A linha de instabilidade (LI) pré-frontal que atingiu a Região Metropolitana de São Paulo em 26 de abril de 2007 foi monitorada e analisada por meio de medições de superfície, altitude, radar e satélite. As análises indicam que havia ambiente sinótico favorável para a formação e manutenção da LI. Na região de formação da LI havia ar relativamente quente e úmido em baixos níveis e ar relativamente frio e seco em níveis médios com convergência de massa em baixos níveis e divergência em altos níveis, além de gradiente de temperatura produzido pela aproximação do sistema frontal. A LI foi monitorada pelo radar meteorológico MXPOL e permitiu a avaliação dinâmica e microfísica do sistema. Esta última realizada por meio da classificação de hidrometeororos com as variáveis polarimétricas medidas com o MXPOL. Preliminarmente, os dados de refletividade diferencial (ZDR) e refletividade efetiva (Z) foram consistidos por meio do método da autoconsistência (Vivekanadan et al., 2003), entre essas duas variáveis e a fase diferencial específica (KDP). Removido os viéses de ZDR (-0,36 dB) e da refletividade efetiva (-0,46 dBZ), a classificação de hidrometeoros, em dezessete categorias (gotículas a granizo, insetos, ecos de terreno e de segunda viagem), foi realizada pelo método de lógica fuzzy (Vivekanadan et al., 2003). A classificação de hidrometeoros foi realizada em planos de elevação constante (PPI). Os tipos e estratificação de hidrometeoros são compatíveis com estudos anteriores. Por exemplo, a banda brilhante foi classificada com uma região de mistura de gelo e gotas líquidas com predominância de gotas abaixo e cristais de gelo acima desta. A dinâmica interna da LI foi avaliada por meio da velocidade radial e evidenciou um jato de baixos níveis, convergência ciclônica na dianteira do sistema, e divergência em altos níveis, entre outras características. O rápido deslocamento da LI resultou em precipitação de 7 mm e rajadas de vento de 18 m s-1. Assim, o impacto mais significativo desse sistema na RMSP foi produzido pelo vento. / A prefrontal squal line (LI) that reached tne metropolitan area of São Paulo on April 26 2007 was monitored and analyzed by means of of surface and upper air measurements, weather radar and satellite data. Analyses indicate a favorable synoptic environment to form and sustain the LI. In its genesis region there was relatively warm and moiture air near the surface and relatively cold and dry air aloft with mass convergence below and divergence aloft, as well as temperature gradient along its path induced by the associated cold front. This LI was measured with the MXPOL weather radar and allowed a mesoscale dynamic analysis as well as a microphysics of this weather system. The later was performed by means of a hydrometeor classification with the polarimetric data sets of MXPOL. Initially, the differential reflectivity (ZDR) and the efective reflectivity (Z) were corrected by the selfconsistency method (Vivekanandan et al., 2003) together with the specific diferrential phase (KDP). Ounce removed the ZDR (-0,36 dB) and Z (-0,46 dBZ) biases, the hydrometeoro classification (small drops to hail, insects, ground clutter and second trip echoes) was carrie out by the fuzzy logic method (Vivekanadan et al., 2003). The hydrometeor classification was made at constant elevation angles (PPI) across the LI. The hydrometeoro types are compatible to similar studies. For instance, the bright band was classified as a region mixed phase with drops below and ice crystals aboce it. The LI internal dynamics was analyzed with the help of the radial velocity and indicated a low level jet, cyclonic convergence at the leading edge and divergence aloft at the convective band, among other features. This fast moving LI produced 7 mm of rainfall and wind gust of 18 m s-1. Its most significant impact over RMSP was caused by the wind intensity.

This thesis presents the development of kinetic inductance detectors (KIDs) for cosmic microwave background (CMB) polarimetry. Increasingly precise measurements of the CMB have led to much of our understanding of the observable universe; future measurements of the CMB will require the development of new detectors as progressively fainter signals are targeted. In particular, a measurement of the primordial B-mode polarization signal, which would offer strong evidence of inflation, will require at least a 50 times increase in detector count. KIDs are an attractive detector option for next-generation CMB experiments due to their low-noise and high-multiplexing factor. In this thesis, I present KIDs optimized for ground-based CMB observations, which are sensitive to a 150 GHz spectral band where the CMB spectrum peaks. This research demonstrates the first systematic studies of lumped-element KIDs (LEKIDs) optimized for CMB surveys and shows the readiness of the detectors for on-sky observations. First, I present the design and performance of horn-coupled LEKIDs, which are sensitive to a single polarization. I show that KIDs can meet the stringent noise and sensitivity requirements necessary for a competitive CMB detector. Second, I present a novel method for reducing crosstalk between LEKIDs, which is important for controlling instrument systematics. Third, I present the design and performance of dual-polarization LEKIDs, which are sensitive to orthogonal polarizations within a single spectral band and double the number of detectors per array, increasing the sensitivity. Finally, I present the initial analysis of millimeter-wave observations of a nearby galaxy cluster, Abell 2443, taken with the LEKID-based NIKA2 instrument on the IRAM 30 m telescope. This is part of ongoing research to make high-resolution measurements of the Sunyaev–Zel'dovich effect, seen as a distortion in the CMB spectrum.

Measuring the Mueller matrix with optical coherence tomography (OCT) makes it possible to acquire the complete polarization properties of scattering media with three-dimensional spatial resolution. We first proved that the measured degree-of-polarization (DOP) of the backscattered light by OCT remains unity-a conclusion that validated the use of Jones calculus in OCT. A multi-channel Mueller-matrix OCT system was then built to measure the Jones-matrix, which can be transformed into a Mueller matrix, images of scattering biological tissues accurately with single depth scan. We showed that when diattenuation is negligible, the round-trip Jones matrix represents a linear retarder, which is the foundation of conventional PS-OCT, and can be calculated with a single incident polarization state although the one-way Jones matrix generally represents an elliptical retarder; otherwise, two incident polarization states are needed. We discovered the transpose symmetry in the roundtrip Jones matrix, which is critical for eliminating the arbitrary phase difference between the two measured Jones vectors corresponding to the two incident polarization states to yield the correct Jones matrix. We investigated the various contrast mechanisms provided by Mueller-matrix OCT. Our OCT system for the first time offers simultaneously comprehensive polarization contrast mechanisms including the amplitude of birefringence, the orientation of birefringence, and the diattenuation in addition to the polarization-independent intensity contrast, all of which can be extracted from the measured Jones or the equivalent Mueller matrix. The experimental results obtained from rat skin samples, show that Mueller OCT provides complementary structural and functional information on biological samples and reveal that polarization contrast is more sensitive to thermal degeneration of biological tissues than amplitude-based contrast. Finally, an optical-fiber-based multi-channel Mueller-matrix OCT was built and a new rigorous algorithm was developed to retrieve the calibrated polarization properties of a sample. For the first time to our knowledge, fiber-based polarization-sensitive OCT was dynamically calibrated to eliminate the polarization distortion caused by the single-mode optical fiber in the sample arm, thereby overcoming a key technical impediment to the application of optical fibers in this technology.

Optical methods can provide useful tissue characterization tools. For this project, two-photon microscopy and polarized light examinations (polarimetry) were used to assess the organizational state of myocardium in healthy, infarcted, and stem-cell regenerated states. Two-photon microscopy visualizes collagen through second-harmonic generation and myocytes through two-photon excitation autofluorescence, providing information on the composition and structure/organization of the tissue. Polarimetry measurements yield a value of linear retardance that can serve as an indicator of tissue anisotropy, and with a dual-projection method, information about the anisotropy axis orientation can also be extracted. Two-photon microscopy results reveal that stem-cell treated tissue retains more myocytes and structure than infarcted myocardium, while polarimetry findings suggest that the injury caused by temporary ligation of a coronary artery is less severe and more diffuse that than caused by a permanent ligation. Both these methods show potential for tissue characterization.

Optical methods can provide useful tissue characterization tools. For this project, two-photon microscopy and polarized light examinations (polarimetry) were used to assess the organizational state of myocardium in healthy, infarcted, and stem-cell regenerated states. Two-photon microscopy visualizes collagen through second-harmonic generation and myocytes through two-photon excitation autofluorescence, providing information on the composition and structure/organization of the tissue. Polarimetry measurements yield a value of linear retardance that can serve as an indicator of tissue anisotropy, and with a dual-projection method, information about the anisotropy axis orientation can also be extracted. Two-photon microscopy results reveal that stem-cell treated tissue retains more myocytes and structure than infarcted myocardium, while polarimetry findings suggest that the injury caused by temporary ligation of a coronary artery is less severe and more diffuse that than caused by a permanent ligation. Both these methods show potential for tissue characterization.

Thesis (Ph.D)--Physics, Georgia Institute of Technology, 2010. / Committee Chair: Rick Trebino; Committee Member: Ahmet Erbil; Committee Member: John Buck; Committee Member: Stephen Ralph; Committee Member: Zhigang Jiang. Part of the SMARTech Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Collection.

Infrared cameras can directly measure the apparent temperature of objects, providing thermal imaging. However, the raw output from most infrared cameras suffers from a strong, often limiting noise source called nonuniformity. Manufacturing imperfections in infrared focal planes lead to high pixel-to-pixel sensitivity to electronic bias, focal plane temperature, and other effects. In turn, different pixels within the focal plane array give a drastically different electronic response to the same irradiance. The resulting imagery can only provide useful thermal imaging after a nonuniformity calibration has been performed. Traditionally, these calibrations are performed by momentarily blocking the field of view with a flat temperature plate or blackbody cavity. However because the pattern is a coupling of manufactured sensitivities with operational variations, periodic recalibration is required, sometimes on the order of tens of seconds. A class of computational methods called Scene-Based Nonuniformity Correction (SBNUC) has been researched for over 20 years where the nonuniformity calibration is estimated in digital processing by analysis of the video stream in the presence of camera motion. The most sophisticated SBNUC methods can completely and robustly eliminate the high-spatial frequency component of nonuniformity with only an initial reference calibration or potentially no physical calibration. I will demonstrate a novel algorithm that advances these SBNUC techniques to support all spatial frequencies of nonuniformity correction. Long-wave infrared microgrid polarimeters are a class of camera that incorporate a microscale per-pixel wire-grid polarizer directly affixed to each pixel of the focal plane. These cameras have the capability of simultaneously measuring thermal imagery and polarization in a robust integrated package with no moving parts. I will describe the necessary adaptations of my SBNUC method to operate on this class of sensor as well as demonstrate SBNUC performance in LWIR polarimetry video collected on the UA mall.

Ever since automobiles became affordable for the average American, with the introduction of the Ford Model T in 1908, making driving safer has been a priority. While driver intoxication and distraction are the leading causes of automotive fatalities, poor road conditions increase the frequency and deadliness of these incidents. Monitoring road conditions for thousands of miles of road is a huge undertaking, one too large for human surveillance. Automated systems capable of detecting and reacting to dangerous road conditions would be life-saving. These systems could be mounted to the sides of road and notify an operator of conditions in real-time. Drivers could be warned, action taken, and many lives saved. This thesis investigated the science behind polarimetric road ice detection systems. Laboratory Mueller matrix measurements of a simulated road under differing surface conditions were collected searching for a discriminatory polarization property. These Mueller matrices were decomposed into depolarization, diattenuation, and retardance. Individual sample surface polarization properties were then calculated from these three unique matrices and compared. Simulated road samples were measured under many wavelengths and angles, which gave us a larger data library from which to observe trends. Specular and off-specular reflection responses of each sample were also collected. Four polarization properties stood out for having high separation between dry and iced measurements: Depolarization Index, Linear Diattenuation, Linear Polarizance, and Linear Retardance. Through our investigation polarimetric ice detection is possible. Continued research of the polarization properties of road ice can result in the development of a road ice detection system. Proposed deployment methods of such a system have been outlined following the analysis of the data collected in this experiment. Not only is polarimetric ice detection an exciting and novel use of polarization, it has the potential to improve road safety through real-time ice response measures.

Estimating the polarization of light has been shown to have merit in a wide variety of applications between UV and LWIR wavelengths. These tasks include target identification, estimation of atmospheric aerosol properties, biomedical and other applications. In all of these applications, polarization sensing has been shown to assist in discrimination ability; however, due to the nature of many phenomena, it is difficult to add polarization sensing everywhere. The goal of this dissertation is to decrease the associated penalties of using polarimetry, and thereby broaden its applicability to other areas. First, the class of channeled polarimeter systems is generalized to relate the Fourier domains of applied modulations to the resulting information channels. The quality of reconstruction is maximized by virtue of using linear system manipulations rather than arithmetic derived by hand, while revealing system properties that allow for immediate performance estimation. Besides identifying optimal systems in terms of equally weighted variance (EWV), a way to redistribute the error between all the information channels is presented. The result of this development often leads to superficial changes that can improve signal-to-noise-ration (SNR) by up to a factor of three compared to existing designs in the literature. Second, the class of partial Mueller matrix polarimeters (pMMPs) is inspected in regards to their capacity to match the level of discrimination performance achieved by full systems. The concepts of structured decomposition and the reconstructables matrix are developed to provide insight into Mueller subspace coverage of pMMPs, while yielding a pMMP basis that allows the formation of ten classes of pMMP systems. A method for evaluating such systems while considering a multi-objective optimization of noise resilience and space coverage is provided. An example is presented for which the number of measurements was reduced to half. Third, the novel developments intended for channeled and partial systems are combined to form a previously undiscussed class of channeled partial Mueller matrix polarimeters (c-pMMPs). These systems leverage the gained understanding in manipulating the structure of the measurement to design modulations such that the desired pieces of information are mapped into channels with favorable reconstruction characteristics.

More and more researchers and clinicians are looking to molecular sensing to predict how cells will behave, seeking the answers to questions like "will these tumor cells become malignant?" or "how will these cells respond to chemotherapy?" Optical methods are attractive for answering these questions because optical radiation is safer and less expensive than alternative methods, such as CT which uses X-ray radiation, PET/SPECT which use gamma radiation, or MRI which is expensive and only available in a hospital setting. In this dissertation, three distinct optical methods are explored to detect at the molecular level: optical coherence tomography (OCT), laser-induced fluorescence (LIF), and optical polarimetry. OCT has the capability to simultaneously capture anatomical information as well as molecular information using targeted contrast agents such as gold nanoshells. LIF is less useful for capturing anatomical information, but it can achieve significantly better molecular sensitivity with the use of targeted fluorescent dyes. Optical polarimetry has potential to detect the concentration of helical molecules, such as glucose. All of these methods are noninvasive or minimally invasive.The work is organized into four specific aims. The first is the design and implementation of a fast, high resolution, endoscopic OCT system to facilitate minimally invasive mouse colon imaging. The second aim is to demonstrate the utility of this system for automatically identifying tumor lesions based on tissue microstructure. The third is to demonstrate the use of contrast agents to detect molecular expression using OCT and LIF. The last aim is to demonstrate a new method based on optical polarimetry for noninvasive glucose sensing.