We have proposed and experimentally demonstrated a novel WDM-PON downstream optical link. It is composed of a wavelength-locked FP-LD with a spectrally-sliced FP-LD as an external-injection optical source and operated as directly-modulating in a downstream-traffic transmitter. The downstream transmissions at 622 Mbps and 2.5 Gbps were performed for four channels over 25 km. The proposed WDM-PON downstream transmitter can be expanded up to eight channels by controlling an external-injection optical source of a spectrally-sliced FP-LD. Also, the transmitter has facility of multi-channel selection by controlling temperature. We verified the potential of the transmitter in WDM-PON optical link.

To develop a smoothing method for speckle reduction is a significant problem, because of the complex ultrasonic characteristics and the obscurity of the tissue image. This paper presents a new method for speckle reduction from medical ultrasonic image by using fuzzy morphological speckle reduction algorithm (FMSR) that preserves resolvable details while removing speckle in order to cope with the ambiguous and obscure ultrasonic images. FMSR creates a cleaned image by recombining the processed residual images with a smoothed version of an original image. Performance of the proposed method has been tested on the phantom and tissue images. The results show that the method effectively reduces the speckle while preserving the resolvable details.

A standard of Advanced Storage Magneto Optical (AS-MO) having a 6 Gbyte capacity in a 120 mm-diameter single side disk was established by using a magnetically induced superresolution readout method. Transition from in-plane to perpendicular magnetization for exchange-coupled readout layer (GdFeCo) and in-plane magnetization mask layer (GdFe) of the AS-MO disk has been investigated using the noncontinuous model. The readout resolution was sensitive to the thickness of the readout layer. To evaluate readout characteristics of AS-MO disks, the simulation using micro magnetics model was performed and the readout layers were designed. The readout characteristics of the AS-MO disk is improved by making the readout layer thinner.

Recently, many types of high-density recording technologies for future MO (Magneto-Optical) storage have been reported. MSR (Magnetically Induced Super Resolution) technology is one of the most promising candidates, and over ten types of MSR technologies have been already proposed. However, they are not well-discussed from the viewpoint of total recording technology which would include the recording and readout methods, the pick-up technology and the signal processing technology. Key technologies for realizing MO storage of over 7 GBytes in a CD-sized disk using a red laser are proposed, and the experimental results pertaining to each key technology are described. The write/read characteristics were examined for the CAD (Center Aperture Detection)-MSR disk. From the characteristics of the CAD-MSR disk combined with laser pumped magnetic field modulation recording, it was shown that land/groove (0.7 µm width) recording with the linear density of 0.27 µm/bit and track pitch below 0.7 µm can be realized. It was also shown that CAD-MSR disk is well combined with an OSR (Optical Super Resolution) pick up, laser pumped read-out and PRML (Partial Response Maximum Likelihood) technologies which are very useful to achieve a high density MO disk. Using CAD-MSR disk combined with above technologies together, high density write/read with a bit length of 0.2 µm and a track pitch of 0.6 µm should be realized with using the laser of 635 nm wavelength. Applying the CAD-MSR disks to a CD sized MO disk, the capacity becomes over 7 GBytes (Format efficiency: 80%), which is 20 times higher than 5.25 inches MO disk and 1.5 times than DVD-ROM.

Computer circumstance have changed drastically, and larger capacity removable media is indispensable. Magneto-optical disk is promising candidate to satisfy computer user's needs. In this report, future perspective of high density magneto-optical recording technology is investigated.

Rain rates are estimated from brightness temperature measured with a Microwave Scanning Radiometer (MSR) carried on board the Marine Observation Satellite 1 (MOS-1). Estimations are made using a rain rate retrieval algorithm based on a radiative-transfer model assuming rain spaced uniformly over the ocean. These values are compared with a Satellite-Derived Index of Precipitation Intensity (SI), which estimates the rain rate from visible and infrared images of a Geostationary Meteorological Satellite in conjunction with rain observation by a radar network of the Japan Meteorological Agency. Good correlation between MSR and SI derived rain rates validates the rain-rate retrieval algorithm.