National Technology & Engineering Solutions of Sandia, LLC

United States of America as Represented by the Secretary of the Air Force

Roger Derek West

Patrick Sean Finnegan

Kyle Thompson

David Nikolaus Perkins

Amber Lynn Dagel

Andrew E Hollowell

Katherine M Simonson

Mary M Moya

Matthew Strosnick

Ivan Lizarraga

Jeffrey A Brooks

David A Torgesen

Kathleen Dipple

Johnathan Mulcahy-Stanislawczyk

Ryan Nicolas Goodner

A mask for use in a speckle-based x-ray or neutron phase contrast imaging system and methods of making the mask are disclosed. The mask may either absorb or change the phase of the incident x-ray or neutron beam. The mask in various embodiments has consistent statistics across the mask, is locally unique (thereby avoiding ambiguous correlations), has a speckle size on the order of the imaging system's resolution, has a speckle pattern that is visible through the sample being imaged, and/or is matched to the energy level of the imaging system and the sample density. These mask attributes are controlled by the method and materials used in the fabrication of the mask. Various embodiments use a pseudo-random binary array for generating the required speckle pattern.

Speckle-based imaging diffuser and method for controllably fabricating same

A synthetic aperture radar sensor having five degrees of freedom (DoF) is disclosed. The five DoF enable multiple imaging operations, including multiple simultaneous imaging operations. The sensor includes multiple transceivers mounted to track segments, with variable spacing between the transceivers being the first DoF. The second DoF is about a vertical axis allowing side-to-side motion of the transceivers. The third DoF is about a horizontal axis parallel to a direction of travel with the segments perpendicular to the direction of travel, thereby allowing the transceivers to form a horizontal line, a vertical line, or some intervening angle. The transceivers can be at different angles, corresponding to the fourth DoF, which permits simultaneous vertical and side-looking operation. The fifth degree of freedom is about a horizontal axis parallel to the direction of travel with the segments parallel to the direction of travel, allowing pointing of the transceivers at a desired scene.

Modular multi-angle synthetic aperture radar sensor on a track

Described herein are various technologies relating to generating a reduced bias multi-resolution (RBMR) coherent change detection (CCD) image product. A low bias, low resolution (LBLR) CCD image product is generated based upon a first SAR image of a scene and a second SAR image of the scene, where each pixel in the LBLR CCD image has a respective value that is computed using a large box-filter. The LBLR CCD image is segmented into a plurality of segments, and a box-filter size is determined for each segment based upon values of pixels in the segment. A RBMR CCD image product is then computed using box-filters of the determined sizes.

Reduced-bias multi-resolution coherent change detection

The various technologies presented herein relate to detecting small moving entities or targets in radar imagery. Two SAR images can be captured for a common scene, wherein the scene is imaged twice from the same flight path. The first image is captured at a first instance and the second image is captured at a second instance, and differences between the two images are determined using a complex SAR change measure, excess coherency factor or DeltaC, based in part upon quantification of incoherent (or magnitude) change between the two images. A plurality of operations are performed to enable extraction of coherent change measures relating to the small moving entities from measures relating to large objects, stationary reflective structures, radar focusing artifacts, etc.

Small mover target detection in synthetic aperture radar imagery

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Albuquerque, NM, United States of America

Roger Derek West