Relaxation of Photon Echoes by Phase-interrupting Collisions during the Second Optical Pulse

It is shown that phase-interrupting collisions occurring during the period of the second excitation pulse in a photon echo experiment do not in general destroy the coherent dipole moments of the perturbed atoms, however hard the collision may be. An effective collision rate for this period is determined; it can be larger or smaller than the actual collision rate, depending on the pulse area. The application to measurements of collisional cross-sections is discussed.     

硅酸镓镧单晶材料的声表面波标签研究

声表面波射频识别标签在射频标签领域获得广泛关注,其中对标签基底材料的研究也成了研究热点。文章旨在研究使用硅酸镓镧单晶材料为压电基底的声表面波标签的标签特性。对使用硅酸镓镧单晶材料为压电基底的声表面波标签进行频域和时域分析,并结合有限元分析方法,对标签的特征频率、叉指换能器(Interdigital Transducer, IDT)的反射系数、叉指电极金属化比、金属电极厚度以及标签回波特性进行研究分析,提取了耦合模COM(Coupled-mode)模型参数。分析结果表明了压电效应是声表面波的谐振与反谐振频率存在的根源,验证了脉冲幅度编码方式,并为使用硅酸镓镧材料作为压电基底的声表面波标签的制作提供了仿真实验依据。     

Range accuracy limitation of pulse ranging systems based on Geiger mode single-photon detectors

Geiger mode single-photon detectors have been used in pulse ranging system and three-dimensional imaging systems due to high sensitivity and easy integration. The ranging accuracy and precision is influenced by many factors. Based on statistical theory, five main factors are discussed in this article, namely, echo signal intensity, pulse width, detector quantum efficiency, target position, and background noise. An analytical relationship among the ranging accuracy, precision, and these factors is obtained for a Q-switched laser pulse. Through this relationship, it is shown that the echo signal intensity and pulse width are more important than other factors and higher echo signal intensity and narrower pulse width can result in better accuracy and precision.     

Cumulative detection probabilities and range accuracy of a pulsed Geiger-mode avalanche photodiode laser ranging system

Cumulative pulses detection with appropriate cumulative pulses number and threshold has the ability to improve the detection performance of the pulsed laser ranging system with GM-APD. In this paper, based on Poisson statistics and multi-pulses cumulative process, the cumulative detection probabilities and their influence factors are investigated. With the normalized probability distribution of each time bin, the theoretical model of the range accuracy and precision is established, and the factors limiting the range accuracy and precision are discussed. The results show that the cumulative pulses detection can produce higher target detection probability and lower false alarm probability. However, for a heavy noise level and extremely weak echo intensity, the false alarm suppression performance of the cumulative pulses detection deteriorates quickly. The range accuracy and precision is another important parameter evaluating the detection performance, the echo intensity and pulse width are main influence factors on the range accuracy and precision, and higher range accuracy and precision is acquired with stronger echo intensity and narrower echo pulse width, for 5-ns echo pulse width, when the echo intensity is larger than 10, the range accuracy and precision lower than 7.5 cm can be achieved.     

脉冲激光成像探测系统回波信号仿真

研究激光脉冲回波信号特性并建立其数学模型,是应用回波信号处理技术处理回波,生成目标三维激光仿真图像的基础.首先建立了激光器发射脉冲信号能量在时间和空间上的分布模型,然后依据成像目标的激光图像仿真模板,采用累加激光脚印各采样区发射脉冲信号与对应目标散射面单位冲激响应卷积值的方法,生成了探测器接收回波仿真信号,最后分析了影响回波信号仿真精度的因素.通过对激光脚印采样区个数的合理设置实现了激光脉冲回波波形的精确仿真.     

Echography using correlation techniques: choice of coding signal

Theoretical studies made in the early 1980's suggest that ultrasonic imaging using correlation technique can overcome some of the drawbacks of classical pulse echography. Indeed by transmitting a continuous coded signal and then compressing it into a short, high resolution pulse at the receiver the total signal to noise ratio (SNR) is improved. The target location is determined by cross correlation of the emitted and the received signal. The band compression allows, by increasing SNR, the retrieval of echo signals buried in the receiver noise. Thus in medical-type echography, where the signal attenuation at fixed depth is proportional to the frequency, the SNR improvement allows the use of higher frequency signals and leads to improved resolution. We report here the results of comparative experimental studies of simple echo B type images as obtained by the classical pulse echo and correlation techniques. Because the optimisation of the coded signal plays a crucial role in the performance of the correlation technique we will also present a comparative study of the performances of the most common codes (m-sequences and complementary series). In particular we shall emphasise the following points: the relative importance of the central lobe as compared to the side lobes of the correlation function, which is directly related to the dynamic of the imaging system, the width of the correlation peak which is directly related to the axial resolution of the system, the facility of the realisation. The merit of B-mode images obtained with the coded signals will be discussed showing that as far as signal modulation is used the best results are obtained with periodic m-sequences     

Tri-level Echo in the Case of Exciting Pulses with Arbitrary Shapes

In the limit of small exciting light-pulse areas the amplitude and polarization of the tri-level photon echo in gases formed by the exciting pulses with arbitrary shapes are obtained. It is shown that the dependence of the tri-level photon echo signal on the mutual orientation of the exciting pulse polarization vectors may be used to determine the optical coherence-matrix relaxation characteristics for an optically forbidden transition. The conditions under which a tri-level photon echo pulse repeats the shape of each of the exciting pulses are defined. It is proved that the tri-level photon-echo polarization properties do not depend on the shapes of the exciting pulses, either for small light-pulse areas or for the tri-level echo formation on narrow spectral lines.     

High-Resolution deconvolution techniques and their applications in ultrasonic NDE

The technique of ultrasonic pulse echo measurement is a very cost-effective method of non-destructive evaluation (NDE). These measurements are, however, usually masked by the characteristics of the measuring equipment and the propagation paths taken by the ultrasonic pulse. With a proper modeling of the pulse echo, these effects can be reduced by deconvolution. In this paper, several deconvolution algorithms that have been popularly used in other areas such as seismic explorations are revised and adapted to ultrasonic NDE applications. Simulation results are presented to support the feasibility of using these algorithms to extract impulse responses from the ultrasonic pulse echoes for use in defect classifications. The performances and computational complexities of these algorithms are analyzed and compared. In addition, application of these deconvolution techniques to B-scan enhancement is also discussed.     

准确测量水下目标的目标强度

以测量球和短柱的目标强度为例 ,本文根据主动声纳方程数值模拟研究在测量水下目标的目标强度实验中应当满足的平面波入射、稳态和散射远场条件。讨论了满足基本远场条件存在的测试误差和平面波条件 ;除了单“亮点”回波外 ,根据回波形成机理 ,提出多“亮点”回波情况下建立稳态散射入射波脉冲的宽度必须大于窄脉冲回波的扩展宽度。     

Hard TiC Coating on AISI304 Steel by Laser Surface Engineering Using Pulsed Nd:YAG Laser

The surface mechanical property of AISI304 stainless steel was improved by TiC coating deposited through laser surface engineering process using a pulsed Nd:YAG laser. The produced coating exhibited significantly higher hardness (650–1900 HV_0.1) compared to the steel substrate (190 HV_0.1). Coating thickness, dilution of TiC on substrate surface, and hardness of the coating were determined using various pulse laser processing parameters, i.e., peak power and pulse frequency. At low pulse frequency and peak power condition, relatively thick and uniform coating of TiC was deposited over the substrate. However, at higher pulse frequency and peak power condition, TiC-dispersed steel composite coating was produced.     

Evaluating the effect of SiC content on iron-based nanocomposite

Iron has wide application in manufacturing industries and the objective of this study is to investigate the effect of silicon carbide (SiC) particles on iron-based nanocomposites. SiC is effectively reinforced into iron matrix by mechanical alloying process using high-energy ball mill. The Fe–SiC nanocomposites with various compositions of SiC viz., 15%, 20% and 25% are characterised using X-ray diffraction and atomic force microscopy. The nanocomposite powders are compacted and sintered into pellets. Their elastic properties, hardness and Poisson's ratio are determined using the pulse echo technique. Moreover, the densities of the pellets are measured using Archimedes’ principle by the water immersion method.     

The elastic constants of iron tourmaline (schörl)

110 MHz and 1 GHz pulse echo methods have been used to determine the room temperature elastic constants of schörl tourmaline characterized by wet chemical and X-ray analyses.     

A liquid level sensor using the absorption of guided acoustic waves

This liquid level sensor consists of a vertically movable 10-cm-long hollow cylinder with an impedance matching conic section suspended at one end of a few-meters-long magnetorestrictive wire. The wire is automatically wound up or unwound such that the cylindrical sensor element at the bottom of the wire is immersed by just a small and measurable distance into the liquid whose level is sought. Acoustic waves are launched in the wire by a pulse of current in a coil and are transmitted to the hollow cylinder through the cylindrical horn. The carrier frequency of the wave trains and the thickness of the tube are chosen so that the elastic waves strongly leak into the liquid when the hollow cylinder is immersed. The level is then determined by measuring the time-of-flight of the echo reflected at the junction between the wire and the horn, followed by taking into account a small correction term computed from the attenuation of the end echo.     

Finite element comparison of single crystal vs. multi-layer composite arrays for medical ultrasound

Finite element (PZFlex; Weidlinger Assoc., New York, NY and Los Altos, CA) simulations predict that for a 2-MHz phased array element with a single matching layer, the three-layer hybrid structure increases the pulse echo signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) by 16 dB over that from a single layer PZT element and -6 dB pulse echo fractional bandwidth from 58% for the PZT element to 75% for the hybrid element. Analogous finite element method (FEM) simulations of single crystal material [lead zinc niobate (PZN)-8% lead titanate (PT)] showed increased SNR by only 3.1 dB, but a -6 dB bandwidth of 108%     

探测尾流自导鱼雷主动声呐的波形设计

为了实现对不同速度尾流自导鱼雷的稳定探测,建立尾流自导鱼雷典型弹道模型,对运动平台主动声呐混响和鱼雷目标回波的多普勒特性进行分析。研究结果表明对于探测尾流自导鱼雷的主动声呐来说,当鱼雷速度小于2倍平台速度时目标多普勒较小且不稳定,仅依靠多普勒滤波难以完全避开混响干扰并实现稳定探测。提出使用宽带多普勒敏感信号与CW信号的组合形式来探测尾流自导鱼雷。仿真给出了组合信号的距离、速度分辨力和混响抑制能力,证明了其性能良好。     

Modules d'elasticite adiabatiques,temperature de debye a zero degre K,de la solution solide GaxIn1−xSb

Adiabatic elastic constants of Ga_xIn_1?xSb were determined by the pulse echo technique at constant frequency (750 MHz), over the temperature range 4° – 300°K. Carriers concentration of our samples varied from 1016cm³ to 1017 cm^?3. Debye temperatures were computed from extrapolation of the elastic constant to 0°K. Various methods were used and compared. Then strain constants between a particle with its nearest neighbours and its next nearest neighbours have been obtained.     

Investigation of transverse oscillation method

Conventional ultrasound scanners can display only the axial component of the blood velocity vector, which is a significant limitation when vessels nearly parallel to the skin surface are scanned. The transverse oscillation (TO) method overcomes this limitation by introducing a TO and an axial oscillation in the pulse echo field. The theory behind the creation of the double oscillation pulse echo field is explained as well as the theory behind the estimation of the vector velocity. A parameter study of the method is performed, using the ultrasound simulation program Field II. A virtual linear-array transducer with center frequency 7 MHz and 128 active elements is created, and a virtual blood vessel of radius 6.4 mm is simulated. The performance of the TO method is found around an initial point in the parameter space. The parameters varied are: flow angle, transmit focus depth, receive apodization, pulse length, transverse wave length, number of emissions, signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), and type of echo-canceling filter used. Using an experimental scanner, the performance of the TO method is evaluated. An experimental flowrig is used to create laminar parabolic flow in a blood mimicking fluid, and the fluid is scanned under different flow-to-beam angles. The relative standard deviation on the transverse velocity estimate is found to be less than 10% for all angles between 50 degrees and 90 degrees. Furthermore, the TO method is evaluated in the flowrig using pulsatile flow, which resembles the flow in the femoral artery. The estimated volume flow as a function of time is compared to the volume flow derived from a conventional axial method at a flow-to-beam angle of 60 degrees. It is found that the method is highly sensitive to the angle between the flow and the beam direction. Also, the choice of echo canceling filter affects the performance significantly.     

声管脉冲回波法吸声系数测量技术

利用可控脉冲声信号,采用回波方法,在圆形声管中测量了样本材料的吸声系数.依据回波信号和入射声波的功率谱密度先解算反射系数,然后计算吸声系数.与B&K 4206阻抗管测量结果相比,在200 Hz～5 kHz频段内吸声系数差别在10%以内.所用脉冲声具有波形规则、脉冲时间短、频带宽的特点,测量精度比同类方法显著提高,特别是低频区域数据可靠.测量系统装置简单、重复性好.测量装置的不确定度主要源于样品在声管中安装的精密性.     

Optical and acoustical observations of the effects of ultrasound on contrast agents

Optimal use of encapsulated microbubbles for ultrasound contrast agents and drug delivery requires an understanding of the complex set of phenomena that affect the contrast agent echo and persistence. With the use of a video microscopy system coupled to either an ultrasound flow phantom or a chamber for insonifying stationary bubbles, we show that ultrasound has significant effects on encapsulated microbubbles. In vitro studies show that a train of ultrasound pulses can alter the structure of an albumin-shelled bubble, initiate various mechanisms of bubble destruction or produce aggregation that changes the echo spectrum. In this analysis, changes observed optically are compared with those observed acoustically for both albumin and lipid-shelled agents. We show that, when insonified with a narrowband pulse at an acoustic pressure of several hundred kPa, a phospholipid-shelled bubble can undergo net radius fluctuations of at least 15%; and an albumin-shelled bubble initially demonstrates constrained expansion and contraction. If the albumin shell contains air, the shell may not initially experience surface tension; therefore, the echo changes more significantly with repeated pulsing. A set of observations of contrast agent destruction is presented, which includes the slow diffusion of gas through the shell and formation of a shell defect followed by rapid diffusion of gas into the surrounding liquid. These observations demonstrate that the low-solubility gas used in these agents can persist for several hundred milliseconds in solution. With the transmission of a high-pulse repetition rate and a low pressure, the echoes from, contrast agents can be affected by secondary radiation force. Secondary radiation force is an attractive force for these experimental conditions, creating aggregates with distinct echo characteristics and extended persistence. The scattered echo from an aggregate is several times stronger and more narrowband than echoes from individual bubbles.     

Kirchhoff Approximation Revisited—Some New Results for Scattering in Isotropic and Anisotropic Elastic Solids

Through a series of numerical studies that compare the Kirchhoff approximation to more exact scattering theories, it is demonstrated that the Kirchhoff approximation can accurately predict the pulse–echo peak-to-peak responses of spherical pores and circular cracks in isotropic media over a very wide range of cases that extend well beyond the limits normally associated with this approximation. The reason for this good agreement is shown to lie in the ability of the Kirchhoff approximation to model accurately the very early time response of the flaw. It is also shown that in the Kirchhoff approximation the pulse–echo response of an arbitrary traction-free scatterer in an isotropic elastic solid is identical to the same response obtained using a scalar (fluid) scattering model. This leads to simple analytical expressions for the pulse–echo far-field scattering amplitude of some canonical geometries (circular cracks, spherical voids, cylindrical holes) and to simplified numerical expressions for more general scatterers. For general anisotropic volumetric flaws in a anisotropic elastic solid, it is shown that a high-frequency asymptotic evaluation of the Kirchhoff approximation yields an explicit analytical expression for the pulse–echo leading-edge response of the flaw. Explicit expressions are also given for the pitch–catch response of an elliptical-shaped flat crack in a general anisotropic solid.