ICESat-2（Ice， Cloud and Land Elevation Satellite-2）是世界首颗采用光子计数模式的激光测高卫星，可快速获得高精度、大尺度地面三维数据。光子探测机制使得数据中除了地面信号外，还包含大气散射等背景信号，需要通过滤波才能获得地形等信息。为分析ICESat-2背景和信号光子的分布特点及点云滤波算法的效果和适用性，本文首先选取了六种地表覆盖类型（城市、海冰、沙漠、植被、海洋及冰盖/冰川）及不同观测条件的数据，对其背景光子率进行统计分析。分析结果表明：白天观测数据的背景光子率平均为10⁶（点/秒）数量级，远高于夜晚观测数据的背景光子率——10⁴（点/秒）数量级，弱波束的背景光子率与强波束背景光子率相当，六种地表覆盖类型中，冰盖/冰川的背景光子率最高。然后，根据统计结果筛选出21组测高数据，并选取七种具有代表性的点云滤波对其进行去噪实验，分析精度后得出结论：改进局部密度法的去噪效果最佳，算法召回率、精准度和F值均大于0.90，算法较为稳定。最后，对所选取各滤波算法的精度、特点与适用性等性质进行了总结与分析，可为后续该数据的使用和滤波算法的选择提供参考。

Optical detection and manipulation of the thermal properties is an essential subject of cold atoms in the quantum era. For laser cooled alkali atoms, we have experimentally realized deterministic temperature measurement with time cost below 1 ms and effective filtering of colder atoms with temperature less than 1 μK, with the help of nearly nondestructive detection. The quick temperature measurement is accomplished by carefully resolving the diffusion dynamics of atoms with the information provided by a single probe laser pulse in the form of bucket detection, while suppressing the amplitude and phase noises of probe laser. The separation of colder atoms is attainable as the velocity differences of atoms translate into nontrivial position differences, when the diffusion sustains for a few tens of milliseconds. In particular, these efforts are based on a labeling process that distinguishes the cold atoms under study from the others by specific internal states, while the nearly nondestructive detection is implemented via driving a cycling transition with continuous optical pulses. Moreover, such a position-dependent labeling process can be further modified to become velocity-dependent, with which we have demonstrated a Maxwell’s demon-type operation on cold atoms, as Maxwell’s demon’s intricate abilities can be understood as measuring the velocity of an individual particle and then performing feedback according to a straightforward dichotomy of the velocity value.

In this Letter, an alternative solution is proposed and demonstrated for simultaneous measurement of axial strain and temperature. This sensor consists of two twisted points on a commercial single mode fiber introduced by flame-heated and rotation treatment. The fabrication process modifies the geometrical configuration and refractive index of the fiber. Different cladding modes are excited at the first twisted point, and part of them are coupled back to the fiber core at the second twisted point. Experimental results show distinct sensitivities of 34.9 pm/με with 49.23 pm/°C and 36.19 pm/με with 62.99 pm/°C for the two selected destructive interference wavelengths.