the total terrain variation.

Lin, Qian↗

NASA NTRS1990

Combating speckle in SAR images - Vector filtering and sequential classification based on a multiplicative noise model

An adaptive vector linear minimum mean-squared error (LMMSE) filter for multichannel images with multiplicative noise is presented. It is shown theoretically that the mean-squared error in the filter output is reduced by making use of the correlation between image bands. The vector and conventional scalar LMMSE filters are applied to a three-band SIR-B SAR, and their performance is compared. Based on a mutliplicative noise model, the per-pel maximum likelihood classifier was derived. The authors extend this to the design of sequential and robust classifiers. These classifiers are also applied to the three-band SIR-B SAR image.

Lin, Qian↗

NASA NTRS1988

Improving cover type identification in speckled SAR images by prefiltering and sequential classification

Synthetic aperture radar utilizes coherent microwaves to produce images of the earth's surface. Due to the interference of coherent wavelets, the images appear speckled. This reduces the performance of per-pel classifiers. One way to increase the performance is to filter the image first, then classify the filtered image. For this purpose, several novel filters that have been reported in the literature are investigated. These are the geometric filter, adaptive LMMSE filter, and linear approximation filter. For comparison, conventional mean and median filters are also considered. It is found that the mean filter with seven iterations gives the best result. The overall performance increased from 65.2 to 88.9 percent. The capability of these filters to preserve edges in the original image are also assessed. It is seen that the geometric and median filters are the best in preserving edges, and that the linear approximation and adaptive LMMSE filters are the best in discriminating roads. Prefiltering the image effectively provides contextual information to the per-pel classifier. An alternate approach is to directly design a contextual classifier. A new contextual classifier based on sequential decision theory is proposed. With this classifier, it is found that the overall performance increases to 89.5 percent.

Lin, Qian↗