355-nm direct-detection Doppler wind lidar for vertical atmospheric motion measurement.

A compact and simple 355-nm direct-detection Doppler wind lidar (DDDWL) was developed to measure the line-of-sight (LOS) wind speed of the background atmosphere from atmospheric molecule return signals with and without aerosols and clouds. A receiver design with a Fabry-Perot etalon interferometer (FPEI) without an inside deposited step coating or fiber coupling is considered for the DDDWL using the double-edge technique. The receiver with the double-edge technique uses a FPEI and wedge prism to form a double-edge filter. The development of the double-edge filter in this combination is, to the best of our knowledge, an improvement at 355-nm wavelength. Considerations for the DDDWL receiver with a FPEI revealed that a full-angle light beam divergence into the FPEI and a working FPEI aperture are significant factors for the receiver design. Preliminary experimental evaluation demonstrated that the DDDWL had the potential of LOS wind speed measurements with a random error of less than 1 m/s when the signal-to-noise ratio was approximately 300. The DDDWL-measured vertical LOS wind speed profile was consistent with that of a 2-µm coherent Doppler wind lidar within the measurement error range. The preliminary experimental LOS wind measurement results demonstrated the capability of the DDDWL to measure low LOS wind speeds.

Free-space optical wiretap channel and experimental secret key agreement in 7.8 km terrestrial link.

Secret key agreement using physical properties of a wireless channel is becoming a promising scheme to establish a secret key between two users, especially in short-distance radio frequency (RF) communications. In this scheme, the existence of codes or key distillation that can make the leaked information to an eavesdropper arbitrarily small can be derived in an information theoretical way, given a priori knowledge on the channel linking a sender (Alice), a legitimate receiver (Bob), and an eavesdropper (Eve), which is called the wiretap channel. In practice, however, it is often difficult for Alice and Bob to get sufficient knowledge on Eve. In this study, we implement a free-space optical wiretap channel in a 7.8 km-terrestrial link and study how to estimate Eve's tapping ability, demonstrating high speed secret key agreement in the optical domain under a certain restricted condition of line-of-sight.

LEO-to-ground polarization measurements aiming for space QKD using Small Optical TrAnsponder (SOTA).

Quantum communication, and more specifically Quantum Key Distribution (QKD), enables the transmission of information in a theoretically secure way, guaranteed by the laws of quantum physics. Although fiber-based QKD has been readily available since several years ago, a global quantum communication network will require the development of space links, which remains to be demonstrated. NICT launched a LEO satellite in 2014 carrying a lasercom terminal (SOTA), designed for in-orbit technological demonstrations. In this paper, we present the results of the campaign to measure the polarization characteristics of the SOTA laser sources after propagating from LEO to ground. The most-widely used property for encoding information in free-space QKD is the polarization, and especially the linear polarization. Therefore, studying its behavior in a realistic link is a fundamental step for proving the feasibility of space quantum communications. The results of the polarization preservation of two highly-polarized lasers are presented here, including the first-time measurement of a linearly-polarized source at λ = 976 nm and a circularly-polarized source at λ = 1549 nm from space using a realistic QKD-like receiver, installed in the Optical Ground Station at the NICT Headquarters, in Tokyo, Japan.

Free-space optical channel estimation for physical layer security.

We present experimental data on message transmission in a free-space optical (FSO) link at an eye-safe wavelength, using a testbed consisting of one sender and two receiver terminals, where the latter two are a legitimate receiver and an eavesdropper. The testbed allows us to emulate a typical scenario of physical-layer (PHY) security such as satellite-to-ground laser communications. We estimate information-theoretic metrics including secrecy rate, secrecy outage probability, and expected code lengths for given secrecy criteria based on observed channel statistics. We then discuss operation principles of secure message transmission under realistic fading conditions, and provide a guideline on a multi-layer security architecture by combining PHY security and upper-layer (algorithmic) security.

Experimental verification of fiber-coupling efficiency for satellite-to-ground atmospheric laser downlinks.

Optical communication is a high-capacity method that can handle considerable satellite data. When common-fiber optical devices such as optical fiber amplifiers based on single mode fibers are used in free-space laser communication systems, the laser beam has to be coupled to a single-mode fiber. Under atmospheric turbulence it would be difficult to make the required fiber coupling efficiency in satellite-to-ground laser propagation paths. A fast-steering mirror that can operate at high frequencies under atmospheric turbulence is fabricated, and its tracking performance is verified in real satellite-to-ground laser communication experiments. The measured fiber coupling loss of 10-19 dB in satellite-to-ground laser communication links under atmospheric turbulence shows good agreement with the predicted fiber coupling efficiency of 17 dB.

Atmospheric turbulence-induced fading channel model for space-to-ground laser communications links.

The fading channel model for generating a random time-varying signal based on the atmospheric turbulence spectrum for space-to-ground laser links is discussed. The temporal frequency characteristics of the downlink are theoretically derived based on the von Karman spectrum. The rms wind speed based on the Bufton wind model is used as the transverse wind velocity, which makes the simulation simple. The time-varying signal is generated as functions of the receiver aperture diameter and the rms wind speed. The simulated result of the time-varying signal is presented and compared with the gamma-gamma distribution based on the scintillation theory in a moderate-to-strong-turbulence regime.

Polarization measurements through space-to-ground atmospheric propagation paths by using a highly polarized laser source in space.

The polarization characteristics of an artificial laser source in space were measured through space-to-ground atmospheric transmission paths. An existing Japanese laser communication satellite and optical ground station were used to measure Stokes parameters and the degree of polarization of the laser beam transmitted from the satellite. As a result, the polarization was preserved within an rms error of 1.6 degrees, and the degree of polarization was 99.4+/-4.4% through the space-to-ground atmosphere. These results contribute to the link estimation for quantum key distribution via space and provide the potential for enhancements in quantum cryptography worldwide in the future.

Plasmalogens in human serum positively correlate with high- density lipoprotein and decrease with aging.

AIM: The objective of the present study was to propose plasmalogens as a beneficial factor in human plasma by showing a highly positive correlation with high-density lipoprotein (HDL) and a significant reduction with aging. METHODS: For 148 elderly subjects suspected of coronary artery disease (CAD), clinical characteristics such as coronary stenosis, hyperlipidemia, abnormal glucose tolerance, and hypertension were investigated, and serum biochemical markers including plasmalogens were determined. RESULTS: Serum plasmalogens levels tended to fall in significant coronary stenosis and abnormal glucose tolerance. Correlative analyses among serum biochemical markers revealed that plasmalogens positively correlate with HDL-related values, particularly apolipoprotein A-I (apo A-I), and that the molar ratio of choline plasmalogen (ChoPlas) to ethanolamine plasmalogen (EtnPlas) correlates positively with low-density lipoprotein (LDL) particle size, and negatively with apo A-II and fasting triglyceride (TG) levels. Comparison of plasmalogens in elderly subjects with those of 119 healthy young subjects showed a marked decrease in serum plasmalogens levels by aging. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that serum plasmalogens, antioxidant phospholipids, function as a beneficial factor as well as HDL, and that the measurement of serum plasmalogens is useful in clinical diagnosis.

Enhanced susceptibility of LDL to oxidative modification in a CTX patient:- role of chenodeoxycholic acid in xanthoma formation.

Cerebrotendinous xanthomatosis (CTX) is a rare familial sterol storage disease, causing multiple xanthomas in tendons and the brain. The underlying biochemical defect is a lack of the hepatic mitochondrial cholesterol 27-hydroxylase involved in the normal biosynthesis of bile acid, resulting in reduced biosynthesis of chenodeoxycholic acid (CDCA). It has been reported that administration of CDCA to CTX patients improves neurological disorders and xanthomas of the Achilles tendon. The present study investigated the effect of CDCA on the mechanism of cholesterol accumulation in macrophages, the major cells in xanthoma. The LDL from the patients in this study was significantly more susceptible to oxidative modification than normal LDL, and supplement therapy with CDCA resulted in an improvement in the susceptibility to oxidative modification. In the incubation of CDCA with plasma, 13% of the CDCA added to serum was recovered in the LDL fraction. In addition, supplementation with CDCA enhanced cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) activity and reduced high-density-lipoprotein cholesterol levels in the plasma. This evidence suggests that the multiple xanthomas observed in CTX may be induced by increased oxidized LDL and the low activity of CETP, both of which are caused by a lack of CDCA.