Multigrid preconditioned conjugate-gradient method for large-scale wave-front reconstruction

We introduce a multigrid preconditioned conjugate-gradient (MGCG) iterative scheme for computing open-loop wave-front reconstructors for extreme adaptive optics systems. We present numerical simulations for a 17-m class telescope with n = 48756 sensor measurement grid points within the aperture, which indicate that our MGCG method has a rapid convergence rate for a wide range of subaperture average slope measurement signal-to-noise ratios. The total computational cost is of order n log n. Hence our scheme provides for fast wave-front simulation and control in large-scale adaptive optics systems.     

AM noise impact on low level phase noise measurements

The influence of the source AM noise in microwave residual phase noise experiments is investigated. The noise floor degradation problem, caused by the parasitic detection of this type of noise by an imperfectly balanced mixer, is solved thanks to a refinement of the quadrature condition. The parasitic noise contribution attributable to the AM to PM (phase modulation) conversion occurring in the device under test is minimized through the development of a dedicated microwave source featuring an AM noise level as low as -170 dBc/Hz at 10 kHz offset from a 3.5 GHz carrier     

Multiple-scattering lidar retrieval method: tests on Monte Carlo simulations and comparisons with in situ measurements

A multiple-field-of-view (MFOV) lidar measurement and solution technique has been developed to exploit the retrievable particle extinction and size information contained in the multiple-scattering contributions to aerosol lidar returns. We describe the proposed solution algorithm. The primary retrieved parameters are the extinction coefficient at the lidar wavelength and the effective particle diameter from which secondary products such as the extinction at other wavelengths and the liquid-water content (LWC) of liquid-phase clouds can be derived. The solutions are compared with true values in a series of Monte Carlo simulations and with in-cloud measurements. Good agreement is obtained for the simulations. For the field experiment, the retrieved effective droplet diameter and LWC for the available seven cases studied are on average 15% and 35% (worst case) smaller than the measured data, respectively. In the latter case, the analysis shows that the differences cannot be attributed solely to lidar inversion errors. Despite the limited penetration depth (150-300 m) of the lidar pulses, the results of the studied cases indicate that the retrieved lidar solutions remain statistically representative of measurements performed over the full cloud extent. Long-term MFOV lidar monitoring could thus become a practical and economical option for cloud statistical studies but more experimentation on more varied cloud conditions, especially for LWC, is still needed.     

An improved observation model for super-resolution under affine motion.

Super-resolution (SR) techniques make use of subpixel shifts between frames in an image sequence to yield higher resolution images. We propose an original observation model devoted to the case of nonisometric inter-frame motion as required, for instance, in the context of airborne imaging sensors. First, we describe how the main observation models used in the SR literature deal with motion, and we explain why they are not suited for nonisometric motion. Then, we propose an extension of the observation model by Elad and Feuer adapted to affine motion. This model is based on a decomposition of affine transforms into successive shear transforms, each one efficiently implemented by row-by-row or column-by-column one-dimensional affine transforms. We demonstrate on synthetic and real sequences that our observation model incorporated in a SR reconstruction technique leads to better results in the case of variable scale motions and it provides equivalent results in the case of isometric motions.     

A Cost-Regular Based Hybrid Column Generation Approach

Constraint Programming (CP) offers a rich modeling language of constraints embedding efficient algorithms to handle complex and heterogeneous combinatorial problems. To solve hard combinatorial optimization problems using CP alone or hybrid CP-ILP decomposition methods, costs also have to be taken into account within the propagation process. Optimization constraints, with their cost-based filtering algorithms, aim to apply inference based on optimality rather than feasibility. This paper introduces a new optimization constraint, cost-regular. Its filtering algorithm is based on the computation of shortest and longest paths in a layered directed graph. The support information is also used to guide the search for solutions. We believe this constraint to be particularly useful in modeling and solving Column Generation subproblems and evaluate its behaviour on complex Employee Timetabling Problems through a flexible CP-based column generation approach. Computational results on generated benchmark sets and on a complex real-world instance are given.A preliminary version of this paper appeared as [7]. This research was supported by the Mathematics of Information Technology and Complex Systems (MITACS) Internship program in association with Omega Optimisation Inc. (CA).     

Near-field optical patterning and structuring based on local-field enhancement at the extremity of a metal tip

We present a particular approach and the associated results allowing the nanostructuration of a thin photosensitive polymer film. This approach based on a scanning near-field optical microscopy configuration uses the field-enhancement (FE) effect, a so-called lightning-rod effect appearing at the extremity of a metallic tip when illuminated with an incident light polarized along the tip axis. The local enhancement of the electromagnetic field straight below the tip's apex is observed directly through a photoisomerization reaction, inducing the growth of a topographical nanodot characterized in situ by atomic-force microscopy using the same probe. From a survey of the literature, we first review the different experimental approaches offered to nanostructure materials by near-field optical techniques. We describe more particularly the FE effect approach. An overview of the theoretical approach of this effect is then given before presenting some experimental results so as theoretical results using the finite-element method. These results show the influence on the nanostructuration of the polymer of a few experimental parameters such as the polarization state, the illumination mode and the tip's geometry. Finally, the potentiality of this technique for some applications in the field of lithography and high-density data storage is shown via the fabrication of nano-patterns.     

Biocide squirting from an elastomeric tri-layer film

Protective layers typically act in a passive way by simply separating two sides. Protection is only efficient as long as the layers are intact. If a high level of protection has to be achieved by thin layers, complementary measures need to be in place to ensure safety, even after breakage of the layer-an important issue in medical applications. Here, we present a novel approach for integrating a biocide liquid into a protective film (about 300-500 microm thick), which guarantees that a sufficient amount of biocide is rapidly released when the film is punctured. The film is composed of a middle layer, containing the liquid in droplet-like compartments, sandwiched between two elastomeric boundary layers. When the film is punctured, the liquid squirts out of the middle layer. A theoretical model was used to determine the size and density of droplets that are necessary to ensure a sufficient quantity of biocide is expelled from an adequately elastic matrix to provide protection at the site of damage. We demonstrate the utility of this approach for the fabrication of surgical gloves.     

BCI Competition 2003--Data set IIa: spatial patterns of self-controlled brain rhythm modulations

A brain-computer interface (BCI) is a system that should in its ultimate form translate a subject's intent into a technical control signal without resorting to the classical neuromuscular communication channels. By using that signal to, e.g., control a wheelchair or a neuroprosthesis, a BCI could become a valuable tool for paralyzed patients. One approach to implement a BCI is to let users learn to self-control the amplitude of some of their brain rhythms as extracted from multichannel electroencephalogram. We present a method that estimates subject-specific spatial filters which allow for a robust extraction of the rhythm modulations. The effectiveness of the method was proved by achieving the minimum prediction error on data set IIa in the BCI Competition 2003, which consisted of data from three subjects recorded in ten sessions.     

Measurement of the azimuthal dependence of cross-polarized lidar returns and its relation to optical depth

We measure with a gated intensified CCD camera the cross-polarized backscattered light from a linearly polarized laser beam penetrating a cloud made of spherical particles. In accordance with previously published results we observe a clear azimuthal pattern in the recorded images. We show that the pattern is symmetrical, that it originates from second-order scattering, and that higher-order scattering causes blurring that increases with optical depth. We also find that the contrast in the symmetrical features can be related to measurement of the optical depth. Moreover, when the blurring contributions are identified and subtracted, the resulting pattern provides a pure second-order scattering measurement that can be used for retrieval of droplet size.