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Full-Text Articles in Engineering
Digital Holography Efficiency Experiments For Tactical Applications, Douglas E. Thornton
Digital Holography Efficiency Experiments For Tactical Applications, Douglas E. Thornton
Theses and Dissertations
Digital holography (DH) uses coherent detection and offers direct access to the complex-optical field to sense and correct image aberrations in low signal-to-noise environments, which is critical for tactical applications. The performance of DH is compared to a similar, well studied deep-turbulence wavefront sensor, the self-referencing interferometer (SRI), with known efficiency losses. Wave optics simulations with deep-turbulence conditions and noise were conducted and the results show that DH outperforms the SRI by 10's of dB due to DH's strong reference. Additionally, efficiency experiments were conducted to investigate DH system losses. The experimental results show that the mixing efficiency (37%) is …
Determining The Index Of Refraction Of An Unknown Object Using Passive Polarimetric Imagery Degraded By Atmospheric Turbulence, Milo W. Hyde Iv
Determining The Index Of Refraction Of An Unknown Object Using Passive Polarimetric Imagery Degraded By Atmospheric Turbulence, Milo W. Hyde Iv
Theses and Dissertations
In this research, an algorithm is developed to estimate the index of refraction of an unknown object using passive polarimetric images degraded by atmospheric turbulence. The algorithm uses a variant of the maximum-likelihood blind-deconvolution algorithm developed by LeMaster and Cain to recover the true object (i.e., the first Stokes parameter), the degree of linear polarization, and the polarimetric-image point spread functions. Nonlinear least squares is then used to find the value of the complex index of refraction which best fits the theoretical degree of linear polarization, derived using a polarimetric bidirectional reflectance distribution function, to the turbulence-corrected degree of linear …
Polar Phase Screens: A Comparison With Other Methods Of Random Phase Screen Generation, Rebecca J. Eckert
Polar Phase Screens: A Comparison With Other Methods Of Random Phase Screen Generation, Rebecca J. Eckert
Theses and Dissertations
This research provides the first organized comparison of random phase screen generation methods, including logarithmic polar Fourier series, using structure functions. Random phase screens are essential elements of simulating light propagation through turbulent media. In order to be effective, they must accurately reflect theory and be practical to implement. This research explains and evaluates three methods of generating random phase screens: using a Fourier series upon a polar frequency grid with logarithmic spacing; using the fast Fourier transform, with its Cartesian frequency grid; and using Zernike polynomials. It provides a comparison of the Polar Fourier Series technique with the two …
Atmospheric Simulation Using A Liquid Crystal Wavefront Controlling Device, Matthew R. Brooks
Atmospheric Simulation Using A Liquid Crystal Wavefront Controlling Device, Matthew R. Brooks
Theses and Dissertations
Test and evaluation of laser warning devices is important due to the increased use of laser devices in aerial applications. In this thesis, an atmospheric aberrating system is deve1oped to enable in-1ab testing of laser warning devices. This system employs laser 1ight at 632.8nm from a He1ium-Neon source and a spatial light modulator (SLM) to cause phase changes using a birefringent liquid crystaJ material. Before the system can be used, the SLM phase response must be quantified to ensure proper manipulation of index of refrnction. Additionally, diffraction from the SLM and rea1-world system scaling are addressed. Once completed, the atmospheric …
Performance Analysis Of A Hartman Wavefront Sensor Used For Sensing Atmospheric Turbulence Statistics, Toby D. Reeves
Performance Analysis Of A Hartman Wavefront Sensor Used For Sensing Atmospheric Turbulence Statistics, Toby D. Reeves
Theses and Dissertations
Atmospheric turbulence parameters, such as Fried's coherence diameter, the outer scale of turbulence, and the turbulence power law, are related to the wavefront slope structure function (SSF). The SSF is defined as the second moment of the wavefront slope difference as a function of both time and position. Knowledge of the SSF allows turbulence parameters to be estimated. Hartmann wavefront sensor (H-WFS) slope measurements composed of both signal and noise, allow the SSF to be estimated by computing a mean square difference of H-WFS slope measurements. The quality of the SSF estimate is quantified by the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of …
The Role Of Frame Selection And Bispectrum Phase Reconstruction For Speckle Imaging Through Atmospheric Turbulence, Elizabeth A. Harpold
The Role Of Frame Selection And Bispectrum Phase Reconstruction For Speckle Imaging Through Atmospheric Turbulence, Elizabeth A. Harpold
Theses and Dissertations
Frame selection using quality sharpness metrics have been shown in previous AFIT theses, to be effective in improving the final product of images obtained using adaptive optics. This thesis extends this idea to noncompensated speckle image data. Speckle image reconstruction is simulated with and without frame selection. Speckle images require the processing of hundreds of data frames. Frame selection is a method of reducing the amount of data required to reconstruct the image. A collection of short exposure image data frames of a single object are sorted based on sharpness metrics. Only the highest quality frames are retained and processed …
Maximum Likelihood Estimation Of Wave Front Slopes Using A Hartmann-Type Sensor, Scott A. Sallberg
Maximum Likelihood Estimation Of Wave Front Slopes Using A Hartmann-Type Sensor, Scott A. Sallberg
Theses and Dissertations
Current methods for estimating the wave front slope at the pupil of a telescope equipped with a Hartmann-type wave front sensor (H-WFS) are based on a simple centroid calculation of the intensity distributions (spots) recorded in each subaperture of the H-WFS. The centroid method does not include any knowledge concerning correlation properties of the slopes over the subapertures or the amount of light collected by the telescope and diverted to the H-WFS for wave front reconstruction purposes. This thesis devises a maximum likelihood (ML) estimation of the spot centroids by incorporating statistical knowledge of the spot shifts. The light level …