Technology in Support of National Security

Monthly News & Updates

SUMMER2024

TVO Newsletter

Summer 2024 Edition


A review of some innovative

developments over this past Summer

Latest in Issued Patents

Polarization-separated, Phase-shifted Interferometer

A polarization-separated, phase-shifted interferometer generates interferograms without moving parts by using an electro-optic phase modulator to adjust the phase between sample and reference beams. These beams, in orthogonal polarization states, are routed through a polarizing beam splitter and quarter-wave plates, then projected onto a detector via a 45° linear polarizer, where they interfere to produce an output used for mapping surface topography.

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Oscillator-based Solid-state Spin Sensor

The oscillator-based solid-state spin sensor is a compact, low-power sensor that uses a self-sustaining oscillator with a dielectric resonator containing paramagnetic defects to detect magnetic fields. The sensor encodes changes in the magnetic field as shifts in the oscillator's frequency, consuming less than 300 mW of power and offering high sensitivity, all within a volume of less than 1 mL.

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High Power Light Absorbers

High-power light absorbers (HPLAs) are designed to minimize back-scattered and stray light while withstanding high optical power, making them suitable as beam dumps for high-power lasers. These absorbers feature a thermally conductive substrate with an anti-reflection coating and a layer of highly absorbing material, and they can be cooled with fluids like water or air.

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Newsletter Highlights

Researchers return to Arctic to test integrated sensor nodes

Watch all episodes Shimmering ice extends in all directions as far as the eye can see. Air temperatures plunge to minus 40 degrees Fahrenheit and colder with wind chills. Ocean currents drag large swathes of ice floating at sea. Polar bears, narwhals, and other iconic Arctic species roam wild.

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Small, nimble weather satellites could track the atmosphere moment by moment, boosting forecasts

Cheaper, more varied probes will also warn of droughts, harmful algal blooms, and sea level rise

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New open-source tool helps to detangle the brain

In late 2023, the first drug with potential to slow the progression of Alzheimer's disease was approved by the Federal Drug Administration. Alzheimer's is one of many debilitating neurological disorders that together affect one eighth of the world's population, and while the new drug is a step in the right direction, there is still a long journey ahead to fully understanding it, and other, such diseases.

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Simulated COVID-19 spread informs NYC public transit protocols

When COVID-19 hit the nation in 2020, much was unknown about its impact and its spread. One unknown was how safe it was to use public transportation - what was the risk of getting infected and what mitigations could be put in place?

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Did You Know...

In 1962...

SECO (Sequential Decoding) Demonstrated


Lincoln Laboratory designed and constructed a sequential encoder-decoder (SECO), a convolutional encoder and sequential decoder for a two-way communications system. Sequential decoding was successfully demonstrated on the Lincoln Experimental Terminals (LET) satellite communications program.

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