Abstract: Circuits and circuit elements adapted to function at optical or infrared frequencies are made from plasmonic and/or nonplasmonic particles disposed on a substrate, where the plasmonic and nonplasmonic particles have respective dimensions substantially smaller than a wavelength of an applied optical or infrared signal. Such particles are deposited on a substrate in a variety of shapes and sizes from a variety of plasmonic and/or nonplasmonic materials so as to form resistors, capacitors, inductors and circuits made from combinations of these elements.

Abstract: An optical fingerprinting method extracts high quality latent fingerprints from a surface without any invasive chemical or physical contact with the examined object, and requires no cooperation of the subject. Rather than employing extraneous material, the optical properties of the latent fingerprint are used to generate one or more images with sufficient contrast to distinguish the latent fingerprint or some other deformation in the surface. The system includes a light source oriented to apply light at an angle of incidence to the surface at the position to be examined for the latent fingerprint or deformation, a camera oriented to receive light specularly and diffusely reflected from the surface and/or by the fingerprint or deformation on the surface, and a processor that performs the computation for digital contrast enhancement and/or reprojection of the recovered fingerprint image to a frontal view if necessary.

Abstract: A polarimetric imaging system employs a pixel pitch matched filter for use within, for example, a 2 by 2 pixel neighborhood, in which one pixel samples the scene via a 0 degree polarization filter and a second pixel samples the scene via a 45 degree polarization filter. The remaining two pixels record the intensity of the light within the 2 by 2 neighborhoods. The polarization filters employ organic materials such as polymers or metallic materials that are patterned and etched using reactive ion etching (RIE) or other appropriate etching technique in order to create 14 micron or smaller circular (or square) periodic structures that are patterned into polarization thin films that are deposited on an imaging sensor that includes a processor that computes from the polarization-filtered inputs the first three Stokes parameters in real-time.

Abstract: Waveguides and scattering devices are made from a pair of slabs, at least one slab being either an “epsilon-negative (ENG)” layer in which the real part of permittivity is assumed to be negative while its permeability has positive real part, or a “mu-negative (MNG)” layer that has the real part of its permeability negative but its permittivity has positive real part. The juxtaposition and pairing of such ENG and MNG slabs under certain conditions lead to some unusual features, such as resonance, complete tunneling, zero reflection and transparency. Such materials also may be configured to provide guided modes in a waveguide having special features such as mono-modality in thick waveguides and the presence of TE modes with no cut-off thickness in thin parallel-plate waveguides. Using equivalent transmission-line models, the conditions for the resonance, complete tunneling and transparency are described as well as the field behavior in these resonant paired structures.

Abstract: Waveguides and scattering devices are made from a pair of slabs, at least one slab being either an “epsilon-negative (ENG)” layer in which the real part of permittivity is assumed to be negative while its permeability has positive real part, or a “mu-negative (MNG)” layer that has the real part of its permeability negative but its permittivity has positive real part. The juxtaposition and pairing of such ENG and MNG slabs under certain conditions lead to some unusual features, such as resonance, complete tunneling, zero reflection and transparency. Such materials also may be configured to provide guided modes in a waveguide having special features such as mono-modality in thick waveguides and the presence of TE modes with no cut-off thickness in thin parallel-plate waveguides. Using equivalent transmission-line models, the conditions for the resonance, complete tunneling and transparency are described as well as the field behavior in these resonant paired structures.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to a system, which uses polarized light difference to improve vision. The system obtains an image at a first polarization direction. The system then obtains an image at a second orthogonal polarization direction. The second orthogonal polarization value is subtracted from the first value. The difference value is then amplified in order to provide an enhanced image.

Abstract: Antenna structures and chiral radomes solve the aforementioned long-felt needs and provide efficient and multipolarized antenna structures and radomes. In a preferred embodiment, a radome for covering an antenna comprises a chiral medium. In a further preferred embodiment, a method of manufacturing an antenna structure comprising the step of embedding an antenna element in a radome which further comprises a chiral medium is also provided.

Abstract: Printed-circuit antennas comprising chiral materials. Printed-circuit antennas in accordance with this invention comprise chiral materials wherein two electromagnetic modes are allowed. The printed-circuit antennas are particularly useful for aircraft antennas, communication antennas and smart skins.

Abstract: Guided-wave structures comprising chiral materials. Guided-wave structures provided in accordance with this invention comprise chiral materials wherein bifurcated electromagnetic modes are allowed. The guided-wave structures are particularly useful for directional couplers, switches and modulators.

Abstract: Electromagnetic and optical shields, controllers, and reflectors comprising chiral materials. Electromagnetic and optical controllers and layers provided in accordance with this invention comprise chiral materials wherein reflection, scattering, absorption and shielding properties can be tailored over specified frequency regime. Layered structures have a variety of potential applications in radar cross section management, radar absorbers for low observables and other applications, radomes, antennae, and radio wave, microwave and millimeter wave chambers. Likewise, these structures have many applications to electronic devices, integrated optics, and optical components and systems, as well as in their radio wave, microwave, and millimeter wave counterparts.

Abstract: Methods of measuring chiral parameters of chiral materials with chiral antennas are provided. These methods involve the use of parallel electric and magnetic dipoles to construct a point sensor in conjunction with the use of a turnstyle antenna as a source. By exciting the chiral medium with the turnstyle antenna, both the absolute degree of chirality and the handedness of the chiral medium can be measured by varying the output currents of the point sensor until a null is achieved. This condition indictes that the ratio p/m, where p is the magnitude of the electric dipole moment and m is the magnitude of the magnetic dipole moment, of the point sensor is .+-.i/v.sub.c. From this relation and knowledge of the relation of permittivity and permeability, the absolute value of the chiral admittance and the chirality factor of the medium can also be found.