Reverse-Engineering of Polarization Vision and Information Sensing in Nature, Bio-Inspired Sensing, Processing, and Displaying Polarization Information, Physics of Information Contents in Polarization Vision

Without appropriate instruments, human eyes cannot effectively sense the polarization of light. However, it is well known that eyes of certain animal species (e.g., bees, ants, fish, octopuses, crickets, etc.) are sensitive to light's polarization. In addition to the well-known navigational advantage of polarization sensitivity, it is believed that some species may have evolved polarization sensitivity to enhance their ability to see target features in scattering media by contrast enhancement. We are interested in understanding what biologists and zoologists have discovered about the biological polarization vision in these species in nature, and we have been exploring and reverse-engineering some of these findings and algorithms for man-made imaging and machine sensing systems in order to effectively "see the invisible information", i.e., to sense, process, visualize, and display many aspects of optical information (e.g., polarization) that are not "visible" to unaided human eyes. Utilizing polarization information has led to enhancing capability for novel target detection, feature recognition, navigational techniques, adaptability to changing environments, and many more potential applications.

We are developing the fundamental theories for information contents in "polarization vision", utilizing the parallelism and analogy with the information science and physics of color vision for spectral information in nature. We are implementing several imaging and sensing algorithms and polarization display schemes motivated and inspired by the biology of polarization vision in nature, and we are showing experimentally and theoretically the advantages of these imaging techniques in several contexts such as visibility enhancement, increase of detection depth in optically scattering media, man-made and machine imaging adaptation based on changing environments, surface deformation/variation detection (e.g., detection of finger prints on a smooth surface using polarization-based vision), "polarization shadows" and modifying shadows in images, polarimetric omnidirectional imaging for novel navigation techniques, visualization of polarization information for "polarization-blind" human observers using other visual cues such as color, motion, and the combination thereof. One of our long-term goals is to bring polarization information into sensory domains of human observer by using certain "sensory substitutions" for polarization perception (such as developing monitors that will "show" polarization information). Using mathematical, statistical and physical methods, along with experimentations and modeling, we are developing the theoretical foundations of polarization information in nature, in analogy with principles of color vision for spectral information in nature.

Journal papers:

1. S.-S. Lin, K. M. Yemelyanov, E. N. Pugh, Jr., N. Engheta, “Separation of overlapping cast shadow components using polarization” (in preparation for submission).
2. K. M. Yemelyanov, S.-S. Lin, E. N. Pugh, Jr., N. Engheta, “Bio-Inspired, Adaptive Algorithms for 2- Channel Polarization Sensing under Various Polarization Statistics with Non-Uniform Distributions” (submitted to Applied Optics).
3. S.-S. Lin, K. M. Yemelyanov, E. N. Pugh, Jr., N. Engheta, "Polarization- and Specular-Reflection-Based, Non-contact Latent Fingerprint Imaging and Lifting" (accepted for publication in JOSA A).
4. K. M. Yemelyanov, S.-S. Lin, W. Q. Luis, E. N. Pugh, Jr., N. Engheta, "Bio-Inspired Display of Polarization Information Using Certain Visual Cues”, Proc. of SPIE, Vol. 5158, pp. 71-84, August 2003. (Invited Paper).
5. K. M. Yemelyanov, M.A. Lo, E. N. Pugh Jr., N. Engheta, “Display of polarization information by coherently moving dots”, Optics Express, Vol. 11, No 13, pp. 1577-1584, June 2003.

Conference presentations:

1. S.-S. Lin, K. M. Yemelyanov, E. N. Pugh, Jr, N. Engheta, “Optical Non-Invasive Latent Fingerprint Lifting,” OSA-2005 Annual Meeting, October 16-20, 2005,  Tucson, Arizona, USA (view poster, 3.71 MB).
2. K. M. Yemelyanov, S.-S. Lin, E. N. Pugh, Jr., N. Engheta, “Polarization-Based Segmentation for Enhancement of Target Detection in Adaptive Polarization-Difference Imaging,” OSA-2005 Annual Meeting, October 16-20, 2005, Tucson, Arizona, USA (view poster. 4.05 MB).
3. K. M. Yemelyanov, S.-S. Lin, E. N. Pugh, Jr., N. Engheta, “Overview of Biologically-Inspired Sensing and Imaging of Polarization Information in Nature”, Institute of Neurological Sciences Annual Retreat (INS-2005, April 20, 2005, Philadelphia, USA (view poster, 2.78 MB).
4. K. M. Yemelyanov, S.-S. Lin, E. N. Pugh, Jr., N. Engheta, “Bio-Inspired, Adaptive Algorithms for 2- and 3-Channel Polarization Sensing under Various Polarization Statistics with Non-Uniform Distributions”, OSA-2003 Annual Meeting, October 2004, Rochester, USA. (view poster 3.56 MB).
5. S.-S. Lin, K. M. Yemelyanov, E. N. Pugh, Jr., N. Engheta, "Polarization Enhanced Visual Surveillance Techniques”, Proc. IEEE International Conference on Networking, Sensing, and Control, March 2004, Taipei, Taiwan, pp. 216-221. (Invited paper).
6. K. M. Yemelyanov, S.-S. Lin, W. Q. Luis, E. N. Pugh, Jr., N. Engheta, “Bio-Inspired Visualization of Polarization Information Using Temporal Fusion, Flicker, Coherently Moving Dots and Texture”, OSA-2002 Annual Meeting, October 2003, Tucson, USA.
7. K. M. Yemelyanov, S.-S. Lin, W. Q. Luis, E. N. Pugh, Jr., N. Engheta, “Biomimetic, adaptive, optimum polarization-opponent imaging of scenes with preferential polarization distributions”, OSA-2002 Annual Meeting, October 2003, Tucson, USA. (view poster)
8. K. M. Yemelyanov, S.-S. Lin, W. Q. Luis, E. N. Pugh, Jr., N. Engheta, “Bio-Inspired Temporal Fusion of Polarization information into Optical Images”, Institute if Neurological Sciences Annual Retreat (INS-2003, April, 2003, Philadelphia, USA. (view poster, 3.41 MB)
9. K. M. Yemelyanov, M.A. Lo, E. N. Pugh Jr., N. Engheta, “Mapping Polarization Information into Certain Visual Cues: Coherently Moving Dots And Textures”, Institute if Neurological Sciences Annual Retreat (INS-2002), April, 2002, Philadelphia, USA. (view poster, 1.25 MB)

Patents

1. Nader Engheta, Edward N. Pugh, Jr., Shih-Schön Lin, and Konstantin Yemelyanov, “Polarization and Reflection-Based Non-Contact Latent Fingerprint Imaging and Lifting,” Disclosed to Center for Technology Transfer, Univ. of Pennsylvania, April 2004, Docket # Q3544, UPN: 4562, under the title (Methods for Fingerprint Imaging and Lifting). Filing of the Provisional Patent application with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, April 27, 2004, application # 60/565-669. The patent application was filed on April 27, 2005. Status: pending.