Abstract: A potentially small, gimballed, multi-sensor system employs a shared aperture for at least some of the image sensors. Applications include intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition and reconnaissance (ISTAR), and guiding autonomous vehicles. The system can actively blend images from multiple spectral bands for clarity and interpretability, provide remote identification of objects and material, provide anomaly detection, control lasers and opto-mechanics for image quality, and use shared aperture using folded optics.

Abstract: An optical system such as an imaging system, projecting system or combined imaging and projecting system, has complex dielectric coatings and/or reflecting polarizers to separate multiple spectral bands and/or polarizations on one or more of the system's curved mirrors.

Abstract: A configurable optical baffling includes an outer housing positioned above a fixed platform and has an outer opening. An inner housing is layered below the outer housing and above the fixed platform and has inner openings and inner shaded sections. The outer opening includes an elongated sensing boresight having a longitudinal boresight axis and opposing ends. An outer boresight opening end is open to the light from the scene, and a reflecting end has a flat fold mirror that is configured to reflect light from the outer boresight opening in towards the inner housing so that the optical baffling is configured to receive light from the scene solely from a single look direction along the boresight axis, the single look direction being changeable by rotation of the outer housing.

Abstract: The present disclosure provides an OCT imaging system to reduce or eliminate frequency-domain aliasing artifacts. The frequency is shifted using a carrier frequency to define a sampling range substantially centered on the carrier frequency. An image of the sample is generated from a displayed imaging range that consists of a subset of the frequencies within the sampling range. Furthermore, the system may be configured to determine the carrier frequency such that a Nyquist frequency corresponding to the shifted frequency is extended beyond either an upper or a lower bound of an OCT quality envelope corresponding to the first portion of light. Additionally, the carrier frequency may be determined such that a lower bound of the OCT quality envelope is greater or less than a zero-frequency DC limit.

Abstract: A configurable optical baffling includes an outer housing positioned above a fixed platform and has an outer opening. An inner housing is layered below the outer housing and above the fixed platform and has inner openings and inner shaded sections. The outer opening includes an elongated sensing boresight having a longitudinal boresight axis and opposing ends. An outer boresight opening end is open to the light from the scene, and a reflecting end has a flat fold mirror that is configured to reflect light from the outer boresight opening in towards the inner housing so that the optical baffling is configured to receive light from the scene solely from a single look direction along the boresight axis, the single look direction being changeable by rotation of the outer housing.

Abstract: A configurable sunshade for use with a multiple-camera system that has multiple camera sensors with associated fields of view. The sunshade has multiple portions that are independently rotatable with respect to a fixed platform such that in distinct orientations with respect to each other, specified cameras may be blocked from receiving light from a scene, in whole or in part. In other embodiments, individual apertures of a multi-sunshade housing may be separately activated.

Abstract: A coupling interface arrangement is described for a photonic integrated circuit (PIC) device. The PIC includes an interface coupling surface having optical grating elements arranged to form optical output locations that produce corresponding light output beams. A coupling lens couples the light output beams into a conjugate plane at a far-field scene characterized by one or more optical aberrations that degrade optical resolution of the light outputs. The optical grating elements are configured to correct for the one or more optical aberrations.

Abstract: A star tracker includes a lens slice, a pixelated image sensor, an ephemeral database and a processor configured to estimate attitude, orientation and/or location of the star tracker based on an image of one or more celestial objects projected by the lens slice onto the pixelated image sensor. The lens slice is smaller and lighter than an optically comparable conventional lens, thereby making the star tracker less voluminous and less massive than conventional star trackers. A lens slice is elongated along one axis. Optical performance along the elongation axis is comparable to that of a conventional circular lens of equal diameter. Although optical performance along a width axis, perpendicular to the elongation axis, of a lens slice can be significantly worse than that of a conventional lens, use of two orthogonal lens slices provides adequate optical performance in both axes, and still saves volume and mass over a conventional lens.

Abstract: The present disclosure provides an OCT imaging system to reduce or eliminate frequency-domain aliasing artifacts. The frequency is shifted using a carrier frequency to define a sampling range substantially centered on the carrier frequency. An image of the sample is generated from a displayed imaging range that consists of a subset of the frequencies within the sampling range. Furthermore, the system may be configured to determine the carrier frequency such that a Nyquist frequency corresponding to the shifted frequency is extended beyond either an upper or a lower bound of an OCT quality envelope corresponding to the first portion of light. Additionally, the carrier frequency may be determined such that a lower bound of the OCT quality envelope is greater or less than a zero-frequency DC limit.

Abstract: The present disclosure provides an OCT imaging system to reduce or eliminate frequency-domain aliasing artifacts. The frequency is shifted using a carrier frequency to define a sampling range substantially centered on the carrier frequency. An image of the sample is generated from a displayed imaging range that consists of a subset of the frequencies within the sampling range. Furthermore, the system may be configured to determine the carrier frequency such that a Nyquist frequency corresponding to the shifted frequency is extended beyond either an upper or a lower bound of an OCT quality envelope corresponding to the first portion of light. Additionally, the carrier frequency may be determined such that a lower bound of the OCT quality envelope is greater or less than a zero-frequency DC limit.

Abstract: Improvements to atom interferometers. An improved atom interferometer has a single polarization-preserving fiber, coupled for propagation of beams of two Raman frequencies, and a parallel displacement beamsplitter for separating the laser beams into respective free-space-propagating parallel beams traversing at least one ensemble of atoms. A reflector generates one or more beams counterpropagating through the ensemble of atoms. Other improvements include interposing a beam-splitting surface common to a plurality of parallel pairs of beams counterpropagating through the ensemble of atoms, generating interference fringes between reflections of the beams to generate a detector signal; and processing the detector signal to derive at least one of relative phase and relative alignment between respective pairs of the counterpropagating beams.

Abstract: A configurable sunshade for use with a multiple-camera system that has multiple camera sensors with associated fields of view. The sunshade has multiple portions that are independently rotatable with respect to a fixed platform such that in distinct orientations with respect to each other, specified cameras may be blocked from receiving light from a scene, in whole or in part. In other embodiments, individual apertures of a multi-sunshade housing may be separately activated.

Abstract: An optical device is described for a wide field of view optical system. A device housing has an optical opening into an enclosed interior volume. A multi-element lens is molded across the optical opening and defined by: a. a field of view representing a volume of space from which light is collected, b. a plurality of optical paths through the lens defining one or more focal planes within the interior volume, and c. a boresight axis perpendicular to each of the one or more focal planes. Optical sensors are arranged on the one or more focal planes and configured for sensing light collected through the lens from the field of view. The device forms a single environmentally hardened package configured to absorb impulse shocks without disturbing the boresight axis or the plurality of optical paths.

Abstract: An atomic interferometer and methods for measuring phase shifts in interference fringes using the same. The atomic interferometer has a laser beam traversing an ensemble of atoms along a first path and an optical components train with at least one alignment-insensitive beam routing element configured to reflect the laser beam along a second path that is anti-parallel with respect to the first laser beam path. Any excursion from parallelism of the second beam path with respect to the first is rigorously independent of variation of the first laser beam path in yaw parallel to an underlying plane.

Abstract: Improvements to atom interferometers. An improved atom interferometer has a single polarization-preserving fiber, coupled for propagation of beams of two Raman frequencies, and a parallel displacement beamsplitter for separating the laser beams into respective free-space-propagating parallel beams traversing at least one ensemble of atoms. A reflector generates one or more beams counterpropagating through the ensemble of atoms. Other improvements include interposing a beam-splitting surface common to a plurality of parallel pairs of beams counterpropagating through the ensemble of atoms, generating interference fringes between reflections of the beams to generate a detector signal; and processing the detector signal to derive at least one of relative phase and relative alignment between respective pairs of the counterpropagating beams.

Abstract: An atomic interferometer and methods for measuring phase shifts in interference fringes using the same. The atomic interferometer has a laser beam traversing an ensemble of atoms along a first path and an optical components train with at least one alignment-insensitive beam routing element configured to reflect the laser beam along a second path that is anti-parallel with respect to the first laser beam path. Any excursion from parallelism of the second beam path with respect to the first is rigorously independent of variation of the first laser beam path in yaw parallel to an underlying plane.

Abstract: Scattered light in the sky (sky glow) from light sources at one or more known geographic locations is used as reference point(s), from which geographic location of a system observing the sky glow is automatically ascertained. The light is scattered by particulates in the atmosphere. An upward looking camera captures an image of the sky, including the sky glow. A search engine automatically searches a catalog of modeled or pre-stored sky glows for a model that matches the image. Each model is associated with a geographic location. The models characterize each sky glow, such as in terms of color, intensity, etc., as the sky glow would appear from the associated geographic location. If a matching model is found, within a predetermined match criterion, the system outputs the geographic location associated with the matching model. Optionally, the geographic location is used to select and display a map of the geographic location.

Abstract: An optical probe is provided. The optical probe includes a lens extending along an axis between a first end and a second end. A spacer extends along the axis between a first end and a second end. The first end of the spacer is connected to the second end of the lens. A prism is connected to the second end of the spacer such that the prism is spaced apart from the lens by the spacer.

Abstract: The present disclosure provides an OCT imaging system to reduce or eliminate frequency-domain aliasing artifacts. The frequency is shifted using a carrier frequency to define a sampling range substantially centered on the carrier frequency. An image of the sample is generated from a displayed imaging range that consists of a subset of the frequencies within the sampling range. Furthermore, the system may be configured to determine the carrier frequency such that a Nyquist frequency corresponding to the shifted frequency is extended beyond either an upper or a lower bound of an OCT quality envelope corresponding to the first portion of light. Additionally, the carrier frequency may be determined such that a lower bound of the OCT quality envelope is greater or less than a zero-frequency DC limit.

Abstract: A system for reducing artifacts produced in images using an optical probe system is provided. The artifacts are reduced by reducing power of secondary beam paths produced by non-Fresnel reflections by at least one of absorption, scattering and rejection of the secondary beam paths.