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NASA NTRS1982

Rocket-borne instrument with a high-resolution microchannel plate detector for planetary UV spectroscopy

A telescope-spectrograph employing a photon-counting microchannel plate (MCP)-CODACON detector has been built, tested, and flown on a sounding rocket. The detector uses a curved-channel MCP proximity focused onto a coded anode array of 1024 channels spaced 25.4-mm center to center. High quantum efficiency is obtained by depositing a cesium iodide photocathode on the front surface of the MCP. The instrument has obtained an ultraviolet spectrum of Jupiter with a spectral resolution of 8 A, which is higher than that of any previously reported observation in this wavelength range.

Mcclintock, W. E.↗

NASA NTRS1973

Detection and Estimation of an Optical Image by Photon-Counting Techniques

Statistical description of a photoelectric detector is given. The photosensitive surface of the detector is divided into many small areas, and the moment generating function of the photo-counting statistic is derived for large time-bandwidth product. The detection of a specified optical image in the presence of the background light by using the hypothesis test is discussed. The ideal detector based on the likelihood ratio from a set of numbers of photoelectrons ejected from many small areas of the photosensitive surface is studied and compared with the threshold detector and a simple detector which is based on the likelihood ratio by counting the total number of photoelectrons from a finite area of the surface. The intensity of the image is assumed to be Gaussian distributed spatially against the uniformly distributed background light. The numerical approximation by the method of steepest descent is used, and the calculations of the reliabilities for the detectors are carried out by a digital computer.

Wang, Lily Lee↗

NASA NTRS1980

Rocket instrument for far-UV spectrophotometry of faint astronomical objects

A sensitive sounding rocket instrument for moderate (about 10-A) resolution far-UV (1160-1750-A) spectrophotometry of faint astronomical objects has been developed. The instrument employes a photon-counting microchannel plate imaging detector and a concave grating spectrograph behind a 40-cm Dall-Kirkham telescope. A unique remote-control pointing system, incorporating an SIT vidicon aspect camera, two star trackers, and a tone-encoded command telemetry link, permits the telescope to be oriented to within 5 arc sec of any target for which suitable guide stars can be found. The design, construction, calibration, and flight performance of the instrument are discussed.

Hartig, G. F.↗

NASA NTRS1999

Cloud Thickness from Diffusion of Lidar Pulses in Clouds

Measurements of the distribution of reflected light from a laser beam incident on an aqueous suspension of particles or "cloud" with known thickness and particle size distribution are reported. The distribution is referred to as the "cloud radiative Green's function", G. In the diffusion domain, G is sensitive to cloud thickness, allowing that important quantity to be retrieved. The goal of the laboratory simulation is to provide preliminary estimates of sensitivity of G to cloud thickness,for use in the optimal design of an offbeam Lidar instrument for remote sensing of cloud thickness (THOR, Thickness from Offbeam Returns). These clouds of polystyrene microspheres suspended in water are analogous to real clouds of water droplets suspended in air. The microsphere size distribution is roughly lognormal, from 0.5 microns to 25 microns, similar to real clouds. Density of suspended spheres is adjusted so mean-free-path of visible photons is about 10 cm, approximately 1000 times smaller than in real clouds. The light source is a ND:YAG laser at 530 nm. Detectors are flux and photon-counting Photomultiplier Tube (PMTS), with a glass probe for precise positioning. A Labview 5 VI controls positioning, and data acquisition, via an NI Motion Control board connected to a stepper motor driving an Edmund linear slider, and a 16-channel 16-bit NI-DAQ board. The stepper motor is accurate to 10 microns, and step size is selectable from the VI software. Far from the incident beam, the rate of exponential increase as the direction of the incident beam is approached scales as expected from diffusion theory, linearly with the cloud thickness, and inversely as the square root of the reduced optical thickness, and is independent of particle size. Near the beam the signal begins to increase faster than exponential, due to single and low-order scattering near the backward direction, and here the distribution depends on particle size. Results are being used to verify 3D Monte Carlo radiative transfer simulations, used to estimate signal-to-noise ratios for remotely sensed off beam returns, for both homogeneous and inhomogeneous clouds. Signal-to-noise estimates show that unfiltered observations are straight forward at night, while narrow band pass filters are being studied for day.

Cahalan, Robert F.↗

NASA NTRS1999

Diffuse Reflection of Laser Light From Clouds

Laser light reflected from an aqueous suspension of particles or "cloud" with known thickness and particle size distribution defines the "cloud radiative Green's function", G. G is sensitive to cloud thickness, allowing retrieval of that important quantity. We describe a laboratory simulation of G, useful in design of an offbeam Lidar instrument for remote sensing of cloud thickness. Clouds of polystyrene microspheres suspended in water are analogous to real clouds of water droplets suspended in air. The size distribution extends from 0.5 microns to 25 microns, roughly lognormal, similar to real clouds. Density of suspended spheres is adjusted so photon mean-free-path is about 10 cm, 1000 times smaller than in real clouds. The light source is a Nd:YAG laser at 530 nm. Detectors are flux and photon-counting PMTs, with a glass probe for precise positioning. A Labview 5 VI controls position and data acquisition, via an NI Motion Control board connected to a stepper motor driving an Edmund linear slider,and a 16-channel 16-bit NI-DAQ board. The stepper motor is accurate to 10 microns. Step size is selectable. Far from the beam, the rate of exponential increase in the beam direction scales as expected from diffusion theory, linearly with cloud thickness, and inversely as the square root of the reduced optical thickness, independent of particle size. Nearer the beam the signal increases faster than exponential and depends on particle size. Results verify 3D Monte Carlo simulations that demonstrate detectability of remotely sensed offbeam returns, without filters at night, with narrow bandpass filter in day.

Cahalan, R. F.↗

NASA NTRS1985

Speckle imaging with the PAPA detector

A new 2-D photon-counting camera, the PAPA (precision analog photon address) detector has been built, tested, and used successfully for the acquisition of speckle imaging data. The camera has 512 x 512 pixels and operates at count rates of at least 200,000/sec. In this paper, technical details on the camera are presented and some of the laboratory and astronomical results are included which demonstrate the detector's capabilities.

Papaliolios, C.↗

NASA NTRS1992

A new-speckle interferometry system for the MAMA detector

We have developed a new system for making speckle observations with the multianode microchannel array (MAMA) detector. This system is a true photon-counting imaging device which records the arrival time of every detected photon and allows for reconstruction of image features near the diffraction limit of the telescope. We present a description of the system and summary of observational results obtained at the Lick Observatory 1-m reflector in 1991 September. The diffraction limit of the 1-m telescope at 5029 A is about 0.125 arcsec and we have successfully resolved the catalogued interferometric binary HD 202582 with a separation of 0.157 +/- 0.031 arcsec. A pair of stars in the open cluster Chi Persei separated by 2.65 +/- 0.22 arcsec with approximate V magnitudes 8.6 and 11.5 has also been successfully analyzed with the speckle technique.

Horch, E.↗

NASA NTRS1983

Image plane detector for the dynamics explorer Fabry-Perot interferometer

A compact twelve-channel photon-counting device based on existing Generation II imaging technology has been developed for use as the image-plane detector of the Dynamics Explorer Fabry-Perot interferometer. The device has an S-20 photocathode, three-microchannel plate electron multiplication stages, and an equal-area concentric-ring segmented anode whose geometry mimics that of the interference ring pattern produced by a plane etalon. The twelve channels sample equal and contiguous intervals in the spectrum. The purpose of the delopment has been to utilize the signal multiplex advantage of a multichannel detector in the measurement of Doppler shifts and line-broadening effects for naturally occurring atmospheric emission features of low intensity. The design, testing, calibration, and flight performance of the novel detector system are presented. In addition, measured emission line profiles at high resolution from the satellite instrument are presented to illustrate the operation of the device.

Killeen, T. L.↗

NASA NTRS2002

Fabrication of Tunnel Junctions For Direct Detector Arrays With Single-Electron Transistor Readout Using Electron-Beam Lithography

This paper will describe the fabrication of small aluminum tunnel junctions for applications in astronomy. Antenna-coupled superconducting tunnel junctions with integrated single-electron transistor readout have the potential for photon-counting sensitivity at sub-millimeter wavelengths. The junctions for the detector and single-electron transistor can be made with electron-beam lithography and a standard self-aligned double-angle deposition process. However, high yield and uniformity of the junctions is required for large-format detector arrays. This paper will describe how measurement and modification of the sensitivity ratio in the resist bilayer was used to greatly improve the reliability of forming devices with uniform, sub-micron size, low-leakage junctions.

Stevenson, T. R.↗

NASA NTRS1973

Airborne Laser Polar Nephelometer

A polar nephelometer has been developed at NCAR to measure the angular variation of the intensity of light scattered by air molecules and particles. The system has been designed for airborne measurements using outside air ducted through a 5-cm diameter airflow tube; the sample volume is that which is common to the intersection of a collimated source beam and the detector field of view within the airflow tube. The source is a linearly polarized helium-neon laser beam. The optical system defines a collimated field-of-view (0.5deg half-angle) through a series of diaphragms located behind a I72-mm focal length objective lens. A photomultiplier tube is located immediately behind an aperture in the focal plane of the objective lens. The laser beam is mechanically chopped (on-off) at a rate of 5 Hz; a two-channel pulse counter, synchronized to the laser output, measures the photomultiplier pulse rate with the light beam both on and off. The difference in these measured pulse rates is directly proportional to the intensity of the scattered light from the volume common to the intersection of the laser beam and the detector field-of-view. Measurements can be made at scattering angles from 15deg to 165deg with reference to the direction of propagation of the light beam. Intermediate angles are obtained by selecting the angular increments desired between these extreme angles (any multiple of 0.1deg can be selected for the angular increment; 5deg is used in normal operation). Pulses provided by digital circuits control a stepping motor which sequentially rotates the detector by pre-selected angular increments. The synchronous photon-counting system automatically begins measurement of the scattered-light intensity immediately after the rotation to a new angle has been completed. The instrument has been flown on the NASA Convair 990 airborne laboratory to obtain data on the complex index of refraction of atmospheric aerosols. A particle impaction device is operated simultaneously to collect particles from the same airflow tube used to make the scattered-light measurements. A size distribution function is obtained by analysis of the particles collected by the impaction device. Calculated values of the angular variation of the scattered-light intensity are obtained by applying Mie scattering theory to the observed size distribution function and assuming different values of the complex index of refraction of the particles. The calculated values are then compared with data on the actual variation of the scattered-light intensity obtained with the polar nephelometer. The most probable value of the complex refractive index is that which provides the best fit between the experimental light scattering data and the parameters calculated from the observed size distribution function.

Grams, Gerald W.↗

NASA NTRS1990

Signal-to-noise ratios in IUE SWP-LO spectra of chromospheric emission-line sources

The short-wavelength-prime (SWP) detector of the International Ultraviolet Explorer should operate near the photon-counting limit, but the noise levels in flat-field images are several times higher. The exaggerated noise can be traced to the incomplete removal of the pixel-to-pixel granularity of the television frames by the prevailing spectral image processing system. An empirical noise model for the current-epoch photometric linearization strategy and one for a hypothetical processing system that achieves complete flat fielding of the raw images are derived. A formula is then proposed to predict the signal-to-noise ratio in the measured flux of an emission line (possibly superimposed on a smooth continuum) in an IUE low-dispersion (5 A resolution) far-ultraviolet (1150 A-1950 A) spectrum as recorded with the SWP camera. For illustration, the formula is specialized to the important C IV 1549 A feature of F-K stars. The S/N relation permits one to determine sensitivity limits, upper limits in faint exposures, and optimum exposure times.

Ayres, Thomas R.↗

NASA NTRS1976

Development, applications, and future of infrared upconversion

Infrared upconversion is a technique that converts linearly polarized infrared photons to photons of higher frequency. The technique can be applied advantageously to the detection of IR radiation because the upconverted signal can be detected by photon-counting devices available for the visible spectral region. In addition, unlike presently available IR detectors, an upconversion device can provide sensitivity to IR radiation without the need for cryogenic cooling. Infrared upconversion was first demonstrated in 1961. By 1974, approximately 100% quantum conversion efficiency and a bandwidth of 1.81 microns had been attained. Photometric detection of IR radiation from various astronomical objects had also been demonstrated. Research is presently under way on the application of upconversion to astronomical spectroscopy and to imaging. The major drawback to the upconversion technique is the sheer bulk of the apparatus involved. It is anticipated that this problem can be overcome by applying the developing technology of integrated optics.

Gurski, T. R.↗

NASA NTRS1997

Solid-state Image Sensor with Focal-plane Digital Photon-counting Pixel Array

A solid-state focal-plane imaging system comprises an NxN array of high gain. low-noise unit cells. each unit cell being connected to a different one of photovoltaic detector diodes, one for each unit cell, interspersed in the array for ultra low level image detection and a plurality of digital counters coupled to the outputs of the unit cell by a multiplexer(either a separate counter for each unit cell or a row of N of counters time shared with N rows of digital counters). Each unit cell includes two self-biasing cascode amplifiers in cascade for a high charge-to-voltage conversion gain (greater than 1mV/e(-)) and an electronic switch to reset input capacitance to a reference potential in order to be able to discriminate detection of an incident photon by the photoelectron (e(-))generated in the detector diode at the input of the first cascode amplifier in order to count incident photons individually in a digital counter connected to the output of the second cascade amplifier. Reseting the input capacitance and initiating self-biasing of the amplifiers occurs every clock cycle of an integratng period to enable ultralow light level image detection by the may of photovoltaic detector diodes under such ultralow light level conditions that the photon flux will statistically provide only a single photon at a time incident on anyone detector diode during any clock cycle.

Fossum, Eric R.↗

NASA NTRS1975

Infrared upconversion as a means of seeing in the dark

A new approach to seeing in the dark is described which is based on the principles of nonlinear optics employing a crystal such as lithium iodate. A nonlinear optical device capable of producing photons at higher frequencies from lower-frequency incident light is shown to upconvert infrared light directly into visible light. The major advantages of the infrared upconversion process is that it permits the infrared signal to be detected by photon-counting devices presently available for the visible spectral region, and that it can provide sensitivity to infrared radiation without the need for cryogenic cooling of the detector used. Early works on infrared upconversion are reviewed. The development of applications is discussed as to astronomical spectroscopy and infrared image upconversion involving either angular or positional resolution elements. The demonstration of infrared upconversion in rectangular waveguides of single-crystal GaAs by Anderson et al. (1971) indicates future possibilities in upconversion by the use of integrated optics devices.

Gurski, T. R.↗

NASA NTRS2000

Photon-Counting Multikilohertz Microlaser Altimeters for Airborne and Spaceborne Topographic Measurements

We consider the optimum design of photon-counting microlaser altimeters operating from airborne and spaceborne platforms under both day and night conditions. Extremely compact Q-switched microlaser transmitters produce trains of low energy pulses at multi-kHz rates and can easily generate subnanosecond pulse-widths for precise ranging. To guide the design, we have modeled the solar noise background and developed simple algorithms, based on Post-Detection Poisson Filtering (PDPF), to optimally extract the weak altimeter signal from a high noise background during daytime operations. Practical technology issues, such as detector and/or receiver dead times, have also been considered in the analysis. We describe an airborne prototype, being developed under NASA's instrument Incubator Program, which is designed to operate at a 10 kHz rate from aircraft cruise altitudes up to 12 km with laser pulse energies on the order of a few microjoules. We also analyze a compact and power efficient system designed to operate from Mars orbit at an altitude of 300 km and sample the Martian surface at rates up to 4.3 kHz using a 1 watt laser transmitter and an 18 cm telescope. This yields a Power-Aperture Product of 0.24 W-square meter, corresponding to a value almost 4 times smaller than the Mars Orbiting Laser Altimeter (0. 88W-square meter), yet the sampling rate is roughly 400 times greater (4 kHz vs 10 Hz) Relative to conventional high power laser altimeters, advantages of photon-counting laser altimeters include: (1) a more efficient use of available laser photons providing up to two orders of magnitude greater surface sampling rates for a given laser power-telescope aperture product; (2) a simultaneous two order of magnitude reduction in the volume, cost and weight of the telescope system; (3) the unique ability to spatially resolve the source of the surface return in a photon counting mode through the use of pixellated or imaging detectors; and (4) improved vertical and transverse spatial resolution resulting from both (1) and (3). Furthermore, because of significantly lower laser pulse energies, the microaltimeter is inherently more eyesafe to observers on the ground and less prone to internal optical damage, which can terminate a space mission prematurely.

Degnan, John J.↗

NASA NTRS1985

Interstellar Medium Absorption Profile Spectrograph (IMAPS)

The design and fabrication of an objective-grating echelle spectrograph to fly on sounding rockets and record spectra of stars from approximately 920 to 1120A with a resolving power lambda/delta lambda = 200,000 is discussed. The scientific purpose of the program is to observe, with ten times better velocity resolution than before, the plentiful absorption lines in this spectral region produced by atoms, ions and molecules in the interstellar medium. In addition, an important technical goal is to develop and flight-quality a new ultraviolet, photon-counting image sensor which has a windowless, opaque photocathode and a CCD bombarded directly by the accelerated photoelectrons. Except for some initial difficulties with the performance of CCDs, the development of the payload instrument is relatively straightforward and our overall design goals are satisfied. The first flight occurred in late 1984, but no data were obtained because of an inrush of air degraded the instrument's vacuum and caused the detector's high voltage to arc. A second flight in early 1985 was a complete success and obtained a spectrum of pi Sco. Data from this mission are currently being reduced; quick-look versions of the spectra indicate that excellent results will be obtained. Currently, the payload is being reconfigured to fly on a Spartan mission in 1988.

Jenkins, E. B.↗

NASA NTRS1977

A moderate-resolution, wide-band, astronomical echelle spectrograph

An echelle spectrograph is described which is specifically designed for use on a 52-in. f/7.6 telescope as an instrument optimally suited for studying spectra of the faint optical counterparts to X-ray stars at moderate spectral resolution. The spectrograph is also able to accomodate a two-dimensional photon-tagging panoramic image detector so that high-time-resolution studies of the spectra of variable stars can be carried out. The equations for echelle spectrographs are summarized, and some features of the present instrument are discussed. These include its prism cross-disperser, small elliptical flat mirror, and unusually high efficiency. An iron-argon calibration spectrum obtained by pressing the film against the output fiber optics of a three-stage electrostatically focused image intensifier, a spectrum of P Cygni taken by placing the film directly in the image plane of the spectrograph, and a photon-counted image of a small section of an echellogram produced during an observation of the Ring nebula in Lyra are provided to illustrate the performance of the instrument.

Bardas, D.↗

NASA NTRS1993

High-resolution Y-axis readout for delay-line microchannel anodes

We have devised a method to obtain a high-resolution Y-axis event position determination from microchannel plate delay-line detectors. The method is based on the double-delay-line wedge-wedge charge partition principle of Lampton et al. (1990), where the X axis is read out by a pair of side-by-side delay lines and the Y-axis coordinate is determined by comparing the charges on the two parallel delay lines. However, our new method abandons the common field return path of the two delay lines, and splits them into two adjacent but independent transformer coupled timing circuits having no common ground connection except via the charge-measurement amplifiers. Thus we eliminate the large electrostatic capacitance of the delay lines from the input of the charge-measuring system. Over its limited working field, the spatial resolution in the Y coordinate can easily equal the resolution provided in the X coordinate by the delay line. Applications to extreme and FUV photon-counting spectroscopy are envisioned.

Raffanti, R.↗