Showing papers in "Optical Engineering in 2015"

Review of nonlinear ultrasonic guided wave nondestructive evaluation: theory, numerics, and experiments

Abstract: Interest in using the higher harmonic generation of ultrasonic guided wave modes for nondestructive evaluation continues to grow tremendously as the understanding of nonlinear guided wave propagation has enabled further analysis. The combination of the attractive properties of guided waves with the attractive properties of higher harmonic generation provides a very unique potential for characterization of incipient damage, particularly in plate and shell structures. Guided waves can propagate relatively long distances, provide access to hidden structural components, have various displacement polarizations, and provide many opportunities for mode conversions due to their multimode character. Moreover, higher harmonic generation is sensitive to changing aspects of the microstructures such as to the dislocation density, precipitates, inclusions, and voids. We review the recent advances in the theory of nonlinear guided waves, as well as the numerical simulations and experiments that demonstrate their utility.

Recent advances in plasmonic nanostructures for sensing: a review

Abstract: This review describes the recent advances in plasmonic nanostructures for various sensing applications. In particular, significant advances in surface-enhanced Raman, surface plasmon resonance, and metal-enhanced fluorescence-sensing methodologies associated with the introduction of plasmonic nanostructures, made over the past decade, are highlighted. Plasmonic properties of the various nanostructures employed for each sensing technique are also tabulated to provide a systematic overview of the state-of-the-art in each sensing field. This review is not intended to be a comprehensive compilation of the literature but rather a critical review of the recent significant advances in plasmonic nanostructures for each sensing regime.

Nonlinear vibroacoustic wave modulations for structural damage detection: an overview

Abstract: We present an overview of research developments related to the nonlinear vibroacoustic modulation technique used for structural damage detection. The method of interest is based on nonlinear interactions of a low-frequency pumping wave and a high-frequency probing wave. These two waves are introduced to monitored structures simultaneously. Then the presence of damage is exhibited by additional frequency components that result from nonlinear damage-wave interactions. A vast amount of research has been performed in this area over the last two decades. We aim to present the state-of-the-art of these developments. The major focus is on monitoring approaches, modeling aspects, actuation/sensing, signal processing, and application examples.

Lensless coded-aperture imaging with separable Doubly-Toeplitz masks

Abstract: In certain imaging applications, conventional lens technology is constrained by the lack of materials which can effectively focus the radiation within a reasonable weight and volume. One solution is to use coded apertures—opaque plates perforated with multiple pinhole-like openings. If the openings are arranged in an appropriate pattern, then the images can be decoded and a clear image computed. Recently, computational imaging and the search for a means of producing programmable software-defined optics have revived interest in coded apertures. The former state-of-the-art masks, modified uniformly redundant arrays (MURAs), are effective for compact objects against uniform backgrounds, but have substantial drawbacks for extended scenes: (1) MURAs present an inherently ill-posed inversion problem that is unmanageable for large images, and (2) they are susceptible to diffraction: a diffracted MURA is no longer a MURA. We present a new class of coded apertures, separable Doubly-Toeplitz masks, which are efficiently decodable even for very large images—orders of magnitude faster than MURAs, and which remain decodable when diffracted. We implemented the masks using programmable spatial-light-modulators. Imaging experiments confirmed the effectiveness of separable Doubly-Toeplitz masks—images collected in natural light of extended outdoor scenes are rendered clearly.

Digital holography and quantitative phase contrast imaging using computational shear interferometry

Abstract: In this publication, we give a brief introduction into the field of computational shear interferometry, which allows for determining arbitrary wave fields from a set of shear interferograms. We discuss limitations of the method with respect to the coherence of the underlying wave field and present various numerical methods to recover it from its sheared representations. Finally, we show experimental results on digital holography of objects with rough surfaces using a fiber coupled light-emitting diode and quantitative phase contrast imaging as well as numerical refocusing in differential interference contrast microscopy.

Damage detection tomography based on guided waves in composite structures using a distributed sensor network

Abstract: Structural health monitoring (SHM) based on guided waves allows assessing the health of a structure due to the sensitivity to the occurrence of delamination. However, wave propagation presents several complexities for effective damage identification in composite structures. An efficient implementation of a guided wave-based SHM system requires an accurate analysis of collected data to obtain a useful detection. This paper is concerned with the identification of small emerging delaminations in composite structural components using a sparse array of surface ultrasonic transducers. An ultrasonic-guided wave tomography technique focused on impact damage detection in composite plate-like structures is presented. A statistical damage index approach is adopted to interpret the recorded signals, and a subsequent graphic interpolation is implemented to reconstruct the damage appearance. Experimental tests carried out on a typical composite structure demonstrated the effectiveness of the developed technique with the aim to investigate the presence and location of damage using simple imaging reports and a limited number of measurements. A traditional ultrasonic inspection (C-scan) is used to assess the methodology.

Artificial target detection with a hyperspectral LiDAR over 26-h measurement

Abstract: Laser scanning systems that simultaneously measure multiple wavelength reflectances integrate the strengths of active spectral imaging and accurate range measuring. The Finnish Geodetic Institute hyperspectral lidar system is one of these. The system was tested in an outdoor experiment for detecting man-made targets from natural ones based on their spectral response. The targets were three camouflage nets with different structures and coloring. Their spectral responses were compared against those of a Silver birch (Betula pendula), Scots pine shoots (Pinus sylvestris L.), and a goat willow (Salix caprea). Responses from an aggregate clay block and a plastic chair were used as man-made comparison targets. The novelty component of the experiment was the 26-h-long measurement that covered both day and night times. The targets were classified with 80.9% overall accuracy in a dataset collected during dark. Reflectances of four wavelengths located around the 700 nm, the so-called red edge, were used as classification features. The addition of spatial aggregation within a 5-cm neighborhood improved the accuracy to 92.3%. Similar results were obtained using a set of four vegetation indices (78.9% and 91.0%, respectively). The temporal variation of vegetation classes was detected to differ from those in man-made classes.

High-accuracy aspheric x-ray mirror metrology using Software Configurable Optical Test System/deflectometry

Abstract: The Software Configurable Optical Test System (SCOTS) uses deflectometry to measure surface slopes of general optical shapes without the need for additional null optics. Careful alignment of test geometry and calibration of inherent system error improve the accuracy of SCOTS to a level where it competes with interferometry. We report a SCOTS surface measurement of an off-axis superpolished elliptical x-ray mirror that achieves <1 nm root-mean-square accuracy for the surface measurement with low-order term included.

Strain distribution and crack detection in thin unbonded concrete pavement overlays with fully distributed fiber optic sensors

Abstract: This study aims at evaluating the feasibility of strain measurement and crack detection in thin unbonded concrete pavement overlays with pulse prepump Brillouin optical time domain analysis. Single-mode optical fibers with two-layer and three-layer coatings, respectively, were applied as fully distributed sensors, their performances were compared with analytical predictions. They were successfully protected from damage during concrete casting of three full-scale concrete panels when 5 to 10-cm-thick protective mortar covers had been set for 2 h. Experimental results from three-point loading tests of the panels indicated that the strain distributions measured from the two types of sensors were in good agreement, and cracks can be detected at sharp peaks of the measured strain distributions. The two-layer and three-layer coated fibers can be used to measure strains up to 2.33% and 2.42% with a corresponding sensitivity of 5.43×10−5 and 4.66×10−5 GHz/μϵ, respectively. Two cracks as close as 7 to 9 cm can be clearly detected. The measured strains in optical fiber were lower than the analytical prediction by 10% to 25%. Their difference likely resulted from strain transfer through various coatings, idealized point loading, varying optical fiber embedment, and concrete heterogeneity.

Superfast robust digital image correlation analysis with parallel computing

Abstract: Existing digital image correlation (DIC) using the robust reliability-guided displacement tracking (RGDT) strategy for full-field displacement measurement is a path-dependent process that can only be executed sequentially. This path-dependent tracking strategy not only limits the potential of DIC for further improvement of its computational efficiency but also wastes the parallel computing power of modern computers with multicore processors. To maintain the robustness of the existing RGDT strategy and to overcome its deficiency, an improved RGDT strategy using a two-section tracking scheme is proposed. In the improved RGDT strategy, the calculated points with correlation coefficients higher than a preset threshold are all taken as reliably computed points and given the same priority to extend the correlation analysis to their neighbors. Thus, DIC calculation is first executed in parallel at multiple points by separate independent threads. Then for the few calculated points with correlation coefficients smaller than the threshold, DIC analysis using existing RGDT strategy is adopted. Benefiting from the improved RGDT strategy and the multithread computing, superfast DIC analysis can be accomplished without sacrificing its robustness and accuracy. Experimental results show that the presented parallel DIC method performed on a common eight-core laptop can achieve about a 7 times speedup.

Monolayer graphene saturable absorber with sandwich structure for ultrafast solid-state laser

Abstract: The uniform-quality, large-area, monolayer graphene saturable absorber (SA) with sandwich structure was fabricated, tested, and successfully applied for the generation of diode-pumped Yb:Y2SiO5 mode-locked laser. Without extra negative dispersion elements, the shortest pulse with duration of ∼883 fs was obtained at 1042.6 nm with an output power of ∼1 W. These promising experimental results suggested that the low-cost, high-quality graphene SA could potentially be employed in practical, high-power, ultrafast mode-locking laser systems.

Error motion compensating tracking interferometer for the position measurement of objects with rotational degree of freedom

Abstract: The nonaxial interferometric position measurement of rotating objects can be performed by imaging the laser beam of the interferometer to a rotating mirror which can be a sphere or a cylinder. This, however, requires such rotating mirrors to be centered on the axis of rotation as a wobble would result in loss of the interference signal. We present a tracking-type interferometer that performs such measurement in a general case where the rotating mirror may wobble on the axis of rotation, or even where the axis of rotation may be translating in space. Aside from tracking, meaning to measure and follow the position of the rotating mirror, the interferometric measurement errors induced by the tracking motion of the interferometer itself are optically compensated, preserving nanometric measurement accuracy. As an example, we show the application of this interferometer in a scanning x-ray tomography instrument.

Advanced environmental control as a key component in the development of ultrahigh accuracy ex situ metrology for x-ray optics

Abstract: The advent of fully coherent free-electron laser and diffraction-limited synchrotron radiation storage ring sources of x-rays is catalyzing the development of new ultrahigh accuracy metrology methods. To fully exploit these sources, metrology needs to be capable of determining the figure of an optical element with subnanometer height accuracy. The major limiting factors of the current absolute accuracy of ex situ metrology are drift errors due to temporal instabilities of the lab’s environmental conditions and systematic errors inherent to the metrology instruments. Here, we discuss in detail work at the Advanced Light Source X-Ray Optics Laboratory on building of advanced environmental control that is a key component in the development of ultrahigh accuracy ex situ metrology for x-ray optics. By a few examples, we show how the improvement of the environmental conditions in the lab allows us to significantly gain efficiency in performing ex situ metrology with high-quality x-ray mirrors. The developed concepts and approaches, included in the design of the new X-Ray Optics Laboratory, are described in detail. These data are essential for construction and successful operation of a modern metrology facility for x-ray optics, as well as high-precision measurements in many fields of experimental physics.

Review on recent developments in hybrid optical amplifier for dense wavelength division multiplexed system

Abstract: Hybrid optical amplifiers (HOAs) are crucially important for broadband band amplification, and are widely deployed in high-capacity dense wavelength division multiplexed systems. We summarize the present state-of-the-art in this rapidly growing field. In addition, theoretical background and various inline configurations of optical amplifiers have been presented. Various issues such as gain flatness, gain bandwidth, transient effect, and crosstalk were presented in HOAs. Results show that the HOAs provide better gain flatness without using any expensive gain flattening techniques, and an acceptable range of gain, noise figure, bit error rate, and tran-

Performance improvement of indoor positioning using light-emitting diodes and an image sensor for light-emitting diode communication

Abstract: Light-emitting diodes (LEDs) are expected to replace existing lighting technologies in the near future because of the potential dual function of LED light (i.e., wireless communication and lighting) in the context of visible light communication (VLC). We propose a highly precise indoor positioning algorithm using lighting LEDs, an image sensor, and VLC. In the proposed algorithm, three LEDs transmit their three-dimensional coordinate information, which is received and demodulated by a single image sensor at an unknown position. The unknown position is then calculated from the geometrical relations of the LED images created on the image sensor plane. We describe the algorithm in detail. A simulation of the proposed algorithm is presented in this paper. We also compare the performance of this algorithm with that of our previously proposed algorithm. The comparison indicates significant improvement in positioning accuracy because of the simple algorithmic structure and low computational complexity. This technique does not require any angular measurement, which is needed in the contemporary positioning algorithms using LEDs and image sensor. The simulation results show that the proposed system can estimate the unknown position to an accuracy of 0.001 m inside the approximate positioning area when the pixel value is >3000.

Modeling physical optics phenomena by complex ray tracing

Abstract: Physical optics modeling requires propagating optical wave fields from a specific radiometric source through complex systems of apertures and reflective or refractive optical components, or even complete instruments or devices, usually to a focal plane or sensor. The model must accurately include the interference and diffraction effects allowed by the polarization and coherence characteristics of both the initial optical wave field and the components and media through which it passes. Like a spherical wave and a plane wave, a Gaussian spherical wave (or Gaussian beam) is also a solution to the paraxial wave equation and does not change its fundamental form during propagation. The propagation of a Gaussian beam is well understood and easily characterized by a few simple parameters. Furthermore, a paraxial Gaussian beam can be propagated through optical systems using geometrical ray-trace methods. The decomposition of arbitrary propagating wave fields into a superposition of Gaussian beamlets is, thus, an alternative to the classical methods of propagating optical wave fields. This decomposition into Gaussian beamlets has been exploited to significant advantage in the modeling of a wide range of physical optics phenomena.

Stimulated Brillouin scattering gain bandwidth reduction and applications in microwave photonics and optical signal processing

Abstract: Stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) is one of the most dominant nonlinear effects in standard single-mode fibers and its unique spectral characteristics, especially the narrow bandwidth, enable many different applications. Most of the applications would benefit from a narrower bandwidth. Different methods for the bandwidth reduction of SBS in optical fibers are presented and discussed. A bandwidth reduction down to 17% of the natural gain can be achieved by the superposition of the gain with two losses or the utilization of a multistage system. Furthermore, applications in the field of microwave photonics and optical signal processing like high-resolution spectroscopy of communication signals, the storage of optical data packets as well as the processing of frequency combs including generation of millimeter waves and ideal sinc-shaped Nyquist pulses are presented.

Review on hydrogen leak detection: comparison between fiber optic sensors based on different designs with palladium

Abstract: A review of optical fiber hydrogen sensors based on palladium (Pd) is presented. Palladium hydrogen optical fiber sensing systems can be considered as a model for other metal hybrid systems. In addition, the Pd hydrogen systems are well characterized in bulk, cluster, or thin film form. We focus on the fiber principles. We then discuss their performances regarding their configurations. We will conclude by introducing the challenges in designing an ideal hydrogen optical fiber sensor based on a metal hybrids approach and which design direction is considered the best to take.

Optimized square-root phase mask to generate defocus-invariant modulation transfer function in hybrid imaging systems

Abstract: Wavefront coding involves the use of an asymmetrical phase mask to extend the depth of field of incoherent imaging systems. The performance of wavefront coding systems depends on designing a suitable phase profile to generate the defocus-invariant imaging characteristic. We proposed a square-root phase mask with two profile factors for achieving a steadier defocused modulation transfer function (MTF). Several evaluation methods are employed for the purpose of performance comparison between the proposed phase mask and the previously suggested phase masks under the constraint condition that the phase parameters are optimized at the same level of noise gain. Numerical results show that the square-root phase mask yields better properties in extended depth of field imaging, especially in acquiring defocus-invariant MTFs and eliminating image artifacts associated with the decoded images.

Multifocus image fusion scheme based on the multiscale curvature in nonsubsampled contourlet transform domain

Abstract: An efficient multifocus image fusion scheme in nonsubsampled contourlet transform (NSCT) domain is proposed. Based on the property of optical imaging and the theory of defocused image, we present a selection principle for lowpass frequency coefficients and also investigate the connection between a low-frequency image and the defocused image. Generally, the NSCT algorithm decomposes detail image information indwells in different scales and different directions in the bandpass subband coefficient. In order to correctly pick out the prefused bandpass directional coefficients, we introduce multiscale curvature, which not only inherits the advantages of windows with different sizes, but also correctly recognizes the focused pixels from source images, and then develop a new fusion scheme of the bandpass subband coefficients. The fused image can be obtained by inverse NSCT with the different fused coefficients. Several multifocus image fusion methods are compared with the proposed scheme. The experimental results clearly indicate the validity and superiority of the proposed scheme in terms of both the visual qualities and the quantitative evaluation.

Resolving multiple propagation paths in time of flight range cameras using direct and global separation methods

Abstract: Time of flight (ToF) range cameras illuminate the scene with an amplitude-modulated continuous wave light source and measure the returning modulation envelopes: phase and amplitude. The phase change of the modulation envelope encodes the distance travelled. This technology suffers from measurement errors caused by multiple propagation paths from the light source to the receiving pixel. The multiple paths can be represented as the summation of a direct return, which is the return from the shortest path length, and a global return, which includes all other returns. We develop the use of a sinusoidal pattern from which a closed form solution for the direct and global returns can be computed in nine frames with the constraint that the global return is a spatially lower frequency than the illuminated pattern. In a demonstration on a scene constructed to have strong multipath interference, we find the direct return is not significantly different from the ground truth in 33∕136 pixels tested; where for the full-field measurement, it is significantly different for every pixel tested. The variance in the estimated direct phase and amplitude increases by a factor of eight compared with the standard time of flight range camera technique. © 2015 Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE) (DOI: 10 .1117/1.OE.54.11.113109)

Retinex image enhancement via a learned dictionary

Abstract: The main aim of this paper is to study image enhancement by using sparse and redundant representations of the reflectance component in the Retinex model over a learned dictionary. This approach is different from existing variational methods, and the advantage of this approach is that the reflectance component in the Retinex model can be represented with more details by the dictionary. A variational method based on the dynamic dictionaries is adopted here, where it changes with respect to iterations of the enhancement algorithm. Numerical examples are also reported to demonstrate that the proposed methods can provide better visual quality of the enhanced high-contrast images than the other variational methods, i.e., revealing more details in the low-light part.

Characterization and luminescence properties of Sr3Gd(PO4)3: Sm3+ orange–red phosphor

Abstract: Reddish-orange emitting phosphors, Sr 3 Gd(PO 4 ) 3 : Sm 3+ , were successfully synthesized by a conventional solid-state reaction. The crystal structure of the phosphors was characterized by x-ray diffraction. The excitation spectra and emission spectra were utilized to characterize the luminescence properties of the as-prepared phosphors. The results show that the phosphor consisted of some sharp emission peaks of Sm 3+ ions centered at 564, 600, 647, and 707 nm, respectively. The critical distance of Sr 3 Gd 0.93 (PO 4 ) 3 : 0.07Sm 3+ was calculated to be 19.18 Å and the lifetime value of the sample was 1.63 ms. The band gap of Sr 3 Gd(PO 4 ) 3 was estimated to be about 2.74 eV from the diffuse reflection spectrum. The optimum doping concentration is 7 mol. % and the quenching occurs via dipole–dipole interaction according to Dexter’s theory. The Commission Internationale de L’Eclairage value of Sr 3 Gd(PO 4 ) 3 : Sm 3+ phosphors presented that it has high color purity. These results indicated that the Sr 3 Gd(PO 4 ) 3 : Sm 3+ may be a promising reddish-orange emitting phosphor for cost-effective near ultraviolet white light-emitting diodes.

Specification of x-ray mirrors in terms of system performance: new twist to an old plot

Abstract: In the early 1990s, Church and Takacs pointed out that the specification of surface figure and finish of x-ray mirrors must be based on their performance in the beamline optical system. We demonstrate the limitations of specification, characterization, and performance evaluation based on conventional statistical approaches, including root-mean-square roughness and residual slope variation, evaluated over spatial frequency bandwidths that are system specific, and a more refined description of the surface morphology based on the power spectral density distribution. We show that these limitations are fatal, especially in the case of highly collimated coherent x-ray beams, like beams from x-ray free electron lasers (XFELs). The limitations arise due to the deterministic character of the surface profile data for a definite mirror, while the specific correlation properties of the surface are essential for the performance of the entire x-ray optical system. As a possible way to overcome the problem, we treat a method, suggested by Yashchuk and Yashchuk in 2012, based on an autoregressive moving average modeling of the slope measurements with a limited number of parameters. The effectiveness of the approach is demonstrated with an example specific to the x-ray optical systems under design at the European XFEL.

Improved wavelet packet classification algorithm for vibrational intrusions in distributed fiber-optic monitoring systems

Abstract: An improved classification algorithm that considers multiscale wavelet packet Shannon entropy is proposed. Decomposition coefficients at all levels are obtained to build the initial Shannon entropy feature vector. After subtracting the Shannon entropy map of the background signal, components of the strongest discriminating power in the initial feature vector are picked out to rebuild the Shannon entropy feature vector, which is transferred to radial basis function (RBF) neural network for classification. Four types of man-made vibrational intrusion signals are recorded based on a modified Sagnac interferometer. The performance of the improved classification algorithm has been evaluated by the classification experiments via RBF neural network under different diffusion coefficients. An 85% classification accuracy rate is achieved, which is higher than the other common algorithms. The classification results show that this improved classification algorithm can be used to classify vibrational intrusion signals in an automatic real-time monitoring system.

Laser diode self-mixing interferometry for velocity measurements

Abstract: A diode laser velocimeter based on laser self-mixing has been developed and characterized as a reliable, precise, comparably cheap, and compact monitor. The resolution of this sensor at different incident angles and for a variety of solid and liquid targets moving at velocities between 0.1 and 50 m/s is presented. This includes a theoretical analysis of the underlying measurement principle, highlighting possibilities to extend the measurement capabilities to even higher velocities by altering the sensor design. Finally, an outlook on future applications of the sensor for detailed studies of supersonic gas jets used in beam diagnostics and atomic physics applications is given.

Perfect metamaterial absorber-based energy harvesting and sensor applications in the industrial, scientific, and medical band

Abstract: An electromagnetic (EM) energy harvesting application based on metamaterials is introduced. This application is operating at the the industrial, scientific, and medical band (2.40 GHz), which is especially chosen because of its wide usage area. A square ring resonator (SRR) which has two gaps and two resistors across the gaps on it is used. Chip resistors are used to deliver the power to any active component that requires power. Transmission and reflection characteristics of the metamaterial absorber for energy harvesting application are theoretically investigated and 83.6% efficient energy harvesting application is realized. To prove that this study can be used for different sensor applications other than harvesting, a temperature sensor configuration is developed that can be applied to other sensing applications.

High-accuracy star sensor calibration based on intrinsic and extrinsic parameter decoupling

Abstract: The performance of star sensors largely depends on the accuracy of the model parameter estimation carried out through calibration. Measurement errors in the calibration data would cause estimated values to deviate from the actual values and couple with one another. Only the intrinsic parameters estimated through calibration are useful to star sensors. Thus, the coupling between estimated intrinsic and extrinsic parameters would affect star sensor accuracy. High-accuracy star sensors are significantly affected by such coupling between the aforementioned parameters. This study investigates the coupling between extrinsic and intrinsic parameters through calibration residual and starlight pointing error. A calibration method based on the decoupling of intrinsic and extrinsic parameters is then proposed. The proposed method uses the invariance of intrinsic parameters and estimates intrinsic parameters through simultaneous optimizations with distinct extrinsic parameters. In both the simulations and the experiment, the decoupling calibration effectively improves the accuracy of the intrinsic parameter estimation. Using the same calibration data, the intrinsic parameters’ estimation precision of a high-accuracy star sensor increased by a range from 50.83 to 86.47%.

Spectroscopic study of terahertz reflection and transmission properties of carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic composites

Abstract: Carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic (CFRP) composites are widely used in aerospace and concrete structure reinforcement due to their high strength and light weight. Terahertz (THz) time-domain spectroscopy is an attractive tool for defect inspection in CFRP composites. In order to improve THz nondestructive testing of CFRP composites, we have carried out systematic investigations of THz reflection and transmission properties of CFRP. Unidirectional CFRP composites with different thicknesses are measured with polarization directions 0 deg to 90 deg with respect to the fiber direction, in both reflection and transmission modes. As shown in the experiments, CFRP composites are electrically conducting and therefore exhibit a high THz reflectivity. In addition, CFRP composites have polarization-dependent reflectivity and transmissivity for THz radiation. The reflected THz power in the case of parallel polarization is nearly 1.8 times higher than for perpendicular polarization. At the same time, in the transmission of THz wave, a CFRP acts as a Fabry–Perot cavity resulting from multiple internal reflections from the CFRP–air interfaces. Moreover, from the measured data, we extract the refractive index and absorption coefficient of CFRP composites in the THz frequency range.