Dans de nombreux systèmes de traitement de l'information, le signal est numérisé, traité informatiquement, puis reconverti dans le domaine analogique. La faible bande passante de ces étapes de conversion numérique/analogique limite considérablement le débit d'informations traitées. Une solution purement analogique améliorerait donc considérablement le temps de traitement et la bande passante. Notre approche consiste à transférer le signal RF à traiter sur une porteuse optique puis à procéder à son traitement dans le domaine optique. L'étape de traitement est assurée par la traversée d'un cristal dopé en ions terres rares convenablement "programmé". Cette étape de programmation consiste à graver dans le profil d'absorption du cristal une fonction caractéristique de l'opération de traitement du signal à réaliser. Deux opérations ont ainsi été implémentées : 1) le renversement temporel de signaux RF : c'est l'opération consistant à générer analogiquement le signal renversé temporellement s(−t) d'un signal incident s(t). La fonction à graver dans le profil d'un cristal d'Er:YSO est alors un réseau spectral de pas variable. 2) l'analyse spectrale large bande instantanée : c'est l'opération permettant d'accéder au contenu spectral d'un signal. On impose au protocole de fournir instantanément le spectre d'un signal large bande. La fonction à graver dans le profil d'un cristal de Tm:YAG est alors un réseau spectro-spatial de pas variable. / Many signal processing devices rely on the digitalization of the incoming signal. After being processed by a computer, the signal needs to be converted back to its original analog form. Due to the limited bandwidth of analog-to-digital and digital-to-analog stages, the data flow rate is significantly limited. A purely analog solution would then significantly improve the processing time and bandwidth. In our approach, we first transfer the incoming RF signal on an optical carrier, allowing us to process it in the optical domain. For the processing stage, we propose to engrave the absorption profile of a rare earth ion-doped crystal with different shapes (each shape is specific to one processing operation). In this work, two operations are implemented: 1) time reversal of RF signals: we analogically generate the time reversed replica s(−t) of an incoming signal s(t). For this purpose, the shape to be engraved in the absorption profile of a Er:YSO crystal is a non-periodic spectral grating. 2) instantanous broadband spectral analysis: we want to instantaneously access the spectral components of a broadband signal. For this purpose, the shape to be engraved in the absorption profile of a Tm:YAG crystal is a spectro-spatial grating with a variable period.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Joint Program in Applied Ocean Science and Engineering (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Biology; and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution), 2005. / This electronic version was submitted by the student author. The certified thesis is available in the Institute Archives and Special Collections. / Includes bibliographical references. / The goals of this thesis were to quantify the behavior of gastropod larvae (mud snails Ilyanassa obsoleta) in turbulence, and to investigate how that behavior affects larval supply in a turbulent coastal inlet. Gastropod larvae retract their velums and sink rapidly in strong turbulence. Turbulence-induced sinking would be an adaptive behavior if it resulted in increased larval supply and enhanced settlement in suitable coastal habitats. In laboratory experiments, mud snail larvae were found to have three behavioral modes: swimming, hovering, and sinking. The proportion of sinking larvae increased exponentially with the turbulence dissipation rate over a range comparable to turbulence in a tidal inlet, and the mean larval vertical velocity shifted from upward to downward in turbulence resembling energetic nearshore areas. The larval response to turbulence was incorporated in a vertical advection-diffusion model to characterize the effects of this behavior on larval supply and settlement in a tidal channel. Compared to passive larvae, larvae that sink in turbulence have higher near-bed concentrations throughout flood and ebb tides. / (cont.) This high larval supply enables behaving larvae to settle more successfully than passive larvae in strong currents characteristic of turbulent tidal inlets. A study was conducted at Barnstable Harbor, MA to estimate the responses of larvae to turbulence in the field. Gastropod larvae from different coastal environments had genus-specific responses to turbulence, suggesting that larvae use turbulence for large-scale habitat selection. On ebb tides, mud snail larvae had a similar response to turbulence as in the laboratory, with greater sinking velocities in strong turbulence. Behavior estimates differed for flood and ebb tides, indicating that additional physical cues influence behavior. Turbulence-induced sinking behavior would enhance retention and promote settlement of mud snail larvae in habitats like Barnstable Harbor. / by Heidi L. Fuchs. / Ph.D.

Includes bibliographical references (p. 259-261). / This electronic version was submitted by the student author. The certified thesis is available in the Institute Archives and Special Collections. / Thesis (Ph. D.)--Joint Program in Applied Ocean Science and Engineering (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering; and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution), 2007. / In this thesis, a numerically effcient three-dimensional propagation and scattering model is developed based on the three-dimensional coupled mode theory for axisymmetric bathymetry. The three-dimensional coupled mode approach applied in this thesis is fundamentally identical to the one applied in earlier models, such as the one presented by Taroudakis [20]. Thus, it is based on a Fourier expansion of the acoustic field around a seamount, with each azimuthal expansion coefficient being represented by a two-way coupled mode formulation. However, earlier formulations were severely limited in terms of frequency, size and geometry of the seamount, the seabed composition, and the distance between the source and the seamount, and are totally inadequate for modeling high-frequency, large-scale seamount problems. By introducing a number of changes in the numerical formulation and using a standard normal mode model (C-SNAP) for determining the fundamental modal solutions and coupling coefficients, orders of magnitude improvement in efficiency and fidelity has been achieved, allowing for realistic propagation and scattering scenarios to be modeled, including effects of seamount roughness and realistic sedimentary structure. / (cont.) Also, by the simple superposition principle, the computational requirements are made independent of the distance between the seamount and the source and receivers, and dependent only on the geometry of the seamount and the frequency of the source. First, this thesis investigates the scattering from a cylindrical island, which is the simplest case of a conical seamount problem. Our model, using the superposition method, can solve the cylindrical problem in Athanassoulis and Prospathopoulos's paper [3] with the same accuracy while saving about 4/5 computational effort. Second, this thesis demonstrates the spectral coupled mode approach, which includes a two-way coupled mode model and a superposition representation of the field. Third, this thesis applies the three-dimensional model to investigate some physics issues of three-dimensional seamount scattering. As a result of the investigation, we learn that the Nx2D model is a poor approximation of the true three-dimensional model when the three-dimensional effects are significant, though it is a good approximation of the three-dimensional model otherwise. The convergence of the model in terms of the seamount discretization is also discussed and demonstrated. / (cont.) Finally, our three-dimensional spectral coupled mode model is tested by the application of the Kermit Seamount problem with realistic ocean environmental data from the 2004 BASSEX experiment. / by Wenyu Luo. / Ph.D.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Joint Program in Applied Ocean Science and Engineering (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering; and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution), 2007. / Includes bibliographical references. / Surfzone wave height transformation and wave-breaking-driven increases in the mean sea level (setup) are examined on alongshore-uniform beaches with alongshore homogeneous and inhomogeneous wave forcing. While previously derived models predict wave heights adequately (root-mean-square errors typically less than 20%), the models can be improved by tuning a free parameter or by using a new parameterization based on the deep-water wave height. Based on a sensitivity analysis of the cross-shore momentum balance used to predict setup, a one-dimensional (1-D) model is developed that includes wave rollers and bottom stress owing to the mean offshore-directed flow. The model predicts setup accurately at three alongshore homogeneous field sites, as well as at a site where the incident wave field is alongshore non-uniform, suggesting that setup is driven primarily by the cross-shore (1-D) forcing. Furthermore, alongshore gradients of setup can be important to driving alongshore flows in the surfzone, and the 1-D setup model predicts these gradients accurately enough to simulate the observed flows. / by Alex Apotsos. / Ph.D.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Joint Program in Applied Ocean Science and Engineering (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering; and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution), 2009. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 275-284). / This research presents a parallel hypothesis method for autonomous underwater vehicle navigation that enables a vehicle to expand the operating envelope of existing long baseline acoustic navigation systems by incorporating information that is not normally used. The parallel hypothesis method allows the in-situ identification of acoustic multipath time-of-flight measurements between a vehicle and an external transponder and uses them in real-time to augment the navigation algorithm during periods when direct-path time-of-flight measurements are not available. A proof of concept was conducted using real-world data obtained by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Deep Submergence Lab's Autonomous Benthic Explorer (ABE) and Sentry autonomous underwater vehicles during operations on the Juan de Fuca Ridge. This algorithm uses a nested architecture to break the navigation solution down into basic building blocks for each type of available external information. The algorithm classifies external information as either line of position or gridded observations. For any line of position observation, the algorithm generates a multi-modal block of parallel position estimate hypotheses. The multimodal hypotheses are input into an arbiter which produces a single unimodal output. If a priori maps of gridded information are available, they are used within the arbiter structure to aid in the elimination of false hypotheses. / (cont.) For the proof of concept, this research uses ranges from a single external acoustic transponder in the hypothesis generation process and grids of low-resolution bathymetric data from a ship-based multibeam sonar in the arbitration process. The major contributions of this research include the in-situ identification of acoustic multipath time-of-flight measurements, the multiscale utilization of a priori low resolution bathymetric data in a high-resolution navigation algorithm, and the design of a navigation algorithm with a flexible architecture. This flexible architecture allows the incorporation of multimodal beliefs without requiring a complex mechanism for real-time hypothesis generation and culling, and it allows the real-time incorporation of multiple types of external information as they become available in situ into the overall navigation solution. / by Cara Elizabeth Grupe LaPointe. / Ph.D.

Thesis (S.M.)--Joint Program in Applied Ocean Science and Engineering (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science; and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution), 2008. / This electronic version was submitted by the student author. The certified thesis is available in the Institute Archives and Special Collections. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 79-83). / Oceanographic applications of robotics are as varied as the undersea environment itself. As underwater robotics moves toward the study of dynamic processes with multiple vehicles, there is an increasing need to distill large volumes of data from underwater vehicles and deliver it quickly to human operators. While tethered robots are able to communicate data to surface observers instantly, communicating discoveries is more difficult for untethered vehicles. The ocean imposes severe limitations on wireless communications; light is quickly absorbed by seawater, and tradeoffs between frequency, bitrate and environmental effects result in data rates for acoustic modems that are routinely as low as tens of bits per second. These data rates usually limit telemetry to state and health information, to the exclusion of mission-specific science data. In this thesis, I present a system designed for communicating and presenting science telemetry from untethered underwater vehicles to surface observers. The system's goals are threefold: to aid human operators in understanding oceanographic processes, to enable human operators to play a role in adaptively responding to mission-specific data, and to accelerate mission planning from one vehicle dive to the next. The system uses standard lossy compression techniques to lower required data rates to those supported by commercially available acoustic modems (O(10) - O(100) bits per second). / (cont.) As part of the system, a method for compressing time-series science data based upon the Discrete Wavelet Transform (DWT) is explained, a number of low-bitrate image compression techniques are compared, and a novel user interface for reviewing transmitted telemetry is presented. Each component is motivated by science data from a variety of actual Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) missions performed in the last year. / by Christopher Alden Murphy. / S.M.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Joint Program in Oceanography/Applied Ocean Science and Engineering (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences; and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution), 2009. / Cataloged from PDF version of thesis. / Includes bibliographical references. / Halogenated 1'-methyl-1,2'-bipyrroles (MBPs) are a distinctive class of marine organic compounds. They are naturally produced, they have a unique carbon structure, they are highly halogenated, and they bioaccumulate in upper trophic levels. MBPs share many characteristics with persistent organic pollutants (POPs), and may prove to be useful natural analogues for these anthropogenic compounds. Further, their unique structure suggests that their biosynthetic organism(s) may have new genes to add to current knowledge of biosynthetic chemistry. The objectives of this dissertation were to further clarify the environmental distribution of MBPs, to examine whether MBPs biomagnify, and to investigate possible origins of these compounds through their stable nitrogen isotopic signatures. Results from these investigations have shown that over 40 highly brominated MBP congeners are present in marine mammals, fish, and squid from the Northwestern Atlantic Ocean. The most abundant MBPs do appear to biomagnify through the food web to reach the concentrations observed in marine mammals. This additional evidence affords greater confidence in the use of MBPs as natural analogues for POPs. However, differences in the environmental chemistry of MBPs and anthropogenic compounds are also evident, and may be due to these compounds' different origins, or to the capacity of degradative enzymes to act upon them. / (cont.) Finally, compound-specific nitrogen isotope analyses on MBPs isolated from dolphin blubber show that these compounds are dramatically enriched in 15N relative to other biosynthetic organic compounds. This enrichment is likely a signal imparted during biosynthesis, and may assist in elucidating the organism(s) and mechanism(s) responsible for the biosynthesis of MBPs. / by Kristin C. Pangallo. / Ph.D.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Joint Program in Oceanography/Applied Ocean Science and Engineering (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Biology; and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution), 2005. / Includes bibliographical references. / The geographic distribution and dynamics of coastal benthic populations are shaped by physical - biological interactions affecting larval dispersal and the demography of juvenile and adult individuals. This thesis focused on nearshore patterns of larval distribution and regional patterns in demography of intertidal barnacles in Southern and Baja California. Horizontal and vertical distributions, and the mortality rates of larvae, were assessed from short term (i.e. days) small- scale observations (0.1-1 km) in nearshore waters. Observations on spatial variability of adult barnacle demography were gathered over 1.5 years at scales of hundreds of kilometers. Stage-specific horizontal distributions and nearshore current measurements suggested that larvae of Balanus g-landula and Chthamalus spp. may experience limited dispersal. High mortality rates could further limit travel distances and the exchange of individuals among disjunct populations. Data on vertical distributions indicated that nauplii and cyprids of Balanus nubilus and Pollicipes polymerus occur at different depths. Nauplii remained near the surface at all times, whereas cyprids occurred in the bottom half of the water column. / (cont.) Such distributions, combined with vertical variability in horizontal flows, might cause the observed horizontal segregation of nauplii and cyprids. Differences in survival, growth rate, size structure, and per capita fertility of adult Balanus glandula were observed between Dana Point (Southern California) and Punta Baja (Baja California), a site located near the species' southern limit of distribution. Effects of spatial differences in demography on population persistence were assessed with a stage-structured matrix model. Model analyses indicated that the Punta Baja population is more susceptible to environmental stochasticity and more prone to local extinction than populations located further north. This thesis emphasizes the importance of characterizing factors that affect the dynamics of benthic populations at multiple spatial-temporal scales, and the usefulness of small scale high- frequency observations of nearshore phenomena, especially in relation with the dispersal of larvae. / by Fabián J. Tapia. / Ph.D.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Joint Program in Applied Ocean Science and Engineering (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science; and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution), 2006. / This electronic version was submitted by the student author. The certified thesis is available in the Institute Archives and Special Collections. / Also issued in pages. Barker Engineering Library copy: issued in pages. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 193-[201]). / The first part of the dissertation investigates the application of the theory of large random matrices to high-dimensional inference problems when the samples are drawn from a multivariate normal distribution. A longstanding problem in sensor array processing is addressed by designing an estimator for the number of signals in white noise that dramatically outperforms that proposed by Wax and Kailath. This methodology is extended to develop new parametric techniques for testing and estimation. Unlike techniques found in the literature, these exhibit robustness to high-dimensionality, sample size constraints and eigenvector misspecification. By interpreting the eigenvalues of the sample covariance matrix as an interacting particle system, the existence of a phase transition phenomenon in the largest ("signal") eigenvalue is derived using heuristic arguments. This exposes a fundamental limit on the identifiability of low-level signals due to sample size constraints when using the sample eigenvalues alone. The analysis is extended to address a problem in sensor array processing, posed by Baggeroer and Cox, on the distribution of the outputs of the Capon-MVDR beamformer when the sample covariance matrix is diagonally loaded. / (cont.) The second part of the dissertation investigates the limiting distribution of the eigenvalues and eigenvectors of a broader class of random matrices. A powerful method is proposed that expands the reach of the theory beyond the special cases of matrices with Gaussian entries; this simultaneously establishes a framework for computational (non-commutative) "free probability" theory. The class of "algebraic" random matrices is defined and the generators of this class are specified. Algebraicity of a random matrix sequence is shown to act as a certificate of the computability of the limiting eigenvalue distribution and, for a subclass, the limiting conditional "eigenvector distribution." The limiting moments of algebraic random matrix sequences, when they exist, are shown to satisfy a finite depth linear recursion so that they may often be efficiently enumerated in closed form. The method is applied to predict the deterioration in the quality of the sample eigenvectors of large algebraic empirical covariance matrices due to sample size constraints. / by Rajesh Rao Nadakuditi. / Ph.D.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Joint Program in Oceanography/Applied Ocean Science and Engineering (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences; and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution), 2009. / Includes bibliographical references. / Trichodesmium spp. are considered the dominant nitrogen (N) fixing cyanobacteria in tropical and subtropical oceans, regimes frequently characterized by low iron (Fe). Limited information exists about what levels of Fe limit Trichodesmium N fixation. I developed a diagnostic for Fe limitation using quantitative reverse transcription PCR (qRT-PCR) of the Fe stress response gene isiB, which encodes for flavodoxin a non-Fe containing substitute for ferredoxin. I determined that high isiB gene expression corresponded to cell-specific reductions in N fixation rates in both phylogenetic clades of Trichodesmium grown on varying levels of Fe. Using these laboratory-determined thresholds, I assessed Fe limitation of Trichodesmium from the Sargasso Sea, equatorial Atlantic Ocean and Western Pacific Warm Pool in conjunction with other analytical measurements (N, phosphorus (P) and dissolved Fe (<0.4[mu]m filtered)). I found widespread Fe limitation in Trichodesmium from the Pacific Ocean and minimal expression in the North Atlantic Ocean. I also found an inverse correlation between isiB expression and dissolved Fe:P ratios in seawater and data suggesting that most dissolved Fe in seawater, including organic ligand-bound Fe, is available to Trichodesmium. These data support and refine previous model predictions and demonstrate, in situ, the importance of Fe to the marine N cycle. / by Phoebe Dreux Chappell. / S.M.