Wave-oriented signal processing of dispersive time-domainscattering data

Phase-space data processing is receiving increased attention because or its potential for furnishing new discriminants relating to classification and identification of targets and other scattering environments. Primary emphasis has been on time-frequency processing because of its impact on transient, especially wideband, short-pulse excitations. Here, we investigate the windowed Fourier transform, the wavelet transform, and model based superresolution algorithms within the context of a fully quantified and calibrated test problem investigated by us previously: two-dimensional (2-D) short-pulse plane wave scattering by a finite periodic array of perfectly conducting coplanar flat strips. Because the forward problem has been fully calibrated and parametrized, some quantitative measures can be assigned with respect to the tradeoffs of these time-frequency algorithms, yielding tentative performance assessments of the tested processing algorithms     

Three-dimensional inverse scattering of a dielectric target embedded in a lossy half-space

A modified iterative Born method is applied for three-dimensional inversion of a lossless dielectric target embedded in a lossy half-space. The forward solver employs a modified form of the extended Born method, and the half-space Green's function is computed efficiently via the complex-image technique. Example results are shown, with all scattering data based on a computational model, utilizing a rigorous forward solver distinct from that employed in the inversion. In addition, distinct gridding schemes are used in the forward and inverse solvers. Simple Tikhonov regularization is found to yield adequate results for inversion of noisy data.     

Efficient computation of high-frequency two-dimensional effects inmulticonductor printed interconnects

The spectral domain technique with a Galerkin moment method solution is used to study high-frequency, two-dimensional effects such as dispersion and leakage in multiconductor printed interconnects. A simple asymptotic procedure is used to significantly improve the convergence of oscillatory spectral integrals involving distant expansion and testing functions. Examples are given for leaky waves on two multiconductor printed transmission line geometries     

Satellite observations of circulation features associated with a bowhead whale feeding ‘hotspot’ near Barrow, Alaska

Satellite images, along with oceanographic, meteorological, and whale aerial survey data, are used to illustrate aspects of ocean circulation associated with a bowhead whale feeding ‘hotspot’ near Barrow, Alaska. In response to weak winds, a strong front forms near the shelf-break along the southern edge of Barrow Canyon when the Alaska Coastal Current flows adjacent to the southern flank of Barrow Canyon or intrudes onto the western Beaufort shelf. This front is of particular local interest because it is indicative of aggregation and retention of zooplankton on the western Beaufort shelf and, as a result, is a locus for bowhead whales pausing to feed during their westward fall migration. Groups (4 or more individuals) of bowhead whales are primarily seen on the western Beaufort shelf following wind conditions that promote the formation of this front.     

On classification with incomplete data

We address the incomplete-data problem in which feature vectors to be classified are missing data (features). A (supervised) logistic regression algorithm for the classification of incomplete data is developed. Single or multiple imputation for the missing data is avoided by performing analytic integration with an estimated conditional density function (conditioned on the observed data). Conditional density functions are estimated using a Gaussian mixture model (GMM), with parameter estimation performed using both expectation-maximization (EM) and variational Bayesian EM (VB-EM). The proposed supervised algorithm is then extended to the semisupervised case by incorporating graph-based regularization. The semisupervised algorithm utilizes all available data-both incomplete and complete, as well as labeled and unlabeled. Experimental results of the proposed classification algorithms are shown     

Conformational origin of the molecular weight dependence of the characteristic ratio of the dipole moment in poly(A-B)

By poly(A-B) we denote a chain with repeating sequence -A-B-, such as polyoxymethylene. Here A and B stand for a single atom, e.g., -O-, or a group of atoms, e.g., -CH₂-. All n bond vectors are of the same length, l, as are all bond dipole moment vectors, m. The manner in which the characteristic ratio of the dipole moment, D_n≡〈μ²〉₀/nm² approaches its asymptotic limit is related quantitatively to the behavior of subchains of various sizes in poly(A-B). Illustrative numerical calculations with rotational isomeric state (RIS) models for several polymers are consistent with the predictions. The approach of D_n to its asymptotic limit is sensitive to longer subchains than is the approach of the characteristic ratio of the end-to-end distance, C_n≡〈r²〉₀/nl², to its asymptotic limit, due to the differences in the connectivity of the bond vectors (head-to-tail) and the bond dipole moment vectors (head-to-head, tail-to-tail).     

Application of the theory of optimal experiments to adaptive electromagnetic-induction sensing of buried targets

A mobile electromagnetic-induction (EM I) sensor is considered for detection and characterization of buried conducting and/or ferrous targets. The sensor maybe placed on a robot and, here, we consider design of an optimal adaptive-search strategy. A frequency-dependent magnetic-dipole model is used to characterize the target at EMI frequencies. The goal of the search is accurate characterization of the dipole-model parameters, denoted by the vector /spl Theta/; the target position and orientation are a subset of /spl Theta/. The sensor position and operating frequency are denoted by the parameter vector p and a measurement is represented by the pair (p, O), where O denotes the observed data. The parameters p are fixed for a given measurement, but, in the context of a sequence of measurements p may be changed adaptively. In a locally optimal sequence of measurements, we desire the optimal sensor parameters, p/sub N+1/ for estimation of /spl Theta/, based on the previous measurements (p/sub n/, O/sub n/)/sub n=1,N/. The search strategy is based on the theory of optimal experiments, as discussed in detail and demonstrated via several numerical examples.     

Parallel implementation of the biorthogonal multiresolution time-domain method

The three-dimensional biorthogonal multiresolution time-domain (Bi-MRTD) method is presented for both free-space and half-space scattering problems. The perfectly matched layer (PML) is used as an absorbing boundary condition. It has been shown that improved numerical-dispersion properties can be obtained with the use of smooth, compactly supported wavelet functions as the basis, whereas we employ the Cohen-Daubechies-Fouveau (CDF) biorthogonal wavelets. When a CDF-wavelet expansion is used, the spatial-sampling rate can be reduced considerably compared with that of the conventional finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method, implying that larger targets can be simulated without sacrificing accuracy. We implement the Bi-MRTD on a cluster of allocated-memory machines, using the message-passing interface (MPI), such that very large targets can be modeled. Numerical results are compared with analytical ones and with those obtained by use of the traditional FDTD method.     

Low-Frequency Noise Assessment of Silicon Passivated Ge pMOSFETs With TiN/TaN/ HfO2 Gate Stack

The low-frequency noise of pMOSFETs fabricated in epitaxial germanium-on-silicon substrates is studied. The gate stack consists of a TiN/TaN metal gate on top of a 1.3-nm equivalent oxide thickness HfO₂/SiO₂ gate dielectric bilayer. The latter is grown by chemical oxidation of a thin epitaxial silicon film deposited to passivate the germanium surface. It is shown that the spectrum is of the 1/f^gamma type, which obeys number fluctuations for intermediate gate voltage overdrives. A correlation between the low-field mobility and the oxide trap density derived from the 1/f noise magnitude and the interface trap density obtained from charge pumping is reported and explained by considering remote Coulomb scattering     

Multi-aspect detection of surface and shallow-buried unexplodedordnance via ultra-wideband synthetic aperture radar

An ultra-wideband (UWB) synthetic aperture radar (SAR) system is investigated for the detection of former bombing ranges, littered by unexploded ordnance (UXO). The objective is detection of a high enough percentage of surface and shallow-buried UXO, with a low enough false-alarm rate, such that a former range can be detected. The physics of UWB SAR scattering is exploited in the context of a hidden Markov model (HMM), which explicitly accounts for the multiple aspects at which a SAR system views a given target. The HMM is trained on computed data, using SAR imagery synthesized via a validated physical-optics solution. The performance of the HMM is demonstrated by performing testing on measured UWB SAR data for many surface and shallow UXO buried in soil in the vicinity of naturally occurring clutter