8,282 research outputs found
Calculation of Mutual Information for Partially Coherent Gaussian Channels with Applications to Fiber Optics
The mutual information between a complex-valued channel input and its
complex-valued output is decomposed into four parts based on polar coordinates:
an amplitude term, a phase term, and two mixed terms. Numerical results for the
additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN) channel with various inputs show that, at
high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), the amplitude and phase terms dominate the
mixed terms. For the AWGN channel with a Gaussian input, analytical expressions
are derived for high SNR. The decomposition method is applied to partially
coherent channels and a property of such channels called "spectral loss" is
developed. Spectral loss occurs in nonlinear fiber-optic channels and it may be
one effect that needs to be taken into account to explain the behavior of the
capacity of nonlinear fiber-optic channels presented in recent studies.Comment: 30 pages, 9 figures, accepted for publication in IEEE Transactions on
Information Theor
Fly-by-light flight control system technology development plan
The results of a four-month, phased effort to develop a Fly-by-Light Technology Development Plan are documented. The technical shortfalls for each phase were identified and a development plan to bridge the technical gap was developed. The production configuration was defined for a 757-type airplane, but it is suggested that the demonstration flight be conducted on the NASA Transport Systems Research Vehicle. The modifications required and verification and validation issues are delineated in this report. A detailed schedule for the phased introduction of fly-by-light system components has been generated. It is concluded that a fiber-optics program would contribute significantly toward developing the required state of readiness that will make a fly-by-light control system not only cost effective but reliable without mitigating the weight and high-energy radio frequency related benefits
A Jones matrix formalism for simulating three-dimensional polarized light imaging of brain tissue
The neuroimaging technique three-dimensional polarized light imaging (3D-PLI)
provides a high-resolution reconstruction of nerve fibres in human post-mortem
brains. The orientations of the fibres are derived from birefringence
measurements of histological brain sections assuming that the nerve fibres -
consisting of an axon and a surrounding myelin sheath - are uniaxial
birefringent and that the measured optic axis is oriented in direction of the
nerve fibres (macroscopic model). Although experimental studies support this
assumption, the molecular structure of the myelin sheath suggests that the
birefringence of a nerve fibre can be described more precisely by multiple
optic axes oriented radially around the fibre axis (microscopic model). In this
paper, we compare the use of the macroscopic and the microscopic model for
simulating 3D-PLI by means of the Jones matrix formalism. The simulations show
that the macroscopic model ensures a reliable estimation of the fibre
orientations as long as the polarimeter does not resolve structures smaller
than the diameter of single fibres. In the case of fibre bundles, polarimeters
with even higher resolutions can be used without losing reliability. When
taking the myelin density into account, the derived fibre orientations are
considerably improved.Comment: 20 pages, 8 figure
High Spatial Resolution Fast-Neutron Imaging Detectors for Pulsed Fast-Neutron Transmission Spectroscopy
Two generations of a novel detector for high-resolution transmission imaging
and spectrometry of fast-neutrons are presented. These devices are based on a
hydrogenous fiber scintillator screen and single- or multiple-gated intensified
camera systems (ICCD). This detector is designed for energy-selective neutron
radiography with nanosecond-pulsed broad-energy (1 - 10 MeV) neutron beams.
Utilizing the Time-of-Flight (TOF) method, such a detector is capable of
simultaneously capturing several images, each at a different neutron energy
(TOF). In addition, a gamma-ray image can also be simultaneously registered,
allowing combined neutron/gamma inspection of objects. This permits combining
the sensitivity of the fast-neutron resonance method to low-Z elements with
that of gamma radiography to high-Z materials.Comment: Also published in JINST:
http://www.iop.org/EJ/abstract/1748-0221/4/05/P0501
Small business innovation research. Abstracts of completed 1987 phase 1 projects
Non-proprietary summaries of Phase 1 Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) projects supported by NASA in the 1987 program year are given. Work in the areas of aeronautical propulsion, aerodynamics, acoustics, aircraft systems, materials and structures, teleoperators and robotics, computer sciences, information systems, spacecraft systems, spacecraft power supplies, spacecraft propulsion, bioastronautics, satellite communication, and space processing are covered
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