This PDF file contains the front matter associated with SPIE Proceedings Volume 11128 including the Title Page, Copyright information, Table of Contents, Introduction, and Conference Committee listing.

The possibility to study small bodies in the planetary system by means of flybys, orbital observations, and sample return by space missions has potentiated our knowledge about them. Compared to differentiated objects, whose materials have been greatly altered during the evolution of the solar system, they belong to those objects which allow the determination of the state of matter of the early planetary system. Depending on the heliocentric distance of their origin and their further development they exhibit different pristine compositions that include minerals, ices, and organics. Space missions such as Rosetta to comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, Hayabusa2 operating at 162173 Ryugu, and Osiris-REx exploring 101955 Bennu have delivered and are delivering comprehensive data including Visible and Infrared/VIR (i.e. Visible and Near-Infrared/VNIR and Mid-Infrared/MIR) spectral information. However, the compositional analysis from VIR spectra is not straightforward. Dark and fine-grained materials influence the spectral properties considerably. Comparative laboratory investigations of analog materials and spectro-photometric modeling form the basis for a data analysis related to the respective planetary body. This paper summarizes selected results of these studies and discusses the scientific and instrumental requirements for future spaceborne VIR spectral studies of minor bodies like Comet Interceptor, AIDA, MMX, Lucy and further planned missions in the solar system.

Infrared Fourier-transform spectrometers (FTIR) onboard of the planetary missions are commonly used for the thermal sounding of the atmosphere and retrieval of aerosol profiles. To derive a calibrated spectrum of the target source, one needs three separate measurements: the target source itself and two calibration measurements of sources with known emissivity and temperature. An overview of the design of a compact in-built calibration source (a blackbody) emitting at 210-330 K for a spaceborne FTIR instrument is presented. Mechanically it is an aluminum structure matching the aperture of the instrument. The emissivity depends on its surface relief and finish. Four different types of surface shape are considered. The best-achieved emissivity is better than 0.99 (at 15 μm). The optimal placement of heaters allowing for minimal thermal non-uniformity (0.1 K) across the aperture is found. The accuracy of the thermal control is also ~0.1 K. We discuss the thermal control system and its characteristics (accuracy and drift). The proposed design accounts for a minimum mass applicable to the space instrumentation. For a one-inch aperture, the mass is 0.12 kg. The expected accuracy of the instrument calibrated with the designed blackbody is estimated.

The VenSpec instrument suite is part of the payload for the ESA M5 mission proposal EnVision which is currently in a competitive Phase A study. VenSpec consists of three channels: VenSpec-M, VenSpec-H and VenSpec-U. VenSpec-M will provide near-global compositional data on rock types, weathering, and crustal evolution by mapping the Venus surface in five atmospheric windows. VenSpec-H will be dedicated to extremely high-resolution atmospheric measurements. The main objective of the VenSpec-H instrument is to detect and quantify SO₂, H₂O and HDO in the lower atmosphere, to enable characterization of volcanic plumes and other sources of gas exchange with the surface of Venus, complementing VenSAR and VenSpecM surface and SRS subsurface observations. VenSpec-U will monitor sulphured minor species (mainly SO and SO₂) and the as yet unknown UV absorber in Venusian upper clouds and just above. In combination, VenSpec will provide unprecedented insights into the current state of Venus and its past evolution. VenSpec will perform a comprehensive search for volcanic activity by targeting atmospheric signatures, thermal signatures and compositional signatures, as well as a global map of surface composition.

In the last thirty years, thousands of extra-solar planets have been detected. The overwhelming majority of these detections were performed by indirect techniques. Only a few tens have been detected by direct methods, because the current technology limitations. The rotational shearing interferometer (RSI) has been proposed as a promising technique for the direct detection of extra-solar planets. The RSI is insensitive to rotationally symmetrical wavefronts. This feature allows it to distinguish between a symmetrical wavefront generated by an star alone and an asymmetrical wavefront generated by a star-planet system. However the aperture and resolution of this method is limited by the size of the Dove prisms. We propose the use of an image-inverting interferometer (III) as alternative to the RSI. The III is equivalent to a RSI with a rotation of pi. It conserves the detection features of the RSI. Additionally the III uses mirrors instead Dove prisms avoiding its size limitations.

Optical fibers are becoming commonly used beside data transmissions for dissemination of ultra-precise and stable quantities or alternatively as distributed sensors of for example acoustic and mechanic vibrations, seismic waves, temperature etc. There have been developed methods for these transfers and their stabilization, allowing thus to achieve excellent performances. Such performance is bound with utilization of single physical medium for both ways of propagation. These methods are attractive both for very high-performance applications and as a secure alternative complementary to radio and satellite-based transfer methods. From economical point of view, sharing fibers with regular data traffic is an advantage, especially for longer distances and large infrastructures. Unfortunately, the most often used wavelengths are located almost in the middle of telecommunication band. Due to continuous data traffic growth and utilization of flexible spectral allocation, the collision in wavelength plan will occur more and more often. In this paper we overview alternative wavelengths suitable for these transfers, we also propose suitable methods for all-optical reach extension, by all-optical amplification. Shared line design allowing transfer of ultra-stable quantities in three different spectral bands is proposed and such design is evaluated.

For many quantum-photonic applications highly efficient and fast single-photon detectors are of utmost importance. Resonant tunneling diode (RTD) photodetectors can be operated as low-noise and high-speed amplifiers of small optically generated electrical signals. For this purpose, RTD photodetectors exploit that the tunneling current is extremely sensitive to changes in the local electrostatic potential, which enables the detection of single photogenerated minority charge carriers, and hence the detection of single photons with the capability of photon-number resolution. Here, we present different RTD device geometries and operation schemes for enhanced quantum-efficiency and operation frequencies.

The standard threshold wavelength (λ_t) of an Infrared (IR) detector is related to the energy gap Δ is given by Δ = 1.24/λ_t . Here, we summarize the results of a new class of IR detectors, that display threshold wavelengths (λ_t ^eff) (< λ_t) for the same corresponding Δ designed for λ_t . The extended threshold (ET) wavelength detectors includes epi-layers of barrieremitter-barrier, which are sandwiched in between the two contact regions. Spectral response of the device structures with different energy offsets between the barriers shows the wavelength extension, while the standard λ_t is observed without this offset (δ𝐸). The ET wavelength phenomena coupled with a reduced dark current corresponding to the designed Δ could provide a specific detectivity (D*) advantage over conventional detectors. A possible explanation of the results which include the role of potential barrier gradient for the performance of detectors will also be discussed.

Recent progress in advanced autonomous driving techniques, such as level 5 or level 4, requires precise dead reckoning in order to compensate main positioning systems such as GNSS, visual SLAMs or LIDARs. This kind of precise dead reckoning is established by using a gyroscope of 0.1 deg/ hr. class. Currently, gyroscopes that satisfy this accuracy include interferometric fiber optic gyros (i-FOGs) and Ring Laser Gyros (RLGs) and their price range is more than $10,000 per axis. So it is strongly required to reduce the price of gyroscopes with equivalent accuracy for practical application and commercialization of autonomous driving. To maintain accuracy of the i-FOG, we should use precisely aligned quadrupole optical fiber coil and modulation element parts, called IOC (Integrated Optical Circuit). When considering fabrication cost of the i-FOG, production costs of these two important components have substantial ratio in total production cost. Especially the former one generally thought to be difficult to reduce because it depends upon human handwork to achieve quadrupole winding arrangement and precise alignment of optical fiber on the coil bobbin simultaneously. To solve this difficulty, we have developed automatic optical fiber winding machine which can execute automatic quadrupole winding with fine alignment of optical fiber by adopting double-flyer winding mechanism. This mechanism allows us to avoid extra and time-consuming hand work for changing the optical fiber source from left to right and right to left for each layer of the fiber coil. This has reduced the man-time to 1/5. By combination of this technique and our fabrication process of IOCs, we have acquired the potential to reduce fabrication cost of i-FOGs.

Dual-comb spectroscopy has recently attracted significant interest due to its fast acquisition times, absolute frequency accuracy, negligible lineshape, and coherent probe light. We have recently expanded our near-infrared dual-comb spectroscopy efforts to the mid-infrared, which offers significantly improved sensitivity for many trace gas species and access to other species which cannot be measured in the Near-Infrared. Our Mid-Infrared spectrometer is based on two erbium fiber optical frequency combs that generate light spanning from about 3 to 5 microns using a two-branch difference frequency generation (DFG) design with a periodically poled lithium niobate crystal (PPLN). The data product of the spectrometer are interferograms. Once digitized, the interferograms are corrected for residual phase noise of the frequency combs and coadded in real-time on a field-programmable gate array (FPGA). Finally, the optical spectrum is calculated through a Fourier transform of the coadded interferogram. I will present three measurement modalities we implemented with this spectrometer. In a laboratory gas cell measurement, we characterized low-pressure gas phase propane, demonstrating excellent agreement with literature spectra obtained with high-resolution FTIR. In a separate measurement, we performed in-situ monitoring of a chemical reaction using attenuated total reflection spectroscopy. Finally, open-path measurements of atmospheric trace gases (methane, CO2, water, ethane) and volatile organic compounds (acetone, isopropanol) demonstrate the spectrometer's capability to monitor atmospheric trace gases and quantify emissions from sources like oil and gas, forest fires and industry.

The output of a laser frequency comb is composed of 100,000+ perfectly spaced, discrete wavelength elements or comb teeth, that act as a massively parallel set of single frequency (CW) lasers with highly stable, well-known frequencies. In dual-comb spectroscopy, two such frequency combs are interfered on a single detector yielding absorption information for each individual comb tooth. This approach combines the strengths of both cw laser spectroscopy and broadband spectroscopy providing high spectral resolution and broad optical bandwidths, all with a single-mode, high-brightness laser beam and a simple, single photodetector, detection scheme. Here we use a DCS systems to measure the atmospheric absorption over long open-air paths with 0.007cm-1 resolution over 1.57 to 1.66 um, covering absorption bands of CO2, CH4, H2O and isotopologues. Inter-comparison of instruments shows that we can measure CO2 and CH4 with precision of 0.14% and 0.35%, respectively, relative to their natural abundance. In addition, this novel spectroscopy source can be employed for regional (~kilometer scale) monitoring using an array of stationed retros or in conjunction with an unmanned aerial systems (UAS). Both fixed and UAS systems combine the high-precision, multi-species detection capabilities of open-path DCS and have proven to be extremely successful at locating and sizing very small gas leaks. Here we focus on two long-term field deployments where a near-IR spectrometer is used to detect methane leaks to support oil and gas and CO2 traffic emissions from the city of Boulder.

We simulate the interference patterns of solar systems, incorporating an Estrella and two Tierras, as detected by a rotational shearing interferometer, to compare with laboratory setup. Three rays are propagated to represent each wavefront in the interferometer, using the exact ray tracing technique. Then, the phase, with which light beams are incident into the detection plane is used to calculate the orientation of the incident wavefront. Finally, all the incident wavefronts are summed together to obtain the resulting interference pattern.

An interferometer is an essential subsystem of the Fourier-transform spectrometer (FTS). We describe an FTS instrument to operate at the surface of Mars based on a Michelson interferometer with hollow retroreflectors. The instrument will operate in two different regimes, observing the solar disc through the atmosphere to measure trace gases, and measuring the thermal emission from the atmosphere to study the planetary boundary layer (PBL). The interferometer has an aperture of 1 inch, operates in the spectral range 1.7-17 μm, and features low mass and volume (≤1 kg with all necessary subsystems). Beam splitter and compensator are made of potassium bromide (KBr). A single-axis robot with stepper motor drive provides a linear movement of the retroreflector (the speed stability is about 2%) and enables a maximal optical path difference (MOPD) of 15 cm. A reference channel with a distributed-feedback laser diode (0.76 μm) and a photodiode (Si) supports the interferogram sampling and the speed stabilization loop. The time to measure one interferogram with a best spectral resolution of about 0.05 cm^–1 is 500 s (the sun tracking regime). In the thermal sounding regime, one measurement of a two-side interferogram (with the spectral resolution of ~1 cm–1) takes less than 1 min. Laboratory calibrations with a black body and a laser confirm the design parameters of the instrument.

We describe a 1-inch aperture pointing system realized with a rope transmission driven by geared stepper motors for operation at the surface of Mars. The system is intended to serve in the Fourier-transform spectrometer to observe both the sun through the atmosphere and the thermal emission of the atmosphere. The scanner covers a full 2π field of view (the upper hemisphere). The accuracy of 0.1 mrad (~21 arcsec) for the sun tracking is achieved using an automatic control system with an IR array sensor (3232) in the loop. The optics of the pointing system consists of three flat mirrors and a germanium inlet window. The mass of the subsystem does not exceed 0.8 kg. The design accounts for the necessity of dust protection in the Martian environment. The effect of a finite accuracy of the pointing and tracking on the instrument signal to noise ratio is modeled.

The Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation (GEDI) instrument was designed, built, and tested in-house at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center and launched to the International Space Station (ISS) on December 5, 2018. GEDI is a multibeam waveform LiDAR (light detection and ranging) designed to measure the Earth’s global tree height and canopy density using 8 laser beam ground tracks separated by roughly 600 meters. Given the ground coverage required and the 2 year mission duration, a unique optical design solution was developed. GEDI generates 8 ground sampling tracks from 3 transmitter systems viewed by a single receiver telescope, all while maximizing system optical efficiency and transmitter to receiver boresight alignment margin. The GEDI optical design, key optical components, and system level integration and testing are presented here. GEDI began 2 years of science operations in March 2019 and so far, it is meeting all of its key optical performance requirements and is returning outstanding science.

The Global Ecosystems Dynamics Investigation (GEDI) Lidar, is an Earth Science remote sensing instrument aboard the International Space Station (ISS) and the Japanese Experiment Module (JEM). Its core mission is to measure the global carbon balance of Earth’s forests by using a set of three solid state laser transmitters in a multibeam waveform capture lidar technique. GEDI’s laser transmitters and precision optical system transmits over 3.4 million laser pulses to the Earth every hour, each pulse producing an individual 3-D biomass column measurement. To enable a successful two-year mission, the lasers had to be reliable, highly repeatable in performance with each measurement power cycle, and designed with minimal part count for reduced manufacture complexity and cost. These transmitters are in-house products; developed, constructed, qualified, and fully integrated into the GEDI instrument at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. We will present the lasers’ path from initial design to flight operation, with emphasis on the major milestones, critical issues, and lessons learned. Full credit goes to the excellent team effort that led to the successful commissioning and initiation of full-time science operations in March 2019.

We present observational and causality arguments to underscore that a better model for light is a “hybrid photon” wave packet. At the moment of quantum transitions, the electromagnetic energy is embedded in the transient quantum, hν. But, it immediately evolves into a diffractively spreading classical, quasi-exponential, EM wave packet. This hybrid photon accommodates both quantum and classical optics. The quantum formalism has demonstrated staggering successes in modeling the micro world of atoms. The Huygens-Fresnel diffraction integral and Maxwell’s wave equation are also enjoying continued successes since early 1800’s. In this paper, using the model of hybrid photon, we underscore that the photoelectron counting statistics should vary depending upon the relative phases, spacing and amplitudes of the superposed wave packets (hybrid photons) as they simultaneously arrive and stimulate the quantum mechanical dipole complexes on the surface of the photo detectors.

From a quantum statistical viewpoint, four typical quantum states are Fock, Sub-Poissonian, Poissonian and SuperPoissonian states. Quantum interactions are focus among Fock and Poissonian states. Using quantum statistics, model and simulation, this paper proposes two models: matrix and variant transformations: 1. MT Matrix Transformation – eigenvalue states; 2. VT Variant Transformation – invariant states to analyze three random sequences: 1) random; 2) conditional random in a constant; 3) periodic pattern. Four procedures are proposed. Fast Fourier Transformation FFT is applied as one of MT schemes and two invariant scheme of VT schemes are applied, three random sequences are in M segments and each segment has a length m to generate a measuring sequence. Shifting operations are applied on each random sequence to create m+1 spectrum distributions. For FFT, a pair of eigenvalues are selected as the output. Two types of 1D and 2D variant maps are generated to illustrate multiple parameter selections to generate a series of results. Since sequences 1) and 3) are related simple, more cases are focus on sequences 2). Better than FFT, VT distinguishes various Fock, Sub-Poissonian, Poissonian states in random analysis to distinguish three random sequences as three levels of statistical ensembles: Micro-canonical, Canonical, and Grand-Canonical ensembles. Applying two transformations, quantum statistics, model and simulation of modern quantum theory and applications can be explored.

We will present an alternative method for spin-torque measurements and spin-currents interface characterization in a pure DC configuration measurement. It consists in consists in developing an home-made NiFe-based 4-branches AMR Wheatstone bridge sensors with a specific design allowing opposite spin-current flow in each of the opposite bridge arms. We have experimented the method on well-characterized NiFe(10nm)/Pt as well as NiFe(10nm)/Pt/Au:W systems reliable for spin-torque and THz emission. If the field-like torque and Oersted field simply manifest by a shift in the characteristic transfer of the sensors, the antidamping torque is generally more subtle to evidence. We will present the characteristics of the developed sensors in terms of sensitivity and angular resolution below 0.05°. We will present in details the specific method and protocol measurements in the out-of-plane field geometry allowing from specific symmetry considerations the extraction of the antidamping component, linear in the current density and with a magnitude of 10 G for a current density of 3x1011 A.cm-2. The amplitude of the spin-torque measured is in close agreement with the expectations [7] and with models including spin-memory loss effects like recently revealed by spin-pumping FMR experiments [4]. References: [1] I.M. Miron et al., Nat Mater. 9, 230 [2010]. [2] Frances Hellman et al., Rev. Mod. Phys. 89, 025006 [2010]. [3] J.-C. Rojas-Sánchez et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 112, 106602 [2014]. [4] A. J. Berger et al., Phys. Rev. B 98, 024402 [2018]. [5] L. Liu et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 106, 036601 [2011]. [6] K. Garello et al., Nat.Nano. 8, 587 (2013)[7] T. Seifert et al., Nat. Phot. 10, pages 483–488 [2016].

In view of tight oil reservoirs with no natural productivity (tight sandstone and carbonate reservoirs with matrix permeability under overburden pressure of no more than 0.2mD (pore permeability less than 2mD)), a nanometer high efficient oil washing agent has been developed by combining nano-drop, high efficient oil washing surfactant and wettability reversal means, which can turn the disadvantage of the small pores and throats into advantage and realize fracturing effect enhancement by making use of the spontaneous imbibition. For the tight oil reservoir, large scale and high pumping rate multi-stage fracturing in horizontal wells and fracture diversion technique are recommended to smash the reservoir to create a fracture network of natural fractures and artificial fractures for oil and gas flow. The aim is to increase reservoir stimulation volume and the artificial fracture area. Meanwhile, nanometer high efficient oil washing agent is added in the fracturing fluid. By changing rock wettability, the oil-wet interface is turned water-wet, and the capillary force is changed from imbibition resistance to imbibition drive, boosting spontaneous imbibition. Therefore, the biobased solvent and surfactant can work in synergy to separate the oil film from pore and throat surface, realizing displacement of oil by water. Experimental data shows the application the nanometer oil displacement agent can enhance the oil displacement efficiency of core by12%. After fracturing, the well should be shut down for some time. The shut-down time should take the reservoir pressure and temperature, pore structure and connectivity and the imbibition capacity of the fracturing fluid etc into account, and can be worked out by spontaneous imbibition experiment and NMR etc to guide field operation. This technology has been used 10 well times in tight oil reservoirs in western China, including 3 well times of key exploration well stimulation, and 7 well times of old well repeated fracturing, all the treatments have achieved good effect. Among them, one well worth special note, this well had no production before fracturing, but obtained a high production of 42t a day after fracturing. During the shutdown of well, the fracturing fluid in the artificial fracture network can contact fully with micro-pores in the matrix and displace the oil in them through imbibition to the fracture system, then the oil can flow along the fracture network to the well bottom. The high efficient imbibition fracturing technology for tight oil reservoir is a revolution in fracturing. With fracturing fluid system and well shutdown different from traditional fracturing, this technology can enhance fracturing effect and more importantly oil recovery. This paper has great guidance and reference significance for engineers and researchers engaged in tight oil development.

Quantum remote sensing, combining quantum mechanics and remote sensing technology, uses sources in quantum level to realize remote sensing. It will improve the resolution and security of the remote sensing process benefiting from quantum properties. In this work, we focus on how to communicate securely in the process of quantum remote sensing, i.e. quantum remote sensing communication. Since both the quantum remote sensing and quantum communication use quantum states for quantum information processing, we set up a natural link between them and apply the quantum secure direct communication in remote sensing, proposing the first quantum remote sensing secure direct communication protocol.

Remote sensing is an advanced technology to explore the space and acquire earth-space information, with its accurate, comprehensive and dynamic detection and observation ability, RS plays an key role in earth observation, national defense, aerospace and deep space exploration. The advancement of science and urgent demands in economy and other fields put forward higher requirements for RS. Firstly, some important theoretical issues need to be addressed, such as RS information theory, spectral imaging mechanism, electromagnetic radiation transmission model. Secondly, the resolution power of RS instruments and their ability to utilize information needs to be improved. Finally, more detailed and richer RS information is needed during application. Of all these requirements, higher resolution, spectrum resolution, time resolution and further applications of RS are extremely important. While quantum remote sensing (QRS) performs very well in these aspects. QRS study was began in March, 2000, the concept was proposed in early 2001, then QRS technology researches began. The paper firstly introduces its background, concept and research status, its differences and advantages. Then it elaborates QRS research theoretical basis, information mechanism, quantum spectrum imaging research progress of QRS imaging processing. Besides, it emphasizes QRS imaging experimental process, based on which, technical solutions and design of satellite borne QRS active imaging technology and quantum laser radar engineering prototype were proposed, providing technical basis for their application. QRS imaging technology can significantly improve the signal-to-noise ratio and space resolution. Finally, the paper summarizes the researches over the past nineteen years and plans for the future.

The Planetary Spectroscopy Laboratory (PSL) of DLR in Berlin provides spectral measurements of primarily planetary analogues from the visible to the far-infrared range. PSL has supported the data analysis as well as the development and calibration of instruments for planetary missions from ESA, NASA and JAXA. For this purposes PSL provides reflection, transmission and emission spectroscopy of target materials. Currently PSL operates three identical Bruker Vertex 80V vacuum FTIR spectrometer (the third one just installed in June 2019), two spectrometers are equipped with aluminum mirrors optimized for the UV, visible and near-IR, the third features gold-coated mirrors for the near to far IR spectral range. External simulation chambers are attached to two of the instruments for emissivity measurements. The chamber at the near to far IR instrument allows emissivity measurements from 0.7-200 μm under vacuum for sample temperatures from 320K to above 900K, using an innovative induction system. The second chamber (purged with dry air and water cooled to ≤270K) allows emissivity measurements of samples with surface temperature from 290K to 420K. We measure bi-directional reflectance of samples; with variable incidence and emission angles between 0° and 85° (minimum phase angle is 26° to prevent damages to the mirrors). Samples are measured currently at room temperature and 170K, with a planned extension for temperatures below 100K, by means of a new external chamber, whose funding is accepted and will be available in 2020. Bi-directional and hemispherical reflectance is measured under purging/vacuum conditions, covering the 0.2 to above 200 μm spectral range. An FT-IR microscope installed at the end of 2018, allows microscopic analysis in transmission and reflectance in the VIS+VNIR+MIR spectral range. Transmission of thin slabs, optical filters, optical windows, pellets, and others is measured in the complete spectral range from UV to FIR using a parallel beam configuration to avoid refraction

The MErcury Radiometer and Thermal Infrared Spectrometer (MERTIS) is an instrument to study the mineralogy and temperature distribution of Mercury’s surface in unprecedented detail. MERTIS was proposed in 2003 as payload of the Mercury Planetary Orbiter spacecraft of ESA-JAXA BepiColombo mission and will reach Mercury in 2025. MERTIS will map the whole surface at 500 m scale, combining a push-broom IR grating spectrometer (TIS) with a radiometer (TIR) sharing the same optics, instrument electronics and in-flight calibration components for the whole wavelength range of 7- 14μm (TIS) and 7-40μm (TIR). MERTIS successfully completed its planned tests of the Near-Earth Commissioning Phase (NECP) between 13 and 14 November, collecting thousands of measurements of its internal calibration bodies and deep space. The data collected during NECP, are being used to verify the operational performances of onboard sub-modules, in particular the spectrometer and radiometer sensor sensitivity. A preliminary look at calibrated data shows a performance comparable with ground-based measurements and no appreciable performance loss or misalignment. The next important dates for MERTIS are the Earth/Moon flyby on 6 April 2020 and the first Venus flyby on 12 October 2020. Both those encounters will be important both for further instrument calibration refinement and for possible unprecedented measurement in the thermal infrared of the Moon and Venus.

On December 2018, the Near Earth Commissioning Phase (NECP) has been place forSIMBIO-SYS (Spectrometers and Imagers for MPO BepiColombo Integrated Observatory – SYStem), the suite part of the scientific payload of the BepiColombo ESA-JAXA mission. SIMBIO-SYS is composed of three channels: the high resolution camera (HRIC), the stereo camera (STC) and the Vis/NIR spectrometer (VIHI) . During the NECP the three channels have been operated properly. For the three channels were checked the operativity and the performance. The commanded operations allowed to verify all the instrument functionalities demonstrating that all SIMBIO-SYS channels and subsystems work nominally. During this phase we also validated the Ground Segment Equipment (GSE) and the data analysis tools developed by the team.

The use of transillumination to diagnose and consequently treat illnesses has been widely accepted for a long time. However, some kinds of radiation are harmful to the human body, as is the case for x-rays. In this work, we propose using infrared radiation as an illumination source, ballistic photons to transilluminate thin samples and separate scattered radiation from the pass-through radiation for potential future applications in biological research. Infrared radiation is less energetic and harmful than x-rays. Ballistic photons can supply information about the propagation medium, which in turn may allow us to detect inclusions below 9 mm in size (the limit of x-ray radiation) in the medium. In the initial research, we model biological tissue with controlled thickness of samples of pig tissue that has been processed for human consumption, i.e., slices of ham, to study the effects of ballistic photons and to assess the scope of this technique. The combination of an alternative illumination source and a simulated tissue allows us to assess calibration and the diagnostic technique. To detect irradiance, we implemented a Mach-Zehnder interferometer with a 633 nm wavelength He-Ne laser (NIR). As a detector, we used a Sony XCD-SX910 camera. We measure maximum and minimum irradiances generated by ballistic radiation as a function of the thickness of the tissue model and the measured point. The results of these measurements and their comparison are presented.

Carbohydrate polymers based on fructose from Agave tequilana Weber var. azul, known as fructans, have a great potential as carriers of drugs due to their chemical structure, which makes them non degradable in the upper digestive tract, but enzymatically degradable in the colon. However, esterification is necessary to obtain hydrophobic compounds capable to preserve drugs at stomach conditions. We esterified fructans with acetyl, lauroyl and palmitoyl moieties for encapsulating ibuprofen as a model drug. Esterification of fructan was confirmed using attenuated total reflectance infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR), while the degree of substitution (DS) was quantified by proton nuclear magnetic resonance (¹H-NMR).

The ballistic photons have been proposed for biological-tissue characterization. These photons keep its propagation direction when they are propagated through a material. They are rapidly attenuated in accordance with the density and thickness of the medium. The penetration depth for these photons is about 9 millimeters in human tissue. This attenuation may provide information to detect an inhomogeneity in the material (a possible tumor in human tissue). In order to enhance the detection of ballistic photons, interferometric setups have been proposed. Unfortunately, these setups only allow transmission measurement at a single point. We propose a novel technique using Risley prisms for area-scan with ballistic photons.

In this work, a Concentrating Photovoltaic system based in a parabolic trough solar collector is proposed, using the configuration of a Cassegrain telescope, which has a geometrical concentration of 143.75x. We show the optical design, the mechanical design, the final prototype, and a preliminary thermal assessment. At the same time, through simulations, we have evaluated the way in which the optical concentration will be affected by increasing the average surface error of all the components of this solar concentrator.

In this paper, we report an experimental study of the supercontinuum (SC) generated by molecules of solitons (MS) and noise-like pulses (NLP) in two different types of optical fibers: 500m of standard fiber (SMF-28, Corning) and 100m of High-Nonlinearity Fiber with a zero dispersion-slope (HNLF-ZS, Furukawa). We extracted information on the inner structure of SC by using a nonlinear optical loop mirror (NOLM) as an intensity filter. The NOLM suppresses pulses with low peak power, which is especially pronounced for wavelengths longer than ~1750 nm for both fibers, and particularly in the region between 1450 nm and 1640 nm for the High-Nonlinearity fiber. It is worth mentioning that depending on the application, the required properties of SC light can vary considerably. Therefore, it is the main importance to know the properties of the different SC sources.

A shock wave is a pressure wave in the order of giga-pascal, and duration of nanoseconds, which propagates above the speed of sound in a solid medium. The shock wave can be induced in a small area on the solid sample surface by a highpower density laser pulse. As a result, the propagation of the shock wave, inside the solid, is considerate spherical. Waveguides can be used to drive a shock wave to a different point of interest. However, semi-spherical wave propagation involves some problems inside the waveguide, such as multiple reflections, phase shifts, and pressure decays due to wall reflections, among others. In this work, is proposed a finite element simulation of a spherical shock wave propagation inside a solid. We describe a method to correct a semi-spherical wave to plane wave propagation. We assume a point source semi-spherical distribution inside the material. The shock wave dispersion to the confining media is disregarded. The flat reflector location and shock trap geometry restrict the radius of curvature of the spherical reflector. This method can be useful to analyze the impulse response of solids to an incoming plane wave.

In fringe projection profilometry, temporal phase unwrapping is an essential procedure to recover an unambiguous absolute phase even in the presence of large discontinuities or spatially isolated surfaces. In this work, a dual-sensitivity profilometry technique is presented, which is based on defocused projection of binary and sinusoidal fringe patterns with a high and low-frequency spatial carrier, respectively. The binary defocusing techniques (based on PWM or square-wave profile patterns, whose pitch is relatively narrow) have demonstrated successful for high-quality three-dimensional shape measurement when the projector presents a nonlinear response. But they suffer if pitch fringe is wide. On the other hand, using dual sensitivity profilometry, the quality of the unwrapped phase is determined by the high-frequency carrier. Thus, working with only one binary pattern, one can use a single defocusing level (low) in order to reduce the data acquisition time and maintain the quality of the unwrapped phase. Experimental results are presented to verify the success of the proposed method.

Mueller matrix polarimetric imaging (MMPI) provides precise microstructural information of biological samples and has been applied to the detections of various abnormal tissues. Once the Mueller matrix is determined for a particular anisotropic material, polar decomposition is applied to determine the singular values of optical anisotropies, such as depolarization, diattenuation, retardance and optical rotation. In this work, ex-vivo cancerous and noncancerous tissues were imaged by the MMPI technique using 3 different radiation wavelengths (460, 532 and 633 nm). The samples under study were cancerous and noncancerous tissues from colon. The results show that the optical anisotropies from biological samples are different. As we know, cancer changes the structure and concentration of biomedical substances from healthy tissue. One of the structures that is affected by cancer is collagen. This structure contributes to the diatenuation and retardance values. Therefore the values of diatenuation and retardance are different from the malignant and healthy tissues. We demonstrate that MMPI and polar decomposition are useful tools to discriminate healthy tissue and cancerous tissue from different parts of the body.

We describe preliminary experimental results on the identification of a planet in a simulated solar system using a rotationally shearing interferometer. We use two lasers, placed at approximately 90 degrees with respect to each other, each with a beam expander and a common collimator lens, to simulate the wave fronts from the star and offaxis planet. We confirm the theoretical prediction that the off-axis planet produces fringes whose density increases with the angle of rotation of the Dove prism in the rotational shearing interferometer. The star generates a uniform wave front that is invariant to the angle of rotation of the Dove prism, enhancing the variable fringes arising from tilted off-axis planet wave front. The inclination and density of planet fringes are under control of the experimentalist.

In modern photon statistics, classical and quantum behavior can be distinguished by various quantum states of photon statistical distributions: Poisson (coherent/semi-classical wave behavior), and sub-Poisson (compressed state/particle behavior). Since this type of measurement mechanism is often associated with advanced laser/optical or photonic techniques, can this type of distribution model be modeled using discrete 0-1 sequences? In this paper, several sets of simulation modes are designed, and FFT transformation is used to extract relevant eigenvalues. Following the processing methods in the variant construction, special filters are constructed using the quantum random sequence provided by ANU (Australian national university), and conditional random sub-sequences are collected as input sequences. Multiple segments are separated from a random sequence, and relevant eigenvalues of FFT are selected to form a special set of eigenvalues. The shift operations are used to transform each sequence, showing obvious non-stationary random effects on various maps.

Since Professor Siwen Bi proposed quantum remote sensing (QRS) in early 2001, the first QRS imaging prototype was developed after many stages of researches. Based on the results, our group has also undertaken in-depth theoretical and algorithmic experiments on QRS image processing. It’s both a quantum system simulation algorithm, preparing for the future quantum physical devices and calculation technology, and an expansion of quantum theories to RS image processing fields. It combines quantum mechanics theory and RS image processing technology, which introduces a new research direction for RS image processing technology. Now our researches achievements include a quantum denoising algorithm theory and simulation, a quantum enhancement algorithm theory and simulation, and a quantum segmentation algorithm theory research and simulation. A RS denoising algorithm based on the quantum-inspired concept is proposed for image denoising. Key benefits of the algorithm, which include improvements in transmission and accuracy, are demonstrated experimentally. Experiments showed that the peak signal to noise ratio (PSNR) for the proposed algorithm is improved by over 2dB and the edge retention index (EPI) is 0.1 higher than that for common methods. Given the low contrast ratio and brightness as well as insufficient detail for some RS images, a quantum algorithm based on the combination of a quantum inspired and unsharp masking to enhance and segment the RS image data was proposed. Results showed that the contrast ratio and brightness of images processed by the quantum algorithm improved, the image entropy and peak signal to noise ratio is higher.