Theoretical evaluation of MTF and charge collection efficiency in CCD and CMOS image sensor

Classical models used to calculate the Modulation Transfer function (MTF) of a solid-state image sensor generally use a sinusoidal type of illumination. The approach, described in this paper, consists in considering a point-source illumination to built a theoretical three dimensional model of the diffusion and the collection of photo-carriers created within the image sensor array. Fourier transform formalism is used for this type of illumination. Solutions allow to evaluate the spatial repartition of the charge density collected in the space charge region, i.e. to get the Pixel Response Function (PRF) formulation. PRF enables to calculate analytically both MTF and crosstalk at every needed wavelengths. The model can take into account a uniformly doped substrate and an epitaxial layer grown on a highly doped substrate. The built-in electric field induced by the EPI/Substrate doping gradient is also taken into account. For these configurations, MTF, charge collection efficiency and crosstalk proportion are calculated. The study is established in the case of photodiode pixel but it can be easily extended to pinned photodiode pixels and photogate pixels

Interior-atmosphere modelling to assess the observability of rocky planets with JWST

Super-Earths present compositions dominated by refractory materials. However, there is a degeneracy in their interior structure between a planet with no atmosphere and a small Fe content, and a planet with a thin atmosphere and a higher core mass fraction. To break this degeneracy, atmospheric characterization observations are required. We present a self-consistent interior-atmosphere model to constrain the volatile mass fraction, surface pressure, and temperature of rocky planets with water and CO2 atmospheres. These parameters obtained in our analysis can then be used to predict observations in emission spectroscopy and photometry with JWST, which can determine the presence of an atmosphere, and if present, its composition. To obtain the bolometric emission and Bond albedo for an atmosphere in radiative-convective equilibrium, we present the k-uncorrelated approximation for fast computations within our retrieval on planetary mass, radius and host stellar abundances. For the generation of emission spectra, we use our k-correlated atmospheric model. An adaptive MCMC is used for an efficient sampling of the parameter space at low volatile mass fractions. We show how to use our modelling approach to predict observations with JWST for TRAPPIST-1 c and 55 Cancri e. TRAPPIST-1 c's most likely scenario is a bare surface, although the presence of an atmosphere cannot be ruled out. If the emission in the MIRI F1500 filter is 731 ppm or higher, there would be a water-rich atmosphere. For fluxes between 730 and 400 ppm, no atmosphere is present, while low emission fluxes (300 ppm) indicate a CO2-dominated atmosphere. In the case of 55 Cancri e, a combined spectrum with NIRCam and MIRI LRS may present high uncertainties at wavelengths between 3 and 3.7 $\mu$m. However, this does not affect the identification of H2O and CO2 because they do not present spectral features in this wavelength range.Comment: 15 pages, 9 figures. Accepted for publication in A&

Space optical instruments optimisation thanks to CMOS image sensor technology

Today, both CCD and CMOS sensors can be envisaged for nearly all visible sensors and instruments designed for space needs. Indeed, detectors built with both technologies allow excellent electro-optics performances to be reached, the selection of the most adequate device being driven by their functional and technological features and limits. The first part of the paper presents electro-optics characterisation results of CMOS Image Sensors (CIS) built with an optimised CMOS process, demonstrating the large improvements of CIS electro-optics performances. The second part reviews the advantages of CMOS technology for space applications, illustrated by examples of CIS developments performed by EADS Astrium and Supaéro/CIMI for current and short term coming space programs

Restoration of Videos Degraded by Local Isoplanatism Effects in the Near-Infrared Domain

When observing a scene horizontally at a long distance in the near-infrared domain, degradations due to atmospheric turbulence often occur. In our previous work, we presented two hybrid methods to restore videos degraded by such local perturbations. These restoration algorithms take advantages of a space-time Wiener filter and a space-time regularization by the Laplacian operator. Wiener and Laplacian regularization results are mixed differently depending on the distance between the current pixel and the nearest edge point. It was shown that a gradation between Wiener and Laplacian areas improves results quality, so that only the algorithm using a gradation will be used in this article. In spite of a significant improvement in the obtained images quality, our restoration results greatly depend on the segmentation image used in the video processing. We then propose a method to select automatically the best segmentation image

Research-grade CMOS image sensors for remote sensing applications

Imaging detectors are key elements for optical instruments and sensors on board space missions dedicated to Earth observation (high resolution imaging, atmosphere spectroscopy...), Solar System exploration (micro cameras, guidance for autonomous vehicle...) and Universe observation (space telescope focal planes, guiding sensors...). This market has been dominated by CCD technology for long. Since the mid-90s, CMOS Image Sensors (CIS) have been competing with CCDs for consumer domains (webcams, cell phones, digital cameras...). Featuring significant advantages over CCD sensors for space applications (lower power consumption, smaller system size, better radiations behaviour...), CMOS technology is also expanding in this field, justifying specific R&D and development programs funded by national and European space agencies (mainly CNES, DGA and ESA). All along the 90s and thanks to their increasingly improving performances, CIS have started to be successfully used for more and more demanding space applications, from vision and control functions requiring low-level performances to guidance applications requiring medium-level performances. Recent technology improvements have made possible the manufacturing of research-grade CIS that are able to compete with CCDs in the high-performances arena. After an introduction outlining the growing interest of optical instruments designers for CMOS image sensors, this paper will present the existing and foreseen ways to reach high-level electro-optics performances for CIS. The developments and performances of CIS prototypes built using an imaging CMOS process will be presented in the corresponding section

ARCHI: pipeline for light curve extraction of CHEOPS background star

High precision time series photometry from space is being used for a number of scientific cases. In this context, the recently launched CHEOPS (ESA) mission promises to bring 20 ppm precision over an exposure time of 6 hours, when targeting nearby bright stars, having in mind the detailed characterization of exoplanetary systems through transit measurements. However, the official CHEOPS (ESA) mission pipeline only provides photometry for the main target (the central star in the field). In order to explore the potential of CHEOPS photometry for all stars in the field, in this paper we present archi, an additional open-source pipeline module{\dag}to analyse the background stars present in the image. As archi uses the official Data Reduction Pipeline data as input, it is not meant to be used as independent tool to process raw CHEOPS data but, instead, to be used as an add-on to the official pipeline. We test archi using CHEOPS simulated images, and show that photometry of background stars in CHEOPS images is only slightly degraded (by a factor of 2 to 3) with respect to the main target. This opens a potential for the use of CHEOPS to produce photometric time series of several close-by targets at once, as well as to use different stars in the image to calibrate systematic errors. We also show one clear scientific application where the study of the companion light curve can be important for the understanding of the contamination on the main target.Comment: 14 pages, 13 figures, accepted for publication in MNRAS, all code available at https://github.com/Kamuish/arch

Low Prevalence of TP53 Mutations and MDM2 Amplifications in Pediatric Rhabdomyosarcoma

The tumor suppressor gene TP53 is the most commonly mutated gene in human cancer. The reported prevalence of mutations in rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) varies widely, with recent larger studies suggesting that TP53 mutations in pediatric RMS may be extremely rare. Overexpression of MDM2 also attenuates p53 function. We have performed TP53 mutation/MDM2 amplification analyses in the largest series analyzed thus far, including DNA isolated from 37 alveolar and 38 embryonal RMS tumor samples obtained from the Cooperative Human Tissue Network (CHTN). Available samples were frozen tumor tissues (N = 48) and histopathology slides. TP53 mutations in exons 4–9 were analyzed by direct sequencing in all samples, and MDM2 amplification analysis was performed by differential PCR on a subset of 22 samples. We found only one sample (1/75, 1.3%) carrying a TP53 mutation at codon 259 (p.D259Y) and no MDM2 amplification. Two SNPs in the TP53 pathway, associated with accelerated tumor onset in germline TP53 mutation carriers, (TP53 SNP72 (rs no. 1042522) and MDM2 SNP309 (rs no. 2279744)), were not found to confer earlier tumor onset. In conclusion, we confirm the extremely low prevalence of TP53 mutations/MDM2 amplifications in pediatric RMS (1.33% and 0%, respectively). The possible inactivation of p53 function by other mechanisms thus remains to be elucidated

Predicting in vivo gene expression in macrophages after exposure to benzo(a)pyrene based on in vitro assays and toxicokinetic/toxicodynamic models

International audiencePredictive toxicology aims at developing methodologies to relate the results obtained from in vitro experiments to in vivo exposure. In the case of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), a substantial amount of knowledge on effects and modes of action has been recently obtained from in vitro studies of gene expression. In the current study, we built a physiologically based toxicokinetic (PBTK) model to relate in vivo and in vitro gene expression in case of exposure to benzo(a)pyrene (BaP), a referent PAH. This model was calibrated with two toxicokinetic datasets obtained on rats exposed either through intratracheal instillation or through intravenous administration and on an in vitro degradation study. A good agreement was obtained between the model's predictions and the concentrations measured in target organs, such as liver and lungs. Our model was able to relate correctly the gene expression for two genes targeted by PAHs, measured in vitro on primary human macrophages and in vivo in rat macrophages after exposure to BaP. Combining in vitro studies and PBTK modeling is promising for PAH risk assessment, especially for mixtures which are more efficiently studied in vitro than in vivo

Dual-task related gait changes after CSF tapping: a new way to identify idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus

BACKGROUND: Gait disturbances found in patients with idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus (iNPH) are unspecific to the diagnosis and commonly occur in neurodegenerative or vascular conditions (iNPH-like conditions). This current retrospective pre-post intervention study aims to determine whether changes in quantitative gait parameters during dual task condition differed between iNPH and iNPH-like conditions before and after cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) tapping. METHODS: 49 patients assessed before and after CSF tapping were included in this study (27 with iNPH and 22 with iNPH-like conditions). Gait analysis during single and dual task conditions (walking and backward counting) was performed before and after a CSF spinal tap of 40 ml. Gait parameters were compared between iNPH and iNPH-like conditions patients. Logistic regressions were used to examine the association between iNPH and gait parameters. RESULTS: Improvements of step width (−9.03 (20.75)% for iNPH group; +0.28 (21.76)% for iNPH-like conditions group), stride length (+7.82 (20.71)% for iNPH group; -0.62 (19.22)% for iNPH-like conditions group), walking speed (+12.20 (29.79)% for iNPH group; +2.38 (32.50)% for iNPH-like conditions group) and stance duration (−1.23 (4.03)% for iNPH group; +0.49 (5.12)% for iNPH-like conditions group) during dual task, after CSF spinal tapping, were significant in patients with iNPH compared to patients with iNPH-like conditions. No between group difference was observed for the single walking task evaluation. The multiple logistic regression revealed that among these four gait parameters, only the improvement in step width was associated with the diagnosis of iNPH. CONCLUSION: Dual-task related changes in spatio-temporal gait parameters before and after CSF tapping might be a novel and discriminative method of identifying iNPH patients from other similar conditions