An overview of data acquisition, signal coding and data analysis techniques for MST radars

An overview is given of the data acquisition, signal processing, and data analysis techniques that are currently in use with high power MST/ST (mesosphere stratosphere troposphere/stratosphere troposphere) radars. This review supplements the works of Rastogi (1983) and Farley (1984) presented at previous MAP workshops. A general description is given of data acquisition and signal processing operations and they are characterized on the basis of their disparate time scales. Then signal coding, a brief description of frequently used codes, and their limitations are discussed, and finally, several aspects of statistical data processing such as signal statistics, power spectrum and autocovariance analysis, outlier removal techniques are discussed

The Goldstone solar system radar: A science instrument for planetary research

The Goldstone Solar System Radar (GSSR) station at NASA's Deep Space Communications Complex in California's Mojave Desert is described. A short chronological account of the GSSR's technical development and scientific discoveries is given. This is followed by a basic discussion of how information is derived from the radar echo and how the raw information can be used to increase understanding of the solar system. A moderately detailed description of the radar system is given, and the engineering performance of the radar is discussed. The operating characteristics of the Arcibo Observatory in Puerto Rico are briefly described and compared with those of the GSSR. Planned and in-process improvements to the existing radar, as well as the performance of a hypothetical 128-m diameter antenna radar station, are described. A comprehensive bibliography of referred scientific and engineering articles presenting results that depended on data gathered by the instrument is provided

Ultrafast electrooptic dual-comb interferometry

The femtosecond laser frequency comb has enabled the 21st century revolution in optical synthesis and metrology. A particularly compelling technique that relies on the broadband coherence of two laser frequency combs is dual-comb interferometry. This method is rapidly advancing the field of optical spectroscopy and empowering new applications, from nonlinear microscopy to laser ranging. Up to now, most dual-comb interferometers were based on modelocked lasers, whose repetition rates have restricted the measurement speed to ~ kHz. Here we demonstrate a novel dual-comb interferometer that is based on electrooptic frequency comb technology and measures consecutive complex spectra at a record-high refresh rate of 25 MHz. These results pave the way for novel scientific and metrology applications of frequency comb generators beyond the realm of molecular spectroscopy, where the measurement of ultrabroadband waveforms is of paramount relevance

An experiment in remote manufacturing using the advanced communications technology satellite

The goal of the completed project was to develop an experiment in remote manufacturing that would use the capabilities of the ACTS satellite. A set of possible experiments that could be performed using the Advanced Communications Technology Satellite (ACTS), and which would perform remote manufacturing using a laser cutter and an integrated circuit testing machine are described in detail. The proposed design is shown to be a feasible solution to the offered problem and it takes into consideration the constraints that were placed on the experiment. In addition, we have developed two more experiments that are included in this report: backup of rural telecommunication networks, and remote use of Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) data analysis for on-site collection of glacier scattering data in the Antarctic

Rapid and complete hitless defragmentation method using a coherent RX LO with fast wavelength tracking in elastic optical networks

This paper demonstrates a rapid and full hitless defragmentation method in elastic optical networks exploiting a new technique for fast wavelength tracking in coherent receivers. This technique can be applied to a single-carrier connection or each of the subcarriers forming a superchannel. A proof-of-concept demonstration shows hitless defragmentation of a 10 Gb/s QPSK single-carrier connection from 1547.75 nm to 1550.1 nm in less than 1 mu s. This was obtained using a small (0.625 kB) link-layer transmitter buffer without the need for any additional transponder. We also demonstrated that the proposed defragmentation technique is capable of hopping over an existing connection, i.e. 10 Gb/s OOK at 1548.5 nm, without causing any degradation of its real-time Bit Error Rate (BER) value. The proposed scheme gives advantages in terms of overall network blocking probability reduction up to a factor of 40. (C) 2012 Optical Society of Americ

Advanced space communications architecture study. Volume 2: Technical report

The technical feasibility and economic viability of satellite system architectures that are suitable for customer premise service (CPS) communications are investigated. System evaluation is performed at 30/20 GHz (Ka-band); however, the system architectures examined are equally applicable to 14/11 GHz (Ku-band). Emphasis is placed on systems that permit low-cost user terminals. Frequency division multiple access (FDMA) is used on the uplink, with typically 10,000 simultaneous accesses per satellite, each of 64 kbps. Bulk demodulators onboard the satellite, in combination with a baseband multiplexer, convert the many narrowband uplink signals into a small number of wideband data streams for downlink transmission. Single-hop network interconnectivity is accomplished via downlink scanning beams. Each satellite is estimated to weigh 5600 lb and consume 6850W of power; the corresponding payload totals are 1000 lb and 5000 W. Nonrecurring satellite cost is estimated at $110 million, with the first-unit cost at$113 million. In large quantities, the user terminal cost estimate is $25,000. For an assumed traffic profile, the required system revenue has been computed as a function of the internal rate of return (IRR) on invested capital. The equivalent user charge per-minute of 64-kbps channel service has also been determined

Doctor of Philosophy

dissertationWireless communications pervade all avenues of modern life. The rapid expansion of wireless services has increased the need for transmission schemes that are more spectrally efficient. Dynamic spectrum access (DSA) systems attempt to address this need by building a network where the spectrum is used opportunistically by all users based on local and regional measurements of its availability. One of the principal requirements in DSA systems is to initialize and maintain a control channel to link the nodes together. This should be done even before a complete spectral usage map is available. Additionally, with more users accessing the spectrum, it is important to maintain a stable link in the presence of significant interference in emergency first-responders, rescue, and defense applications. In this thesis, a new multicarrier spread spectrum (MC-SS) technique based on filter banks is presented. The new technique is called filter bank multicarrier spread spectrum (FB-MC-SS). A detailed theory of the underlying properties of this signal are given, with emphasis on the properties that lend themselves to synchronization at the receiver. Proposed algorithms for synchronization, channel estimation, and detection are implemented on a software-defined radio platform to complete an FB-MC-SS transceiver and to prove the practicality of the technique. FB-MC-SS is shown through physical experimentation to be significantly more robust to partial band interference compared to direct sequence spread spectrum. With a higher power interfering signal occupying 90% of its band, FB-MC-SS maintains a low bit error rate. Under the same interference conditions, DS-SS fails completely. This experimentation leads to a theoretical analysis that shows in a frequency selective channel with additive white noise, the FB-MC-SS system has performance that equals that obtained by a DS-SS system employing an optimal rake receiver. This thesis contains a detailed chapter on implementation and design, including lessons learned while prototyping the system. This is to assist future system designers to quickly gain proficiency in further development of this technology

Blind adaptive equalization for QAM signals: New algorithms and FPGA implementation.

Adaptive equalizers remove signal distortion attributed to intersymbol interference in band-limited channels. The tap coefficients of adaptive equalizers are time-varying and can be adapted using several methods. When these do not include the transmission of a training sequence, it is referred to as blind equalization. The radius-adjusted approach is a method to achieve blind equalizer tap adaptation based on the equalizer output radius for quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) signals. Static circular contours are defined around an estimated symbol in a QAM constellation, which create regions that correspond to fixed step sizes and weighting factors. The equalizer tap adjustment consists of a linearly weighted sum of adaptation criteria that is scaled by a variable step size. This approach is the basis of two new algorithms: the radius-adjusted modified multitmodulus algorithm (RMMA) and the radius-adjusted multimodulus decision-directed algorithm (RMDA). An extension of the radius-adjusted approach is the selective update method, which is a computationally-efficient method for equalization. The selective update method employs a stop-and-go strategy based on the equalizer output radius to selectively update the equalizer tap coefficients, thereby, reducing the number of computations in steady-state operation. (Abstract shortened by UMI.) Source: Masters Abstracts International, Volume: 45-01, page: 0401. Thesis (M.A.Sc.)--University of Windsor (Canada), 2006

A new bound and algorithm for star 16-QAM carrier phase estimation

Copyright © 2003 IEEEThe true Cramer-Rao lower bound (CRLB) is derived and evaluated for the estimation of carrier phase of Star 16-quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) and can be simply applied to carrier frequency estimation. Different geometries are investigated by varying the ring ratio (RR). For signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs) between 6-15 dB, the CRLB with RR=3 is lower than that of Square 16-QAM. A modified phase estimator is presented, which closely follows the new CRLB. Investigation of symbol error performance in short packet length reveals Star 16-QAM to be superior to Square 16-QAM for SNR<13 dB, which is a reasonable operating range for a coded system. Although Square 16-QAM and Star RR=1.8 are optimum for a perfect receiver, when the effect of phase estimation is considered, we find Star RR=3 to be better for SNR below 10 dB.Feng Rice, Mark Rice, and Bill Cowle

Advanced Modulation and Coding Technology Conference

The objectives, approach, and status of all current LeRC-sponsored industry contracts and university grants are presented. The following topics are covered: (1) the LeRC Space Communications Program, and Advanced Modulation and Coding Projects; (2) the status of four contracts for development of proof-of-concept modems; (3) modulation and coding work done under three university grants, two small business innovation research contracts, and two demonstration model hardware development contracts; and (4) technology needs and opportunities for future missions