Speckle activity images based on the spatial variance of the phase

We propose the display of the local spatial variance of the temporal variations of the phase as an activity descriptor in dynamic speckle images. The spatial autocorrelation of the speckle intensity is calculated in sliding windows, and an estimation of the variance of the phase variations in each region of the sample is determined. The activity images obtained in this way depict some interesting features and in some cases they could be related to physical magnitudes in the samples. A simulation is presented, and examples corresponding to usual study cases are also shown, namely, fruit bruising and paint drying

Speckle activity images based on the spatial variance of the phase

We propose the display of the local spatial variance of the temporal variations of the phase as an activity descriptor in dynamic speckle images. The spatial autocorrelation of the speckle intensity is calculated in sliding windows, and an estimation of the variance of the phase variations in each region of the sample is determined. The activity images obtained in this way depict some interesting features and in some cases they could be related to physical magnitudes in the samples. A simulation is presented, and examples corresponding to usual study cases are also shown, namely, fruit bruising and paint drying.Facultad de Ingeniería (FI)Centro de Investigaciones Ópticas (CIOp

Speckle activity images based on the spatial variance of the phase

We propose the display of the local spatial variance of the temporal variations of the phase as an activity descriptor in dynamic speckle images. The spatial autocorrelation of the speckle intensity is calculated in sliding windows, and an estimation of the variance of the phase variations in each region of the sample is determined. The activity images obtained in this way depict some interesting features and in some cases they could be related to physical magnitudes in the samples. A simulation is presented, and examples corresponding to usual study cases are also shown, namely, fruit bruising and paint drying.Facultad de Ingeniería (FI)Centro de Investigaciones Ópticas (CIOp

The NASA SBIR product catalog

The purpose of this catalog is to assist small business firms in making the community aware of products emerging from their efforts in the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program. It contains descriptions of some products that have advanced into Phase 3 and others that are identified as prospective products. Both lists of products in this catalog are based on information supplied by NASA SBIR contractors in responding to an invitation to be represented in this document. Generally, all products suggested by the small firms were included in order to meet the goals of information exchange for SBIR results. Of the 444 SBIR contractors NASA queried, 137 provided information on 219 products. The catalog presents the product information in the technology areas listed in the table of contents. Within each area, the products are listed in alphabetical order by product name and are given identifying numbers. Also included is an alphabetical listing of the companies that have products described. This listing cross-references the product list and provides information on the business activity of each firm. In addition, there are three indexes: one a list of firms by states, one that lists the products according to NASA Centers that managed the SBIR projects, and one that lists the products by the relevant Technical Topics utilized in NASA's annual program solicitation under which each SBIR project was selected

A novel satellite mission concept for upper air water vapour, aerosol and cloud observations using integrated path differential absorption LiDAR limb sounding

We propose a new satellite mission to deliver high quality measurements of upper air water vapour. The concept centres around a LiDAR in limb sounding by occultation geometry, designed to operate as a very long path system for differential absorption measurements. We present a preliminary performance analysis with a system sized to send 75 mJ pulses at 25 Hz at four wavelengths close to 935 nm, to up to 5 microsatellites in a counter-rotating orbit, carrying retroreflectors characterized by a reflected beam divergence of roughly twice the emitted laser beam divergence of 15 µrad. This provides water vapour profiles with a vertical sampling of 110 m; preliminary calculations suggest that the system could detect concentrations of less than 5 ppm. A secondary payload of a fairly conventional medium resolution multispectral radiometer allows wide-swath cloud and aerosol imaging. The total weight and power of the system are estimated at 3 tons and 2,700 W respectively. This novel concept presents significant challenges, including the performance of the lasers in space, the tracking between the main spacecraft and the retroreflectors, the refractive effects of turbulence, and the design of the telescopes to achieve a high signal-to-noise ratio for the high precision measurements. The mission concept was conceived at the Alpbach Summer School 2010

Transient displacement analysis using double-pulsed ESPI and fringe processing methods

This thesis deals with techniques for the displacement measurement of fast transient phenomena using ESPI. Four main contributions are presented. First, a computer model for speckle noise and ESPI fringe generation is proposed. An assessment methodology for speckle noise reduction algorithms is then derived using the computer model. Then the noise in the ESPI fringe patterns is analysed using computer generated speckle and several solutions for its reduction are proposed and assessed. Finally, a fast electro-optical system is presented as a solution to the unambiguous phase extraction problem from a single interferogram. With this novel system, whole field transient displacements occurring in time intervals as short as 20ns can be successfully registered and retrieved. [Continues.

Microfluidics based phantoms of superficial vascular network

Several new bio-photonic techniques aim to measure flow in the human vasculature non-destructively. Some of these tools, such as laser speckle imaging or Doppler optical coherence tomography, are now reaching the clinical stage. Therefore appropriate calibration and validation techniques dedicated to these particular measurements are therefore of paramount importance. In this paper we introduce a fast prototyping technique based on laser micromachining for the fabrication of dynamic flow phantoms. Micro-channels smaller than 20 µm in width can be formed in a variety of materials such as epoxies, plastics, and household tape. Vasculature geometries can be easily and quickly modified to accommodate a particular experimental scenario

SLDV technology for measurement of mistuned bladed disc vibration

Bladed discs are very sensitive structures and the amplitude vibration of each blade can vary significantly from blade to blade due to a series of factors such as geometrical inhomogeneity between blades or material properties. These factors lead to bladed disks mistuned thus the forced response amplitudes can be much higher than the level predicted for a tuned assembly. Designed models need to be “validate” to predict the response of a real bladed disc within the tolerances set by the manufactures and this process is very expensive as well as difficult. The validation process needs “reference data” as fundamental input against what all predictions can be compared and validated. Data that can be provided both under stationary conditions and under rotating conditions and the latter is the most difficult to achieve, especially for bladed disc assemblies which are very sensitive to any structural modification as it could be attaching a transducer to measure vibrations. There are contact-less measurement techniques available which, however, provide limited information because they can measure only limited areas of the vibrating structures. The aim of this study is to design measurement methods, using a standard Scanning Laser Doppler Vibrometer (SLDV) and to integrate it into a software platform which will be able to handle a series of measurement tasks both under stationary and rotating conditions. The main contribution of this thesis is to extend the use of Continuous Scanning LDV (CSLDV) to the rotating structures, such as bladed discs, thus to perform synchronous measurements. Hence, a bladed disc is needed to be designed to perform vibration predictions and measurements and a mathematical model of the measurement test to control, critically, all possible sources of errors involved in measurement under rotating conditions; all these to produce a robust measurement method. While the primary focus is the measurement method, the study also extends to evaluation of the sensitivity properties of the bladed disk test pieces that are the object of the measurement tool