Sensitive interferometric detection of ultrasound for minimally invasive clinical imaging applications

Miniaturized optical detectors of ultrasound represent a promising alternative to piezoelectric technology and may enable new minimally invasive clinical applications, particularly in the field of optoacoustic imaging. However, the use of such detectors has so far been limited to controlled lab environments, and has not been demonstrated in the presence of mechanical disturbances, common in clinical imaging scenarios. Additionally, detection sensitivity has been inherently limited by laser noise, which hindered the use of sensing elements such as optical fibers, which exhibit a weak response to ultrasound. In this work, coherence‐restored pulse interferometry (CRPI) is introduced – a new paradigm for interferometric sensing in which shot‐noise limited sensitivity may be achieved alongside robust operation. CRPI is implemented with a fiber‐based resonator, demonstrating over an order of magnitude higher sensitivity than that of conventional 15 MHz intravascular ultrasound probes. The performance of the optical detector is showcased in a miniaturized all‐optical optoacoustic imaging catheter.     

基于相干光时域反射型的光纤分布式声增敏传感研究

开展了基于相干光时域反射型的光纤分布式声增敏传感研究,提出了单端固定开口波纹薄筒光纤声增敏方法,建立了光纤声增敏装置波节间距、单波节轴向刚度、光纤长度等参数对光纤相位灵敏度的影响理论模型.制作了3种规格的光纤声增敏传感装置进行声传感实验.实验结果表明,声增敏传感装置相位灵敏度达到2.975 rad/Pa,最小声探测信号达到60.1 dB,3种规格的声增敏传感装置的灵敏度测试值与理论分析基本一致.研究结果为高灵敏度的光纤分布式声传感的进一步发展提供了理论和实验基础.     

基于回音壁微腔拉曼激光的纳米粒子探测

回音壁模式光学微腔由于其品质因子高、模式体积小等优点, 近年来在非标记性的纳米粒子探测方面得到了广泛的重视, 开展了大量的研究, 取得了重要的进展. 利用回音壁微腔的拉曼激光, 通过测量纳米粒子造成的模式劈裂的拍频, 可以实现不同环境下纳米粒子的实时探测. 与传统的稀土离子掺杂法不同, 这种方法采用腔的内禀增益, 不仅提高了应用回音壁模式微腔进行纳米粒子探测的极限, 而且避免了传统方法中稀土离子能级对泵浦光的限制, 拓展了应用范围. 这种方法还可以应用于其他材料的回音壁微腔, 如硅基微环腔等, 以及光子晶体结构、超材料等受损耗限制的系统中. 本文简单介绍了回音壁模式光学微腔进行纳米粒子探测的基本原理以及最新研究进展.     

SO2气体排放的紫外成像遥感监测

工业烟囱及船舶尾气中SO2气体排放是造成大气污染的重要因素。SO2容易被氧化生成硫酸雾或硫酸盐气溶胶,产生酸雨,严重危害大气生态环境平衡及人类健康。现有的SO2光学遥感测量技术,如拉曼散射激光雷达、差分吸收激光雷达(DIAL)、傅里叶变换红外吸收光谱(FTIR)、紫外差分吸收光谱(DOAS)、高分辨光谱成像等,难以兼顾气体污染监测对高时间分辨率、高空间分辨率以及便携机动等应用需求。近年来,紫外SO2相机成像探测因探测精度高、实用性强得到迅速发展,该技术时间分辨率高、空间分辨力强,能从解析图像中直观在线获取污染气体浓度在空间的二维分布及随时间的排放率,对于监测环境污染有重要作用。基于紫外SO2相机成像探测技术,围绕SO2柱浓度探测的测量原理及影响因素、仪器设计及实验方法、反演算法及结果比对等方面开展研究。取得的成果主要有:(1)利用窄带滤光片的窄波窗口,用紫外相机测量310 nm附近的SO2紫外吸收,建立了紫外成像遥感监测理论模型,介绍了紫外成像遥感检测获取SO2浓度图像的测量原理;(2)将滤光片放置镜头前后,讨论了不同入射角对滤光片中心波长及透过率曲线的影响,发现滤光片放置镜头后,相机系统对SO2的灵敏度受入射角影响更小,对SO2浓度图像的反演误差更小;(3)分析了太阳高度角对SO2浓度图像反演的影响,阐明了SO2浓度反演曲线实时校准的不可或缺性;(4)通过理论分析设计出了紫外成像遥感探测装置,开展了基于紫外成像遥感监测SO2气体排放的实验研究,通过2-IM法拟合出了人工天空背景,获得了SO2光学厚度图像,利用标准泡进行校准,反演出了SO2浓度图像;(5)采用DOAS技术对SO2气体排放进行监测,与紫外成像遥感获得的SO2浓度进行对比表明,两方法实验结果所计算得到的浓度信息趋势相一致,从而证明紫外成像遥感监测技术测量结果的准确性,同时展现了该技术在工厂烟囱及船舶尾气污染排放遥感监测中的巨大应用前景。     

Terahertz sensing and imaging based on nanostructured semiconductors and carbon materials

The advantageous properties of terahertz (THz) waves, such as permeability through objects that are opaque for visible light and the energy spectrum in the microelectron‐volt range that are important in materials research, allow their potential use in various applications of sensing and imaging. However, since the THz region is located between the electronic and photonic bands, even the basic components such as detectors and sources have not been fully developed, unlike in other frequency regions. THz technology also has the problem of low imaging resolution, which results from a considerably longer wavelength than that of the visible light. However, the utilization of nanostructured electronic devices has recently opened up new horizons for THz sensing and imaging. This paper provides an overview of the THz detector and imaging techniques and tracks their recent progress. Specifically, two cutting‐edge techniques, namely, frequency‐selective THz‐photon detection and integrated near‐field THz imaging, are discussed in detail. Finally, the studies of superconductors and semiconductors with high‐resolution THz imaging are described.     

Noninvasive detection of inhomogeneities in turbid media with time-resolved log-slope analysis

Detecting foreign objects embedded in turbid media using noninvasive optical tomography techniques is of great importance in many practical applications, such as in biomedical imaging and diagnosis, safety inspection on aircrafts and submarines, and LIDAR techniques. In this paper we develop a novel optical tomography approach based on slope analysis of time-resolved back-scattered signals collected at the medium boundaries where the light source is an ultrafast, short-pulse laser. As the optical field induced by the laser-pulse propagates, the detected temporal signals are influenced by the optical properties of the medium traversed. The detected temporal signatures therefore contain information that can indicate the presence of an inhomogeneity as well as its size and location relative to the laser source and detection systems. The log-slope analysis of the time-resolved back-scattered intensity is shown to be an effective method for extracting the information contained in the signal. The technique is validated by experimental results and by Monte Carlo simulations.     

Photonic Engineering Group of the University of Cantabria: Recent R&D Contributions in Photonic Sensing Technology

The recent research and development results of the Photonic Engineering Group in the photonic sensing field are reported. This article includes a sample of contributions in several of the ongoing R&D lines: fiber sensing using Bragg grating technology; gas sensing, high temperature monitoring; optoelectronic instrumentation for laser welding monitoring; fiber active devices; and, finally, on sensing technology using plastic optical fiber.     

Photonic Engineering Group of the University of Cantabria: Recent R&D Contributions in Photonic Sensing Technology

The recent research and development results of the Photonic Engineering Group in the photonic sensing field are reported. This article includes a sample of contributions in several of the ongoing R&D lines: fiber sensing using Bragg grating technology; gas sensing, high temperature monitoring; optoelectronic instrumentation for laser welding monitoring; fiber active devices; and, finally, on sensing technology using plastic optical fiber.     

多角度偏振辐射计系统设计与实现

多角度和偏振遥感可解决传统遥感所不能解决的大气探测和目标识别等方面的问题。为实现气溶胶偏振信息的多角度探测,提出了一种新型的多角度偏振辐射计。该辐射计可以在多个角度上测量大气的偏振光谱信息,为大气光学和微物理特性的高精度反演提供重要的实测数据源。作为航天载荷的原理样机,多角度偏振辐射计的光机系统由多路并行望远光学模块组成,可在110°视场范围内,以0.5°间隔实现偏振信息的多角度探测;采集控制与数据传输系统由双控制核心和高速接口组成,大大提高了系统的并行处理能力和数据传输速度,可在高速运动的平台上实现多路偏振光谱信息的同步采集与实时传输,避免了由平台移动和信号的异步采集引入的误差。航飞试验结果表明,多角度偏振辐射计可实现气溶胶偏振信息的高精度探测。     

分立式与分布式光纤传感关键技术研究进展

光纤传感技术已广泛应用于航空航天、石油化工、电子电力、土木工程、生物医药等领域,其技术形式主要体现为分立式和分布式.分立式光纤传感技术利用光纤敏感器件作为传感器来感知被测参量的变化,光纤作为光信号的传输通道连接光纤传感器及后端的解调装置;分布式光纤传感系统基于光纤瑞利散射、拉曼散射或布里渊散射等光学效应,利用光纤本身作为传感器,可对沿途的光信号进行大范围、长距离传感.本文介绍了分立式与分布式光纤传感中主要关键技术的研究进展,并对未来的研究和发展方向进行了探讨.     

逆合成孔径成像激光雷达数据采样技术

逆合成孔径成像激光雷达能够实现对运动目标的高分辨实时成像,但激光信号的极大带宽和目标回波信号的微弱性给雷达回波数据的接收和处理带来了较大困难.针对这一问题,提出了基于光外差探测手段和压缩感知理论相结合的信号采样方法,首先通过光外差探测降低回波信号的有效带宽,再结合压缩感知理论实现对信号的稀疏化采样和重构.仿真结果证明了运用本文所提出的采样方法,在使用远低于奈奎斯特定理所规定的采样率时,仍然能够实现对目标的高质量成像.     

Microthermomechanical infrared sensors

We present a state-of-the-art overview of microthermomechanical infrared sensor technology. The working principle of this sensor is based on a bi-material actuated micromechanical deflection, generated by an induced temperature rise due to incident infrared radiation absorption. In order to generate a thermal image the thermomechanical deflections of the freestanding microstructures are read by either capacitive, piezoresistive or optical means. Research and development activities in this field began in the early 1990s. The development of this technology within the last 20 years has resulted in innovations such as uncooled multiband infrared detection, high-speed infrared sensing and uncooled THz imaging. This paper outlines representative milestones of this technology and analyses important results of notable groups. Significant activities on capacitive and optical readout techniques of thermomechanical infrared arrays are presented. Furthermore the advantages of microthermomechanical infrared sensors over current well-established uncooled infrared technologies are summarized. In conclusion the latest developments of this technology offer a highly potential solution for a variety of important energy-saving, safety and security applications.     

Frequency-multiplexed gas sensing using chirped laser molecular spectroscopy

A method for frequency-multiplexed multi-sample gas sensing is presented. It enables measuring multiple samples placed simultaneously in the setup, without any optical or mechanical switching. Samples are measured using heterodyne detection and signal from each sensing path is encoded at different carrier frequency. Subsequently, a signal from particular sample is retrieved through heterodyne beatnote demodulation at unique frequency. This technique is particularly suitable for real-time calibration of the sensor through a sequential (or simultaneous) detection of three signals: from unknown sample, reference sample and baseline. Basic setup is demonstrated and proof-of-concept experiments are presented. Very good agreement with spectra measured using standard tunable diode absorption spectroscopy is obtained.     

Terahertz (THz) Frequency Sources and Antennas - A Brief Review

In this paper we review THz radiation properties, generation methods, and antenna configurations. This paper suggests some new class of antennas that can be used at THz frequency, like optical antennas or Carbon nanotube antennas. THz technology has become attractive due to the low energy content and nonionizing nature of the signal. This property makes them suitable for imaging and sensing applications. But at the same time detection and generation of THz signals has been technologically challenging. This paper presents a comparative study of the generation techniques for THz frequency signals giving emphasis to the some new techniques like Quantum Cascade lasers which has created significant research interest. The main aim for this study is to find out the materials suitable for fabricating THz devices and antennas, a suitable method for generation of high power at THz frequency and an antenna that will make THz communication possible.     

The use of balanced homodyne and squeezed states for detecting weak optical signals in a Michelson interferometer

The possibility of using squeezed states and balanced homodyne detection of optical signals in a Michelson interferometer is discussed. The present analysis describes photon statistics measurements effects related to quadrature balanced homodyne detection showing the advantage of using this scheme for detecting weak optical signals.     

Preliminary results for the design,fabrication,and performance of a backside-illuminated avalanche drift detector

The detection of low-level light is a key technology in various experimental scientific studies. As a photon detector, the silicon photomultiplier （SiPM） has gradually become an alternative to the photomultiplier tube （PMT） in many applications in high-energy physics, astroparticle physics, and medical imaging because of its high photon detection efficiency （PDE）, good resolution for single-photon detection, insensitivity to magnetic field, low operating voltage, compactness, and low cost. However, primarily because of the geometric fill factor, the PDE of most SiPMs is not very high; in particular, for those SiPMs with a high density of micro cells, the effective area is small, and the bandwidth of the light response is narrow. As a building block of the SiPM, the concept of the backside-illuminated avalanche drift detector （ADD） was first proposed by the Max Planck Institute of Germany eight years ago; the ADD is promising to have high PDE over the full energy range of optical photons, even ultraviolet light and X-ray light, and because the avalanche multiplication region is very small, the ADD is beneficial for the fabrication of large-area SiPMs. However, because of difficulties in design and fabrication, no significant progress had been made, and the concept had not yet been verified. In this paper, preliminary results in the design, fabrication, and performance of a backside-illuminated ADD are reported; the difficulties in and limitations to the backside-illuminated ADD are analyzed.     

直接光强检测方式分析激光遥测水下声场探测灵敏度

激光声遥感探测水下声信号技术,是比以往任何一种水声探测技术都先进的技术,但探测系统的灵敏度一直未曾分析。得出了在直接光强检测方式下表面微波的最小可探测幅度值,并且分析了最小可探测幅度值分别和探测高度、接收孔径的关系。在直接光强检测方式下,针对水下声场形成的表面微扰现象,通过建立探测系统的一维物理模型进行理论推算。直接光强检测方式下表面微波的最小可探测幅度值为0.424 4 mm,当表面微波幅度超过该值时,探测系统灵敏度完全满足对水下声场的实时监测要求。     

空间紫外光学遥感技术与发展趋势

空间紫外光学遥感技术是除可见、近红外、热红外和微波遥感以外的一个具有突出优势的遥感领域,全球气候变化研究是目前国际上空间紫外-真空紫外光学遥感的热点课题。本文对空间紫外光学遥感的作用、国内外研究现状及发展趋势进行了综述和分析。介绍了一组紫外光学遥感仪器的功能和特点,给出了它们的主要性能参数;指出我国目前的工作重点是推进星载紫外光谱遥感仪器的应用、积累空间探测数据、建立反演算法等;而未来发展目标将是研制集天底、临边和掩星成像探测于一体的新一代紫外成像探测仪器,高精度观测全天候的整层大气密度和臭氧的三维分布,实时监测大气组分及化学成分（如O₂、N₂、NO、OH和O₃）的变化及变化趋势,以及进一步拓展我国紫外光学遥感仪器的应用领域。     

Hollow-core photonic crystal fiber based multifunctional optical system for trapping, position sensing, and detection of fluorescent particles

We demonstrate a novel multifunctional optical system that is capable of trapping, imaging, position sensing, and fluorescence detection of micrometer-sized fluorescent test particles using hollow-core photonic crystal fiber (HC-PCF). This multifunctional optical system for trapping, position sensing, and fluorescent detection is designed such that a near-IR laser light is used to create an optical trap across a liquid-filled HC-PCF, and a 473 nm laser is employed as a source for fluorescence excitation. This proposed system and the obtained results are expected to significantly enable an efficient integrated trapping platform employing HC-PCF for diagnostic biomedical applications.     

超微弱光子图像的相关检测及计算机模拟

在超微弱发光的研究中（例如生物发光）,由于发光强度极弱,由像增强器得到的光子图像由于样本（光子）数量太少和受系统暗噪声的影响使其信噪比极低,提出了一种基于统计学的光子图像相关积分方法和基于相关处理的光子图像处理方法,用累积光子来提高图像信噪比并得到相应灰度图像并对该方法进行了计算机模拟,同时展示了光子图像和传统灰度图像的信噪比关系,是进行微弱生物发光信号检测的有效方法。