Performance improvement of spectral amplitude coding-optical code division multiple access systems using NAND detection with enhanced double weight code

The bit-error rate (BER) performance of the spectral amplitude coding-optical code division multiple access (SACOCDMA) system has been investigated by using NAND subtraction detection technique with enhanced double weight (EDW) code. The EDW code is the enhanced version of double weight (DW) code family where the code weight is any odd number and greater than one with ideal cross-correlation. In order to evaluate the performance of the system, we used mathematical analysis extensively along with the simulation experiment. The evaluation results obtained using the NAND subtraction detection technique was compared with those obtained using the complementary detection technique for the same number of active users. The comparison results revealed that the BER performance of the system using NAND subtraction detection technique has greatly been improved as compared to the complementary technique.     

Background updating and shadow detection based on spatial, color, and texture information of detected objects

Background model updating is a vital process for any background subtraction technique. This paper presents an updating mechanism that can be applied efficiently to any background subtraction technique. This updating mechanism exploits the color and spatial features to characterize each detected object. Spatial and color features are used to classify each detected object as a moving background object, a ghost, or a real moving object. The starting position of each detected object is the cue for updating background images. In addition, this paper presents a hybrid scheme to detect and remove cast shadows based on texture and color features. The robustness of the proposed method and its effectiveness in overcoming challenging problems such as gradual and sudden illumination changes, ghost appearance, non-stationary background objects, the stability of moving objects most of the time, and cast shadows are verified quantitatively and qualitatively.     

Swelling and structure of radiation induced near-surface damage in CR-39 and its chemical etching

Systematic measurements of swelling of CR-39 nuclear track detector (NTD) due to irradiation with fission fragments and alpha particles over a wide range of fluences from ²⁵²Cf are presented here. Precisely designed and optimized exposure and chemical etching experiments were employed to unfold the structure of radiation induced surface damage. Delays in the startup of the chemical etching of latent tracks in low radiation fluence detectors are measured and are found to contain important information about structure of the surface damage. Simple atomic scale pictures of radiation induced surface damage and its chemical etching are developed using measurements of radiation induced swelling of CR-39 detectors and nuclear track parameters. The computer code SRIM2010 was utilized for the calculations of basic features of latent tracks of fission fragments and alpha particles in CR-39. Another computer code TRACK_VISION was used to compute parameters of etched tracks. Computations and experimental findings in the paper coherently compose a realistic picture of radiation damage.     

Size-dependent photodegradation of CdS particles deposited onto TiO2 mesoporous films by SILAR method

Carbonaceous nanomaterials, such as fullerene C₆₀, carbon nanotubes, and their functionalized derivatives have been demonstrated to possess high sorption capacity for organic and heavy metal contaminants, indicating a potential for remediation application. The actual application of these nanomaterials, however, is often hindered by the high cost of materials and the limited understanding of their mobility in porous media. In this work, carbon nano-onions (CNOs), a relatively new addition to the carbonaceous nanomaterials, were synthesized in a cost-effective way using a laser-assisted combustion synthesis process, and carefully characterized for their potential remediation application. Surface oxidized CNOs possessed 10 times higher sorption capacity than C₆₀ for heavy metal ion contaminants including Pb²⁺, Cu²⁺, Cd²⁺, Ni²⁺, and Zn²⁺. CNOs aqueous suspension can be very stable in NaCl solution at ionic strength up to 30?mM and CaCl₂ solution at ionic strength up to 4?mM CaCl₂ when pH ranged from 5 to 9, which are consistent with environmentally relevant conditions. Interactions of CNOs with iron oxide and silica surfaces under favorable condition were found to be electrostatic in origin. Mobility of CNOs in quartz sands was controlled by electrolyte type and concentration. Approximately 4.4, 25.1, and 92.5?% of injected CNO mass were retained in the sand column in ultrapure water, 1?mM?NaCl, and 1?mM CaCl₂ solutions, respectively.     

Photodisintegration cross section of the reaction (4)He(γ,p)(3)H between 22 and 30 MeV

The two-body photodisintegration cross section of (4)He into a proton and triton was measured with monoenergetic photon beams in 0.5 MeV energy steps between 22 and 30 MeV. High-pressure (4)He-Xe gas scintillators of various (4)He/Xe ratios served as targets and detectors. Pure Xe gas scintillators were used for background studies. A NaI detector together with a plastic scintillator paddle was employed for determining the incident photon flux. Our comprehensive data set follows the trend of the theoretical calculations of the Trento group very well, although our data are consistently lower in magnitude by about 5%. However, they differ significantly from the majority of the previous data, especially from the recent data of Shima et al. The latter data had put into question the validity of theoretical approaches used to calculate core-collapse supernova explosions and big-bang nucleosynthesis abundances of certain light nuclei.     

Performance analysis of spectral-amplitude-coding optical CDMA systems with new subtract exclusive OR detection (SED) using vectors combinatorial (VC) code

This paper investigates the performance of vector combinatorial (VC) code for spectral amplitude coding optical code-division multiple-access (SAC-OCDMA) system using a newly proposed subtract exclusive OR detection (SED) technique. VC code is constructed using Euclidean vector and algebraic ways. One of the important properties of this code is that the maximum cross correlation is one, which means that multi-user interference (MUI) and phase induced intensity noise (PIIN) are reduced. The weight for the VC code can be any positive integer number. The system performance was evaluated by comparing the theoretical studies using related equations and simulation results taken from the commercial optical systems, “VPI? TransmissionMaker 7.1”. Significant improvement in system performances has been observed when the proposed SED technique employing VC code was applied compared to other codes that utilize conventional balance detection techniques for spectral amplitude coding.     

New precision limit on the strange vector form factors of the proton

The parity-violating cross-section asymmetry in the elastic scattering of polarized electrons from unpolarized protons has been measured at a four-momentum transfer squared Q2 = 0.624 GeV2 and beam energy E(b) = 3.48 GeV to be A(PV) = -23.80 ± 0.78(stat) ± 0.36(syst) parts per million. This result is consistent with zero contribution of strange quarks to the combination of electric and magnetic form factors G(E)(s) + 0.517G(M)(s) = 0.003 ± 0.010(stat) ± 0.004(syst) ± 0.009(ff), where the third error is due to the limits of precision on the electromagnetic form factors and radiative corrections. With this measurement, the world data on strange contributions to nucleon form factors are seen to be consistent with zero and not more than a few percent of the proton form factors.     

Circular grating waveguide structures for intracavity generation of azimuthal polarization in a thin-disk laser

We report on the generation of beams with azimuthal polarization using resonant grating waveguide structures (GWSs) inside an Yb:YAG thin-disk laser (TDL) oscillator. Two different GWS concepts were used to select the polarization of the emitted beam. The first uses the resonant reflection principle, and the second is based on the leaky-mode approach already reported in our previous work. Up to 93 W and 103 W of output power were extracted from a TDL with an optical efficiency, η(oo), of 36.2% and 40.1% using the first and the second approaches, respectively. In both cases, a pure azimuthal polarization and a beam quality factor, M2, of about 2.2 were measured. The design, fabrication, and different experimental results, as well as the laser performances for both GWSs, are discussed in the present Letter.     

Efficient generation and multiplexing of optical orbital angular momentum modes in a ring fiber by using multiple coherent inputs

We propose an approach to efficiently generate and multiplex optical orbital angular momentum (OAM) modes in a fiber with a ring refractive index profile by using multiple coherent inputs from a Gaussian mode. By controlling the phase relationship of the multiple inputs, one can selectively generate OAM modes of different states l. By controlling both the amplitude and phase of the multiple inputs, multiple OAM modes can be generated simultaneously without additional loss coming from multiplexing. We show, by simulation, the generation of OAM modes (OAM state |l|<3) with mode purity greater than 99%. The power loss of generating and multiplexing seven modes is about 35%. A transmitter for an OAM-based mode-division multiplexing system is proposed based on the discrete Fourier transform between the data carried by the multiple inputs and the data carried by the OAM modes. The experimental implementation of the proposed approach could be achieved by integrating ring fiber, multicore fiber, and photonic integrated circuit technology.     

Continuous-wave Yb-doped Sc2SiO5 thin-disk laser

We present in this Letter experimental results of a Yb:Sc(2)SiO(5) (Yb:SSO) thin-disk laser. To our knowledge, this is the first lasing demonstration of this crystal in thin-disk configuration reported on to date. Preliminary tests regarding the characterization and the laser operation are presented. Two different resonator configurations, a simple linear multimode cavity, and a fundamental-mode folded resonator providing a double pass in the laser crystal were set up. The gain and the small signal gain of the available Yb:SSO sample were calculated using the experimental results of the multimode resonator. The operation in a fundamental-mode resonator with the double pass in the laser crystal led to 9.4 W of output power with an optical efficiency of 25.4%.