The United States of America As Represented by the Administrator of the

United States of America As Represented by the Administrator of Nasa

William K Witherow

Daniel C Carter

Valentin Korman

Richard R Holmes

Kurt A Polzin

Robert L Kurtz

Marc L Pusey

Robert B Owen

Kevin W Pedersen

Vaughn H Yost

Adam Gail Hendrickson

Diana L Hecht

John Elihu Sinko

Andreas Ecker

The present invention is a mass gauging interferometry system used to determine the volume contained within a tank. By using an optical interferometric technique to determine gas density and/or pressure a much smaller compression volume or higher fidelity measurement is possible. The mass gauging interferometer system is comprised of an optical source, a component that splits the optical source into a plurality of beams, a component that recombines the split beams, an optical cell operatively coupled to a tank, a detector for detecting fringes, and a means for compression. A portion of the beam travels through the optical cell operatively coupled to the tank, while the other beam(s) is a reference.

Mass gauging demonstrator for any gravitational conditions

A free-space optical path of an optical interferometer is disposed in an environment of interest. A light beam is guided to the optical interferometer using a single-mode optical fiber. The light beam traverses the interferometer's optical path. The light beam guided to the optical path is combined with the light beam at the end of the optical path to define an output light. A temporal history of the output light is recorded.

Optical system and method for gas detection and monitoring

An optical image enhancement system provides improved image contrast in imaging of a target in high temperature surroundings such as a furnace. The optical system includes a source of vertically polarized light such as laser and a beam splitter for receiving the light and directing the light toward the target. A retardation plate is affixed to a target-facing surface of the beam splitter and a vertical polarizer is disposed along a common optical path with the beam splitter between the retardation plate and the target. A horizontal polarizer, disposed in the common optical path, receives light passing through a surface of the beam splitter opposed to the target-facing surface. An image detector is disposed at one end of the optical path. A band pass filter having a band pass filter characteristic matching the frequency of the vertically polarized light source is disposed in the path between the horizontal polarizer and the image detector. The use of circular polarization, together with cross polarizers, enables the reflected light to be passed to the detector while blocking thermal radiation.

Laser image contrast enhancement system

An area detection device for use with X-ray or ultraviolet radiation wherein light from an integrating device is passed through an optical fiber to fall on a phosphor-containing film which is capable of storing a diffraction pattern formed by the transmission of X-rays or ultraviolet radiation through a sample when the diffraction pattern is projected onto the film and also being capable of fluorescing in correspondence to the diffraction pattern. Fluoresced light from the film is directed back along the fiber and into the integrating device and is fed from the integrating device to a photomultiplier which sends a signal from which the diffraction pattern can be detected.

Radiation sensitive area detection device and method

A radiation sensitive area detection device is disclosed which comprises a phosphor-containing film capable of receiving and storing an image formed by a pattern of incoming X-rays, UV, or other radiation falling on the film and capable of fluorescing in response to stimulation by a light source in a manner directly proportional to the stored radiation pattern; a light source capable of projecting light or other appropriate electromagnetic wave on the film so as to cause it to fluoresce; means, such as a lens, to focus the fluoresced light coming from the phosphor-containing film after light stimulation; and at least one charged coupled detector or other detecting element capable of receiving and digitizing the pattern of fluoresced light coming from the phosphor-containing film. The device of the present invention will be able to generate superior X-ray images of high resolution from a crystal or other sample, and will be particularly advantageous in that instantaneous near real time images of rapidly deteriorating samples can be obtained. Further, the device can be made compact and sturdy, thus capable of carrying out X-ray or other radiation imaging under a variety of conditions, including those experienced in space.

X-ray sensitive area detection device

The present invention relates to a two-wave holographic interferometry system and method. In such systems, a reference beam holographic is super-imposed on an object beam, the object beam being an image obtained by passing a beam through an object regarding which some parameter (e.g. temperature gradient) is to be measured. A photograph (50) of the superimposed beams (D) is taken. The present invention employs two object (B) and two reference (A) beams and the invention is particularly concerned with the use of a prism assembly (C) which causes the two different wavelengths (W1, W2) of the object beams to emerge from the prism at slightly different angles, thereby providing two holographic images which are slightly displaced from each other.

Dual wavelength holographic interferometry system and method

Double-exposure holographic interferometry is carried out using first and second lasers (11), (12) responsive to respective applied firing signals for producing respective pulsed output beams. An optical system is provided oriented such that the output beams of the lasers produce coinciding scene (20) and reference (21) beams. An initiator circuit (30) generates and applies a firing signal to the first laser (11); and a timer/firing device (31), responsive to the generation of a firing signal by the initiator circuit (30), generates and applies a firing signal to the second laser (12) a predetermined period of time later.

Method of and apparatus for double-exposure holographic interferometry

A dual laser optical system and method is disclosed for visualization of phenomena in transparent substances which induce refractive index gradients such as fluid flow and pressure and temperature gradients in fluids and gases. According to the invention two images 68 and 70 representing mutually perpendicular components of refractive index gradients may be viewed simultaneously on screen 66. Two lasers 10 and 12 having wave lengths in the visible range but separated by about 1000 angstroms are utilized to provide beams 14 and 20 which are collimated into a beam 32 containing components of the different wave lengths. The collimated beam 32 is passed through a test volume 33 of the transparent substance. The collimated beam is then separated into components of the different wave lengths and focused on to a pair of knife edges arranged mutually perpendicular to produce and project images 68 and 70 onto screen 66.

Growing community of inventors

Huntsville, AL, United States of America

William K Witherow