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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 37 records · Page 2
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1986

A mobile system for active otpical pollution monitoring

The remote monitoring of atmospheric pollutants can now be performed in several ways. Laser radar techniques have proven their ability to reveal the spatial distribution of different species or particles. Classical optical techniques can also be used, but yield the average concentration over a given path and hence no range resolution. One such technique is Differential Optical Absorption Spectroscopy, DOAS. Such schemes can be used to monitor paths that a preliminary lidar investigation has shown to be of interest. Having previously had access to a mobile lidar system, a new system has been completed. The construction builds on experience from using the other system and it is meant to be more of a mobile optical laboratory than just a lidar system. A complete system description is given along with some preliminary usage. Future uses are contemplated.

Sunesson, A.↗
NASA NTRS1987

Star formation in Seyfert galaxies

An analysis of the IRAS data for a sample of classical (optically selected) Seyfert galaxies is presented. The IRAS fluxes at 25 micron, 60 micron, and 100 micron are found to be uncorrelated or only very weakly correlated with the UV/Optical continuum flux and the near and mid IR flux at 3.5 and 10 microns. To investigate the possibility that star formation accounts for the far IR flux, the IRAS measurements for the Seyfert galaxies are compared to IRAS observations of a sample of normal spiral galaxies, and a sample of Starburst galaxies. It is shown that the far IR luminosities and far IR colors of Seyfert galaxies are indistinguishable from those of the Starburst galaxies. Besides, normal galaxies are an order of magnitude less luminous than both the Seyfert and the Starburst galaxies. This indicates that star formation produces the bulk of the far infrared emission in Seyfert galaxies.

Espinosa, J. M. Rodriguez↗
NASA NTRS2003

Mathematical Investigation of Gamma Ray and Neutron Absorption Grid Patterns for Homeland Defense Related Fourier Imaging Systems

Terrorist suitcase nuclear devices typically using converted Soviet tactical nuclear warheads contain several kilograms of plutonium. This quantity of plutonium emits a significant number of gamma rays and neutrons as it undergoes radioactive decay. These gamma rays and neutrons normally penetrate ordinary matter to a significant distance. Unfortunately this penetrating quality of the radiation makes imaging with classical optics impractical. However, this radiation signature emitted by the nuclear source may be sufficient to be imaged from low-flying aerial platforms carrying Fourier imaging systems. The Fourier imaging system uses a pair of co-aligned absorption grids to measure a selected range of spatial frequencies from an object. These grids typically measure the spatial frequency in only one direction at a time. A grid pair that looks in all directions simultaneously would be an improvement over existing technology. A number of grid pairs governed by various parameters were investigated to solve this problem. By examining numerous configurations, it became apparent that an appropriate spiral pattern could be made to work. A set of equations was found to describe a grid pattern that produces straight fringes. Straight fringes represent a Fourier transform of a point source at infinity. An inverse Fourier transform of this fringe pattern would provide an accurate image (location and intensity) of a point source.

Boccio, Dona↗
NASA NTRS2004

A Polarimetric Extension of the van Cittert-Zernike Theorem for Use with Microwave Interferometers

The van Cittert-Zernike theorem describes the Fourier-transform relationship between an extended source and its visibility function. Developments in classical optics texts use scalar field formulations for the theorem. Here, we develop a polarimetric extension to the van Cittert-Zernike theorem with applications to passive microwave Earth remote sensing. The development provides insight into the mechanics of two-dimensional interferometric imaging, particularly the effects of polarization basis differences between the scene and the observer.

Piepmeier, J. R.↗
NASA NTRS2006

The Future of Single- to Multi-band Detector Technologies: Review

Using classical optical components such as filters, prisms and gratings to separate the desired wavelengths before they reach the detectors results in complex optical systems composed of heavy components. A simpler system will result by utilizing a single optical system and a detector that responds separately to each wavelength band. Therefore, a continuous endeavors to develop the capability to reliably fabricate detector arrays that respond to multiple wavelength regions. In this article, we will review the state-of-the-art single and multicolor detector technologies over a wide spectral-range, for use in space-based and airborne remote sensing applications. Discussions will be focused on current and the most recently developed focal plane arrays (FPA) in addition to emphasizing future development in UV-to-Far infrared multicolor FPA detectors for next generation space-based instruments to measure water vapor and greenhouse gases. This novel detector component will make instruments designed for these critical measurements more efficient while reducing complexity and associated electronics and weight. Finally, we will discuss the ongoing multicolor detector technology efforts at NASA Langley Research Center, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and others.

Abedin, M. Nurul↗
NASA NTRS2011

Extracting Zero-Gravity Surface Figure of a Mirror

The technical innovation involves refinement of the classic optical technique of averaging surface measurements made in different orientations with respect to gravity, so the effects of gravity cancel in the averaged image. Particularly for large, thin mirrors subject to substantial deformation, the further requirement is that mount forces must also cancel when averaged over measurement orientations. The zerogravity surface figure of a mirror in a hexapod mount is obtained by analyzing the summation of mount forces in the frame of the optic as surface metrology is averaged over multiple clockings. This is illustrated with measurements taken from the Space Interferometry Mission (SIM) PT-Ml mirror for both twofold and threefold clocking. The positive results of these measurements and analyses indicate that, from this perspective, a lighter mirror could be used; that is, one might place less reliance on the damping effects of the elliptic partial differential equations that describe the propagation of forces through glass. The advantage over prior art is relaxing the need for an otherwise substantial thickness of glass that might be needed to ensure accurate metrology in the absence of a detailed understanding and analysis of the mount forces. The general insights developed here are new, and provide the basic design principles on which mirror mount geometry may be chosen.

Bloemhof, Eric E.↗
DOE OSTI2025

Electro-optic sampling of classical and quantum light

Full characterization of electric-field waveforms in amplitude and phase is achieved across the terahertz to visible spectral range through interaction with an optical pulse shorter than a half-cycle period via the Pockels (linear electro-optic) effect. This technique of electro-optic sampling has become an indispensable tool in various areas, including ultrafast pump-probe, time-domain and frequency-comb spectroscopies, quantum optics, high-harmonic generation, and attosecond science, and holds great promise for further advances. Not only does it enable spectroscopic measurements with record dynamic range and temporal resolution, along with massively parallel real-time spectral data acquisition, but its remarkable sensitivity also allows the detection of vacuum fluctuations, i.e., “zero-point motion” of electric fields, profoundly impacting our understanding of the fundamental laws of nature.

Benea-Chelmus, Ileana-Cristina (ORCID:000000024814↗
DOE OSTI2024

Quantum teleportation coexisting with classical communications in optical fiber

The ability for quantum and conventional networks to operate in the same optical fibers would aid the deployment of quantum network technology on a large scale. Quantum teleportation is a fundamental operation in quantum networking, but has yet to be demonstrated in fibers populated with high-power conventional optical signals. Here we report, to the best of our knowledge, the first demonstration of quantum teleportation over fibers carrying conventional telecommunications traffic. Quantum state transfer is achieved over a 30.2-km fiber carrying 400-Gbps C-band classical traffic with a Bell state measurement performed at the fiber’s midpoint. To protect quantum fidelity from spontaneous Raman scattering noise, we use optimal O-band quantum channels, narrow spectro-temporal filtering, and multi-photon coincidence detection. Fidelity is shown to be well maintained with an elevated C-band launch power of 18.7 dBm for the single-channel 400-Gbps signal, which we project could support multiple classical channels totaling many terabits/s aggregate data rates. These results show the feasibility of advanced quantum and classical network applications operating within a unified fiber infrastructure.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
NASA NTRS2003

Using Correlated Photons to Suppress Background Noise

A proposed method of suppressing the effect of background noise in an optical communication system would exploit the transmission and reception of correlated photons at the receiver. The method would not afford any advantage in a system in which performance is limited by shot noise. However, if the performance of the system is limited by background noise (e.g., sunlight in the case of a free-space optical communication system or incoherently scattered in-band photons in the case of a fiber-optic communication system), then the proposed method could offer an advantage: the proposed method would make it possible to achieve a signal-to-noise ratio (S/N) significantly greater than that of an otherwise equivalent background- noise-limited optical communication system based on the classical transmission and reception of uncorrelated photons. The figure schematically depicts a classical optical-communication system and a system according to the proposed method. In the classical system, a modulated laser beam is transmitted along an optical path to a receiver, the optics of which include a narrow-band-pass filter that suppresses some of the background noise. A photodetector in the receiver detects the laser-beam and background photons, most or all of which are uncorrelated. In the proposed system, correlated photons would be generated at the transmitter by making a modulated laser beam pass through a nonlinear parametric down-conversion crystal. The sum of frequencies of the correlated photons in each pair would equal the frequency of the incident photon from which they were generated. As in the classical system, the correlated photons would travel along an optical path to a receiver, where they would be band-pass filtered and detected. Unlike in the classical system, the photodetector in the receiver in this system would be one that intrinsically favors the detection of pairs of correlated photons over the detection of uncorrelated photons. Even though there would be no way of knowing the precise location and time of creation of a given pair of correlated signal photons in the nonlinear down-conversion crystal, the fact that the photons are necessarily created at the same time and place makes it possible to utilize conventional geometrical imaging optics to reunite the photons in coincidence in the receiving photodetector. Because most or all of the signal photons would be correlated while most or all of the noise photons would be uncorrelated, the S/N would be correspondingly enhanced in the photodetector output. An additional advantage to be gained by use of a correlated-photon detector is that it could be capable of recovering the signal even in the presence of background light so bright that a classical uncorrelated-photon detector would be saturated. A blocked-impurity-band (BIB) photodetector that preferentially detects pairs of correlated photons over uncorrelated ones and that operates at a quantum efficiency of 88 percent is commercially available. This detector must be cooled to the temperature of liquid helium to obtain the desired low-noise performance. It is planned to use this detector in a proof-of-principle demonstration. In addition, it may be possible to develop GaN-based photodetectors that could offer the desired low-noise performance at room temperature.

Jackson, Deborah↗
NASA NTRS2013

On Using Intensity Interferometry for Feature Identification and Imaging of Remote Objects

We derive an approximation to the intensity covariance function of two scanning pinhole detectors, facing a distant source (e.g., a star) being occluded partially by an absorptive object (e.g., a planet). We focus on using this technique to identify or image an object that is in the line-of-sight between a well-characterized source and the detectors. We derive the observed perturbation to the intensity covariance map due to the object, showing that under some reasonable approximations it is proportional to the real part of the Fourier transform of the source's photon-flux density times the Fourier transform of the object's intensity absorption. We highlight the key parameters impacting its visibility and discuss the requirements for estimating object-related parameters, e.g., its size, velocity or shape. We consider an application of this result to determining the orbit inclination of an exoplanet orbiting a distant star. Finally, motivated by the intrinsically weak nature of the signature, we study its signal-to-noise ratio and determine the impact of system parameters.

quantum optics↗
NASA NTRS1994

A uniform geometrical optics and an extended uniform geometrical theory of diffraction for evaluating high frequency EM fields near smooth caustics and composite shadow boundaries

A uniform geometrical optics (UGO) and an extended uniform geometrical theory of diffraction (EUTD) are developed for evaluating high frequency electromagnetic (EM) fields within transition regions associated with a two and three dimensional smooth caustic of reflected rays and a composite shadow boundary formed by the caustic termination or the confluence of the caustic with the reflection shadow boundary (RSB). The UGO is a uniform version of the classic geometrical optics (GO). It retains the simple ray optical expressions of classic GO and employs a new set of uniform reflection coefficients. The UGO also includes a uniform version of the complex GO ray field that exists on the dark side of the smooth caustic. The EUTD is an extension of the classic uniform geometrical theory of diffraction (UTD) and accounts for the non-ray optical behavior of the UGO reflected field near caustics by using a two-variable transition function in the expressions for the edge diffraction coefficients. It also uniformly recovers the classic UTD behavior of the edge diffracted field outside the composite shadow boundary transition region. The approach employed for constructing the UGO/EUTD solution is based on a spatial domain physical optics (PO) radiation integral representation for the fields which is then reduced using uniform asymptotic procedures. The UGO/EUTD analysis is also employed to investigate the far-zone RCS problem of plane wave scattering from two and three dimensional polynomial defined surfaces, and uniform reflection, zero-curvature, and edge diffraction coefficients are derived. Numerical results for the scattering and diffraction from cubic and fourth order polynomial strips are also shown and the UGO/EUTD solution is validated by comparison to an independent moment method (MM) solution. The UGO/EUTD solution is also compared with the classic GO/UTD solution. The failure of the classic techniques near caustics and composite shadow boundaries is clearly demonstrated and it is shown that the UGO/EUTD results remain valid and uniformly reduce to the classic results away from the transition regions. Mathematical details on the asymptotic properties and efficient numerical evaluation of the canonical functions involved in the UGO/EUTD expressions are also provided.

Constantinides, E. D.↗
NASA NTRS2011

Phase-Sensitive Coherence and the Classical-Quantum Boundary in Ghost Imaging

The theory of partial coherence has a long and storied history in classical statistical optics. the vast majority of this work addresses fields that are statistically stationary in time, hence their complex envelopes only have phase-insensitive correlations. The quantum optics of squeezed-state generation, however, depends on nonlinear interactions producing baseband field operators with phase-insensitive and phase-sensitive correlations. Utilizing quantum light to enhance imaging has been a topic of considerable current interest, much of it involving biphotons, i.e., streams of entangled-photon pairs. Biphotons have been employed for quantum versions of optical coherence tomography, ghost imaging, holography, and lithography. However, their seemingly quantum features have been mimicked with classical-sate light, questioning wherein lies the classical-quantum boundary. We have shown, for the case of Gaussian-state light, that this boundary is intimately connected to the theory of phase-sensitive partial coherence. Here we present that theory, contrasting it with the familiar case of phase-insensitive partial coherence, and use it to elucidate the classical-quantum boundary of ghost imaging. We show, both theoretically and experimentally, that classical phase-sensitive light produces ghost imaging most closely mimicking those obtained in biphotons, and we derived the spatial resolution, image contrast, and signal-to-noise ratio of a standoff-sensing ghost imager, taking into account target-induced speckle.

coherence theory↗
DOE OSTI2025

Hybrid classical-quantum communication networks

Over the past several decades, the proliferation of global classical communication networks has transformed various facets of human society. Concurrently, quantum networking has emerged as a dynamic field of research, driven by its potential applications in distributed quantum computing, quantum sensor networks, and secure communications. This prompts a fundamental question: rather than constructing quantum networks from scratch, can we harness the widely available classical fiber-optic infrastructure to establish hybrid quantum–classical networks? This paper aims to provide a comprehensive review of ongoing research endeavors aimed at integrating quantum communication protocols, such as quantum key distribution, into existing lightwave networks. This approach offers the substantial advantage of reducing implementation costs by allowing classical and quantum communication protocols to share optical fibers, communication hardware, and other network control resources—arguably the most pragmatic solution in the near term. In the long run, classical communication will also reap the rewards of innovative quantum communication technologies, such as quantum memories and repeaters. Accordingly, our vision for the future of the Internet is that of heterogeneous communication networks thoughtfully designed for the seamless support of both classical and quantum communications.

Fiber-optic communication↗
DOE OSTI2025

Dynamics of McMillan mappings II. axially symmetric map

Here, in this article, we investigate the transverse dynamics of a single particle in a model integrable accelerator lattice, based on a McMillan axially-symmetric electron lens. Although the McMillan e-lens has been considered as a device potentially capable of mitigating collective space charge forces, some of its fundamental properties have not been described yet. The main goal of our work is to close this gap and understand the limitations and potentials of this device. It is worth mentioning that the McMillan axially symmetric map provides the first-order approximations of dynamics for a general linear lattice plus an arbitrary thin lens with motion separable in polar coordinates. Therefore, advancements in its understanding should give us a better picture of more generic and not necessarily integrable round beams. In the first part of the article, we classify all possible regimes with stable trajectories and find the canonical action-angle variables. This provides an evaluation of the dynamical aperture, Poincaré rotation numbers as functions of amplitudes, and thus determines the spread in nonlinear tunes. Also, we provide a parameterization of invariant curves, allowing for the immediate determination of the map image forward and backward in time. The second part investigates the particle dynamics as a function of system parameters. We show that there are three fundamentally different configurations of the accelerator optics causing different regimes of nonlinear oscillations. Each regime is considered in great detail, including the limiting cases of large and small amplitudes. In addition, we analyze the dynamics in Cartesian coordinates and provide a description of observable variables and corresponding spectra.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2025

When do molecular polaritons behave like optical filters?

This review outlines several linear optical effects featured by molecular polaritons arising in the collective strong light–matter coupling regime. Under weak laser irradiation and when the single-molecule light–matter coupling can be neglected (often in the limit when the number of molecules per photon mode is large), we show that the excited-state molecular dynamics under collective strong coupling can be exactly replicated without the cavity using a shaped (or “filtered”) laser, whose field amplitude is enhanced by the cavity quality factor, shining on the bare molecules. As a consequence, the absorption within a cavity can be understood as the overlap between the polariton transmission and the bare molecular absorption, suggesting that polaritons act in part as optical filters. This framework demystifies and provides a straightforward explanation for a large class of experiments and theoretical models in molecular polaritonics, highlighting that the same effects can be achieved without the cavity with shaped laser pulses. With a few modifications, this simple conceptual picture can also be adapted to understand the incoherent nonlinear response of polaritonic systems. This review establishes a clear distinction between polaritonic phenomena that can be fully explained through classical linear optics and those that require a quantum electrodynamics approach. It also highlights the need to differentiate between effects that necessitate polaritons (i.e., hybrid light–matter states) and those that can occur in the weak coupling regime. Here, we further discuss that certain quantum optical effects like fluorescence can be partially described as optical filtering, whereas some others like cavity-induced Raman scattering go beyond this. Further exploration in these areas is needed to uncover novel polaritonic phenomena beyond optical filtering.

Schwennicke, Kai [University of California, San Di↗
DOE OSTI2025

Floquet engineering of polaritonic amplification in dispersive photonic time crystals

In this study, we investigate the dynamics of dispersive photonic time crystals (PTCs) and their potential applications for controlling light-matter interaction. Using the Lorentz-Drude as dispersive material model, we analyze the effects of periodic modulation of dispersion parameters through both theoretical and numerical analysis, revealing the emergence of hybrid bandgaps from the interaction of polaritonic branches with distinctive characteristics. Our study demonstrates that dispersive PTCs offer novel excitation channels and amplification possibilities, that require lower modulation frequencies compared to nondispersive systems thus alleviating experimental challenges for the realization of PTCs in the optical regime. These findings pave the way for advancements in polaritonic lasing and resonant Raman scattering.

Classical optics↗
DOE OSTI2026

Flying focus with arbitrary directionality for spatiotemporal control of laser intensity

Flying focus techniques produce laser pulses whose focal points travel at arbitrary, controllable velocities. While this flexibility can enhance a broad range of laser-based applications, existing techniques constrain the motion of the focal point to the propagation direction of the pulse. Here, we introduce a flying focus configuration that decouples the motion of the focus from the propagation direction. Here, a chirped laser pulse focused and diffracted by a diffractive lens and grating creates a focal point that can move both along and transverse to the propagation direction. The focal length of the lens, grating period, and chirp can be tuned to control the direction and velocity of the focus. Simulations demonstrate this control for a holographic configuration suited to high-power pulses, in which two off-axis pump beams with different focal lengths encode the equivalent phase of a chromatic lens and grating in a gas or plasma. For low-power pulses, conventional solid-state or adaptive optics can be used instead. Multi-dimensional control over the focal trajectory enables new configurations for applications, including laser wakefield acceleration of ions, nonlinear Thomson scattering, and surface-plasmon emission of THz radiation.

Classical optics↗