Imaging One Photon at a Time

Thompson, David C.

doi:10.2172/1073734

Cited by 4 publications

(7 citation statements)

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“…This example analyzes data from Unit 2. The receiver of a LANL-developed photon-counting camera 12,14 with an f = 400 mm lens and adjustable aperture (up to f/2.8 = 143 mm diameter). The camera has a quantum efficiency of about 3.9% at 638 nm, sub-nanosecond timing resolution, a dark count rate of a few thousand counts/second over the entire sensor, and it can detect approximately 500,000 photons/s.…”

Section: Elroi Ground Test Conditionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The sensor must receive light from a telescope, which may be relatively small, but must be able to accurately and precisely track objects across the sky. An imaging or position-sensitive detector is useful to reduce the pointing and tracking tolerance requirements on the ground station telescope, and our current ground station uses a LANL-developed photon-counting camera which combines a photocathode, microchannel plate (MCP), and multi-anode readout 12 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Extreme background-rejection techniques for the ELROI optical satellite license plate

Holmes

Palmer

2019

Appl. Opt.

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The Extremely Low-Resource Optical Identifier (ELROI) is a concept for an autonomous, low-power optical "license plate" that can be attached to anything that goes into space. ELROI uses short, omnidirectional flashes of laser light to encode a unique ID number which can be read by a small ground telescope using a photoncounting sensor and innovative extreme background-rejection techniques. ELROI is smaller and lighter than a typical radio beacon, low-power enough to run on its own small solar cell, and can safely operate for the entire orbital lifetime of a satellite or debris object. The concept has been validated in ground tests, and orbital prototypes are scheduled for launch in 2018 and beyond. In this paper we focus on the details of the encoding scheme and data analysis that allow a milliwatt optical signal to be read from orbit. We describe the techniques of extreme background-rejection needed to achieve this, including spectral and temporal filtering, and discuss the requirements for an error-correcting code to encode the ID number. Worked examples with both simulated and experimental (ground test) data will illustrate the methods used. We present these techniques to describe a new photon-counting optical communication concept, and to encourage others to consider observing upcoming test flights. a) rmholmes@lanl.gov; ISR-1, Space Science & Applications b) palmer@lanl.gov; ISR-2, Space & Remote Sensing decoding with prior information, as implemented in (for example) turbo codes, LDPC codes, and, recently, polar codes 19-21 . These types of ECC codes are frequently used in modern digital communications, including space communications, and have known optimal decoding techniques.FUNDING

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Section: Elroi Ground Test Conditionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Extreme background-rejection techniques for the ELROI optical satellite license plate

Holmes

Palmer

2019

Appl. Opt.

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“…The receiver consisted of a LANL-developed photon-counting camera [7,8] with an f 400 mm lens and adjustable aperture (up to f∕2.8 143 mm diameter). The camera had a quantum efficiency of about 3.9% at 638 nm and sub-nanosecond timing resolution.…”

Section: Horizontal Range Test Conditionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The ELROI has been developed at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), growing out of our experience with both space systems and with single-photon imaging. Initial testing will use a preexisting ground station consisting of a commercial telescope (a Celestron 35-cm-aperture telescope on a Software Bisque Paramount) and a LANL-developed single-photon imaging camera [7,8]. However, any additional groups that wish to use their own systems to identify the ELROI beacons are invited and encouraged to do so.…”

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confidence: 99%

Extremely Low Resource Optical Identifier: A License Plate for Your Satellite

Palmer

Holmes

2018

Journal of Spacecraft and Rockets

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“…Our receiver consists of a 36-cm aperture commercial telescope, optical bandpass filters, computerized mount, and a LANL-developed photon-counting camera. 5 (Equivalent cameras, while expensive, are available commercially † .) As discussed in Section 4, less expensive single-or few-element photon-counting sensors may also be used to observe ELROI, with correspondingly stricter requirements on the tracking and pointing accuracy of the telescope and mount system.…”

Section: Planned Observationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Progress on ELROI satellite license plate flight prototypes

Holmes

Gill

Harris

et al. 2018

Advanced Photon Counting Techniques XII

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The Extremely Low-Resource Optical Identifier (ELROI) beacon is a concept for a milliwatt optical "license plate" that can provide unique ID numbers for everything that goes into space. Using photon counting to enable extreme background rejection in real time, the ID number can be uniquely identified from the ground in a few minutes, even if the ground station detects only a few photons per second. The ELROI concept has been validated in long-range ground tests, and orbital prototypes are scheduled for launch in 2018 and beyond. We discuss the design and signal characteristics of these prototypes, including a PC-104 form factor unit which was integrated into a CubeSat and is currently scheduled to launch in May 2018, and basic requirements on ground stations for observing them. We encourage others to consider observing our test flights.

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Imaging One Photon at a Time

Cited by 4 publications

References 0 publications

Extreme background-rejection techniques for the ELROI optical satellite license plate

Extreme background-rejection techniques for the ELROI optical satellite license plate

Extremely Low Resource Optical Identifier: A License Plate for Your Satellite

Progress on ELROI satellite license plate flight prototypes

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