This activity analysed the feasibility and performance of the quantum pulse gate (QPG) technique for noise rejection in optical communication systems. The optical frequency band is expected to play an increasingly important role in space communications due to a substantial increase in available data rates with respect to radio transmission, as well as enhanced information security. The main limiting factor for the performance of an optical link is the background noise collected by the receiver, especially when operated at low signal powers, e.g.

Achievements and status: ​

The main objective of this activity was to develop the technology of crystal growth and testing of mercurous bromide (Hg2Br2) single crystals potentially suitable for broadband infrared (SWIR, LWIR) polarization optic and acousto-optics, incl. the acousto-optic tuneable filter (AOTF). The crystal exhibits unique optical characteristics in the full 0.5 - 30 μm spectral range: broad optical transmission, high birefringence, extremely low velocity of acoustic wave propagation and high coefficient of acousto-optical interaction.

Background and justification:

Super-resolution (SR) is aimed at reconstructing high-resolution (HR) images from low-resolution (LR) observations. Developing effective SR techniques is particularly important for enhancing the capabilities of remotely-sensed data, including Sentinel-2 images, as their 10m resolution remains a serious limitation in many cases. Importantly, most of the state-of-the-art SR techniques based on deep networks are evaluated in an artificial setup: LR images are simulated from an HR image (later treated as a reference), and the goal of SR is to reverse this degradation process.

Conventional high-speed video cameras present major limitations for space applications, they are heavy, bulky and require a lot of resources to operate and to space qualify. The study proposes the use of the neuromorphic camera technology for high-speed imaging in space. Neuromorphic cameras, also called event-cameras, offer advantages such as small size, low power consumption, and high temporal resolution, making them suitable for detecting fast phenomena like lightning and space debris. The advantages also make them relatively easy to space-qualify.