This dissertation reports on novel theoretical concepts as well as experimental efforts toward laser cooling of semiconductors. The use of quantum well system brings the opportunity to engineer bandstructure, effective masses and the spatial distribution of electrons and holes. This permits the incorporation of novel quantum mechanical phenomena to manipulate...
This thesis discusses the application of advanced digital signal and image processing techniques, particularly the technique known as super-resolution (SR), to enhance the imagery produced by cameras mounted on an airborne platform such as an unmanned aircraft system (UAS). SR is an image processing technology applicable to any digital, pixilated...
Analytical lower and upper bounds for the average error probability in M-ary quantum detection are derived. The upper bound is valid when the state ensemble, which can consist of pure or mixed states, satisfies a certain linear independence condition. The lower bound is generally valid and also has a classical...
The rapid growth of digital imaging technology and the accumulation of large collections of digital images has created the need for efficient and intelligent schemes for content-based image retrieval. Our goal is to organize the contents semantically, according to meaningful categories. We present a new approach for semantic classification that...
The work presented here represents a series of research projects that are unified in their goal: to use volume holographic gratings to enhance traditional signal processing applications in ways that would otherwise not be possible. To this end, we have completed work that can be classified into four different projects....
Wave propagation at the bottom of the electromagnetic spectrum (below 300 kHz) in the Earth-ionosphere system is a problem having a rich history of theoretical investigation extending over many decades. Propagation within this system involves complex interactions of electromagnetic waves with the lithosphere, oceans, and ionosphere, leading to resonances that...
The study of III-Nitride based optoelectronics devices is a maturing field, but there are still many underdeveloped areas in which to make a contribution of new and original research. This work specifically targets the goals of realizing high-efficiency back-illuminated solar-blind photodetectors, solar-blind focal plane arrays, and visible- and solar-blind Avalanche...
Entangled photons serve as an important tool in the field of quantum information processing. Traditionally, spontaneous parametric down-conversion (SPDC) in second-order nonlinear crystals has been the workhorse source for generating entangled photons. However, those SPDC-generated photons are notoriously difficult to couple into single-mode optical fibers due to mode mismatch, thus...
Next generation of high performance nano-optoelectronic integrated circuits will require an integral combination of highly efficient all-optical nanophotonic devices and electrically-pumped nanophotonic devices, which will enable the chip to process optical information all optically with ultrafast speed and electro-optically to interface with the electronic control plane. The realizations of such...
As technology moves into deep submicron and nanoscale era, undesirable trends such as increasing power density, leakage power, and temperature variation within chips have made thermal effects emerge as a major bottleneck in further technology scaling. Thermal effects are no longer considered as just a reliability issue, but it also...