Engineering Papers⌕ Search

SEARCH · Engineering Papers

Results for “ML T&E”

Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 217 records · Page 12

Process for Making Single-Domain Magnetite Crystals

A process for making chemically pure, single-domain magnetite crystals substantially free of structural defects has been invented as a byproduct of research into the origin of globules in a meteorite found in Antarctica and believed to have originated on Mars. The globules in the meteorite comprise layers of mixed (Mg, Fe, and Ca) carbonates, magnetite, and iron sulfides. Since the discovery of the meteorite was announced in August 1996, scientists have debated whether the globules are of biological origin or were formed from inorganic materials by processes that could have taken place on Mars. While the research that led to the present invention has not provided a definitive conclusion concerning the origin of the globules, it has shown that globules of a different but related chemically layered structure can be grown from inorganic ingredients in a multistep precipitation process. As described in more detail below, the present invention comprises the multistep precipitation process plus a subsequent heat treatment. The multistep precipitation process was demonstrated in a laboratory experiment on the growth of submicron ankerite crystals, overgrown by submicron siderite and pyrite crystals, overgrown by submicron magnesite crystals, overgrown by submicron siderite and pyrite. In each step, chloride salts of appropriate cations (Ca, Fe, and Mg) were dissolved in deoxygenated, CO2- saturated water. NaHCO3 was added as a pH buffer while CO2 was passed continuously through the solution. A 15-mL aliquot of the resulting solution was transferred into each of several 20 mL, poly(tetrafluoroethylene)-lined hydrothermal pressure vessels. The vessels were closed in a CO2 atmosphere, then transferred into an oven at a temperature of 150 C. After a predetermined time, the hydrothermal vessels were removed from the oven and quenched in a freezer. Supernatant solutions were decanted, and carbonate precipitates were washed free of soluble salts by repeated decantations with deionized water.

Golden, D. C.↗

Computational toolkit for predicting thickness of 2D materials using machine learning and autogenerated dataset by large language model

The thickness of 2D materials not only plays a crucial role in determining the performance of nanoelectronic and optoelectronic devices but also introduces complexities in predicting volume-dependent properties, such as energy storage capacity, due to the intrinsic vacuum within these materials. Although a plethora of experimental techniques, including but not limited to optical contrast, Raman spectroscopy, nonlinear optical spectroscopy, near-field optical imaging, and hyperspectral imaging, facilitate the measurement of 2D material thickness, comprehensive data for many materials remain elusive. Over the past decade, the exponential proliferation of 2D materials and their heterostructures has outstripped the capabilities of conventional experimental and computational approaches. In this evolving landscape, machine learning (ML) has emerged as an indispensable tool, offering a scalable approach to augment these traditional methodologies. Addressing the critical gap, we introduce THICK2D—Thickness Hierarchy Inference and Calculation Kit for 2D Materials. This Python-based computational framework harnesses an autogenerated thickness database, developed using large language models, and advanced ML algorithms to facilitate the rapid and scalable estimation of material thickness, relying solely on crystallographic data. To demonstrate the utility and robustness of THICK2D, we successfully used the toolkit to predict the thickness of more than 8000 2D-based materials, sourced from two extensive 2D materials databases. THICK2D is disseminated as an open-source utility, accessible on GitHub at https://github.com/gmp007/THICK2D, and archived on Zenodo at https://10.5281/zenodo.11216648.

Ekuma, Chinedu E. (ORCID:0000000258527556)↗

Strong Effect of Nonpolar Solvent Molecular Structure on CdSe Nanoplatelet Stacking

We report a drastic difference in stacking behavior of oleic acid-stabilized 4-monolayer (4 ML) CdSe nanoplatelets (NPLs) in toluene and methylcyclohexane (MCH), two nonpolar solvents that differ in the conformational flexibility of their molecules. Using liquid cell transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and small angle scattering (SAXS) techniques, we show that NPLs form microns-long ribbons consisting of 4 ML CdSe NPLs in toluene, the solvent widely used to form stable colloidal solutions of a broad range of quasi-spherical nanoparticles. In contrast, 4 ML CdSe NPLs are well dispersed in MCH. The difference in stacking behavior of NPLs in toluene and MCH suggests that the conformational flexibility of the solvent molecules, such as the ability to adopt multiple chair conformations, modulates nanoplatelet interactions. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations reveal that solvent molecules subtly alter the structure of the organic ligand shell. These solvent-dependent changes propagate to the inorganic core, modulating the degree of CdSe nanoplatelet (NPL) twisting and, consequently, the properties of the nanoparticles. We show that toluene better solvates oleate ligands while MCH induces a bimodal oleate span distribution, which can lead to increased solubility of CdSe NPLs. In addition, the solvent can also influence the inorganic core, which, in turn, can modify the nanoparticle properties. We demonstrate that destabilization of toluene solution containing ribbons of 4 ML CdSe NPLs without CdS shells results in the formation of NPL assemblies with amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) with a low threshold of 14 µJ cm−2 that is comparable with that of CdSe/CdS core/shell NPLs. Our results emphasize that the solvent plays a major role in mediating interactions between NPLs and hence their processability for fabrication of functional structures.

CdSe↗

Combining In-situ Diagnostics and Data Analytics for Discovery of Process-Structure-Property Relationships in AM parts – A Step Toward Digital Twins

In-situ additive manufacturing (AM) diagnostic tools (e.g., optical/infrared imaging, acoustic, etc.) already exist to correlate process anomalies to printed part defects. This current work aimed to augment existing capabilities by: 1) Incorporating in-situ imaging w/ machine learning (ML) image processing software (ORNL- developed "Peregrine") for AM process anomaly detection 2) Synchronizing multiple in-situ sensors for simultaneous analysis of AM build events 3) Correlating in-situ AM process data, generated part defects and part mechanical properties The key R&D question investigated was to determine if these new combined hardware/software tools could be used to successfully quantify defect distributions for parts build via SNL laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) machines, aiming to better understand data-driven process-structure-property- performance relationships. High resolution optical cameras and acoustic microphones were successfully integrated in two LPBF machines and linked to the Peregrine ML software. The software was successfully calibrated on both machines and used to image hundreds of layers of multiple builds to train the ML software in identifying printed part vs powder. The software's validation accuracy to identify this aspect increased from 56% to 98.8% over three builds. Lighting conditions inside the chamber were found to significantly impact ML algorithm predictions from in-situ sensors, so these were tailored to each machine's internal framework. Finally, 3D part reconstructions were successfully generated for a build from the compressed stack of layer-wise images. Resolution differences nearest and furthest from the optical camera were discussed. Future work aims to improve optical resolution, increase process anomalies identified, and integrate more sensor modalities.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Aerosol and Cloud Detection Using Machine Learning Algorithms and Space-Based Lidar Data

Clouds and aerosols play a significant role in determining the overall atmospheric radiation budget, yet remain a key uncertainty in understanding and predicting the future climate system. In addition to their impact on the Earth’s climate system, aerosols from volcanic eruptions, wildfires, man-made pollution events, and dust storms are hazardous to aviation safety and human health. Space-based lidar systems provide critical information about the vertical distributions of clouds and aerosols that greatly improve our understanding of the climate system. However, daytime data from backscatter lidars, such as the Cloud-Aerosol Transport System (CATS) on the International Space Station (ISS), must be averaged during science processing at the expense of spatial resolution to obtain sufficient signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) for accurately detecting atmospheric features. For example, 50% of all atmospheric features reported in daytime operational CATS data products require averaging to 60 km for detection. Furthermore, the single-wavelength nature of the CATS primary operation mode makes accurately typing these features challenging in complex scenes. This paper presents machine learning (ML) techniques that, when applied to CATS data, enable detection of atmospheric features during daytime operations with a horizontal resolution of 5 km compared to the 60 km horizontal resolution often required for daytime CATS data. A Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) trained using CATS standard data products also demonstrated the potential for improved cloud-aerosol discrimination compared to the operational CATS algorithms for cloud edges and complex near-surface scenes during daytime.

lidar↗

Multiphase Computational Fluid Dynamics Simulation of Ignition Overpressure and Plume-Water Interaction in the SLS Scale Model Acoustics Test

The solid rocket boosters (SRBs) on the Space Launch System (SLS) generate powerful ignition overpressure (IOP) waves that can potentially damage the vehicle and surrounding ground structures. Based on historical Shuttle experience, the IOP will be mitigated by utilizing an IOP/Sound Suppression (SS) water system which sprays water in and around the SRB and RS-25 engine plumes. However, the complex multiphase physics of the resulting plume-water interaction can lead to undesirable effects, such as high velocity water spray onto the engine nozzles and SRB nozzle side loads. Prior to launch, insight into this environment can be achieved through scale model testing and predictive computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modeling. The Scale Model Acoustic Test (SMAT) was conducted at Marshall Space Flight Center to provide the data necessary to develop the SLS liftoff acoustic environments by using a 5% scale SLS vehicle, fully integrated with a scaled IOP/SS water system, mobile launcher (ML), and tower. NASA engineers have put forth significant effort in validating the Loci/CHEM-Real Fluids multiphase CFD solver on a wet hold down test from the SMAT series. In this paper, the IOP acoustics and plume-water interactions predicted by the CFD model are compared and validated against the experiment, enabling relatively inexpensive, rapid turnaround for multiphase launch environment analyses to support future flights and design evolutions of SLS and other launch vehicles.

John E. Soto↗

CFD Simulation of Ignition Overpressure and Plume-Water Interaction in the SLS Scale Model Acoustics Test

The solid rocket boosters (SRBs) on the Space Launch System (SLS) generate powerful ignition overpressure (IOP) waves that can potentially damage the vehicle and surrounding ground structures. Based on historical Shuttle experience, the IOP will be mitigated by utilizing an IOP/Sound Suppression (SS) water system which sprays water in and around the SRB and RS-25 engine plumes. However, the complex multiphase physics of the resulting plume-water interaction can lead to undesirable effects, such as high velocity water spray onto the engine nozzles and SRB nozzle side loads. Prior to launch, insight into this environment can be achieved through scale model testing and predictive computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modeling. The Scale Model Acoustic Test (SMAT) was conducted at Marshall Space Flight Center to provide the data necessary to develop the SLS liftoff acoustic environments by using a 5% scale SLS vehicle, fully integrated with a scaled IOP/SS water system, mobile launcher (ML), and tower. NASA engineers have put forth significant effort in validating the Loci/CHEM-Real Fluids multiphase CFD solver on a wet hold down test from the SMAT series. In this paper, the IOP acoustics and plume-water interactions predicted by the CFD model are compared and validated against the experiment, enabling relatively inexpensive, rapid turnaround for multiphase launch environment analyses to support future flights and design evolutions of SLS and other launch vehicles.

Computational Fluid Dynamics↗

Molecular evolution of human coronavirus-NL63, -229E, -HKU1 and -OC43 in hospitalized children in China

Human coronaviruses (HCoVs) HCoV-NL63, HCoV-229E, HCoV-HKU1 and HCoV-OC43 have been circulated in the human population worldwide, and they are associated with a broad range of respiratory diseases with varying severity. However, there are neither effective therapeutic drugs nor licensed vaccines available for the treatment and prevention of infections by the four HCoVs. In this study, we collected nasopharyngeal aspirates of children hospitalized for respiratory tract infection in China during 2014–2018 and conducted next-generation sequencing. Sequences of four HCoVs were then selected for an in-depth analysis. Genome sequences of 2 HCoV-NL63, 8 HCoV-229E, 2 HCoV-HKU1, and 6 HCoV-OC43 were obtained. Based on the full-length S gene, a strong temporal signal was found in HCoV-229E and the molecular evolutionary rate was 6 × 10 −4 substitutions/site/year. Based on the maximum-likelihood (ML) phylogenetic tree of complete S gene, we designated H78 as a new sub-genotype C2 of HCoV-HKU1, and the obtained P43 sequence was grouped into the reported novel genotype K of HCoV-OC43 circulating in Guangzhou, China. Based on the complete genome, potential recombination events were found to occur as two phenomena, namely intraspecies and interspecies. Moreover, we observed two amino acid substitutions in the S1 subunit of obtained HCoV-NL63 (G534V) and HCoV-HKU1 (H512R), while residues 534 and 512 are important for the binding of angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 and neutralizing antibodies, respectively. Our findings might provide a clue for the molecular evolution of the four HCoVs and help in the early diagnosis, treatment and prevention of broad-spectrum HCoV infection.

Shao, Nan↗

Predicting the rheology of limestone calcined clay cements (LC 3 ): Linking composition and hydration kinetics to yield stress through Machine Learning

The physicochemical characteristics of calcined clay influence yield stress of limestone calcined clay cements (LC 3 ), but the independent influences the clay's physical and chemical characteristics as well as the effect of other variables on LC 3 rheology are less well-understood. Further, a relationship between LC 3 hydration kinetics and yield stress – important for informing mixture design – has not yet been established. Here, rheological properties were determined in pastes with varying water-to-solid ratio (w/s), constituent mass ratios (PC:metakaolin:limestone), limestone particle size and gypsum content. From these data, an ML model developed allowed the independent examination of the different mechanisms by which metakaolin fraction influences yield stress of LC 3 , identifying four predictors – packing index, Al 2 O 3 /SO 3 , total particle density and metakaolin fraction relative to limestone (MK/LS) – most significant for predicting LC 3 yield stress. A methodology based on kernel smoothing also identified hydration kinetics parameters best correlated with yield stress.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

The ePIC dual-radiator RICH detector

The dual radiator Ring Imaging Cherenkov (dRICH) detector is required to provide continuous hadron identification from ≈3 GeV/c up to ≈50 GeV/c, and to supplement electron and positron identification from a few hundred MeV/c up to about 15 GeV/c, in the forward (ion-side) end-cap of the ePIC experiment. Such an extended momentum range imposes the use of two radiators, gas and aerogel. The common imaging system, that ensures compactness and cost-effectiveness, is based on SiPM sensors to work in a high non-uniform magnetic field. During the R&D phase, the dual radiator principle and the single component performance have been validated. A status overview of the project is presented. The design and technological choices are discussed together with the results obtained from laboratory characterization of the component demonstrators and beam tests of the evolving prototypes.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

From the Knowledge-based Digital Platform (KbDP) Concept for Advanced Air Mobility Research to a Preliminary Prototype

Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) encompasses a range of innovative operational and technological changes to aviation (electric aircraft, increasingly automated aircraft, increasingly automated airspace operations, etc.) that are transforming aviation’s role in everyday movement of people and goods. There are multiple associated concepts and use cases for AAM, all interrelated, including small Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) Traffic Management (UTM), Upper-Class E Traffic Management (ETM), Extensible Traffic Management (xTM), Regional Air Mobility (RAM), and Urban Air Mobility (UAM). These AAM operations must integrate with traditional Air Traffic Management (ATM) operations, as well as non-aviation modes of transportation and logistics. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is spearheading an innovative digital engineering approach to integrate, communicate, and facilitate the research of multi-modal transportation systems. The Knowledge-based Digital Platform (KbDP) is a concept being developed that ties the workflows of Project Managers (PM), Principal Investigators (PI), and System Engineers together across organizational boundaries. It does so through the management of an information database defined by mathematical, data science, and system engineering principles. Machine Learning (ML) algorithms play a key role in this concept by extracting meaningful knowledge from the information database, which the human user leverages to greatly improve the efficiency and effectiveness of their research. Expected benefits of this concept include improved technology transfers from research to production, improved research portfolio investments, and research outcomes that are more integrated with all aspects of the multi-modal transportation problem. The preliminary KbDP prototype has been realized using UAM as a pathfinder use case and developed by a team of system engineer, software developer, data scientist, and interns.

Systems Engineering↗

Decision Science for Machine Learning (DeSciML)

The increasing use of machine learning (ML) models to support high-consequence decision making drives a need to increase the rigor of ML-based decision making. Critical problems ranging from climate change to nonproliferation monitoring rely on machine learning for aspects of their analyses. Likewise, future technologies, such as incorporation of data-driven methods into the stockpile surveillance and predictive failure analysis for weapons components, will all rely on decision-making that incorporates the output of machine learning models. In this project, our main focus was the development of decision scientific methods that combine uncertainty estimates for machine learning predictions, with a domain-specific model of error costs. Other focus areas include uncertainty measurement in ML predictions, designing decision rules using multiobjecive optimization, the value of uncertainty reduction, and decision-tailored uncertainty quantification for probability estimates. By laying foundations for rigorous decision making based on the predictions of machine learning models, these approaches are directly relevant to every national security mission that applies, or will apply, machine learning to data, most of which entail some decision context.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Role of the Character of the Excited State of Singly Reduced Rh 2 (II,II) Intermediates on Photocatalytic Activity

Singly reduced intermediates have recently been implicated as photoactive intermediates in a number of important reactions; however, their photophysical properties remain poorly understood. A series of dirhodium(II,II) complexes, cis-[Rh 2 (p-R-Form) 2 (bncn) 2 ] 2+ (bncn = benzo[c]cinnoline; p-R-Form = N,N′-di-p-R-phenylformamidinate), where R = −OCH 3 (1), −CH 3 (2), −H (3), −F (4), −Cl (5), and −CF 3 (6), and their respective radical anions were prepared and their excited state properties were investigated. Complex 3 acted as a singlemolecule photocatalyst for H 2 production with red light. Substitution on the formamidinate ligands in 1−6 affected the energy of the Rh 2 (δ*)/Form(π,nb) highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO), consistent with the metal/ligand-to-ligand charge transfer ( 1 ML-LCT) absorption maxima and the 3 ML-LCT excited state lifetime, ranging from 1.6 ns in 1 to 54 ns in 6 in CH 3 CN. The highest turnover number for photocatalytic H 2 evolution was observed for 3, and the lowest values were for 1 and 6. The radical anion, [Rh 2 ] − , formed during photocatalysis, was shown to absorb a photon and undergo a second reduction. The lifetimes of the doublet excited states of [3] − and [6] − were 0.49 and 0.24 ns, respectively. Calculations showed that the lowest energy excited state in [3] − was 2 ML-LCT, whereas that in [6] − was a bncn − → Rh 2 (σ*) ligand-to-metal charge transfer ( 2 LMCT) state. The 2 LMCT state stabilized across the series from [1] − to [6] − , pointing at its role in modulating the photophysical properties. This work highlights the importance of the reductive quenching of [Rh 2 ] − and the generation of the doubly reduced species to effectively catalyze hydrogen evolution.

Absorption↗

Installation of Lysimeters Near Engineered Trench 3

Three new lysimeter stations were installed on the north rim of Engineered Trench 3 (Figure ES-1)at the E-Area Low Level Waste Facility (ELLWF). These stations were designated as ET3-VL-3, ET3-VL-4, and ET3-VL-5. The stations were installed in a line with the two existing stations (ET3-VL-1 and ET3-VL-2) and spaced approximately 100 ft apart. Two lysimeters were installed at each station at the depths shown in Table ES-1. Lysimeter placement was based on borehole lithology and was comparable to the existing lysimeter stations. The deepest lysimeter at each of the three new lysimeter stations was designated as the action-level lysimeter.Following installation, the lysimeters were purged and placed under vacuum for sampling. Sampling occurred in December 2020 with each lysimeter producing 1000 ml of water for tritium analysis. All lysimeters were below the administrative limit for ET3 (43.7 pCi/ml) with all but ET3-VL-5 (222) at background levels. ET3-VL-5 (222) had a tritium concentration of 27.5 pCi/ml.With the addition of the new lysimeters at ET3, the vadose zone monitoring system is now comprised of 309 active lysimeters at 102 lysimeter stations. There are 93 action-level lysimeters at 102 stations

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗

Effect of hypovolemia, infusion, and oral rehydration on plasma electrolytes, ADH, renin activity, and +G/z/ tolerance

Effects on plasma volume, electrolyte shifts, and +G(z) tolerance induced by: (1) blood withdrawal; (2) blood infusion; and (3) oral fluid intake, were determined at 0.5 G/min in centrifugation tests of six ambulatory male patients, aged 21 to 27 yrs. Hypovolemia induced by withdrawal of 400 ml blood, blood infusion followed by repeated centrifugation, effects of consuming an isotonic drink (0.9% NaCl) to achieve oral rehydration, and donning of red adaptation goggles were studied for effects on acceleration tolerance, pre-acceleration and post-acceleration plasma renin activity (PRA) and plasma vasopressin levels. No significant changes in post-acceleration PRA compared to pre-acceleration PRA were found, and administration of oral rehydration is found as effective as blood replacement in counteracting hypovolemic effects.

Greenleaf, J. E.↗

A foundation model for atomistic materials chemistry

Atomistic simulations of matter, especially those that leverage first-principles (ab initio) electronic structure theory, provide a microscopic view of the world, underpinning much of our understanding of chemistry and materials science. Over the last decade or so, machine-learned force fields have transformed atomistic modeling by enabling simulations of ab initio quality over unprecedented time and length scales. However, early machine-learning (ML) force fields have largely been limited by (i) the substantial computational and human effort required to develop and validate potentials for each particular system of interest and (ii) a general lack of transferability from one chemical system to the next. Here, we show that it is possible to create a general-purpose atomistic ML model, trained on a public dataset of moderate size, that is capable of running stable molecular dynamics for a wide range of molecules and materials. We demonstrate the power of the MACE-MP-0 model-and its qualitative and at times quantitative accuracy-on a diverse set of problems in the physical sciences, including properties of solids, liquids, gases, chemical reactions, interfaces, and even the dynamics of a small protein. The model can be applied out of the box as a starting or "foundation" model for any atomistic system of interest and, when desired, can be fine-tuned on just a handful of application-specific data points to reach ab initio accuracy. Establishing that a stable force-field model can cover almost all materials changes atomistic modeling in a fundamental way: experienced users obtain reliable results much faster, and beginners face a lower barrier to entry. Foundation models thus represent a step toward democratizing the revolution in atomic-scale modeling that has been brought about by ML force fields.

Batatia, Ilyes↗

wa-hls4ml: A Benchmark and Surrogate Models for hls4ml Resource and Latency Estimation

As machine learning (ML) is increasingly implemented in hardware to address real-time challenges in scientific applications, the development of advanced toolchains has significantly reduced the time required to iterate on various designs. These advancements have solved major obstacles, but also exposed new challenges. For example, processes that were not previously considered bottlenecks, such as hardware synthesis, are becoming limiting factors in the rapid iteration of designs. To mitigate these emerging constraints, multipleefforts have been undertaken to develop an ML-based surrogate model that estimates resource usage of synthesized ML accelerator architectures. We introduce wa-hls4ml, a benchmark for ML accelerator resource and latency estimation, and its corresponding initial dataset of over 680 000 fully connected and convolutional neural networks, all synthesized using hls4ml and targeting Xilinx FPGAs. The benchmark evaluates the performance of resource and latency predictors against several common ML model architectures, primarily originating from scientific domains, as exemplar models, and the average performance across a subset of the dataset. Additionally, we introduce GNN- and transformer-based surrogate models that predict latency and resources for ML accelerators. We present the architecture and performance of the models and find that the models generally predict latency and resources for the 75% percentile within several percent of the synthesized resources on the synthetic test dataset.

Hawks, Benjamin G. [Fermilab]↗

Blocking Losses With a Photon Counter

It was not known how to assess accurately losses in a communications link due to photodetector blocking, a phenomenon wherein a detector is rendered inactive for a short time after the detection of a photon. When used to detect a communications signal, blocking leads to losses relative to an ideal detector, which may be measured as a reduction in the communications rate for a given received signal power, or an increase in the signal power required to support the same communications rate. This work involved characterizing blocking losses for single detectors and arrays of detectors. Blocking may be mitigated by spreading the signal intensity over an array of detectors, reducing the count rate on any one detector. A simple approximation was made to the blocking loss as a function of the probability that a detector is unblocked at a given time, essentially treating the blocking probability as a scaling of the detection efficiency. An exact statistical characterization was derived for a single detector, and an approximation for multiple detectors. This allowed derivation of several accurate approximations to the loss. Methods were also derived to account for a rise time in recovery, and non-uniform illumination due to diffraction and atmospheric distortion of the phase front. It was assumed that the communications signal is intensity modulated and received by an array of photon-counting photodetectors. For the purpose of this analysis, it was assumed that the detectors are ideal, in that they produce a signal that allows one to reproduce the arrival times of electrons, produced either as photoelectrons or from dark noise, exactly. For single detectors, the performance of the maximum-likelihood (ML) receiver in blocking is illustrated, as well as a maximum-count (MC) receiver, that, when receiving a pulse-position-modulated (PPM) signal, selects the symbol corresponding to the slot with the largest electron count. Whereas the MC receiver saturates at high count rates, the ML receiver may not. The loss in capacity, symbol-error-rate (SER), and count-rate were numerically computed. It was shown that the capacity and symbol-error-rate losses track, whereas the count-rate loss does not generally reflect the SER or capacity loss, as the slot-statistics at the detector output are no longer Poisson. It is also shown that the MC receiver loss may be accurately predicted for dead times on the order of a slot.

Moision, Burce E.↗