Abstract: A system for covert sensing. A broadband light source is split into two portions, a first portion of which illuminates a target, and a second portion of which is frequency shifted, e.g., by an acousto-optic frequency shifter. Light reflected from the target is combined with the frequency shifted light, detected, and demodulated with an in-phase and quadrature demodulator. The outputs of the demodulator are filtered and the arc tangent of the ratio is calculated.

Abstract: A subsea system for exploiting an oceanic current shear includes a first vehicle positionable in a first oceanic current and tethered to a second vehicle positionable in a second oceanic current. The first and second oceanic currents have a velocity differential. A drag or lift device integral or attached to the first vehicle exerts a force through the tether on the second vehicle and its associated drag or lift device, thus providing a net propulsive force. Hydrofoils or control devices attached to the vehicles provide hydrodynamic lift, drag, and/or depth control that allow the direction of the force to be controlled for propulsion in a desired direction. The relative currents and/or change in separation of the vehicles can be used for energy harvesting. Turbines and generators coupled to the vehicles harvest energy for long term subsea endurance. A sensor aperture comprises a plurality of sensors coupled to components of the subsea system.

Abstract: A method for performing security functions in a computer system hosting a network-facing server application includes receiving, by a service request processor, a service request to an application adapted to process the service request; responsive to the service request being a first request for the application to communicate over a network, processing the service request with a first process isolated in memory from the application; responsive to the service request being a second request for the application to access a physical storage device, processing the service request with a second process isolated in memory from the application; and responsive to a determination that the processed service request will not adversely affect the application, providing the processed service request to the application.

Abstract: An SDR system and method that intentionally illuminates aircraft systems with RF energy having specific characteristics (e.g., frequency, power, waveform, directionality, duration, etc.) are provided. The aircraft systems act as non-linear mixers and emit non-linear RF energy. A receiver receives the RF energy response and generates an RF energy representation that is correlated to a database of baseline responses. A correlation response between the received RF energy representation and any one of the baseline responses from the database provides an indication of the aircraft system status.

Abstract: An apparatus, method, and computer program product that intentionally illuminate at least one target device with electromagnetic energy having specific characteristics (e.g., frequency, power, waveform, directionality, duration, etc.). The target device, which may be an unpowered data storage device, acts as a non-linear mixer and is forced to emit radiative signals containing information about the target device behavior, state, and physical characteristics. Embodiments receive the forced emissions, extract useful data, and analyze the data to determine target device characteristics (e.g., a target device type, based on a comparison of data from known types). Embodiments control the illumination so the forced emissions radiate from an enclosure without interfering with tactical communications, and so that stored target device data is not affected. Embodiments can locate a hidden target device via the strength and directionality of the forced emissions.

Abstract: A sensing system including in-ground sensors not requiring battery power. A thermoelectric generator sensor rod includes an upper thermal contact and a lower thermal contact at or near its two ends. When the thermoelectric generator sensor rod is buried in the ground with one end buried more deeply than the other, a temperature gradient in the soil produces a temperature difference between the upper thermal contact and the lower thermal contact. The upper thermal contact and the lower thermal contact are thermally connected to a thermoelectric generator, e.g., by heat pipes or thermally conductive rods. Electrical power generated by the thermoelectric generator powers sensors for monitoring conditions in the ground, and circuitry for transmitting sensor data to a central data processing system.

Abstract: Systems, devices and methods for remotely interrogating sensor electronics are described. In one embodiment, a system for detecting and localizing chemical analytes is described. This system includes a plurality of chemosensor electronic devices for detecting the presence of chemical analytes. Each of these devices includes a chemosensor for sensing chemical analytes, a transponder, and an electronic circuit for activating the transponder based on an output of the chemosensor. These devices may have a cross-section area of less than 1 square micrometer. The system also includes an interrogation device for interrogating the plurality of devices and for receiving information on the detected chemical analytes from devices with activated transponders, and a processor for determining the locations of the devices with activated transponders. These locations may be forwarded to a third party.

Abstract: An optical receiver may include a unitary transformation operator to receive an n-symbol optical codeword associated with a codebook, and to perform a unitary transformation on the received optical codeword to generate a transformed optical codeword, where the unitary transformation is based on the codebook. The optical receiver may further include n optical detectors, where a particular one of the n optical detectors is to detect a particular optical symbol of the transformed optical codeword, and to determine whether the particular optical symbol corresponds to a first optical symbol or a second optical symbol. The optical receiver may also include a decoder to construct a codeword based on the determinations, and to decode the constructed codeword into a message using the codebook. The optical receiver may attain superadditive capacity, and, with an optimal code, may attain the Holevo limit to reliable communication data rates.

Abstract: A body garment including sensors distributed throughout the garment, each sensor senses body state information from a local surface area of a body; and sensor nodes in proximity to the plurality of sensors, each sensor node including a processor to receive sensing body state information from at least one of the plurality of sensors. Each processor is configured to receive body state information locally from sensors, to utilize the information to determine a local surface shape of the surface of a portion of the body part; and to exchange local surface shape information with neighboring sensor nodes. At least one processor of utilizes the local surface shape information received from the sensor nodes to generate one overall model of a surface shape of the entire surface of the body part covered by the garment.

Abstract: A quantum circuit and method for Schur transform includes: a first quantum register including n quantum systems initialized to an initial state of “0”, where n is an integer and represents a number of quantum systems; a second quantum register including m quantum systems initialized to the initial state of “0”, where m is an integer and represents a required workspace; a first quantum circuit that operates on only the first register and performs a block diagonalization of the n quantum systems into permutation modules; a second quantum circuit that operates on both registers and block diagonalizes each of the permutation modules using a QFTPermMod operation; and one or more quantum output registers coupled to the second quantum circuit for holding a basis for the Schur transform.

Abstract: A system comprising includes a plurality of three dimensional line-scanner LIDAR sensors disposed to provide a set of fanned beams that travel from one horizon into the air to the other horizon arranged to provide a light fence to detect an object that breaks the light fence and a sensor processor connected to the plurality of three dimensional multi-beam line-scanner LIDAR sensors to establish a vector of travel and a velocity of the object that passes through the multi-beam light fence at the location of where the beams are broken.

Abstract: A system for tracking a drone includes a device where a human designates a drone as a target drone and a second autonomous intercept drone having an on-board sensor to track the target drone and self pilots to the location of the target drone

Abstract: Methods and systems for performing security functions in a service-oriented computer system are provided. The method includes acts of receiving, from one or more entities, a service request for a service provided by one or more server computers adapted to process the service request; providing a copy of the service request to a processor adapted to analyze the copy of the service request; storing the service request in a memory; determining, by the processor, if the service request should be processed by performing one or more analyzes of the copy of the service request to determine if the service request would be harmful to the one or more server computers; and if it is determined that the service request should be processed by the one or more server computers, forwarding the service request to the one or more server computers.

Abstract: Acoustic sensing systems having improved vibration cancelation, and methods of achieving improved vibration cancelation. In one example, an acoustic sensing system includes an acoustic sensor configured to produce a sensor output signal representative of a response of the acoustic sensor to acoustic excitation and vibration excitation, at least one accelerometer configured to provide an acceleration signal responsive to the vibration excitation, and a controller, including an adaptive digital filter, coupled to the acoustic sensor and to the at least one accelerometer, and configured to receive the acceleration signal and to adjust coefficients of the adaptive digital filter so as to minimize coherence between a residual signal and the acceleration signal, the residual signal being a difference between the sensor output signal and a filter output signal from the adaptive digital filter.

Abstract: In one aspect, a photonic device includes a substrate layer comprising magnesium fluoride and an optical guiding layer disposed on the substrate layer. The optical guide layer includes silicon dioxide. The substrate layer and the optical guide layer are transparent at an ultraviolet and visible wavelength range. In another aspect, a method includes oxidizing silicon to form a silicon dioxide layer, bonding the silicon dioxide layer to magnesium fluoride, removing the silicon and performing lithography and etching of the silicon dioxide to form a photonic device.

Abstract: An apparatus, method, and computer program product that intentionally illuminate at least one target item with electromagnetic energy having specific characteristics (e.g., frequency, power, waveform, directionality, duration, etc.). The target item, which may be an unpowered data storage device or secure document, acts as a non-linear mixer and is forced to emit radiative signals containing information about the target item's state and physical characteristics. Embodiments receive the forced emissions, extract useful data, and analyze the data to determine target item characteristics (e.g., a target item type, based on a comparison of data from known types). Embodiments control the illumination so the forced emissions radiate from an enclosure without interfering with tactical communications, and so that stored target item data is not affected. Embodiments can locate a hidden target item via the strength and directionality of the forced emissions.

Abstract: A system and method for determining positional order of vehicles across a threshold plane within a dynamic environment is provided. The system can include moving vehicles (e.g., boats) each having a GPS receiver. A reference object (e.g., an anchored boat) can have an image capturing device and a primary GPS receiver, and can be subject to movement induced by the dynamic environment. A fixed object having a known position (e.g., a government buoy) relative to the reference object define a threshold plane, which is subject to movement based on movement of the reference object. Photometric data gathered by the image capturing device and geospatial data gathered from the GPS receivers, the primary GPS receiver, and the fixed object is analyzed by a processor to determine a positional order at which each vehicle crossed the movable threshold plane.

Abstract: A decision engine includes: a genetic algorithm framework including a knowledge base of standard configurations, a candidate selector generator and a selector to select a candidate configuration from a plurality of preferred standard configurations in response to the candidate selector generator; a parallelized reasoning framework including an attack surface reasoning algorithm module to compute the security and cost tradeoffs of an attack surface associated with each candidate configuration; and a user interface framework including a web service engine where users can interact and provide feedback on direction of an evolution used in a genetic algorithm search for evolving defenses.

Abstract: A decision engine includes: a genetic algorithm framework including a knowledge base of standard configurations, a candidate selector generator and a selector to select a candidate configuration from a plurality of preferred standard configurations in response to the candidate selector generator; a parallelized reasoning framework including an attack surface reasoning algorithm module to compute the security and cost tradeoffs of an attack surface associated with each candidate configuration; and a user interface framework including a web service engine where users can interact and provide feedback on direction of an evolution used in a genetic algorithm search for evolving defenses.

Abstract: Embodiments described herein relate to generating an image of an acoustic field associated with an underwater region. A plurality of submersible sensing devices (SSDs) are disposed so as to be substantially separate from each other in an underwater region, wherein each respective SSD is configured to execute a sink/float mission. During at least a portion of the sink/float mission, within each SSD, an environmental sensor measures at least one environmental parameter, a position sensor detects position information, an acoustic detection sensor detects at least one underwater signal, and a data recording system records mission data. After the sink/float mission, a processor receives mission data from the SSDs and generates an acoustic field image. Advantageously, during the sink/float mission some SSDs can transmit an orthogonal high time-bandwidth signal to help prevent interference between SSD during acoustic detection.