Dual-polarization Mode Research Articles

Ultra-compact silicon nitride dual-polarization mode converter for visible light demonstrated on a thinned 320 nm silicon wafer

A dual-polarization higher-order mode converter is proposed for visible light, which operates within the (400–700) nm range, to enhance data capacity in on-chip visible light communication systems. The proposed structure is optimized at wavelengths of 410 nm, 560 nm, and 660 nm to cover the entire visible spectrum. These three optimized designs, in particular, have an intrinsic property wherein they can be optimized to simultaneously convert both polarized fundamental (TE0) and fundamental (TM0) modes to the second higher-order (TE2) and (TM2) modes, providing significant advantages for hybrid multiplexing systems like PDM-MDM and PDM-WDM schemes. The mode converters are constructed on a silicon nitride waveguide. This waveguide is etched and filled with silicon dioxide material to create two dielectric substrips, followed by an additional rectangle shape etched using the same process into the propagating waveguide. This alteration enhances insertion loss and diminishes crosstalk to the fundamental mode. The devices achieve a broad operating bandwidth of approximately 100 nm while maintaining a compact footprint of only 1µm×1.754µm for the entire device at the center wavelength of 560 nm. Upon optimizing the suggested structure, a TE0-to-TE2 mode converter with a modal conversion efficiency of 94% is designed at the wavelength of 410 nm. The insertion loss is 0.6025 dB, and the crosstalk with the transverse electric fundamental mode TE0 is 35 dB. The reported devices feature a straightforward structure with low insertion loss and minimal crosstalk.

A New Approach for Ocean Surface Wind Speed Retrieval Using Sentinel-1 Dual-Polarized Imagery

A synthetic aperture radar (SAR) has the capability to observe ocean surface winds with a high spatial resolution, even under extreme conditions. The purpose of this work was to develop a new method for wind speed retrieval with the combination of SAR dual-polarized signals. In this study, we collected 28 tropical cyclone imageries observed using the Sentinel-1 dual-polarization mode. These imageries were collocated with radiometer wind speed measurements and reanalysis of wind vector products. In the new method, the wind speed was set as the output. VV-polarized (vertical transmitting–vertical receiving polarized) normalized radar cross section (NRCS), incident angle, VH-polarized (vertical transmitting–horizontal receiving polarized) NRCS, and wind direction were set as the inputs. Based on different output combinations, wind retrieval models were developed with multiple linear regression (MLR). According to the validation and comparison, the proposed models performed better than the traditional piecewise VH-polarization geophysical model functions (GMFs). The impact of thermal noise on the retrieval of low wind speeds (<10 m/s) could be partially reduced. The input of wind direction is unnecessary if the combination of VV- and VH-polarized imageries has been utilized. These results suggest that the use of MLR and the dual-polarization combination can improve SAR wind retrieval accuracy. Compared with SMAP measurements, our SAR retrievals can provide fine structures of TC wind fields.

Interpreting the Response of Forest Stock Volume with Dual Polarization SAR Images in Boreal Coniferous Planted Forest in the Non-Growing Season

Polarimetric Synthetic Aperture Radar (PolSAR) images with dual polarization modes have great potential to map forest stock volume (FSV) by excellent penetration capabilities and distinct microwave scattering processes. However, the response of these SAR data to FSV is still uncertain in the non-growing season. To further interpret the response of FSV to different dual polarization SAR images, three types of dual polarization SAR images (GF-3, Sentinel-1, and ALOS-2) were initially acquired in coniferous planted forest in the non-growing season. Then, sensitivity between FSV and all alternative features extracted from each type of SAR image was analyzed to express the response of FSV to dual polarization SAR images with bands and polarization modes in the non-growing season in deciduous (Larch) and evergreen (Chinese pine) forests. Finally, mapped FSV using single and combined dual polarization images were derived by optimal feature sets and four machine learning models, respectively. The combined effects were also analyzed to clarify the difference of bands and polarization modes in deciduous and evergreen forests in the non-growing season. The results demonstrated that the backscattering energy from different sensors is significantly different in Chinese pine, and the difference is gradually reduced in Larch forests. It is also implied that the polarization mode is more important than penetration capability in mapping forest FSV in deciduous forest in the non-growing season. By comparing the accuracy of mapped FSV using single and combined images, combined images have more capability to improve the accuracy and reliability of mapped FSV. Meanwhile, it is confirmed that compensation effects with bands and polarization modes not only have great potential to delay the saturation phenomenon, but also have the capability to reduce errors caused by overestimation.

Extension of Scattering Power Decomposition to Dual-Polarization Data for Tropical Forest Monitoring

A new scattering power decomposition method is developed for accurate tropical forest monitoring that utilizes data in dual-polarization mode instead of quad-polarization (POLSAR) data. This improves the forest classification accuracy and helps to realize rapid deforestation detection because dual-polarization data are more frequently acquired than POLSAR data. The proposed method involves constructing scattering power models for dual-polarization data considering the radar scattering scenario of tropical forests (i.e., ground scattering, volume scattering, and helix scattering). Then, a covariance matrix is created for dual-polarization data and is decomposed to obtain three scattering powers. We evaluated the proposed method by using simulated dual-polarization data for the Amazon, Southeast Asia, and Africa. The proposed method showed an excellent forest classification performance with both user’s accuracy and producer’s accuracy at >98% for window sizes greater than 7 × 14 pixels, regardless of the transmission polarization. It also showed a comparable deforestation detection performance to that obtained by POLSAR data analysis. Moreover, the proposed method showed better classification performance than vegetation indices and was found to be robust regardless of the transmission polarization. When applied to actual dual-polarization data from the Amazon, it provided accurate forest map and deforestation detection. The proposed method will serve tropical forest monitoring very effectively not only for future dual-polarization data but also for accumulated data that have not been fully utilized.

Unified Classification Framework for Multipolarization and Dual-Frequency SAR

For synthetic aperture radar (SAR), multi-polarization and multi-frequency modes greatly enrich the acquired earth resource information and have been widely applied in remote sensing fields. In this paper, we compare the classification capabilities of multi-polarization and dual-frequency SAR. To meet the objective of selecting consistent and complete polarimetric information, a unified classification framework is proposed. In the framework, covariance matrices are used directly as inputs instead of polarimetric indicators. Additionally, the Wishart mixture model (WMM) is utilized to characterize the statistical distribution of polarimetric SAR data. Besides, the data log-likelihood function is utilized to mitigate the influence of the initial values on the expectation-maximization (EM) algorithm. Then, among the combinations of four sample-to-subclass distances and two schemes for obtaining sample-to-class distances, the one with the best classification performance is selected as the default for this framework. In the experiments, the classification capabilities of full polarization (FP), compact polarization (CP), and dual polarization (DP) modes are first compared through the proposed classification framework. Then, we compare the classification capabilities of dual-frequency SAR in FP, CP, and DP modes. For PolSAR system design, it is necessary to strike a balance between demand indexes (classification performance, coverage width, and so on) and cost (such as budget, weight, and so on). The comparison results provide a reference for the optimization of polarization modes and frequency bands of the existing multi-polarization and dual-frequency SAR payloads and the design of future SAR systems.

DEFORMATION EXTRACTION AND ANALYSIS OF COSEISMIC DEFORMATION FIELD BASED ON D-INSAR TECHNOLOGY

Abstract. Extracting the seismic deformation field and analyzing the surface deformation after an earthquake occurs are of great significance for explaining earthquake mechanism and earthquake relief. Through the dual polarization mode of the two-pass method D-InSAR technology, this paper extracted the coseismic deformation fields based on two Sentinel-1A SAR images covering the Yulin earthquake area, and analyzed the surface deformation. The results show that the subsidence area obtained by VV and VH polarization modes are consistent. The uplift center areas are located in Tongxin Village in Rong County and Mapo Town in Luchuan County, and the subsidence center area is located in Fuxin Town of Beiliu City in the northeast. In the earthquake area, the maximum uplift derived by the VV mode SAR data is 12.1 cm, and the maximum subsidence is 5.8 cm. the maximum uplift obtained by the VH mode SAR data is 11.2 cm, and the maximum subsidence is 9 cm. The results obtained by the two polarization modes are consistent. D-InSAR technology can accurately obtain the coseismic deformation field, which provides data guarantee for the follow-up study of the inversion of seismic source parameters in the region.

Terabyte capacity-enabled (10 x 400 Gbps) Is-OWC system for long-haul communication by incorporating dual polarization quadrature phase shift key and mode division multiplexing scheme

Inter-satellite optical wireless communication (Is-OWC) links can become promising solutions to realize the next-generation high-speed communication services. The operation of Global Navigation Satellite Systems can be improved with the use of Is-OWC links through ranging and communication services. However, the key challenge in Inter-satellite link (ISL) is its effective range which is limited due to pointing errors. In this work, we propose to develop a high-capacity and long-reach Is-OWC link by incorporating hybrid mode division multiplexing (MDM) and wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) schemes to transmit ten independent channels over 40000kms Is-OWC link. Each channel is capable of carrying 400Gbps data which is encoded by the dual polarization quadrature phase shift key technique with required signal to noise ratio (SNR) and received power. The proposed Is-OWC link satisfies the enhanced communication within Geostationary Earth Orbit (GEO) and Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites. The proposed Is-OWC is further evaluated under the impact of space turbulences, particularly transmitter and receiver pointing errors. The result reported that the proposed Is-OWC link can transmit 4Tbps data over 16000kms with the transmitter pointing error of 2μrad and receiver pointing error of 1μrad.

Parsec-scale properties of the peculiar gigahertz-peaked spectrum quasar 0858−279

ABSTRACT We performed multifrequency studies on the gigahertz-peaked spectrum high-redshift quasar 0858−279. Initially, the source presented itself in the early VLBI images as a very peculiar resolved blob. We observed the quasar with the VLBA at 1.4–24 GHz in a dual-polarization mode. The high spatial resolution and the spectral index maps enabled us to resolve the core-jet structure and locate a weak and compact core by its inverted spectrum. The dominant jet component 20 parsecs away from the core was optically thin above 10 GHz and opaque below it. We also estimated an uncommonly strong magnetic field in the bright jet feature, which turned out to be around 1 G. The Faraday rotation measure maps revealed high RM values over 6000 rad m−2. Additionally, these maps allowed us to follow the magnetic field direction in the bright jet feature being perpendicular to the propagation direction of the jet. All the results strongly indicated the formation of a shock wave in the dominant component arising from an interaction with the surrounding matter. Using the proposed hypothesis and the core shift approach, we discovered that the magnetic field in the core region is of the order of 0.1 G.

A scanning phased array based on a polarization reconfigurable antenna with compact aperture size

A compact antenna with tri-polarization switching is presented. The antenna is mainly composed of a monopole slot and a shorted loop, and the two radiating elements are connected in series and placed in a metallic box filled with dielectrics. To realize polarization switching, four PIN diodes are introduced into the antenna structure, and they cannot only suppress the excitation of the loop antenna but also vary the direction of the current flowing on the loop. Both simulated and measured results indicate that the proposed antenna can be operated in one linear polarization and dual circular polarization modes within an impedance bandwidth of around 15%; moreover, the aperture size of the antenna is about 0.09 λ02. Based on the polarization reconfigurable antenna, a 1 × 8 phased array with an aperture size of 0.3 λ0 × 2.8 λ0 is then developed. Simulated results show that the phased array operating in each polarization mode can give a gain fluctuation of smaller than 1.5 dB and a side lobe level of less than −10 dB when the beam is scanned from −60° to 60°. Experiments are also carried out, and their results have good agreements with the simulated data.

Machine learning for satellite-based sea-state prediction in an offshore windfarm

Accurate wave forecasts are essential for the safe and efficient maritime operations and, in particular, the maintenance of offshore wind farms. Here, machine learning and remote monitoring from satellites are integrated to provide uniquely detailed predictions of significant wave height (SWH). C-Band Synthetic Aperture Radar images from European Space Agency Sentinel-1 satellites were combined with wave-buoy data from around the UK, using the CEFAS Wavenet. A total of 240 images in wide swarth mode were collected, that represent significant wave height ranging from 0 to 4.7 m. Image properties related to sea surface roughness in dual-polarization mode, together with the wave buoy data, trained an ensemble of artificial neural networks. The trained networks were shown to provide an effective method for the estimation of the SWH, having an RMSE = 0.23 m for SWH<3 m, which is the region of interest for offshore wind energy applications. The methodology enables information on the spatial distribution of wave height in very high resolution to be obtained. Sea-state resolved from the satellite data, using the artificial neural network shows that windfarm infrastructure directly influences wave propagation. The overall variance of significant wave height throughout a wind farm was calculated, providing information on regions of interest with considerably different wave heights as compared to the nearest wave buoy. The new model will help towards improved downscaling of general sea state forecasts, locating hotspots of different wave height properties and correct prioritization of maintenance jobs to perform in wind turbines.

Optomechanical Modeling and Validation of a Distributed Bragg Reflector Force Sensor With Drift and Temperature Compensation

Distributed Bragg reflector fiber laser with the dual-polarization mode is commonly used as a sensing element in optical sensors. Lateral force on such a fiber induces birefringence and results in beating frequency generation in it. Also, the change in the magnitude of the lateral force is correlated to the shift in the beating frequency. This article presents a multi-physics optomechanical model for a fiber laser force sensor based on the birefringence phenomenon. To this end, a theoretical model for the sensing principle was developed through employing the elastic beam theory, Hertzian contact mechanics, and optical birefringence principle. Based on the linearity of the developed optomechanical model to the lateral force and ambient temperature variation, a multi-linear regression calibration for the force sensor was proposed and experimentally validated. Also, the temperature-induced drift in the beating frequency was compensated through exponential adjustment. Moreover, the calibration results showed a relatively small sensitivity for temperature sensing with respect to the external force (cross-talk). This phenomenon was predicted with the theoretical model. Verification of the calibration revealed a root-mean-square error of 0.12°C and 0.04 N for temperature and force sensing, respectively. Furthermore, the validation study showed a root-mean-square error of 0.04± 0.03 N and zero hysteresis for the developed sensor. Moreover, the theoretical sensitivity to external force was similar to the experimental results. For future applications, the compliance of the sensor specifications with the requirements of three surgical procedures was confirmed through comparison with the available literature.

An effective integration of the PM 16-QAM modulation in enhanced metropolitan networks with the EDFA amplification

Abstract This paper deals with the integration of polarization multiplexed 16-ary quadrature amplitude modulation format in optical metropolitan networks enhanced with the signal amplification. Before expensive experimental setup or practical testing and demonstration, we prefer creating of appropriate simulation platform for the optical transmission system. A novelty can be found in adjusting, optimizing and construction of the proposed optical system and functional parts for any modulation format used. So, such simulation platform is first introduced along with possibilities for numerical simulations of its optical components - laser and amplifier. By this way, essential noise tolerances for comparison with the data under real conditions are included. Subsequently, there are characterized implementations of terminal devices in detail with a possibility for upgrading to the dual-polarization mode operation. Finally, simulation results from the simulation platform are presented and a discussion about demands for effective exploitation of the polarization multiplexed 16-ary quadrature amplitude modulation in enhanced optical metropolitan networks concludes our contribution.

Target Decomposition Based on Symmetric Scattering Model for Hybrid Polarization SAR Imagery

The compact polarimetric (CP) imaging mode is a special, dual-polarization mode in which only one polarization is transmitted and two orthogonal polarizations are simultaneously used to measure the returns. The transmitting polarization can be an arbitrary elliptical wave, and therefore, theoretically, there are numerous possibilities of hybrid dual-pol modes. Since the scattering process is a function of the incident field and scattered field, when we use polarization to measure the backscattering process, radar measurement is polarization-dependent. This leads to difficulties in developing a unified interpretation for target scattering characterization in compact polarimetry, since the scattering models should be modified to take the fact of polarization dependency into account. In this letter, in the framework of a previously proposed CP formalism method, we develop a general model-based target decomposition technique that is applicable to the general CP mode. First, a general link between the fully polarimetric (FP) and the general CP scattering matrix elements is established. Second, the FP models corresponding to a single symmetric scattering mechanism and azimuthally symmetric volume scattering are mapped to the general CP case. Assuming that the 2-D backscatter is composed of a single scattering component and a volume scattering component, the decomposition is finally implemented by solving a quadratic equation. The C-band Shuttle Imaging Radar with Payload C/ X-synthetic aperture radar (SIR C/X-SAR) data are used in the experiment for demonstration.

Sentinel-1 observation frequency significantly increases burnt area detectability in tropical SE Asia

Frequent cloud cover in the tropics significantly affects the observation of the surface by satellites. This has enormous implications for current approaches that estimate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from fires or map fire scars. These mainly employ data acquired in the visible to middle infrared bands to map fire scars or thermal data to estimate fire radiative power and consequently derive emissions. The analysis here instead explores the use of microwave data from the operational Sentinel-1A (S-1A) in dual-polarisation mode (VV and VH) acquired over Central Kalimantan during the 2015 fire season. Burnt areas were mapped in three consecutive periods between August and October 2015 using the random forests machine learning algorithm. In each mapping period, the omission and commission errors of the unburnt class were always below 3%, while the omission and commission errors of the burnt class were below 20% and 5% respectively. Summing the detections from the three periods gave a total burnt area of ∼1.6 million ha, but this dropped to ∼1.2 million ha if using only a pair of pre- and post-fire season S-1A images. Hence the ability of Sentinel-1 to make frequent observations significantly increases fire scar detection. Comparison with burnt area estimates from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) burnt area product at 5 km scale showed poor agreement, with consistently much lower estimates produced by the MODIS data-on average 14%–51% of those obtained in this study. The method presented in this study offers a way to reduce the substantial errors likely to occur in optical-based estimates of GHG emissions from fires in tropical areas affected by substantial cloud cover.

Dual-polarized highly sensitive surface-plasmon-resonance-based chemical and biomolecular sensor.

As the research work in surface plasmon resonance (SPR)-based photonic crystal fiber (PCF) is getting tighter, a perfectly circular-shaped PCF with elliptical air holes is proposed where the performance parameters are improved significantly. The performances among our designed elliptical, circular, and rectangular air holes are compared, and the best result is achieved with the elliptical air holes. The technique used for the investigation is the finite element method, and for the simulation of data COMSOL Multiphysics 5.3a software is used. The method covers a wider range of the optical spectrum from 0.59 to 1.05 µm. The highest confinement loss achieved through our design is 340 dB/cm. The wavelength sensitivity and amplitude sensitivity are 13,000 nm/RIU and ${1189.46}\;{{\rm RIU}^{ - 1}}$1189.46RIU-1, respectively. The sensor resolution is ${7.69} \times {{10}^{ - 6}}$7.69×10-6 for our proposed design. The proposed sensor also achieved a maximum birefringence of ${2.8} \times {{10}^{ - 3}}$2.8×10-3, which is, to our knowledge, the highest birefringence reported so far for a PCF-SPR sensor. This enables the fiber to be operated in a dual-polarized mode. The RI for the analyte ranges from 1.33 to 1.40. Based on all the characteristics, the proposed PCF structure can be used effectively for chemical and biomolecular sensing.

A Dual-Polarized Printed Antenna Based on a Tapered Slot SICL Balun for Airborne Radar Application

The substrate-integrated coaxial line (SICL) is a potential transmission line due to its good characteristics of high efficiency, nondispersive, and single operational mode. A tapered slot SICL balun is proposed, which can realize the impedance transformation from the microstrip line to the coplanar strip line (CPS). At the same time, the proposed balun can transform the quasi-TEM mode of the microstrip line to the TEM mode of CPS. A printed dipole radiator is designed and is fed by the proposed SICL balun to achieve the impedance matching. The dual-polarized radiation mode is realized by employing two orthogonal printed dipoles. For each polarization radiator, the CPS is bended to avoided the occlusion of two polarization ports and realize the direct assembling of two orthogonal printed circuits. What is more, the assembling method is advantageous to improve the port isolation degree and decrease the cross polarization level. To improve the ratio of front to back (F/B) of the radiation pattern, a cylindrical metal cavity is adopted. According to the results of simulation and experiments, the VSWR of each port is lower than 2, the isolation degree between two polarization ports is higher than 20 dB, and the cross polarization level at the boresight is lower than −20 dB at the operational frequency. The patterns of two ports are almost symmetric, and high radiation efficiency is obtained. The experimental results of the principle prototype verify the design schemes of the balun and the dual-polarized antenna. The proposed dual-polarized antenna fed by the tapered slot SICL balun is suitable for the airborne radar application.

CMODH Validation for C-Band Synthetic Aperture Radar HH Polarization Wind Retrieval Over the Ocean

A new HH-polarized geophysical model function (GMF), called CMODH, has been proposed recently for C-band synthetic aperture radar (SAR) ocean surface wind speed retrieval. CMODH has the potential to be directly used to retrieve wind speed from HH-polarized SAR images without converting the normalized radar cross section (NRCS) from HH- into VV-polarization using various empirical and theoretical polarization ratio (PR) models. However, the capability of CMODH for wind speed retrieval has not been comprehensively validated. In this letter, as a case study, two C-band HH-polarized SAR images acquired in RADARSAT-2 (RS-2) quad-polarization and Sentinel-1A (S1-1A) dual-polarization modes are first used to examine the CMODH performance. The wind speeds estimated using CMODH are shown to be consistent with buoy winds. A statistical comparison is then carried out to further validate CMODH using collocated 1457 C-band RS-2 and 284 S1-1A/B HH-polarized SAR images and 110 in situ buoys. The results show that the CMODH-retrieved wind speeds are in good agreement with buoy measurements, with a bias of 0.07 and 0.49 m/s and a root mean square error (RMSE) of 1.66 and 2.05 m/s for RS-2 and S1-1A/B, respectively. Compared to hybrid models, such as CMOD5.N and various PR models, CMODH achieves the smallest RMSE for wind speed retrieval. Moreover, for the first time, it is shown that the wind speed retrieval capability of CMODH is better than that of CMOD5.N for incidence angles between 30° and 49° and wind speeds between 10 and 20 m/s, which provides a new prospective on wind retrieval improvement using a combination of VV- and HH-polarized SAR observations.

Dual-Band Dual-Linear Polarization Reflectarray for mmWaves/5G Applications

A dual-band dual-linear polarization reflectarray configuration is developed for future 5G cellular applications. A single layer unit cell including two pairs of miniaturized fractal patches is designed to operate at two distinct frequencies within the Ka-band (27/32 GHz), in a dual-polarization mode. An in-depth analysis of the unit cell behavior is carried out, to demonstrate the total independence between the designed frequency bands and polarizations. The proposed configuration offers a very simply and thin structure, small unit cell sizes, and low losses, while leading to an independent optimization of the phase at each frequency and polarization. A dual-band/dual-polarized reflectarray prototype is designed and tested, thus demonstrating the unit cell flexibility to offer arbitrary beam directions/shapes at each frequency, for both polarizations.

Investigating rapid deforestation and carbon dioxide release in Bangladesh using geospatial information from remote sensing data

Rapid deforestation over the last few years due to the massive influx of refugees from neighboring Myanmar has been reported and is seen as a precursor to environmental disaster, raising the need for more effective monitoring of forest areas. The availability of data from several space-borne synthetic aperture radar (SAR) missions allow enhanced monitoring of forest areas. The objective of this study was to map deforestation in two selected areas located in northeast and southeast Bangladesh using Sentinel-1 imageries and determine the applicability of SAR in forest monitoring in Bangladesh. Towards these purpose satellite imageries from 2017 and 2018 collected by Sentinel-1A and Sentinel-1 Band SAR data in dual-polarization mode were used. In the northeastern area of interest, temporary deforestation was detected, which had occurred in low lying areas due to prolonged flooding. The second area of interest, in the southeast, revealed man-made deforestation in high land areas on an immense scale due to the influx and settlement of seven hundred thousand refugees. The results of the two sub-studies demonstrate the applicability and need of SAR data to effectively monitor deforestation in Bangladesh especially as it allows isolating natural and anthropogenic deforestation.

Silicon-based polarization-insensitive optical filter with dual-gratings.

A silicon-based polarization-insensitive optical filter is proposed and demonstrated. For the present on-chip polarization-insensitive optical filter, there is a dual-polarization mode (de)multiplexer, a TE-type multimode waveguide grating (MWG) with triangular corrugations and a TM-type MWG with rectangular corrugations. Here the triangular corrugations are introduced to reduce the undesired reflection and suppress the Fabry-Parot resonance. Furthermore, lateral-shift apodization is introduced for both two types of MWGs to suppress the sidelobes. For the fabricated device, the measured 3 dB-bandwidth is as large as ∼11 nm and the excess loss is ∼1.5 dB for both polarizations, while the sidelobe suppression ratios are 23 dB and 17 dB for TE and TM polarizations, respectively.