Identification of geostationary satellites using polarization data from unresolved images

In order to protect critical military and commercial space assets, the United States Space Surveillance Network must have the ability to positively identify and characterize all space objects. Unfortunately, positive identification and characterization of space objects is a manual and labor intensive process today since even large telescopes cannot provide resolved images of most space objects. Since resolved images of geosynchronous satellites are not technically feasible with current technology, another method of distinguishing space objects was explored that exploits the polarization signature from unresolved images. The objective of this study was to collect and analyze visible-spectrum polarization data from unresolved images of geosynchronous satellites taken over various solar phase angles. Different collection geometries were used to evaluate the polarization contribution of solar arrays, thermal control materials, antennas, and the satellite bus as the solar phase angle changed. Since materials on space objects age due to the space environment, it was postulated that their polarization signature may change enough to allow discrimination of identical satellites launched at different times. The instrumentation used in this experiment was a United States Air Force Academy (USAFA) Department of Physics system that consists of a 20-inch Ritchey-Chrétien telescope and a dual focal plane optical train fed with a polarizing beam splitter. A rigorous calibration of the system was performed that included corrections for pixel bias, dark current, and response. Additionally, the two channel polarimeter was calibrated by experimentally determining the Mueller matrix for the system and relating image intensity at the two cameras to Stokes parameters S0 and S1. After the system calibration, polarization data was collected during three nights on eight geosynchronous satellites built by various manufacturers and launched several years apart. Three pairs of the eight satellites were identical buses to determine if identical buses could be correctly differentiated. When Stokes parameters were plotted against time and solar phase angle, the data indicates that there were distinguishing features in S0 (total intensity) and S1 (linear polarization) that may lead to positive identification or classification of each satellite.

Organic distributed feedback laser to monitor solvent extraction upon thermal annealing in solution-processed polymer films

Solution-processed polymer films are used in multiple technological applications. The presence of residual solvent in the film, as a consequence of the preparation method, affects the material properties, so films are typically subjected to post-deposition thermal annealing treatments aiming at its elimination. Monitoring the amount of solvent eliminated as a function of the annealing parameters is important to design a proper treatment to ensure complete solvent elimination, crucial to obtain reproducible and stable material properties and therefore, device performance. Here we demonstrate, for the first time to our knowledge, the use of an organic distributed feedback (DFB) laser to monitor with high precision the amount of solvent extracted from a spin-coated polymer film as a function of the thermal annealing time. The polymer film of interest, polystyrene in the present work, is doped with a small amount of a laser dye as to constitute the active layer of the laser device and deposited over a reusable DFB resonator. It is shown that solvent elimination translates into shifts in the DFB laser wavelength, as a consequence of changes in film thickness and refractive index. The proposed method is expected to be applicable to other types of annealing treatments, polymer-solvent combinations or film deposition methods, thus constituting a valuable tool to accurately control the quality and reproducibility of solution-processed polymer thin films.

Projeto de uma antena para controlo wireless de um robot

A comunicação e transmissão de informação sem fios tornou - se uma realidade cada vez mais utilizada pelas sociedades contemporâneas. A nível profissional, as forças armadas de cada país acharam conveniente modernizar os seus meios, por forma a aumentar a eficiência e a segurança em determinadas tarefas. Nesse sentido, o Exército português adquiriu um robot (ROVIM) cuja função é desempenhar ações de reconhecimento e vigilância de modo a obter informações de forma segura. O objetivo desta dissertação é dimensionar e construir uma antena para controlo wireless do robot (ROVIM). As especificações técnicas desta antena requerem dois modos de operação, um com uma largura de feixe larga e outro com uma largura de feixe estreita. Para alcançar esses objetivos dimensionou-se e construiu-se duas antenas. Na dissertação são construídas duas antenas, a primeira é uma antena Yagi – Uda convencional e a segunda é uma antena com uma estrutura nova que permite a regulação do ganho e da largura de feixe a -3 dB. A primeira antena será o modelo base da segunda antena, que apresenta a inovação do controlo das caraterísticas de radiação. Esse controlo é possível através da introdução de díodos e do respetivo circuito de polarização na estrutura da antena. Inicialmente, as antenas foram dimensionadas e simuladas recorrendo ao programa de simulação CST MWS, de modo a operarem na banda dos 2,4 GHz. Após a construção das antenas, as caraterísticas de radiação foram medidas recorrendo à câmara anecoica e ao network analyzer, permitindo assim a comparação dos resultados medidos com os simulados.

Analysis and design of the log-periodic dipole antenna.

At head of title: Antenna Laboratory.

The equiangular spiral antenna /

"Contract AF33(616)-3220 Project No. 6(7-4600), Task No. 40572, Wright Air Development Center."

The characteristic impedance of the fin antenna of infinite length /

"Contract No. AF33(616)-3220 Project No. 6(7-4600) Task 40572 Wright Air Development Center"

Directional characteristics of a u-shaped slot antenna /

"Contract AF33(616)-3220 Project No. 6(7-4600) Task 40572 Wright Air Development Center"

An analytical study of spaced loop ADF antenna systems /

"Contract No. AF33(616)-3220 Project No. 6(7-4600) Task 40572 Wright Air Development Center."

A unidirectional equiangular spiral antenna /

"Contract AF33(616)-3220 Project No. 6(7-4600) Task 40572 Wright Air Development Center"

Evaluation of cross-correlation methods in the utilization of antenna systems /

Contract AF33(616)-6079 Project No. 9-(13-6278) Task 40572. Sponsored by: Wright Air Development Center"

Non-planar logarithmically periodic antenna structures /

"Contract AF33(616)-3220 Project No. 6(7-4600) Task 40572 Wright Air Development"

Operator's, organizational, direct support, general support, and depot maintenance manual including repair parts and special tools lists : mast AB-903/G (NSN 5985-00-933-2197).

Includes index.

Organizational, direct support and general support maintenance repair parts and special tools list (including depot maintenance repair parts and special tools) for antenna AS-1729/VRC (NSN 5985-00-985-9024).

Includes index.

Organizational, direct support, maintenance repair parts and special tools list (including depot maintenance repair parts and special tools) for antenna AS-1425/GRC (NSN 5985-00-926-2593).

Includes index.

Proceedings of the Institution of Electrical Engineers.

Vols.1-87,1872-1940 also called no.1-258.