Search NASA⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search NASA

Results for “linear camera”

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.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 37 records · Page 2

Converting existing optical detectors into fast x-ray detectors

Here, the very short burn time and small size of burning plasmas created at advanced laser-fusion facilities will require high-spatial-resolution imaging diagnostics with fast time resolution. These instruments will need to function in an environment of extremely large neutron fluxes that will cause conventional diagnostics to fail because of radiation damage and induced background levels. One solution to this challenge is to perform an ultrafast conversion of the x-ray signals into the optical regime before the neutrons are able to reach the detector and then to relay image the signal out of the chamber and into a shielded bunker, protected from the effects of these neutrons. With this goal in mind, the OMEGA laser was used to demonstrate high-temporal-resolution x-ray imaging by using an x-ray snout to image an imploding backlighter capsule onto a semiconductor. The semiconductor was simultaneously probed with the existing velocity interferometry system for any surface reflector (VISAR) diagnostic, which uses an optical streak camera and provided a one-dimensional image of the phase in the semiconductor as a function of time. The phase induced in the semiconductor was linearly proportional to the x-ray emission from the backlighter capsule. This approach would then allow a sacrificial semiconductor to be attached at the end of an optical train with the VISAR and optical streak camera placed in a shielded bunker to operate in a high neutron environment and obtain time-dependent one-dimensional x-ray images or time-dependent x-ray spectra from a burning plasma.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Linear gyrokinetic simulations of toroidal Alfvén eigenmodes in the Mega-Amp Spherical Tokamak

Linear gyrokinetic (GK) simulations using the Gyrokinetic Toroidal Code (GTC) have been performed to investigate Toroidicity-driven Alfvén Eigenmodes (TAEs) driven by the neutral beam injection (NBI) induced fast ions in the Mega-Amp Spherical Tokamak (MAST) to identify the non-perturbative and kinetic effects of thermal plasma. A specific TAE in MAST discharge 26887, with an on-axis NBI power of approximately 1.5 MW and plasma current around 800 kA, exhibited frequency chirping, and the tangential soft x-ray camera array resolved the radial mode structure peaked near |q|=1.5. Various excitation methods were used in the GTC linear simulations, illustrating this code's capability to realistically represent the mechanisms and behaviors of fast ion-driven TAEs in spherical tokamaks. The radial structures from these GK simulations closely match measurements and calculations performed using the NOVA ideal MHD code, though with the frequencies approximately 10 kHz lower, likely due to various kinetic and non-perturbative effects. The simulations measured the damping rates due to continuum damping, radiative damping, and ion Landau damping, revealing that ion Landau damping has the most significant contribution to the total damping rate of the TAE. A comparison of growth rates of TAEs excited by fast ion Maxwellian and slowing-down distributions shows that the TAEs excited by a fast ion anisotropic pitch distribution (as part of the slowing-down distributions) are more unstable compared to those excited by a Maxwellian distribution with an equivalent fast ion beta. This shows that the use of fast ion anisotropy alters the number of fast ions to be in shear Alfvén resonance, and hence, it can greatly affect the stability of TAEs. These tests can be performed with the GTC but impossible with ideal MHD simulations, highlighting the necessity of kinetic simulations such as the GTC for a precise prediction of the TAE stability.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

High speed two-dimensional imaging with an analog interface

A quantitative pulse count (event detection) algorithm with linearity to high count rates is accomplished by combining a high-speed, high frame rate camera with simple logic code run on a massively parallel processor such as a GPU. The parallel processor elements examine frames from the camera pixel by pixel to find and tag events or count pulses. The tagged events are combined to form a combined quantitative event image.

Waugh, Justin↗

High speed two-dimensional event detection and imaging using an analog interface and a massively parallel processor

A quantitative pulse count (event detection) algorithm with linearity to high count rates is accomplished by combining a high-speed, high frame rate camera with simple logic code run on a massively parallel processor such as a GPU or a FPGA. The parallel processor elements examine frames from the camera pixel by pixel to find and tag events or count pulses. The tagged events are combined to form a combined quantitative event image.

Waugh, Justin↗

Optical-pump–terahertz-probe spectroscopy in high magnetic fields with kHz single-shot detection

We demonstrate optical pump–THz probe (OPTP) spectroscopy with a variable external magnetic field (0–9 T), in which the time-dependent THz signal is measured by echelon-based single-shot detection at a repetition rate of 1 kHz. The method reduces data acquisition times by more than an order of magnitude compared to conventional electro-optic sampling using a scanning delay stage. The approach illustrates the wide applicability of the single-shot measurement approach to non-equilibrium systems that are studied through OPTP spectroscopy, especially in cases where parameters such as magnetic field strength (B) or other experimental parameters are varied. We demonstrate the capabilities of our measurement by performing cyclotron resonance experiments in bulk silicon, where we observe B-field-dependent carrier relaxation and distinct relaxation rates for different carrier types. We use a pair of economical linear array detectors to measure 500 time points on each shot, offering an equivalent performance to camera-based detection with possibilities for higher repetition rates.

Instruments & Instrumentation↗

Direct observation of ion micromotion in a linear Paul trap

In this paper, the first direct observation of micromotion for multiple ions in a laser-cooled trapped ion crystal is discussed along with a novel measurement technique for micromotion amplitude. Micromotion is directly observed using a time-resolving, single-photon sensitive camera that provides both fluorescence and position data for each ion on the nanosecond time scale. Micromotion amplitude and phase for each ion in the crystal is measured which allows this method to be sensitive to tilts and shifts of the ion chain from the null of the radiofrequency quadrupole potential in the linear trap. Spatial resolution makes this micromotion detection technique suitable for complex ion configurations, including two-dimensional geometries. It does not require any additional equipment or laser beams, and the modulation of the cooling lasers or trap voltages is not necessary for detection, as it is in other methods.

74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS↗

A Ce-Doped LiI Scintillator Film-Based High Rate, High Spatial Resolution Neutron Anger Camera for Neutron Scattering Facilities

The 2-D position sensitive neutron detectors featuring a significantly improved count rate capacity and a sub-mm spatial resolution are in high demand by neutron scattering facilities, especially the next generation high-flux spallation neutron sources (SNSs). They are anticipated to play a crucial role in fully utilizing the unprecedentedly high neutron brightness offered by these sources. In this work, a high rate and high spatial resolution neutron Anger camera has been successfully developed based on a Ce-doped microcolumnar LiI scintillator film and the PETsys TOFPET2 ASIC readout electronics. The performance evaluation was conducted in a standard laboratory environment as well as the High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR) at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) with regard to light yield, γ-ray sensitivity, neutron detection efficiency, count rate capability, spatial resolution, and position linearity. The LiI:Ce scintillator was found to have a higher light yield and a lower γ-ray sensitivity than GS20 (i.e., 11729 versus 6000 photons/n and 1.67 × 10 −5 versus on the order of 10 −4 ). The neutron detection efficiency was measured to be 63% at 4.2 Å. This camera demonstrated an exceptional count rate capability, up to at least 481 kHz without rate loss. The spatial resolution was as good as 0.47 mm. Here, the position linearity was also enhanced.

High rate↗

Performance testing of the iX Cameras iSpeed 727 high-speed camera

This work evaluated the iX Cameras iSpeed 727, a commercial CMOS-based continuous- recording high-speed camera. Various parameters of importance in the scheme of accurate time-resolved measurements and photonic quantification have been measured under controlled conditions on the bench, using state-of-the-art instrumentation. We will detail the procedures and results of the tests laid out to measure sensor sensitivity, linearity, signal-to-noise ratio and image lag. We also looked into the electronic shutter performance and accuracy, as exposure time is of particular interest to high-speed imaging. The results of the tests show that this camera matches or exceeds the performance of competing units in most aspects, but that, as is the case for other high-speed camera systems, corrections are necessary to make full use of the image data from a quantitative perspective.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Laboratory Measurements of Instrumental Signatures of the LSST Camera Focal Plane

Electro-optical testing and characterization of the Vera C. Rubin Observatory Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST) Camera focal plane, consisting of 205 charge-coupled devices (CCDs) arranged into 21 stand-alone Raft Tower Modules (RTMs) and 4 Corner Raft Tower Modules (CRTMs), is currently being performed at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory. Testing of the camera sensors is performed using a set of custom-built optical projectors, designed to illuminate the full focal plane or specific regions of the focal plane with a series of light illumination patterns: the crosstalk projector, the flat illuminator projector, and the spot grid projector. In addition to measurements of crosstalk, linearity and full well, the ability to project realistically-sized sources, using the spot grid projector, makes possible unique measurements of instrumental signatures such as deferred charge distortions, astrometric shifts due to sensor effects, and the brighter-fatter effect, prior to camera first light. Here we present the optical projector designs and usage, the electro-optical measurements and how these results have been used in testing and improving the LSST Camera instrumental signature removal algorithms.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Design of a new charge exchange recombination spectroscopy diagnostic for impurity transport experiments at Wendelstein 7-X

In this study, we present the design of a new charge exchange recombination spectroscopy (CXRS) system for Wendelstein 7-X (W7-X), which aims at measuring line radiation from highly ionized iron impurities after laser blow off injections over transport timescales. New fiber bundles with a core diameter of 600 µm have been added to one of the existing optical systems at W7-X used for CXRS. The fibers direct collected light to five newly developed single channel high frame rate F/2.8 spectrometers. The new custom-made spectrometers are built using entirely off-the-shelf and 3D printed components, and employ a round-to-linear fiber bundle, instead of an entrance slit, to maximize light throughput. The detector is an ultra-low readout noise EM-CCD camera capable of frame rates of up to 10 000 fps for about 500 consecutive frames when operated using a single readout channel. Such high frame rates will enable the study of inward convection of injected impurities. An initial sensitivity study is performed using a newly developed Markov chain Monte Carlo approach based on the pySTRAHL impurity transport code. This study indicates that, with the addition of the new CX diagnostic, impurity convection velocities can be inferred.

Instruments & Instrumentation↗

Laser beam pointing stabilization using analog position-sensitive diodes

Laser wire scanners have been used for ion beam profile and emittance measurements at the Spallation Neutron Source linear accelerator. Due to propagation distances exceeding 100 m, reliable measurements require laser beam stabilization, previously accomplished with a feedback control loop using a digital camera as a position sensor [Hardin et al., Opt. Express 19, 2874 (2011)]. Here, this paper presents an upgraded pointing stabilization system utilizing analog position-sensitive diodes (PSDs) as the position detector, optimized with an optical diffuser. The new system significantly surpasses the previous system by offering an order-of-magnitude improvement in radiation tolerance and a bandwidth limited only by the burst repetition rate of the laser beam. Operating with a 60-Hz burst mode laser, the new system effectively suppresses laser beam drifts up to 30 Hz, compared to the previous system’s 4 Hz limit. In addition, the amplitude of spectral components below 0.1 Hz was reduced by a factor of more than 100, which is over seven times greater than was achieved by the previous system.

Data acquisition↗

Deer Vigilance and Movement Behavior Are Affected by Edge Density and Connectivity

ABSTRACT Animal behavior is an important component of individual, population, and community responses to anthropogenic habitat alteration. For example, antipredator behavior (e.g., vigilance) and animal movement behavior may both be important behavioral responses to the increased density of habitat edges and changes in patch connectivity that characterize highly modified habitats. Importantly, edge density and connectivity might interact, and this interaction is likely to mediate animal behavior: linear, edge‐rich landscape features often provide structural connectivity between patches, but the functional connectedness of patches for animal use could depend upon how edge density modifies animal vigilance and movement. Using remote cameras in large‐scale experimental landscapes that manipulate edge density (high‐ vs. low‐density edges) and patch connectivity (isolated or connected patches), we examined the effects of edge density and connectivity on the antipredator behavior and movement behavior of white‐tailed deer ( Odocoileus virginianus ). Deer vigilance was 1.38 times greater near high‐density edges compared to low‐density edges, regardless of whether patches were connected or isolated. Deer were also more likely to move parallel to connected high‐density edges than all other edge types, suggesting that connectivity promotes movement along high‐density edges. These results suggest that increases in edge density that accompany human fragmentation of existing habitats may give rise to large‐scale changes in the antipredator behavior of deer. These results also suggest that conservation strategies that simultaneously manipulate edge density and connectivity (i.e., habitat corridors) may have multiple effects on different aspects of deer behavior: linear habitat corridors were areas of high vigilance, but also areas where deer movement behavior implied increased movement along the habitat edge.

Bartel, Savannah L. [University of Wisconsin‐Madis↗

RM3 Wave Tank Validation Model

An approximately 1/75th scale point absorber wave energy absorber was built to validate the testing systems of a 16k gallon single paddle wave tank. The model was build based on the RM3 design and incorporated a linear position sensor, a force transducer, and wetness detection sensors. The data set also includes motion tracking data of the device's two bodies acquired from 4x Qualisys cameras. The tank wave spectrum is measured by 4 ultrasonic water height sensors.

16 TIDAL AND WAVE POWER↗

Demonstration of Non-linear Optical Spectroscopy Enhancement utilizing Entangled Photons

Laser-based nonlinear optical spectroscopy approaches have enabled the direct sensing of important chemistry in nearly every fundamental or applied field of science. Yet in many applications, increased detectivity is needed to unravel fundamental mechanisms. One possibility is the use of quantum entanglement to increase detection cross-sections, but it is unproven that enhancement from quantum light extends to practical intensities for chemical sensing. In this report, we investigated the creation and use of entangled photons in nonlinear optical mixing for second harmonic generation and infrared imaging. We observe that the linear scaling of nonlinear mixing from entangled photon sources extends to the mW laser power regime, and enhances direct infrared imaging on Si-based charge coupled device cameras. These results motivate future experimentation on practical uses of entangled photons for nonlinear optical sensing applications.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Heat Flux Analysis From IR Imaging on Proto-MPEX

The Prototype Material Plasma Exposure eXperiment (Proto-MPEX) is a linear device used to develop the source and heating concept for MPEX, an experiment to study plasma–material interactions for future fusion reactors. This paper highlights recent analysis and results on Proto-MPEX using an infrared (IR) camera, a key tool for imaging heat fluxes measured at the material target. The target heat fluxes are crucial to understanding the source and heating concepts. The recent analysis includes the application of homography and 3-D finite-element methods to provide between-shot measurements of the 2-D target heat flux profile. The IR camera inferred heat flux is shown to correlate with Langmuir probe inferred heat fluxes for a range of parameters in helicon only and helicon + electron cyclotron heated discharges. Results show both desirable central and undesirable edge heat flux for helicon source and electron heating on the target. These heat flux measurements are shown to be important for better understanding of the source and heating physics.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Polarization Imaging for International Safeguards (FY2019)

A polarization imaging camera, Salsa (Bossa Nova Technologies) was evaluated for use in nuclear safeguards inspection with a focus on swipe sampling. The camera and supporting electronics and software determine the full Stokes parameters for the entire image field. The camera can be used for real-time video or still images. Stokes parameters S0, S1, S2, and S3 can be recorded for each pixel and exported for post processing. This study compared color photography to polarization imaging for powders on many surfaces under ambient lighting. False color images can be created from the Stokes parameters directly from the vendor software to highlight the various polarization states. In most cases, linear polarization showed the greatest effects. The polarization images are easy to collect and very sensitive to surfaces and textures. Fine powders are highlighted in the images, and particle size and refractive index effects were noticed. The images are not affected by ambient lighting (angle, or intensity). Lens choice is key and may require expert knowledge. Very small deposits of 1 µm particles were difficult to image using the standard video lens. General dirt on smooth surfaces and handprints are easily documented as well as powders on textured painted surfaces. Scratches on metal surfaces can be readily separated from other image features. The camera may be useful for tamper indication as surface damage is easy to discern and ambient lighting is not a concern.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

Correction for Neutral Pressure-Driven Signal in Radiated Power Measurements on Proto-MPEX

A pinhole camera using four-channel resistive bolometers was designed and implemented on the Prototype Material Plasma Exposure eXperiment (Proto-MPEX) to measure the plasma radiated power. Quantification of the radiated power is required for comprehensive power balance assessments but faces unique challenges on linear plasma devices due to weak absolute signal, compared to typical use in toroidal fusion plasmas, and high neutral pressure changes. Around 1 mTorr, the pressure-driven signal contribution was shown to overwhelm the radiated power signal in Proto-MPEX, found to be ~3 μW . Since the pressure-driven signals could not be predicted from first principle arguments, the signals were corrected using empirical models that take two experimental pressure measurements and the raw bolometer signal to reveal the radiated power signals. Four “gas-only” Proto-MPEX shots were taken, without the radio frequency (rf) plasma discharge, to train, optimize, and validate empirical models. The data included two pressure measurements at different locations along with the bolometer signal. Multiple models were tested; partial least-squares regression with a cross correlation method to account for the time offset in the pressure measurements provided the best combination of accuracy and stability. The model was validated to have a modeling error of 0.0036 V, which was lower than 10% of the expected radiated power signal. The model was tested on a different “gas-only” shot with a complete time-series data. For plasma operation shots, the corrected bolometer measurements were compared with an absolute extreme ultraviolet photodiode measurement and similarities and differences are discussed.

Lee, Seungsup↗