The Jackleg Testament, Part One: Jack and Eve - Artist Jay Bolotin with his postmodern take on Genesis, the first woodcut motion picture ever made

Jay Bolotin, artist, writer, composer, musician and revisionist, has transformed his signature relief prints and mixed media into the first ever woodcut motion picture titled, The Jackleg Testament, Part One: Jack and Eve. In this first edition of a proposed trilogy, Bolotin revisits the Genesis story and reexamines familiar Old Testament themes and re-imagines them in a postmodern vein and format without sacrificing their mythic power and fascination. This article discusses this work within the context of a recent world tour and performance, interviews with Bolotin and subsequent viewings of the exhibit and “motion picture.

Photonic Integrated Circuits

Integrated photonics generally is the integration of multiple lithographically defined photonic and electronic components and devices (e.g. lasers, detectors, waveguides passive structures, modulators, electronic control and optical interconnects) on a single platform with nanometer-scale feature sizes. The development of photonic integrated circuits permits size, weight, power and cost reductions for spacecraft microprocessors, optical communication, processor buses, advanced data processing, and integrated optic science instrument optical systems, subsystems and components. This is particularly critical for small spacecraft platforms. We will give an overview of some NASA applications for integrated photonics

Stable CW Single-Frequency Operation of Fabry-Perot Laser Diodes by Self-Injection Phase Locking

Previously, single-frequency semiconductor laser operation using fiber Bragg gratings (FBG) has been achieved by two methods: (1) use of the FBG as the output coupler for an anti-reflection-coated semiconductor gain element; (2) pulsed operation of a gain-switched Fabry-Perot laser diode with FBG-optical and RF-electrical feedback. Here, we demonstrate CW single frequency operation from a non-AR coated Fabry-Perot laser diode using only FBG optical feedback

Continuous-Wave Single-Frequency Operation of Fabry-Perot Laser Diodes by Self-Injection Phase Locking Using Feedback from a Fiber Bragg Grating

Single-frequency operation of uncoated Fabry-Perot laser diodes is demonstrated by phase- locking the laser oscillations through self-injection seeding with feedback from a fiber Bragg grating. By precisely tuning the laser temperature so that an axial-mode coincides with the short-wavelength band edge of the grating, the phase of the feedback is made conjugate to that of the axial mode, locking the phase of the laser oscillations to that mode

Subspace identification of low-dimensional Structural-Thermal-Optical-Performance (STOP) models of reflective optics

In this paper, we investigate the feasibility of using subspace system identification techniques for estimating transient Structural-Thermal-Optical Performance (STOP) models of reflective optics. As a test case, we use a Newtonian telescope structure. This work is motivated by the need for the development of model-based data-driven techniques for prediction, estimation, and control of thermal effects and thermally-induced wavefront aberrations in optical systems, such as ground and space telescopes, optical instruments operating in harsh environments, optical lithography machines, and optical components of high-power laser systems. We estimate and validate a state-space model of a transient STOP dynamics. First, we model the system in COMSOL Multiphysics. Then, we use LiveLink for MATLAB software module to export the wavefront aberrations data from COMSOL to MATLAB. This data is used to test the subspace identification method that is implemented in Python. One of the main challenges in modeling and estimation of STOP models is that they are inherently large-dimensional. The large-scale nature of STOP models originates from the coupling of optical, thermal, and structural phenomena and physical processes. Our results show that large-dimensional STOP dynamics of the considered optical system can be accurately estimated by low-dimensional state-space models. Due to their low-dimensional nature and state-space forms, these models can effectively be used for the prediction, estimation, and control of thermally-induced wavefront aberrations. The developed MATLAB, COMSOL, and Python codes are available online.Comment: Accepted for publication and presentation at SPIE Optics and Photonics: Optical Engineering + Applications (OP22O), San Diego (2022

Narrow Pass-Band Optical Filters for Space-Borne Remote Sensing Applications

Optical characterisation of 532 nm, 200 pm passband and 1064 nm, I mn passband LkD filters after exposure to proton irradiation, temperature cycling and angle tuning

High Precision Ranging and Range-Rate Measurements over Free-Space-Laser Communication Link

We present a high-precision ranging and range-rate measurement system via an optical-ranging or combined ranging-communication link. A complete bench-top optical communication system was built. It included a ground terminal and a space terminal. Ranging and range rate tests were conducted in two configurations. In the communication configuration with 622 data rate, we achieved a two-way range-rate error of 2 microns/s, or a modified Allan deviation of 9 x 10 (exp -15) with 10 second averaging time. Ranging and range-rate as a function of Bit Error Rate of the communication link is reported. They are not sensitive to the link error rate. In the single-frequency amplitude modulation mode, we report a two-way range rate error of 0.8 microns/s, or a modified Allan deviation of 2.6 x 10 (exp -15) with 10 second averaging time. We identified the major noise sources in the current system as the transmitter modulation injected noise and receiver electronics generated noise. A new improved system will be constructed to further improve the system performance for both operating modes

IceSat 2 ATLAS Photon-Counting Receiver - Initial On-Orbit Performance

Photon-counting receivers are deployed on the NASA Ice, Cloud and land Elevation Satellite-2 (ICESat2) Advance Topographic Laser Altimeter System (ATLAS). The ATLAS laser altimeter design has total six ground tracks with three strong and three weak tracks. The strong track has nominally 4 times more laser power than the weak track. The receiver is operated in photon counting mode. There are 16 photon-counting channels for each strong track and 4 photon-counting channels for each weak track. Hamamatsu photomultiplier with a 4x4-array anode was used as photon counting detector. This receiver design has high counting efficiency (>15%) at 532 nm, low dark count rate (<400 counts per second), low jitter (less than 285ps), short dead time (<3 ns), long lifetime under large solar background radiation, radiation harden for space operation, and ruggedized for survives the harsh vibration during the launch. In this paper, we will present the initial on-orbit performance of this photon-counting receiver

NASA Space Laser Technology

Over the next two decades, the number of space based laser missions for mapping, spectroscopy, remote sensing and other scientific investigations will increase several fold. The demand for high wall-plug efficiency, low noise, narrow linewidth laser systems to meet different systems requirements that can reliably operate over the life of a mission will be high. The general trends will be for spatial quality very close to the diffraction limit, improved spectral performance, increased wall-plug efficiency and multi-beam processing. Improved spectral performance will include narrower spectral width (very near the transform limit), increased wavelength stability and or tuning (depending on application) and lasers reaching a wider range of wavelengths stretching into the mid-infrared and the near ultraviolet. We are actively developing high efficiency laser transmitter and high-sensitivity laser receiver systems that are suitable for spaceborne applications

Advanced Photodetectors for Space Lidar

The detector in a space lidar plays a key role in the instrument characteristics and performance, especially in direct detection lidar. The sensitivity of the detector is usually the limiting factor when determining the laser power and the receiver aperture size, which in turn determines the instrument complexity and cost. The availability of a suitable detector is often a deciding factor in the choice of lidar wavelengths. A direct detection lidar can achieve the highest receiver performance, or the quantum limit, when its detector can detect signals at the single photo