Classification of THz pulse signals using two-dimensional cross-correlation feature extraction and non-linear classifiers

This work provides a performance comparison of four different machine learning classifiers: multinomial logistic regression with ridge estimators (MLR) classifier, k-nearest neighbours (KNN), support vector machine (SVM) and naïve Bayes (NB) as applied to terahertz (THz) transient time domain sequences associated with pixelated images of different powder samples. The six substances considered, although have similar optical properties, their complex insertion loss at the THz part of the spectrum is significantly different because of differences in both their frequency dependent THz extinction coefficient as well as differences in their refractive index and scattering properties. As scattering can be unquantifiable in many spectroscopic experiments, classification solely on differences in complex insertion loss can be inconclusive. The problem is addressed using two-dimensional (2-D) cross-correlations between background and sample interferograms, these ensure good noise suppression of the datasets and provide a range of statistical features that are subsequently used as inputs to the above classifiers. A cross-validation procedure is adopted to assess the performance of the classifiers. Firstly the measurements related to samples that had thicknesses of 2 mm were classified, then samples at thicknesses of 4 mm, and after that 3 mm were classified and the success rate and consistency of each classifier was recorded. In addition, mixtures having thicknesses of 2 and 4 mm as well as mixtures of 2, 3 and 4 mm were presented simultaneously to all classifiers. This approach provided further cross-validation of the classification consistency of each algorithm. The results confirm the superiority in classification accuracy and robustness of the MLR (least accuracy 88.24%) and KNN (least accuracy 90.19%) algorithms which consistently outperformed the SVM (least accuracy 74.51%) and NB (least accuracy 56.86%) classifiers for the same number of feature vectors across all studies. The work establishes a general methodology for assessing the performance of other hyperspectral dataset classifiers on the basis of 2-D cross-correlations in far-infrared spectroscopy or other parts of the electromagnetic spectrum. It also advances the wider proliferation of automated THz imaging systems across new application areas e.g., biomedical imaging, industrial processing and quality control where interpretation of hyperspectral images is still under development

Signal analysis for multiple target materials through wavelet transforms

Signal identification based on different sensing systems like microwaves, infra-red, x-rays and terahertz waves is one of the classic problems in signal processing. Earlier methods had relied mainly on the amplitude spectrum obtained by these sensing techniques mainly due to non-availability of the phase information for the signals. Most of them are based on techniques like absorbance spectrum that requires a reference material\u27s signal for the test material\u27s identification. They are also sensitive to noise and highly dependent on the peak detection algorithms. Modern equipments with both amplitude and phase information provide an opportunity for time-domain signal based methods that had not been used earlier. In this thesis, the information available through time-domain signals is utilized by the use of different wavelet transform based methods. The methods have been tested for data obtained through the terahertz time-domain spectroscopy (THz-TDS), particularly because of their ability to capture the distinguishing features of the material. The methods presented here are based on the Continuous and the Discrete Wavelet Transforms. The wavelet transforms have been used to calculate time-frequency energy density in the scale-shift domain. These energy densities have then been used to identify the features described as maxima lines and ridges that are used as features for the purpose of material identification. The methods are found to be useful in the presence of noise require no pre-filtering of the signals as required in most conventional material identification techniques. They also provide a scalable method for increasing accuracy based on the computational power available. All the simulations have been done on MATLAB --Abstract, page iii

Enhanced T-ray signal classification using wavelet preprocessing

The original publication is available at www.springerlink.comThis study demonstrates the application of one-dimensional discrete wavelet transforms in the classification of T-ray pulsed signals. Fast Fourier transforms (FFTs) are used as a feature extraction tool and a Mahalanobis distance classifier is employed for classification. Soft threshold wavelet shrinkage de-noising is used and plays an important role in de-noising and reconstruction of T-ray pulsed signals. An iterative algorithm is applied to obtain three optimal frequency components and to achieve preferred classification performance.X. X. Yin, K. M. Kong, J. W. Lim, B. W.-H. Ng, B. Ferguson, S. P. Mickan and D. Abbot