Abstract: An article including a durable, optically transparent, and superhydrophobic coating is described. In one aspect, the present disclosure provides an article comprising a substrate, and disposed adjacent the substrate, a layer comprising graphitic carbon, diamond-like carbon, and aerogel. In another aspect, the present disclosure provides a method for preparing a coated substrate, comprising providing a carbon layer disposed on a substrate and having a textured surface; and disposing aerogel adjacent to at least a portion of the textured surface.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to optical systems and methods of their operation. An example optical system includes an optical component and one or more light sources configured to emit a light signal. The light signal interacts with the optical component so as to provide an interaction light signal. The optical system also includes a detector configured to detect at least a portion of the interaction light signal as a detected light signal. The optical system additionally includes a controller configured to carry out operations including causing the one or more light sources to emit the light signal and receiving the detected light signal from the detector. The operations also include determining, based on the detected light signal, that one or more defects are associated with the optical component.

Abstract: An article including a durable, optically transparent, and superhydrophobic coating is described. In one aspect, the present disclosure provides a coating comprising a layer of aerogel disposed interstitially between spaced features extending in a direction perpendicular to a major surface of the coating, the spaced features having an average height of between 200-5000 nm and an average spacing of between 10-2000 nm, and comprising at least 75 wt. % of one or more of crystalline or amorphous silicon, an inorganic oxide, a polymer, crystalline or amorphous carbon, a carbide, or a nitride.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to optical systems and methods of their operation. An example optical system includes an optical component and one or more light sources configured to emit a light signal. The light signal interacts with the optical component so as to provide an interaction light signal. The optical system also includes a detector configured to detect at least a portion of the interaction light signal as a detected light signal. The optical system additionally includes a controller configured to carry out operations including causing the one or more light sources to emit the light signal and receiving the detected light signal from the detector. The operations also include determining, based on the detected light signal, that one or more defects are associated with the optical component.

Abstract: The subject matter of this specification can be implemented in, among other things, a system that includes a first light source to produce a pulsed beam and a second light source to produce a continuous beam, a modulator to impart a modulation to the second beam, and an optical interface subsystem to transmit the pulsed beam and the continuous beam to an outside environment and to detect a plurality of signals reflected from the outside environment. The system further includes one or more circuits configured to identify associations of various reflected pulsed signals, used to detect distance to various objects in the environment, with correct reflected continuous signals, used to detect velocities of the objects. The one or more circuits identify the associations based on the modulation of the detected continuous signals.

Abstract: This technology relates to a system for preventing particle buildup on a sensor housing. The system may include a sensor housing including a first surface, a motor, and a spoiler edge. The motor may be configured to rotate the sensor housing around an axis. The spoiler edge may be positioned adjacent to the first surface and extended away from the first surface perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the sensor housing.

Abstract: The subject matter of this specification can be implemented in, among other things, a system that includes a light source to produce a first beam and one or more first optical elements to impart an orbital angular momentum (OAM) to at least some of a plurality of output beams obtained from the first beam. The system further includes an output optical device to direct the output beams towards a target object and a plurality of photodetectors to generate signals representative of a difference between an input phase information, carried by one or more beams reflected from the target object, and an output phase information, carried by one of local copies of the output beams. The system further includes a processing device to determine, using the difference between the input phase information and the output phase information, one or more orthogonal components of a velocity of the target object.

Abstract: The subject matter of this specification can be implemented in, among other things, systems and methods of optical sensing that utilize time and frequency multiplexing of sensing signals. Described are, among other things, a light source subsystem to produce a first beam having a first frequency and a second beam having a second frequency, a modulator to impart a modulation to the second beam, and an optical interface subsystem to receive a third beam caused by interaction of the first beam with an object and a fourth beam caused by interaction of the second beam with the object. Also described are one or more circuits to determine, based on a first phase information carried by the third beam, a velocity of the object, and then determine, based on a second phase information carried by the third beam and the first phase information, a distance to the object.

Abstract: The subject matter of this specification can be implemented in, among other things, systems and methods that enable lidar channel multiplexing using optical locking of separate lasers while simultaneously imparting different frequency offsets to beams output by different lasers. As a result, received beams reflected from various objects, which are present in an outside environment, can have Doppler-shifted frequencies that do not overlap, facilitating concurrent identification of distances to and velocities of multiple objects.

Abstract: This technology relates to a system for preventing particle buildup on a sensor housing. The system may include a sensor housing including a first surface, a motor, and a spoiler edge. The motor may be configured to rotate the sensor housing around an axis. The spoiler edge may be positioned adjacent to the first surface and extended away from the first surface perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the sensor housing.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to optical systems and methods of their operation. An example optical system includes an optical component and one or more light sources configured to emit a light signal. The light signal interacts with the optical component so as to provide an interaction light signal. The optical system also includes a detector configured to detect at least a portion of the interaction light signal as a detected light signal. The optical system additionally includes a controller configured to carry out operations including causing the one or more light sources to emit the light signal and receiving the detected light signal from the detector. The operations also include determining, based on the detected light signal, that one or more defects are associated with the optical component.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to optical systems and methods of their operation. An example optical system includes an optical component and one or more light sources configured to emit a light signal. The light signal interacts with the optical component so as to provide an interaction light signal. The optical system also includes a detector configured to detect at least a portion of the interaction light signal as a detected light signal. The optical system additionally includes a controller configured to carry out operations including causing the one or more light sources to emit the light signal and receiving the detected light signal from the detector. The operations also include determining, based on the detected light signal, that one or more defects are associated with the optical component.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to optical systems and methods of their operation. An example optical system includes an optical component and one or more light sources configured to emit a light signal. The light signal interacts with the optical component so as to provide an interaction light signal. The optical system also includes a detector configured to detect at least a portion of the interaction light signal as a detected light signal. The optical system additionally includes a controller configured to carry out operations including causing the one or more light sources to emit the light signal and receiving the detected light signal from the detector. The operations also include determining, based on the detected light signal, that one or more defects are associated with the optical component.

Abstract: This technology relates to a system for preventing particle buildup on a sensor housing. The system may include a sensor housing including a first surface, a motor, and a spoiler edge. The motor may be configured to rotate the sensor housing around an axis. The spoiler edge may be positioned adjacent to the first surface and extended away from the first surface perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the sensor housing.