The statistical analysis of received time-series signals from the laser illumination of remote objects through turbulence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chandler, Susan; Lukesh, Gordon

2006-11-01

Ground-to-space illumination experiments, such as the Floodbeam I (FBE I, 1993), Floodbeam II (FBE II, 1996) and Active Imaging Testbed (AIT, 1999), fielded by the Imaging Branch of the United States Air Force Research Laboratory at Starfire Optical Range (SOR) on Kirtland AFB, NM, obtained considerable information from these highly successful experiments. While the experiments were primarily aimed at collecting focal/pupil plane data, the authors recognized during data reduction that the received time-series signals from the integrated full receiver focal plane data contains considerable hitherto unexploited information. For more than 10 years the authors have investigated the exploitation of data contained within the time-series signal from ground-to-space experiments. Results have been presented at numerous SPIE and EOS Remote Sensing Meetings. In July 2005, the authors were honored as invited speakers at the XIIth Symposium "Atmosphere and Ocean Optics; Atmospheric Physics" Tomsk, Russia. The authors were invited to return to Tomsk in 2006 however a serious automobile accident precluded attendance. This paper, requested for publication, provides an important summary of recent results.

An accuracy assessment of realtime GNSS time series toward semi- real time seafloor geodetic observation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Osada, Y.; Ohta, Y.; Demachi, T.; Kido, M.; Fujimoto, H.; Azuma, R.; Hino, R.

2013-12-01

Large interplate earthquake repeatedly occurred in Japan Trench. Recently, the detail crustal deformation revealed by the nation-wide inland GPS network called as GEONET by GSI. However, the maximum displacement region for interplate earthquake is mainly located offshore region. GPS/Acoustic seafloor geodetic observation (hereafter GPS/A) is quite important and useful for understanding of shallower part of the interplate coupling between subducting and overriding plates. We typically conduct GPS/A in specific ocean area based on repeated campaign style using research vessel or buoy. Therefore, we cannot monitor the temporal variation of seafloor crustal deformation in real time. The one of technical issue on real time observation is kinematic GPS analysis because kinematic GPS analysis based on reference and rover data. If the precise kinematic GPS analysis will be possible in the offshore region, it should be promising method for real time GPS/A with USV (Unmanned Surface Vehicle) and a moored buoy. We assessed stability, precision and accuracy of StarFireTM global satellites based augmentation system. We primarily tested for StarFire in the static condition. In order to assess coordinate precision and accuracy, we compared 1Hz StarFire time series and post-processed precise point positioning (PPP) 1Hz time series by GIPSY-OASIS II processing software Ver. 6.1.2 with three difference product types (ultra-rapid, rapid, and final orbits). We also used difference interval clock information (30 and 300 seconds) for the post-processed PPP processing. The standard deviation of real time StarFire time series is less than 30 mm (horizontal components) and 60 mm (vertical component) based on 1 month continuous processing. We also assessed noise spectrum of the estimated time series by StarFire and post-processed GIPSY PPP results. We found that the noise spectrum of StarFire time series is similar pattern with GIPSY-OASIS II processing result based on JPL rapid orbit products with 300 seconds interval clock information. And we report stability, precision and accuracy of StarFire in the moving conditon.

Data analysis for GOPEX image frames

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Levine, B. M.; Shaik, K. S.; Yan, T.-Y.

1993-01-01

The data analysis based on the image frames received at the Solid State Imaging (SSI) camera of the Galileo Optical Experiment (GOPEX) demonstration conducted between 9-16 Dec. 1992 is described. Laser uplink was successfully established between the ground and the Galileo spacecraft during its second Earth-gravity-assist phase in December 1992. SSI camera frames were acquired which contained images of detected laser pulses transmitted from the Table Mountain Facility (TMF), Wrightwood, California, and the Starfire Optical Range (SOR), Albuquerque, New Mexico. Laser pulse data were processed using standard image-processing techniques at the Multimission Image Processing Laboratory (MIPL) for preliminary pulse identification and to produce public release images. Subsequent image analysis corrected for background noise to measure received pulse intensities. Data were plotted to obtain histograms on a daily basis and were then compared with theoretical results derived from applicable weak-turbulence and strong-turbulence considerations. Processing steps are described and the theories are compared with the experimental results. Quantitative agreement was found in both turbulence regimes, and better agreement would have been found, given more received laser pulses. Future experiments should consider methods to reliably measure low-intensity pulses, and through experimental planning to geometrically locate pulse positions with greater certainty.

The Precision Expandable Radar Calibration Sphere (PERCS) With Applications for Laser Imaging and Ranging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bernhardt, P.; Nicholas, A.; Thomas, L.; Davis, M.; Hoberman, C.; Davis, M.

The Naval Research Laboratory will provide an orbiting calibration sphere to be used with ground-based laser imaging telescopes and HF radio systems. The Precision Expandable Radar Calibration Sphere (PERCS) is a practical, reliable, high-performance HF calibration sphere and laser imaging target to orbit at about 600 km altitude. The sphere will be made of a spherical wire frame with aspect independent radar cross section in the 3 to 35 MHz frequency range. The necessary launch vehicle to place the PERCS in orbit will be provided by the Department of Defense Space Test Program. The expandable calibration target has a stowed diameter of 1 meter and a fully deployed diameter of 10.2 meters. A separate deployment mechanism is provided for the sphere. After deployment, the Precision Expandable Radar Calibration Sphere (PERCS) with 180 vertices will be in a high inclination orbit to scatter radio pulses from a number of ground systems, including (1) over-the-horizon (OTH) radars operated by the United States and Australia; (2) high power HF facilities such as HAARP in Alaska, EISCAT in Norway, and Arecibo in Puerto Rico; (3) the chain of high latitude SuperDARN radars used for auroral region mapping; and (4) HF direction finding for Navy ships. With the PERCS satellite, the accuracy of HF radars can be periodically checked for range, elevation, and azimuth errors. In addition, each of the 360 vertices on the PERCS sphere will support an optical retro-reflector for operations with ground laser facilities used to track satellites. The ground laser systems will be used to measure the precise location of the sphere within one cm accuracy and will provide the spatial orientation of the sphere as well as the rotation rate. The Department of Defense facilities that can use the corner-cube reflectors on the PERCS include (1) the Air Force Maui Optical Site (AMOS), (2) the Starfire Optical Range (SOR), and (3) the NRL Optical Test Facility (OTF).

Lockheed F-94B Starfire at the NASA Lewis Research Center

NASA Image and Video Library

1959-12-21

A Lockheed F-94B Starfire on the hangar apron at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Lewis Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio. The Air Force contracted Lockheed in November 1948 to create the new F-94s fighters. The first test flight occurred only months later in April 1949. This quick turnaround was due to the fact that the F-94 was based largely on the TF-80 fighter and constructed with parts from the P-80, including its two General Electric I-40 turbojet engines. The F-94Bs entered the Korean War in late 1951, but were initially prevented from flying over enemy territory due to fear that their fire control system would be copied by the enemy if an F-94B went down. The Starfire went on to perform scores of missions escorting B-29 and B-26 bombers deep into enemy territory and acting as interceptors against enemy fighters. In mid-1954 the F-94s were retired from active military service. Lewis acquired the F-94B Starfire in April 1956. At the time, the aircraft industry was preparing for the first use of jet engines for commercial aviation. The amount of noise generated by the engines was a major obstacle. Lewis undertook an extensive program to understand the causes of the noise and develop methods for reducing it. This program included the study of aerodynamic sound at high speed and altitude using the F-94B.

A Sounding Rocket Investigation of the Fine Structure in the Mesopause Region in Conjunction with High Spatial Resolution Lidar Measurements

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Larsen, M. F.

2003-01-01

The grant funds were provided to carry out chemical tracer wind and turbulence measurements in the mesosphere and lower thermosphere as part of the Turbulent Oxygen Mixing Experiment (TOMEX) for which Dr. James Hecht of the Aerospace Corp. was the Principal Investigator. Clemson University designed, built, and tested two chemical tracer release payload sections for the 21.126 and 21.127 payloads which, in addition, had photometer and ionization gauge instrumentation. The tracer chemical was trimethyl aluminum (TMA). The experiment was carried out at White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico on October 26,2000. The location was chosen because of the proximity to the Starfire Optical Range (SOR) which hosted the powerful University of Illinois sodium lidar for an extended period prior to and also during the launch window. Since the SOR telescope is fully steerable, lidar measurements in the same volume sampled by the rocket were possible. The primary objective of the experiment was to measure the turbulent diffusion and mixing in the mesosphere and lower thermosphere, especially in layers characterized by convective and/or dynamical instabilities. The lidar, which is capable of measuring the sodium density, temperatures, and winds with good range and time resolution, provided the launch criteria, as well as context measurements for the in situ rocket observations.

Dependence of sodium laser guide star photon return on the geomagnetic field

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moussaoui, N.; Holzlöhner, R.; Hackenberg, W.; Bonaccini Calia, D.

2009-07-01

Aims: The efficiency of optical pumping that increases the backscatter emission of mesospheric sodium atoms in continuous wave (cw) laser guide stars (LGSs) can be significantly reduced and, in the worst case, eliminated by the action of the geomagnetic field. Our goal is to present an estimation of this effect for several telescope sites. Methods: Sodium atoms precess around magnetic field lines that cycle the magnetic quantum number, reducing the effectiveness of optical pumping. Our method is based on calculating the sodium magnetic sublevel populations in the presence of the geomagnetic field and on experimental measurements of radiance return from sodium LGS conducted at the Starfire optical range (SOR). Results: We propose a relatively simple semi-empirical formula for estimating the effect of the geomagnetic field on enhancing the LGSs photon return due to optical pumping with a circularly polarized cw single-frequency laser beam. Starting from the good agreement between our calculations and the experimental measurements for the geomagnetic field effect, and in order to more realistically estimate the sodium LGSs photon return, we introduce the effect of the distance to the mesospheric sodium layer and the atmospheric attenuation. The combined effect of these three factors is calculated for several telescope sites. Conclusions: In calculating the return flux of LGSs, only the best return conditions are often assumed, relying on strong optical pumping with circularly polarized lasers. However, one can only obtain this optimal return along one specific laser orientation on the sky, where the geomagnetic field lines are parallel to the laser beam. For most of the telescopes, the optimum can be obtained at telescope orientations beyond the observation limit. For the telescopes located close to the geomagnetic pole, the benefit of the optical pumping is much more important than for telescopes located close to the geomagnetic equator.

NACA's Lockheed F-94B Starfire with Audio Recording Devices

NASA Image and Video Library

1957-07-21

A Lockheed F-94B Starfire being equipped with an audio recording machine and sensors at the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) Lewis Flight Propulsion Laboratory. The NACA was investigating the acoustic effects caused by the engine’s nozzle and the air flowing along the fuselage. Airline manufacturers would soon be introducing jet engines on their passenger aircraft, and there was concern regarding the noise levels for both the passengers and public on the ground. NACA Lewis conducted a variety of noise reduction studies in its wind tunnels, laboratories, and on a F2H-2B Banshee aircraft. The F2H-2B Banshee’s initial test flights in 1955 and 1956 measured the noise emanating directly from airflow over the aircraft’s surfaces, particularly the wings. This problem was particularly pronounced at high subsonic speeds. The researchers found the majority of the noise occurred in the low and middle octaves. These investigations were enhanced with a series of flights using the F-94B Starfire. The missions measured wall-pressure, turbulence fluctuations, and mean velocity profiles. Mach 0.3 to 0.8 flights were flown at altitudes of 10,000, 20,000, and 30,000 feet with microphones mounted near the forward fuselage and on a wing. The results substantiated the wind tunnel findings. This photograph shows the tape recorder being installed in the F-94B’s nose.

AFRL Advanced Electric Lasers Branch - Construction and Upgrade of a 50-watt Facility-Class Sodium Guidestar Pump Laser

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bronder, T.; Miller, H.; Stohs, J.; Lu, C.; Baker, J.; Lucero, A.

The development of a reliable and effective laser source for pumping mesospheric sodium to generate an artificial guidestar has been well documented. From the early achievements with 589nm high-power dye lasers at the Keck and Lick observatories to the ground-breaking 50W CW FASOR (Frequency Addition Source of Optical Radiation) Guidestar at the Air Forces Starfire Optical Range (SOR), there has been intense interest in this technology from both the academic and military communities. Beginning in the fall of 2008, the Air Force Research Laboratorys Advanced Electric Lasers Branch began a project to build, test, verify and deliver an upgraded version of the SOR FASOR for use at the AF Maui Optical Station (AMOS) in the summer of 2010. This FASOR will be similar in design to the existing SOR device and produce 50W of diffraction limited, linearly polarized narrow linewidth 589nm light by combining the output of two injection-locked Nd:YAG ring lasers (operating at 1064nm and 1319nm) using resonant sum-frequency generation in a lithium triborate crystal (LBO). The upgraded features will include modularized sub-components, embedded control electronics, and a simplified cooling system. The first portion of this upgrade project is to reconstruct the current SOR FASOR components and include improved methods of regulating the gain modules of the two injection lasers. In parallel with this effort, the technical plans for the modularization and re-packaging of the FASOR will be finalized and coordinated with the staff at Maui. This presentation will summarize the result of these efforts to date and provide updates on the AMOS FASOR status. Additionally, plans for "next-generation" FASOR upgrades for both SOR and AMOS will also be discussed.

Safety and Hazard Analysis for the Coherent/Acculite Laser Based Sandia Remote Sensing System (Trailer B70).

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Augustoni, Arnold L.

A laser safety and hazard analysis is presented, for the Coherent(r) driven Acculite(r) laser central to the Sandia Remote Sensing System (SRSS). The analysis is based on the 2000 version of the American National Standards Institute's (ANSI) Standard Z136.1, for Safe Use of Lasers and the 2000 version of the ANSI Standard Z136.6, for Safe Use of Lasers Outdoors. The trailer (B70) based SRSS laser system is a mobile platform which is used to perform laser interaction experiments and tests at various national test sites. The trailer based SRSS laser system is generally operated on the United State Air Forcemore » Starfire Optical Range (SOR) at Kirtland Air Force Base (KAFB), New Mexico. The laser is used to perform laser interaction testing inside the laser trailer as well as outside the trailer at target sites located at various distances. In order to protect personnel who work inside the Nominal Hazard Zone (NHZ) from hazardous laser exposures, it was necessary to determine the Maximum Permissible Exposure (MPE) for each laser wavelength (wavelength bands) and calculate the appropriate minimum Optical Density (ODmin) necessary for the laser safety eyewear used by authorized personnel. Also, the Nominal Ocular Hazard Distance (NOHD) and The Extended Ocular Hazard Distance (EOHD) are calculated in order to protect unauthorized personnel who may have violated the boundaries of the control area and might enter into the laser's NHZ for testing outside the trailer. 4Page intentionally left blank« less

Filler/ Polycarbosilane Systems as CMC Matrix Precursors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hurwitz, Frances I.

1998-01-01

Pyrolytic conversion of polymeric precursors to ceramics is accompanied by loss of volatiles and large volume changes. Infiltration of a low viscosity polymer into a fiber preform will fill small spaces within fiber tows by capillary forces, but create large matrix cracks within large, intertow areas. One approach to minimizing shrinkage and reducing the number of required infiltration cycles is to use particulate fillers. In this study, Starfire allylhydridopolycarbosilane (AHPCS) was blended with a silicon carbide powder, with and without dispersant, using shear mixing. The polymer and polymer/particle interactions were characterized using nuclear magnetic resonance, differential scanning calorimetry, thermogravimetric analysis and rheometry. Polymer/particulate slurries and suspensions were used to infiltrate a figidized preform of an eight ply five harness satin CG Nicalon fiber having a dual layer BN/SiC interface coating, and the resulting composites characterized by optical and scanning electron microscopy.

ARC-1958-A-23928

NASA Image and Video Library

1958-05-21

NACA Photographer Thrust reverser on F-94C-1 (AF50-956 NACA 156) Starfire (l to R) Air Force Major E. Sommerich; Ames Engineer Seth Anderson, Lt. Col. Tavasti; and Ames Chief test pilot George Cooper discussing phases of flight evaluation tests. Note: Used in publication in Flight Research at Ames; 57 Years of Development and Validation of Aeronautical Technology NASA SP-1998-3300 fig 91

KSC-2011-6481

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-08-13

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden welcomes current and former space shuttle workers and their families to the “We Made History! Shuttle Program Celebration,” Aug. 13, at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, Fla. The event was held to honor shuttle workers’ dedication to NASA’s Space Shuttle Program and to celebrate 30 years of space shuttle achievements. The event featured food, music, entertainment, astronaut appearances, educational activities, giveaways, and Starfire Night Skyshow. Photo credit: Gianni Woods

KSC-2011-6491

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-08-13

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Thousands of space shuttle workers and their families gather near the Rocket Garden at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida for the “We Made History! Shuttle Program Celebration” on Aug. 13. The event was held to honor current and former workers’ dedication to NASA’s Space Shuttle Program and to celebrate 30 years of space shuttle achievements. The event featured food, music, entertainment, astronaut appearances, educational activities, giveaways, and Starfire Night Skyshow. Photo credit: Jim Grossmann

KSC-2011-6492

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-08-13

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Thousands of space shuttle workers and their families gather near the Rocket Garden at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida for the “We Made History! Shuttle Program Celebration” on Aug. 13. The event was held to honor current and former workers’ dedication to NASA’s Space Shuttle Program and to celebrate 30 years of space shuttle achievements. The event featured food, music, entertainment, astronaut appearances, educational activities, giveaways, and Starfire Night Skyshow. Photo credit: Jim Grossmann

KSC-2011-6494

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-08-13

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Thousands of space shuttle workers and their families gather near the IMAX Theatre at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida for the “We Made History! Shuttle Program Celebration” on Aug. 13. The event was held to honor current and former workers’ dedication to NASA’s Space Shuttle Program and to celebrate 30 years of space shuttle achievements. The event featured food, music, entertainment, astronaut appearances, educational activities, giveaways, and Starfire Night Skyshow. Photo credit: Jim Grossmann

KSC-2011-6482

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-08-13

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Recording artist Ansel Brown performs on the main stage during NASA Kennedy Space Center’s “We Made History! Shuttle Program Celebration,” Aug. 13, at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, Fla. The event was held to honor current and former shuttle workers’ dedication to NASA’s Space Shuttle Program and to celebrate 30 years of space shuttle achievements. The event featured food, music, entertainment, astronaut appearances, educational activities, giveaways, and Starfire Night Skyshow. Photo credit: Gianni Woods

KSC-2011-6476

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-08-13

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Kennedy Space Center Director Bob Cabana visits with space shuttle workers and their families during the “We Made History! Shuttle Program Celebration,” Aug. 13, at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, Fla. The event was held to honor current and former workers’ dedication to NASA’s Space Shuttle Program and to celebrate 30 years of space shuttle achievements. The event featured food, music, entertainment, astronaut appearances, educational activities, giveaways, and Starfire Night Skyshow. Photo credit: Gianni Woods

KSC-2011-6489

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-08-13

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Some veteran space shuttle fliers sign autographs and talk with shuttle workers and their families at the “We Made History! Shuttle Program Celebration,” Aug. 13, at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, Fla. The event was held to honor shuttle workers’ dedication to NASA’s Space Shuttle Program and to celebrate 30 years of space shuttle achievements. The event featured food, music, entertainment, astronaut appearances, educational activities, giveaways, and Starfire Night Skyshow. Photo credit: Jim Grossmann

KSC-2011-6477

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-08-13

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Kennedy Space Center Director Bob Cabana welcomes current and former space shuttle workers and their families to the “We Made History! Shuttle Program Celebration,” Aug. 13, at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, Fla. The event was held to honor shuttle workers’ dedication to NASA’s Space Shuttle Program and to celebrate 30 years of space shuttle achievements. The event featured food, music, entertainment, astronaut appearances, educational activities, giveaways, and Starfire Night Skyshow. Photo credit: Gianni Woods

KSC-2011-6498

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-08-13

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The Panama band entertains thousands of space shuttle workers and their families at the “We Made History! Shuttle Program Celebration,” Aug. 13, at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, Fla. The event was held to honor current and former workers’ dedication to NASA’s Space Shuttle Program and to celebrate 30 years of space shuttle achievements. The event featured food, music, entertainment, astronaut appearances, educational activities, giveaways, and Starfire Night Skyshow. Photo credit: Jim Grossmann

KSC-2011-6490

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-08-13

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Thousands of space shuttle workers and their families gather near Orbit Cafe at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida for the “We Made History! Shuttle Program Celebration” on Aug. 13. The event was held to honor current and former workers’ dedication to NASA’s Space Shuttle Program and to celebrate 30 years of space shuttle achievements. The event featured food, music, entertainment, astronaut appearances, educational activities, giveaways, and Starfire Night Skyshow. Photo credit: Jim Grossmann

KSC-2011-6487

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-08-13

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Thousands of space shuttle workers and their families gather near Guest Services at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida for the “We Made History! Shuttle Program Celebration” on Aug. 13. The event was held to honor current and former workers’ dedication to NASA’s Space Shuttle Program and to celebrate 30 years of space shuttle achievements. The event featured food, music, entertainment, astronaut appearances, educational activities, giveaways, and Starfire Night Skyshow. Photo credit: Jim Grossmann

KSC-2011-6495

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-08-13

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Thousands of space shuttle workers and their families gather near the "Star Trek" exhibit at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida for the “We Made History! Shuttle Program Celebration” on Aug. 13. The event was held to honor current and former workers’ dedication to NASA’s Space Shuttle Program and to celebrate 30 years of space shuttle achievements. The event featured food, music, entertainment, astronaut appearances, educational activities, giveaways, and Starfire Night Skyshow. Photo credit: Jim Grossmann

Sodium Laser Guide Star Technique, Spectroscopy and Imaging with Adaptive Optics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ge, Jian

A sodium laser guide star (LGS) adaptive optics (AO) system developed at Stewart Observatory is to be used at the 6.5m MMT. Annual measurements at Kitt Peak show that the mean mesospheric sodium column density varies from ~2×109cm-2 (summer) to ~5×109cm-2 (winter). The sodium column density also varies by a factor of two during a one hour period. The first simultaneous measurements of sodium LGS brightness, sodium column density and laser power were obtained. The absolute sodium return for a continuous wave circularly polarized beam is 1.2([/pm]0.3)× 106 photons s-1m-2W-1 for the sodium column density of 3.7×109cm-2. Theoretical studies demonstrate that the 6.5m MMT LGS AO can provide Strehl ratios better than 0.15 and about 50% flux concentration within 0.2'' aperture for 1-5.5μm under median seeing. This correction will be available for the full sky. Better Strehl and higher flux concentration can be achieved with natural guide stars, but limited sky coverage. The AO corrected field-of-view is about 60''. The Arizona IR Imager and Echelle Spectrograph (ARIES) was designed to match the 6.5m MMT AO. Detection limits of more than 2 magnitude fainter can be reached with the AO over without the AO. A pre-ARIES wide field near-IR camera was designed, built and tested. The camera provides 1'' images in the near-IR over an 8.5 × 8.5arcmin2 field. The 10-σ detection limit with one minute exposures is 17.9 mag. in the K band. A prototype very high resolution cross-dispersed optical echelle spectrograph was designed and built to match the Starfire Optical Range 1.5m AO images. Interstellar KI 7698A absorption lines have been detected in the spectra of αCyg and ζPer. The spectral resolution is 250.000. About 300A wavelengths were covered in a single exposure. Total detection efficiency of 1% has been achieved. For the first time, a near-single-mode fiber with 10μm core size was applied to transmit the Mt. Wilson 100inch AO corrected beams to a spectrograph. The coupling efficiency of the fiber reached up to 70%. Spectra of αOri were recorded. The spectral resolution is 200,000. The total wavelength coverage is about 650A per exposure.

KSC-2011-6479

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-08-13

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- NASA’s Space Shuttle Program Launch Integration Manager Mike Moses speaks to current and former space shuttle workers and their families during the “We Made History! Shuttle Program Celebration,” Aug. 13, at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, Fla. The event was held to honor shuttle workers’ dedication to the agency’s Space Shuttle Program and to celebrate 30 years of space shuttle achievements. The event featured food, music, entertainment, astronaut appearances, educational activities, giveaways, and Starfire Night Skyshow. Photo credit: Gianni Woods

KSC-2011-6485

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-08-13

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- NASA astronauts Michael Fincke and Greg H. Johnson create some excitement by helping to draw names for space-themed giveaways during Kennedy Space Center’s “We Made History! Shuttle Program Celebration,” Aug. 13, at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, Fla. The event was held to honor current and former shuttle workers’ dedication to NASA’s Space Shuttle Program and to celebrate 30 years of space shuttle achievements. The event featured food, music, entertainment, astronaut appearances, educational activities, giveaways, and Starfire Night Skyshow. Photo credit: Gianni Woods

KSC-2011-6480

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-08-13

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Vehicle Processing Director Rita Willcoxon speaks to current and former space shuttle workers and their families during the “We Made History! Shuttle Program Celebration,” Aug. 13, at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, Fla. The event was held to honor shuttle workers’ dedication to NASA’s Space Shuttle Program and to celebrate 30 years of space shuttle achievements. The event featured food, music, entertainment, astronaut appearances, educational activities, giveaways, and Starfire Night Skyshow. Photo credit: Gianni Woods

KSC-2011-6488

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-08-13

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Three-time space shuttle astronaut Charles D. "Sam" Gemar signs autographs and takes photos with space shuttle workers and their families at the “We Made History! Shuttle Program Celebration,” Aug. 13, at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, Fla. The event was held to honor shuttle workers’ dedication to NASA’s Space Shuttle Program and to celebrate 30 years of space shuttle achievements. The event featured food, music, entertainment, astronaut appearances, educational activities, giveaways, and Starfire Night Skyshow. Photo credit: Jim Grossmann

KSC-2011-6486

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-08-13

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- With the Rocket Garden for a backdrop, five shuttle flags hang above the main stage at NASA Kennedy Space Center’s “We Made History! Shuttle Program Celebration,” Aug. 13, at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, Fla. The event was held to honor current and former shuttle workers’ dedication to NASA’s Space Shuttle Program and to celebrate 30 years of space shuttle achievements. The event featured food, music, entertainment, astronaut appearances, educational activities, giveaways, and Starfire Night Skyshow. Photo credit: Gianni Woods

KSC-2011-6483

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-08-13

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Kennedy Space Center Director Bob Cabana (at left) and NASA astronauts Rex Walheim, Sandra Magnus and Chris Ferguson talk to current and former space shuttle workers and their families during the “We Made History! Shuttle Program Celebration,” Aug. 13, at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, Fla. The event was held to honor current and former shuttle workers’ dedication to NASA’s Space Shuttle Program and to celebrate 30 years of space shuttle achievements. The event featured food, music, entertainment, astronaut appearances, educational activities, giveaways, and Starfire Night Skyshow. Photo credit: Gianni Woods

KSC-2011-6496

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-08-13

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Thousands of space shuttle workers and their families watch a Starfire Night Skyshow at the “We Made History! Shuttle Program Celebration,” Aug. 13, at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, Fla. The event was held to honor shuttle workers’ dedication to NASA’s Space Shuttle Program and to celebrate 30 years of space shuttle achievements. The show featured spectacular night aerobatics with special computer-controlled lighting and firework effects on a plane flown by experienced pilot Bill Leff. The event also featured food, music, entertainment, astronaut appearances, educational activities and giveaways. Photo credit: Jim Grossmann

KSC-2011-6484

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-08-13

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Kennedy Space Center Director Bob Cabana (at left), Jackie Bolden and her husband, NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden, enjoy the entertainment at the main stage during the “We Made History! Shuttle Program Celebration,” Aug. 13, at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, Fla. The event was held to honor current and former shuttle workers’ dedication to NASA’s Space Shuttle Program and to celebrate 30 years of space shuttle achievements. The event featured food, music, entertainment, astronaut appearances, educational activities, giveaways, and Starfire Night Skyshow. Photo credit: Gianni Woods

KSC-2011-6497

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-08-13

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- A Starfire Night Skyshow takes place above the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida during the “We Made History! Shuttle Program Celebration” on Aug. 13. The event was held to honor shuttle workers’ dedication to NASA’s Space Shuttle Program and to celebrate 30 years of space shuttle achievements. The show featured spectacular night aerobatics with special computer-controlled lighting and firework effects on a plane flown by experienced pilot Bill Leff. The event also featured food, music, entertainment, astronaut appearances, educational activities and giveaways. Photo credit: Jim Grossmann

KSC-2011-6493

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-08-13

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- STS-135 Mission Specialists Rex Walheim, left, and Sandy Magnus, and STS-135 Commander Chris Ferguson address thousands of space shuttle workers and their families at the “We Made History! Shuttle Program Celebration,” Aug. 13, at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, Fla. The event was held to honor current and former workers’ dedication to NASA’s Space Shuttle Program and to celebrate 30 years of space shuttle achievements. The event featured food, music, entertainment, astronaut appearances, educational activities, giveaways, and Starfire Night Skyshow. Photo credit: Jim Grossmann

KSC-2011-6478

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-08-13

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Attending Kennedy Space Center’s “We Made History! Shuttle Program Celebration,” Aug. 13, at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida, are from left, NASA astronauts Nicole Stott, Michael Fincke, Greg Johnson, Sandra Magnus, Rex Walheim and Chris Ferguson, and Kennedy Deputy Director Janet Petro. The event was held to honor shuttle workers’ dedication to NASA’s Space Shuttle Program and to celebrate 30 years of space shuttle achievements. The event featured food, music, entertainment, astronaut appearances, educational activities, giveaways, and Starfire Night Skyshow. Photo credit: Gianni Woods

Science Applications of the RULLI Camera: Photon Thrust, General Relativity and the Crab Nebula

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Currie, D.; Thompson, D.; Buck, S.; Des Georges, R.; Ho, C.; Remelius, D.; Shirey, B.; Gabriele, T.; Gamiz, V.; Ulibarri, L.; Hallada, M.; Szymanski, P.

RULLI (Remote Ultra-Low Light Imager) is a unique single photon imager with very high (microsecond) time resolution and continuous sensitivity, developed at Los Alamos National Laboratory. This technology allows a family of astrophysical and satellite observations that were not feasible in the past. We will describe the results of the analysis of recent observations of the LAGEOS II satellite and the opportunities expected for future observations of the Crab nebula. The LAGEOS/LARES experiments have measured the dynamical General Relativistic effects of the rotation of the earth, the Lense-Thirring effect. The major error source is photon thrust and a required knowledge of the orientation of the spin axis of LAGEOS. This information is required for the analysis of the observations to date, and for future observations to obtain more accurate measurements of the Lense-Thirring effect, of deviations from the inverse square law, and of other General Relativistic effects. The rotation of LAGEOS I is already too slow for traditional measurement methods and Lageos II will soon suffer a similar fate. The RULLI camera can provide new information and an extension of the lifetime for these measurements. We will discuss the 2004 LANL observations of LAGEOS at Starfire Optical Range, the unique software processing methods that allow the high accuracy analysis of the data (the FROID algorithm) and the transformation that allows the use of such data to obtain the orientation of the spin axis of the satellite. We are also planning future observations, including of the nebula surrounding the Crab Pulsar. The rapidly rotating pulsar generates enormous magnetic fields, a synchrotron plasma and stellar winds moving at nearly the velocity of light. Since the useful observations to date rely only on observations of the beamed emission when it points toward the earth, most descriptions of the details of the processes have been largely theoretical. The RULLI camera's continuous sensitivity and high time resolution should enable better signal to noise ratios for observations that may reveal properties like the orientation of the rotational and magnetic axes of the pulsar, the temperature, composition and electrical state of the plasma and effects of the magnetic field.

Low gravity investigations in suborbital rockets

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wessling, Francis C.; Lundquist, Charles A.

1990-01-01

Two series of suborbital rocket missions are outlined which are intended to support materials and biotechnology investigations under microgravity conditions and enhance commercial rocket activity. The Consort series of missions employs the two-stage Starfire I rocket and recovery systems as well as a payload of three sealed or vented cylindrical sections. The Consort 1 and 2 missions are described which successfully supported six classes of experiments each. The Joust program is the second series of rocket missions, and the Prospector rocket is employed to provide comparable payload masses with twice as much microgravity time as the Consort series. The Joust and Consort missions provide 6-8 and 13-15 mins, respectively, of microgravity flight to support such experiments as polymer processing, scientific apparatus testing, and electrodeposition.

Magnetically-induced forces on a ferromagnetic HT-9 first wall/blanket module

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lechtenberg, T. A.; Dahms, C. F.; Attaya, H.

1984-05-01

A model of the Starfire commercial tokamak reactor was used as the basis for calculating magnetic loads induced on typical fusion reactor first wall components fabricated of ferromagnetic material. The component analyzed was the first wall/blanket module because this structure experiences the greatest neutron fluence level and is the component for which the low swelling ferromagnetic Sandvik alloy, HT-9, may have the greatest benefit. The magnitudes of the magnetic body forces calculated were consistent with analyses performed on structures within other types of reactors. The loads generated within the module structure by the magnetic forces were found to be of the same order of magnitude as those arising from other sources such as pressure differential, dead weight, temperature distribution. Only small structural design modifications would be required if the magnetic alloy, Sandvik HT-9 were utilized.

Nuclear design of a very-low-activation fusion reactor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cheng, E. T.; Hopkins, G. R.

1983-06-01

The nuclear design aspects of using very-low-activation materials, such as SiC, MgO, and aluminum for fusion-reactor first wall, blanket, and shield applications were investigated. In addition to the advantage of very-low radioactive inventory, it was found that the very-low-activation fusion reactor can also offer an adequate tritium-breeding ratio and substantial amount of blanket nuclear heating as a conventional-material-structured reactor does. The most-stringent design constraint found in a very-low-activation fusion reactor is the limited space available in the inboard region of a Tokamak concept for shielding to protect the superconducting toroidal field coil. A reference design was developed which mitigates the constraint by adopting a removable tungsten shield design that retains the inboard dimensions and gives the same shield performance as the reference STARFIRE Tokamak reactor design.

Direct measurements of vertical heat flux and Na flux in the mesosphere and lower thermosphere by lidar at Boulder (40°N, 105°W), Colorado

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, W.; Chu, X.; Gardner, C. S.; Barry, I. F.; Smith, J. A.; Fong, W.; Yu, Z.; Chen, C.

2014-12-01

The vertical transport of heat and constituent by gravity waves and tides plays a fundamental role in establishing the thermal and constituent structures of the mesosphere and lower thermosphere (MLT), but has not been thoroughly investigated by observations. In particular, direct measurements of vertical heat flux and metal constituent flux caused by dissipating waves are extremely rare, which demand precise measurements with high spatial and temporal resolutions over a long period. Such requirements are necessary to overcome various uncertainties to reveal the small quantities of the heat and constituent fluxes induced by dissipating waves. So far such direct observations have only been reported for vertical heat and Na fluxes using a Na Doppler lidar at Starfire Optical Range (SOR) in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Furthermore, estimate of eddy heat and constituent fluxes from the turbulent mixing generated by breaking waves is even more challenging due to the even smaller temporal and spatial scales of the eddy. Consequently, the associated coefficients of thermal (kH) and constituent (kzz) diffusion have not been well characterized and remain as large uncertainties in models. We attempt to address these issues with direct measurements by a Na Doppler lidar with exceptional high-resolution measurement capabilities. Since summer 2010, we have been operating a Na Doppler lidar at Boulder, Colorado. The efficiency of the lidar has been greatly improved in summer of 2011 and achieved generally over 1000 counts of Na signal per lidar pulse in winter. In 2013, we made extensive Na lidar observations in 98 nights. These data covering each month of a full year will be used to characterize the seasonal variations of heat and Na fluxes and to be compared with the pioneering observations at SOR. In November 2013, we further upgraded the lidar with two new frequency shifters and a new data acquisition scheme, which are optimized for estimating eddy fluxes and reducing the measurement bias. Since then, we have been making observations in order to directly measure the eddy heat and Na fluxes for the first time. Such lidar observations at Boulder will certainly help advance the understanding on the vertical transport in the MLT region and provide crucial observational references to the models.

HYFIRE II: fusion/high-temperature electrolysis conceptual-design study. Annual report

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Fillo, J.A.

1983-08-01

As in the previous HYFIRE design study, the current study focuses on coupling a Tokamak fusion reactor with a high-temperature blanket to a High-Temperature Electrolyzer (HTE) process to produce hydrogen and oxygen. Scaling of the STARFIRE reactor to allow a blanket power to 6000 MW(th) is also assumed. The primary difference between the two studies is the maximum inlet steam temperature to the electrolyzer. This temperature is decreased from approx. 1300/sup 0/ to approx. 1150/sup 0/C, which is closer to the maximum projected temperature of the Westinghouse fuel cell design. The process flow conditions change but the basic design philosophymore » and approaches to process design remain the same as before. Westinghouse assisted in the study in the areas of systems design integration, plasma engineering, balance-of-plant design, and electrolyzer technology.« less

Survey of Neutron Generators for Active Interrogation

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Moss, Calvin Elroy; Myers, William L.; Sundby, Gary M.

Some of these commercially available generators meet all of the requirements in Table 1, but there are other concerns. Most generators containing SF6 will be required to have the SF6 gas removed for shipping because of DOT regulations. However, Thermo Fisher has a DOT exemption. The P211 and B211 from Thermo Fisher meet the requirements listed in Table 1, but they are old designs and are no longer offered for sale. Also, they require 15 minutes or more of warmup before neutron output is available, and they lack a modern digital control. The nGen-300C from Starfire Industries is interesting becausemore » it is a portable system, but it uses the DD reaction for 2.5 MeV neutrons, which are not as penetrating as the 14 MeV neutrons from the DT reaction. The MP 320 from Thermo Fisher is another portable system, but the minimum pulse rate is 250 Hz, which is too fast for measurement of delayed neutrons and re-interrogation by delayed neutrons between pulses. The Genie 16 from Sodern (from France) probably meets the requirements, but the required power is probably too high for battery operation. The generators from Russia and China may be difficult to purchase, and service may not be available. The power required by some of these generators is low enough that batteries can be used. The portable units, nGen-300C and the MP320, could easily be operated with batteries. Other generators with low power requirements, as specified in the above vendors list, could possibly be operated with reason size batteries. The batteries do not need to be internal to the generator, but can be in a separate package. The availability of high capacity lithium batteries with sophisticated safety circuits makes battery operation more possible now than when lead acid batteries were used. The best path forward probably requires working with vendors of the existing systems. If Starfire Industries could be persuaded to put tritium in their nGen-300C generator, possibly in collaboration with a national laboratory, this would provide the 14-MeV neutrons needed. Another possibility is a modification of the Thermo Fisher MP 320 to run at 50 to 100 Hz. More discussions with these vendors, and possibly others, are required to determine their interest and possible costs.« less

Proximity fuze

DOEpatents

Harrison, Thomas R.

1989-08-22

A proximity fuze system includes an optical ranging apparatus, a detonation circuit controlled by the optical ranging apparatus, and an explosive charge detonated by the detonation cirtcuit. The optical ranging apparatus includes a pulsed laser light source for generating target ranging light pulses and optical reference light pulses. A single lens directs ranging pulses to a target and collects reflected light from the target. An optical fiber bundle is used for delaying the optical reference pulses to correspond to a predetermined distance from the target. The optical ranging apparatus includes circuitry for providing a first signal depending upon the light pulses reflected from the target, a second signal depending upon the light pulses from the optical delay fiber bundle, and an output signal when the first and second signals coincide with each other. The output signal occurs when the distance from the target is equal to the predetermined distance form the target. Additional circuitry distinguishes pulses reflected from the target from background solar radiation.

Proximity fuze

DOEpatents

Harrison, T.R.

1987-07-10

A proximity fuze system includes an optical ranging apparatus, a detonation circuit controlled by the optical ranging apparatus, and an explosive charge detonated by the detonation circuit. The optical ranging apparatus includes a pulsed laser light source for generating target ranging light pulses and optical reference light pulses. A single lens directs ranging pulses to a target and collects reflected light from the target. An optical fiber bundle is used for delaying the optical reference pulses to correspond to a predetermined distance from the target. The optical ranging apparatus includes circuitry for providing a first signal depending upon the light pulses reflected from the target, a second signal depending upon the light pulses from the optical delay fiber bundle, and an output signal when the first and second signals coincide with each other. The output signal occurs when the distance from the target is equal to the predetermined distance from the target. Additional circuitry distinguishes pulses reflected from the target from background solar radiation. 3 figs.

Proximity fuze

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Harrison, T.R.

1987-07-10

A proximity fuze system includes an optical ranging apparatus, a detonation circuit controlled by the optical ranging apparatus, and an explosive charge detonated by the detonation circuit. The optical ranging apparatus includes a pulsed laser light source for generating target ranging light pulses and optical reference light pulses. A single lens directs ranging pulses to a target and collects reflected light from the target. An optical fiber bundle is used for delaying the optical reference pulses to correspond to a predetermined distance from the target. The optical ranging apparatus includes circuitry for providing a first signal depending upon the lightmore » pulses reflected from the target, a second signal depending upon the light pulses from the optical delay fiber bundle, and an output signal when the first and second signals coincide with each other. The output signal occurs when the distance from the target is equal to the predetermined distance from the target. Additional circuitry distinguishes pulses reflected from the target from background solar radiation. 3 figs.« less

Proximity fuze

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Harrison, T.R.

1989-08-22

A proximity fuze system is described. It includes an optical ranging apparatus, a detonation circuit controlled by the optical ranging apparatus, and an explosive charge detonated by the detonation circuit. The optical ranging apparatus includes a pulsed laser light source for generating target ranging light pulses and optical reference light pulses. A single lens directs ranging pulses to a target and collects reflected light from the target. An optical fiber bundle is used for delaying the optical reference pulses to correspond to a predetermined distance from the target. The optical ranging apparatus includes circuitry for providing a first signal dependingmore » upon the light pulses reflected from the target, a second signal depending upon the light pulses from the optical delay fiber bundle, and an output signal when the first and second signals coincide with each other. The output signal occurs when the distance from the target is equal to the predetermined distance from the target. Additional circuitry distinguishes pulses reflected from the target from background solar radiation.« less

A Review of Multimode Interference in Tapered Optical Fibers and Related Applications.

PubMed

Wang, Pengfei; Zhao, Haiyan; Wang, Xianfan; Farrell, Gerald; Brambilla, Gilberto

2018-03-14

In recent years, tapered optical fibers (TOFs) have attracted increasing interest and developed into a range of devices used in many practical applications ranging from optical communication, sensing to optical manipulation and high-Q resonators. Compared with conventional optical fibers, TOFs possess a range of unique features, such as large evanescent field, strong optical confinement, mechanical flexibility and compactness. In this review, we critically summarize the multimode interference in TOFs and some of its applications with a focus on our research project undertaken at the Optoelectronics Research Centre of the University of Southampton in the United Kingdom.

A Review of Multimode Interference in Tapered Optical Fibers and Related Applications

PubMed Central

Wang, Pengfei; Zhao, Haiyan; Wang, Xianfan; Brambilla, Gilberto

2018-01-01

In recent years, tapered optical fibers (TOFs) have attracted increasing interest and developed into a range of devices used in many practical applications ranging from optical communication, sensing to optical manipulation and high-Q resonators. Compared with conventional optical fibers, TOFs possess a range of unique features, such as large evanescent field, strong optical confinement, mechanical flexibility and compactness. In this review, we critically summarize the multimode interference in TOFs and some of its applications with a focus on our research project undertaken at the Optoelectronics Research Centre of the University of Southampton in the United Kingdom. PMID:29538333

Method to Enhance the Operation of an Optical Inspection Instrument Using Spatial Light Modulators

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Trolinger, James; Lal, Amit; Jo, Joshua; Kupiec, Stephen

2012-01-01

For many aspheric and freeform optical components, existing interferometric solutions require a custom computer-generated hologram (CGH) to characterize the part. The overall objective of this research is to develop hardware and a procedure to produce a combined, dynamic, Hartmann/ Digital Holographic interferometry inspection system for a wide range of advanced optical components, including aspheric and freeform optics. This new instrument would have greater versatility and dynamic range than currently available measurement systems. The method uses a spatial light modulator to pre-condition wavefronts for imaging, interferometry, and data processing to improve the resolution and versatility of an optical inspection instrument. Existing interferometers and Hartmann inspection systems have either too small a dynamic range or insufficient resolution to characterize conveniently unusual optical surfaces like aspherical and freeform optics. For interferometers, a specially produced, computer-generated holographic optical element is needed to transform the wavefront to within the range of the interferometer. A new hybrid wavefront sensor employs newly available spatial light modulators (SLMs) as programmable holographic optical elements (HOEs). The HOE is programmed to enable the same instrument to inspect an optical element in stages, first by a Hartmann measurement, which has a very large dynamic range but less resolution. The first measurement provides the information required to precondition a reference wave that avails the measurement process to the more precise phase shifting interferometry. The SLM preconditions a wavefront before it is used to inspect an optical component. This adds important features to an optical inspection system, enabling not just wavefront conditioning for null testing and dynamic range extension, but also the creation of hybrid measurement procedures. This, for example, allows the combination of dynamic digital holography and Hartmann sensing procedures to cover a virtually unlimited dynamic range with high resolution. Digital holography technology brings all of the power and benefits of digital holographic interferometry to the requirement, while Hartmann-type wavefront sensors bring deflectometry technologies to the solution. The SLM can be used to generate arbitrary wavefronts in one leg of the interferometer, thereby greatly simplifying its use and extending its range. The SLM can also be used to modify the system into a dynamic Shack-Hartmann system, which is useful for optical components with large amounts of slope. By integrating these capabilities into a single instrument, the system will have tremendous flexibility to measure a variety of optical shapes accurately.

Piezo-optic, photoelastic, and acousto-optic properties of SrB4O7 crystals.

PubMed

Mytsyk, Bohdan; Demyanyshyn, Natalia; Martynyuk-Lototska, Irina; Vlokh, Rostyslav

2011-07-20

On the basis of studies of the piezo-optic effect, it has been shown that SrB(4)O(7) crystals can be used as efficient acousto-optic materials in the vacuum ultraviolet spectral range. The full matrices of piezo-optic and photoelastic coefficients have been experimentally obtained for these crystals. The acousto-optic figure of merit and the diffraction efficiency have been estimated for both the visible and deep ultraviolet spectral ranges. © 2011 Optical Society of America

Range-Gated Metrology with Compact Optical Head

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dubovitsky, Serge; Shaddock, Daniel; Ware, Brent; Lay, Oliver

2008-01-01

This work represents a radical simplification in the design of the optical head needed for high-precision laser ranging applications. The optical head is now a single fiber-optic collimator with dimensions of order of 1 1 2 cm, which can be easily integrated into the system being measured with minimal footprint.

Large dynamic range optical vector analyzer based on optical single-sideband modulation and Hilbert transform

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xue, Min; Pan, Shilong; Zhao, Yongjiu

2016-07-01

A large dynamic range optical vector analyzer (OVA) based on optical single-sideband modulation is proposed and demonstrated. By dividing the optical signal after optical device under test into two paths, reversing the phase of one swept sideband using a Hilbert transformer in one path, and detecting the two signals from the two paths with a balanced photodetector, the measurement errors induced by the residual -1st-order sideband and the high-order sidebands can be eliminated and the dynamic range of the measurement is increased. In a proof-of-concept experiment, the stimulated Brillouin scattering and a fiber Bragg grating are measured by OVAs with and without the Hilbert transform and balanced photodetection. Results show that about 40-dB improvement in the measurement dynamic range is realized by the proposed OVA.

A novel high-resolution chaotic lidar with optical injection to chaotic laser diode

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Yun-cai; Wang, An-bang

2008-03-01

A novel chaotic lidar with high resolution is proposed and studied theoretically. In chaotic lidar system, the chaotic laser emitted from chaotic laser diode is split into two beams: the probe and the reference light. The ranging is achieved by correlating the reference waveform with the delayed probe waveform backscattered from the target. In chaotic lidar systems presented previously, the chaotic signal source is laser diode with optical feedback or with optical injection by another one. The ranging resolution is limited by the bandwidth of chaotic laser which determined by the configuration of chaotic signal source. We proposed a novel chaotic lidar which ranging resolution is enhanced significantly by external optical injected chaotic laser diode. With the bandwidth-enhanced chaotic laser, the range resolution of the chaotic lidar system with optical injection is roughly two times compared with that of without optical injection. The resolution increases with injection strength increasing in a certain frequency detuning range.

An approach to control tuning range and speed in 1D ternary photonic band gap material nano-layered optical filter structures electro-optically

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zia, Shahneel; Banerjee, Anirudh

2016-05-01

This paper demonstrates a way to control spectrum tuning capability in one-dimensional (1D) ternary photonic band gap (PBG) material nano-layered structures electro-optically. It is shown that not only tuning range, but also tuning speed of tunable optical filters based on 1D ternary PBG structures can be controlled Electro-optically. This approach finds application in tuning range enhancement of 1D Ternary PBG structures and compensating temperature sensitive transmission spectrum shift in 1D Ternary PBG structures.

An approach to control tuning range and speed in 1D ternary photonic band gap material nano-layered optical filter structures electro-optically

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zia, Shahneel, E-mail: shahneelzia@gmail.com; Banerjee, Anirudh, E-mail: abanerjee@amity.edu

2016-05-06

This paper demonstrates a way to control spectrum tuning capability in one-dimensional (1D) ternary photonic band gap (PBG) material nano-layered structures electro-optically. It is shown that not only tuning range, but also tuning speed of tunable optical filters based on 1D ternary PBG structures can be controlled Electro-optically. This approach finds application in tuning range enhancement of 1D Ternary PBG structures and compensating temperature sensitive transmission spectrum shift in 1D Ternary PBG structures.

Generalised optical differentiation wavefront sensor: a sensitive high dynamic range wavefront sensor.

PubMed

Haffert, S Y

2016-08-22

Current wavefront sensors for high resolution imaging have either a large dynamic range or a high sensitivity. A new kind of wavefront sensor is developed which can have both: the Generalised Optical Differentiation wavefront sensor. This new wavefront sensor is based on the principles of optical differentiation by amplitude filters. We have extended the theory behind linear optical differentiation and generalised it to nonlinear filters. We used numerical simulations and laboratory experiments to investigate the properties of the generalised wavefront sensor. With this we created a new filter that can decouple the dynamic range from the sensitivity. These properties make it suitable for adaptive optic systems where a large range of phase aberrations have to be measured with high precision.

Spectroscopy of materials for terahertz photonics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Postava, K.; Chochol, J.; Mičica, M.; Vanwolleghem, M.; Kolejak, P.; Halagačka, L.; Cada, M.; Pištora, J.; Lampin, J.-F.

2016-12-01

In this paper we apply the terahertz time-domain spectroscopy (THz-TDS) to obtain optical function spectra in the range from 0.06 to 3 THz. Polarization sensitivity is obtained using azimuth-controlled wire-grid polarizers. We demonstrate general methods on characterization of plasmonic semiconductors. Detail characterization of optical and magneto-optical material properties is also motivated by a need of optical isolator in THz spectral range. The technique is applied to III-V semiconductors. The typical material is a single crystal undoped InSb having the plasma frequency in the range of interest. With appropriate magnetic field (in our case 0.4 T) we observed coupling of plasma and cyclotron behavior of free electrons with gigantic magneto-optic effect in the THz spectral range.

Optical-domain subsampling for data efficient depth ranging in Fourier-domain optical coherence tomography

PubMed Central

Siddiqui, Meena; Vakoc, Benjamin J.

2012-01-01

Recent advances in optical coherence tomography (OCT) have led to higher-speed sources that support imaging over longer depth ranges. Limitations in the bandwidth of state-of-the-art acquisition electronics, however, prevent adoption of these advances into the clinical applications. Here, we introduce optical-domain subsampling as a method for imaging at high-speeds and over extended depth ranges but with a lower acquisition bandwidth than that required using conventional approaches. Optically subsampled laser sources utilize a discrete set of wavelengths to alias fringe signals along an extended depth range into a bandwidth limited frequency window. By detecting the complex fringe signals and under the assumption of a depth-constrained signal, optical-domain subsampling enables recovery of the depth-resolved scattering signal without overlapping artifacts from this bandwidth-limited window. We highlight key principles behind optical-domain subsampled imaging, and demonstrate this principle experimentally using a polygon-filter based swept-source laser that includes an intra-cavity Fabry-Perot (FP) etalon. PMID:23038343

Transient Negative Optical Nonlinearity of Indium Oxide Nanorod Arrays in the Full-Visible Range

DOE PAGES

Guo, Peijun; Chang, Robert P. H.; Schaller, Richard D.

2017-06-09

Dynamic control of the optical response of materials at visible wavelengths is key to future metamaterials and photonic integrated circuits. Here we demonstrate large amplitude, negative optical nonlinearity (Δ n from -0.05 to -0.09) of indium oxide nanorod arrays in the full-visible range. We experimentally quantify and theoretically calculate the optical nonlinearity, which arises from the modifications of interband optical transitions. Furthermore, the approach towards negative optical nonlinearity can be generalized to other transparent semiconductors and opens door to reconfigurable, sub-wavelength optical components.

Doppler and range determination for deep space vehicles using active optical transponders.

PubMed

Kinman, P W; Gagliardi, R M

1988-11-01

This paper describes and analyzes two types of laser system employing active transponders that could accurately determine Doppler and range to deep space vehicles from earth-orbiting satellites. The first is a noncoherent optical system in which the Doppler effect on an intensity-modulating subcarrier is measured. The second is a coherent optical system in which the Doppler effect of the optical carrier itself is measured. Doppler and range measurement errors are mathematically modeled and, for three example systems, numerically evaluated.

Doppler and range determination for deep space vehicles using active optical transponders

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kinman, Peter W.; Gagliardi, Robert M.

1988-01-01

This paper describes and analyzes two types of laser system employing active transponders that could accurately determine Doppler and range to deep space vehicles from earth-orbiting satellites. The first is a noncoherent optical system in which the Doppler effect on an intensity-modulating subcarrier is measured. The second is a coherent optical system in which the Doppler effect of the optical carrier itself is measured. Doppler and range measurement errors are mathematically modeled and, for three example systems, numerically evaluated.

Optical characterization in wide spectral range by a coherent spectrophotometer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sirutkaitis, Valdas; Eckardt, Robert C.; Balachninaite, Ona; Grigonis, Rimantas; Melninkaitis, A.; Rakickas, T.

2003-11-01

We report on the development and use of coherent spectrophotometers specialized for the unusual requirements of characterizing nonlinear optical materials and multilayer dielectric coatings used in laser systems. A large dynamic range is required to measure the linear properties of transmission, reflection and absorption and nonlinear properties of laser-induced damage threshold and nonlinear frequency conversion. Optical parametric oscillators generate coherent radiation that is widely tunable with instantaneous powers that can range from milliwatts to megawatts and are well matched to this application. As particular example a laser spectrophotometer based on optical parametric oscillators and a diode-pumped, Q-switched Nd:YAG laser and suitable for optical characterization in the spectral range 420-4500 nm is described. Measurements include reflectance and transmittance, absorption, scattering and laser-induced damage thresholds. Possibilities of a system based on a 130-fs Ti:sapphire laser and optical parametric generators are also discussed.

Optical and mechanical response of high temperature optical fiber sensors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sirkis, Jim

1991-01-01

The National Aerospace Plane (NASP) will experience temperatures as high as 2500 F at critical locations in its structure. Optical fiber sensors were proposed as a means of monitoring the temperature in these critical regions by either bonding the optical fiber to, or embedding the optical fiber in, metal matrix composite (MMC) components. Unfortunately, the anticipated NASP temperature ranges exceed the glass transition region of the optical fiber glass. The attempt is made to define the operating temperature range of optical fiber sensors from both optical and mechanical perspectives. A full non-linear optical analysis was performed by modeling the optical response of an isolated sensor cyclically driven through the glass transition region.

Optical fiber strain sensor with improved linearity range

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Egalon, Claudio Oliveira (Inventor); Rogowski, Robert S. (Inventor)

1995-01-01

A strain sensor is constructed from a two mode optical fiber. When the optical fiber is surface mounted in a straight line and the object to which the optical fiber is mounted is subjected to strain within a predetermined range, the light intensity of any point at the output of the optical fiber will have a linear relationship to strain, provided the intermodal phase difference is less than 0.17 radians.

Extended depth of focus adaptive optics spectral domain optical coherence tomography

PubMed Central

Sasaki, Kazuhiro; Kurokawa, Kazuhiro; Makita, Shuichi; Yasuno, Yoshiaki

2012-01-01

We present an adaptive optics spectral domain optical coherence tomography (AO-SDOCT) with a long focal range by active phase modulation of the pupil. A long focal range is achieved by introducing AO-controlled third-order spherical aberration (SA). The property of SA and its effects on focal range are investigated in detail using the Huygens-Fresnel principle, beam profile measurement and OCT imaging of a phantom. The results indicate that the focal range is extended by applying SA, and the direction of extension can be controlled by the sign of applied SA. Finally, we demonstrated in vivo human retinal imaging by altering the applied SA. PMID:23082278

Extended depth of focus adaptive optics spectral domain optical coherence tomography.

PubMed

Sasaki, Kazuhiro; Kurokawa, Kazuhiro; Makita, Shuichi; Yasuno, Yoshiaki

2012-10-01

We present an adaptive optics spectral domain optical coherence tomography (AO-SDOCT) with a long focal range by active phase modulation of the pupil. A long focal range is achieved by introducing AO-controlled third-order spherical aberration (SA). The property of SA and its effects on focal range are investigated in detail using the Huygens-Fresnel principle, beam profile measurement and OCT imaging of a phantom. The results indicate that the focal range is extended by applying SA, and the direction of extension can be controlled by the sign of applied SA. Finally, we demonstrated in vivo human retinal imaging by altering the applied SA.

Wideband optical vector network analyzer based on optical single-sideband modulation and optical frequency comb.

PubMed

Xue, Min; Pan, Shilong; He, Chao; Guo, Ronghui; Zhao, Yongjiu

2013-11-15

A novel approach to increase the measurement range of the optical vector network analyzer (OVNA) based on optical single-sideband (OSSB) modulation is proposed and experimentally demonstrated. In the proposed system, each comb line in an optical frequency comb (OFC) is selected by an optical filter and used as the optical carrier for the OSSB-based OVNA. The frequency responses of an optical device-under-test (ODUT) are thus measured channel by channel. Because the comb lines in the OFC have fixed frequency spacing, by fitting the responses measured in all channels together, the magnitude and phase responses of the ODUT can be accurately achieved in a large range. A proof-of-concept experiment is performed. A measurement range of 105 GHz and a resolution of 1 MHz is achieved when a five-comb-line OFC with a frequency spacing of 20 GHz is applied to measure the magnitude and phase responses of a fiber Bragg grating.

System and method for online inspection of turbines using an optical tube with broadspectrum mirrors

DOEpatents

Baleine, Erwan

2015-12-22

An optical inspection system for nondestructive internal visual inspection and non-contact infra-red (IR) temperature monitoring of an online, operating power generation turbine. The optical inspection system includes an optical tube having a viewing port, at least one reflective mirror or a mirror array having a reflectivity spectral range from 550 nm to 20 .mu.m, and capable of continuous operation at temperatures greater than 932 degrees Fahrenheit (500 degrees Celsius), and a transparent window with high transmission within the same spectral range mounted distal the viewing port. The same optical mirror array may be used to measure selectively surface temperature of metal turbine blades in the near IR range (approximately 1 .mu.m wavelength) and of thermal barrier coated turbine blades in the long IR range (approximately 10 .mu.m wavelength).

In vivo size and shape measurement of the human upper airway using endoscopic longrange optical coherence tomography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Armstrong, Julian J.; Leigh, Matthew S.; Walton, Ian D.; Zvyagin, Andrei V.; Alexandrov, Sergey A.; Schwer, Stefan; Sampson, David D.; Hillman, David R.; Eastwood, Peter R.

2003-07-01

We describe a long-range optical coherence tomography system for size and shape measurement of large hollow organs in the human body. The system employs a frequency-domain optical delay line of a configuration that enables the combination of high-speed operation with long scan range. We compare the achievable maximum delay of several delay line configurations, and identify the configurations with the greatest delay range. We demonstrate the use of one such long-range delay line in a catheter-based optical coherence tomography system and present profiles of the human upper airway and esophagus in vivo with a radial scan range of 26 millimeters. Such quantitative upper airway profiling should prove valuable in investigating the pathophysiology of airway collapse during sleep (obstructive sleep apnea).

All optical reconfiguration of optomechanical filters.

PubMed

Deotare, Parag B; Bulu, Irfan; Frank, Ian W; Quan, Qimin; Zhang, Yinan; Ilic, Rob; Loncar, Marko

2012-05-22

Reconfigurable optical filters are of great importance for applications in optical communication and information processing. Of particular interest are tuning techniques that take advantage of mechanical deformation of the devices, as they offer wider tuning range. Here we demonstrate reconfiguration of coupled photonic crystal nanobeam cavities by using optical gradient force induced mechanical actuation. Propagating waveguide modes that exist over a wide wavelength range are used to actuate the structures and control the resonance of localized cavity modes. Using this all-optical approach, more than 18 linewidths of tuning range is demonstrated. Using an on-chip temperature self-referencing method, we determine that 20% of the total tuning was due to optomechanical reconfiguration and the rest due to thermo-optic effects. By operating the device at frequencies higher than the thermal cutoff, we show high-speed operation dominated by just optomechanical effects. Independent control of mechanical and optical resonances of our structures is also demonstrated.

Steering optical comb frequencies by rotating the polarization state

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Yanyan; Zhang, Xiaofei; Yan, Lulu; Zhang, Pan; Rao, Bingjie; Han, Wei; Guo, Wenge; Zhang, Shougang; Jiang, Haifeng

2017-12-01

Optical frequency combs, with precise control of repetition rate and carrier-envelope-offset frequency, have revolutionized many fields, such as fine optical spectroscopy, optical frequency standards, ultra-fast science research, ultra-stable microwave generation and precise ranging measurement. However, existing high bandwidth frequency control methods have small dynamic range, requiring complex hybrid control techniques. To overcome this limitation, we develop a new approach, where a home-made intra-cavity electro-optic modulator tunes polarization state of laser signal rather than only optical length of the cavity, to steer frequencies of a nonlinear-polarization-rotation mode-locked laser. By taking advantage of birefringence of the whole cavity, this approach results in not only broadband but also relative large-dynamic frequency control. Experimental results show that frequency control dynamic range increase at least one order in comparison with the traditional intra-cavity electro-optic modulator technique. In additional, this technique exhibits less side-effect than traditional frequency control methods.

The orbits of satellites of (22) Kalliope and (317) Roxane

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Drummond, Jack D.; Reynolds, Odell; Buckman, Miles; Eickhoff, Mark

2017-10-01

Between October 2016 and February 2017 we imaged asteroid (22) Kalliope (10.3

Materials for Concentrator Photovoltaic Systems: Optical Properties and Solar Radiation Durability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

French, R. H.; Rodríguez-Parada, J. M.; Yang, M. K.; Lemon, M. F.; Romano, E. C.; Boydell, P.

2010-10-01

Concentrator photovoltaic (CPV) systems are designed to operate over a wide range of solar concentrations, from low concentrations of ˜1 to 12 Suns to medium concentrations in the range from 12 to 200 Suns, to high concentration CPV systems going up to 2000 Suns. Many transparent optical materials are used for a wide variety of functions ranging from refractive and reflective optics to homogenizers, encapsulants and even thermal management. The classes of materials used also span a wide spectrum from hydrocarbon polymers (HCP) and fluoropolymers (FP) to silicon containing polymers and polyimides (PI). The optical properties of these materials are essential to the optical behavior of the system. At the same time radiation durability of these materials under the extremely wide range of solar concentrations is a critical performance requirement for the required lifetime of a CPV system. As part of our research on materials for CPV we are evaluating the optical properties and solar radiation durability of various polymeric materials to define the optimum material combinations for various CPV systems.

CFO compensation method using optical feedback path for coherent optical OFDM system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moon, Sang-Rok; Hwang, In-Ki; Kang, Hun-Sik; Chang, Sun Hyok; Lee, Seung-Woo; Lee, Joon Ki

2017-07-01

We investigate feasibility of carrier frequency offset (CFO) compensation method using optical feedback path for coherent optical orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (CO-OFDM) system. Recently proposed CFO compensation algorithms provide wide CFO estimation range in electrical domain. However, their practical compensation range is limited by sampling rate of an analog-to-digital converter (ADC). This limitation has not drawn attention, since the ADC sampling rate was high enough comparing to the data bandwidth and CFO in the wireless OFDM system. For CO-OFDM, the limitation is becoming visible because of increased data bandwidth, laser instability (i.e. large CFO) and insufficient ADC sampling rate owing to high cost. To solve the problem and extend practical CFO compensation range, we propose a CFO compensation method having optical feedback path. By adding simple wavelength control for local oscillator, the practical CFO compensation range can be extended to the sampling frequency range. The feasibility of the proposed method is experimentally investigated.

Refraction corrections for surveying

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lear, W. M.

1979-01-01

Optical measurements of range and elevation angle are distorted by the earth's atmosphere. High precision refraction correction equations are presented which are ideally suited for surveying because their inputs are optically measured range and optically measured elevation angle. The outputs are true straight line range and true geometric elevation angle. The 'short distances' used in surveying allow the calculations of true range and true elevation angle to be quickly made using a programmable pocket calculator. Topics covered include the spherical form of Snell's Law; ray path equations; and integrating the equations. Short-, medium-, and long-range refraction corrections are presented in tables.

Fiber-Optic Pyrometer with Optically Powered Switch for Temperature Measurements

PubMed Central

Pérez-Prieto, Sandra; López-Cardona, Juan D.; Blanco, Enrique; Moreno-López, Jorge

2018-01-01

We report the experimental results on a new infrared fiber-optic pyrometer for very localized and high-speed temperature measurements ranging from 170 to 530 °C using low-noise photodetectors and high-gain transimpedance amplifiers with a single gain mode in the whole temperature range. We also report a shutter based on an optical fiber switch which is optically powered to provide a reference signal in an optical fiber pyrometer measuring from 200 to 550 °C. The tests show the potential of remotely powering via optical means a 300 mW power-hungry optical switch at a distance of 100 m, avoiding any electromagnetic interference close to the measuring point. PMID:29415477

Fiber-Optic Pyrometer with Optically Powered Switch for Temperature Measurements.

PubMed

Vázquez, Carmen; Pérez-Prieto, Sandra; López-Cardona, Juan D; Tapetado, Alberto; Blanco, Enrique; Moreno-López, Jorge; Montero, David S; Lallana, Pedro C

2018-02-06

We report the experimental results on a new infrared fiber-optic pyrometer for very localized and high-speed temperature measurements ranging from 170 to 530 °C using low-noise photodetectors and high-gain transimpedance amplifiers with a single gain mode in the whole temperature range. We also report a shutter based on an optical fiber switch which is optically powered to provide a reference signal in an optical fiber pyrometer measuring from 200 to 550 °C. The tests show the potential of remotely powering via optical means a 300 mW power-hungry optical switch at a distance of 100 m, avoiding any electromagnetic interference close to the measuring point.

Frequency multiplexed long range swept source optical coherence tomography

PubMed Central

Zurauskas, Mantas; Bradu, Adrian; Podoleanu, Adrian Gh.

2013-01-01

We present a novel swept source optical coherence tomography configuration, equipped with acousto-optic deflectors that can be used to simultaneously acquire multiple B-scans originating from different depths. The sensitivity range of the configuration is evaluated while acquiring five simultaneous B-scans. Then the configuration is employed to demonstrate long range B-scan imaging by combining two simultaneous B-scans from a mouse head sample. PMID:23760762

Fiber-Optic/Photoelastic Flow Sensors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wesson, Laurence N.; Cabato, Nellie L.; Brooks, Edward F.

1995-01-01

Simple, rugged, lightweight transducers detect periodic vortices. Fiber-optic-coupled transducers developed to measure flows over wide dynamic ranges and over wide temperature ranges in severe environments. Used to measure flows of fuel in advanced aircraft engines. Feasibility of sensors demonstrated in tests of prototype sensor in water flowing at various temperatures and speeds. Particularly attractive for aircraft applications because optical fibers compact and make possible transmission of sensor signals at high rates with immunity from electromagnetic interference at suboptical frequencies. Sensors utilize optical-to-optical conversion via photoelastic effect.

Empfangsleistung in Abhängigkeit von der Zielentfernung bei optischen Kurzstrecken-Radargeräten.

PubMed

Riegl, J; Bernhard, M

1974-04-01

The dependence of the received optical power on the range in optical short-distance radar range finders is calculated by means of the methods of geometrical optics. The calculations are based on a constant intensity of the transmitter-beam cross section and on an ideal thin lens for the receiver optics. The results are confirmed by measurements. Even measurements using a nonideal thick lens system for the receiver optics are in reasonable agreement with the calculations.

Passive long range acousto-optic sensor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Slater, Dan

2006-08-01

Alexander Graham Bell's photophone of 1880 was a simple free space optical communication device that used the sun to illuminate a reflective acoustic diaphragm. A selenium photocell located 213 m (700 ft) away converted the acoustically modulated light beam back into sound. A variation of the photophone is presented here that uses naturally formed free space acousto-optic communications links to provide passive multichannel long range acoustic sensing. This system, called RAS (remote acoustic sensor), functions as a long range microphone with a demonstrated range in excess of 40 km (25 miles).

Scanning Optical Head with Nontilted Reference Beam: Assuring Nanoradian Accuracy for a New Generation Surface Profiler in the Large-Slope Testing Range

DOE PAGES

Qian, Shinan

2011-01-01

Nmore » anoradian Surface Profilers (SPs) are required for state-of-the-art synchrotron radiation optics and high-precision optical measurements. ano-radian accuracy must be maintained in the large-angle test range. However, the beams' notable lateral motions during tests of most operating profilers, combined with the insufficiencies of their optical components, generate significant errors of ∼ 1  μ rad rms in the measurements. The solution to nano-radian accuracy for the new generation of surface profilers in this range is to apply a scanning optical head, combined with nontilted reference beam. I describe here my comparison of different scan modes and discuss some test results.« less

Optical properties of graphene superlattices.

PubMed

Le, H Anh; Ho, S Ta; Nguyen, D Chien; Do, V Nam

2014-10-08

In this work, the optical responses of graphene superlattices, i.e. graphene subjected to a periodic scalar potential, are theoretically reported. The optical properties were studied by investigating the optical conductivity, which was calculated using the Kubo formalism. It was found that the optical conductivity becomes dependent on the photon polarization and is suppressed in the photon energy range of (0, Ub), where Ub is the potential barrier height. In the higher photon energy range, i.e. Ω > Ub, the optical conductivity is, however, almost identical to that of pristine graphene. Such behaviors of the optical conductivity are explained microscopically through the analysis of the elements of optical matrices and effectively through a simple model, which is based on the Pauli blocking mechanism.

Investigation of polymer derived ceramics cantilevers for application of high speed atomic force microscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Chia-Yun

High speed Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) has a wide variety of applications ranging from nanomanufacturing to biophysics. In order to have higher scanning speed of certain AFM modes, high resonant frequency cantilevers are needed; therefore, the goal of this research is to investigate using polymer derived ceramics for possible applications in making high resonant frequency AFM cantilevers using complex cross sections. The polymer derived ceramic that will be studied, is silicon carbide. Polymer derived ceramics offer a potentially more economic fabrication approach for MEMS due to their relatively low processing temperatures and ease of complex shape design. Photolithography was used to make the desired cantilever shapes with micron scale size followed by a wet etching process to release the cantilevers from the substrates. The whole manufacturing process we use borrow well-developed techniques from the semiconducting industry, and as such this project also could offer the opportunity to reduce the fabrication cost of AFM cantilevers and MEMS in general. The characteristics of silicon carbide made from the precursor polymer, SMP-10 (Starfire Systems), were studied. In order to produce high qualities of silicon carbide cantilevers, where the major concern is defects, proper process parameters needed to be determined. Films of polymer derived ceramics often have defects due to shrinkage during the conversion process. Thus control of defects was a central issue in this study. A second, related concern was preventing oxidation; the polymer derived ceramics we chose is easily oxidized during processing. Establishing an environment without oxygen in the whole process was a significant challenge in the project. The optimization of the parameters for using photolithography and wet etching process was the final and central goal of the project; well established techniques used in microfabrication were modified for use in making the cantilever in the project. The techniques developed here open a path to the fabrication of cantilevers with unconventional cross sections.

Geometrical calibration of an AOTF hyper-spectral imaging system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Špiclin, Žiga; Katrašnik, Jaka; Bürmen, Miran; Pernuš, Franjo; Likar, Boštjan

2010-02-01

Optical aberrations present an important problem in optical measurements. Geometrical calibration of an imaging system is therefore of the utmost importance for achieving accurate optical measurements. In hyper-spectral imaging systems, the problem of optical aberrations is even more pronounced because optical aberrations are wavelength dependent. Geometrical calibration must therefore be performed over the entire spectral range of the hyper-spectral imaging system, which is usually far greater than that of the visible light spectrum. This problem is especially adverse in AOTF (Acousto- Optic Tunable Filter) hyper-spectral imaging systems, as the diffraction of light in AOTF filters is dependent on both wavelength and angle of incidence. Geometrical calibration of hyper-spectral imaging system was performed by stable caliber of known dimensions, which was imaged at different wavelengths over the entire spectral range. The acquired images were then automatically registered to the caliber model by both parametric and nonparametric transformation based on B-splines and by minimizing normalized correlation coefficient. The calibration method was tested on an AOTF hyper-spectral imaging system in the near infrared spectral range. The results indicated substantial wavelength dependent optical aberration that is especially pronounced in the spectral range closer to the infrared part of the spectrum. The calibration method was able to accurately characterize the aberrations and produce transformations for efficient sub-pixel geometrical calibration over the entire spectral range, finally yielding better spatial resolution of hyperspectral imaging system.

Yttrium orthoaluminate nanoperovskite doped with Tm3+ ions as upconversion optical temperature sensor in the near-infrared region.

PubMed

Hernández-Rodriguez, M A; Lozano-Gorrín, A D; Lavín, V; Rodríguez-Mendoza, U R; Martín, I R

2017-10-30

The thermal sensing capability of the Tm 3+ -doped yttrium orthoaluminate nanoperovskite in the infrared range, synthetized by a sol-gel method, was studied. The temperature dependence of the infrared upconverted emission bands located at around 705 nm ( 3 F 2,3 → 3 H 6 ) and 800 nm ( 3 H 4 → 3 H 6 ) of YAP: Tm 3+ nanoperovskite under excitation at 1210 nm was analyzed from RT up to 425 K. Calibration of the optical sensor has been made using the fluorescence intensity ratio technique, showing a high sensitivity in the near-infrared compared to other trivalent rare-earth based optical sensors working in the same range. In addition, a second calibration procedure of the YAP: Tm 3+ optical sensor was performed by using the FIR technique on the emission band associated to the 3 H 4 → 3 H 6 transition in the physiological temperature range (293-333 K), showing a very high relative sensitivity compared with other rare-earth based optical temperature sensors working in the physiological range. Moreover, the main advantage compared with other optical sensors is that the excitation source and the upconverted emissions do not overlap, since they lie in different biological windows, thus allowing its potential use as an optical temperature probe in the near-infrared range for biological applications.

Monolithically integrated quantum dot optical gain modulator with semiconductor optical amplifier for 10-Gb/s photonic transmission

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yamamoto, Naokatsu; Akahane, Kouichi; Umezawa, Toshimasa; Kawanishi, Tetsuya

2015-03-01

Short-range interconnection and/or data center networks require high capacity and a large number of channels in order to support numerous connections. Solutions employed to meet these requirements involve the use of alternative wavebands to increase the usable optical frequency range. We recently proposed the use of the T- and O-bands (Thousand band: 1000-1260 nm, Original band: 1260-1360 nm) as alternative wavebands because large optical frequency resources (>60 THz) can be easily employed. In addition, a simple and compact Gb/s-order high-speed optical modulator is a critical photonic device for short-range communications. Therefore, to develop an optical modulator that acts as a highfunctional photonic device, we focused on the use of self-assembled quantum dots (QDs) as a three-dimensional (3D) confined structure because QD structures are highly suitable for realizing broadband optical gain media in the T+O bands. In this study, we use the high-quality broadband QD optical gain to develop a monolithically integrated QD optical gain modulator (QD-OGM) device that has a semiconductor optical amplifier (QD-SOA) for Gb/s-order highspeed optical data generation in the 1.3-μm waveband. The insertion loss of the device can be compensated through the SOA, and we obtained an optical gain change of up to ~7 dB in the OGM section. Further, we successfully demonstrate a 10-Gb/s clear eye opening using the QD-OGM/SOA device with a clock-data recovery sequence at the receiver end. These results suggest that the monolithic QD-EOM/SOA is suitable for increasing the number of wavelength channels for smart short-range communications.

Trapping and Propelling Microparticles at Long Range by Using an Entirely Stripped and Slightly Tapered No-Core Optical Fiber

PubMed Central

Sheu, Fang-Wen; Huang, Yen-Si

2013-01-01

A stripped no-core optical fiber with a 125 μm diameter was transformed into a symmetric and unbroken optical fiber that tapers slightly to a 45-μm-diameter waist. The laser light can be easily launched into the no-core optical fiber. The enhanced evanescent wave of the slightly tapered no-core optical fiber can attract nearby 5-μm-diameter polystyrene microparticles onto the surface of the tapered multimode optical fiber within fast flowing fluid and propel the trapped particles in the direction of the light propagation to longer delivery range than is possible using a slightly tapered telecom single-mode optical fiber. PMID:23449118

Trapping and propelling microparticles at long range by using an entirely stripped and slightly tapered no-core optical fiber.

PubMed

Sheu, Fang-Wen; Huang, Yen-Si

2013-02-28

A stripped no-core optical fiber with a 125 µm diameter was transformed into a symmetric and unbroken optical fiber that tapers slightly to a 45-µm-diameter waist. The laser light can be easily launched into the no-core optical fiber. The enhanced evanescent wave of the slightly tapered no-core optical fiber can attract nearby 5-µm-diameter polystyrene microparticles onto the surface of the tapered multimode optical fiber within fast flowing fluid and propel the trapped particles in the direction of the light propagation to longer delivery range than is possible using a slightly tapered telecom single-mode optical fiber.

Ultralow-power and ultrafast all-optical tunable plasmon-induced transparency in metamaterials at optical communication range.

PubMed

Zhu, Yu; Hu, Xiaoyong; Fu, Yulan; Yang, Hong; Gong, Qihuang

2013-01-01

Actively all-optical tunable plasmon-induced transparency in metamaterials paves the way for achieving ultrahigh-speed quantum information processing chips. Unfortunately, up to now, very small experimental progress has been made for all-optical tunable plasmon-induced transparency in metamaterials in the visible and near-infrared range because of small third-order optical nonlinearity of conventional materials. The achieved operating pump intensity was as high as several GW/cm(2) order. Here, we report an ultralow-power and ultrafast all-optical tunable plasmon-induced transparency in metamaterials coated on polycrystalline indium-tin oxide layer at the optical communication range. Compared with previous reports, the threshold pump intensity is reduced by four orders of magnitude, while an ultrafast response time of picoseconds order is maintained. This work not only offers a way to constructing photonic materials with large nonlinearity and ultrafast response, but also opens up the possibility for realizing quantum solid chips and ultrafast integrated photonic devices based on metamaterials.

Ultralow-power and ultrafast all-optical tunable plasmon-induced transparency in metamaterials at optical communication range

PubMed Central

Zhu, Yu; Hu, Xiaoyong; Fu, Yulan; Yang, Hong; Gong, Qihuang

2013-01-01

Actively all-optical tunable plasmon-induced transparency in metamaterials paves the way for achieving ultrahigh-speed quantum information processing chips. Unfortunately, up to now, very small experimental progress has been made for all-optical tunable plasmon-induced transparency in metamaterials in the visible and near-infrared range because of small third-order optical nonlinearity of conventional materials. The achieved operating pump intensity was as high as several GW/cm2 order. Here, we report an ultralow-power and ultrafast all-optical tunable plasmon-induced transparency in metamaterials coated on polycrystalline indium-tin oxide layer at the optical communication range. Compared with previous reports, the threshold pump intensity is reduced by four orders of magnitude, while an ultrafast response time of picoseconds order is maintained. This work not only offers a way to constructing photonic materials with large nonlinearity and ultrafast response, but also opens up the possibility for realizing quantum solid chips and ultrafast integrated photonic devices based on metamaterials. PMID:23903825

Cryogenic fiber optic temperature sensor and method of manufacturing the same

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kochergin, Vladimir (Inventor)

2012-01-01

This invention teaches the fiber optic sensors temperature sensors for cryogenic temperature range with improved sensitivity and resolution, and method of making said sensors. In more detail, the present invention is related to enhancement of temperature sensitivity of fiber optic temperature sensors at cryogenic temperatures by utilizing nanomaterials with a thermal expansion coefficient that is smaller than the thermal expansion coefficient of the optical fiber but larger in absolute value than the thermal expansion coefficient of the optical fiber at least over a range of temperatures.

Space Telescopes

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-01-01

of refraction for a vacuum/matter transition are often called the optical constants of the material . In the optical wavelength range, for instance...thick, can also be applied to GI mirrors, thereby extending the photon energy range out to about 100 keV. The index of refraction or the optical constants...consists of alternating layers of two materials with high contrast in the optical constants δ and β, where 1 − δ is the real part of the index of

Multiple-Path-Length Optical Absorbance Cell

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2001-01-01

An optical absorbance cell that offers a selection of multiple optical path lengths has been developed as part of a portable spectrometric instrument that measures absorption spectra of small samples of water and that costs less than does a conventional, non-portable laboratory spectrometer. The instrument is intended, more specifically, for use in studying colored dissolved organic matter (CDOM) in seawater, especially in coastal regions. Accurate characterization of CDOM is necessary for building bio-optical mathematical models of seawater. The multiple path lengths of the absorption cell afford a wide range of sensitivity needed for measuring the optical absorbances associated with the wide range of concentrations of CDOM observed in nature. The instrument operates in the wavelength range of 370 to 725 nm. The major subsystems of the instrument (see figure) include a color-balanced light source; the absorption cell; a peristaltic pump; a high-precision, low-noise fiber optic spectrometer; and a laptop or other personal computer. A fiber-optic cable transmits light from the source to the absorption cell. Other optical fibers transmit light from the absorption cell to the spectrometer,

Maximum-performance fiber-optic irradiation with nonimaging designs.

PubMed

Fang, Y; Feuermann, D; Gordon, J M

1997-10-01

A range of practical nonimaging designs for optical fiber applications is presented. Rays emerging from a fiber over a restricted angular range (small numerical aperture) are needed to illuminate a small near-field detector at maximum radiative efficiency. These designs range from pure reflector (all-mirror), to pure dielectric (refractive and based on total internal reflection) to lens-mirror combinations. Sample designs are shown for a specific infrared fiber-optic irradiation problem of practical interest. Optical performance is checked with computer three-dimensional ray tracing. Compared with conventional imaging solutions, nonimaging units offer considerable practical advantages in compactness and ease of alignment as well as noticeably superior radiative efficiency.

Long axial imaging range using conventional swept source lasers in optical coherence tomography via re-circulation loops

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bradu, Adrian; Jackson, David A.; Podoleanu, Adrian

2018-03-01

Typically, swept source optical coherence tomography (SS-OCT) imaging instruments are capable of a longer axial range than their camera based (CB) counterpart. However, there are still various applications that would take advantage for an extended axial range. In this paper, we propose an interferometer configuration that can be used to extend the axial range of the OCT instruments equipped with conventional swept-source lasers up to a few cm. In this configuration, the two arms of the interferometer are equipped with adjustable optical path length rings. The use of semiconductor optical amplifiers in the two rings allows for compensating optical losses hence, multiple paths depth reflectivity profiles (Ascans) can be combined axially. In this way, extremely long overall axial ranges are possible. The use of the recirculation loops produces an effect equivalent to that of extending the coherence length of the swept source laser. Using this approach, the achievable axial imaging range in SS-OCT can reach values well beyond the limit imposed by the coherence length of the laser, to exceed in principle many centimeters. In the present work, we demonstrate axial ranges exceeding 4 cm using a commercial swept source laser and reaching 6 cm using an "in-house" swept source laser. When used in a conventional set-up alone, both these lasers can provide less than a few mm axial range.

Fiber optic vibration sensor using bifurcated plastic optical fiber

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abdullah, M.; Bidin, N.; Yasin, M.

2016-11-01

An extrinsic fiber optic vibration sensor is demonstrated for a fiber optic displacement sensor based on a bundled multimode fiber to measure a vibration frequency ranging from 100 until 3000 Hz. The front slope has a sensitivity of 0.1938mV/mm and linearity of 99.7% within a measurement range between 0.15-3.00 mm. By placing the diaphragm of the concave load-speaker within the linear range from the probe, the frequency of the vibration can be measured with error percentage of less than 1.54%. The graph of input against output frequency for low, medium and high frequency range show very high linearity up to 99%. Slope for low, medium, and high frequency range are calculated as 1.0026, 0.9934, and 1.0007 respectively. Simplicity, long term stability, low power consumption, wide dynamic and frequency ranges, noise reduction, ruggedness, linearity and light weight make it promising alternative to other well-establish methods for vibration frequency measurement.

Optical rangefinding applications using communications modulation technique

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Caplan, William D.; Morcom, Christopher John

2010-10-01

A novel range detection technique combines optical pulse modulation patterns with signal cross-correlation to produce an accurate range estimate from low power signals. The cross-correlation peak is analyzed by a post-processing algorithm such that the phase delay is proportional to the range to target. This technique produces a stable range estimate from noisy signals. The advantage is higher accuracy obtained with relatively low optical power transmitted. The technique is useful for low cost, low power and low mass sensors suitable for tactical use. The signal coding technique allows applications including IFF and battlefield identification systems.

High diffraction efficiency of three-layer diffractive optics designed for wide temperature range and large incident angle.

PubMed

Mao, Shan; Cui, Qingfeng; Piao, Mingxu; Zhao, Lidong

2016-05-01

A mathematical model of diffraction efficiency and polychromatic integral diffraction efficiency affected by environment temperature change and incident angle for three-layer diffractive optics with different dispersion materials is put forward, and its effects are analyzed. Taking optical materials N-FK5 and N-SF1 as the substrates of multilayer diffractive optics, the effect on diffraction efficiency and polychromatic integral diffraction efficiency with intermediate materials POLYCARB is analyzed with environment temperature change as well as incident angle. Therefore, three-layer diffractive optics can be applied in more wide environmental temperature ranges and larger incident angles for refractive-diffractive hybrid optical systems, which can obtain better image quality. Analysis results can be used to guide the hybrid imaging optical system design for optical engineers.

Refraction corrections for surveying

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lear, W. M.

1980-01-01

Optical measurements of range and elevation angles are distorted by refraction of Earth's atmosphere. Theoretical discussion of effect, along with equations for determining exact range and elevation corrections, is presented in report. Potentially useful in optical site surveying and related applications, analysis is easily programmed on pocket calculator. Input to equation is measured range and measured elevation; output is true range and true elevation.

Efficient quantum microwave-to-optical conversion using electro-optic nanophotonic coupled resonators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Soltani, Mohammad; Zhang, Mian; Ryan, Colm; Ribeill, Guilhem J.; Wang, Cheng; Loncar, Marko

2017-10-01

We propose a low-noise, triply resonant, electro-optic (EO) scheme for quantum microwave-to-optical conversion based on coupled nanophotonics resonators integrated with a superconducting qubit. Our optical system features a split resonance—a doublet—with a tunable frequency splitting that matches the microwave resonance frequency of the superconducting qubit. This is in contrast to conventional approaches, where large optical resonators with free-spectral range comparable to the qubit microwave frequency are used. In our system, EO mixing between the optical pump coupled into the low-frequency doublet mode and a resonance microwave photon results in an up-converted optical photon on resonance with high-frequency doublet mode. Importantly, the down-conversion process, which is the source of noise, is suppressed in our scheme as the coupled-resonator system does not support modes at that frequency. Our device has at least an order of magnitude smaller footprint than conventional devices, resulting in large overlap between optical and microwave fields and a large photon conversion rate (g /2 π ) in the range of ˜5 -15 kHz. Owing to a large g factor and doubly resonant nature of our device, microwave-to-optical frequency conversion can be achieved with optical pump powers in the range of tens of microwatts, even with moderate values for optical Q (˜106 ) and microwave Q (˜104 ). The performance metrics of our device, with substantial improvement over the previous EO-based approaches, promise a scalable quantum microwave-to-optical conversion and networking of superconducting processors via optical fiber communication.

An optical approach to proximity-operations communications for Space Station Freedom

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Marshalek, Robert G.

1991-01-01

An optical communications system is described that supports bi-directional interconnections between Space Station Freedom (SSF) and a host of attached and co-orbiting platforms. These proximity-operations (Prox-Ops) platforms are categorized by their maximum distance from SSF, with several remaining inside 1-km range and several extending out to 37-km and 2000-km ranges in the initial and growth phases, respectively. Two distinct Prox-Ops optical terminals are described. A 1-cm-aperture system is used on the short-range platforms to reduce payload mass, and a 10-cm-aperture system is used on the long-range platforms and on SSF to support the optical link budgets. The system supports up to four simultaneous user links, by assigning wavelengths to the various platforms and by using separate SSF terminals for each link.

Velocity filtering applied to optical flow calculations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Barniv, Yair

1990-01-01

Optical flow is a method by which a stream of two-dimensional images obtained from a forward-looking passive sensor is used to map the three-dimensional volume in front of a moving vehicle. Passive ranging via optical flow is applied here to the helicopter obstacle-avoidance problem. Velocity filtering is used as a field-based method to determine range to all pixels in the initial image. The theoretical understanding and performance analysis of velocity filtering as applied to optical flow is expanded and experimental results are presented.

Optic probe for semiconductor characterization

DOEpatents

Sopori, Bhushan L [Denver, CO; Hambarian, Artak [Yerevan, AM

2008-09-02

Described herein is an optical probe (120) for use in characterizing surface defects in wafers, such as semiconductor wafers. The optical probe (120) detects laser light reflected from the surface (124) of the wafer (106) within various ranges of angles. Characteristics of defects in the surface (124) of the wafer (106) are determined based on the amount of reflected laser light detected in each of the ranges of angles. Additionally, a wafer characterization system (100) is described that includes the described optical probe (120).

Ultrafast optical ranging using microresonator soliton frequency combs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Trocha, P.; Karpov, M.; Ganin, D.; Pfeiffer, M. H. P.; Kordts, A.; Wolf, S.; Krockenberger, J.; Marin-Palomo, P.; Weimann, C.; Randel, S.; Freude, W.; Kippenberg, T. J.; Koos, C.

2018-02-01

Light detection and ranging is widely used in science and industry. Over the past decade, optical frequency combs were shown to offer advantages in optical ranging, enabling fast distance acquisition with high accuracy. Driven by emerging high-volume applications such as industrial sensing, drone navigation, or autonomous driving, there is now a growing demand for compact ranging systems. Here, we show that soliton Kerr comb generation in integrated silicon nitride microresonators provides a route to high-performance chip-scale ranging systems. We demonstrate dual-comb distance measurements with Allan deviations down to 12 nanometers at averaging times of 13 microseconds along with ultrafast ranging at acquisition rates of 100 megahertz, allowing for in-flight sampling of gun projectiles moving at 150 meters per second. Combining integrated soliton-comb ranging systems with chip-scale nanophotonic phased arrays could enable compact ultrafast ranging systems for emerging mass applications.

Nanoimprint-defined, large-area meta-surfaces for unidirectional optical transmission with superior extinction in the visible-to-infrared range.

PubMed

Yao, Yuhan; Liu, He; Wang, Yifei; Li, Yuanrui; Song, Boxiang; Wang, Richard P; Povinelli, Michelle L; Wu, Wei

2016-07-11

Optical devices with asymmetric transmission have important applications in optical systems, but optical isolators with the modal asymmetry can only be built using magneto-optical or nonlinear materials, as dictated by the Lorentz reciprocity theorem. However, optical devices with the power asymmetry can be achieved by linear materials such as metals and dielectrics. In this paper, we report a large-area, nanoimprint-defined meta-surface (stacked subwavelength gratings) with high-contrast asymmetric transmittance in the visible-to-infrared wavelength range for TM-polarized light. The physical origin of asymmetric transmission through the meta-surface is studied by analyzing the scattering matrix.

Large tunable optical delays via self-phase modulation and dispersion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Okawachi, Yoshitomo; Sharping, Jay E.; Xu, Chris; Gaeta, Alexander L.

2006-12-01

We demonstrate all-optically tunable delays in optical fiber via a dispersive stage and two stages of nonlinear spectral broadening and filtering. With this scheme, we achieve continuously tunable delays of 3.5- ps pulses and advancements over a total range of more than 1200 pulsewidths. Our technique is applicable to a wide range of pulse durations and delays.

Range-Gated Metrology: An Ultra-Compact Sensor for Dimensional Stabilization

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lay, Oliver P.; Dubovitsky, Serge; Shaddock, Daniel A.; Ware, Brent; Woodruff, Christopher S.

2008-01-01

Point-to-point laser metrology systems can be used to stabilize large structures at the nanometer levels required for precision optical systems. Existing sensors are large and intrusive, however, with optical heads that consist of several optical elements and require multiple optical fiber connections. The use of point-to-point laser metrology has therefore been limited to applications where only a few gauges are needed and there is sufficient space to accommodate them. Range-Gated Metrology is a signal processing technique that preserves nanometer-level or better performance while enabling: (1) a greatly simplified optical head - a single fiber optic collimator - that can be made very compact, and (2) a single optical fiber connection that is readily multiplexed. This combination of features means that it will be straightforward and cost-effective to embed tens or hundreds of compact metrology gauges to stabilize a large structure. In this paper we describe the concept behind Range-Gated Metrology, demonstrate the performance in a laboratory environment, and give examples of how such a sensor system might be deployed.

Widely tunable laser frequency offset lock with 30 GHz range and 5 THz offset.

PubMed

Biesheuvel, J; Noom, D W E; Salumbides, E J; Sheridan, K T; Ubachs, W; Koelemeij, J C J

2013-06-17

We demonstrate a simple and versatile method to greatly extend the tuning range of optical frequency shifting devices, such as acousto-optic modulators (AOMs). We use this method to stabilize the frequency of a tunable narrow-band continuous-wave (CW) laser to a transmission maximum of an external Fabry-Perot interferometer (FPI) with a tunable frequency offset. This is achieved through a servo loop which contains an in-loop AOM for simple radiofrequency (RF) tuning of the optical frequency over the full 30 GHz mode-hop-free tuning range of the CW laser. By stabilizing the length of the FPI to a stabilized helium-neon (HeNe) laser (at 5 THz offset from the tunable laser) we simultaneously transfer the ~ 1 MHz absolute frequency stability of the HeNe laser to the entire 30 GHz range of the tunable laser. Thus, our method allows simple, wide-range, fast and reproducible optical frequency tuning and absolute optical frequency measurements through RF electronics, which is here demonstrated by repeatedly recording a 27-GHz-wide molecular iodine spectrum at scan rates up to 500 MHz/s. General technical aspects that determine the performance of the method are discussed in detail.

Transmission system for distribution of video over long-haul optical point-to-point links using a microwave photonic filter in the frequency range of 0.01-10 GHz

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zaldívar Huerta, Ignacio E.; Pérez Montaña, Diego F.; Nava, Pablo Hernández; Juárez, Alejandro García; Asomoza, Jorge Rodríguez; Leal Cruz, Ana L.

2013-12-01

We experimentally demonstrate the use of an electro-optical transmission system for distribution of video over long-haul optical point-to-point links using a microwave photonic filter in the frequency range of 0.01-10 GHz. The frequency response of the microwave photonic filter consists of four band-pass windows centered at frequencies that can be tailored to the function of the spectral free range of the optical source, the chromatic dispersion parameter of the optical fiber used, as well as the length of the optical link. In particular, filtering effect is obtained by the interaction of an externally modulated multimode laser diode emitting at 1.5 μm associated to the length of a dispersive optical fiber. Filtered microwave signals are used as electrical carriers to transmit TV-signal over long-haul optical links point-to-point. Transmission of TV-signal coded on the microwave band-pass windows located at 4.62, 6.86, 4.0 and 6.0 GHz are achieved over optical links of 25.25 km and 28.25 km, respectively. Practical applications for this approach lie in the field of the FTTH access network for distribution of services as video, voice, and data.

Wide tuning range wavelength-swept laser with a single SOA at 1020 nm for ultrahigh resolution Fourier-domain optical coherence tomography.

PubMed

Lee, Sang-Won; Song, Hyun-Woo; Jung, Moon-Youn; Kim, Seung-Hwan

2011-10-24

In this study, we demonstrated a wide tuning range wavelength-swept laser with a single semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA) at 1020 nm for ultrahigh resolution, Fourier-domain optical coherence tomography (UHR, FD-OCT). The wavelength-swept laser was constructed with an external line-cavity based on a Littman configuration. An optical wavelength selection filter consisted of a grating, a telescope, and a polygon scanner. Before constructing the optical wavelength selection filter, we observed that the optical power, the spectrum bandwidth, and the center wavelength of the SOA were affected by the temperature of the thermoelectric (TE) cooler in the SOA mount as well as the applied current. Therefore, to obtain a wide wavelength tuning range, we adjusted the temperature of the TE cooler in the SOA mount. When the temperature in the TE cooler was 9 °C, our swept source had a tuning range of 142 nm and a full-width at half-maximum (FWHM) of 121.5 nm at 18 kHz. The measured instantaneous spectral bandwidth (δλ) is 0.085 nm, which was measured by an optical spectrum analyzer with a resolution bandwidth of 0.06 nm. This value corresponds to an imaging depth of 3.1 mm in air. Additionally, the averaged optical power of our swept source was 8.2 mW. In UHR, FD/SS-OCT using our swept laser, the measured axial resolution was 4.0 μm in air corresponding to 2.9 μm in tissue (n = 1.35). The sensitivity was measured to be 93.1 dB at a depth of 100 μm. Finally, we obtained retinal images (macular and optic disk) and a corneal image. © 2011 Optical Society of America

Multi-arm spectrometer for parallel frequency analysis of radio-wave signals oriented to astronomical observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shcherbakov, Alexandre S.; Chavez Dagostino, Miguel; Arellanes, Adan Omar; Tepichin Rodriguez, Eduardo

2017-08-01

We describe a potential prototype of modern spectrometer based on acousto-optical technique with three parallel optical arms for analysis of radio-wave signals specific to astronomical observations. Each optical arm exhibits original performances to provide parallel multi-band observations with different scales simultaneously. Similar multi-band instrument is able to realize measurements within various scenarios from planetary atmospheres to attractive objects in the distant Universe. The arrangement under development has two novelties. First, each optical arm represents an individual spectrum analyzer with its individual performances. Such an approach is conditioned by exploiting various materials for acousto-optical cells operating within various regimes, frequency ranges, and light wavelengths from independent light sources. Individually produced beam shapers give both the needed incident light polarization and the required apodization for light beam to increase the dynamic range of the system as a whole. After parallel acousto-optical processing, a few data flows from these optical arms are united by the joint CCD matrix on the stage of the combined extremely high-bit rate electronic data processing that provides the system performances as well. The other novelty consists in the usage of various materials for designing wide-aperture acousto-optical cells exhibiting the best performances within each of optical arms. Here, one can mention specifically selected cuts of tellurium dioxide, bastron, and lithium niobate, which overlap selected areas within the frequency range from 40 MHz to 2.0 GHz. Thus one yields the united versatile instrument for comprehensive studies of astronomical objects simultaneously with precise synchronization in various frequency ranges.

Optical design and development of near-range compact lidar

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shiina, Tatsuo

2011-12-01

There are large demands to monitor the atmosphere in the closed space (hall, factory and so on), to check vegetation remotely and to detect hazardous gases such as explosive gas and bio terror from explosion-proof distance. On the contrary, traditional lidars have blind area, it is hard to monitor the atmosphere and the gas in the near range. In this study, optical designs and concrete developments for the atmosphere monitoring and the certain gas detection in near range were accomplished. Unique optical designs are introduced and their practical setups are explained.

Optical frequency up-conversion by supercontinuum-free widely-tunable fiber-optic Cherenkov radiation

PubMed Central

Tu, Haohua; Boppart, Stephen A.

2010-01-01

Spectrally-isolated narrowband Cherenkov radiation from commercial nonlinear photonic crystal fibers is demonstrated as an ultrafast optical source with a visible tuning range of 485–690 nm, which complementarily extends the near-infrared tuning range of 690–1020 nm from the corresponding femtosecond Ti:sapphire pump laser. Pump-to-signal conversion efficiency routinely surpasses 10%, enabling multimilliwatt visible output across the entire tuning range. Appropriate selection of fiber parameters and pumping conditions efficiently suppresses the supercontinuum generation typically associated with Cherenkov radiation. PMID:19506636

Hyperlens-array-implemented optical microscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Iwanaga, Masanobu

2014-08-01

Limit of resolution of conventional optical microscopes has never reached below 100 nm under visible light illumination. We show that numerically designed high-transmittance hyperlens array (HLA) is implemented in an optical microscope and works in practice for achieving one-shot-recording optical images of in-situ placed objects with sub 50 nm resolution in lateral direction. Direct resolution test employing well-defined nanopatterns proves that the HLA-implemented imaging is super-resolution optical microscopy, which works even under nW/mm2 visible illumination for objects. The HLA implementation makes the resolution of conventional microscopes one-scale higher, leading to the 1/10 illumination wavelength range, that is, mesoscopic range.

Optical zoom system realized by lateral shift of Alvarez freeform lenses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hou, Changlun; Xin, Qing; Zang, Yue

2018-04-01

We present and characterize an optical zoom system with lateral movement of an Alvarez freeform lens for imaging. Mathematical analysis for determining the required freeform surfaces is presented, and optical simulations are performed to confirm and refine the expected zooming behavior. A 3 × optical zoom system that was equivalent to a photographic objective lens with focal length ranging from 34.5 to 103.5 mm and field of view ranging from 60 deg to 22.4 deg is developed by using two pairs of Alvarez lenses and conventional aspheric lenses. The optical performances of the Alvarez zoom system are demonstrated experimentally.

Optimization of optical systems.

PubMed

Champagne, E B

1966-11-01

The power signal-to-noise ratios for coherent and noncoherent optical detection are presented, with the expression for noncoherent detection being examined in detail. It is found that for the long range optical system to compete with its microwave counterpart it is necessary to optimize the optical system. The optical system may be optimized by using coherent detection, or noncoherent detection if the signal is the dominate noise factor. A design procedure is presented which, in principle, always allows one to obtain signal shot-noise limited operation with noncoherent detection if pulsed operation is used. The technique should make reasonable extremely long range, high data rate systems of relatively simple design.

Bandwidth-variable tunable optical filter unit for illumination and spectral imaging systems using thin-film optical band-pass filters.

PubMed

Hennig, Georg; Brittenham, Gary M; Sroka, Ronald; Kniebühler, Gesa; Vogeser, Michael; Stepp, Herbert

2013-04-01

An optical filter unit is demonstrated, which uses two successively arranged tunable thin-film optical band-pass filters and allows for simultaneous adjustment of the central wavelength in the spectral range 522-555 nm and of the spectral bandwidth in the range 3-16 nm with a wavelength switching time of 8 ms∕nm. Different spectral filter combinations can cover the complete visible spectral range. The transmitted intensity was found to decrease only linearly with the spectral bandwidth for bandwidths >6 nm, allowing a high maximum transmission efficiency of >75%. The image of a fiber bundle was spectrally filtered and analyzed in terms of position-dependency of the transmitted bandwidth and central wavelength.

Universal dispersion model for characterization of optical thin films over wide spectral range: Application to magnesium fluoride

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Franta, Daniel; Nečas, David; Giglia, Angelo; Franta, Pavel; Ohlídal, Ivan

2017-11-01

Optical characterization of magnesium fluoride thin films is performed in a wide spectral range from far infrared to extreme ultraviolet (0.01-45 eV) utilizing the universal dispersion model. Two film defects, i.e. random roughness of the upper boundaries and defect transition layer at lower boundary are taken into account. An extension of universal dispersion model consisting in expressing the excitonic contributions as linear combinations of Gaussian and truncated Lorentzian terms is introduced. The spectral dependencies of the optical constants are presented in a graphical form and by the complete set of dispersion parameters that allows generating tabulated optical constants with required range and step using a simple utility in the newAD2 software package.

Wide range operation of regenerative optical parametric wavelength converter using ASE-degraded 43-Gb/s RZ-DPSK signals.

PubMed

Gao, Mingyi; Kurumida, Junya; Namiki, Shu

2011-11-07

For sustainable growth of the Internet, wavelength-tunable optical regeneration is the key to scaling up high energy-efficiency dynamic optical path networks while keeping the flexibility of the network. Wavelength-tunable optical parametric regenerator (T-OPR) based on the gain saturation effect of parametric amplification in a highly nonlinear fiber is promising for noise reduction in phase-shift keying signals. In this paper, we experimentally evaluated the T-OPR performance for ASE-degraded 43-Gb/s RZ-DPSK signals over a 20-nm input wavelength range between 1527 nm and 1547 nm. As a result, we achieved improved power penalty performance for the regenerated idler with a proper pump power range.

Multilayer Coatings for UV Spectral Range

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Miloushev, Ilko; Tenev, Tihomir; Peyeva, Rumiana; Panajotov, Krassimir

2010-01-01

Optical coatings for the UV spectral range play currently a significant role in the modern optical devices. For reducing of manufacturing cost the reliable design is essential. Therefore, better understanding of the optical properties of the used materials is indispensable for the proper design and manufacturing of the multilayer UV coatings. In this work we present some results on the preparation of reflective UV coatings. The implemented materials are magnesium fluoride and lanthanum fluoride. Their optical constants are determined from spectral characteristics of single layers in the 200-800 nm spectral range, obtained by thermal boat evaporation in high vacuum conditions. These results are subsequently used for the analysis of high reflection (HR) stack made of 40 layers deposited by the same deposition process.

Field-Sensitive Materials for Optical Applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Choi, Sang H.; Little, Mark

2002-01-01

The purpose of investigation is to develop the fundamental materials and fabrication technology for field-controlled spectrally active optics that are essential for industry, NASA, and DOD (Department of Defense) applications such as: membrane optics, filters for LIDARs (Light Detection and Ranging), windows for sensors and probes, telescopes, spectroscopes, cameras, light valves, light switches, flat-panel displays, etc. The proposed idea is based on the quantum-dots (QD) array or thin-film of field-sensitive Stark and Zeeman materials and the bound excitonic state of organic crystals that will offer optical adaptability and reconfigurability. Major tasks are the development of concept demonstration article and test data of field-controlled spectrally smart active optics (FCSAO) for optical multi-functional capabilities on a selected spectral range.

Reflective afocal broadband adaptive optics scanning ophthalmoscope

PubMed Central

Dubra, Alfredo; Sulai, Yusufu

2011-01-01

A broadband adaptive optics scanning ophthalmoscope (BAOSO) consisting of four afocal telescopes, formed by pairs of off-axis spherical mirrors in a non-planar arrangement, is presented. The non-planar folding of the telescopes is used to simultaneously reduce pupil and image plane astigmatism. The former improves the adaptive optics performance by reducing the root-mean-square (RMS) of the wavefront and the beam wandering due to optical scanning. The latter provides diffraction limited performance over a 3 diopter (D) vergence range. This vergence range allows for the use of any broadband light source(s) in the 450-850 nm wavelength range to simultaneously image any combination of retinal layers. Imaging modalities that could benefit from such a large vergence range are optical coherence tomography (OCT), multi- and hyper-spectral imaging, single- and multi-photon fluorescence. The benefits of the non-planar telescopes in the BAOSO are illustrated by resolving the human foveal photoreceptor mosaic in reflectance using two different superluminescent diodes with 680 and 796 nm peak wavelengths, reaching the eye with a vergence of 0.76 D relative to each other. PMID:21698035

Reflective afocal broadband adaptive optics scanning ophthalmoscope.

PubMed

Dubra, Alfredo; Sulai, Yusufu

2011-06-01

A broadband adaptive optics scanning ophthalmoscope (BAOSO) consisting of four afocal telescopes, formed by pairs of off-axis spherical mirrors in a non-planar arrangement, is presented. The non-planar folding of the telescopes is used to simultaneously reduce pupil and image plane astigmatism. The former improves the adaptive optics performance by reducing the root-mean-square (RMS) of the wavefront and the beam wandering due to optical scanning. The latter provides diffraction limited performance over a 3 diopter (D) vergence range. This vergence range allows for the use of any broadband light source(s) in the 450-850 nm wavelength range to simultaneously image any combination of retinal layers. Imaging modalities that could benefit from such a large vergence range are optical coherence tomography (OCT), multi- and hyper-spectral imaging, single- and multi-photon fluorescence. The benefits of the non-planar telescopes in the BAOSO are illustrated by resolving the human foveal photoreceptor mosaic in reflectance using two different superluminescent diodes with 680 and 796 nm peak wavelengths, reaching the eye with a vergence of 0.76 D relative to each other.

OPTICAL PRINCIPLES, BIOMECHANICS, AND INITIAL CLINICAL PERFORMANCE OF A DUAL-OPTIC ACCOMMODATING INTRAOCULAR LENS (AN AMERICAN OPHTHALMOLOGICAL SOCIETY THESIS)

PubMed Central

McLeod, Stephen D.

2006-01-01

Purpose To design and develop an accommodating intraocular lens (IOL) for endocapsular fixation with extended accommodative range that can be adapted to current standard extracapsular phacoemulsification technique. Methods Ray tracing analysis and lens design; finite element modeling of biomechanical properties; cadaver eye implantation; initial clinical evaluation. Results Ray tracing analysis indicated that a dual-optic design with a high plus-power front optic coupled to an optically compensatory minus posterior optic produced greater change in conjugation power of the eye compared to that produced by axial movement of a single-optic IOL, and that magnification effects were unlikely to account for improved near vision. Finite element modeling indicated that the two optics can be linked by spring-loaded haptics that allow anterior and posterior axial displacement of the front optic in response to changes in ciliary body tone and capsular tension. A dual-optic single-piece foldable silicone lens was constructed based on these principles. Subsequent initial clinical evaluation in 24 human eyes after phacoemulsification for cataract indicated mean 3.22 diopters of accommodation (range, 1 to 5 D) based on defocus curve measurement. Accommodative amplitude evaluation at 1- and 6-month follow-up in all eyes indicated that the accommodative range was maintained and that the lens was well tolerated. Conclusions A dual-optic design increases the accommodative effect of axial optic displacement, with minimal magnification effect. Initial clinical trials suggest that IOLs designed on this principle might provide true pseudophakic accommodation following cataract extraction and lens implantation. PMID:17471355

Fiber optic probes for laser light scattering: Ground based evaluation for micgrogravity flight experimentation. Integrated coherent imaging fiber optic systems for laser light scattering and other applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dhadwal, Harbans Singh

1994-01-01

The research work presented in this report has established a new class of backscatter fiber optics probes for remote dynamic light scattering capability over a range of scattering angles from 94 degrees to 175 degrees. The fiber optic probes provide remote access to scattering systems, and can be utilized in either a noninvasive or invasive configuration. The fiber optics create an interference free data channel to inaccessible and harsh environments. Results from several studies of concentrated suspension, microemulsions, and protein systems are presented. The second part of the report describes the development of a new technology of wavefront processing within the optical fiber, that is, integrated fiber optics. Results have been very encouraging and the technology promises to have significant impact on the development of fiber optic sensors in a variety of fields ranging from environmental monitoring to optical recording, from biomedical sensing to photolithography.

A high-accuracy optical linear algebra processor for finite element applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Casasent, D.; Taylor, B. K.

1984-01-01

Optical linear processors are computationally efficient computers for solving matrix-matrix and matrix-vector oriented problems. Optical system errors limit their dynamic range to 30-40 dB, which limits their accuray to 9-12 bits. Large problems, such as the finite element problem in structural mechanics (with tens or hundreds of thousands of variables) which can exploit the speed of optical processors, require the 32 bit accuracy obtainable from digital machines. To obtain this required 32 bit accuracy with an optical processor, the data can be digitally encoded, thereby reducing the dynamic range requirements of the optical system (i.e., decreasing the effect of optical errors on the data) while providing increased accuracy. This report describes a new digitally encoded optical linear algebra processor architecture for solving finite element and banded matrix-vector problems. A linear static plate bending case study is described which quantities the processor requirements. Multiplication by digital convolution is explained, and the digitally encoded optical processor architecture is advanced.

High-performance optical projection controllable ZnO nanorod arrays for microweighing sensors.

PubMed

Wang, Hongbo; Jiang, Shulan; Zhang, Lei; Yu, Bingjun; Chen, Duoli; Yang, Weiqing; Qian, Linmao

2018-03-08

Optical microweighing sensors are an essential component of micro-force measurements in physical, chemical, and biological detection fields, although, their limited detection range (less than 15°) severely hinders their wide application. Such a limitation is mainly attributed to the essential restrictions of traditional light reflection and optical waveguide modes. Here, we report a high-performance optical microweighing sensor based on the synergistic effects of both a new optical projection mode and a ZnO nanorod array sensor. Ascribed to the unique configuration design of this sensing method, this optical microweighing sensor has a wide detection range (more than 80°) and a high sensitivity of 90 nA deg -1 , which is much larger than that of conventional microcantilever-based optical microweighing sensors. Furthermore, the location of the UV light source can be adjusted within a few millimeters, meaning that the microweighing sensor does not need repetitive optical calibration. More importantly, for low height and small incident angles of the UV light source, we can obtain highly sensitive microweighing properties on account of the highly sensitive ZnO nanorod array-based UV sensor. Therefore, this kind of large detection range, non-contact, and non-destructive microweighing sensor has potential applications in air quality monitoring and chemical and biological detection.

Preliminary Design of a Lightning Optical Camera and ThundEr (LOCATE) Sensor

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Phanord, Dieudonne D.; Koshak, William J.; Rybski, Paul M.; Arnold, James E. (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

The preliminary design of an optical/acoustical instrument is described for making highly accurate real-time determinations of the location of cloud-to-ground (CG) lightning. The instrument, named the Lightning Optical Camera And ThundEr (LOCATE) sensor, will also image the clear and cloud-obscured lightning channel produced from CGs and cloud flashes, and will record the transient optical waveforms produced from these discharges. The LOCATE sensor will consist of a full (360 degrees) field-of-view optical camera for obtaining CG channel image and azimuth, a sensitive thunder microphone for obtaining CG range, and a fast photodiode system for time-resolving the lightning optical waveform. The optical waveform data will be used to discriminate CGs from cloud flashes. Together, the optical azimuth and thunder range is used to locate CGs and it is anticipated that a network of LOCATE sensors would determine CG source location to well within 100 meters. All of this would be accomplished for a relatively inexpensive cost compared to present RF lightning location technologies, but of course the range detection is limited and will be quantified in the future. The LOCATE sensor technology would have practical applications for electric power utility companies, government (e.g. NASA Kennedy Space Center lightning safety and warning), golf resort lightning safety, telecommunications, and other industries.

Highly Sensitive and Wide-Dynamic-Range Multichannel Optical-Fiber pH Sensor Based on PWM Technique.

PubMed

Khan, Md Rajibur Rahaman; Kang, Shin-Won

2016-11-09

In this study, we propose a highly sensitive multichannel pH sensor that is based on an optical-fiber pulse width modulation (PWM) technique. According to the optical-fiber PWM method, the received sensing signal's pulse width changes when the optical-fiber pH sensing-element of the array comes into contact with pH buffer solutions. The proposed optical-fiber PWM pH-sensing system offers a linear sensing response over a wide range of pH values from 2 to 12, with a high pH-sensing ability. The sensitivity of the proposed pH sensor is 0.46 µs/pH, and the correlation coefficient R² is approximately 0.997. Additional advantages of the proposed optical-fiber PWM pH sensor include a short/fast response-time of about 8 s, good reproducibility properties with a relative standard deviation (RSD) of about 0.019, easy fabrication, low cost, small size, reusability of the optical-fiber sensing-element, and the capability of remote sensing. Finally, the performance of the proposed PWM pH sensor was compared with that of potentiometric, optical-fiber modal interferometer, and optical-fiber Fabry-Perot interferometer pH sensors with respect to dynamic range width, linearity as well as response and recovery times. We observed that the proposed sensing systems have better sensing abilities than the above-mentioned pH sensors.

Highly Sensitive and Wide-Dynamic-Range Multichannel Optical-Fiber pH Sensor Based on PWM Technique

PubMed Central

Khan, Md. Rajibur Rahaman; Kang, Shin-Won

2016-01-01

In this study, we propose a highly sensitive multichannel pH sensor that is based on an optical-fiber pulse width modulation (PWM) technique. According to the optical-fiber PWM method, the received sensing signal’s pulse width changes when the optical-fiber pH sensing-element of the array comes into contact with pH buffer solutions. The proposed optical-fiber PWM pH-sensing system offers a linear sensing response over a wide range of pH values from 2 to 12, with a high pH-sensing ability. The sensitivity of the proposed pH sensor is 0.46 µs/pH, and the correlation coefficient R2 is approximately 0.997. Additional advantages of the proposed optical-fiber PWM pH sensor include a short/fast response-time of about 8 s, good reproducibility properties with a relative standard deviation (RSD) of about 0.019, easy fabrication, low cost, small size, reusability of the optical-fiber sensing-element, and the capability of remote sensing. Finally, the performance of the proposed PWM pH sensor was compared with that of potentiometric, optical-fiber modal interferometer, and optical-fiber Fabry–Perot interferometer pH sensors with respect to dynamic range width, linearity as well as response and recovery times. We observed that the proposed sensing systems have better sensing abilities than the above-mentioned pH sensors. PMID:27834865

Detecting Topological Defect Dark Matter Using Coherent Laser Ranging System

PubMed Central

Yang, Wanpeng; Leng, Jianxiao; Zhang, Shuangyou; Zhao, Jianye

2016-01-01

In the last few decades, optical frequency combs with high intensity, broad optical bandwidth, and directly traceable discrete wavelengths have triggered rapid developments in distance metrology. However, optical frequency combs to date have been limited to determine the absolute distance to an object (such as satellite missions). We propose a scheme for the detection of topological defect dark matter using a coherent laser ranging system composed of dual-combs and an optical clock via nongravitational signatures. The dark matter field, which comprises a defect, may interact with standard model particles, including quarks and photons, resulting in the alteration of their masses. Thus, a topological defect may function as a dielectric material with a distinctive frequency-depend index of refraction, which would cause the time delay of a periodic extraterrestrial or terrestrial light. When a topological defect passes through the Earth, the optical path of long-distance vacuum path is altered, this change in optical path can be detected through the coherent laser ranging system. Compared to continuous wavelength(cw) laser interferometry methods, dual-comb interferometry in our scheme excludes systematic misjudgement by measuring the absolute optical path length. PMID:27389642

Microcomputers in an Undergraduate Optics Laboratory.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tomaselli, V. P.; And Others

1990-01-01

Describes a junior-level, one-year optics laboratory course for physics and engineering students. The course offers a range of experiments from conventional geometric optics to contemporary spatial filtering and fiber optics. Presents an example of an experiment with pictures. (Author/YP)

Optically Activated Exciplex Shutter/Attenuator.

DTIC Science & Technology

radiation of a certain wavelength to excite a bi-molecular exciplex solution. The exciplex solution reacts to a range of radiation wavelengths whereas...optical elements prevent passage of radiation below and above the operative range of an exciplex solution such as anthracene and diethylaniline.

Static FBG strain sensor with high resolution and large dynamic range by dual-comb spectroscopy.

PubMed

Kuse, Naoya; Ozawa, Akira; Kobayashi, Yohei

2013-05-06

We demonstrate a fiber Bragg grating (FBG) strain sensor with optical frequency combs. To precisely characterize the optical response of the FBG when strain is applied, dual-comb spectroscopy is used. Highly sensitive dual-comb spectroscopy of the FBG enabled strain measurements with a resolution of 34 nε. The optical spectral bandwidth of the measurement exceeds 1 THz. Compared with conventional FBG strain sensor using a continuous-wave laser that requires rather slow frequency scanning with a limited range, the dynamic range and multiplexing capability are significantly improved by using broadband dual-comb spectroscopy.

Tunable optical filters with wide wavelength range based on porous multilayers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mescheder, Ulrich; Khazi, Isman; Kovacs, Andras; Ivanov, Alexey

2014-08-01

A novel concept for micromechanical tunable optical filter (TOF) with porous-silicon-based photonic crystals which provide wavelength tuning of ca. ±20% around a working wavelength at frequencies up to kilohertz is presented. The combination of fast mechanical tilting and pore-filling of the porous silicon multilayer structure increases the tunable range to more than 200 nm or provides fine adjustment of working wavelength of the TOF. Experimental and optical simulation data for the visible and near-infrared wavelength range supporting the approach are shown. TOF are used in spectroscopic applications, e.g., for process analysis.

Tunable optical filters with wide wavelength range based on porous multilayers.

PubMed

Mescheder, Ulrich; Khazi, Isman; Kovacs, Andras; Ivanov, Alexey

2014-01-01

A novel concept for micromechanical tunable optical filter (TOF) with porous-silicon-based photonic crystals which provide wavelength tuning of ca. ±20% around a working wavelength at frequencies up to kilohertz is presented. The combination of fast mechanical tilting and pore-filling of the porous silicon multilayer structure increases the tunable range to more than 200 nm or provides fine adjustment of working wavelength of the TOF. Experimental and optical simulation data for the visible and near-infrared wavelength range supporting the approach are shown. TOF are used in spectroscopic applications, e.g., for process analysis.

Tunable optical filters with wide wavelength range based on porous multilayers

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

A novel concept for micromechanical tunable optical filter (TOF) with porous-silicon-based photonic crystals which provide wavelength tuning of ca. ±20% around a working wavelength at frequencies up to kilohertz is presented. The combination of fast mechanical tilting and pore-filling of the porous silicon multilayer structure increases the tunable range to more than 200 nm or provides fine adjustment of working wavelength of the TOF. Experimental and optical simulation data for the visible and near-infrared wavelength range supporting the approach are shown. TOF are used in spectroscopic applications, e.g., for process analysis. PMID:25232293

Microfluidic flow rate detection based on integrated optical fiber cantilever.

PubMed

Lien, Victor; Vollmer, Frank

2007-10-01

We demonstrate an integrated microfluidic flow sensor with ultra-wide dynamic range, suitable for high throughput applications such as flow cytometry and particle sorting/counting. A fiber-tip cantilever transduces flow rates to optical signal readout, and we demonstrate a dynamic range from 0 to 1500 microL min(-1) for operation in water. Fiber-optic sensor alignment is guided by preformed microfluidic channels, and the dynamic range can be adjusted in a one-step chemical etch. An overall non-linear response is attributed to the far-field angular distribution of single-mode fiber output.

Investigation of tropical cirrus cloud properties using ground based lidar measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dhaman, Reji K.; Satyanarayana, Malladi; Krishnakumar, V.; Mahadevan Pillai, V. P.; Jayeshlal, G. S.; Raghunath, K.; Venkat Ratnam, M.

2016-05-01

Cirrus clouds play a significant role in the Earths radiation budget. Therefore, knowledge of geometrical and optical properties of cirrus cloud is essential for the climate modeling. In this paper, the cirrus clouds microphysical and optical properties are made by using a ground based lidar measurements over an inland tropical station Gadanki (13.5°N, 79.2°E), Andhra Pradesh, India. The variation of cirrus microphysical and optical properties with mid cloud temperature is also studied. The cirrus clouds mean height is generally observed in the range of 9-17km with a peak occurrence at 13- 14km. The cirrus mid cloud temperature ranges from -81°C to -46°C. The cirrus geometrical thickness ranges from 0.9- 4.5km. During the cirrus occurrence days sub-visual, thin and dense cirrus were at 37.5%, 50% and 12.5% respectively. The monthly cirrus optical depth ranges from 0.01-0.47, but most (<80%) of the cirrus have values less than 0.1. Optical depth shows a strong dependence with cirrus geometrical thickness and mid-cloud height. The monthly mean cirrus extinction ranges from 2.8E-06 to 8E-05 and depolarization ratio and lidar ratio varies from 0.13 to 0.77 and 2 to 52 sr respectively. A positive correlation exists for both optical depth and extinction with the mid-cloud temperature. The lidar ratio shows a scattered behavior with mid-cloud temperature.

Range Imaging without Moving Parts

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Blair, J. Bryan; Scott, V. Stanley, III; Ramos-Izquierdo, Luis

2008-01-01

Range-imaging instruments of a type now under development are intended to generate the equivalent of three-dimensional images from measurements of the round-trip times of flight of laser pulses along known directions. These instruments could also provide information on characteristics of targets, including roughnesses and reflectivities of surfaces and optical densities of such semi-solid objects as trees and clouds. Unlike in prior range-imaging instruments based on times of flight along known directions, there would be no moving parts; aiming of the laser beams along the known directions would not be accomplished by mechanical scanning of mirrors, prisms, or other optical components. Instead, aiming would be accomplished by using solid-state devices to switch input and output beams along different fiber-optic paths. Because of the lack of moving parts, these instruments could be extraordinarily reliable, rugged, and long-lasting. An instrument of this type would include an optical transmitter that would send out a laser pulse along a chosen direction to a target. An optical receiver coaligned with the transmitter would measure the temporally varying intensity of laser light reflected from the target to determine the distance and surface characteristics of the target. The transmitter would be a combination of devices for generating precise directional laser illumination. It would include a pulsed laser, the output of which would be coupled into a fiber-optic cable with a fan-out and solid-state optical switches that would enable switching of the laser beam onto one or more optical fibers terminated at known locations in an array on a face at the focal plane of a telescope. The array would be imaged by the telescope onto the target space. The receiver optical system could share the aforementioned telescope with the transmitter or could include a separate telescope aimed in the same direction as that of the transmitting telescope. In either case, light reflected from the target would be focused by the receiver optical system onto an array of optical fibers matching the array in the transmitter. These optical fibers would couple the received light to one or more photodetector( s). Optionally, the receiver could include solid-state optical switches for choosing which optical fiber(s) would couple light to the photodetector(s). This instrument architecture is flexible and can be optimized for a wide variety of applications and levels of performance. For example, it is scalable to any number of pixels and pixel resolutions and is compatible with a variety of ranging and photodetection methodologies, including, for example, ranging by use of modulated (including pulsed and encoded) light signals. The use of fixed arrays of optical fibers to generate controlled illumination patterns would eliminate the mechanical complexity and much of the bulk of optomechanical scanning assemblies. Furthermore, digital control of the selection of the fiber-optic pathways for the transmitted beams could afford capabilities not seen in previous three-dimensional range-imaging systems. Instruments of this type could be specialized for use as, for example, proximity detectors, three-dimensional robotic vision systems, airborne terrain-mapping systems, and inspection systems.

Radio Science from an Optical Communications Signal

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Moision, Bruce; Asmar, Sami; Oudrhiri, Kamal

2013-01-01

NASA is currently developing the capability to deploy deep space optical communications links. This creates the opportunity to utilize the optical link to obtain range, doppler, and signal intensity estimates. These may, in turn, be used to complement or extend the capabilities of current radio science. In this paper we illustrate the achievable precision in estimating range, doppler, and received signal intensity of an non-coherent optical link (the current state-of-the-art for a deep-space link). We provide a joint estimation algorithm with performance close to the bound. We draw comparisons to estimates based on a coherent radio frequency signal, illustrating that large gains in either precision or observation time are possible with an optical link.

Broadband single-mode operation of standard optical fibers by using a sub-wavelength optical wire filter.

PubMed

Jung, Yongmin; Brambilla, Gilberto; Richardson, David J

2008-09-15

We report the use of a sub-wavelength optical wire (SOW) with a specifically designed transition region as an efficient tool to filter higher-order modes in multimode waveguides. Higher-order modes are effectively suppressed by controlling the transition taper profile and the diameter of the sub-wavelength optical wire. As a practical example, single-mode operation of a standard telecom optical fiber over a broad spectral window (400 approximately 1700 nm) was demonstrated with a 1microm SOW. The ability to obtain robust and stable single-mode operation over a very broad range of wavelengths offers new possibilities for mode control within fiber devices and is relevant to a range of application sectors including high performance fiber lasers, sensors, photolithography, and optical coherence tomography systems.

Search for Optical Pulsation in M82 X-2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Collura, G.; Strader, P.; Meeker, S. R.; Szypryt, P.; Walter, A. B.; Bockstiegel, C.; Mazin, B. A.; Prince, T. A.

2017-11-01

We report on a search for optical pulsation from M82 X-2 over a range of periods. M82 X-2 is an X-ray pulsar with a 1.37s average spin period and a 2.5 day sinusoidal modulation. The observations were done with the ARray Camera for Optical to Near-IR Spectrophotometry at the 200 inch Hale telescope at the Palomar Observatory. We performed H test and χ 2 statistical analysis. No significant optical pulsations were found in the wavelength range of 3000-11000 Å with a pulsation period between 1.36262 and 1.37462 s. We found an upper limit on pulsed emission in the 4000-8000 Å wavelength range to be fainter than ˜20.5 mag AB , corresponding to ˜23 μJy.

Design considerations and validation of the MSTAR absolute metrology system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peters, Robert D.; Lay, Oliver P.; Dubovitsky, Serge; Burger, Johan; Jeganathan, Muthu

2004-08-01

Absolute metrology measures the actual distance between two optical fiducials. A number of methods have been employed, including pulsed time-of-flight, intensity-modulated optical beam, and two-color interferometry. The rms accuracy is currently limited to ~5 microns. Resolving the integer number of wavelengths requires a 1-sigma range accuracy of ~0.1 microns. Closing this gap has a large pay-off: the range (length measurement) accuracy can be increased substantially using the unambiguous optical phase. The MSTAR sensor (Modulation Sideband Technology for Absolute Ranging) is a new system for measuring absolute distance, capable of resolving the integer cycle ambiguity of standard interferometers, and making it possible to measure distance with sub-nanometer accuracy. In this paper, we present recent experiments that use dispersed white light interferometry to independently validate the zero-point of the system. We also describe progress towards reducing the size of optics, and stabilizing the laser wavelength for operation over larger target ranges. MSTAR is a general-purpose tool for conveniently measuring length with much greater accuracy than was previously possible, and has a wide range of possible applications.

Design of tunable thermo-optic C-band filter based on coated silicon slab

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pinhas, Hadar; Malka, Dror; Danan, Yossef; Sinvani, Moshe; Zalevsky, Zeev

2018-03-01

Optical filters are required to have narrow band-pass filtering in the spectral C-band for applications such as signal tracking, sub-band filtering or noise suppression. These requirements lead to a variety of filters such as Mach-Zehnder interferometer inter-leaver in silica, which offer thermo-optic effect for optical switching, however, without proper thermal and optical efficiency. In this paper we propose tunable thermo-optic filtering device based on coated silicon slab resonator with increased Q-factor for the C-band optical switching. The device can be designed either for long range wavelength tuning of for short range with increased wavelength resolution. Theoretical examination of the thermal parameters affecting the filtering process is shown together with experimental results. Proper channel isolation with an extinction ratio of 20dBs is achieved with spectral bandpass width of 0.07nm.

Acquisition and tracking for underwater optical communications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Williams, Andrew J.; Laycock, Leslie L.; Griffith, Michael S.; McCarthy, Andrew G.; Rowe, Duncan P.

2017-10-01

There is a growing requirement to transfer large volumes of data between underwater platforms. As seawater is transmissive in the visible band, underwater optical communications is an active area of interest since it offers the potential for power efficient, covert and high bandwidth datalinks at short to medium ranges. Short range systems have been successfully demonstrated using sources with low directionality. To realise higher data rates and/or longer ranges, the use of more efficient directional beams is required; by necessity, these must be sufficiently aligned to achieve the required link margin. For mobile platforms, the acquisition and tracking of each node is therefore critical in order to establish and maintain an optical datalink. This paper describes work undertaken to demonstrate acquisition and tracking in a 3D underwater environment. A range of optical sources, beam steering technologies, and tracking sensors have been assessed for suitability. A novel scanning strategy exploiting variable beam divergence was developed to provide robust acquisition whilst minimising acquisition time. A prototype system was assembled and demonstrated in a large water tank. This utilised custom quadrant detectors based on Silicon PhotoMultiplier (SiPM) arrays for fine tracking, and a Wide Field of View (WFoV) sCMOS camera for link acquisition. Fluidic lenses provided dynamic control of beam divergence, and AC modulation/filtering enabled background rejection. The system successfully demonstrated robust optical acquisition and tracking between two nodes with only nanowatt received optical powers. The acquisition time was shown to be dependent on the initial conditions and the transmitted optical power.

Effects of Temperature and X-rays on Plastic Scintillating Fiber and Infrared Optical Fiber.

PubMed

Lee, Bongsoo; Shin, Sang Hun; Jang, Kyoung Won; Yoo, Wook Jae

2015-05-11

In this study, we have studied the effects of temperature and X-ray energy variations on the light output signals from two different fiber-optic sensors, a fiber-optic dosimeter (FOD) based on a BCF-12 as a plastic scintillating fiber (PSF) and a fiber-optic thermometer (FOT) using a silver halide optical fiber as an infrared optical fiber (IR fiber). During X-ray beam irradiation, the scintillating light and IR signals were measured simultaneously using a dosimeter probe of the FOD and a thermometer probe of the FOT. The probes were placed in a beaker with water on the center of a hotplate, under variation of the tube potential of a digital radiography system or the temperature of the water in the beaker. From the experimental results, in the case of the PSF, the scintillator light output at the given tube potential decreased as the temperature increased in the temperature range from 25 to 60 °C. We demonstrated that commonly used BCF-12 has a significant temperature dependence of -0.263 ± 0.028%/°C in the clinical temperature range. Next, in the case of the IR fiber, the intensity of the IR signal was almost uniform at each temperature regardless of the tube potential range from 50 to 150 kVp. Therefore, we also demonstrated that the X-ray beam with an energy range used in diagnostic radiology does not affect the IR signals transmitted via a silver halide optical fiber.

Effects of Temperature and X-rays on Plastic Scintillating Fiber and Infrared Optical Fiber

PubMed Central

Lee, Bongsoo; Shin, Sang Hun; Jang, Kyoung Won; Yoo, Wook Jae

2015-01-01

In this study, we have studied the effects of temperature and X-ray energy variations on the light output signals from two different fiber-optic sensors, a fiber-optic dosimeter (FOD) based on a BCF-12 as a plastic scintillating fiber (PSF) and a fiber-optic thermometer (FOT) using a silver halide optical fiber as an infrared optical fiber (IR fiber). During X-ray beam irradiation, the scintillating light and IR signals were measured simultaneously using a dosimeter probe of the FOD and a thermometer probe of the FOT. The probes were placed in a beaker with water on the center of a hotplate, under variation of the tube potential of a digital radiography system or the temperature of the water in the beaker. From the experimental results, in the case of the PSF, the scintillator light output at the given tube potential decreased as the temperature increased in the temperature range from 25 to 60 °C. We demonstrated that commonly used BCF-12 has a significant temperature dependence of −0.263 ± 0.028%/°C in the clinical temperature range. Next, in the case of the IR fiber, the intensity of the IR signal was almost uniform at each temperature regardless of the tube potential range from 50 to 150 kVp. Therefore, we also demonstrated that the X-ray beam with an energy range used in diagnostic radiology does not affect the IR signals transmitted via a silver halide optical fiber. PMID:25970257

Method of lightening radiation darkened optical elements

DOEpatents

Reich, Frederich R.; Schwankoff, Albert R.

1980-01-01

A method of lightening a radiation-darkened optical element in wich visible optical energy or electromagnetic radiation having a wavelength in the range of from about 2000 to about 20,000 angstroms is directed into the radiation-darkened optical element; the method may be used to lighten radiation-darkened optical element in-situ during the use of the optical element to transmit data by electronically separating the optical energy from the optical output by frequency filtering, data cooling, or interlacing the optic energy between data intervals.

Optical and physical properties of sodium lead barium borate glasses doped with praseodymium ion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lenkennavar, Susheela K.; Madhu, A.; Eraiah, B.; Kokila, M. K.

2018-05-01

Praseodymium doped sodium lead barium borate glasses have been prepared using single step melt quenching technique. The XRD spectrum confirms amorphous nature of glasses. The optical absorbance studies were carried out on these glasses using PekinElemer Lambda-35 Uv-Vis spectrometer in the range of 200 -1100 nm. The optical direct band gap energies were found to be in the range of 3.62 eV to 3.69 eV and indirect band gap energies were found to be in the range of 3.57 eV to 3.62eV. The refractive indices were measured by using Abbe refractometer the values are in the range of 1.620 to 1.625.

Customized three-dimensional printed optical phantoms with user defined absorption and scattering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pannem, Sanjana; Sweer, Jordan; Diep, Phuong; Lo, Justine; Snyder, Michael; Stueber, Gabriella; Zhao, Yanyu; Tabassum, Syeda; Istfan, Raeef; Wu, Junjie; Erramilli, Shyamsunder; Roblyer, Darren M.

2016-03-01

The use of reliable tissue-simulating phantoms spans multiple applications in spectroscopic imaging including device calibration and testing of new imaging procedures. Three-dimensional (3D) printing allows for the possibility of optical phantoms with arbitrary geometries and spatially varying optical properties. We recently demonstrated the ability to 3D print tissue-simulating phantoms with customized absorption (μa) and reduced scattering (μs`) by incorporating nigrosin, an absorbing dye, and titanium dioxide (TiO2), a scattering agent, to acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) during filament extrusion. A physiologically relevant range of μa and μs` was demonstrated with high repeatability. We expand our prior work here by evaluating the effect of two important 3D-printing parameters, percent infill and layer height, on both μa and μs`. 2 cm3 cubes were printed with percent infill ranging from 10% to 100% and layer height ranging from 0.15 to 0.40 mm. The range in μa and μs` was 27.3% and 19.5% respectively for different percent infills at 471 nm. For varying layer height, the range in μa and μs` was 27.8% and 15.4% respectively at 471 nm. These results indicate that percent infill and layer height substantially alter optical properties and should be carefully controlled during phantom fabrication. Through the use of inexpensive hobby-level printers, the fabrication of optical phantoms may advance the complexity and availability of fully customizable phantoms over multiple spatial scales. This technique exhibits a wider range of adaptability than other common methods of fabricating optical phantoms and may lead to improved instrument characterization and calibration.

Photonic filtering of microwave signals in the frequency range of 0.01-20 GHz using a Fabry-Perot filter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aguayo-Rodríguez, G.; Zaldívar-Huerta, I. E.; García-Juárez, A.; Rodríguez-Asomoza, J.; Larger, L.; Courjal, N.

2011-01-01

We demonstrate experimentally the efficiency of tuning of a photonic filter in the frequency range of 0.01 to 20 GHz. The presented work combines the use of a multimode optical source associated with a dispersive optical fiber to obtain the filtering effect. Tunability effect is achieved by the use of a Fabry-Perot filter that allows altering the spectral characteristics of the optical source. Experimental results are validated by means of numerical simulations. The scheme here proposed has a potential application in the field of optical telecommunications.

Linear optical properties of the monoclinic bismuth borate BiB3O6

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hellwig, H.; Liebertz, J.; Bohatý, L.

2000-07-01

New materials for nonlinear optical (NLO) applications are still of great interest. The monoclinic BiB3O6 (BIBO) shows exceptionally large NLO coefficients. In this article we will present the linear optical properties in the wavelength range between 350 and 2400 nm, the phase matching conditions calculated for second harmonic generation, and optical parametric oscillation. Angular bandwidth data are also given. The wide tuning range of phase matched directions together with the monoclinic symmetry allow a broad variety of applications. The laser damage threshold is comparable to high quality lithium triborate.

Thermo-optical properties of 1H[3,4-b] quinoline films used in electroluminescent devices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jaglarz, Janusz; Kępińska, Mirosława; Sanetra, Jerzy

2014-06-01

Electroluminescence cells with H[3,4-b] quinoline layers are promising devices for a blue light emitting EL diode. This work measured the optical reflectance as a function of temperature in copolymers PAQ layers deposited on Si crystalline substrate. Using the extended Cauchy dispersion model of the film refractive index we determined the thermo-optical coefficients for quinoline layers in the temperature range of 76-333 K from combined ellipsometric and spectrofotometric studies. The obtained values of thermo-optical coefficients of thin PAQ film, were negative and ranged in 5-10 × 10-4 [1/K].

An active interference projector for the electro-optical test facility

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Crowe, D. G.; Nowak, T. M.

1980-09-01

A projection system is described which can simulate emissions from flares, muzzle-flashes, shellbursts, and other emissive agents which may degrade the performance of electro-optical systems in the 0.5-15 micron spectral range. The simulation capability obtained will allow the apparent radiance and temporal characteristics of muzzleflashes and shellbursts to be mimicked at simulated ranges as close as 23 m within the Electro-Optical Test Facility. This demonstrates that tests of electro-optical system performance in the presence of interferers can be performed under laboratory conditions with higher repeatability and lower cost than field tests.

Optical characterizations of silver nanoprisms embedded in polymer thin film layers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carlberg, Miriam; Pourcin, Florent; Margeat, Olivier; Le Rouzo, Judikael; Berginc, Gerard; Sauvage, Rose-Marie; Ackermann, Jorg; Escoubas, Ludovic

2017-10-01

The precise control of light-matter interaction has a wide range of applications and is currently driven by the use of nanoparticles (NPs) by the recent advances in nanotechnology. Taking advantage of the material, size, shape, and surrounding media dependence of the optical properties of plasmonic NPs, thin film layers with tunable optical properties are achieved. The NPs are synthesized by wet chemistry and embedded in a polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) polymer thin film layer. Spectrophotometer and spectroscopic ellipsometry measurements are coupled to finite-difference time domain numerical modeling to optically characterize the heterogeneous thin film layers. Silver nanoprisms of 10 to 50 nm edge size exhibit high absorption through the visible wavelength range. A simple optical model composed of a Cauchy law and a Lorentz law, accounting for the optical properties of the nonabsorbing polymer and the absorbing property of the nanoprisms, fits the spectroscopic ellipsometry measurements. Knowing the complex optical indices of heterogeneous thin film layers let us design layers of any optical properties.

Realization of fiber optic displacement sensors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guzowski, Bartlomiej; Lakomski, Mateusz

2018-03-01

Fiber optic sensors are very promising because of their inherent advantages such as very small size, hard environment tolerance and impact of electromagnetic fields. In this paper three different types of Intensity Fiber Optic Displacement Sensors (I-FODS) are presented. Three configurations of I-FODS were realized in two varieties. In the first one, the cleaved multimode optical fibers (MMF) were used to collect reflected light, while in the second variety the MMF ended with ball lenses were chosen. To ensure an accurate alignment of optical fibers in the sensor head the MTP C9730 optical fiber ferrules were used. In this paper the influence of distribution of transmitting and detecting optical fibers on sensitivity and linear range of operation of developed I-FODS were investigated. We have shown, that I-FODS with ball lenses receive average 10.5% more reflected power in comparison to the cleaved optical fibers and they increase linearity range of I-FODS by 33%. In this paper, an analysis of each type of the realized sensor and detailed discussion are given.

Simple fiber-optic confocal microscopy with nanoscale depth resolution beyond the diffraction barrier.

PubMed

Ilev, Ilko; Waynant, Ronald; Gannot, Israel; Gandjbakhche, Amir

2007-09-01

A novel fiber-optic confocal approach for ultrahigh depth-resolution (

Phase-slope and phase measurements of tunable CW-THz radiation with terahertz comb for wide-dynamic-range, high-resolution, distance measurement of optically rough object.

PubMed

Yasui, Takeshi; Fujio, Makoto; Yokoyama, Shuko; Araki, Tsutomu

2014-07-14

Phase measurement of continuous-wave terahertz (CW-THz) radiation is a potential tool for direct distance and imaging measurement of optically rough objects due to its high robustness to optical rough surfaces. However, the 2π phase ambiguity in the phase measurement of single-frequency CW-THz radiation limits the dynamic range of the measured distance to the order of the wavelength used. In this article, phase-slope measurement of tunable CW-THz radiation with a THz frequency comb was effectively used to extend the dynamic range up to 1.834 m while maintaining an error of a few tens µm in the distance measurement of an optically rough object. Furthermore, a combination of phase-slope measurement of tunable CW-THz radiation and phase measurement of single-frequency CW-THz radiation enhanced the distance error to a few µm within the dynamic range of 1.834 m without any influence from the 2π phase ambiguity. The proposed method will be a powerful tool for the construction and maintenance of large-scale structures covered with optically rough surfaces.

Tungsten Oxide Photonic Crystals as Optical Transducer for Gas Sensing.

PubMed

Amrehn, Sabrina; Wu, Xia; Wagner, Thorsten

2018-01-26

Some metal oxide semiconductors, such as tungsten trioxide or tin dioxide, are well-known as resistive transducers for gas sensing and offer high sensitivities down to the part per billion level. Electrical signal read-out, however, limits the information obtained on the electronic properties of metal oxides to a certain frequency range and its application because of the required electrical contacts. Therefore, a novel approach for building an optical transducer for gas reactions utilizing metal oxide photonic crystals is presented here. By the rational design of the structure and composition it is possible to synthesize a functional material which allows one to obtain insight into its electronic properties in the optical frequency range with simple experimental measures. The concept is demonstrated by tungsten trioxide inverse opal structure as optical transducer material for hydrogen sensing. The sensing behavior is analyzed in a temperature range from room temperature to 500 °C and in a wide hydrogen concentration range (3000 ppm to 10%). The sensing mechanism is mainly the refractive index change resulting from hydrogen intercalation in tungsten trioxide, but the back reaction has also impact on the optical properties of this system. Detailed chemical reaction studies provide suggestions for specific sensing conditions.

Blade tip clearance measurement of the turbine engines based on a multi-mode fiber coupled laser ranging system

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Guo, Haotian; Duan, Fajie; Wu, Guoxiu

2014-11-15

The blade tip clearance is a parameter of great importance to guarantee the efficiency and safety of the turbine engines. In this article, a laser ranging system designed for blade tip clearance measurement is presented. Multi-mode fiber is utilized for optical transmission to guarantee that enough optical power is received by the sensor probe. The model of the tiny sensor probe is presented. The error brought by the optical path difference of different modes of the fiber is estimated and the length of the fiber is limited to reduce this error. The measurement range in which the optical power receivedmore » by the probe remains essentially unchanged is analyzed. Calibration experiments and dynamic experiments are conducted. The results of the calibration experiments indicate that the resolution of the system is about 0.02 mm and the range of the system is about 9 mm.« less

Synthesis and optical property of holmium doped Lithium lead borate glasses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Usharani, V. L.; Eraiah, B.

2017-05-01

The new glass system 60B2O3-30PbO-(10-x)Li2O-xHo2O3 (where x =0, 0.1, 0.3 and 0.5 mol%) were prepared by conventional melt quenching method. The XRD spectrum confirms the amorphous nature of the sample. The density of these glasses is measured by using Archimedes principle, the values range from 4.23 g/cm-3 to 4.34 g/cm-3 and the corresponding molar volumes are calculated. The optical absorbance studies were carried out on these glasses in the wavelength range of 200nm to 1100nm. The measured optical direct band gap energies were in the range of 3.072eV to 3.259eV and the optical indirect band gap energies in the range of 2.658eV to 2.846eV. The refractive indices of these glasses were measured by using Abbe refractometer and the corresponding polarizabilities of oxide ions are calculated by using Lorentz-Lorentz relations.

Lightweight Fiber Optic Gas Sensor for Monitoring Regenerative Food Production

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schmidlin, Edward; Goswami, Kisholoy

1995-01-01

In this final report, Physical Optics Corporation (POC) describes its development of sensors for oxygen, carbon dioxide, and relative humidity. POC has constructed a phase fluorometer that can detect oxygen over the full concentration range from 0 percent to 100 percent. Phase-based measurements offer distinct advantages, such as immunity to source fluctuation, photobleaching, and leaching. All optics, optoelectronics, power supply, and the printed circuit board are included in a single box; the only external connections to the fluorometer are the optical fiber sensor and a power cord. The indicator-based carbon dioxide sensor is also suitable for short-term and discrete measurements over the concentration range from 0 percent to 100 percent. The optical fiber-based humidity sensor contains a porous core for direct interaction of the light beam with water vapor within fiber pores; the detection range for the humidity sensor is 10 percent to 100 percent, and response time is under five minutes. POC is currently pursuing the commercialization of these oxygen and carbon dioxide sensors for environmental applications.

[The Autocad system for planimetric study of the optic disc in glaucoma: technique and reproducibility study].

PubMed

Sánchez Pérez, A; Honrubia López, F M; Larrosa Poves, J M; Polo Llorens, V; Melcon Sánchez-Frieras, B

2001-09-01

To develop a lens planimetry technique for the optic disc using AutoCAD. To determine variability magnitude of the optic disc morphological measurements. We employed AutoCAD R.14.0 Autodesk: image acquisition, contour delimitation by multiple lines fitting or ellipse adjustment, image sectorialization and measurements quantification (optic disc and excavation, vertical diameters, optic disc area, excavation area, neuroretinal sector area and Beta atrophy area). Intraimage or operator and interimage o total reproducibility was studied by coefficient of variability (CV) (n=10) in normal and myopic optic discs. This technique allows to obtain optic disc measurement in 5 to 10 minutes time. Total or interimage variability of measurements introduced by one observer presents CV range from 1.18-4.42. Operator or intraimage measurement presents CV range from 0.30-4.21. Optic disc contour delimitation by ellipse adjustment achieved better reproducibility results than multiple lines adjustment in all measurements. Computer assisted AutoCAD planimetry is an interactive method to analyse the optic disc, feasible to incorporate to clinical practice. Reproducibility results are comparable to other analyzers in quantification optic disc morphology. Ellipse adjustment improves results in optic disc contours delimitation.

Improved wavelength coded optical time domain reflectometry based on the optical switch.

PubMed

Zhu, Ninghua; Tong, Youwan; Chen, Wei; Wang, Sunlong; Sun, Wenhui; Liu, Jianguo

2014-06-16

This paper presents an improved wavelength coded time-domain reflectometry based on the 2 × 1 optical switch. In this scheme, in order to improve the signal-noise-ratio (SNR) of the beat signal, the improved system used an optical switch to obtain wavelength-stable, low-noise and narrow optical pulses for probe and reference. Experiments were set up to demonstrate a spatial resolution of 2.5m within a range of 70km and obtain the beat signal with line width narrower than 15 MHz within a range of 50 km in fiber break detection. A system for wavelength-division-multiplexing passive optical network (WDM-PON) monitoring was also constructed to detect the fiber break of different channels by tuning the current applied on the gating section of the distributed Bragg reflector (DBR) laser.

Highly Sensitive Temperature Sensors Based on Fiber-Optic PWM and Capacitance Variation Using Thermochromic Sensing Membrane.

PubMed

Khan, Md Rajibur Rahaman; Kang, Shin-Won

2016-07-09

In this paper, we propose a temperature/thermal sensor that contains a Rhodamine-B sensing membrane. We applied two different sensing methods, namely, fiber-optic pulse width modulation (PWM) and an interdigitated capacitor (IDC)-based temperature sensor to measure the temperature from 5 °C to 100 °C. To the best of our knowledge, the fiber-optic PWM-based temperature sensor is reported for the first time in this study. The proposed fiber-optic PWM temperature sensor has good sensing ability; its sensitivity is ~3.733 mV/°C. The designed temperature-sensing system offers stable sensing responses over a wide dynamic range, good reproducibility properties with a relative standard deviation (RSD) of ~0.021, and the capacity for a linear sensing response with a correlation coefficient of R² ≈ 0.992 over a wide sensing range. In our study, we also developed an IDC temperature sensor that is based on the capacitance variation principle as the IDC sensing element is heated. We compared the performance of the proposed temperature-sensing systems with different fiber-optic temperature sensors (which are based on the fiber-optic wavelength shift method, the long grating fiber-optic Sagnac loop, and probe type fiber-optics) in terms of sensitivity, dynamic range, and linearity. We observed that the proposed sensing systems have better sensing performance than the above-mentioned sensing system.

Theoretical evaluation of scattering effect on retroreflective free-space optical communication.

PubMed

Yin, Hongwei; Lan, Tianpeng; Zhang, Hailiang; Jia, Honghui; Chang, Shengli; Yang, Juncai

2012-12-01

Retroreflective free-space optical (RFSO) communication is a new concept of optical communication; it consists of an optical transceiver and a retromodulator and has advantages such as light weight, small volume, and low power consumption. The power captured by the receiver consists of two parts: retroreflective and scattering. The retroreflective characteristics are obtained using an analytical formula, the scattering characteristics using a Monte Carlo model. Results show that the scattering power plays an important role in a RFSO communication link, especially when the communication range is long or the meteorological range is short. Some rules are also obtained for the sake of system design, which include increasing the range from the transmitter and the receiver properly, increasing the area of the retromodulator, limiting the field of view of the receiver, and limiting the beam divergence of the transmitter.

Reflection based Extraordinary Optical Transmission Fiber Optic Probe for Refractive Index Sensing.

PubMed

Lan, Xinwei; Cheng, Baokai; Yang, Qingbo; Huang, Jie; Wang, Hanzheng; Ma, Yinfa; Shi, Honglan; Xiao, Hai

2014-03-31

Fiber optic probes for chemical sensing based on the extraordinary optical transmission (EOT) phenomenon are designed and fabricated by perforating subwavelength hole arrays on the gold film coated optical fiber endface. The device exhibits a red shift in response to the surrounding refractive index increases with high sensitivity, enabling a reflection-based refractive index sensor with a compact and simple configuration. By choosing the period of hole arrays, the sensor can be designed to operate in the near infrared telecommunication wavelength range, where the abundant source and detectors are available for easy instrumentation. The new sensor probe is demonstrated for refractive index measurement using refractive index matching fluids. The sensitivity reaches 573 nm/RIU in the 1.333~1.430 refractive index range.

Frequency-doubled vertical-external-cavity surface-emitting laser

DOEpatents

Raymond, Thomas D.; Alford, William J.; Crawford, Mary H.; Allerman, Andrew A.

2002-01-01

A frequency-doubled semiconductor vertical-external-cavity surface-emitting laser (VECSEL) is disclosed for generating light at a wavelength in the range of 300-550 nanometers. The VECSEL includes a semiconductor multi-quantum-well active region that is electrically or optically pumped to generate lasing at a fundamental wavelength in the range of 600-1100 nanometers. An intracavity nonlinear frequency-doubling crystal then converts the fundamental lasing into a second-harmonic output beam. With optical pumping with 330 milliWatts from a semiconductor diode pump laser, about 5 milliWatts or more of blue light can be generated at 490 nm. The device has applications for high-density optical data storage and retrieval, laser printing, optical image projection, chemical-sensing, materials processing and optical metrology.

Radiation optic neuropathy after megavoltage external-beam irradiation: Analysis of time-dose factors

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Parsons, J.T.; Bova, F.J.; Million, R.R.

1994-11-15

To investigate the risk of radiation-induced optic neuropathy according to total radiotherapy dose and fraction size, based on both retrospective and prospectively collected data. Between October 1964 and May 1989, 215 optic nerves in 131 patients received fractionated external-beam irradiation during the treatment of primary extracranial head and neck tumors. All patients had a minimum of 3 years of ophthalmologic follow-up (range, 3 to 21 years). The clinical end point was visual acuity of 20/100 or worse as a result of optic nerve injury. Anterior ischemic optic neuropathy developed in five nerves (at mean and median times of 32 andmore » 30 months, respectively, and a range of 2-4 years). Retrobulbar optic neuropathy developed in 12 nerves (at mean and median times of 47 and 28 months, respectively, and a range of 1-14 years). No injuries were observed in 106 optic nerves that received a total dose of <59 Gy. Among nerves that received doses of {ge} 60 Gy, the dose per fraction was more important than the total dose in producing optic neuropathy. The 15-year actuarial risk of optic compared with 47% when given in fraction sizes {ge}1.9 Gy. The data also suggest an increased risk of optic nerve injury with increasing age. As there is no effective treatment of radiation-induced optic neuropathy, efforts should be directed at its prevention by minimizing the total dose, paying attention to the dose per fraction to the nerve, and using reduced field techniques where appropriate to limit the volume of tissues that receive high-dose irradiation. 32 refs., 5 figs., 5 tabs.« less

Dynamics of Nonlinear Excitation of the High-Order Mode in a Single-Mode Step-Index Optical Fiber

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Burdin, V.; Bourdine, A.

2018-04-01

This work is concerned with approximate model of higher-order mode nonlinear excitation in a singlemode silica optical fiber. We present some results of simulation for step-index optical fiber under femtosecond optical pulse launching, which confirm ability of relatively stable higher-order mode excitation in such singlemode optical fiber over sufficiently narrow range of launched optical power variation.

Modulating the Voltage-sensitivity of a Genetically Encoded Voltage Indicator

PubMed Central

Jung, Arong; Rajakumar, Dhanarajan; Yoon, Bong-June

2017-01-01

Saturation mutagenesis was performed on a single position in the voltage-sensing domain (VSD) of a genetically encoded voltage indicator (GEVI). The VSD consists of four transmembrane helixes designated S1-S4. The V220 position located near the plasma membrane/extracellular interface had previously been shown to affect the voltage range of the optical signal. Introduction of polar amino acids at this position reduced the voltage-dependent optical signal of the GEVI. Negatively charged amino acids slightly reduced the optical signal by 33 percent while positively charge amino acids at this position reduced the optical signal by 80%. Surprisingly, the range of V220D was similar to that of V220K with shifted optical responses towards negative potentials. In contrast, the V220E mutant mirrored the responses of the V220R mutation suggesting that the length of the side chain plays in role in determining the voltage range of the GEVI. Charged mutations at the 219 position all behaved similarly slightly shifting the optical response to more negative potentials. Charged mutations to the 221 position behaved erratically suggesting interactions with the plasma membrane and/or other amino acids in the VSD. Introduction of bulky amino acids at the V220 position increased the range of the optical response to include hyperpolarizing signals. Combining The V220W mutant with the R217Q mutation resulted in a probe that reduced the depolarizing signal and enhanced the hyperpolarizing signal which may lead to GEVIs that only report neuronal inhibition. PMID:29093633

Modulating the Voltage-sensitivity of a Genetically Encoded Voltage Indicator.

PubMed

Jung, Arong; Rajakumar, Dhanarajan; Yoon, Bong-June; Baker, Bradley J

2017-10-01

Saturation mutagenesis was performed on a single position in the voltage-sensing domain (VSD) of a genetically encoded voltage indicator (GEVI). The VSD consists of four transmembrane helixes designated S1-S4. The V220 position located near the plasma membrane/extracellular interface had previously been shown to affect the voltage range of the optical signal. Introduction of polar amino acids at this position reduced the voltage-dependent optical signal of the GEVI. Negatively charged amino acids slightly reduced the optical signal by 33 percent while positively charge amino acids at this position reduced the optical signal by 80%. Surprisingly, the range of V220D was similar to that of V220K with shifted optical responses towards negative potentials. In contrast, the V220E mutant mirrored the responses of the V220R mutation suggesting that the length of the side chain plays in role in determining the voltage range of the GEVI. Charged mutations at the 219 position all behaved similarly slightly shifting the optical response to more negative potentials. Charged mutations to the 221 position behaved erratically suggesting interactions with the plasma membrane and/or other amino acids in the VSD. Introduction of bulky amino acids at the V220 position increased the range of the optical response to include hyperpolarizing signals. Combining The V220W mutant with the R217Q mutation resulted in a probe that reduced the depolarizing signal and enhanced the hyperpolarizing signal which may lead to GEVIs that only report neuronal inhibition.

Design of large zoom for visible and infrared optical system in hemisphere space

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xing, Yang-guang; Li, Lin; Zhang, Juan

2018-01-01

In the field of space optical, the application of advanced optical instruments for related target detection and identification has become an advanced technology in modern optics. In order to complete the task of search in wide field of view and detailed investigation in small field of view, it is inevitable to use the structure of the zoom system to achieve a better observation for important targets. The innovation of this paper lies in using the zoom optical system in space detection, which achieve firstly military needs of searched target in the large field of view and recognized target in the small field of view. At the same time, this paper also completes firstly the design of variable focus optical detection system in the range of hemisphere space, the zoom optical system is working in the range of visible and infrared wavelengths, the perspective angle reaches 360 ° and the zoom ratio of the visible system is up to 15. The visible system has a zoom range of 60-900 mm, a detection band of 0.48-0.70μm, and a F-number of 2.0 to 5.0. The infrared system has a zoom range of 150 900mm, a detection band of 8-12μm, and a F-number of 1.2 to 3.0. The MTF of the visible zoom system is above 0.4 at spatial frequency of 45 lp / mm, and the infrared zoom system is above 0.4 at spatial frequency of 11 lp / mm. The design results show that the system has a good image quality.

Essentials of LIDAR multiangle data processing methodology for smoke polluted atmospheres

Treesearch

V. A. Kovalev; A. Petkov; C. Wold; S. Urbanski; W. M. Hao

2009-01-01

Mobile scanning lidar is the most appropriate tool for monitoring wildfire smoke-plume dynamics and optical properties. Lidar is the only remote sensing instrument capable of obtaining detailed three-dimensional range-resolved information for smoke distributions and optical properties over ranges of 10+ km at different wavelengths simultaneously.

Optical transfer function of NTS-1 retroreflector array

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Arnold, D. A.

1974-01-01

An optical transfer function was computed for the retroreflector array carried by the NTS-1 satellite. Range corrections are presented for extrapolating laser range measurements to the center of mass of the satellite. The gain function of the array was computed for use in estimating laser-echo signal strengths.

High-sensitivity DPSK receiver for high-bandwidth free-space optical communication links.

PubMed

Juarez, Juan C; Young, David W; Sluz, Joseph E; Stotts, Larry B

2011-05-23

A high-sensitivity modem and high-dynamic range optical automatic gain controller (OAGC) have been developed to provide maximum link margin and to overcome the dynamic nature of free-space optical links. A sensitivity of -48.9 dBm (10 photons per bit) at 10 Gbps was achieved employing a return-to-zero differential phase shift keying based modem and a commercial Reed-Solomon forward error correction system. Low-noise optical gain was provided by an OAGC with a noise figure of 4.1 dB (including system required input loses) and a dynamic range of greater than 60 dB.

Development of high-sensitivity SWIR APD receivers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bai, Xiaogang; Yuan, Ping; Chang, James; Sudharsanan, Rengarajan; Krainak, Michael; Yang, Guangning; Sun, Xiaoli; Lu, Wei

2013-06-01

Emerging short wavelength infrared (SWIR) LIght Detection And Ranging (LIDAR) and long range laser rangefinder systems, require large optical aperture avalanche photodiodes (APDs) receivers with high sensitivity and high bandwidth. A large optical aperture is critical to increase the optical coupling efficiency and extend the LIDAR sensing range of the above systems. Both APD excess noise and transimpedance amplifier (TIA) noise need to be reduced in order to achieve high receiver sensitivity. The dark current and capacitance of large area APDs increase with APD aperture and thus limit the sensitivity and bandwidth of receivers. Spectrolab has been developing low excess noise InAlAs/InGaAs APDs with impact ionization engineering (I2E) designs for many years and has demonstrated APDs with optical gain over 100 utilizing multiple period I2E structures in the APD multiplier. These high gain I2E APDs have an excess noise factor less than 0.15. With an optical aperture of 200 μm, low excess noise multiple periods I2E APDs have capacitances about 1.7 pF. In addition, optical gains of InAlAs based APDs show very little temperature dependence and will enable APD photoreceivers without thermal electric cooling.

Charactering lidar optical subsystem using four quadrants method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tian, Xiaomin; Liu, Dong; Xu, Jiwei; Wang, Zhenzhu; Wang, Bangxin; Wu, Decheng; Zhong, Zhiqing; Xie, Chenbo; Wang, Yingjian

2018-02-01

Lidar is a kind of active optical remote sensing instruments , can be applied to sound atmosphere with a high spatial and temporal resolution. Many parameter of atmosphere can be get by using different inverse algorithm with lidar backscatter signal. The basic setup of a lidar consist of a transmitter and a receiver. To make sure the quality of lidar signal data, the lidar must be calibrated before being used to measure the atmospheric variables. It is really significant to character and analyze lidar optical subsystem because a well equiped lidar optical subsystem contributes to high quality lidar signal data. we pay close attention to telecover test to character and analyze lidar optical subsystem.The telecover test is called four quadrants method consisting in dividing the telescope aperture in four quarants. when a lidar is well configured with lidar optical subsystem, the normalized signal from four qudrants will agree with each other on some level. Testing our WARL-II lidar by four quadrants method ,we find the signals of the four basically consistent with each other both in near range and in far range. But in detail, the signals in near range have some slight distinctions resulting from overlap function, some signals distinctions are induced by atmospheric instability.

A simple growth method for Nb 2O 5 films and their optical properties

DOE PAGES

Dash, J. K.; Chen, L.; Topka, Michael R.; ...

2015-04-13

A simple method for the synthesis of Nb₂O₅ films of thicknesses ranging from tens to several hundreds of nanometers on amorphous silicon dioxide or quartz substrates is presented. Nb₂O₅ films were formed by annealing the sputter deposited Nb films under an Ar flow and without oxygen plasma in a quartz tube within a furnace at 850 °C. The structural, compositional, optical, and vibrational properties were characterized by grazing incidence X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, ultraviolet visible spectroscopy, and Raman scattering. Each of the Nb₂O₅ films is polycrystalline with an orthorhombic crystal structure. We observed vibrational modes includingmore » longitudinal optical, transverse optical, and triply degenerate modes, and measured the indirect optical band gap to be ~3.65 eV. The transmittance spectrum of the ~20 nm thick Nb₂O₅ film shows over 90% transmittance below the band gap energy in the visible wavelength range and decreases to less than 20% in the ultraviolet regime. As a result, the optical properties of the films in the UV-vis range show potential applications as UV detectors.« less

Delay Tracking of Spread-Spectrum Signals for Indoor Optical Ranging

PubMed Central

Salido-Monzú, David; Martín-Gorostiza, Ernesto; Lázaro-Galilea, José Luis; Martos-Naya, Eduardo; Wieser, Andreas

2014-01-01

Delay tracking of spread-spectrum signals is widely used for ranging in radio frequency based navigation. Its use in non-coherent optical ranging, however, has not been extensively studied since optical channels are less subject to narrowband interference situations where these techniques become more useful. In this work, an early-late delay-locked loop adapted to indoor optical ranging is presented and analyzed. The specific constraints of free-space infrared channels in this context substantially differ from those typically considered in radio frequency applications. The tracking stage is part of an infrared differential range measuring system with application to mobile target indoor localization. Spread-spectrum signals are used in this context to provide accurate ranging while reducing the effect of multipath interferences. The performance of the stage regarding noise and dynamic errors is analyzed and validated, providing expressions that allow an adequate selection of the design parameters depending on the expected input signal characteristics. The behavior of the stage in a general multipath scenario is also addressed to estimate the multipath error bounds. The results, evaluated under realistic conditions corresponding to an 870 nm link with 25 MHz chip-rate, built with low-cost up-to-date devices, show that an overall error below 6% of a chip time can be achieved. PMID:25490585

Comparisons between geometrical optics and Lorenz-Mie theory

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ungut, A.; Grehan, G.; Gouesbet, G.

1981-01-01

Both the Lorenz-Mie and geometrical optics theories are used in calculating the scattered light patterns produced by transparent spherical particles over a wide range of diameters, between 1.0 and 100 microns, and for the range of forward scattering angles from zero to 20 deg. A detailed comparison of the results shows the greater accuracy of the geometrical optics theory in the forward direction. Emphasis is given to the simultaneous sizing and velocimetry of particles by means of pedestal calibration methods.

Development of a precision, wide-dynamic-range actuator for use in active optical systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lorell, K. R.; Aubrun, J-N.; Zacharie, D. F.; Perez, E. O.

1989-01-01

The design, operation, and performance of a wide-dynamic-range optical-quality actuator are discussed. The actuator uses a closed-loop control system to maintain accurate positioning and has an rms noise performance of 20 nm. A unique force offloading mechanism allows the actuator coil to dissipate less than 3 mW under quiescent conditions. The operation of an experimental segmented optical system that uses 18 of the actuators is examined to show how they are integrated into an actual system.

A compact CCD-monitored atomic force microscope with optical vision and improved performances.

PubMed

Mingyue, Liu; Haijun, Zhang; Dongxian, Zhang

2013-09-01

A novel CCD-monitored atomic force microscope (AFM) with optical vision and improved performances has been developed. Compact optical paths are specifically devised for both tip-sample microscopic monitoring and cantilever's deflection detecting with minimized volume and optimal light-amplifying ratio. The ingeniously designed AFM probe with such optical paths enables quick and safe tip-sample approaching, convenient and effective tip-sample positioning, and high quality image scanning. An image stitching method is also developed to build a wider-range AFM image under monitoring. Experiments show that this AFM system can offer real-time optical vision for tip-sample monitoring with wide visual field and/or high lateral optical resolution by simply switching the objective; meanwhile, it has the elegant performances of nanometer resolution, high stability, and high scan speed. Furthermore, it is capable of conducting wider-range image measurement while keeping nanometer resolution. Copyright © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

In vivo optical imaging and dynamic contrast methods for biomedical research

PubMed Central

Hillman, Elizabeth M. C.; Amoozegar, Cyrus B.; Wang, Tracy; McCaslin, Addason F. H.; Bouchard, Matthew B.; Mansfield, James; Levenson, Richard M.

2011-01-01

This paper provides an overview of optical imaging methods commonly applied to basic research applications. Optical imaging is well suited for non-clinical use, since it can exploit an enormous range of endogenous and exogenous forms of contrast that provide information about the structure and function of tissues ranging from single cells to entire organisms. An additional benefit of optical imaging that is often under-exploited is its ability to acquire data at high speeds; a feature that enables it to not only observe static distributions of contrast, but to probe and characterize dynamic events related to physiology, disease progression and acute interventions in real time. The benefits and limitations of in vivo optical imaging for biomedical research applications are described, followed by a perspective on future applications of optical imaging for basic research centred on a recently introduced real-time imaging technique called dynamic contrast-enhanced small animal molecular imaging (DyCE). PMID:22006910

Optical spectral signatures of liquids by means of fiber optic technology for product and quality parameter identification

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mignani, A. G.; Ciaccheri, L.; Mencaglia, A. A.; Diaz-Herrera, N.; Garcia-Allende, P. B.; Ottevaere, H.; Thienpont, H.; Attilio, C.; Cimato, A.; Francalanci, S.; Paccagnini, A.; Pavone, F. S.

2009-01-01

Absorption spectroscopy in the wide 200-1700 nm spectral range is carried out by means of optical fiber instrumentation to achieve a digital mapping of liquids for the prediction of important quality parameters. Extra virgin olive oils from Italy and lubricant oils from turbines with different degrees of degradation were considered as "case studies". The spectral data were processed by means of multivariate analysis so as to obtain a correlation to quality parameters. In practice, the wide range absorption spectra were considered as an optical signature of the liquids from which to extract product quality information. The optical signatures of extra virgin olive oils were used to predict the content of the most important fatty acids. The optical signatures of lubricant oils were used to predict the concentration of the most important parameters for indicating the oil's degree of degradation, such as TAN, JOAP anti-wear index, and water content.

Optical and magneto-optical studies of martensitic transformation in Ni-Mn-Ga magnetic shape memory alloys

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Beran, L.; Cejpek, P.; Kulda, M.; Antos, R.; Holy, V.; Veis, M.; Straka, L.; Heczko, O.

2015-05-01

Optical and magneto-optical properties of single crystal of Ni50.1Mn28.4Ga21.5 magnetic shape memory alloy during its transformation from martensite to austenite phase were systematically studied. Crystal orientation was approximately along {100} planes of parent cubic austenite. X-ray reciprocal mapping confirmed modulated 10 M martensite phase. Temperature depended measurements of saturation magnetization revealed the martensitic transformation at 335 K during heating. Magneto-optical spectroscopy and spectroscopic ellipsometry were measured in the sample temperature range from 297 to 373 K and photon energy range from 1.2 to 6.5 eV. Magneto-optical spectra of polar Kerr rotation as well as the spectra of ellipsometric parameter Ψ exhibited significant changes when crossing the transformation temperature. These changes were assigned to different optical properties of Ni-Mn-Ga in martensite and austenite phases due to modification of electronic structure near the Fermi energy during martensitic transformation.

A novel pH optical sensor using methyl orange based on triacetylcellulose membranes as support.

PubMed

Hosseini, Mohammad; Heydari, Rouhollah; Alimoradi, Mohammad

2014-07-15

A novel pH optical sensor based on triacetylcellulose membrane as solid support was developed by using immobilization of methyl orange indicator. The prepared optical sensor was fixed into a flow cell for on-line pH monitoring. Variables affecting sensor performance, such as pH of dye bonding to triacetylcellulose membrane and dye concentration have been fully evaluated and optimized. The calibration curve showed good behavior and precision (RSD<0.4%) in the pH range of 4.0-12.0. No significant variation was observed on sensor response with increasing the ionic strength in the range of 0.0-0.5M of sodium chloride. Determination of pH by using the proposed optical sensor is on-line, quick, inexpensive, selective and sensitive in the pH range of 4.0-12.0. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Design Reference Missions for Deep-Space Optical Communication

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Breidenthal, J.; Abraham, D.

2016-05-01

We examined the potential, but uncertain, NASA mission portfolio out to a time horizon of 20 years, to identify mission concepts that potentially could benefit from optical communication, considering their communications needs, the environments in which they would operate, and their notional size, weight, and power constraints. A set of 12 design reference missions was selected to represent the full range of potential missions. These design reference missions span the space of potential customer requirements, and encompass the wide range of applications that an optical ground segment might eventually be called upon to serve. The design reference missions encompass a range of orbit types, terminal sizes, and positions in the solar system that reveal the chief system performance variables of an optical ground segment, and may be used to enable assessments of the ability of alternative systems to meet various types of customer needs.

Optical multidimensional multiple access(O-MDMA): a new concept for free-space laser communication based on photonic mixer devices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hess, Holger; Albrecht, Martin; Grothof, Markus; Hussmann, Stephan; Schwarte, Rudolf

2004-01-01

Working on optical distance measurement a new optical correlator was developed at the Institute for Data Processing of the University of Siegen in the last years. The so called Photonic Mixer Device (PMD), to be meant originally for laser ranging systems, offers a lot of advantages for wireless optical data communication like high speed spatial light demodulation up to the GHz range and inherent backlight suppression. This contribution describes the application of such PMDs in a free space interconnect based on the principle of Multi Dimensional Multiple Access (MDMA) and the advantages of this new approach, starting from the MDMA principle and followed by the fundamental functionality of PMDs. After that an Optical MDMA (O-MDMA) demonstrator and first measurement results will be presented.

Digitally switchable multi-focal lens using freeform optics.

PubMed

Wang, Xuan; Qin, Yi; Hua, Hong; Lee, Yun-Han; Wu, Shin-Tson

2018-04-16

Optical technologies offering electrically tunable optical power have found a broad range of applications, from head-mounted displays for virtual and augmented reality applications to microscopy. In this paper, we present a novel design and prototype of a digitally switchable multi-focal lens (MFL) that offers the capability of rapidly switching the optical power of the system among multiple foci. It consists of a freeform singlet and a customized programmable optical shutter array (POSA). Time-multiplexed multiple foci can be obtained by electrically controlling the POSA to switch the light path through different segments of the freeform singlet rapidly. While this method can be applied to a broad range of imaging and display systems, we experimentally demonstrate a proof-of-concept prototype for a multi-foci imaging system.

Integrated optical gyroscope using active Long-range surface plasmon-polariton waveguide resonator

PubMed Central

Zhang, Tong; Qian, Guang; Wang, Yang-Yang; Xue, Xiao-Jun; Shan, Feng; Li, Ruo-Zhou; Wu, Jing-Yuan; Zhang, Xiao-Yang

2014-01-01

Optical gyroscopes with high sensitivity are important rotation sensors for inertial navigation systems. Here, we present the concept of integrated resonant optical gyroscope constructed by active long-range surface plasmon-polariton (LRSPP) waveguide resonator. In this gyroscope, LRSPP waveguide doped gain medium is pumped to compensate the propagation loss, which has lower pump noise than that of conventional optical waveguide. Peculiar properties of single-polarization of LRSPP waveguide have been found to significantly reduce the polarization error. The metal layer of LRSPP waveguide is electro-optical multiplexed for suppression of reciprocal noises. It shows a limited sensitivity of ~10−4 deg/h, and a maximum zero drift which is 4 orders of magnitude lower than that constructed by conventional single-mode waveguide. PMID:24458281

Interferometry-based free space communication and information processing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arain, Muzammil Arshad

This dissertation studies, analyzes, and experimentally demonstrates the innovative use of interference phenomenon in the field of opto-electronic information processing and optical communications. A number of optical systems using interferometric techniques both in the optical and the electronic domains has been demonstrated in the filed of signal transmission and processing, optical metrology, defense, and physical sensors. Specifically it has been shown that the interference of waves in the form of holography can be exploited to realize a novel optical scanner called Code Multiplexed Optical Scanner (C-MOS). The C-MOS features large aperture, wide scan angles, 3-D beam control, no moving parts, and high beam scanning resolution. A C-MOS based free space optical transceiver for bi-directional communication has also been experimentally demonstrated. For high speed, large bandwidth, and high frequency operation, an optically implemented reconfigurable RF transversal filter design is presented that implements wide range of filtering algorithms. A number of techniques using heterodyne interferometry via acousto-optic device for optical path length measurements have been described. Finally, a whole new class of interferometric sensors for optical metrology and sensing applications is presented. A non-traditional interferometric output signal processing scheme has been developed. Applications include, for example, temperature sensors for harsh environments for a wide temperature range from room temperature to 1000°C.

Application of velocity filtering to optical-flow passive ranging

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Barniv, Yair

1992-01-01

The performance of the velocity filtering method as applied to optical-flow passive ranging under real-world conditions is evaluated. The theory of the 3-D Fourier transform as applied to constant-speed moving points is reviewed, and the space-domain shift-and-add algorithm is derived from the general 3-D matched filtering formulation. The constant-speed algorithm is then modified to fit the actual speed encountered in the optical flow application, and the passband of that filter is found in terms of depth (sensor/object distance) so as to cover any given range of depths. Two algorithmic solutions for the problems associated with pixel interpolation and object expansion are developed, and experimental results are presented.

Optical design and testing: introduction.

PubMed

Liang, Chao-Wen; Koshel, John; Sasian, Jose; Breault, Robert; Wang, Yongtian; Fang, Yi Chin

2014-10-10

Optical design and testing has numerous applications in industrial, military, consumer, and medical settings. Assembling a complete imaging or nonimage optical system may require the integration of optics, mechatronics, lighting technology, optimization, ray tracing, aberration analysis, image processing, tolerance compensation, and display rendering. This issue features original research ranging from the optical design of image and nonimage optical stimuli for human perception, optics applications, bio-optics applications, 3D display, solar energy system, opto-mechatronics to novel imaging or nonimage modalities in visible and infrared spectral imaging, modulation transfer function measurement, and innovative interferometry.

Optical XOR gate

DOEpatents

Vawter, G. Allen

2013-11-12

An optical XOR gate is formed as a photonic integrated circuit (PIC) from two sets of optical waveguide devices on a substrate, with each set of the optical waveguide devices including an electroabsorption modulator electrically connected in series with a waveguide photodetector. The optical XOR gate utilizes two digital optical inputs to generate an XOR function digital optical output. The optical XOR gate can be formed from III-V compound semiconductor layers which are epitaxially deposited on a III-V compound semiconductor substrate, and operates at a wavelength in the range of 0.8-2.0 .mu.m.

Optical NOR gate

DOEpatents

Skogen, Erik J [Albuquerque, NM; Tauke-Pedretti, Anna [Albuquerque, NM

2011-09-06

An optical NOR gate is formed from two pair of optical waveguide devices on a substrate, with each pair of the optical waveguide devices consisting of an electroabsorption modulator electrically connected in series with a waveguide photodetector. The optical NOR gate utilizes two digital optical inputs and a continuous light input to provide a NOR function digital optical output. The optical NOR gate can be formed from III-V compound semiconductor layers which are epitaxially deposited on a III-V compound semiconductor substrate, and operates at a wavelength in the range of 0.8-2.0 .mu.m.

Optically pre-amplified lidar-radar

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Morvan, Loic; Dolfi, Daniel; Huignard, Jean-Pierre

2001-09-01

We present the concept of an optically pre-amplified intensity modulated lidar, where the modulation frequency is in the microwave domain (1-10 GHz). Such a system permits to combine directivity of laser beams with mature radar processing. As an intensity modulated or dual-frequency laser beam is directed on a target, the backscattered intensity is collected by an optical system, pass through an optical preamplifier, and is detected on a high speed photodiode in a direct detection scheme. A radar type processing permits then to extract range, speed and identification information. The association of spatially multimode amplifier and direct detection allows low sensitivity to atmospheric turbulence and large field of view. We demonstrated theoretically that optical pre-amplification can greatly enhance sensitivity, even in spatially multimode amplifiers, such as free-space amplifier or multimode doped fiber. Computed range estimates based on this concept are presented. Laboratory demonstrations using 1 to 3 GHz modulated laser sources and >20 dB gain in multimode amplifiers are detailed. Preliminary experimental results on range and speed measurements and possible use for large amplitude vibrometry will be presented.

Target discrimination strategies in optics detection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sjöqvist, Lars; Allard, Lars; Henriksson, Markus; Jonsson, Per; Pettersson, Magnus

2013-10-01

Detection and localisation of optical assemblies used for weapon guidance or sniper rifle scopes has attracted interest for security and military applications. Typically a laser system is used to interrogate a scene of interest and the retro-reflected radiation is detected. Different system approaches for area coverage can be realised ranging from flood illumination to step-and-stare or continuous scanning schemes. Independently of the chosen approach target discrimination is a crucial issue, particularly if a complex scene such as in an urban environment and autonomous operation is considered. In this work target discrimination strategies in optics detection are discussed. Typical parameters affecting the reflected laser radiation from the target are the wavelength, polarisation properties, temporal effects and the range resolution. Knowledge about the target characteristics is important to predict the target discrimination capability. Two different systems were used to investigate polarisation properties and range resolution information from targets including e.g. road signs, optical reflexes, rifle sights and optical references. The experimental results and implications on target discrimination will be discussed. If autonomous operation is required target discrimination becomes critical in order to reduce the number of false alarms.

Optical transfer function of Starlette retroreflector array

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Arnold, D. A.

1975-01-01

An optical transfer function was computed for the retroreflector array carried by the Starlette satellite (1975 10A). The range correction is given for extrapolating laser range measurements to the center of mass of the satellite. The gain function and active reflecting area of the array are computed for estimating laser-echo signal strengths.

Choroidal imaging by one-micrometer dual-beam Doppler optical coherence angiography with adjustable velocity range

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jaillon, Franck; Makita, Shuichi; Yasuno, Yoshiaki

2012-03-01

Ability of a new version of one-micrometer dual-beam optical coherence angiography (OCA) based on Doppler optical coherence tomography (OCT), is demonstrated for choroidal vasculature imaging. A particular feature of this system is the adjustable time delay between two probe beams. This allows changing the measurable velocity range of moving constituents such as blood without alteration of the scanning protocol. Since choroidal vasculature is made of vessels having blood flows with different velocities, this technique provides a way of discriminating vessels according to the velocity range of their inner flow. An example of choroid imaging of a normal emmetropic eye is here given. It is shown that combining images acquired with different velocity ranges provides an enhanced vasculature representation. This method may be then useful for pathological choroid characterization.

Extended linear detection range for optical tweezers using image-plane detection scheme

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hajizadeh, Faegheh; Masoumeh Mousavi, S.; Khaksar, Zeinab S.; Reihani, S. Nader S.

2014-10-01

Ability to measure pico- and femto-Newton range forces using optical tweezers (OT) strongly relies on the sensitivity of its detection system. We show that the commonly used back-focal-plane detection method provides a linear response range which is shorter than that of the restoring force of OT for large beads. This limits measurable force range of OT. We show, both theoretically and experimentally, that utilizing a second laser beam for tracking could solve the problem. We also propose a new detection scheme in which the quadrant photodiode is positioned at the plane optically conjugate to the object plane (image plane). This method solves the problem without need for a second laser beam for the bead sizes that are commonly used in force spectroscopy applications of OT, such as biopolymer stretching.

Optical cryocooling of diamond

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kern, M.; Jeske, J.; Lau, D. W. M.; Greentree, A. D.; Jelezko, F.; Twamley, J.

2017-06-01

The cooling of solids by optical means only using anti-Stokes emission has a long history of research and achievements. Such cooling methods have many advantages ranging from no moving parts or fluids through to operation in vacuum and may have applications to cryosurgery. However, achieving large optical cryocooling powers has been difficult to manage except in certain rare-earth crystals but these are mostly toxic and not biocompatible. Through study of the emission and absorption cross sections we find that diamond, containing either nitrogen vacancy (NV) or silicon vacancy defects, shows potential for optical cryocooling and, in particular, NV doping shows promise for optical refrigeration. We study the optical cooling of doped diamond microcrystals ranging 10-250 μ m in diameter trapped either in vacuum or in water. For the vacuum case we find NV-doped microdiamond optical cooling below room temperature could exceed |Δ T |>10 K for irradiation powers of Pin<100 mW. We predict that such temperature changes should be easily observed via large alterations in the diffusion constant for optically cryocooled microdiamonds trapped in water in an optical tweezer or via spectroscopic signatures such as the zero-phonon line width or Raman line.

Analysis of optical scheme for medium-range directed energy laser weapon system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jabczyński, Jan K.; Kaśków, Mateusz; Gorajek, Łukasz; Kopczyński, Krzysztof

2017-10-01

The relations between range of operation and aperture of laser weapon system were investigated, taking into account diffraction and technical limitations as beam quality, accuracy of point tracking, technical quality of optical train, etc. As a result for the medium ranges of 1 - 2 km we restricted the analysis to apertures not wider than 150 mm and the optical system without adaptive optics. To choose the best laser beam shape, the minimization of aperture losses and thermooptical effects inside optics as well as the effective width of laser beam in far field should be taken into account. We have analyzed theoretically such a problem for the group of a few most interesting from that point of view profiles including for reference two limiting cases of Gaussian beam and `top hat' profile. We have found that the most promising is the SuperGaussian profile of index p = 2 for which the surfaces of beam shaper elements can be manufactured in the acceptable cost-effective way and beam quality does not decrease noticeably. Further, we have investigated the thermo-optic effects on the far field parameters of Gaussian and `top hat' beams to determine the influence of absorption in optical elements on beam quality degradation. The simplified formulae were derived for beam quality measures (parameter M2 and Strehl ratio) which enables to estimate the influence of absorption losses on degradation of beam quality.

Membrane adaptive optics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marker, Dan K.; Wilkes, James M.; Ruggiero, Eric J.; Inman, Daniel J.

2005-08-01

An innovative adaptive optic is discussed that provides a range of capabilities unavailable with either existing, or newly reported, research devices. It is believed that this device will be inexpensive and uncomplicated to construct and operate, with a large correction range that should dramatically relax the static and dynamic structural tolerances of a telescope. As the areal density of a telescope primary is reduced, the optimal optical figure and the structural stiffness are inherently compromised and this phenomenon will require a responsive, range-enhanced wavefront corrector. In addition to correcting for the aberrations in such innovative primary mirrors, sufficient throw remains to provide non-mechanical steering to dramatically improve the Field of regard. Time dependent changes such as thermal disturbances can also be accommodated. The proposed adaptive optic will overcome some of the issues facing conventional deformable mirrors, as well as current and proposed MEMS-based deformable mirrors and liquid crystal based adaptive optics. Such a device is scalable to meter diameter apertures, eliminates high actuation voltages with minimal power consumption, provides long throw optical path correction, provides polychromatic dispersion free operation, dramatically reduces the effects of adjacent actuator influence, and provides a nearly 100% useful aperture. This article will reveal top-level details of the proposed construction and include portions of a static, dynamic, and residual aberration analysis. This device will enable certain designs previously conceived by visionaries in the optical community.

From space qualified fiber optic gyroscope to generic fiber optic solutions available for space application

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Buret, Thomas; Ramecourt, David; Napolitano, Fabien

2017-11-01

The aim of this article is to present how the qualification of the Fiber Optic Gyroscope technology from IXSEA has been achieved through the qualification of a large range of optical devices and related manufacturing processes. These qualified optical devices and processes, that are now fully mastered by IXSEA through vertical integration of the technology, can be used for other space optical sensors. The example of the SWARM project will be discussed.

Wavelength dependent recovery of UV-mediated damage: Tying up the loose ends of optical based powdery mildew management.

PubMed

Suthaparan, Aruppillai; Pathak, Ranjana; Solhaug, Knut Asbjørn; Gislerød, Hans Ragnar

2018-01-01

Controlled environment chamber experiments at Petri dish level were conducted to examine the wavelength and dose dependent efficacy of ultraviolet (UV) radiation, the recovery action potential of optical radiation applied concomitantly/subsequently to effective UV treatment, and the lapse time between UV treatment and subsequent exposure to recovery wavelength on germination efficiency of Oidium neolycopersici conidia. Conidia of eight- to nine-day-old colonies were dusted on water agar surface in Petri dishes and exposed to UV treatments (without lid). Immediately after UV treatments, Petri dishes were sealed and incubated in darkness or differing optical environments generated using seven different radiation sources (range 290nm to 780nm). Twenty-four hours after UV treatment, fifty conidia from each sample were assessed for germination. Compared to non-UV controls, <10% of the conidia germinated after 30s of exposure to 254nm or 283nm UV and subsequent dark incubation. Conidia germination was almost negligible if the exposure duration increased to 4min. Germination was about 60% with broad spectrum UV after 1min of exposure, and about 35% after 2 to 4min of exposure. There was no reduction of conidia germination with the exposure of ≤4min with 310nm. With the tested wavelength and dose ranges, germination recovery was effective in the 350nm to 500nm range. Germination efficiency of conidia treated with effective UV was significantly higher (>73%) if incubated subsequently in the 350nm to 500nm range (germination recovery). Furthermore, germination recovery depends on the characteristics of UV treatment (wavelength, and duration of exposure) and the lapse time between UV treatment and subsequent exposure to optical radiation in the recovery range. The findings of this study provide key criteria for wavelength selection, combination and application time in the optical radiation range, enabling improved design of optical based management strategies against powdery mildews. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Optical filters for UV to near IR space applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Begou, T.; Krol, H.; Hecquet, Christophe; Bondet, C.; Lumeau, J.; Grèzes-Besset, C.; Lequime, M.

2017-11-01

We present hereafter the results on the fabrication of complex optical filters within the Institut Fresnel in close collaboration with CILAS. Bandpass optical filters dedicated to astronomy and space applications, with central wavelengths ranging from ultraviolet to near infrared, were deposited on both sides of glass substrates with performances in very good congruence with theoretical designs. For these applications, the required functions are particularly complex as they must present a very narrow bandwidth as well as a high level of rejection over a broad spectral range. In addition to those severe optical performances, insensitivity to environmental conditions is necessary. For this purpose, robust solutions with particularly stable performances have to be proposed.

Interplanetary navigation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stuart, J. R.

1984-01-01

The evolution of NASA's planetary navigation techniques is traced, and radiometric and optical data types are described. Doppler navigation; the Deep Space Network; differenced two-way range techniques; differential very long base interferometry; and optical navigation are treated. The Doppler system enables a spacecraft in cruise at high absolute declination to be located within a total angular uncertainty of 1/4 microrad. The two-station range measurement provides a 1 microrad backup at low declinations. Optical data locate the spacecraft relative to the target to an angular accuracy of 5 microrad. Earth-based radio navigation and its less accurate but target-relative counterpart, optical navigation, thus form complementary measurement sources, which provide a powerful sensory system to produce high-precision orbit estimates.

CW all optical self switching in nonlinear chalcogenide nano plasmonic directional coupler

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Motamed-Jahromi, Leila; Hatami, Mohsen

2018-04-01

In this paper we obtain the coupling coefficient of plasmonic directional coupler (PDC) made up of two parallel monolayer waveguides filled with high nonlinear chalcogenide material for TM mode in continues wave (CW) regime. In addition, we assume each waveguides acts as a perturbation to other waveguide. Four nonlinear-coupled equations are derived. Transfer distances are numerically calculated and used for deriving length of all optical switch. The length of designed switch is in the range of 10-1000 μm, and the switching power is in the range of 1-100 W/m. Obtained values are suitable for designing all optical elements in the integrated optical circuits.

An earth-isolated optically coupled wideband high voltage probe powered by ambient light.

PubMed

Zhai, Xiang; Bellan, Paul M

2012-10-01

An earth-isolated optically-coupled wideband high voltage probe has been developed for pulsed power applications. The probe uses a capacitive voltage divider coupled to a fast light-emitting diode that converts high voltage into an amplitude-modulated optical signal, which is then conveyed to a receiver via an optical fiber. A solar cell array, powered by ambient laboratory lighting, charges a capacitor that, when triggered, acts as a short-duration power supply for an on-board amplifier in the probe. The entire system has a noise level ≤0.03 kV, a DC-5 MHz bandwidth, and a measurement range from -6 to 2 kV; this range can be conveniently adjusted.

Passive athermalization: required accuracy of the thermo-optical coefficients

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rogers, John R.

2014-12-01

Passive athermalization requires that the materials (both optical and mechanical) and optical powers be carefully selected in order for the image to stay adequately in focus at the plane of the detector as the various materials change in physical dimension and refractive index. For a large operational temperature range, the accuracy of the thermo-optical coefficients (dn/dT coefficients and the Coefficients of Thermal Expansion) can limit the performance of the final system. Based on an example lens designed to be passively athermalized over a 200°C temperature range, and using a Monte Carlo analysis technique, we examine the accuracy to which the expansion coefficients and dn/dT coefficients of the system must be known.

High speed, wide velocity dynamic range Doppler optical coherence tomography (Part III): in vivo endoscopic imaging of blood flow in the rat and human gastrointestinal tracts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Victor X. D.; Gordon, Maggie L.; Tang, Shou-Jiang; Marcon, Norman E.; Gardiner, Geoffrey; Qi, Bing; Bisland, Stuart; Seng-Yue, Emily; Lo, Stewart; Pekar, Julius; Wilson, Brian C.; Vitkin, I. Alex

2003-09-01

We previously described a fiber based Doppler optical coherence tomography system [1] capable of imaging embryo cardiac blood flow at 4~16 frames per second with wide velocity dynamic range [2]. Coupling this system to a linear scanning fiber optical catheter design that minimizes friction and vibrations, we report here the initial results of in vivo endoscopic Doppler optical coherence tomography (EDOCT) imaging in normal rat and human esophagus. Microvascular flow in blood vessels less than 100 µm diameter was detected using a combination of color-Doppler and velocity variance imaging modes, during clinical endoscopy using a mobile EDOCT system.

Optical nonlinear absorption characteristics of Sb2Se3 nanoparticles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Muralikrishna, Molli; Kiran, Aditha Sai; Ravikanth, B.; Sowmendran, P.; Muthukumar, V. Sai; Venkataramaniah, Kamisetti

2014-04-01

In this work, we report for the first time, the nonlinear optical absorption properties of antimony selenide (Sb2Se3) nanoparticles synthesized through solvothermal route. X-ray diffraction results revealed the crystalline nature of the nanoparticles. Electron microscopy studies revealed that the nanoparticles are in the range of 10 - 40 nm. Elemental analysis was performed using EDAX. By employing open aperture z-scan technique, we have evaluated the effective two-photon absorption coefficient of Sb2Se3 nanoparticles to be 5e-10 m/W at 532 nm. These nanoparticles exhibit strong intensity dependent nonlinear optical absorption and hence could be considered to have optical power limiting applications in the visible range.

Silicon optical modulators for optical digital and analog communications (Conference Presentation)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Lin; Ding, Jianfeng; Zhang, Lei; Shao, Sizu

2017-02-01

Silicon photonics is considered as a promising technology to overcome the difficulties of the existing digital and analog optical communication systems, such as low integration, high cost, and high power consumption. Silicon optical modulator, as a component to transfer data from electronic domain to optical one, has attracted extensive attentions in the past decade. In this paper, we review the statuses of the silicon optical modulators for digital and analog optical communications and introduce our efforts on these topics. We analyze the relationship between the performance and the structural parameters of the silicon optical modulator and present how to optimize its performance including electro-optical bandwidth, modulation efficiency, optical bandwidth and insertion loss. The fabricated silicon optical modulator has an electro-optical bandwidth of 30 GHz. Its extinction ratios are 14.0 dB, 11.2 dB and 9.0 dB at the speeds of 40 Gbps, 50 Gbps and 64 Gbps for OOK modulation. The high extinction ratio of the silicon optical modulator at the high speed makes it very appropriate for the application of optical coherent modulation, such as QPSK and 16-QAM. The fabricated silicon optical modulator also can be utilized for analog optical communication. With respect to a noise floor of -165 dBc, the dynamic ranges for the second-order harmonic and the third-order intermodulation distortion are 90.8 dB and 110.5 dB respectively. By adopting a differential driving structure, the dynamic range for the second-order harmonic can be further improved to 100.0 dB while the third-order intermodulation distortion remains the same level.

Optical smart card using semipassive communication.

PubMed

Glaser, I; Green, Shlomo; Dimkov, Ilan

2006-03-15

An optical secure short-range communication system is presented. The mobile unit (optical smart card) of this system utilizes a retroreflector with an optical modulator, using light from the stationary unit; this mobile unit has very low power consumption and can be as small as a credit card. Such optical smart cards offer better security than RF-based solutions, yet do not require physical contact. Results from a feasibility study model are included.

Optical smart card using semipassive communication

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Glaser, I.; Green, Shlomo; Dimkov, Ilan

2006-03-01

An optical secure short-range communication system is presented. The mobile unit (optical smart card) of this system utilizes a retroreflector with an optical modulator, using light from the stationary unit; this mobile unit has very low power consumption and can be as small as a credit card. Such optical smart cards offer better security than RF-based solutions, yet do not require physical contact. Results from a feasibility study model are included.

Ultra-broadband tunable (0.67-2.57 µm) optical vortex parametric oscillator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Araki, Shungo; Suzuki, Kensuke; Nishida, Shigeki; Mamuti, Roukuya; Miyamoto, Katsuhiko; Omatsu, Takashige

2017-10-01

We demonstrate an ultra-broadband (>2-octave band) tunable optical vortex laser comprising an optical-vortex-pumped optical parametric oscillator by employing a nanosecond pulse (˜10 ns) green laser and cascaded non-critical phase-matching LiB3O5 crystals (45 mm long each). With this system, an optical vortex output was produced over an extremely wide wavelength range of 0.67-2.57 µm.

Analysis of Genetic Mutations in a Cohort of Hereditary Optic Neuropathy in Shanghai, China.

PubMed

Gan, Dekang; Li, Mengwei; Wu, Jihong; Sun, Xinghuai; Tian, Guohong

2017-01-01

To evaluate the clinical classification and characteristics of hereditary optic neuropathy patients in a single center in China. Retrospective case study. Patients diagnosed with hereditary optic neuropathy between January 2014 and December 2015 in the neuro-ophthalmology division in Shanghai Eye and ENT Hospital of Fudan University were recruited. Clinical features as well as visual field, brain/orbital MRI, and spectrum domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) were analyzed. Eighty-two patients diagnosed by gene test were evaluated, including 66 males and 16 females. The mean age of the patients was 19.4 years (range, 5-46 years). A total of 158 eyes were analyzed, including 6 unilateral, 61 bilateral, and 15 sequential. The median duration of the disease was 0.5 year (range, 0.1-20 years). Genetic test identified 68 patients with Leber hereditary optic neuropathy, 9 with dominant optic neuropathy, and 2 with a Wolfram gene mutation. There was also one case of hereditary spastic paraplegia, spinocerebellar ataxia, and polymicrogyria with optic nerve atrophy, respectively. Leber hereditary optic neuropathy is the most common detected type of hereditary optic neuropathy in Shanghai, China. The detection of other autosomal mutations in hereditary optic neuropathy is limited by the currently available technique.

Optical Filter Assembly for Interplanetary Optical Communications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chen, Yijiang; Hemmati, Hamid

2013-01-01

Ground-based, narrow-band, high throughput optical filters are required for optical links from deep space. We report on the development of a tunable filter assembly that operates at telecommunication window of 1550 nanometers. Low insertion loss of 0.5 decibels and bandwidth of 90 picometers over a 2000 nanometers operational range of detectors has been achieved.

Atmospheric Optical Properties and Spectral Analysis of Desert Aerosols

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yvgeni, D.; Karnieli, A.; Kaufman, Y. J.; Andreae, M. O.; Holben, B. N.; Maenhaut, W.

2002-05-01

Scientific background Aerosols can interact directly with solar and terrestrial radiation by scattering as well as absorption. In addition, they can indirectly alter the planetary albedo by modifying the properties of clouds. Objectives Investigations have been devoted to two main areas: (1) Aerosol climatology situation in the Negev desert, investigations of physical and chemical characteristics of aerosols, and study of the local and long-range transport trajectory of polluted air masses over the Negev desert; and (2) An estimation of the optical properties throughout the atmospheric column by surface measurements via performance of spectral and statistical analysis of the data received from two measurement systems. Results and conclusions Analyzed data from the Sede Boker site, in the Negev Desert of Israel, shows an increase in aerosol optical depth during the summer seasons and a decrease during winter. One of the possible reasons for this characteristic is an increase of the precipitable water (reaches 3.0-3.5 cm) due to a constant wind stream from the Mediterranean Sea in same time. The highest probability distribution of the aerosol optical depth is in the range of 0.15-0.20; and of the Angstrom parameter is in range of 0.83 - 1.07. During dust storm events, the scattering coefficient range at 670 nm and 440 nm wavelengths were inverted. It was discovered that the dust particles in this case had non-spherical character. Comparison between optical depth, measured through all atmospheric column, and scattering coefficient from surface measurements provides correlation coefficient (r) equal to 0.64. The Angstrom parameter, calculated via optical depth and via scattering coefficient, provides a correlation coefficient of 0.66. Thus we can obtain an estimate of the influence of the surface aerosol situation on column optical properties. The combined analysis of dust cloud altitude and optical depth as a function of the time indicates long-term transport and settling of the aerosol, thus this analysis allowed to get a qualitative relation with trajectories and transport models. An additional finding is that except for the dust storms, the aerosol optical properties defined by fine particles, i.e. product of urban pollution. Possible explanations for this situation are the pollution sources in the Israeli Mediterranean coast, where population and industrial centers are concentrated, and long-range transport of polluted air masses from the European region.

Optical stabilization for time transfer infrastructure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vojtech, Josef; Altmann, Michal; Skoda, Pavel; Horvath, Tomas; Slapak, Martin; Smotlacha, Vladimir; Havlis, Ondrej; Munster, Petr; Radil, Jan; Kundrat, Jan; Altmannova, Lada; Velc, Radek; Hula, Miloslav; Vohnout, Rudolf

2017-08-01

In this paper, we propose and present verification of all-optical methods for stabilization of the end-to-end delay of an optical fiber link. These methods are verified for deployment within infrastructure for accurate time and stable frequency distribution, based on sharing of fibers with research and educational network carrying live data traffic. Methods range from path length control, through temperature conditioning method to transmit wavelength control. Attention is given to achieve continuous control for relatively broad range of delays. We summarize design rules for delay stabilization based on the character and the total delay jitter.

Application of the Tauc-Lorentz formulation to the interband absorption of optical coating materials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

von Blanckenhagen, Bernhard; Tonova, Diana; Ullmann, Jens

2002-06-01

Recent progress in ellipsometry instrumentation permits precise measurement and characterization of optical coating materials in the deep-UV wavelength range. Dielectric coating materials exhibit their first electronic interband transition in this spectral range. The Tauc-Lorentz model is a powerful tool with which to parameterize interband absorption above the band edge. The application of this model for the parameterization of the optical absorption of TiO2, Ta2O5, HfO2, Al2O3, and LaF3 thin-film materials is described.

The Construction and Calibration of a LADAR (Laser Detection and Ranging) Cross-Section Measurement Range

DTIC Science & Technology

1985-12-01

resonator optics consist of two porro prisms which are oriented 900 from one another about the cavity’s optical axis. In other words, the roof edges of each... prism are perpendicular to one another. The Nd:YAG laser rod measures 5 mm in diameter by 75 mm long and is optically pumped by a Xenon flashlamp. Q...Switching of the laser is performed by a Pockels Cell. A dielectric polarizer is sealed between two right angle prisms which are joined symetrically

Photon-number-resolving SSPDs with system detection efficiency over 50% at telecom range

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zolotov, P.; Divochiy, A.; Vakhtomin, Yu.; Moshkova, M.; Morozov, P.; Seleznev, V.; Smirnov, K.

2018-02-01

We used technology of making high-efficiency superconducting single-photon detectors as a basis for improvement of photon-number-resolving devices. By adding optical cavity and using an improved NbN superconducting film, we enhanced previously reported system detection efficiency at telecom range for such detectors. Our results show that implementation of optical cavity helps to develop four-section device with quantum efficiency over 50% at 1.55 µm. Performed experimental studies of detecting multi-photon optical pulses showed irregularities over defining multi-photon through single-photon quantum efficiency.

Microwave fiber optics delay line

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Slayman, C.; Yen, H. W.

1980-01-01

A microwave delay line is one of the devices used in EW systems for preserving the frequency and phase contents of RF signals. For such applications, delay lines are required to have large dynamic range, wide bandwidth, low insertion loss, and a linear response. The basic components of a fiber-optics delay line are: an optical source, a wideband optical modulator, a spool of single-mode fiber with appropriate length to provide a given microwave signal delay, and a high-speed photodetector with an RF amplifier. This contract program is to study the feasibility of such a fiber-optic delay line in the frequency range of 4.0 to 6.5 GHz. The modulation scheme studied is the direct modulation of injection lasers. The most important issue identified is the frequency response of the injection laser and the photodetector.

Rotated waveplates in integrated waveguide optics.

PubMed

Corrielli, Giacomo; Crespi, Andrea; Geremia, Riccardo; Ramponi, Roberta; Sansoni, Linda; Santinelli, Andrea; Mataloni, Paolo; Sciarrino, Fabio; Osellame, Roberto

2014-06-25

Controlling and manipulating the polarization state of a light beam is crucial in applications ranging from optical sensing to optical communications, both in the classical and quantum regime, and ultimately whenever interference phenomena are to be exploited. In addition, many of these applications present severe requirements of phase stability and greatly benefit from a monolithic integrated-optics approach. However, integrated devices that allow arbitrary transformations of the polarization state are very difficult to produce with conventional lithographic technologies. Here we demonstrate waveguide-based optical waveplates, with arbitrarily rotated birefringence axis, fabricated by femtosecond laser pulses. To validate our approach, we exploit this component to realize a compact device for the quantum state tomography of two polarization-entangled photons. This work opens perspectives for integrated manipulation of polarization-encoded information with relevant applications ranging from integrated polarimetric sensing to quantum key distribution.

Influence of diffuse reflectance measurement accuracy on the scattering coefficient in determination of optical properties with integrating sphere optics (a secondary publication).

PubMed

Horibe, Takuro; Ishii, Katsunori; Fukutomi, Daichi; Awazu, Kunio

2015-12-30

An estimation error of the scattering coefficient of hemoglobin in the high absorption wavelength range has been observed in optical property calculations of blood-rich tissues. In this study, the relationship between the accuracy of diffuse reflectance measurement in the integrating sphere and calculated scattering coefficient was evaluated with a system to calculate optical properties combined with an integrating sphere setup and the inverse Monte Carlo simulation. Diffuse reflectance was measured with the integrating sphere using a small incident port diameter and optical properties were calculated. As a result, the estimation error of the scattering coefficient was improved by accurate measurement of diffuse reflectance. In the high absorption wavelength range, the accuracy of diffuse reflectance measurement has an effect on the calculated scattering coefficient.

First principles calculations of optical properties of the armchair SiC nanoribbons with O, F and H termination

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lu, Dao-Bang; Song, Yu-Ling

2018-03-01

Based on density functional theory, we perform first-principles investigations to study the optical properties of the O-, F- and H-terminated SiC nanoribbons with armchair edges (ASiCNRs). By irradiating with an external electromagnetic field, we calculate the dielectric function, reflection spectra, energy loss coefficient and the real part of the conductance. It is demonstrated that the optical constants are sensitive to the low-energy range, different terminal atoms do not make much difference in the shape of the curves of the optical constants for the same-width ASiCNR, and the optical constants of wider nanoribbons usually have higher peaks than that of the narrower ones in low energy range. We hope that our study helps in experimental technology of fabricating high-quality SiC-based nanoscale photoelectric device.

Use of optical skin phantoms for calibration of dermatological lasers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wróbel, M. S.; Sekowska, A.; Marchwiński, M.; Galla, S.; Cenian, A.

2016-09-01

A wide range of dermatological diseases can be efficiently treated using laser heating. Nevertheless, before the new laser is introduced into clinical practice, its parameters and ability to interact with human skin have to be carefully examined. In order to do that optical skin phantoms can be used. Such phantoms closely imitate the scattering and absorption properties of real human skin tissue along with its thermal properties, such as capacitance and conductivity specific heat. We have fabricated a range of optical tissue phantoms based on polyvinylchloride-plastisol PVC-P with varying optical properties, including the absorption, scattering and density of the matrix material. We have utilized a pre-clinical dermatological laser system with a 975 nm diode laser module. A range of laser settings were tested, such as laser pulse duration, laser power and number of pulses. We have studied laser irradiation efficiency on fabricated optical tissue phantoms. Measurements of the temporal and spatial temperature distribution on the phantoms' surface were performed using thermographic imaging. The comparison of results between tissues' and phantoms' optical and thermal response prove that they can be used for approximate evaluation of laser heating efficiency. This study presents a viable approach for calibration of dermatological lasers which can be utilized in practice.

Optical constants of electroplated gold from spectroscopic ellipsometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Synowicki, R. A.; Herzinger, Craig M.; Hall, James T.; Malingowski, Andrew

2017-11-01

The optical constants of an opaque electroplated gold film (Laser Gold from Epner Technology Inc.), were determined by spectroscopic ellipsometry at room temperature over the spectral range from 0.142 μm in the vacuum ultraviolet to 36 μm in the infrared (photon energy range 0.034-8.75 eV). Data from two separate ellipsometer instruments covering different spectral ranges were analyzed simultaneously. The optical constants n&k or ε1&ε2 were determined by fitting an oscillator dispersion model combining Drude, Gaussian, and Sellmeier dispersion functions to the experimental Ψ and Δ data. The data were analyzed using both an ideal bulk substrate model and a simple overlayer model to account for surface roughness. Including the optical surface roughness layer improved ellipsometric data fits in the UV, and using a separate Drude function for the surface layer improved fits in the infrared. The surface roughness was also characterized using an Atomic Force Microscope. Using an oscillator dispersion model for the optical constants determined in this work allows for more realistic extrapolation to longer infrared wavelengths. Extending optical constants out to 50 μm and beyond is important for calibrating far-infrared reflectance measurements. Applications include understanding the thermal performance of cryogenic space-based instruments, such as the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST).

Tunable error-free optical frequency conversion of a 4ps optical short pulse over 25 nm by four-wave mixing in a polarisation-maintaining optical fibre

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Morioka, T.; Kawanishi, S.; Saruwatari, M.

1994-05-01

Error-free, tunable optical frequency conversion of a transform-limited 4.0 ps optical pulse signalis demonstrated at 6.3 Gbit/s using four-wave mixing in a polarization-maintaining optical fibre. The process generates 4.0-4.6 ps pulses over a 25nm range with time-bandwidth products of 0.31-0.43 and conversion power penalties of less than 1.5 dB.

Demonstration of Al:ZnO as a plasmonic component for near-infrared metamaterials

PubMed Central

Naik, Gururaj V.; Liu, Jingjing; Kildishev, Alexander V.; Shalaev, Vladimir M.; Boltasseva, Alexandra

2012-01-01

Noble metals such as gold and silver are conventionally used as the primary plasmonic building blocks of optical metamaterials. Making subwavelength-scale structural elements from these metals not only seriously limits the optical performance of a device due to high absorption, it also substantially complicates the manufacturing process of nearly all metamaterial devices in the optical wavelength range. As an alternative to noble metals, we propose to use heavily doped oxide semiconductors that offer both functional and fabrication advantages in the near-infrared wavelength range. In this letter, we replace a metal with aluminum-doped zinc oxide as a new plasmonic material and experimentally demonstrate negative refraction in an Al:ZnO/ZnO metamaterial in the near-infrared range. PMID:22611188

All-digital signal-processing open-loop fiber-optic gyroscope with enlarged dynamic range.

PubMed

Wang, Qin; Yang, Chuanchuan; Wang, Xinyue; Wang, Ziyu

2013-12-15

We propose and realize a new open-loop fiber-optic gyroscope (FOG) with an all-digital signal-processing (DSP) system where an all-digital phase-locked loop is employed for digital demodulation to eliminate the variation of the source intensity and suppress the bias drift. A Sagnac phase-shift tracking method is proposed to enlarge the dynamic range, and, with its aid, a new open-loop FOG, which can achieve a large dynamic range and high sensitivity at the same time, is realized. The experimental results show that compared with the conventional open-loop FOG with the same fiber coil and optical devices, the proposed FOG reduces the bias instability from 0.259 to 0.018 deg/h, and the angle random walk from 0.031 to 0.006 deg/h(1/2), moreover, enlarges the dynamic range to ±360 deg/s, exceeding the maximum dynamic range ±63 deg/s of the conventional open-loop FOG.

A conjunct near-surface spectroscopy system for fix-angle and multi-angle continuous measurements of canopy reflectance and sun-induced chlorophyll fluorescence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Qian; Fan, Yifeng; Zhang, Yongguang; Chou, Shuren; Ju, Weimin; Chen, Jing M.

2016-09-01

An automated spectroscopy system, which is divided into fix-angle and multi-angle subsystems, for collecting simultaneous, continuous and long-term measurements of canopy hyper-spectra in a crop ecosystem is developed. The fix-angle subsystem equips two spectrometers: one is HR2000+ (OceanOptics) covering the spectral range 200-1100 nm with 1.0 nm spectral resolution, and another one is QE65PRO (OceanOptics) providing 0.1 nm spectral resolution within the 730-780 nm spectral range. Both spectrometers connect a cosine-corrected fiber-optic fixed up-looking to collect the down-welling irradiance and a bare fiber-optic to measure the up-welling radiance from the vegetation. An inline fiber-optic shutter FOS-2x2-TTL (OceanOptics) is used to switch between input fibers to collect the signal from either the canopy or sky at one time. QE65PRO is used to permit estimation of vegetation Sun-Induced Fluorescence (SIF) in the O2-A band. The data collection scheme includes optimization of spectrometer integration time to maximize the signal to noise ratio and measurement of instrument dark currency. The multi-angle subsystem, which can help understanding bidirectional reflectance effects, alternatively use HR4000 (OceanOptics) providing 0.1 nm spectral resolution within the 680-800 nm spectral range to measure multi-angle SIF. This subsystem additionally includes a spectrometer Unispec-DC (PPSystems) featuring both up-welling and down-welling channels with 3 nm spectral resolution covering the 300-1100 nm spectral range. Two down-looking fiber-optics are mounted on a rotating device PTU-D46 (FLIR Systems), which can rotate horizontally and vertically at 10° angular step widths. Observations can be used to calculate canopy reflectance, vegetation indices and SIF for monitoring plant physiological processes.

Vitrectomy for optic disk pit with macular schisis and outer retinal dehiscence.

PubMed

Shukla, Dhananjay; Kalliath, Jay; Tandon, Manish; Vijayakumar, Balakrishnan

2012-07-01

To describe the outcomes of vitrectomy for optic disc pit-related maculopathy with central outer retinal dehiscence. This prospective interventional case series included seven patients with optic disc pit with macular schisis and central outer retinal dehiscence who underwent vitrectomy with internal limiting membrane peeling, barrage laser photocoagulation, and gas tamponade and were followed for at least 6 months. The surgical outcomes in terms of restoration of macular anatomy and visual improvement were recorded at each visit by fundus photography and optical coherence tomography. The mean age of the patients was 21.3 ± 8.6 years (range, 10-35 years), and the mean duration of defective vision was 6.7 ± 8.5 months (range, 1-24 months). Preoperatively, the median best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) was 20/60 (range, 20/40 to 20/120). Full-thickness macular holes were noticed in 4 patients 1 month postoperatively. Gas tamponade was repeated in two patients with large macular holes. By the final follow-up, macular holes had closed and BCVA improved in all patients except one. Final mean central macular thickness was 176.83 ± 55.74 μ, the range being 109 μ to 256 μ. The median postoperative BCVA was 20/30 (range, 20/20 to 20/80). Six of 7 patients (85.7%) had improvement in BCVA postoperatively (mean, +2 lines; range, 1-4 lines). Five patients (71%) achieved a postoperative BCVA of ≥20/30. Best-corrected visual acuity dropped by one line in the patient with persistent macular hole. Vitrectomy with internal limiting membrane peeling can achieve excellent final surgical outcomes in optic pit maculopathy with outer retinal dehiscence despite the potential for macular hole formation.

Ultra-high dynamic range electro-optic sampling for detecting millimeter and sub-millimeter radiation

PubMed Central

Ibrahim, Akram; Férachou, Denis; Sharma, Gargi; Singh, Kanwarpal; Kirouac-Turmel, Marie; Ozaki, Tsuneyuki

2016-01-01

Time-domain spectroscopy using coherent millimeter and sub-millimeter radiation (also known as terahertz radiation) is rapidly expanding its application, owing greatly to the remarkable advances in generating and detecting such radiation. However, many current techniques for coherent terahertz detection have limited dynamic range, thus making it difficult to perform some basic experiments that need to directly compare strong and weak terahertz signals. Here, we propose and demonstrate a novel technique based on cross-polarized spectral-domain interferometry to achieve ultra-high dynamic range electro-optic sampling measurement of coherent millimeter and sub-millimeter radiation. In our scheme, we exploit the birefringence in a single-mode polarization maintaining fiber in order to measure the phase change induced by the electric field of terahertz radiation in the detection crystal. With our new technique, we have achieved a dynamic range of 7 × 106, which is 4 orders of magnitude higher than conventional electro-optic sampling techniques, while maintaining comparable signal-to-noise ratio. The present technique is foreseen to have great impact on experiments such as linear terahertz spectroscopy of optically thick materials (such as aqueous samples) and nonlinear terahertz spectroscopy, where the higher dynamic range is crucial for proper interpretation of experimentally obtained results. PMID:26976363

Continuously tunable optical notch filter and band-pass filter systems that cover the visible to near-infrared spectral ranges.

PubMed

Jeong, Mi-Yun; Mang, Jin Yeob

2018-03-10

Spatially continuous tunable optical notch and band-pass filter systems that cover the visible (VIS) and near-infrared (NIR) spectral ranges from ∼460  nm to ∼1,000  nm are realized by combining left- and right-handed circular cholesteric liquid crystal (CLC) wedge cells with continuous pitch gradient. The notch filter system is polarization independent in all of the spectral ranges. The band-pass filter system, when the left- and right-handed CLCs are arranged in a row, is polarization independent, while when they are arranged at right angles, they are polarization dependent; furthermore, the full-width at half-maximum of the band-pass filter can be changed reversibly from the original bandwidth of 36 nm to 16 nm. Depending on the CLC materials, this strategy could be applied to the UV, VIS, and IR spectral ranges. Due to the high performance in the broad spectral range, cost-effective facile fabrication process, simple mechanical control, and small size, it is expected that our optical tunable filter strategies could become one of the key parts of laser-based Raman spectroscopy, fluorescence, life science devices, optical communication systems, astronomical telescopes, and so forth.

Ultra-high dynamic range electro-optic sampling for detecting millimeter and sub-millimeter radiation.

PubMed

Ibrahim, Akram; Férachou, Denis; Sharma, Gargi; Singh, Kanwarpal; Kirouac-Turmel, Marie; Ozaki, Tsuneyuki

2016-03-15

Time-domain spectroscopy using coherent millimeter and sub-millimeter radiation (also known as terahertz radiation) is rapidly expanding its application, owing greatly to the remarkable advances in generating and detecting such radiation. However, many current techniques for coherent terahertz detection have limited dynamic range, thus making it difficult to perform some basic experiments that need to directly compare strong and weak terahertz signals. Here, we propose and demonstrate a novel technique based on cross-polarized spectral-domain interferometry to achieve ultra-high dynamic range electro-optic sampling measurement of coherent millimeter and sub-millimeter radiation. In our scheme, we exploit the birefringence in a single-mode polarization maintaining fiber in order to measure the phase change induced by the electric field of terahertz radiation in the detection crystal. With our new technique, we have achieved a dynamic range of 7 × 10(6), which is 4 orders of magnitude higher than conventional electro-optic sampling techniques, while maintaining comparable signal-to-noise ratio. The present technique is foreseen to have great impact on experiments such as linear terahertz spectroscopy of optically thick materials (such as aqueous samples) and nonlinear terahertz spectroscopy, where the higher dynamic range is crucial for proper interpretation of experimentally obtained results.

The solid state detector technology for picosecond laser ranging

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Prochazka, Ivan

1993-01-01

We developed an all solid state laser ranging detector technology, which makes the goal of millimeter accuracy achievable. Our design and construction philosophy is to combine the techniques of single photon ranging, ultrashort laser pulses, and fast fixed threshold discrimination while avoiding any analog signal processing within the laser ranging chain. The all solid state laser ranging detector package consists of the START detector and the STOP solid state photon counting module. Both the detectors are working in an optically triggered avalanche switching regime. The optical signal is triggering an avalanche current buildup which results in the generation of a uniform, fast risetime output pulse.

Plenoptic Imager for Automated Surface Navigation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zollar, Byron; Milder, Andrew; Milder, Andrew; Mayo, Michael

2010-01-01

An electro-optical imaging device is capable of autonomously determining the range to objects in a scene without the use of active emitters or multiple apertures. The novel, automated, low-power imaging system is based on a plenoptic camera design that was constructed as a breadboard system. Nanohmics proved feasibility of the concept by designing an optical system for a prototype plenoptic camera, developing simulated plenoptic images and range-calculation algorithms, constructing a breadboard prototype plenoptic camera, and processing images (including range calculations) from the prototype system. The breadboard demonstration included an optical subsystem comprised of a main aperture lens, a mechanical structure that holds an array of micro lenses at the focal distance from the main lens, and a structure that mates a CMOS imaging sensor the correct distance from the micro lenses. The demonstrator also featured embedded electronics for camera readout, and a post-processor executing image-processing algorithms to provide ranging information.

Simulation of time-dispersion spectral device with sample spectra accumulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhdanov, Arseny; Khansuvarov, Ruslan; Korol, Georgy

2014-09-01

This research is conducted in order to design a spectral device for light sources power spectrum analysis. The spectral device should process radiation from sources, direct contact with radiation of which is either impossible or undesirable. Such sources include jet blast of an aircraft, optical radiation in metallurgy and textile industry. In proposed spectral device optical radiation is guided out of unfavorable environment via a piece of optical fiber with high dispersion. It is necessary for analysis to make samples of analyzed radiation as short pulses. Dispersion properties of such optical fiber cause spectral decomposition of input optical pulses. The faster time of group delay vary the stronger the spectral decomposition effect. This effect allows using optical fiber with high dispersion as a major element of proposed spectral device. Duration of sample must be much shorter than group delay time difference of a dispersive system. In the given frequency range this characteristic has to be linear. The frequency range is 400 … 500 THz for typical optical fiber. Using photonic-crystal fiber (PCF) gives much wider spectral range for analysis. In this paper we propose simulation of single pulse transmission through dispersive system with linear dispersion characteristic and quadratic-detected output responses accumulation. During simulation we propose studying influence of optical fiber dispersion characteristic angle on spectral measurement results. We also consider pulse duration and group delay time difference impact on output pulse shape and duration. Results show the most suitable dispersion characteristic that allow choosing the structure of PCF - major element of time-dispersion spectral analysis method and required number of samples for reliable assessment of measured spectrum.

Honing the accuracy of extreme-ultraviolet optical system testing: at-wavelength and visible-light measurements of the ETS Set-2 projection optic

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Goldberg, Kenneth A.; Naulleau, Patrick P.; Bokor, Jeffrey; Chapman, Henry N.

2002-07-01

As the quality of optical systems for extreme ultraviolet lithography improves, high-accuracy wavefront metrology for alignment and qualification becomes ever more important. To enable the development of diffraction-limited EUV projection optics, visible-light and EUV interferometries must work in close collaboration. We present a detailed comparison of EUV and visible-light wavefront measurements performed across the field of view of a lithographic-quality EUV projection optical system designed for use in the Engineering Test Stand developed by the Virtual National Laboratory and the EUV Limited Liability Company. The comparisons reveal that the present level of RMS agreement lies in the 0.3-0.4-nm range. Astigmatism is the most significant aberration component for the alignment of this optical system; it is also the dominant term in the discrepancy, and the aberration with the highest measurement uncertainty. With EUV optical systems requiring total wavefront quality in the (lambda) EUV/50 range, and even higher surface-figure quality for the individual mirror elements, improved accuracy through future comparisons, and additional studies, are required.

Radio over fiber transceiver employing phase modulation of an optical broadband source.

PubMed

Grassi, Fulvio; Mora, José; Ortega, Beatriz; Capmany, José

2010-10-11

This paper proposes a low-cost RoF transceiver for multichannel SCM/WDM signal distribution suitable for future broadband access networks. The transceiver is based on the phase modulation of an optical broadband source centered at third transmission window. Prior to phase modulation the optical broadband source output signal is launched into a Mach-Zehnder interferometer structure, as key device enabling radio signals propagation over the optical link. Furthermore, an optical CWDM is employed to create a multichannel scenario by performing the spectral slicing of the modulated optical signal into a number of channels each one conveying the information from the central office to different base stations. The operation range is up to 20 GHz with a modulation bandwidth around of 500 MHz. Experimental results of the transmission of SCM QPSK and 64-QAM data through 20 Km of SMF exhibit good EVM results in the operative range determined by the phase-to-intensity conversion process. The proposed approach shows a great suitability for WDM networks based on RoF signal transport and also represents a cost-effective solution for passive optical networks.

Nonlinear optical polymers for electro-optic signal processing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lindsay, Geoffrey A.

1991-01-01

Photonics is an emerging technology, slated for rapid growth in communications systems, sensors, imagers, and computers. Its growth is driven by the need for speed, reliability, and low cost. New nonlinear polymeric materials will be a key technology in the new wave of photonics devices. Electron-conjubated polymeric materials offer large electro-optic figures of merit, ease of processing into films and fibers, ruggedness, low cost, and a plethora of design options. Several new broad classes of second-order nonlinear optical polymers were developed at the Navy's Michelson Laboratory at China Lake, California. Polar alignment in thin film waveguides was achieved by electric-field poling and Langmuir-Blodgett processing. Our polymers have high softening temperatures and good aging properties. While most of the films can be photobleached with ultraviolet (UV) light, some have excellent stability in the 500-1600 nm range, and UV stability in the 290-310 nm range. The optical nonlinear response of these polymers is subpicosecond. Electro-optic switches, frequency doublers, light modulators, and optical data storage media are some of the device applications anticipated for these polymers.

Fully Integrated Optical Spectrometer in Visible and Near-IR in CMOS.

PubMed

Hong, Lingyu; Sengupta, Kaushik

2017-12-01

Optical spectrometry in the visible and near-infrared range has a wide range of applications in healthcare, sensing, imaging, and diagnostics. This paper presents the first fully integrated optical spectrometer in standard bulk CMOS process without custom fabrication, postprocessing, or any external optical passive structure such as lenses, gratings, collimators, or mirrors. The architecture exploits metal interconnect layers available in CMOS processes with subwavelength feature sizes to guide, manipulate, control, diffract light, integrated photodetector, and read-out circuitry to detect dispersed light, and then back-end signal processing for robust spectral estimation. The chip, realized in bulk 65-nm low power-CMOS process, measures 0.64 mm 0.56 mm in active area, and achieves 1.4 nm in peak detection accuracy for continuous wave excitations between 500 and 830 nm. This paper demonstrates the ability to use these metal-optic nanostructures to miniaturize complex optical instrumentation into a new class of optics-free CMOS-based systems-on-chip in the visible and near-IR for various sensing and imaging applications.

Tunable infrared reflectance by phonon modulation

DOEpatents

Ihlefeld, Jon F.; Sinclair, Michael B.; Beechem, III, Thomas E.

2018-03-06

The present invention pertains to the use of mobile coherent interfaces in a ferroelectric material to interact with optical phonons and, ultimately, to affect the material's optical properties. In altering the optical phonon properties, the optical properties of the ferroelectric material in the spectral range near-to the phonon mode frequency can dramatically change. This can result in a facile means to change to the optical response of the ferroelectric material in the infrared.

The Scanning Optical Microscope: An Overview

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kino, G. S.; Corte, T. R.; Xiao, G. Q.

1988-07-01

In the last few years there has been a resurgence in research on optical microscopes. One reason stems from the invention of the acoustic microscope by Quate and Lemons,1 and the realization that some of the same principles could be applied to the optical microscope. The acoustic microscope has better transverse definition for the same wavelength than the standard optical microscope and at the same time has far better range definition. Consequently, Kompfner, who was involved with the work on the early acoustic microscope, decided to try out similar scanning microscope principles with optics, and started a group with Wilson and Sheppard to carry out such research at Oxford.2 Sometime earlier, Petran et a13 had invented the tandem scanning microscope which used many of the same principles. Now, in our laboratory at Stanford, these ideas on the tandem scanning microscope and the scanning optical microscope are converging. Another aspect of this work, which stems from the earlier experience with the acoustic microscope, involves measurement of both phase and amplitude of the optical beam. It is also possible to use scanned optical microscopy for other purposes. For instance, an optical beam can be used to excite electrons and holes in semiconductors, and the generated current can be measured. By scanning the optical beam over the semiconductor, an image can be obtained of the regions where there is strong or weak electron hole generation. This type of microscope is called OBIC (Optical Beam Induced Current). A second application involves fluorescent imaging of biological materials. Here we have the excellent range definition of a scanning optical microscope which eliminates unwanted glare from regions of the material where the beam is unfocused.3 A third application is focused on the heating effect of the light beam. With such a system, images can be obtained which are associated with changes in the thermal properties of a material, changes in recombination rates in semiconductors, and differences in material properties associated with either acoustic or thermal effects.4,5 Thus, the range of scanning optical microscopy applications is very large. In the main, the most important applications have been to semiconductors and to biology.

Study of Linearization of Optical Polymer Modulators

DTIC Science & Technology

2004-02-01

To improve the Spur Free Dynamic Range of analog electro - optic modulators in the 10 GHz regime, techniques for improving the linearity of these...devices must be developed. This report discusses an investigation into electro - optic directional couplers that use variable coupling in polymer-based

Physics of reflective optics for the soft gamma-ray photon energy range

DOE PAGES

Fernandez-Perea, Monica; Descalle, Marie -Anne; Soufli, Regina; ...

2013-07-12

Traditional multilayer reflective optics that have been used in the past for imaging at x-ray photon energies as high as 200 keV are governed by classical wave phenomena. However, their behavior at higher energies is unknown, because of the increasing effect of incoherent scattering and the disagreement between experimental and theoretical optical properties of materials in the hard x-ray and gamma-ray regimes. Here, we demonstrate that multilayer reflective optics can operate efficiently and according to classical wave physics up to photon energies of at least 384 keV. We also use particle transport simulations to quantitatively determine that incoherent scattering takesmore » place in the mirrors but it does not affect the performance at the Bragg angles of operation. Furthermore, our results open up new possibilities of reflective optical designs in a spectral range where only diffractive optics (crystals and lenses) and crystal monochromators have been available until now.« less

Low threshold optical bistability in one-dimensional gratings based on graphene plasmonics.

PubMed

Guo, Jun; Jiang, Leyong; Jia, Yue; Dai, Xiaoyu; Xiang, Yuanjiang; Fan, Dianyuan

2017-03-20

Optical bistability of graphene surface plasmon is investigated numerically, using grating coupling method at normal light incidence. The linear surface plasmon resonance is strongly dependent on Femi-level of graphene, hence it can be tuned in a large wavelength range. Due to the field enhancement of graphene surface plasmon resonance and large third-order nonlinear response of graphene, a low-threshold optical hysteresis has been observed. The threshold value with 20MW/cm² and response time with 1.7ps have been verified. Especially, it is found that this optical bistability phenomenon is angular insensitivity for near 15° incident angle. The threshold of optical bistability can be further lowered to 0.5MW/cm² by using graphene nanoribbons, and the response time is also shorten to 800fs. We believe that our results will find potential applications in bistable devices and all-optical switching from mid-IR to THz range.

Interlaced zone plate optics for hard X-ray imaging in the 10 nm range

DOE PAGES

Mohacsi, Istvan; Vartiainen, Ismo; Rosner, Benedikt; ...

2017-03-08

Multi-keV X-ray microscopy has been particularly successful in bridging the resolution gap between optical and electron microscopy. However, resolutions below 20 nm are still considered challenging, as high throughput direct imaging methods are limited by the availability of suitable optical elements. In order to bridge this gap, we present a new type of Fresnel zone plate lenses aimed at the sub-20 and the sub-10 nm resolution range. By extending the concept of double-sided zone plate stacking, we demonstrate the doubling of the effective line density and thus the resolution and provide large aperture, single- chip optical devices with 15 andmore » 7 nm smallest zone widths. The detailed characterization of these lenses shows excellent optical properties with focal spots down to 7.8 nm. Furthermore, beyond wave front characterization, the zone plates also excel in typical imaging scenarios, verifying their resolution close to their diffraction limited optical performance.« less

Sense and nonsense of logic-level optical interconnect: reflections on an experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Van Campenhout, Jan M.; Brunfaut, Marnik; Meeus, Wim; Dambre, Joni; De Wilde, Michiel

2001-12-01

Centimeter-range high-density optical interconnect between chips is coming into reach with current optical interconnect technology. Many theoretical studies have identified several good reasons why to use such types of interconnect as a replacement of various layers of the traditional electronic interconnect hierarchy. However, the true feasibility and usefulness of optical interconnects can only be established by actually building and evaluating them in a real system setting. This contribution reports on our experience in using short-range high-density optical inter-chip interconnects. It is based on the design and construction of a fully functional optoelectronic demonstrator system. We discuss the rationale for building the demonstrator in the first place, the implications of using many low-level optical interconnections in electronic systems, and the degree to which our expectations have been fulfilled by the demonstrator. The detailed description of the architecture, design and implementation of the demonstrator is not presented here, but can be found elsewhere in this issue.

Grating-assisted demodulation of interferometric optical sensors.

PubMed

Yu, Bing; Wang, Anbo

2003-12-01

Accurate and dynamic control of the operating point of an interferometric optical sensor to produce the highest sensitivity is crucial in the demodulation of interferometric optical sensors to compensate for manufacturing errors and environmental perturbations. A grating-assisted operating-point tuning system has been designed that uses a diffraction grating and feedback control, functions as a tunable-bandpass optical filter, and can be used as an effective demodulation subsystem in sensor systems based on optical interferometers that use broadband light sources. This demodulation method has no signal-detection bandwidth limit, a high tuning speed, a large tunable range, increased interference fringe contrast, and the potential for absolute optical-path-difference measurement. The achieved 40-nm tuning range, which is limited by the available source spectrum width, 400-nm/s tuning speed, and a step resolution of 0.4 nm, is sufficient for most practical measurements. A significant improvement in signal-to-noise ratio in a fiber Fabry-Perot acoustic-wave sensor system proved that the expected fringe contrast and sensitivity increase.

Interlaced zone plate optics for hard X-ray imaging in the 10 nm range

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Mohacsi, Istvan; Vartiainen, Ismo; Rosner, Benedikt

Multi-keV X-ray microscopy has been particularly successful in bridging the resolution gap between optical and electron microscopy. However, resolutions below 20 nm are still considered challenging, as high throughput direct imaging methods are limited by the availability of suitable optical elements. In order to bridge this gap, we present a new type of Fresnel zone plate lenses aimed at the sub-20 and the sub-10 nm resolution range. By extending the concept of double-sided zone plate stacking, we demonstrate the doubling of the effective line density and thus the resolution and provide large aperture, single- chip optical devices with 15 andmore » 7 nm smallest zone widths. The detailed characterization of these lenses shows excellent optical properties with focal spots down to 7.8 nm. Furthermore, beyond wave front characterization, the zone plates also excel in typical imaging scenarios, verifying their resolution close to their diffraction limited optical performance.« less

Interlaced zone plate optics for hard X-ray imaging in the 10 nm range

PubMed Central

Mohacsi, Istvan; Vartiainen, Ismo; Rösner, Benedikt; Guizar-Sicairos, Manuel; Guzenko, Vitaliy A.; McNulty, Ian; Winarski, Robert; Holt, Martin V.; David, Christian

2017-01-01

Multi-keV X-ray microscopy has been particularly successful in bridging the resolution gap between optical and electron microscopy. However, resolutions below 20 nm are still considered challenging, as high throughput direct imaging methods are limited by the availability of suitable optical elements. In order to bridge this gap, we present a new type of Fresnel zone plate lenses aimed at the sub-20 and the sub-10 nm resolution range. By extending the concept of double-sided zone plate stacking, we demonstrate the doubling of the effective line density and thus the resolution and provide large aperture, singlechip optical devices with 15 and 7 nm smallest zone widths. The detailed characterization of these lenses shows excellent optical properties with focal spots down to 7.8 nm. Beyond wave front characterization, the zone plates also excel in typical imaging scenarios, verifying their resolution close to their diffraction limited optical performance.

Interlaced zone plate optics for hard X-ray imaging in the 10 nm range

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mohacsi, Istvan; Vartiainen, Ismo; Rösner, Benedikt; Guizar-Sicairos, Manuel; Guzenko, Vitaliy A.; McNulty, Ian; Winarski, Robert; Holt, Martin V.; David, Christian

2017-03-01

Multi-keV X-ray microscopy has been particularly successful in bridging the resolution gap between optical and electron microscopy. However, resolutions below 20 nm are still considered challenging, as high throughput direct imaging methods are limited by the availability of suitable optical elements. In order to bridge this gap, we present a new type of Fresnel zone plate lenses aimed at the sub-20 and the sub-10 nm resolution range. By extending the concept of double-sided zone plate stacking, we demonstrate the doubling of the effective line density and thus the resolution and provide large aperture, singlechip optical devices with 15 and 7 nm smallest zone widths. The detailed characterization of these lenses shows excellent optical properties with focal spots down to 7.8 nm. Beyond wave front characterization, the zone plates also excel in typical imaging scenarios, verifying their resolution close to their diffraction limited optical performance.

Useful optical density range in film dosimetry: limitations due to noise and saturation.

PubMed

González-López, Antonio

2007-08-07

The optical density (OD) range for the scanners used in film dosimetry is limited due to saturation and noise. As the OD increases, saturation causes the rate of change of the output with respect to the input to become smaller, while at the same time noise remains fairly constant or increases. The combined effect leads to a degradation of the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) at high optical densities. In this study, the uncertainty in the OD measurement, d(m), is expressed as a function of the optical density d. The functional relationship obtained gives the amplitude w of an interval around d in which d(m) will be found with a given probability p. The relationship w = w(d, p) is later used to determine which OD ranges fulfil a set of requirements on w and p. As an application of the procedure, the noise and saturation characteristics of a commercial film digitizer system are measured. Their contribution to the uncertainties of the dosimetric procedure is reported, and the data are used to provide an optical density range for a given uncertainty and confidence level associated with the digitizer. These data can be further combined with the data from other sources of noise such as film noise in order to estimate the final uncertainty of the dosimetric process.

Electro-Optic Propagation

DTIC Science & Technology

2003-09-30

Electro - Optic Propagation Stephen Doss-Hammel SPAWARSYSCEN San Diego code 2858 49170 Propagation Path San Diego, CA 92152-7385 phone: (619...scenarios to extend the capabilities of TAWS to surface and low altitude situations. OBJECTIVES The electro - optical propagation objectives are: 1...development of a new propagation assessment tool called EOSTAR ( Electro - Optical Signal Transmission and Ranging). The goal of the EOSTAR project is to

The Optics Institute of Southern California: organizing and implementing outreach effort

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Silberman, Donn M.

2003-10-01

The Optics Institute of Southern California is organizing the local educational outreach effort. Working with local optics businesses, society chapters, science discovery centers, K-12, community college and university educators, and others from the global optics education and training community, the OISC is becoming a one-stop clearing house for a wide range of educational outreach activities.

Limits of optical transmission measurements with application to particle sizing techniques.

PubMed

Swanson, N L; Billard, B D; Gennaro, T L

1999-09-20

Considerable confusion exists regarding the applicability limits of the Bouguer-Lambert-Beer law of optical transmission. We review the derivation of the law and discuss its application to the optical thickness of the light-scattering medium. We demonstrate the range of applicability by presenting a method for determining particle size by measuring optical transmission at two wavelengths.

Infrared fiber optic materials

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Feigelson, Robert S.

1987-01-01

The development of IR fiber optics for use in astronomical and other space applications is summarized. Candidate materials were sought for use in the 1 to 200 micron and the 200 to 1000 micron wavelength range. Synthesis and optical characterization were carried out on several of these materials in bulk form. And the fabrication of a few materials in single crystal fiber optic form were studied.

Optical and magneto-optical properties of Co-doped CeO{sub 2−δ} films in the 0.5 to 4 eV range

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Veis, M., E-mail: veis@karlov.mff.cuni.cz; Kucera, M.; Zahradnik, M.

2014-05-07

Magnetically doped Ce{sub 1−x}Co{sub x}O{sub 2−δ} (nominal x = 0.05 and 0.10) films were systematically studied by spectroscopic ellipsometry and magneto-optical spectroscopy. The samples were prepared by pulsed laser deposition on MgO(100) substrates and grew as textured polycrystalline films with thickness between 200 and 750 nm. They exhibited room temperature ferromagnetism and an out-of-plane easy axis attributed to magnetoelastic effects from the in-plane compressive strain. The dispersion of dielectric function of Ce{sub 1−x}Co{sub x}O{sub 2−δ} films was parametrized by the sum of Tauc-Lorentz and damped Lorentz oscillators and adjusted numerically. Deduced optical band gaps were similar to those of pure CeO{sub 2}, butmore » the Co doping increased the optical absorption. The magneto-optical spectroscopy was carried out in both Faraday and Kerr configurations in the photon energy range from 0.5 to 4 eV, showing a strong dependence of the magneto-optical effect on the Co content near the optical band edge.« less

Solution processable and optically switchable 1D photonic structures.

PubMed

Paternò, Giuseppe M; Iseppon, Chiara; D'Altri, Alessia; Fasanotti, Carlo; Merati, Giulia; Randi, Mattia; Desii, Andrea; Pogna, Eva A A; Viola, Daniele; Cerullo, Giulio; Scotognella, Francesco; Kriegel, Ilka

2018-02-23

We report the first demonstration of a solution processable, optically switchable 1D photonic crystal which incorporates phototunable doped metal oxide nanocrystals. The resulting device structure shows a dual optical response with the photonic bandgap covering the visible spectral range and the plasmon resonance of the doped metal oxide the near infrared. By means of a facile photodoping process, we tuned the plasmonic response and switched effectively the optical properties of the photonic crystal, translating the effect from the near infrared to the visible. The ultrafast bandgap pumping induces a signal change in the region of the photonic stopband, with recovery times of several picoseconds, providing a step toward the ultrafast optical switching. Optical modeling uncovers the importance of a complete modeling of the variations of the dielectric function of the photodoped material, including the high frequency region of the Drude response which is responsible for the strong switching in the visible after photodoping. Our device configuration offers unprecedented tunability due to flexibility in device design, covering a wavelength range from the visible to the near infrared. Our findings indicate a new protocol to modify the optical response of photonic devices by optical triggers only.

High dynamic range electric field sensor for electromagnetic pulse detection.

PubMed

Lin, Che-Yun; Wang, Alan X; Lee, Beom Suk; Zhang, Xingyu; Chen, Ray T

2011-08-29

We design a high dynamic range electric field sensor based on domain inverted electro-optic (E-O) polymer Y-fed directional coupler for electromagnetic wave detection. This electrode-less, all optical, wideband electrical field sensor is fabricated using standard processing for E-O polymer photonic devices. Experimental results demonstrate effective detection of electric field from 16.7V/m to 750KV/m at a frequency of 1GHz, and spurious free measurement range of 70dB.

Novel silica surface charge density mediated control of the optical properties of embedded optically active materials and its application for fiber optic pH sensing at elevated temperatures.

PubMed

Wang, Congjun; Ohodnicki, Paul R; Su, Xin; Keller, Murphy; Brown, Thomas D; Baltrus, John P

2015-02-14

Silica and silica incorporated nanocomposite materials have been extensively studied for a wide range of applications. Here we demonstrate an intriguing optical effect of silica that, depending on the solution pH, amplifies or attenuates the optical absorption of a variety of embedded optically active materials with very distinct properties, such as plasmonic Au nanoparticles, non-plasmonic Pt nanoparticles, and the organic dye rhodamine B (not a pH indicator), coated on an optical fiber. Interestingly, the observed optical response to varying pH appears to follow the surface charge density of the silica matrix for all the three different optically active materials. To the best of our knowledge, this optical effect has not been previously reported and it appears universal in that it is likely that any optically active material can be incorporated into the silica matrix to respond to solution pH or surface charge density variations. A direct application of this effect is for optical pH sensing which has very attractive features that can enable minimally invasive, remote, real time and continuous distributed pH monitoring. Particularly, as demonstrated here, using highly stable metal nanoparticles embedded in an inorganic silica matrix can significantly improve the capability of pH sensing in extremely harsh environments which is of increasing importance for applications in unconventional oil and gas resource recovery, carbon sequestration, water quality monitoring, etc. Our approach opens a pathway towards possible future development of robust optical pH sensors for the most demanding environmental conditions. The newly discovered optical effect of silica also offers the potential for control of the optical properties of optically active materials for a range of other potential applications such as electrochromic devices.

Optical properties of LiGaS2: an ab initio study and spectroscopic ellipsometry measurement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Atuchin, V. V.; Lin, Z. S.; Isaenko, L. I.; Kesler, V. G.; Kruchinin, V. N.; Lobanov, S. I.

2009-11-01

Electronic and optical properties of lithium thiogallate crystal, LiGaS2, have been investigated by both experimental and theoretical methods. The plane-wave pseudopotential method based on DFT theory has been used for band structure calculations. The electronic parameters of Ga 3d orbitals have been corrected by the DFT+U methods to be consistent with those measured with x-ray photoemission spectroscopy. Evolution of optical constants of LiGaS2 over a wide spectral range was determined by developed first-principles theory and dispersion curves were compared with optical parameters defined by spectroscopic ellipsometry in the photon energy range 1.2-5.0 eV. Good agreement has been achieved between theoretical and experimental results.

Influence of baking method and baking temperature on the optical properties of ZnO thin films

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ng, Zi-Neng; Chan, Kah-Yoong

In this work, sol-gel spin coating technique was utilised to coat ZnO thin films on glass substrates. During the intermediate 3 minutes baking process, either hotplate or convection oven was employed to bake the samples. The temperature for the baking process was varied from 150°C to 300°C for both instruments. Avantes Optical Spectrophotometer was used to characterise the optical property. The optical transmittances of hotplate-baked and oven-baked samples showed different trends with increasing baking temperatures, ranging from below 50% transmittance to over 90% transmittance in the visible range of wavelength. The difference in baking mechanisms using hotplate and convection ovenmore » will be discussed in this paper.« less

Dissemination of optical-comb-based ultra-broadband frequency reference through a fiber network.

PubMed

Nagano, Shigeo; Kumagai, Motohiro; Li, Ying; Ido, Tetsuya; Ishii, Shoken; Mizutani, Kohei; Aoki, Makoto; Otsuka, Ryohei; Hanado, Yuko

2016-08-22

We disseminated an ultra-broadband optical frequency reference based on a femtosecond (fs)-laser optical comb through a kilometer-scale fiber link. Its spectrum ranged from 1160 nm to 2180 nm without additional fs-laser combs at the end of the link. By employing a fiber-induced phase noise cancellation technique, the linewidth and fractional frequency instability attained for all disseminated comb modes were of order 1 Hz and 10^-18 in a 5000 s averaging time. The ultra-broad optical frequency reference, for which absolute frequency is traceable to Japan Standard Time, was applied in the frequency stabilization of an injection-seeded Q-switched 2051 nm pulse laser for a coherent light detection and ranging LIDAR system.

Phonon-Assisted Optical Absorption in Silicon from First Principles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Noffsinger, Jesse; Kioupakis, Emmanouil; Van de Walle, Chris G.; Louie, Steven G.; Cohen, Marvin L.

2012-04-01

The phonon-assisted interband optical absorption spectrum of silicon is calculated at the quasiparticle level entirely from first principles. We make use of the Wannier interpolation formalism to determine the quasiparticle energies, as well as the optical transition and electron-phonon coupling matrix elements, on fine grids in the Brillouin zone. The calculated spectrum near the onset of indirect absorption is in very good agreement with experimental measurements for a range of temperatures. Moreover, our method can accurately determine the optical absorption spectrum of silicon in the visible range, an important process for optoelectronic and photovoltaic applications that cannot be addressed with simple models. The computational formalism is quite general and can be used to understand the phonon-assisted absorption processes in general.

Two-dimensional optical phased array antenna on silicon-on-insulator.

PubMed

Van Acoleyen, Karel; Rogier, Hendrik; Baets, Roel

2010-06-21

Optical wireless links can offer a very large bandwidth and can act as a complementary technology to radiofrequency links. Optical components nowadays are however rather bulky. Therefore, we have investigated the potential of silicon photonics to fabricated integrated components for wireless optical communication. This paper presents a two-dimensional phased array antenna consisting of grating couplers that couple light off-chip. Wavelength steering of $0.24 degrees /nm is presented reducing the need of active phase modulators. The needed steering range is $1.5 degrees . The 3dB angular coverage range of these antennas is about $0.007pi sr with a directivity of more than 38dBi and antenna losses smaller than 3dB.

Influence of baking method and baking temperature on the optical properties of ZnO thin films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ng, Zi-Neng; Chan, Kah-Yoong

2015-04-01

In this work, sol-gel spin coating technique was utilised to coat ZnO thin films on glass substrates. During the intermediate 3 minutes baking process, either hotplate or convection oven was employed to bake the samples. The temperature for the baking process was varied from 150°C to 300°C for both instruments. Avantes Optical Spectrophotometer was used to characterise the optical property. The optical transmittances of hotplate-baked and oven-baked samples showed different trends with increasing baking temperatures, ranging from below 50% transmittance to over 90% transmittance in the visible range of wavelength. The difference in baking mechanisms using hotplate and convection oven will be discussed in this paper.

Roughness measurement and ion-beam polishing of super-smooth optical surfaces of fused quartz and optical ceramics.

PubMed

Chkhalo, N I; Churin, S A; Pestov, A E; Salashchenko, N N; Vainer, Yu A; Zorina, M V

2014-08-25

The main problems and the approach used by the authors for roughness metrology of super-smooth surfaces designed for diffraction-quality X-ray mirrors are discussed. The limitations of white light interferometry and the adequacy of the method of atomic force microscopy for surface roughness measurements in a wide range of spatial frequencies are shown and the results of the studies of the effect of etching by argon and xenon ions on the surface roughness of fused quartz and optical ceramics, Zerodur, ULE and Sitall, are given. Substrates of fused quartz and ULE with the roughness, satisfying the requirements of diffraction-quality optics intended for working in the spectral range below 10 nm, are made.

Fiber-Optic Thermal Sensor for TiN Film Crack Monitoring

PubMed Central

Hsu, Hsiang-Chang; Hsieh, Tso-Sheng; Chen, Yi-Chian; Chen, Hung-En; Tsai, Liren

2017-01-01

The study focuses on the thermal and temperature sensitivity behavior of an optical fiber sensor device. In this article, a titanium nitride (TiN)-coated fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensor fabricated using an ion beam sputtering system was investigated. The reflection spectra of the FBG sensor were tested using R-soft optical software to simulate the refractive index sensitivity. In these experiments, the temperature sensitivity of the TiN FBG was measured at temperatures ranging from 100 to 500 °C using an optical spectrum analyzer (OSA). The results showed that the temperature sensitivity of the proposed TiN FBG sensor reached 12.8 pm/°C for the temperature range of 100 to 300 °C and 20.8 pm/°C for the temperature range of 300 to 500 °C. Additionally, we found that the produced oxidation at temperatures of 400–500 °C caused a crack, with the crack becoming more and more obvious at higher and higher temperatures. PMID:29137131

Preparation of a novel pH optical sensor using orange (II) based on agarose membrane as support.

PubMed

Heydari, Rouhollah; Hosseini, Mohammad; Amraei, Ahmadreza; Mohammadzadeh, Ali

2016-04-01

A novel and cost effective optical pH sensor was prepared using covalent immobilization of orange (II) indicator on the agarose membrane as solid support. The fabricated optical sensor was fixed into a sample holder of a spectrophotometer instrument for pH monitoring. Variables affecting sensor performance including pH of dye bonding to agarose membrane and dye concentration were optimized. The sensor responds to the pH changes in the range of 3.0-10.0 with a response time of 2.0 min and appropriate reproducibility (RSD ≤ 0.9%). No significant variation was observed on sensor response after increasing the ionic strength in the range of 0.0-0.5M of sodium chloride. Determination of pH using the proposed optical sensor is quick, simple, inexpensive, selective and sensitive in the pH range of 3.0-10.0. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

CLINICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF IDIOPATHIC FOVEOMACULAR RETINOSCHISIS.

PubMed

Maruko, Ichiro; Morizane, Yuki; Kimura, Shuhei; Shiode, Yusuke; Hosokawa, Mio; Sekiryu, Tetsuju; Iida, Tomohiro; Shiraga, Fumio

2016-08-01

To describe the clinical features of idiopathic foveomacular retinoschisis not in association with myopia, glaucoma, optic disk pit, or juvenile retinoschisis. Retrospective observational case series. Five eyes of five patients with idiopathic foveomacular retinoschisis were included. The patients were 2 men and 3 women (average age, 75.2 years; range, 71-78 years). The average spherical equivalent was +2.40 diopters (range, +0.88 to +5.75 diopters), and the average axial length was 22.0 mm (range, 21.1-23.1 mm). All patients had retinoschisis from the macula to the optic disk in the affected eye. No patients had retinoschisis in the fellow eye. The average best-corrected visual acuity was 20/44 (68 Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study letter score). Idiopathic foveomacular retinoschisis is not inherited or associated with myopia, vitreomacular traction syndrome, optic pit, or glaucoma but is associated with older age, unilaterality, hyperopia with short axial length, complete posterior vitreous detachment, and weak leakage from the optic disk on fluorescein angiography.

Optical Sidebands Multiplier

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Strekalov, Dmitry V.; Yu, Nan

2010-01-01

Optical sidebands have been generated with relative frequency tens to hundreds of GHz by using optical sidebands that are generated in a cascade process in high-quality optical resonators with Kerr nonlinearity, such as whispering gallery mode (WGM) resonators. For this purpose, the WGM resonator needs to be optically pumped at two frequencies matching its resonances. These two optical components can be one or several free spectral ranges (FSRs), equal to approximately 12 GHz, in this example, apart from each other, and can be easily derived from a monochromatic pump with an ordinary EOM (electro-optic modulation) operating at half the FSR frequency. With sufficient nonlinearity, an optical cascade process will convert the two pump frequencies into a comb-like structure extending many FSRs around the carrier frequency. This has a demonstratively efficient frequency conversion of this type with only a few milliwatt optical pump power. The concept of using Kerr nonlinearity in a resonator for non-degenerate wave mixing has been discussed before, but it was a common belief that this was a weak process requiring very high peak powers to be observable. It was not thought possible for this approach to compete with electro-optical modulators in CW applications, especially those at lower optical powers. By using the high-Q WGM resonators, the effective Kerr nonlinearity can be made so high that, using even weak seeding bands available from a conventional EOM, one can effectively multiply the optical sidebands, extending them into an otherwise inaccessible frequency range.

Performance Evaluation of 40 cm Ion Optics for the NEXT Ion Engine

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Soulas, George C.; Haag, Thomas W.; Patterson, Michael J.

2002-01-01

The results of performance tests with two 40 cm ion optics sets are presented and compared to those of 30 cm ion optics with similar aperture geometries. The 40 cm ion optics utilized both NSTAR and TAG (Thick-Accelerator-Grid) aperture geometries. All 40 cm ion optics tests were conducted on a NEXT (NASA's Evolutionary Xenon Thruster) laboratory model ion engine. Ion optics performance tests were conducted over a beam current range of 1.20 to 3.52 A and an engine input power range of 1.1 to 6.9 kW. Measured ion optics' performance parameters included near-field radial beam current density profiles, impingement-limited total voltages, electron backstreaming limits, screen grid ion transparencies, beam divergence angles, and start-up transients. Impingement-limited total voltages for 40 cm ion optics with the NSTAR aperture geometry were 60 to 90 V lower than those with the TAG aperture geometry. This difference was speculated to be due to an incomplete burn-in of the TAG ion optics. Electron backstreaming limits for the 40 cm ion optics with the TAG aperture geometry were 8 to 19 V higher than those with the NSTAR aperture geometry due to the thicker accelerator grid of the TAG geometry. Because the NEXT ion engine provided beam flatness parameters that were 40 to 63 percent higher than those of the NSTAR ion engine, the 40 cm ion optics outperformed the 30 cm ion optics.

Precise orbit determination of the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter and first gravity field results

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maier, Andrea; Baur, Oliver

2014-05-01

The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) was launched in 2009 and is expected to orbit the Moon until the end of 2014. Among other instruments, LRO has a highly precise altimeter on board demanding an orbit accuracy of one meter in the radial component. Precise orbit determination (POD) is achieved with radiometric observations (Doppler range rates, ranges) on the one hand, and optical laser ranges on the other hand. LRO is the first satellite at a distance of approximately 360 000 to 400 000 km from the Earth that is routinely tracked with optical laser ranges. This measurement type was introduced to achieve orbits of higher precision than it would be possible with radiometric observations only. In this contribution we investigate the strength of each measurement type (radiometric range rates, radiometric ranges, optical laser ranges) based on single-technique orbit estimation. In a next step all measurement types are combined in a joined analysis. In addition to POD results, preliminary gravity field coefficients are presented being a subsequent product of the orbit determination process. POD and gravity field estimation was accomplished with the NASA/GSFC software packages GEODYN and SOLVE.

High-speed optical coherence tomography by circular interferometric ranging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Siddiqui, Meena; Nam, Ahhyun S.; Tozburun, Serhat; Lippok, Norman; Blatter, Cedric; Vakoc, Benjamin J.

2018-02-01

Existing three-dimensional optical imaging methods excel in controlled environments, but are difficult to deploy over large, irregular and dynamic fields. This means that they can be ill-suited for use in areas such as material inspection and medicine. To better address these applications, we developed methods in optical coherence tomography to efficiently interrogate sparse scattering fields, that is, those in which most locations (voxels) do not generate meaningful signal. Frequency comb sources are used to superimpose reflected signals from equispaced locations through optical subsampling. This results in circular ranging, and reduces the number of measurements required to interrogate large volumetric fields. As a result, signal acquisition barriers that have limited speed and field in optical coherence tomography are avoided. With a new ultrafast, time-stretched frequency comb laser design operating with 7.6 MHz to 18.9 MHz repetition rates, we achieved imaging of multi-cm3 fields at up to 7.5 volumes per second.

Optical wireless link between a nanoscale antenna and a transducing rectenna.

PubMed

Dasgupta, Arindam; Mennemanteuil, Marie-Maxime; Buret, Mickaël; Cazier, Nicolas; Colas-des-Francs, Gérard; Bouhelier, Alexandre

2018-05-18

Initiated as a cable-replacement solution, short-range wireless power transfer has rapidly become ubiquitous in the development of modern high-data throughput networking in centimeter to meter accessibility range. Wireless technology is now penetrating a higher level of system integration for chip-to-chip and on-chip radiofrequency interconnects. However, standard CMOS integrated millimeter-wave antennas have typical size commensurable with the operating wavelength, and are thus an unrealistic solution for downsizing transmitters and receivers to the micrometer and nanometer scale. Herein, we demonstrate a light-in and electrical signal-out, on-chip wireless near-infrared link between a 220 nm optical antenna and a sub-nanometer rectifying antenna converting the transmitted optical energy into direct electrical current. The co-integration of subwavelength optical functional devices with electronic transduction offers a disruptive solution to interface photons and electrons at the nanoscale for on-chip wireless optical interconnects.

Plasma q -plate for generation and manipulation of intense optical vortices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Qu, Kenan; Jia, Qing; Fisch, Nathaniel J.

2017-11-01

An optical vortex is a light wave with a twisting wavefront around its propagation axis and null intensity in the beam center. Its unique spatial structure of field lends itself to a broad range of applications, including optical communication, quantum information, superresolution microscopy, and multidimensional manipulation of particles. However, accessible intensity of optical vortices have been limited to material ionization threshold. This limitation might be removed by using the plasma medium. Here we propose the design of suitably magnetized plasmas which, functioning as a q -plate, leads to a direct conversion from a high-intensity Gaussian beam into a twisted beam. A circularly polarized laser beam in the plasma accumulates an azimuthal-angle-dependent phase shift and hence forms a twisting wavefront. Our three-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations demonstrate extremely high-power conversion efficiency. The plasma q -plate can work in a large range of frequencies spanning from terahertz to the optical domain.

Electrically tunable metasurface perfect absorbers for ultrathin mid-infrared optical modulators.

PubMed

Yao, Yu; Shankar, Raji; Kats, Mikhail A; Song, Yi; Kong, Jing; Loncar, Marko; Capasso, Federico

2014-11-12

Dynamically reconfigurable metasurfaces open up unprecedented opportunities in applications such as high capacity communications, dynamic beam shaping, hyperspectral imaging, and adaptive optics. The realization of high performance metasurface-based devices remains a great challenge due to very limited tuning ranges and modulation depths. Here we show that a widely tunable metasurface composed of optical antennas on graphene can be incorporated into a subwavelength-thick optical cavity to create an electrically tunable perfect absorber. By switching the absorber in and out of the critical coupling condition via the gate voltage applied on graphene, a modulation depth of up to 100% can be achieved. In particular, we demonstrated ultrathin (thickness < λ0/10) high speed (up to 20 GHz) optical modulators over a broad wavelength range (5-7 μm). The operating wavelength can be scaled from the near-infrared to the terahertz by simply tailoring the metasurface and cavity dimensions.

Al+Si Interface Optical Properties Obtained in the Si Solar Cell Configuration

DOE PAGES

Subedi, Indra; Silverman, Timothy J.; Deceglie, Michael G.; ...

2017-10-18

Al is a commonly used material for rear side metallization in commercial silicon (Si) wafer solar cells. In this study, through-the-silicon spectroscopic ellipsometry is used in a test sample to measure Al+Si interface optical properties like those in Si wafer solar cells. Two different spectroscopic ellipsometers are used for measurement of Al+Si interface optical properties over the 1128-2500 nm wavelength range. For validation, the measured interface optical properties are used in a ray tracing simulation over the 300-2500 nm wavelength range for an encapsulated Si solar cell having random pyramidal texture. The ray tracing model matches well with the measuredmore » total reflectance at normal incidence of a commercially available Si module. The Al+Si optical properties presented here enable quantitative assessment of major irradiance/current flux losses arising from reflection and parasitic absorption in encapsulated Si solar cells.« less

Hafnium—an optical hydrogen sensor spanning six orders in pressure

PubMed Central

Boelsma, C.; Bannenberg, L. J.; van Setten, M. J.; Steinke, N.-J.; van Well, A. A.; Dam, B.

2017-01-01

Hydrogen detection is essential for its implementation as an energy vector. So far, palladium is considered to be the most effective hydrogen sensing material. Here we show that palladium-capped hafnium thin films show a highly reproducible change in optical transmission in response to a hydrogen exposure ranging over six orders of magnitude in pressure. The optical signal is hysteresis-free within this range, which includes a transition between two structural phases. A temperature change results in a uniform shift of the optical signal. This, to our knowledge unique, feature facilitates the sensor calibration and suggests a constant hydrogenation enthalpy. In addition, it suggests an anomalously steep increase of the entropy with the hydrogen/metal ratio that cannot be explained on the basis of a classical solid solution model. The optical behaviour as a function of its hydrogen content makes hafnium well-suited for use as a hydrogen detection material. PMID:28580959

Optical properties of boron-group (V) hexagonal nanowires: DFT investigation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Santhibhushan, B.; Soni, Mahesh; Srivastava, Anurag

2017-07-01

The paper presents structural, electronic and optical properties of boron-group V hexagonal nanowires (h-NW) within the framework of density functional theory. The h-NW of boron-group V compounds with an analogous diameter of 12 Å have been designed in (1 1 1) plane. Stability analysis performed through formation energies reveal that, the stability of these structures decreases with increasing atomic number of the group V element. The band nature predicts that these nanowires are good electrical conductors. Optical behaviour of the nanowires has been analysed through absorption coefficient, reflectivity, refractive index, optical conductivity and electron energy loss spectrum (EELS), that are computed from the frequency-dependent complex dielectric function. The analysis reveals high reactivity of BP and BAs h-NWs to the incident light especially in the IR and visible ranges, and the optical transparency of BN h-NW in the visible and UV ranges.

Metasurface optical antireflection coating

DOE PAGES

Zhang, Boyang; Hendrickson, Joshua; Nader, Nima; ...

2014-12-15

Light reflection at the boundary of two different media is one of the fundamental phenomena in optics, and reduction of reflection is highly desirable in many optical systems. Traditionally, optical antireflection has been accomplished using single- or multiple-layer dielectric films and graded index surface structures in various wavelength ranges. However, these approaches either impose strict requirements on the refractive index matching and film thickness, or involve complicated fabrication processes and non-planar surfaces that are challenging for device integration. Here, we demonstrate an antireflection coating strategy, both experimentally and numerically, by using metasurfaces with designer optical properties in the mid-wave infrared.more » Our results show that the metasurface antireflection is capable of eliminating reflection and enhancing transmission over a broad spectral band and a wide incidence angle range. In conclusion, the demonstrated antireflection technique has no requirement on the choice of materials and is scalable to other wavelengths.« less

Latest results on solarization of optical glasses with pulsed laser radiation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jedamzik, Ralf; Petzold, Uwe

2017-02-01

Femtosecond lasers are more and more used for material processing and lithography. Femtosecond laser help to generate three dimensional structures in photoresists without using masks in micro lithography. This technology is of growing importance for the field of backend lithography or advanced packaging. Optical glasses used for beam shaping and inspection tools need to withstand high laser pulse energies. Femtosecond laser radiation in the near UV wavelength range generates solarization effects in optical glasses. In this paper results are shown of femtosecond laser solarization experiments on a broad range of optical glasses from SCHOTT. The measurements have been performed by the Laser Zentrum Hannover in Germany. The results and their impact are discussed in comparison to traditional HOK-4 and UVA-B solarization measurements of the same materials. The target is to provide material selection guidance to the optical designer of beam shaping lens systems.

Optical systems fabricated by printing-based assembly

DOEpatents

Rogers, John; Nuzzo, Ralph; Meitl, Matthew; Menard, Etienne; Baca, Alfred J; Motala, Michael; Ahn, Jong-Hyun; Park, Sang-Il; Yu, Chang-Jae; Ko, Heung Cho; Stoykovich, Mark; Yoon, Jongseung

2014-05-13

Provided are optical devices and systems fabricated, at least in part, via printing-based assembly and integration of device components. In specific embodiments the present invention provides light emitting systems, light collecting systems, light sensing systems and photovoltaic systems comprising printable semiconductor elements, including large area, high performance macroelectronic devices. Optical systems of the present invention comprise semiconductor elements assembled, organized and/or integrated with other device components via printing techniques that exhibit performance characteristics and functionality comparable to single crystalline semiconductor based devices fabricated using conventional high temperature processing methods. Optical systems of the present invention have device geometries and configurations, such as form factors, component densities, and component positions, accessed by printing that provide a range of useful device functionalities. Optical systems of the present invention include devices and device arrays exhibiting a range of useful physical and mechanical properties including flexibility, shapeability, conformability and stretchablity.

Optical systems fabricated by printing-based assembly

DOEpatents

Rogers, John [Champaign, IL; Nuzzo, Ralph [Champaign, IL; Meitl, Matthew [Durham, NC; Menard, Etienne [Durham, NC; Baca, Alfred J [Urbana, IL; Motala, Michael [Champaign, IL; Ahn, Jong-Hyun [Suwon, KR; Park, Sang-II [Savoy, IL; Yu,; Chang-Jae, [Urbana, IL; Ko, Heung-Cho [Gwangju, KR; Stoykovich,; Mark, [Dover, NH; Yoon, Jongseung [Urbana, IL

2011-07-05

Provided are optical devices and systems fabricated, at least in part, via printing-based assembly and integration of device components. In specific embodiments the present invention provides light emitting systems, light collecting systems, light sensing systems and photovoltaic systems comprising printable semiconductor elements, including large area, high performance macroelectronic devices. Optical systems of the present invention comprise semiconductor elements assembled, organized and/or integrated with other device components via printing techniques that exhibit performance characteristics and functionality comparable to single crystalline semiconductor based devices fabricated using conventional high temperature processing methods. Optical systems of the present invention have device geometries and configurations, such as form factors, component densities, and component positions, accessed by printing that provide a range of useful device functionalities. Optical systems of the present invention include devices and device arrays exhibiting a range of useful physical and mechanical properties including flexibility, shapeability, conformability and stretchablity.

Al+Si Interface Optical Properties Obtained in the Si Solar Cell Configuration

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Subedi, Indra; Silverman, Timothy J.; Deceglie, Michael G.

Al is a commonly used material for rear side metallization in commercial silicon (Si) wafer solar cells. In this study, through-the-silicon spectroscopic ellipsometry is used in a test sample to measure Al+Si interface optical properties like those in Si wafer solar cells. Two different spectroscopic ellipsometers are used for measurement of Al+Si interface optical properties over the 1128-2500 nm wavelength range. For validation, the measured interface optical properties are used in a ray tracing simulation over the 300-2500 nm wavelength range for an encapsulated Si solar cell having random pyramidal texture. The ray tracing model matches well with the measuredmore » total reflectance at normal incidence of a commercially available Si module. The Al+Si optical properties presented here enable quantitative assessment of major irradiance/current flux losses arising from reflection and parasitic absorption in encapsulated Si solar cells.« less

Theoretical Analysis of an Optical Accelerometer Based on Resonant Optical Tunneling Effect.

PubMed

Jian, Aoqun; Wei, Chongguang; Guo, Lifang; Hu, Jie; Tang, Jun; Liu, Jun; Zhang, Xuming; Sang, Shengbo

2017-02-17

Acceleration is a significant parameter for monitoring the status of a given objects. This paper presents a novel linear acceleration sensor that functions via a unique physical mechanism, the resonant optical tunneling effect (ROTE). The accelerometer consists of a fixed frame, two elastic cantilevers, and a major cylindrical mass comprised of a resonant cavity that is separated by two air tunneling gaps in the middle. The performance of the proposed sensor was analyzed with a simplified mathematical model, and simulated using finite element modeling. The simulation results showed that the optical Q factor and the sensitivity of the accelerometer reach up to 8.857 × 10⁷ and 9 pm/g, respectively. The linear measurement range of the device is ±130 g. The work bandwidth obtained is located in 10-1500 Hz. The results of this study provide useful guidelines to improve measurement range and resolution of integrated optical acceleration sensors.

Theoretical Analysis of an Optical Accelerometer Based on Resonant Optical Tunneling Effect

PubMed Central

Jian, Aoqun; Wei, Chongguang; Guo, Lifang; Hu, Jie; Tang, Jun; Liu, Jun; Zhang, Xuming; Sang, Shengbo

2017-01-01

Acceleration is a significant parameter for monitoring the status of a given objects. This paper presents a novel linear acceleration sensor that functions via a unique physical mechanism, the resonant optical tunneling effect (ROTE). The accelerometer consists of a fixed frame, two elastic cantilevers, and a major cylindrical mass comprised of a resonant cavity that is separated by two air tunneling gaps in the middle. The performance of the proposed sensor was analyzed with a simplified mathematical model, and simulated using finite element modeling. The simulation results showed that the optical Q factor and the sensitivity of the accelerometer reach up to 8.857 × 107 and 9 pm/g, respectively. The linear measurement range of the device is ±130 g. The work bandwidth obtained is located in 10–1500 Hz. The results of this study provide useful guidelines to improve measurement range and resolution of integrated optical acceleration sensors. PMID:28218642

Optical systems fabricated by printing-based assembly

DOEpatents

Rogers, John; Nuzzo, Ralph; Meitl, Matthew; Menard, Etienne; Baca, Alfred; Motala, Michael; Ahn, Jong -Hyun; Park, Sang -Il; Yu, Chang -Jae; Ko, Heung Cho; Stoykovich, Mark; Yoon, Jongseung

2015-08-25

Provided are optical devices and systems fabricated, at least in part, via printing-based assembly and integration of device components. In specific embodiments the present invention provides light emitting systems, light collecting systems, light sensing systems and photovoltaic systems comprising printable semiconductor elements, including large area, high performance macroelectronic devices. Optical systems of the present invention comprise semiconductor elements assembled, organized and/or integrated with other device components via printing techniques that exhibit performance characteristics and functionality comparable to single crystalline semiconductor based devices fabricated using conventional high temperature processing methods. Optical systems of the present invention have device geometries and configurations, such as form factors, component densities, and component positions, accessed by printing that provide a range of useful device functionalities. Optical systems of the present invention include devices and device arrays exhibiting a range of useful physical and mechanical properties including flexibility, shapeability, conformability and stretchablity.

Optical systems fabricated by printing-based assembly

DOEpatents

Rogers, John; Nuzzo, Ralph; Meitl, Matthew; Menard, Etienne; Baca, Alfred; Motala, Michael; Ahn, Jong-Hyun; Park, Sang-Il; Yu, Chang-Jae; Ko, Heung Cho; Stoykovich, Mark; Yoon, Jongseung

2017-03-21

Provided are optical devices and systems fabricated, at least in part, via printing-based assembly and integration of device components. In specific embodiments the present invention provides light emitting systems, light collecting systems, light sensing systems and photovoltaic systems comprising printable semiconductor elements, including large area, high performance macroelectronic devices. Optical systems of the present invention comprise semiconductor elements assembled, organized and/or integrated with other device components via printing techniques that exhibit performance characteristics and functionality comparable to single crystalline semiconductor based devices fabricated using conventional high temperature processing methods. Optical systems of the present invention have device geometries and configurations, such as form factors, component densities, and component positions, accessed by printing that provide a range of useful device functionalities. Optical systems of the present invention include devices and device arrays exhibiting a range of useful physical and mechanical properties including flexibility, shapeability, conformability and stretchablity.

Advanced optical fiber communication systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kazovsky, Leonid G.

1994-03-01

Our research is focused on three major aspects of advanced optical fiber communication systems: dynamic wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) networks, fiber nonlinearities, and high dynamic range coherent analog optical links. In the area of WDM networks, we have designed and implemented two high-speed interface boards and measured their throughput and latency. Furthermore, we designed and constructed an experimental PSK/ASK transceiver that simultaneously transmits packet-switched ASK data and circuit-switched PSK data on the same optical carrier. In the area of fiber nonlinearities, we investigated the theoretical impact of modulation frequency on cross-phase modulation (XPM) in dispersive fibers. In the area of high dynamic range coherent analog optical links, we developed theoretical expressions for the RF power transfer ratio (or RF power gain) and the noise figure (NF) of angle-modulated links. We then compared the RF power gains and noise figures of these links to that of an intensity modulated direct detection (DD) link.

Optical design and simulation of a new coherence beamline at NSLS-II

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Williams, Garth J.; Chubar, Oleg; Berman, Lonny; Chu, Yong S.; Robinson, Ian K.

2017-08-01

We will discuss the optical design for a proposed beamline at NSLS-II, a late-third generation storage ring source, designed to exploit the spatial coherence of the X-rays to extract high-resolution spatial information from ordered and disordered materials through Coherent Diffractive Imaging, executed in the Bragg- and forward-scattering geometries. This technique offers a powerful tool to image sub-10 nm spatial features and, within ordered materials, sub-Angstrom mapping of deformation fields. Driven by the opportunity to apply CDI to a wide range of samples, with sizes ranging from sub-micron to tens-of-microns, two optical designs have been proposed and simulated under a wide variety of optical configurations using the software package Synchrotron Radiation Workshop. The designs, their goals, and the results of the simulation, including NSLS-II ring and undulator source parameters, of the beamline performance as a function of its variable optical components is described.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Beran, L.; Cejpek, P.; Kulda, M.

Optical and magneto-optical properties of single crystal of Ni{sub 50.1}Mn{sub 28.4}Ga{sub 21.5} magnetic shape memory alloy during its transformation from martensite to austenite phase were systematically studied. Crystal orientation was approximately along (100) planes of parent cubic austenite. X-ray reciprocal mapping confirmed modulated 10 M martensite phase. Temperature depended measurements of saturation magnetization revealed the martensitic transformation at 335 K during heating. Magneto-optical spectroscopy and spectroscopic ellipsometry were measured in the sample temperature range from 297 to 373 K and photon energy range from 1.2 to 6.5 eV. Magneto-optical spectra of polar Kerr rotation as well as the spectra of ellipsometric parameter Ψ exhibitedmore » significant changes when crossing the transformation temperature. These changes were assigned to different optical properties of Ni-Mn-Ga in martensite and austenite phases due to modification of electronic structure near the Fermi energy during martensitic transformation.« less

The development of fluorides for high power laser optics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ready, J. F.; Vora, H.

1980-07-01

The laser assisted thermonuclear fusion program has need for improved optical materials with high transmission in the ultraviolet, and with low values of nonlinear index of refraction. Lithium fluoride possesses a combination of optical properties which are of use. Single crystalline LiF is limited by low mechanical strength. The technique of press forging to increase the mechanical strength is investigated. LiF single crystals were press forged over the temperature range 300 - 600 deg C to produce fine grained polycrystalline material. Optical homogenity at 633, stress birefringence, scattering at 633, residual absorption over the spectral range 339 - 3800 nm, and laser damage thresholds for 1 ns, 1064 nm and 700 ps, 266 nm laser pulses are evaluated. Single crystals can be press forged without seriously degrading their optical properties. Yield strength in compression, proportional limit and fracture strength in 3 and 4 point bending, fracture energy, and threshold for microyield are discussed.

Porous silicon platform for optical detection of functionalized magnetic particles biosensing.

PubMed

Ko, Pil Ju; Ishikawa, Ryousuke; Sohn, Honglae; Sandhu, Adarsh

2013-04-01

The physical properties of porous materials are being exploited for a wide range of applications including optical biosensors, waveguides, gas sensors, micro capacitors, and solar cells. Here, we review the fast, easy and inexpensive electrochemical anodization based fabrication porous silicon (PSi) for optical biosensing using functionalized magnetic particles. Combining magnetically labeled biomolecules with PSi offers a rapid and one-step immunoassay and real-time detection by magnetic manipulation of superparamagnetic beads (SPBs) functionalized with target molecules onto corresponding probe molecules immobilized inside nano-pores of PSi. We first give an introduction to electrochemical and chemical etching procedures used to fabricate a wide range of PSi structures. Next, we describe the basic properties of PSi and underlying optical scattering mechanisms that govern their unique optical properties. Finally, we give examples of our experiments that demonstrate the potential of combining PSi and magnetic beads for real-time point of care diagnostics.

X ray microscope/telescope test and alignment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Walker, Arthur B. C.; Hoover, Richard B.

1991-01-01

The tasks performed by the Center for Applied Optics (CAO) in support of the Normal Incidence Multilayer X-Ray Optics Program are detailed. The Multi-Spectral Solar Telescope Array (MSSTA) was launched on a Terrier-boosted Black Brant sounding rocket from White Sands Missile Range on 13 May 1991. High resolution images of the sun in the soft x ray to extreme ultraviolet (EUV) regime were obtained with normal-incidence Cassegrain, Ritchey-Chretien, and Herschelian telescopes mounted in the sounding rocket. MSSTA represents the first use of multilayer optics to study a very broad range of x ray and EUV solar emissions. Energy-selective properties of multilayer-coated optics allow distinct groups of emission lines to be isolated in the solar corona and transition region. Features of the near and far coronal structures including magnetic loops of plasmas, coronal plumes, coronal holes, faint structures, and cool prominences are visible in these images. MSSTA successfully obtained unprecedented information regarding the structure and dynamics of the solar atmosphere in the temperature range of 10(exp 4)-10(exp 7) K. The performance of the MSSTA has demonstrated a unique combination of ultra-high spatial resolution and spectral differentiation by use of multilayer optics.

Effect of annealing on the optical properties of amorphous Se79Te10Sb4Bi7 thin films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nyakotyo, H.; Sathiaraj, T. S.; Muchuweni, E.

2017-07-01

Thin films of Se79Te10Sb4Bi7, were prepared by Electron beam deposition technique. The structure of the as-prepared and annealed films has been studied by X-ray diffraction and the surface morphology by the scanning electron microscope (SEM). These studies show that there is a gradual change in structure and the formation of some polycrystalline structures in the amorphous phases is observed when the Se79Te10Sb4Bi7 film is annealed in the temperature range of 333-393 K. The optical transmission of these films has been studied as a function of photon wavelength in the range 300-2500 nm. It has been found that the optical band gap Egopt decreased with increasing annealing temperature in the range 333-393 K. The Urbach energy (Eu), optical conductivity (σopt), imaginary (εi), and real (εr) parts of the complex dielectric constant (ε) and lattice dielectric constant (εL) were also determined. The changes noticed in optical parameters with increasing annealing temperature were explained on the basis of structural relaxation as well as change in defect states and density of localized states due to amorphous-crystalline transformation.

Performance of Al2O3:C optically stimulated luminescence dosimeters for clinical radiation therapy applications.

PubMed

Hu, B; Wang, Y; Zealey, W

2009-12-01

A commercial Optical Stimulated Luminescence (OSL) dosimetry system developed by Landauer was tested to analyse the possibility of using OSL dosimetry for external beam radiotherapy planning checks. Experiments were performed to determine signal sensitivity, dose response range, beam type/energy dependency, reproducibility and linearity. Optical annealing processes to test OSL material reusability were also studied. In each case the measurements were converted into absorbed dose. The experimental results show that OSL dosimetry provides a wide dose response range, good linearity and reproducibility for the doses up to 800cGy. The OSL output is linear with dose up to 600cGy range showing a maximum deviation from linearity of 2.0% for the doses above 600cGy. The standard deviation in response of 20 dosimeters was 3.0%. After optical annealing using incandescent light, the readout intensity decreased by approximately 98% in the first 30 minutes. The readout intensity, I, decreased after repeated optical annealing as a power law, given by I infinity t (-1.3). This study concludes that OSL dosimetry can provide an alternative dosimetry technique for use in in-vivo dosimetry if rigorous measurement protocols are established.

Accurate Measurement of the Optical Constants for Organic and Organophosphorous Liquid Layers and Drops

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Myers, Tanya L.; Tonkyn, Russell G.; Danby, Tyler O.

We present accurate measurements for the determination of the optical constants for a series of organic liquids, including organophosphorous compounds. Bulk liquids are rarely encountered in the environment, but more commonly are present as droplets of liquids or thin layers on various substrates. Providing reference spectra to account for the plethora of morphological conditions that may be encountered under different scenarios is a challenge. An alternative approach is to provide the complex optical constants, n and k, which can be used to model the optical phenomena in media and at interfaces, minimizing the need for a vast number of laboratorymore » measurements. In this work, we present improved protocols for measuring the optical constants for a series of liquids that span the range from 7800 to 400 cm-1. The broad spectral range means that one needs to account for both the strong and weak spectral features that are encountered, all of which can be useful for detection, depending on the scenario. To span this dynamic range, both long and short cells are required for accurate measurements. The protocols are presented along with experimental and modeling results for thin layers of silicone oil on aluminum.« less

Planetary Hyperspectral Imager (PHI)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Silvergate, Peter

1996-01-01

A hyperspectral imaging spectrometer was breadboarded. Key innovations were use of a sapphire prism and single InSb focal plane to cover the entire spectral range, and a novel slit optic and relay optics to reduce thermal background. Operation over a spectral range of 450 - 4950 nm (approximately 3.5 spectral octaves) was demonstrated. Thermal background reduction by a factor of 8 - 10 was also demonstrated.

Range and egomotion estimation from compound photodetector arrays with parallel optical axis using optical flow techniques.

PubMed

Chahl, J S

2014-01-20

This paper describes an application for arrays of narrow-field-of-view sensors with parallel optical axes. These devices exhibit some complementary characteristics with respect to conventional perspective projection or angular projection imaging devices. Conventional imaging devices measure rotational egomotion directly by measuring the angular velocity of the projected image. Translational egomotion cannot be measured directly by these devices because the induced image motion depends on the unknown range of the viewed object. On the other hand, a known translational motion generates image velocities which can be used to recover the ranges of objects and hence the three-dimensional (3D) structure of the environment. A new method is presented for computing egomotion and range using the properties of linear arrays of independent narrow-field-of-view optical sensors. An approximate parallel projection can be used to measure translational egomotion in terms of the velocity of the image. On the other hand, a known rotational motion of the paraxial sensor array generates image velocities, which can be used to recover the 3D structure of the environment. Results of tests of an experimental array confirm these properties.

Optical NAND gate

DOEpatents

Skogen, Erik J [Albuquerque, NM; Raring, James [Goleta, CA; Tauke-Pedretti, Anna [Albuquerque, NM

2011-08-09

An optical NAND gate is formed from two pair of optical waveguide devices on a substrate, with each pair of the optical waveguide devices consisting of an electroabsorption modulator and a photodetector. One pair of the optical waveguide devices is electrically connected in parallel to operate as an optical AND gate; and the other pair of the optical waveguide devices is connected in series to operate as an optical NOT gate (i.e. an optical inverter). The optical NAND gate utilizes two digital optical inputs and a continuous light input to provide a NAND function output. The optical NAND gate can be formed from III-V compound semiconductor layers which are epitaxially deposited on a III-V compound semiconductor substrate, and operates at a wavelength in the range of 0.8-2.0 .mu.m.

Regular oscillations and random motion of glass microspheres levitated by a single optical beam in air

DOE PAGES

Moore, Jeremy; Martin, Leopoldo L.; Maayani, Shai; ...

2016-02-03

We experimentally reporton optical binding of many glass particles in air that levitate in a single optical beam. A diversity of particle sizes and shapes interact at long range in a single Gaussian beam. Our system dynamics span from oscillatory to random and dimensionality ranges from 1 to 3D. In conclusion, the low loss for the center of mass motion of the beads could allow this system to serve as a standard many body testbed, similar to what is done today with atoms, but at the mesoscopic scale.

Development, Qualification and Integration of the Optical Fiber Array Assemblies for the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ott, Melanie N.; Switzer, Robert; Chuska, Richard; LaRocca, Frank; Thomas, William Joe; Macmurphy, Shawn

2008-01-01

The NASA Goddard Fiber Optics Team in the Electrical Engineering Division of the Applied Engineering and Technology Directorate, designed, developed and integrated the space flight optical fiber array hardware for the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO). The two new assemblies that were designed and manufacturing at GSFC for the LRO exist in configurations that are unique in the world for the application of ranging and LIDAR. Described here is an account of the journey and the lessons learned from design to integration for the Lunar Orbiter Laser Altimeter and the Laser Ranging Application on the LRO.

Terahertz optical properties of nonlinear optical CdSe crystals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yan, Dexian; Xu, Degang; Li, Jining; Wang, Yuye; Liang, Fei; Wang, Jian; Yan, Chao; Liu, Hongxiang; Shi, Jia; Tang, Longhuang; He, Yixin; Zhong, Kai; Lin, Zheshuai; Zhang, Yingwu; Cheng, Hongjuan; Shi, Wei; Yao, Jianquan; Wu, Yicheng

2018-04-01

We investigate the optical properties of cadmium selenide (CdSe) crystals in a wide terahertz (THz) range from 0.2 to 6 THz by THz time-domain spectroscopy (THz-TDS) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The refractive index, absorption coefficient and transmittance are measured and analyzed. The properties are characterized by several absorption peaks which represent the relevant phonon vibrations modes. The experimental results are in agreement with the theoretical results. The dispersion and absorption properties of CdSe crystal are analyzed in THz range. These properties indicate a good potential for THz sources and THz modulated devices.

Optimization Of Shear Modes To Produce Enhanced Bandwidth In Ghz GaP Bragg Cells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Soos, J., I.; Rosemeier, R. G.; Rosenbaum, J.

1988-02-01

Applications of Gallium Phosphide (GaP) acousto-optic devices, at wavelengths from 570nm - 1.06um seem to be ideal for fiber optic modulators, scanners, deflectors, frequency shifters, Q-switches and mode lockers. One of the major applications are for RF spectrometers in early warning radar receivers and auto-correlators. Longitudinal GaP acousto-optic Bragg cells which have respectively operational frequencies in the range of 200 MHz - 3 GHz and diffraction efficiencies in the range of 120%/RF watt to 1%/RF watt have recently been fabricated. Comparatively, shear GaP devices which have operational frequencies in the range of 200 MHz to 2 GHz and diffraction efficiencies from 80%/RF watt to 7%/RF watt have also been constructed.

Hardware-in-the-loop projector system for light detection and ranging sensor testing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Hajin J.; Naumann, Charles B.; Cornell, Michael C.

2012-08-01

Efforts in developing a synthetic environment for testing light detection and ranging (LADAR) sensors in a hardware-in-the-loop simulation are continuing at the Aviation and Missile Research, Engineering, and Development Center of the U.S. Army Research, Engineering and Development Command (RDECOM). Current activities have concentrated on evaluating the optical projection techniques for the LADAR synthetic environment. Schemes for generating the optical signals representing the individual pixels of the projection are of particular interest. Several approaches have been investigated and tested with emphasis on operating wavelength, intensity dynamic range and uniformity, and flexibility in pixel waveform generation. This paper will discuss some of the results from these current efforts at RDECOM's System Simulation and Development Directorate's Electro Optical Technology Development Laboratory.

Tunable semiconductor laser at 1025-1095 nm range for OCT applications with an extended imaging depth

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shramenko, Mikhail V.; Chamorovskiy, Alexander; Lyu, Hong-Chou; Lobintsov, Andrei A.; Karnowski, Karol; Yakubovich, Sergei D.; Wojtkowski, Maciej

2015-03-01

Tunable semiconductor laser for 1025-1095 nm spectral range is developed based on the InGaAs semiconductor optical amplifier and a narrow band-pass acousto-optic tunable filter in a fiber ring cavity. Mode-hop-free sweeping with tuning speeds of up to 104 nm/s was demonstrated. Instantaneous linewidth is in the range of 0.06-0.15 nm, side-mode suppression is up to 50 dB and polarization extinction ratio exceeds 18 dB. Optical power in output single mode fiber reaches 20 mW. The laser was used in OCT system for imaging a contact lens immersed in a 0.5% intra-lipid solution. The cross-section image provided the imaging depth of more than 5mm.

Fiber fault location utilizing traffic signal in optical network.

PubMed

Zhao, Tong; Wang, Anbang; Wang, Yuncai; Zhang, Mingjiang; Chang, Xiaoming; Xiong, Lijuan; Hao, Yi

2013-10-07

We propose and experimentally demonstrate a method for fault location in optical communication network. This method utilizes the traffic signal transmitted across the network as probe signal, and then locates the fault by correlation technique. Compared with conventional techniques, our method has a simple structure and low operation expenditure, because no additional device is used, such as light source, modulator and signal generator. The correlation detection in this method overcomes the tradeoff between spatial resolution and measurement range in pulse ranging technique. Moreover, signal extraction process can improve the location result considerably. Experimental results show that we achieve a spatial resolution of 8 cm and detection range of over 23 km with -8-dBm mean launched power in optical network based on synchronous digital hierarchy protocols.

Optical properties of InGaN thin films in the entire composition range

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kazazis, S. A.; Papadomanolaki, E.; Androulidaki, M.; Kayambaki, M.; Iliopoulos, E.

2018-03-01

The optical properties of thick InGaN epilayers, with compositions spanning the entire ternary range, are studied in detail. High structural quality, single phase InxGa1-xN (0001) films were grown heteroepitaxially by radio-frequency plasma assisted molecular-beam epitaxy on freestanding GaN substrates. Their emission characteristics were investigated by low temperature photoluminescence spectroscopy, whereas variable angle spectroscopic ellipsometry was applied to determine the complex dielectric function of the films, in the 0.55-4.0 eV photon range. Photoluminescence lines were intense and narrow, in the range of 100 meV for Ga-rich InGaN films (x < 0.3), around 150 meV for mid-range composition films (0.3 < x < 0.6), and in the range of 50 meV for In-rich alloys (x > 0.6). The composition dependence of the strain-free emission energy was expressed by a bowing parameter of b = 2.70 ± 0.12 eV. The films' optical dielectric function dispersion was obtained by the analysis of the ellipsometric data employing a Kramers-Kronig consistent parameterized optical model. The refractive index dispersion was obtained for alloys in the entire composition range, and the corresponding values at the band edge show a parabolic dependence on the InN mole fraction expressed by a bowing parameter of b = 0.81 ± 0.04. The bowing parameter describing the fundamental energy bandgap was deduced to be equal to 1.66 ± 0.07 eV, consistent with the ab initio calculations for statistically random (non-clustered) InGaN alloys.

Fiber-Optic Strain Sensors With Linear Characteristics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Egalon, Claudio O.; Rogowski, Robert S.

1993-01-01

Fiber-optic modal domain strain sensors having linear characteristics over wide range of strains proposed. Conceived in effort to improve older fiber-optic strain sensors. Linearity obtained by appropriate choice of design parameters. Pattern of light and dark areas at output end of optical fiber produced by interference between electromagnetic modes in which laser beam propagates in fiber. Photodetector monitors intensity at one point in pattern.

Short Range 10 Gb/s THz Communications. Proof of Concept Phase 2

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-12-01

heterodyned are phase locked to spectral lines selected from the optical frequency comb generator (OFCG) using optical phase locked loops ( OPLLs ) or by...systems by optical heterodyne generation (OHG), in which the outputs of two phase - locked lasers are combined, and detection in a fast photodiode, such... Heterodyning of two CW optical signals, each phase locked to lines in an

Environmental Characterization of Mine Countermeasure Test Ranges: Hydrography and Water Column Optics

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-09-30

changes in near-shore water columns and support companion laser imaging system tests. The physical, biological and optical oceanographic data...developed under this project will be used as input to optical and environmental models to assess the performance characteristics of laser imaging systems...OBJECTIVES We proposed to characterize the physical, biological and optical fields present during deployments of the Streak Tube Imaging Lidar

Optically Tuned Fiber Gratings

DTIC Science & Technology

1998-03-01

why we use a bulk polarization beam splitter . The fibre grating length was 50 cm with centre wavelength at 1550 nm. Fig.8 shows results of the...characteristics of glasses with enhanced non -linearity. In accordance with the specification, a fiber grating should be tuned within the range of 1...intensity pulse and has successfully demonstrated optically-tuned fiber grating. 19980617 115 14. SUBJECT TERMS Fibre Optics, Non -linear Optical

Synthesis and optical characterization of LiKB4O7, Li2B6O10, and LiCsB6O10 glasses.

PubMed

Adamiv, V; Teslyuk, I; Dyachok, Ya; Romanyuk, G; Krupych, O; Mys, O; Martynyuk-Lototska, I; Burak, Ya; Vlokh, R

2010-10-01

In the current work we report on the synthesis of LiKB(4)O(7), Li(2)B(6)O(10), and LiCsB(6)O(10) borate glasses. The results for their piezo-optic, acousto-optic, acoustic, elastic, refractive, optical transmission, and optical resistance properties are also presented. It is shown that some of these glasses represent efficient acousto-optic materials that are transparent down to the vacuum ultraviolet range and highly resistant to laser radiation.

Monitoring techniques for the manufacture of tapered optical fibers.

PubMed

Mullaney, Kevin; Correia, Ricardo; Staines, Stephen E; James, Stephen W; Tatam, Ralph P

2015-10-01

The use of a range of optical techniques to monitor the process of fabricating optical fiber tapers is investigated. Thermal imaging was used to optimize the alignment of the optical system; the transmission spectrum of the fiber was monitored to confirm that the tapers had the required optical properties and the strain induced in the fiber during tapering was monitored using in-line optical fiber Bragg gratings. Tapers were fabricated with diameters down to 5 μm and with waist lengths of 20 mm using single-mode SMF-28 fiber.

Towards large dynamic range and ultrahigh measurement resolution in distributed fiber sensing based on multicore fiber.

PubMed

Dang, Yunli; Zhao, Zhiyong; Tang, Ming; Zhao, Can; Gan, Lin; Fu, Songnian; Liu, Tongqing; Tong, Weijun; Shum, Perry Ping; Liu, Deming

2017-08-21

Featuring a dependence of Brillouin frequency shift (BFS) on temperature and strain changes over a wide range, Brillouin distributed optical fiber sensors are however essentially subjected to the relatively poor temperature/strain measurement resolution. On the other hand, phase-sensitive optical time-domain reflectometry (Φ-OTDR) offers ultrahigh temperature/strain measurement resolution, but the available frequency scanning range is normally narrow thereby severely restricts its measurement dynamic range. In order to achieve large dynamic range and high measurement resolution simultaneously, we propose to employ both the Brillouin optical time domain analysis (BOTDA) and Φ-OTDR through space-division multiplexed (SDM) configuration based on the multicore fiber (MCF), in which the two sensors are spatially separately implemented in the central core and a side core, respectively. As a proof of concept, the temperature sensing has been performed for validation with 2.5 m spatial resolution over 1.565 km MCF. Large temperature range (10 °C) has been measured by BOTDA and the 0.1 °C small temperature variation is successfully identified by Φ-OTDR with ~0.001 °C resolution. Moreover, the temperature changing process has been recorded by continuously performing the measurement of Φ-OTDR with 80 s frequency scanning period, showing about 0.02 °C temperature spacing at the monitored profile. The proposed system enables the capability to see finer and/or farther upon requirement in distributed optical fiber sensing.

Optical System Design and Integration of the Mercury Laser Altimeter

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ramos-Izquierdo, Luis; Scott, V. Stanley, III; Schmidt, Stephen; Britt, Jamie; Mamakos, William; Trunzo, Raymond; Cavanaugh, John; Miller, Roger

2005-01-01

The Mercury Laser Altimeter (MLA). developed for the 2004 MESSENGER mission to Mercury, is designed to measure the planet's topography via laser ranging. A description of the MLA optical system and its measured optical performance during instrument-level and spacecraft-level integration and testing are presented.

Handbook of the Properties of Optical Materials

DTIC Science & Technology

1984-01-01

EFFECTIVE MASS - - MOBILITY - - A-2 ARSEWIC SELENIOE (As2 Se3 ) OPTICAL PROPERTIES TRANSMISSION RANGE: 9 - 11n Optical Absorption Coefficient = 0.079...of 55 KRS-5 as a function of wavelength. A-2120 ZINC SELENIOE ZnSe 0 STRUCTURE CRYSTALLINE SYMMETRY = Cubic, 43m LATTICE CONSTANTS (A) = a = 5.667

Nanostructured pyronin Y thin films as a new organic semiconductor: Linear/nonlinear optics, band gap and dielectric properties

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zahran, H. Y.; Yahia, I. S.; Alamri, F. H.

2017-05-01

Pyronin Y dye (PY) is a kind of xanthene derivatives. Thin films of pyronin Y were deposited onto highly cleaned glass substrates using low-cost/spin coating technique. The structure properties of pyronin Y thin films with different thicknesses were investigated by using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and atomic force microscope (AFM). PY thin films for all the studied thicknesses have an amorphous structure supporting the short range order of the grain size. AFM supports the nanostructure with spherical/clusters morphologies of the investigated thin films. The optical constants of pyronin Y thin films for various thicknesses were studied by using UV-vis-NIR spectrophotometer in the wavelength range 350-2500 nm. The transmittance T(λ), reflectance R(λ) spectral and absorbance (abs(λ)) were obtained for all film thicknesses at room temperature and the normal light incident. These films showed a high transmittance in the wide scale wavelengths. For different thicknesses of the studied thin films, the optical band gaps were determined and their values around 2 eV. Real and imaginary dielectric constants, dissipation factor and the nonlinear optical parameters were calculated in the wavelengths to the range 300-2500 nm. The pyronin Y is a new organic semiconductor with a good optical absorption in UV-vis regions and it is suitable for nonlinear optical applications.

Assessment of satellite derived diffuse attenuation coefficients ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Optical data collected in coastal waters off South Florida and in the Caribbean Sea between January 2009 and December 2010 were used to evaluate products derived with three bio-optical inversion algorithms applied to MOIDS/Aqua, MODIS/Terra, and SeaWiFS satellite observations. The products included the diffuse attenuation coefficient at 490 nm (Kd_490) and for the visible range (Kd_PAR), and euphotic depth (Zeu, corresponding to 1% of the surface incident photosynthetically available radiation or PAR). Above-water hyperspectral reflectance data collected over optically shallow waters of the Florida Keys between June 1997 and August 2011 were used to help understand algorithm performance over optically shallow waters. The in situ data covered a variety of water types in South Florida and the Caribbean Sea, ranging from deep clear waters, turbid coastal waters, and optically shallow waters (Kd_490 range of ~0.03 – 1.29m-1). An algorithm based on Inherent Optical Properties (IOPs) showed the best performance (RMSD < 13% and R2 ~1.0 for MODIS/Aqua and SeaWiFS). Two algorithms based on empirical regressions performed well for offshore clear waters, but underestimated Kd_490 and Kd_PAR in coastal waters due to high turbidity or shallow bottom contamination. Similar results were obtained when only in situ data were used to evaluate algorithm performance. The excellent agreement between satellite-derived remote sensing reflectance (Rrs) and in situ Rrs suggested that

Characterization on Smart Optics Using Ellipsometry

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Song, Kyo D.

2002-01-01

Recently, NASA Langley Research Center developed a smart active optical concept to filter narrow band pass or to control optical intensity. To characterize developed smart optics materials, we have measured thickness and reflection properties of the materials using a WVASE32 ellipsometry. This project allowed us to: (1) prepare the smart optical materials for measurement of thickness and optical properties at NASA Langley Research Center; (2) measure thickness and optical properties of the smart optical materials; (3) evaluate the measured properties in terms of applications for narrow band-pass filters. The outcomes of this research provide optical properties and physical properties of the smart optics on a selected spectral range. The applications of this development were used for field-controlled spectral smart filters.

The Focusing Optics X-ray Solar Imager (FOXSI) sounding rocket, first flight

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Christe, Steven; Glesener, L.; Ishikawa, S.; Ramsey, B.; Takahashi, T.; Watanabe, S.; Saito, S.; Lin, R. P.; Krucker, S.

2013-07-01

Understanding electron acceleration in solar flares requires X-ray studies with greater sensitivity and dynamic range than are available with current solar hard X-ray observers (i.e. the RHESSI spacecraft). RHESSI employs an indirect Fourier imaging method that is intrinsically limited in dynamic range and therefore can rarely image faint coronal flare sources in the presence of bright footpoints. With greater sensitivity and dynamic range, electron acceleration sites in the corona could be studied in great detail. Both these capabilities can be advanced by the use of direct focusing optics. The recently flown Focusing Optics X-ray Solar Imager (FOXSI) sounding rocket payload demonstrates the feasibility and usefulness of hard X-ray focusing optics for observations of solar hard X-rays. FOXSI features grazing-incidence replicated nickel optics made by the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center and fine-pitch silicon strip detectors developed by the Astro-H team at JAXA/ISAS. FOXSI flew successfully on November 2, 2012, producing images and spectra of a microflare and performing a search for nonthermal emission (4-15 keV) from nanoflares in the quiet Sun. Nanoflares are a candidate for providing the required energy to heat the solar corona to its high temperature of a few million degrees. A future satellite version of FOXSI, featuring similar optics and detectors, could make detailed observations of hard X-rays from flare-accelerated electrons, identifying and characterizing particle acceleration sites and mapping out paths of energetic electrons as they leave these sites and propagate throughout the solar corona.Abstract (2,250 Maximum Characters): Understanding electron acceleration in solar flares requires X-ray studies with greater sensitivity and dynamic range than are available with current solar hard X-ray observers (i.e. the RHESSI spacecraft). RHESSI employs an indirect Fourier imaging method that is intrinsically limited in dynamic range and therefore can rarely image faint coronal flare sources in the presence of bright footpoints. With greater sensitivity and dynamic range, electron acceleration sites in the corona could be studied in great detail. Both these capabilities can be advanced by the use of direct focusing optics. The recently flown Focusing Optics X-ray Solar Imager (FOXSI) sounding rocket payload demonstrates the feasibility and usefulness of hard X-ray focusing optics for observations of solar hard X-rays. FOXSI features grazing-incidence replicated nickel optics made by the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center and fine-pitch silicon strip detectors developed by the Astro-H team at JAXA/ISAS. FOXSI flew successfully on November 2, 2012, producing images and spectra of a microflare and performing a search for nonthermal emission (4-15 keV) from nanoflares in the quiet Sun. Nanoflares are a candidate for providing the required energy to heat the solar corona to its high temperature of a few million degrees. A future satellite version of FOXSI, featuring similar optics and detectors, could make detailed observations of hard X-rays from flare-accelerated electrons, identifying and characterizing particle acceleration sites and mapping out paths of energetic electrons as they leave these sites and propagate throughout the solar corona.

Quasi-Monolithic Structures for Spaceflight Using Hydroxide-Catalysis Bonding

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Preston, Alix; Thorpe, J. Ira; Miner, Linda

2012-01-01

Future space-based missions will take measurements of the universe with unprecedented results. To do this, these missions will require materials and bonding techniques with ever-increasing stability in order to make their measurements. As an example, the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) will detect and observe gravitational waves in the 0.1 mHz to 1 Hz frequency range with strain sensitivities on the order of 10(exp -21) at its most sensitive frequency. To make these measurements, critical components such as the optical bench or telescope support structure, will need to have path-length stabilities of better than 1 pm/(square root)Hz. The baseline construction method for the LISA optical bench is to affix fused silica optical components to a Zerodur baseplate using hydroxide-catalysis bonding (HCB). HCB is a recently developed technique that allows the bonding of glasses, some metals, and silicon carbide with significant strength and stability with a bond thickness of less than a few micrometers. In addition, a wide range of surface profiles can be bonded using only a small amount of hydroxide solution. These characteristics make HCB ideal for adhering optical components in complex optical systems. In addition to being used to construct the LISA optical bench, the HCB technique shows great promise for constructing other structures such as hollow retroreflectors to be used for lunar laser ranging, or a visible nulling coronograph to be used for exo-planet detection. Here we present construction techniques that could be used to make an optical bench, hollow retroreflector, nulling coronograph, or other quasi-monolithic structures using HCB. In addition, we present dimensional stability results of an optical bench that was made using HCB, as well as HCB strength measurements.

What Do We Know about DOM Chemical Composition Based on Its Optical Properties?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aiken, G.

2016-02-01

Dissolved organic matter (DOM) optical measurements (UV-Vis light absorbance and fluorescence) provide useful information related to DOM composition and reactivity, and can serve as proxies for DOM concentration and the concentrations of some metals, such as mercury. While these measurements are useful for a range of objectives, they only measure aromatic molecules that absorb UV-Vis light and a smaller subset of these molecules that fluoresce. They provide no information about the substantial fraction of DOM that is non-chromophoric. Based on chromatographic fractionation on XAD resins, DOM optical properties measured on whole water samples strongly correlate with both the concentration and composition of the hydrophobic acid (HPOA) fraction of the DOM. In this presentation the results of DOM optical measurements, DOM fractionation analyses, and 13C-nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and ultrahigh-resolution mass spectrometry (FTICR_MS) of HPOA fractions obtained from a wide range a natural waters will be presented to examine the relationships between DOM optical properties and DOM chemical composition. The HPOA fractions within and between rivers exhibit a wide range of optical behaviors reflective of sources and transformations compared to other DOM fractions. While, 13C-NMR and FTICR-MS analyses generally show greater relative concentrations of aromatic molecules for those samples with strong optical signals, they also indicate that the HPOA fractions are mostly composed of a large number of non-chromophoric molecules, such as carbohydrates carboxyl-rich alicyclic molecules (CRAM), and other aliphatic molecules, all of which have implications regarding DOM reactivity, biolability, sources, and age. The utility and short-comings of employing optical data for assessing sources and transformations of DOM in natural waters will be examined using case studies involving organic matter in the Yukon River Basin and riverine export of DOM to the Gulf of Maine.

New prototype of acousto-optical radio-wave spectrometer with parallel frequency processing for astrophysical applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shcherbakov, Alexandre S.; Chavez Dagostino, Miguel; Arellanes, Adan O.; Aguirre Lopez, Arturo

2016-09-01

We develop a multi-band spectrometer with a few spatially parallel optical arms for the combined processing of their data flow. Such multi-band capability has various applications in astrophysical scenarios at different scales: from objects in the distant universe to planetary atmospheres in the Solar system. Each optical arm exhibits original performances to provide parallel multi-band observations with different scales simultaneously. Similar possibility is based on designing each optical arm individually via exploiting different materials for acousto-optical cells operating within various regimes, frequency ranges and light wavelengths from independent light sources. Individual beam shapers provide both the needed incident light polarization and the required apodization to increase the dynamic range of a system. After parallel acousto-optical processing, data flows are united by the joint CCD matrix on the stage of the combined electronic data processing. At the moment, the prototype combines still three bands, i.e. includes three spatial optical arms. The first low-frequency arm operates at the central frequencies 60-80 MHz with frequency bandwidth 40 MHz. The second arm is oriented to middle-frequencies 350-500 MHz with frequency bandwidth 200-300 MHz. The third arm is intended for ultra-high-frequency radio-wave signals about 1.0-1.5 GHz with frequency bandwidth <300 MHz. To-day, this spectrometer has the following preliminary performances. The first arm exhibits frequency resolution 20 KHz; while the second and third arms give the resolution 150-200 KHz. The numbers of resolvable spots are 1500- 2000 depending on the regime of operation. The fourth optical arm at the frequency range 3.5 GHz is currently under construction.

Innovative materials tailored for advanced micro-optic applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Himmelhuber, Roland; Fink, Marion; Pfeiffer, Karl; Ostrzinski, Ute; Klukowska, Anna; Gruetzner, Gabi; Houbertz, Ruth; Wolter, Herbert

2007-02-01

The handling of a continuously increasing amount of data leads to a strong need for high-speed short-range connections. Conventional Cu technology between chips on a board is limited. Optical interconnects will dominate the market, since they can overcome the limitations. One of the issues for materials used, e.g., for waveguides embedded in printed circuit boards (PCBs) is the compatibility with standard epoxies used for PCBs during the entire board fabrication process. Materials applied for optical interconnects should be mechanically and optically reliable, and also allow low-cost production. From the material production side, the process should be easy to up-scale. Therefore, anticipatory research strategy and suitable tailoring is asked for. The handling of light in the UV and visible range often requires the use of specially designed materials. Most polymer materials show an increased yellowing effect upon being exposed to shorter wavelength light. The major influence on the absorption in the UV and visible range of a UV curable material is related to the UV initiator, beside any other chromophores formed mainly during the exposure. Different material approaches will be presented which fulfil the requirements for highly sophisticated applications in optics / optical packaging technology. Firstly, an epoxy-based material system for optical chip-to-chip interconnection will be introduced. Secondly, the adaptation of a UV patternable inorganic-organic hybrid material (ORMOCER ®) originally developed for waveguide applications in the data and telecom regime, will be discussed with respect to applications in the visible regime. Spectroscopy and UV-DSC measurements were carried out to investigate the influence of standard photoinitiators on the optical properties for an ORMOCER ® system suitable for microoptic applications. The results show that the resulting material properties were significantly improved by exchange of the initiators compared to the originally incorporated one.

Novel optoelectronic devices; Proceedings of the Meeting, The Hague, Netherlands, Mar. 31-Apr. 2, 1987

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Adams, Michael J. (Editor)

1987-01-01

The present conference on novel optoelectronics discusses topics in the state-of-the-art in this field in the Netherlands, quantum wells, integrated optics, nonlinear optical devices and fiber-optic-based devices, ultrafast optics, and nonlinear optics and optical bistability. Attention is given to the production of fiber-optics for telecommunications by means of PCVD, lifetime broadening in quantum wells, nonlinear multiple quantum well waveguide devices, tunable single-wavelength lasers, an Si integrated waveguiding polarimeter, and an electrooptic light modulator using long-range surface plasmons. Also discussed are backward-wave couplers and reflectors, a wavelength-selective all-fiber switching matrix, the impact of ultrafast optics in high-speed electronics, the physics of low energy optical switching, and all-optical logical elements for optical processing.

Accurate mode characterization of two-mode optical fibers by in-fiber acousto-optics.

PubMed

Alcusa-Sáez, E; Díez, A; Andrés, M V

2016-03-07

Acousto-optic interaction in optical fibers is exploited for the accurate and broadband characterization of two-mode optical fibers. Coupling between LP 01 and LP 1m modes is produced in a broadband wavelength range. Difference in effective indices, group indices, and chromatic dispersions between the guided modes, are obtained from experimental measurements. Additionally, we show that the technique is suitable to investigate the fine modes structure of LP modes, and some other intriguing features related with modes' cut-off.

Smoke optical depths - Magnitude, variability, and wavelength dependence

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pueschel, R. F.; Russell, P. B.; Colburn, D. A.; Ackerman, T. P.; Allen, D. A.

1988-01-01

An airborne autotracking sun-photometer has been used to measure magnitudes, temporal/spatial variabilities, and the wavelength dependence of optical depths in the near-ultraviolet to near-infrared spectrum of smoke from two forest fires and one jet fuel fire and of background air. Jet fuel smoke optical depths were found to be generally less wavelength dependent than background aerosol optical depths. Forest fire smoke optical depths, however, showed a wide range of wavelength depedences, such as incidents of wavelength-independent extinction.

Optical fiber-based biosensors.

PubMed

Monk, David J; Walt, David R

2004-08-01

This review outlines optical fiber-based biosensor research from January 2001 through September 2003 and was written to complement the previous review in this journal by Marazuela and Moreno-Bondi. Optical fiber-based biosensors combine the use of a biological recognition element with an optical fiber or optical fiber bundle. They are classified by the nature of the biological recognition element used for sensing: enzyme, antibody/antigen (immunoassay), nucleic acid, whole cell, and biomimetic, and may be used for a variety of analytes ranging from metals and chemicals to physiological materials.

Distributed Optical Fiber Sensors Based on Optical Frequency Domain Reflectometry: A review

PubMed Central

Wang, Chenhuan; Liu, Kun; Jiang, Junfeng; Yang, Di; Pan, Guanyi; Pu, Zelin; Liu, Tiegen

2018-01-01

Distributed optical fiber sensors (DOFS) offer unprecedented features, the most unique one of which is the ability of monitoring variations of the physical and chemical parameters with spatial continuity along the fiber. Among all these distributed sensing techniques, optical frequency domain reflectometry (OFDR) has been given tremendous attention because of its high spatial resolution and large dynamic range. In addition, DOFS based on OFDR have been used to sense many parameters. In this review, we will survey the key technologies for improving sensing range, spatial resolution and sensing performance in DOFS based on OFDR. We also introduce the sensing mechanisms and the applications of DOFS based on OFDR including strain, stress, vibration, temperature, 3D shape, flow, refractive index, magnetic field, radiation, gas and so on. PMID:29614024

Programmable Extreme Chirality in the Visible by Helix-Shaped Metamaterial Platform.

PubMed

Esposito, Marco; Tasco, Vittorianna; Todisco, Francesco; Cuscunà, Massimo; Benedetti, Alessio; Scuderi, Mario; Nicotra, Giuseppe; Passaseo, Adriana

2016-09-14

The capability to fully control the chiro-optical properties of metamaterials in the visible range enables a number of applications from integrated photonics to life science. To achieve this goal, a simultaneous control over complex spatial and localized structuring as well as material composition at the nanoscale is required. Here, we demonstrate how circular dichroic bands and optical rotation can be effectively and independently tailored throughout the visible regime as a function of the fundamental meta-atoms properties and of their three dimensional architecture in a the helix-shaped metamaterials. The record chiro-optical effects obtained in the visible range are accompanied by an additional control over optical efficiency, even in the plasmonic context. These achievements pave the way toward fully integrated chiral photonic devices.

Distributed Optical Fiber Sensors Based on Optical Frequency Domain Reflectometry: A review.

PubMed

Ding, Zhenyang; Wang, Chenhuan; Liu, Kun; Jiang, Junfeng; Yang, Di; Pan, Guanyi; Pu, Zelin; Liu, Tiegen

2018-04-03

Distributed optical fiber sensors (DOFS) offer unprecedented features, the most unique one of which is the ability of monitoring variations of the physical and chemical parameters with spatial continuity along the fiber. Among all these distributed sensing techniques, optical frequency domain reflectometry (OFDR) has been given tremendous attention because of its high spatial resolution and large dynamic range. In addition, DOFS based on OFDR have been used to sense many parameters. In this review, we will survey the key technologies for improving sensing range, spatial resolution and sensing performance in DOFS based on OFDR. We also introduce the sensing mechanisms and the applications of DOFS based on OFDR including strain, stress, vibration, temperature, 3D shape, flow, refractive index, magnetic field, radiation, gas and so on.

Acousto-optic time- and space-integrating spotlight-mode SAR processor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Haney, Michael W.; Levy, James J.; Michael, Robert R., Jr.

1993-09-01

The technical approach and recent experimental results for the acousto-optic time- and space- integrating real-time SAR image formation processor program are reported. The concept overcomes the size and power consumption limitations of electronic approaches by using compact, rugged, and low-power analog optical signal processing techniques for the most computationally taxing portions of the SAR imaging problem. Flexibility and performance are maintained by the use of digital electronics for the critical low-complexity filter generation and output image processing functions. The results include a demonstration of the processor's ability to perform high-resolution spotlight-mode SAR imaging by simultaneously compensating for range migration and range/azimuth coupling in the analog optical domain, thereby avoiding a highly power-consuming digital interpolation or reformatting operation usually required in all-electronic approaches.

Influences of annealing temperature on sprayed CuFeO2 thin films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abdelwahab, H. M.; Ratep, A.; Abo Elsoud, A. M.; Boshta, M.; Osman, M. B. S.

2018-06-01

Delafossite CuFeO2 thin films were successfully prepared onto quartz substrates using simple spray pyrolysis technique. Post annealing under nitrogen atmosphere for 2 h was necessary to form delafossite CuFeO2 phase. The effect of alteration in annealing temperature (TA) 800, 850 and 900 °C was study on structural, morphology and optical properties. The XRD results for thin film annealed at TA = 850 °C show single phase CuFeO2 with rhombohedral crystal system and R 3 bar m space group with preferred orientation along (0 1 2). The prepared copper iron oxide thin films have an optical transmission ranged ∼40% in the visible region. The optical direct optical band gap of the prepared thin films was ranged ∼2.9 eV.

Analytical advantages of copolymeric microspheres for fluorimetric sensing - tuneable sensitivity sensors and titration agents.

PubMed

Stelmach, Emilia; Maksymiuk, Krzysztof; Michalska, Agata

2017-01-15

Analytical benefits related to application of copolymeric microspheres containing different number of carboxylic acid mers have been studied on example of acrylate copolymers. These structures can be used as a reagent in heterogeneous pH titration, benefiting from different number of reactive groups - i.e. different concentration of a titrant - within the series of copolymers. Thus introducing the same amount of different microspheres from a series to the sample, different amount of the titrant is introduced. Copolymeric microspheres also can be used as optical sensors - in this respect the increasing number of reactive groups in the series is useful to improve the analytical performance of microprobes - sensitivity of determination or/and response range. The increase in ion-permeability of the spheres with increasing number of reactive mers is advantageous. It is shown that for pH sensitive microspheres containing higher number of carboxyl groups the higher sensitivity for alkaline pH samples is observed for an indicator present in the beads. The significant increase of optical responses is related to enhanced ion transport within the microspheres. For zinc or potassium ions model sensors tested it was shown that by choice of pH conditions and type of microspheres from the series, the optical responses can be tuned - to enhance sensitivity for analyte concentration change as well as to change the response pattern from sigmoidal (higher sensitivity, narrow range) to linear (broader response range). For classical optode systems (e.g. microspheres containing an optical transducer - pH sensitive dye and optically silent ionophore - receptor) copolymeric microspheres containing carboxylic acid mers in their structure allow application of the sensor in alkaline pH range, which is usually inaccessible for applied optical transducer. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Satellite on-board real-time SAR processor prototype

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bergeron, Alain; Doucet, Michel; Harnisch, Bernd; Suess, Martin; Marchese, Linda; Bourqui, Pascal; Desnoyers, Nicholas; Legros, Mathieu; Guillot, Ludovic; Mercier, Luc; Châteauneuf, François

2017-11-01

A Compact Real-Time Optronic SAR Processor has been successfully developed and tested up to a Technology Readiness Level of 4 (TRL4), the breadboard validation in a laboratory environment. SAR, or Synthetic Aperture Radar, is an active system allowing day and night imaging independent of the cloud coverage of the planet. The SAR raw data is a set of complex data for range and azimuth, which cannot be compressed. Specifically, for planetary missions and unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) systems with limited communication data rates this is a clear disadvantage. SAR images are typically processed electronically applying dedicated Fourier transformations. This, however, can also be performed optically in real-time. Originally the first SAR images were optically processed. The optical Fourier processor architecture provides inherent parallel computing capabilities allowing real-time SAR data processing and thus the ability for compression and strongly reduced communication bandwidth requirements for the satellite. SAR signal return data are in general complex data. Both amplitude and phase must be combined optically in the SAR processor for each range and azimuth pixel. Amplitude and phase are generated by dedicated spatial light modulators and superimposed by an optical relay set-up. The spatial light modulators display the full complex raw data information over a two-dimensional format, one for the azimuth and one for the range. Since the entire signal history is displayed at once, the processor operates in parallel yielding real-time performances, i.e. without resulting bottleneck. Processing of both azimuth and range information is performed in a single pass. This paper focuses on the onboard capabilities of the compact optical SAR processor prototype that allows in-orbit processing of SAR images. Examples of processed ENVISAT ASAR images are presented. Various SAR processor parameters such as processing capabilities, image quality (point target analysis), weight and size are reviewed.

Multi-Instrument Manager Tool for Data Acquisition and Merging of Optical and Electrical Mobility Size Distributions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tritscher, Torsten; Koched, Amine; Han, Hee-Siew; Filimundi, Eric; Johnson, Tim; Elzey, Sherrie; Avenido, Aaron; Kykal, Carsten; Bischof, Oliver F.

2015-05-01

Electrical mobility classification (EC) followed by Condensation Particle Counter (CPC) detection is the technique combined in Scanning Mobility Particle Sizers(SMPS) to retrieve nanoparticle size distributions in the range from 2.5 nm to 1 μm. The detectable size range of SMPS systems can be extended by the addition of an Optical Particle Sizer(OPS) that covers larger sizes from 300 nm to 10 μm. This optical sizing method reports an optical equivalent diameter, which is often different from the electrical mobility diameter measured by the standard SMPS technique. Multi-Instrument Manager (MIMTM) software developed by TSI incorporates algorithms that facilitate merging SMPS data sets with data based on optical equivalent diameter to compile single, wide-range size distributions. Here we present MIM 2.0, the next-generation of the data merging tool that offers many advanced features for data merging and post-processing. MIM 2.0 allows direct data acquisition with OPS and NanoScan SMPS instruments to retrieve real-time particle size distributions from 10 nm to 10 μm, which we show in a case study at a fireplace. The merged data can be adjusted using one of the merging options, which automatically determines an overall aerosol effective refractive index. As a result an indirect and average characterization of aerosol optical and shape properties is possible. The merging tool allows several pre-settings, data averaging and adjustments, as well as the export of data sets and fitted graphs. MIM 2.0 also features several post-processing options for SMPS data and differences can be visualized in a multi-peak sample over a narrow size range.

Effect of shorter pulse duration in cochlear neural activation with an 810-nm near-infrared laser.

PubMed

Wang, Jingxuan; Tian, Lan; Lu, Jianren; Xia, Ming; Wei, Ying

2017-02-01

Optical neural stimulation in the cochlea has been presented as an alternative technique to the electrical stimulation due to its potential in spatially selectivity enhancement. So far, few studies have selected the near-infrared (NIR) laser in cochlear neural stimulation and limited optical parameter space has been examined. This paper focused on investigating the optical parameter effect on NIR stimulation of auditory neurons, especially under shorter pulse durations. The spiral ganglion neurons in the cochlea of deafened guinea pigs were stimulated with a pulsed 810-nm NIR laser in vivo. The laser radiation was delivered by an optical fiber and irradiated towards the modiolus. Optically evoked auditory brainstem responses (OABRs) with various optical parameters were recorded and investigated. The OABRs could be elicited with the cochlear deafened animals by using the 810-nm laser in a wide pulse duration ranged from 20 to 1000 μs. Results showed that the OABR intensity increased along with the increasing laser radiant exposure of limited range at each specific pulse duration. In addition, for the pulse durations from 20 to 300 μs, the OABR intensity increased monotonically along with the pulse duration broadening. While for pulse durations above 300 μs, the OABR intensity basically kept stable with the increasing pulse duration. The 810-nm NIR laser could be an effective stimulus in evoking the cochlear neuron response. Our experimental data provided evidence to optimize the pulse duration range, and the results suggested that the pulse durations from 20 to 300 μs could be the optimized range in cochlear neural activation with the 810-nm-wavelength laser.

Tutorial: Terahertz beamforming, from concepts to realizations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Headland, Daniel; Monnai, Yasuaki; Abbott, Derek; Fumeaux, Christophe; Withayachumnankul, Withawat

2018-05-01

The terahertz range possesses significant untapped potential for applications including high-volume wireless communications, noninvasive medical imaging, sensing, and safe security screening. However, due to the unique characteristics and constraints of terahertz waves, the vast majority of these applications are entirely dependent upon the availability of beam control techniques. Thus, the development of advanced terahertz-range beam control techniques yields a range of useful and unparalleled applications. This article provides an overview and tutorial on terahertz beam control. The underlying principles of wavefront engineering include array antenna theory and diffraction optics, which are drawn from the neighboring microwave and optical regimes, respectively. As both principles are applicable across the electromagnetic spectrum, they are reconciled in this overview. This provides a useful foundation for investigations into beam control in the terahertz range, which lies between microwaves and infrared light. Thereafter, noteworthy experimental demonstrations of beam control in the terahertz range are discussed, and these include geometric optics, phased array devices, leaky-wave antennas, reflectarrays, and transmitarrays. These techniques are compared and contrasted for their suitability in applications of terahertz waves.

Analog signal processing for optical coherence imaging systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Wei

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) and optical coherence microscopy (OCM) are non-invasive optical coherence imaging techniques, which enable micron-scale resolution, depth resolved imaging capability. Both OCT and OCM are based on Michelson interferometer theory. They are widely used in ophthalmology, gastroenterology and dermatology, because of their high resolution, safety and low cost. OCT creates cross sectional images whereas OCM obtains en face images. In this dissertation, the design and development of three increasingly complicated analog signal processing (ASP) solutions for optical coherence imaging are presented. The first ASP solution was implemented for a time domain OCT system with a Rapid Scanning Optical Delay line (RSOD)-based optical signal modulation and logarithmic amplifier (Log amp) based demodulation. This OCT system can acquire up to 1600 A-scans per second. The measured dynamic range is 106dB at 200A-scan per second. This OCT signal processing electronics includes an off-the-shelf filter box with a Log amp circuit implemented on a PCB board. The second ASP solution was developed for an OCM system with synchronized modulation and demodulation and compensation for interferometer phase drift. This OCM acquired micron-scale resolution, high dynamic range images at acquisition speeds up to 45,000 pixels/second. This OCM ASP solution is fully custom designed on a perforated circuit board. The third ASP solution was implemented on a single 2.2 mm x 2.2 mm complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) chip. This design is expandable to a multiple channel OCT system. A single on-chip CMOS photodetector and ASP channel was used for coherent demodulation in a time domain OCT system. Cross-sectional images were acquired with a dynamic range of 76dB (limited by photodetector responsivity). When incorporated with a bump-bonded InGaAs photodiode with higher responsivity, the expected dynamic range is close to 100dB.

Techniques for optically compressing light intensity ranges

DOEpatents

Rushford, Michael C.

1989-01-01

A pin hole camera assembly for use in viewing an object having a relatively large light intensity range, for example a crucible containing molten uranium in an atomic vapor laser isotope separator (AVLIS) system is disclosed herein. The assembly includes means for optically compressing the light intensity range appearing at its input sufficient to make it receivable and decipherable by a standard video camera. A number of different means for compressing the intensity range are disclosed. These include the use of photogray glass, the use of a pair of interference filters, and the utilization of a new liquid crystal notch filter in combination with an interference filter.

Techniques for optically compressing light intensity ranges

DOEpatents

Rushford, M.C.

1989-03-28

A pin hole camera assembly for use in viewing an object having a relatively large light intensity range, for example a crucible containing molten uranium in an atomic vapor laser isotope separator (AVLIS) system is disclosed herein. The assembly includes means for optically compressing the light intensity range appearing at its input sufficient to make it receivable and decipherable by a standard video camera. A number of different means for compressing the intensity range are disclosed. These include the use of photogray glass, the use of a pair of interference filters, and the utilization of a new liquid crystal notch filter in combination with an interference filter. 18 figs.

3-D Index Distribution for Generalized Optical Measurement

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-12-01

AFRL-RY-WP-TR-2016-0179 3-D INDEX DISTRIBUTION FOR GENERALIZED OPTICAL MEASUREMENT Mark Neifeld University of Arizona...DISTRIBUTION FOR GENERALIZED OPTICAL MEASUREMENT 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER FA8650-14-1-7408 5b. GRANT NUMBER 5c. PROGRAM ELEMENT NUMBER 69199E Mark...Clearance Date7 December 2016.Report contains color. 14. ABSTRACT Optical measurement is central to a wide range of military and commercial applications

Optical distance measurement device and method thereof

DOEpatents

Bowers, Mark W.

2003-05-27

A system and method of efficiently obtaining distance measurements of a target. A modulated optical beam may be used to determine the distance to the target. A first beam splitter may be used to split the optical beam and a second beam splitter may be used to recombine a reference beam with a return ranging beam. An optical mixing detector may be used in a receiver to efficiently detect distance measurement information.

Coupling Photonics and Coherent Spintronics for Low-Loss Flexible Optical Logic

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-12-02

AFRL-AFOSR-VA-TR-2016-0055 Coupling photonics and coherent spintronics for low-loss flexible optical logic Jesse Berezovsky CASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIV...2012 - 14/06/2015 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE Coupling photonics and coherent spintronics for low-loss flexible optical logic 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER 5b...into devices, ranging from macroscopic optical cavities, to arrays of microlens cavities, to quantum dot-impregnated integrated polymer waveguides

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Grantham, K; Santanam, L; Goddu, S

Purpose: We retrospectively evaluate the dosimetric impact of a 3.5% range uncertainty on CTV coverage and normal organ toxicity for a cohort of brain patients. Methods: Twenty treatment plans involving 20 brain cancer patients treated with Mevions S250 were reviewed. Forty uncertain plans were made by changing the ranges in original plans by ±3.5% while keeping all devices unchanged. Fidelity to the original plans was evaluated with gamma index. Changes in generalized equivalent uniform dose (gEUD) were reported for the following structures: CTV coverage, brainstem, optic chiasm, and optic nerves. Comparisons were made by plotting the relevant endpoints from themore » uncertain plans as a function of the same endpoints from the original clinical plan. Results: Gamma-index analysis resulted in a 50% pass rate of the uncertain plans using a 90% passing rate and 3%/3mm criterion. A 9.5% decrease in the slope of gEUD plot for the CTV was observed for the 3.5% downward range shift. However, the change in slope did not result in a gEUD change greater than 1.1% for the CTV. The slopes of the gEUD plots for normal structures increased by 3.1% 3.9% 2.4% and 0.2% for the chiasm, brainstem, left optic nerve and right optic nerve respectively. The maximum deviation from the gEUD of the clinical plan for normal structures was: 64% in the chiasm, 31% for the brainstem, and 19% for both optic nerves. Conclusion: A retrospective review shows moderate radiobiological impact of range uncertainty in passively scattered proton therapy with sporadic catastrophe. The linear regression analysis on the statistical data indicates a systematic deviation of gEUD from treatment planning in the light of range uncertainty.« less

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Battum, LJ van; Heukelom, S

Purpose This study investigates the origin of lateral optical density (OD) variation for Gafchromic film (EBT and EBT2) scanned in transmission mode with Epson flatbed scanners (1680 Expression Pro and 10000XL). Effects investigated are: cross talk, optical path length and polarization. Methods Cross talk has been examined with triangular shaped light-transmission sheets with OD ranging from 0 to opaque. Optical path length has been studied with absorptive and reflective OD-filters (OD range 0.2 to 2.0). Dependency on light-polarization on the scanner read out has been investigated using linear polarizer sheets. All experiments have been performed at centre scanner position (normmore » point) and at several lateral scan positions, without and with (un)irradiated EBT-film. Dose values used ranged between 0.2 to 9 Gy, yielding an OD-range between 0.25 to 1.1. Results The lateral OD variation is dose dependent and increases up to 14% at most lateral position for dose up to 9 Gy. Cross talk effect contributes to 0.5% in clinical used OD ranges but equals 2% for extreme high dose gradients. Film induced optical path length will effect the lateral OD variation up to 3% at most lateral points. Light polarization is inherent present in these scanners due to multiple reflection on mirrors. In addition film induced polarization is the most important effect generating the observed lateral OD variation. Both Gafchromic film base and sensitive layer have polarizing capabilities; for the sensitive layer its influence is dose dependent. Conclusions Lateral OD variation origins from optical physics (i.e. polarization and reflection) related to scanner and film construction. Cross talk can be ignored in film dosimetry for clinical used dose values and gradients. Therefore it is recommended to determine the lateral OD variation per film type and scanner.« less

Absorbing and scattering aerosols over the source region of biomass burning emissions: Implications in the assessment of optical and radiative properties

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Singh, Atinderpal; Srivastava, Rohit; Rastogi, Neeraj; Singh, Darshan

2016-02-01

The current study focuses on the assessment of model simulated optical and radiative properties of aerosols incorporating the measured chemical composition of aerosol samples collected at Patiala during October, 2011-February, 2012. Monthly average mass concentration of PM2.5, elemental carbon (EC), primary organic carbon (POC), water-soluble (WS) and insoluble (INS) aerosols ranged from 120 to 192, 6.2 to 7.2, 20 to 39, 59 to 111 and 35 to 90 μg m-3, respectively. Mass concentration of different components of aerosols was further used for the assessment of optical properties derived from Optical Properties of Aerosols and Clouds (OPAC) model simulations. Microtops based measured aerosol optical depth (AOD500) ranged from 0.47 to 0.62 showing maximum value during November and December, and minimum during February. Ångström exponent (α380-870) remained high (>0.90) throughout the study period except in February (0.74), suggesting predominance of fine mode particles over the study region. The observed ratio of scattering to absorbing aerosols was incorporated in OPAC model simulations and single scattering albedo (SSA at 500 nm) so obtained ranged between 0.80 and 0.92 with relatively low values during the period of extensive biomass burning. In the present study, SBDART based estimated values of aerosol radiative forcing (ARF) at the surface (SRF) and top of the atmosphere (TOA) ranged from -31 to -66 Wm-2 and -2 to -18 W m-2 respectively. The atmospheric ARF, ranged between + 18 and + 58 Wm-2 resulting in the atmospheric heating rate between 0.5 and 1.6 K day-1. These results signify the role of scattering and absorbing aerosols in affecting the magnitude of aerosol forcing.

Prototyping of MWIR MEMS-based optical filter combined with HgCdTe detector

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kozak, Dmitry A.; Fernandez, Bautista; Velicu, Silviu; Kubby, Joel

2010-02-01

In the past decades, there have been several attempts to create a tunable optical detector with operation in the infrared. The drive for creating such a filter is its wide range of applications, from passive night vision to biological and chemical sensors. Such a device would combine a tunable optical filter with a wide-range detector. In this work, we propose using a Fabry-Perot interferometer centered in the mid-wave infrared (MWIR) spectrum with an HgCdTe detector. Using a MEMS-based interferometer with an integrated Bragg stack will allow in-plane operation over a wide range. Because such devices have a tendency to warp, creating less-than-perfect optical surfaces, the Fabry-Perot interferometer is prototyped using the SOI-MUMPS process to ensure desirable operation. The mechanical design is aimed at optimal optical flatness of the moving membranes and a low operating voltage. The prototype is tested for these requirements. An HgCdTe detector provides greater performance than a pyroelectic detector used in some previous work, allowing for lower noise, greater detection speed and higher sensitivity. Both a custom HgCdTe detector and commercially available pyroelectric detector are tested with commercial optical filter. In previous work, monolithic integration of HgCdTe detectors with optical filters proved to be problematic. Part of this work investigates the best approach to combining these two components, either monolithically in HgCdTe or using a hybrid packaging approach where a silicon MEMS Fabry-Perot filter is bonded at low temperature to a HgCdTe detector.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Novotny, Lukas

The seventh conference in the NFO conference series, held here in Rochester, provided to be the principal forum for advances in sub-wavelength optics, near-field optical microscopy, local field enhancement, instrumental developments and the ever-increasing range of applications. This conference brought together the diverse scientific communities working on the theory and application of near-field optics (NFO) and related techniques.

Temporal-contrast measurements of a white-light-seeded noncollinear optical parametric amplifier

DOE PAGES

Bromage, J.; Dorrer, C.; Zuegel, J. D.

2015-09-01

Ultra-intense optical parametric chirped-pulse systems require front ends with broad bandwidth and high temporal contrast. Temporal cross-correlation measurements of a white-light–seeded noncollinear optical parametric amplifier (NOPA) show that its prepulse contrast exceeds the 120 dB dynamic range of the broadband NOPA-based cross-correlator.

Development and applications of optical interferometric micrometrology in the Angstrom and subangstrom range

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lauer, James L.; Abel, Phillip B.

1988-01-01

The characteristics of the scanning tunneling microscope and atomic force microscope (AFM) are briefly reviewed, and optical methods, mainly interferometry, of sufficient resolution to measure AFM deflections are discussed. The methods include optical resonators, laser interferometry, multiple-beam interferometry, and evanescent wave detection. Experimental results using AFM are reviewed.

Materials for Digital Optical Design:. a Survey Study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ismail, Ayman Abdel Khader; Ismail, Imane Aly Saroit; Ahmed, S. H.

2010-04-01

In the last few years digital optical design had major attention in research fields. Many researches were published in the fields of optical materials, instruments, circuit design and devices. This is considered to be the most multidisciplinary field and requires for its success collaborative efforts of many disciplines, ranging from device and optical engineers to computer architects, chemists, material scientists, and optical physicists. In this study we will introduce a survey of the latest papers in the field of optical materials and its properties for light; this paper is organized in three major sections, optical glasses, compound materials and nonlinear absorption (multi photon absorption) and up-conversion.

Optical caliper with compensation for specimen deflection and method

DOEpatents

Bernacki, B.E.

1997-12-09

An optical non-contact profilometry system and method provided by an optical caliper with matched optical sensors that are arranged conjugate to each other so that the surface profile and thickness of an article can be measured without using a fixed reference surface and while permitting the article to deflect in space within the acquisition range of the optical sensors. The output signals from the two optical sensors are algebraically added to compensate for any such deflection of the article and provide a so compensated signal, the balance and sign of which provides a measurement of the actual thickness of the article at the optical sensors. 2 figs.

Design and manufacture of optical system for use in ultraviolet lithography with the free-electron laser

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Byrd, Donald A.; Viswanathan, Vriddhachalam K.; Woodfin, Gregg L.; Horn, William W.; Lazazzera, Vito J.; Schmell, Rodney A.

1993-08-01

At Los Alamos National Laboratory, we are preparing to image submicrometer-size features using the Free Electron Laser (FEL) operating at 248 nm. This article describes the optical transfer systems that were designed to relay the ultraviolet (UV) optical output of the FEL, resulting in expected imaged feature sizes in the range 0.3 - 0.5 micrometers . Nearly all optical subsystems are reflective, and once the coatings were optimized any optical wavelength could be used. All refractive optics were UV-grade fused silica. The optical design, engineering, and manufacture of the various component systems are described along with some experimental results.

An Experimental Study of Ultra-Wide-Band and Ultra-Wide-Aperture Non-Collinear Acousto-Optic Diffraction in an Optically Biaxial Potassium Arsenate Titanyl Crystal

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Milkov, M. G.; Voloshinov, V. B.; Isaenko, L. I.; Vedenyapin, V. N.

2018-01-01

Acousto-optic interaction in an optically biaxial crystalline medium under propagation of light close to one of the optical axes of a potassium arsenate titanyl KTiOAsO4 crystal has been studied. The experimental dependences of the intensity of a diffracted optical beam on the angle of light incidence on an ultrasonic wave have been obtained. It has been shown that a flat cut of a wave-vector surface provides development of an ultra-wide-aperture and ultra-wide-band acousto-optic deflector to control radiation in the visible and infrared electromagnetic spectral ranges.

Optical caliper with compensation for specimen deflection and method

DOEpatents

Bernacki, Bruce E.

1997-01-01

An optical non-contact profilometry system and method provided by an optical caliper with matched optical sensors that are arranged conjugate to each other so that the surface profile and thickness of an article can be measured without using a fixed reference surface and while permitting the article to deflect in space within the acquisition range of the optical sensors. The output signals from the two optical sensors are algebraically added to compensate for any such deflection of the article and provide a so compensated signal, the balance and sign of which provides a measurement of the actual thickness of the article at the optical sensors.

Detection of wavelengths in the visible range using fiber optic sensors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Díaz, Leonardo; Morales, Yailteh; Mattos, Lorenzo; Torres, Cesar O.

2013-11-01

This paper shows the design and implementation of a fiber optic sensor for detecting and identifying wavelengths in the visible range. The system consists of a diffuse optical fiber, a conventional laser diode 650nm, 2.5mW of power, an ambient light sensor LX1972, a PIC 18F2550 and LCD screen for viewing. The principle used in the detection of the lambda is based on specular reflection and absorption. The optoelectronic device designed and built used the absorption and reflection properties of the material under study, having as active optical medium a bifurcated optical fiber, which is optically coupled to an ambient light sensor, which makes the conversion of light signals to electricas, procedure performed by a microcontroller, which acquires and processes the signal. To verify correct operation of the assembly were utilized the color cards of sewing thread and nail polish as samples for analysis. This optoelectronic device can be used in many applications such as quality control of industrial processes, classification of corks or bottle caps, color quality of textiles, sugar solutions, polymers and food among others.

Acousto-optic RF signal acquisition system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bloxham, Laurence H.

1990-09-01

This paper describes the architecture and performance of a prototype Acousto-Optic RF Signal Acquisition System designed to intercept, automatically identify, and track communication signals in the VHF band. The system covers 28.0 to 92.0 MHz with five manually selectable, dual conversion; 12.8 MHZ bandwidth front ends. An acousto-optic spectrum analyzer (AOSA) implemented using a tellurium dioxide (Te02) Bragg cell is used to channelize the 12.8 MHz pass band into 512 25 KHz channels. Polarization switching is used to suppress optical noise. Excellent isolation and dynamic range are achieved by using a linear array of 512 custom 40/50 micron fiber optic cables to collect the light at the focal plane of the AOSA and route the light to individual photodetectors. The photodetectors are operated in the photovoltaic mode to compress the greater than 60 dB input optical dynamic range into an easily processed electrical signal. The 512 signals are multiplexed and processed as a line in a video image by a customized digital image processing system. The image processor simultaneously analyzes the channelized signal data and produces a classical waterfall display.

High efficiency solar cells combining a perovskite and a silicon heterojunction solar cells via an optical splitting system

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Uzu, Hisashi, E-mail: Hisashi.Uzu@kaneka.co.jp, E-mail: npark@skku.edu; Ichikawa, Mitsuru; Hino, Masashi

2015-01-05

We have applied an optical splitting system in order to achieve very high conversion efficiency for a full spectrum multi-junction solar cell. This system consists of multiple solar cells with different band gap optically coupled via an “optical splitter.” An optical splitter is a multi-layered beam splitter with very high reflection in the shorter-wave-length range and very high transmission in the longer-wave-length range. By splitting the incident solar spectrum and distributing it to each solar cell, the solar energy can be managed more efficiently. We have fabricated optical splitters and used them with a wide-gap amorphous silicon (a-Si) solar cellmore » or a CH{sub 3}NH{sub 3}PbI{sub 3} perovskite solar cell as top cells, combined with mono-crystalline silicon heterojunction (HJ) solar cells as bottom cells. We have achieved with a 550 nm cutoff splitter an active area conversion efficiency of over 25% using a-Si and HJ solar cells and 28% using perovskite and HJ solar cells.« less

Impacts of underwater turbulence on acoustical and optical signals and their linkage.

PubMed

Hou, Weilin; Jarosz, Ewa; Woods, Sarah; Goode, Wesley; Weidemann, Alan

2013-02-25

Acoustical and optical signal transmission underwater is of vital interest for both civilian and military applications. The range and signal to noise during the transmission, as a function of system and water optical properties, in terms of absorption and scattering, determines the effectiveness of deployed electro-optical (EO) technology. The impacts from turbulence have been demonstrated to affect system performance comparable to those from particles by recent studies. This paper examines the impacts from underwater turbulence on both acoustic scattering and EO imaging degradation, and establishes a framework that can be used to correlate these. It is hypothesized here that underwater turbulence would influence the acoustic scattering cross section and the optical turbulence intensity coefficient in a similar manner. Data from a recent field campaign, Skaneateles Optical Turbulence Exercise (SOTEX, July, 2010) is used to examine the above relationship. Results presented here show strong correlation between the acoustic scattering cross-sections and the intensity coefficient related to the modulation transfer function of an EO imaging system. This significant finding will pave ways to utilize long range acoustical returns to predict EO system performance.

2.5 Gbit/s Optical Receiver Front-End Circuit with High Sensitivity and Wide Dynamic Range

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhu, Tiezhu; Mo, Taishan; Ye, Tianchun

2017-12-01

An optical receiver front-end circuit is designed for passive optical network and fabricated in a 0.18 um CMOS technology. The whole circuit consists of a transimpedance amplifier (TIA), a single-ended to differential amplifier and an output driver. The TIA employs a cascode stage as the input stage and auxiliary amplifier to reduce the miller effect. Current injecting technique is employed to enlarge the input transistor's transconductance, optimize the noise performance and overcome the lack of voltage headroom. To achieve a wide dynamic range, an automatic gain control circuit with self-adaptive function is proposed. Experiment results show an optical sensitivity of -28 dBm for a bit error rate of 10-10 at 2.5 Gbit/s and a maxim input optical power of 2 dBm using an external photodiode. The chip occupies an area of 1×0.9 mm2 and consumes around 30 mW from single 1.8 V supply. The front-end circuit can be used in various optical receivers.

Suppression of spin and optical gaps in phosphorene quantum dots

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Yingjie; Sheng, Weidong

2018-05-01

Electronic structure and optical properties of triangular phosphorene quantum dots have been investigated theoretically. Based on systematic configuration interaction calculations, the ground and excited states of the interacting many-electron system together with its optical absorption spectrum are obtained. For the nanodot with 60 phosphorus atoms in various dielectric environments, it is found that the spin gap of the correlated system surprisingly overlaps its optical gap over a large range of the effective dielectric constant. The overlapping of the spin and optical gaps can be attributed to the fact that the extra correlation energy in the spin singlet almost compensates the exchange energy in the spin triplet in the presence of strong long-range electron-electron interactions. Moreover, both the spin and optical gaps are shown to be greatly suppressed as the screening effect becomes strong. When the dielectric constant decreases below 2.65, it is seen that the spin gap becomes negative and the quantum dot undergoes a phase transition from nonmagnetic to ferromagnetic. Our results are compared with the previous experimental and theoretical works.

Random fluctuations of optical signal path delay in the atmosphere

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kral, L.; Prochazka, I.; Hamal, K.

2006-09-01

Atmospheric turbulence induces random delay fluctuations to any optical signal transmitted through the air. These fluctuations can influence for example the measurement precision of laser rangefinders. We have found an appropriate theoretical model based on geometrical optics that allows us to predict the amplitude of the random delay fluctuations for different observing conditions. We have successfully proved the applicability of this model by a series of experiments, directly determining the amplitude of the turbulence-induced pulse delay fluctuations by analysis of a high precision laser ranging data. Moreover, we have also shown that a standard theoretical approach based on diffractive propagation of light through inhomogeneous media and implemented using the GLAD software is not suitable for modeling of the optical signal delay fluctuations caused by the atmosphere. These models based on diffractive propagation predict the turbulence-induced optical path length fluctuations of the order of micrometers, whereas the fluctuations predicted by the geometrical optics model (in agreement with our experimental data) are generally larger by two orders of magnitude, i.e. in the submillimeter range. The reason of this discrepancy is a subject to discussion.

Interferometric system based on swept source-optical coherence tomography scheme applied to the measurement of distances of industrial interest

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Morel, Eneas N.; Russo, Nélida A.; Torga, Jorge R.; Duchowicz, Ricardo

2016-01-01

We used an interferometric technique based on typical optical coherence tomography (OCT) schemes for measuring distances of industrial interest. The system employed as a light source a tunable erbium-doped fiber laser of ˜20-pm bandwidth with a tuning range between 1520 and 1570 nm. It has a sufficiently long coherence length to enable long depth range imaging. A set of fiber Bragg gratings was used as a self-calibration method, which has the advantage of being a passive system that requires no additional electronic devices. The proposed configuration and the coherence length of the laser enlarge the range of maximum distances that can be measured with the common OCT configuration, maintaining a good axial resolution. A measuring range slightly >17 cm was determined. The system performance was evaluated by studying the repeatability and axial resolution of the results when the same optical path difference was measured. Additionally, the thickness of a semitransparent medium was also measured.

Integrated communications and optical navigation system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mueller, J.; Pajer, G.; Paluszek, M.

2013-12-01

The Integrated Communications and Optical Navigation System (ICONS) is a flexible navigation system for spacecraft that does not require global positioning system (GPS) measurements. The navigation solution is computed using an Unscented Kalman Filter (UKF) that can accept any combination of range, range-rate, planet chord width, landmark, and angle measurements using any celestial object. Both absolute and relative orbit determination is supported. The UKF employs a full nonlinear dynamical model of the orbit including gravity models and disturbance models. The ICONS package also includes attitude determination algorithms using the UKF algorithm with the Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU). The IMU is used as the dynamical base for the attitude determination algorithms. This makes the sensor a more capable plug-in replacement for a star tracker, thus reducing the integration and test cost of adding this sensor to a spacecraft. Recent additions include an integrated optical communications system which adds communications, and integrated range and range rate measurement and timing. The paper includes test results from trajectories based on the NASA New Horizons spacecraft.

Transmission Spectra of HgTe-Based Quantum Wells and Films in the Far-Infrared Range

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Savchenko, M. L.; Vasil'ev, N. N.; Yaroshevich, A. S.; Kozlov, D. A.; Kvon, Z. D.; Mikhailov, N. N.; Dvoretskii, S. A.

2018-04-01

Strained 80-nm-thick HgTe films belong to a new class of materials referred to as three-dimensional topological insulators (i.e., they have a bulk band gap and spin-nondegenerate surface states). Though there are a number of studies devoted to analysis of the properties of surface states using both transport and magnetooptical techniques in the THz range, the information about direct optical transitions between bulk and surface bands in these systems has not been reported. This study is devoted to the analysis of transmission and reflection spectra of HgTe films of different thicknesses in the far-infrared range recorded in a wide temperature range in order to detect the above interband transitions. A peculiarity at 15 meV, which is sensitive to a change in the temperature, is observed in spectra of both types. Detailed analysis of the data obtained revealed that this feature is related to absorption by HgTe optical phonons, while the interband optical transitions are suppressed.

Large depth of focus dynamic micro integral imaging for optical see-through augmented reality display using a focus-tunable lens.

PubMed

Shen, Xin; Javidi, Bahram

2018-03-01

We have developed a three-dimensional (3D) dynamic integral-imaging (InIm)-system-based optical see-through augmented reality display with enhanced depth range of a 3D augmented image. A focus-tunable lens is adopted in the 3D display unit to relay the elemental images with various positions to the micro lens array. Based on resolution priority integral imaging, multiple lenslet image planes are generated to enhance the depth range of the 3D image. The depth range is further increased by utilizing both the real and virtual 3D imaging fields. The 3D reconstructed image and the real-world scene are overlaid using an optical see-through display for augmented reality. The proposed system can significantly enhance the depth range of a 3D reconstructed image with high image quality in the micro InIm unit. This approach provides enhanced functionality for augmented information and adjusts the vergence-accommodation conflict of a traditional augmented reality display.

Satellite measurements of large-scale air pollution - Measurements of forest fire smoke

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ferrare, Richard A.; Kaufman, Yoram J.; Fraser, Robert S.

1990-01-01

The transport, optical properties, total mass, and removal of smoke produced by forest fires in western Canada during late July and early August 1982 are studied using NOAA 7 AVHRR data. Color composite imagery is produced to track the movement of the smoke over Canada and the U.S. as the smoke traveled thousands of km from the source region. Smoke optical thickness, particle size, and single scattering albedo are computed using radiances measured by AVHRR bands 1 and 2. Results show that smoke optical thickness ranged from less that 0.1 to greater than 3.7 and the geometric mean mass radii ranged from 300 to 900 nm. The smoke single scattering albedo ranged from 0.9 to nearly 1.0. The total smoke mass over the eastern U.S. ranged from 0.1 to 0.5 Tg, which is close to the 0.5 Tg estimated from the forest fuel content. The smoke lifetime is estimated to be between 15 and 20 days.

Synthesis and optical properties of antimony oxide glasses doped with holmium trioxide

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Raghunatha, S.; Eraiah, B., E-mail: eraiah@rediffmail.com

2016-05-06

Holmium doped lithium-antimony-lead borate glasses having 1 mol% AgNO{sub 3} with composition 50B{sub 2}O{sub 3}-20PbO-25Sb{sub 2}O{sub 3}-5Li{sub 2}O have been prepared using single step melt quenching technique. The XRD spectrum confirms amorphous nature of glasses. The optical absorbance studies were carried out on these glasses. The optical direct band gap energies were found to be in the range of 3.10 eV to 3.31 eV and indirect band gap energies were found to be in the range of 2.28 eV to 3.00 eV. The refractive indexes have been calculated by using Lorentz-Lorenz formula and the calculated values in the range ofmore » 2.31 to 2.37.« less

Measuring finite-range phase coherence in an optical lattice using Talbot interferometry

PubMed Central

Santra, Bodhaditya; Baals, Christian; Labouvie, Ralf; Bhattacherjee, Aranya B.; Pelster, Axel; Ott, Herwig

2017-01-01

One of the important goals of present research is to control and manipulate coherence in a broad variety of systems, such as semiconductor spintronics, biological photosynthetic systems, superconducting qubits and complex atomic networks. Over the past decades, interferometry of atoms and molecules has proven to be a powerful tool to explore coherence. Here we demonstrate a near-field interferometer based on the Talbot effect, which allows us to measure finite-range phase coherence of ultracold atoms in an optical lattice. We apply this interferometer to study the build-up of phase coherence after a quantum quench of a Bose–Einstein condensate residing in a one-dimensional optical lattice. Our technique of measuring finite-range phase coherence is generic, easy to adopt and can be applied in practically all lattice experiments without further modifications. PMID:28580941

Contribution to a bio-optical model for remote sensing of Lena River water

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Örek, H.; Doerffer, R.; Röttgers, R.; Boersma, M.; Wiltshire, K. H.

2013-11-01

Bio-optical measurements and sampling were carried out in the delta of the Lena River (northern Siberia, Russia) between 26 June and 4 July 2011. The aim of this study was to determine the inherent optical properties of the Lena water, i.e., absorption, attenuation, and scattering coefficients, during the period of maximum runoff. This aimed to contribute to the development of a bio-optical model for use as the basis for optical remote sensing of coastal water of the Arctic. In this context the absorption by CDOM (colored dissolved organic matter) and particles, and the concentrations of total suspended matter, phytoplankton-pigments, and carbon were measured. CDOM was found to be the most dominant parameter affecting the optical properties of the river, with an absorption coefficient of 4.5-5 m-1 at 442 nm, which was almost four times higher than total particle absorption values at visible wavelength range. The wavelenght-dependence of absorption of the different water constituents was chracterized by determining the semi logarithmic spectral slope. Mean CDOM, and detritus slopes were 0.0149 nm-1(standard deviation (stdev) = 0.0003, n = 18), and 0.0057 nm-1 (stdev = 0.0017, n = 19), respectively, values which are typical for water bodies with high concentrations of dissolved and particulate carbon. Mean chlorophyll a and total suspended matter were 1.8 mg m-3 (stdev = 0.734 n = 18) and 31.9 g m-3 (stdev = 19.94, n = 27), respectively. DOC (dissolved organic carbon) was in the range 8-10 g m-3 and the total particulate carbon (PC) in the range 0.25-1.5 g m-3. The light penetration depth (Secchi disc depth) was in the range 30-90 cm and was highly correlated with the suspended matter concentration. The period of maximum river runoff in June was chosen to obtain bio-optical data when maximum water constituents are transported into the Laptev Sea. However, we are aware that more data from other seasons and other years need to be collected to establish a general bio-optical model of the Lena water and conclusively characterize the light climate with respect to primary production.

Optical technologies for the Internet of Things era

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ji, Philip N.

2017-08-01

Internet of Things (IoT) is a network of interrelated physical objects that can collect and exchange data with one another through embedded electronics, software, sensors, over the Internet. It extends Internet connectivity beyond traditional networking devices to a diverse range of physical devices and everyday things that utilize embedded technologies to communicate and interact with the external environment. The IoT brings automation and efficiency improvement to everyday life, business, and society. Therefore IoT applications and market are growing rapidly. Contrary to common belief that IoT is only related to wireless technology, optical technologies actually play important roles in the growth of IoT and contribute to its advancement. Firstly, fiber optics provides the backbone for transporting large amount of data generated by IoT network in the core , metro and access networks, and in building or in the physical object. Secondly, optical switching technologies, including all-optical switching and hybrid optical-electrical switching, enable fast and high bandwidth routing in IoT data processing center. Thirdly, optical sensing and imaging delivers comprehensive information of multiple physical phenomena through monitoring various optical properties such as intensity, phase, wavelength, frequency, polarization, and spectral distribution. In particular, fiber optic sensor has the advantages of high sensitivity, low latency, and long distributed sensing range. It is also immune to electromagnetic interference, and can be implemented in harsh environment. In this paper, the architecture of IoT is described, and the optical technologies and their applications in the IoT networks are discussed with practical examples.

Fiber optic gyroscopes for vehicle navigation systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kumagai, Tatsuya; Soekawa, Hirokazu; Yuhara, Toshiya; Kajioka, Hiroshi; Oho, Shigeru; Sonobe, Hisao

1994-03-01

Fiber optic gyroscopes (FOGs) have been developed for vehicle navigation systems and are used in Toyota Motor Corporation models Mark II, Chaser and Cresta in Japan. Use of FOGs in these systems requires high reliability under a wide range of conditions, especially in a temperature range between -40 and 85 degree(s)C. In addition, a high cost-performance ratio is needed. We have developed optical and electrical systems that are inexpensive and can perform well. They are ready to be mass-produced. FOGs have already been installed in luxury automobiles, and will soon be included in more basic vehicles. We have developed more inexpensive FOGs for this purpose.

Optical Fibre Sensor For Measuring pH In Physiological Range

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Golunski, Witold; Hypszer, Ryszard; Plucinski, Jerzy

1990-01-01

The principle of fibre optic pH sensor operation is given in this paper. PH measurement in 7.0-7.5 range is based on changing of optical property of a indicator. The indicator is sensitive to the hydrogen ion concentration in the water solution. Microspheres of the polymer XAD-2 (a styrene-divinylbenzene copolymer) containing bound phenol red were used as a indicator. Such prepared indicator was inserted in optrode. The optrode was connected with transmitter and receiver by a bundle of glass fibres (multicomponent glass). Transmitter was done by using green LED while receiver construction was based on pin photodiode.

Multipoint sensing with a low-coherence source using single-arm frequency-shifted interferometry

DOE PAGES

Zhang, Yiwei; Ye, Fei; Qi, Bing; ...

2016-07-12

We demonstrate that multiple-site sensing along an optical fiber can be done with incoherent continuous-wave light. Here, using a broadband low-coherence noise source, a slow detector, and an optical modulator, we construct a single-arm frequency-shifted interferometer (SA-FSI) capable of simultaneously sensing multiple weak-reflection sites distributed either in parallel or in series along fiber links. By scanning the driving frequency of an electro-optic amplitude modulator in the range of 2.7–3.2 GHz at steps of 41.7 KHz, we demonstrate a spatial resolution of 0.3 m and a measurement range of over 1 km.

An all-silicon passive optical diode.

PubMed

Fan, Li; Wang, Jian; Varghese, Leo T; Shen, Hao; Niu, Ben; Xuan, Yi; Weiner, Andrew M; Qi, Minghao

2012-01-27

A passive optical diode effect would be useful for on-chip optical information processing but has been difficult to achieve. Using a method based on optical nonlinearity, we demonstrate a forward-backward transmission ratio of up to 28 decibels within telecommunication wavelengths. Our device, which uses two silicon rings 5 micrometers in radius, is passive yet maintains optical nonreciprocity for a broad range of input power levels, and it performs equally well even if the backward input power is higher than the forward input. The silicon optical diode is ultracompact and is compatible with current complementary metal-oxide semiconductor processing.

Bismuth-doped optical fibres: A new breakthrough in near-IR lasing media

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Dianov, Evgenii M

Recent results demonstrate that bismuth-doped optical fibres have considerable potential as near-IR active lasing media. This paper examines bismuth-doped fibres intended for the fabrication of fibre lasers and optical amplifiers and reviews recent results on the luminescence properties of various types of bismuth-doped fibres and the performance of bismuth-doped fibre lasers and optical amplifiers for the spectral range 1150 - 1550 nm. Problems are discussed that have yet to be solved in order to improve the efficiency of the bismuth lasers and optical amplifiers. (optical fibres, lasers and amplifiers. properties and applications)

Instrumentation in Diffuse Optical Imaging

PubMed Central

Zhang, Xiaofeng

2014-01-01

Diffuse optical imaging is highly versatile and has a very broad range of applications in biology and medicine. It covers diffuse optical tomography, fluorescence diffuse optical tomography, bioluminescence, and a number of other new imaging methods. These methods of diffuse optical imaging have diversified instrument configurations but share the same core physical principle – light propagation in highly diffusive media, i.e., the biological tissue. In this review, the author summarizes the latest development in instrumentation and methodology available to diffuse optical imaging in terms of system architecture, light source, photo-detection, spectral separation, signal modulation, and lastly imaging contrast. PMID:24860804

Optical design of athermal, multispectral, radial GRIN lenses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boyd, Andrew M.

2017-05-01

Military infrared systems generally must exhibit stable optical performance over a wide operating temperature range. We present a model for the first-order optical design of radial gradient-index systems, based on a form of the thermo-optic glass coefficient adapted to inhomogeneous material combinations. We find that GRIN components can significantly reduce the optical power balance of athermal, achromatic systems, which introduces the scope for a new class of broadband infrared imaging solutions. This novel first-order modelling technique is used to generate a starting point for optimisation of a SWIR/LWIR multispectral optical design.

Acoustic and Acousto-Optic Characteristics of Silicon Nanofoam

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Iino, Takeshi; Nakamura, Kentaro

2009-07-01

Silicon nanofoam is a porous material with a nanometer structure produced through a sol-gel process, and is used as a heat insulator. It is expected that the nanofoam may work as a good acoustic matching layer of an airborne ultrasonic transducer for highly sensitive and wideband ultrasound transmission/detection since the nanofoam has an extremely low acoustic impedance. The nanofoam may also have a possibility as an acousto-optic device because of its very low sound speed and optical transparency. In this study, we have estimated the fundamental acoustic characteristics of the nanofoam through acousto-optic measurements. Sound speed and acoustic attenuation were measured in the frequency range from 130 to 444 kHz using rectangular samples attached to a piezoelectric transducer. The sound speed and acoustic attenuation constant were approximately in the 140-150 m/s range and 4.3 ×10-11f1.9 dB/(mm·Hz1.9), respectively. It was observed that the change rate in the optical refractive index of the nanofoam owing to sound pressure was approximately in the range of (1.2-1.6) ×10-8 1/Pa. Raman-Nath diffraction occurred at a relatively low frequency since the sound speed is low. We also observed modulation in the polarization of the transmitted light owing to ultrasonic waves.

Broadband Fluorescence Enhancement with Self-Assembled Silver Nanoparticle Optical Antennas.

PubMed

Vietz, Carolin; Kaminska, Izabela; Sanz Paz, Maria; Tinnefeld, Philip; Acuna, Guillermo P

2017-05-23

Plasmonic structures are known to affect the fluorescence properties of dyes placed in close proximity. This effect has been exploited in combination with single-molecule techniques for several applications in the field of biosensing. Among these plasmonic structures, top-down zero-mode waveguides stand out due to their broadband capabilities. In contrast, optical antennas based on gold nanostructures exhibit fluorescence enhancement on a narrow fraction of the visible spectrum typically restricted to the red to near-infrared region. In this contribution, we exploit the DNA origami technique to self-assemble optical antennas based on large (80 nm) silver nanoparticles. We have studied the performance of these antennas with far- and near-field simulations and characterized them experimentally with single-molecule fluorescence measurements. We demonstrate that silver-based optical antennas can yield a fluorescence enhancement of more than 2 orders of magnitude throughout the visible spectral range for high intrinsic quantum yield dyes. Additionally, a comparison between the performance of gold and silver-based antennas is included. The results indicate that silver-based antennas strongly outperform their gold counterparts in the blue and green ranges and exhibit marginal differences in the red range. These characteristics render silver-based optical antennas ready for applications involving several fluorescently labeled species across the visible spectrum.

High-power, continuous-wave, tunable mid-IR, higher-order vortex beam optical parametric oscillator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aadhi, A.; Sharma, Varun; Samanta, G. K.

2018-05-01

We report on a novel experimental scheme to generate continuous-wave (cw), high power, and higher-order optical vortices tunable across mid-IR wavelength range. Using cw, two-crystal, singly resonant optical parametric oscillator (T-SRO) and pumping one of the crystals with Gaussian beam and the other crystal with optical vortices of orders, lp = 1 to 6, we have directly transferred the vortices at near-IR to the mid-IR wavelength range. The idler vortices of orders, li = 1 to 6, are tunable across 2276-3576 nm with a maximum output power of 6.8 W at order of, li = 1, for the pump power of 25 W corresponding to a near-IR vortex to mid-IR vortex conversion efficiency as high as 27.2%. Unlike the SROs generating optical vortices restricted to lower orders due to the elevated operation threshold with pump vortex orders, here, the coherent energy coupling between the resonant signals of the crystals of T-SRO facilitates the transfer of pump vortex of any order to the idler wavelength without stringent operation threshold condition. The generic experimental scheme can be used in any wavelength range across the electromagnetic spectrum and in all time scales from cw to ultrafast regime.

Optical and electrical characterizations of multifunctional silver phosphate glass and polymer-based optical fibers.

PubMed

Rioux, Maxime; Ledemi, Yannick; Morency, Steeve; de Lima Filho, Elton Soares; Messaddeq, Younès

2017-03-03

In recent years, the fabrication of multifunctional fibers has expanded for multiple applications that require the transmission of both light and electricity. Fibers featuring these two properties are usually composed either of a single material that supports the different characteristics or of a combination of different materials. In this work, we fabricated (i) novel single-core step-index optical fibers made of electrically conductive AgI-AgPO 3 -WO 3 glass and (ii) novel multimaterial fibers with different designs made of AgI-AgPO 3 -WO 3 glass and optically transparent polycarbonate and poly (methyl methacrylate) polymers. The multifunctional fibers produced show light transmission over a wide range of wavelengths from 500 to 1000 nm for the single-core fibers and from 400 to 1000 nm for the multimaterial fibers. Furthermore, these fibers showed excellent electrical conductivity with values ranging between 10 -3 and 10 -1  S·cm -1 at room temperature within the range of AC frequencies from 1 Hz to 1 MHz. Multimodal taper-tipped fibre microprobes were then fabricated and were characterized. This advanced design could provide promising tools for in vivo electrophysiological experiments that require light delivery through an optical core in addition to neuronal activity recording.

Optical and electrical characterizations of multifunctional silver phosphate glass and polymer-based optical fibers

PubMed Central

Rioux, Maxime; Ledemi, Yannick; Morency, Steeve; de Lima Filho, Elton Soares; Messaddeq, Younès

2017-01-01

In recent years, the fabrication of multifunctional fibers has expanded for multiple applications that require the transmission of both light and electricity. Fibers featuring these two properties are usually composed either of a single material that supports the different characteristics or of a combination of different materials. In this work, we fabricated (i) novel single-core step-index optical fibers made of electrically conductive AgI-AgPO3-WO3 glass and (ii) novel multimaterial fibers with different designs made of AgI-AgPO3-WO3 glass and optically transparent polycarbonate and poly (methyl methacrylate) polymers. The multifunctional fibers produced show light transmission over a wide range of wavelengths from 500 to 1000 nm for the single-core fibers and from 400 to 1000 nm for the multimaterial fibers. Furthermore, these fibers showed excellent electrical conductivity with values ranging between 10−3 and 10−1 S·cm−1 at room temperature within the range of AC frequencies from 1 Hz to 1 MHz. Multimodal taper-tipped fibre microprobes were then fabricated and were characterized. This advanced design could provide promising tools for in vivo electrophysiological experiments that require light delivery through an optical core in addition to neuronal activity recording. PMID:28256608

Improved vibration sensor based on a biconical tapered singlemode fiber, using in-fiber Mach-Zehnder interferometer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wonko, R.; Moś, J. E.; Stasiewicz, K. A.; Jaroszewicz, L. R.

2017-05-01

Optical fiber vibration sensors are an appropriate alternative for piezoelectric devices, which are electromagnetic sensitive to the external conditions. Most of the vibration sensors demonstrated in previous publications resist to different interferometers or Bragg's gratings. Such sensors require a long time of stabilization of an optical signal, because they are vulnerable to undesirable disturbance. In majority, time response of an optical sensor should be instantaneous, therefore we have proposed an in- line vibration sensing passive element based on a tapered fiber. Micrometer sized optical fiber tapers are attractive for many optical areas due to changes process of boundary conditions. Such phenomena allow for a sensitive detection of the modulation phase. Our experiment shows that a singlemode, adiabatic tapered fiber enables detecting an acoustic vibration. In this study, we report on Mach- Zehnder (MZ) interferometer as a vibration sensor which was composed of two 50/50 couplers at 1550 nm. In the reference arm we used a 4 meter singlemode optical fiber (SMF28), while in the arm under test we placed tapered optical fibers attached to a metal plate, put directly on speaker. Researches carried out on different tapered fibers which diameter of a taper waist was in the range from 5 μm to 25 μm, and each taper was characterized by optical losses less than 0,5 dB. The measured phase changes were over a frequency from 100 Hz to 1 kHz and an amplitude in the range from 100 mVpp to 1 Vpp. Although on account of a limited space we have showed only the results for 100 Hz. Nevertheless, experimental results show that this sensing system has a wide frequency response range from a few hertz to one of kilohertz, however for some conditions, a standard optical fiber showed better result.

Tonopah Test Range - Index

Science.gov Websites

Capabilities Test Operations Center Test Director Range Control Track Control Communications Tracking Radars Us Range Videos/Photos Range Capabilities Test Operations Center Test Director Range Control Track Control Communications Tracking Radars Optical Systems Cinetheodolites Telescopes R&D Telescopes

Refocusing-range and image-quality enhanced optical reconstruction of 3-D objects from integral images using a principal periodic δ-function array

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ai, Lingyu; Kim, Eun-Soo

2018-03-01

We propose a method for refocusing-range and image-quality enhanced optical reconstruction of three-dimensional (3-D) objects from integral images only by using a 3 × 3 periodic δ-function array (PDFA), which is called a principal PDFA (P-PDFA). By directly convolving the elemental image array (EIA) captured from 3-D objects with the P-PDFAs whose spatial periods correspond to each object's depth, a set of spatially-filtered EIAs (SF-EIAs) are extracted, and from which 3-D objects can be reconstructed to be refocused on their real depth. convolutional operations are performed directly on each of the minimum 3 × 3 EIs of the picked-up EIA, the capturing and refocused-depth ranges of 3-D objects can be greatly enhanced, as well as 3-D objects much improved in image quality can be reconstructed without any preprocessing operations. Through ray-optical analysis and optical experiments with actual 3-D objects, the feasibility of the proposed method has been confirmed.

A novel optical fiber displacement sensor of wider measurement range based on neural network

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guo, Yuan; Dai, Xue Feng; Wang, Yu Tian

2006-02-01

By studying on the output characteristics of random type optical fiber sensor and semicircular type optical fiber sensor, the ratio of the two output signals was used as the output signal of the whole system. Then the measurement range was enlarged, the linearity was improved, and the errors of reflective and absorbent changing of target surface are automatically compensated. Meantime, an optical fiber sensor model of correcting static error based on BP artificial neural network(ANN) is set up. So the intrinsic errors such as effects of fluctuations in the light, circuit excursion, the intensity losses in the fiber lines and the additional losses in the receiving fiber caused by bends are eliminated. By discussing in theory and experiment, the error of nonlinear is 2.9%, the measuring range reaches to 5-6mm and the relative accuracy is 2%.And this sensor has such characteristics as no electromagnetic interference, simple construction, high sensitivity, good accuracy and stability. Also the multi-point sensor system can be used to on-line and non-touch monitor in working locales.

Dielectric, optical and mechanical studies of phenolic polyene OH1 organic electrooptic crystal

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bharath, D.; Kalainathan, S.

2014-11-01

2-{3-[2-(4-Hydroxyphenyl) vinyl]-5, 5-dimethylcyclo-hex-2-en-1-ylidene}malononitrile (OH1) phenolic locked polyene organic material has been synthesized by the Knoevenagel condensation method. OH1 single crystals were grown in methanol by a slow evaporation method. In order to avoid the multinucleation and reduce the metastable zone width, phosphoric acid is added in different concentrations. The linear optical property of OH1 crystal has been studied using UV-vis-NIR spectroscopy in the wavelength range 190-1100 nm and optical constants are calculated theoretically. The magnitude of nonlinear refractive index (10-12 m2/W), nonlinear absorption (10-6 m/W) and third order nonlinear susceptibility (10-6 esu) has been studied using a Z-scan technique. Dielectric property of OH1 crystal has been studied in frequency range 50 Hz-5 MHz. Photoluminescence spectrum was recorded using a xenon lamp in the range of 450-700 nm. Laser optical damage threshold of OH1 crystal was obtained (0.62 GW/cm2) using a pulsed Nd-YAG laser (1064 nm) of repetition rate 10 ns.

Long-Range Spin-Qubit Interaction Mediated by Microcavity Polaritons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Quinteiro, G. F.; Fernández-Rossier, J.; Piermarocchi, C.

2006-09-01

We study the optically induced coupling between spins mediated by polaritons in a planar microcavity. In the strong-coupling regime, the vacuum Rabi splitting introduces anisotropies in the spin coupling. Moreover, due to their photonlike mass, polaritons provide an extremely long spin coupling range. This suggests the realization of two-qubit all-optical quantum operations within tens of picoseconds with spins localized as far as hundreds of nanometers apart.

Device for imaging scenes with very large ranges of intensity

DOEpatents

Deason, Vance Albert [Idaho Falls, ID

2011-11-15

A device for imaging scenes with a very large range of intensity having a pair of polarizers, a primary lens, an attenuating mask, and an imaging device optically connected along an optical axis. Preferably, a secondary lens, positioned between the attenuating mask and the imaging device is used to focus light on the imaging device. The angle between the first polarization direction and the second polarization direction is adjustable.

Optical properties of human colon tissues in the 350 – 2500 nm spectral range

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bashkatov, A N; Genina, E A; Kochubey, V I

2014-08-31

We present the optical characteristics of the mucosa and submucosa of human colon tissue. The experiments are performed in vitro using a LAMBDA 950 spectrophotometer in the 350 – 2500 nm spectral range. The absorption and scattering coefficients and the scattering anisotropy factor are calculated based on the measured diffuse reflectance and total and collimated transmittance spectra using the inverse Monte Carlo method. (laser biophotonics)

Optical Interactions at Randomly Rough Surfaces

DTIC Science & Technology

2003-03-10

frequency range. The design of a random surface that acts as a Lambertian diffuser, especially in the infrared region of the optical spectrum, is...FTIR grazing angle microscopy. Recently, an experimental study was performed of the far-field scattering at small grazing angles, especially the enhanced...a specular component in the scattered light, in this frequency range. The design of a random surface that acts as a Lambertian diffuser, especially in

Fiber optic micromirror sensor for volatile organic compounds

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Butler, M.A.; Ricco, A.J.; Buss, R.

With the growing concern over environmental pollution, there is a need for sensors to locate and measure the distribution of a wide range of pollutants. In this paper the authors report a fiber optic sensor, based on a thin film micromirror, which responds to a wide range of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). This generic class of sensor will be useful for monitoring applications where the pollutant has already been identified.

Research in the Optical Sciences.

DTIC Science & Technology

1984-10-01

cannot tolerate the high temperatures used for 9 conventional hard MgF, depositions. The ion beam processing led to durable films (in some cases more...sputter epitaxy techniques for the production of high-reflectivity mirrors for near-normal incidence in the x-ray-ultraviolet (X- UV ) wavelength range...codes for X- UV multilayer mirror design, (2) acquisition of a data base of optical constants in this wavelength range, (3) theoretical designs of

Fundamental limits on isoplanatic correction with multiconjugate adaptive optics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lloyd-Hart, Michael; Milton, N. Mark

2003-10-01

We investigate the performance of a general multiconjugate adaptive optics (MCAO) system in which signals from multiple reference beacons are used to drive several deformable mirrors in the optical beam train. Taking an analytic approach that yields a detailed view of the effects of low-order aberration modes defined over the metapupil, we show that in the geometrical optics approximation, N deformable mirrors conjugated to different ranges can be driven to correct these modes through order N with unlimited isoplanatic angle, regardless of the distribution of turbulence along the line of sight. We find, however, that the optimal deformable mirror shapes are functions of target range, so the best compensation for starlight is in general not the correction that minimizes the wave-front aberration in a laser guide beacon. This introduces focal anisoplanatism in the wave-front measurements that can be overcome only through the use of beacons at several ranges. We derive expressions for the number of beacons required to sense the aberration to arbitrary order and establish necessary and sufficient conditions on their geometry for both natural and laser guide stars. Finally, we derive an expression for the residual uncompensated error by mode as a function of field angle, target range, and MCAO system geometry.

Quantitative Evaluation of Adult Subglottic Stenosis Using Intraoperative Long-range Optical Coherence Tomography

PubMed Central

Sharma, Giriraj K.; Loy, Anthony Chin; Su, Erica; Jing, Joe; Chen, Zhongping; Wong, Brian J-F.; Verma, Sunil

2016-01-01

Objectives To determine the feasibility of long-range optical coherence tomography (LR-OCT) as a tool to intraoperatively image and measure the subglottis and trachea during suspension microlaryngoscopy before and after endoscopic treatment of subglottic stenosis (SGS). Methods Long-range optical coherence tomography of the adult subglottis and trachea was performed during suspension microlaryngoscopy before and after endoscopic treatment for SGS. The anteroposterior and transverse diameters, cross-sectional area (CSA), distance from the vocal cords, and length of the SGS were measured using a MATLAB software. Pre-intervention and postintervention airway dimensions were compared. Three-dimensional volumetric airway reconstructions were generated using medical image processing software (MIMICS). Results Intraoperative LR-OCT imaging was performed in 3 patients undergoing endoscopic management of SGS. Statistically significant differences in mean anteroposterior diameter (P < .01), transverse diameter (P < .001), and CSA (P < .001) were noted between pre-intervention and postintervention data. Three-dimensional airway models were viewed in cross-sectional format and via virtual “fly through” bronchoscopy. Conclusions This is the first report of intraoperative LR-OCT of the subglottic and tracheal airway before and after surgical management of SGS in humans. Long-range optical coherence tomography offers a practical means to measure the dimensions of SGS and acquire objective data on the response to endoscopic treatment of SGS. PMID:27354215

Silicon photonics thermal phase shifter with reduced temperature range

DOEpatents

Lentine, Anthony L; Kekatpure, Rohan D; DeRose, Christopher; Davids, Paul; Watts, Michael R

2013-12-17

Optical devices, phased array systems and methods of phase-shifting an input signal are provided. An optical device includes a microresonator and a waveguide for receiving an input optical signal. The waveguide includes a segment coupled to the microresonator with a coupling coefficient such that the waveguide is overcoupled to the microresonator. The microresonator received the input optical signal via the waveguide and phase-shifts the input optical signal to form an output optical signal. The output optical signal is coupled into the waveguide via the microresonator and transmitted by the waveguide. At an operating point of the optical device, the coupling coefficient is selected to reduce a change in an amplitude of the output optical signal and to increase a change in a phase of the output optical signal, relative to the input optical signal.

Demonstration of a high speed hybrid electrical and optical sensing system for next generation launcher applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ibrahim, Selwan K.; O'Dowd, John A.; Honniball, Arthur; Bessler, Vivian; Farnan, Martin; O'Connor, Peter; Melicher, Milos; Gleeson, Danny

2017-09-01

The Future Launchers Preparatory Programme (FLPP) supported by the European Space Agency (ESA) has a goal of developing various launch vehicle system concepts and identifying the technologies required for the design of Europe's Next-Generation Launcher (NGL) while maintaining competitiveness on the commercial market. Avionics fiber optic sensing technology was investigated as part of the FLPP programme. Here we demonstrate and evaluate a high speed hybrid electrical/optical data acquisition system based on commercial off the shelf (COTS) technology capable of acquiring data from traditional electrical sensors and optical Fibre Bragg Grating (FBG) sensors. The proposed system consists of the KAM-500 data acquisition system developed by Curtis-Wright and the I4 tunable laser based fiber optic sensor interrogator developed by FAZ Technology. The key objective was to demonstrate the capability of the hybrid system to acquire data from traditional electrical sensors used in launcher applications e.g. strain, temperature and pressure in combination with optical FBG sensors, as well as data delivery to spacecraft avionics systems. The KAM-500 was configured as the main acquisition unit (MAU) and provided a 1 kHz sampling clock to the I4 interrogator that was configured as the secondary acquisition unit (SAU) to synchronize the data acquisition sample rate between both systems. The SAU acquired data from an array of optical FBG sensors, while the MAU data acquisition system acquired data from the electrical sensors. Data acquired from the optical sensors was processed by the FAZ I4 interrogation system and then encapsulated into UDP/IP packets and transferred to the KAM-500. The KAM-500 encapsulated the optical sensor data together with the data acquired from electrical sensors and transmitted the data over MIL-STD-1553 and Ethernet data interface. The temperature measurements resulted in the optical and electrical sensors performing on a par with each other, with all sensors recording an accuracy within 0.35% FS over the full temperature range of -70°C to +180°C. The pressure measurements were performed over a 0 to 5 bar absolute pressure range and over different temperatures across a -40°C to +80°C range. The tests concluded that the optical pressure sensors performed on par with the electrical pressure sensor for each temperature set, where both sensor technologies measured a pressure accuracy of 1.2% FS. As for the strain measurements, the results show the optical and electrical sensors can measure to within 1% FS (Full Scale) of measurement range +/-1,200 μstrain. The proposed hybrid system can be potentially used for next generation launcher applications delivering weight reduction, improvement in measurement coverage and reduction in Assembly, Integration and Testing (AIT) over traditional electrical systems.

Plasma q -plate for generation and manipulation of intense optical vortices

DOE PAGES

Qu, Kenan; Jia, Qing; Fisch, Nathaniel J.

2017-11-28

An optical vortex is a light wave with a twisting wavefront around its propagation axis and null intensity in the beam center. Its unique spatial structure of field lends itself to a broad range of applications, including optical communication, quantum information, superresolution microscopy, and multidimensional manipulation of particles. However, accessible intensity of optical vortices have been limited to material ionization threshold. This limitation might be removed by using the plasma medium. Here in this paper, we propose the design of suitably magnetized plasmas which, functioning as a q-plate, leads to a direct conversion from a high-intensity Gaussian beam into amore » twisted beam. A circularly polarized laser beam in the plasma accumulates an azimuthal-angle-dependent phase shift and hence forms a twisting wavefront. Our three-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations demonstrate extremely high-power conversion efficiency. The plasma q-plate can work in a large range of frequencies spanning from terahertz to the optical domain.« less

Designing and specifying aspheres for manufacturability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kumler, Jay

2005-08-01

New technologies for the fabrication of aspheres have increased opportunities for using aspheres in a wider range of optical systems. If manufacturability is considered early in the optical design process, the short and long term costs of the aspheric surface can be greatly reduced without sacrificing performance. The optical designer must learn how to select optimum materials for aspheres. Using non-staining glasses, higher index glass types, and softer glass types can help reduce production costs. If the optical designer understands what range of aspheric surfaces can be manufactured, they can constrain the aspheric surface during optimization. The steepness of the aspheric departure (the slope of the aspheric departure) often has a larger impact on manufacturing difficulty than the amplitude of the asphere or the steepness of the base radius. Tolerancing can increase the difficulty without measurably improving optical performance. Finally, the asphere can be designed for ease of metrology. Understanding the options that are available for aspheric metrology will allow the engineer to control tooling and fixturing that is required for testing.

Acoustical nanometre-scale vibrations of live cells detected by a near-field optical setup

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Piga, Rosaria; Micheletto, Ruggero; Kawakami, Yoichi

2007-04-01

The Scanning Near-field Optical Microscope (SNOM) is able to detect tiny vertical movement on the cell membrane in the range of only 1 nanometer or less, about 3 orders of magnitude better than conventional optical microscopes. Here we show intriguing data of cell membrane nanometer-scale dynamics associated to different phenomena of the cell’s The Scanning Near-field Optical Microscope (SNOM) is able to detect tiny vertical movement on the cell membrane in the range of only 1 nanometer or less, about 3 orders of magnitude better than conventional optical microscopes. Here we show intriguing data of cell membrane nanometer-scale dynamics associated to different phenomena of the cell’s life, such as cell cycle and cell death, on rat pheochromocytoma line PC12. Working in culture medium with alive and unperturbed samples, we could detect nanometer-sized movements; Fourier components revealed a clear distinct behavior associated to regulation of neurite outgrowth and changes on morphology after necrotic stimulus.

Fiber optic shape sensing for monitoring of flexible structures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lally, Evan M.; Reaves, Matt; Horrell, Emily; Klute, Sandra; Froggatt, Mark E.

2012-04-01

Recent advances in materials science have resulted in a proliferation of flexible structures for high-performance civil, mechanical, and aerospace applications. Large aspect-ratio aircraft wings, composite wind turbine blades, and suspension bridges are all designed to meet critical performance targets while adapting to dynamic loading conditions. By monitoring the distributed shape of a flexible component, fiber optic shape sensing technology has the potential to provide valuable data during design, testing, and operation of these smart structures. This work presents a demonstration of such an extended-range fiber optic shape sensing technology. Three-dimensional distributed shape and position sensing is demonstrated over a 30m length using a monolithic silica fiber with multiple optical cores. A novel, helicallywound geometry endows the fiber with the capability to convert distributed strain measurements, made using Optical Frequency-Domain Reflectometry (OFDR), to a measurement of curvature, twist, and 3D shape along its entire length. Laboratory testing of the extended-range shape sensing technology shows

Enhanced Aluminum Reflecting and Solar-Blind Filter Coatings for the Far-Ultraviolet

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Del Hoyo, Javier; Quijada, Manuel

2017-01-01

The advancement of far-ultraviolet (FUV) coatings is essential to meet the specified throughput requirements of the Large UV/Optical/IR (LUVOIR) Surveyor Observatory which will cover wavelengths down to the 100 nm range. The biggest constraint in the optical thin film coating design is attenuation in the Lyman-Alpha Ultraviolet range of 100-130 nm in which conventionally deposited thin film materials used in this spectral region (e.g. aluminum [Al] protected with Magnesium fluoride [MgF2]) often have high absorption and scatter properties degrading the throughput in an optical system. We investigate the use of optimally deposited aluminum and aluminum tri-fluoride (AlF3) materials for reflecting and solar blind band-pass filter coatings for use in the FUV. Optical characterization of the deposited designs has been performed using UV spectrometry. The optical thin film design and optimal deposition conditions to produce superior reflectance and transmittance using Al and AlF3 are presented.

Investigation of a BeO-based optically stimulated luminescence dosemeter.

PubMed

Sommer, M; Henniger, J

2006-01-01

The optical sensitivity of BeO-based luminophors has been well-known for many years. The optical stimulation of BeO with blue light is most effective. Then the dosemeters emit luminescent light in the ultraviolet-range around 325 nm. Matched on these facts a simple optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) treatment has been developed. Intense blue light-emitting diodes are used for cw-stimulation. A Hamamatsu solar blind photomultiplier detects the OSL-light. Good separation of both spectral ranges by optical filters is very important. The dosemeter has a linear dose response between approximately 20 muGy and >10 Gy. It was suggested, that a modification of stimulation conditions would allow measurements down to 1 muGy. Fading, photon energy dependence and reproducibility of OSL-signal correspond well with requirements to clinical and personal dosemeters. In addition, basic questions of the OSL-process in BeO have been investigated. A relevant point of interest was the dependency of the OSL-signal on stimulation power.

Plasma q -plate for generation and manipulation of intense optical vortices

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Qu, Kenan; Jia, Qing; Fisch, Nathaniel J.

An optical vortex is a light wave with a twisting wavefront around its propagation axis and null intensity in the beam center. Its unique spatial structure of field lends itself to a broad range of applications, including optical communication, quantum information, superresolution microscopy, and multidimensional manipulation of particles. However, accessible intensity of optical vortices have been limited to material ionization threshold. This limitation might be removed by using the plasma medium. Here in this paper, we propose the design of suitably magnetized plasmas which, functioning as a q-plate, leads to a direct conversion from a high-intensity Gaussian beam into amore » twisted beam. A circularly polarized laser beam in the plasma accumulates an azimuthal-angle-dependent phase shift and hence forms a twisting wavefront. Our three-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations demonstrate extremely high-power conversion efficiency. The plasma q-plate can work in a large range of frequencies spanning from terahertz to the optical domain.« less

Nano-optical conveyor belt, part II: Demonstration of handoff between near-field optical traps.

PubMed

Zheng, Yuxin; Ryan, Jason; Hansen, Paul; Cheng, Yao-Te; Lu, Tsung-Ju; Hesselink, Lambertus

2014-06-11

Optical tweezers have been widely used to manipulate biological and colloidal material, but the diffraction limit of far-field optics makes focused beams unsuitable for manipulating nanoscale objects with dimensions much smaller than the wavelength of light. While plasmonic structures have recently been successful in trapping nanoscale objects with high positioning accuracy, using such structures for manipulation over longer range has remained a significant challenge. In this work, we introduce a conveyor belt design based on a novel plasmonic structure, the resonant C-shaped engraving (CSE). We show how long-range manipulation is made possible by means of handoff between neighboring CSEs, and we present a simple technique for controlling handoff by rotating the polarization of laser illumination. We experimentally demonstrate handoff between a pair of CSEs for polystyrene spheres 200, 390, and 500 nm in diameter. We then extend this technique and demonstrate controlled particle transport down a 4.5 μm long "nano-optical conveyor belt."

Optical alignment of the VLTI

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guisard, Stephane

2003-02-01

When completed the VLTI project will be composed by four 8.2 m Unit Telescopes (UT) and four 1.8 m Auxiliay Telescopes (AT) with their respective Coude trains and relay optics, two test siderostats, 6 (up to 8) Delay lines and 8 Beam compressors with their corresponding feeding mirrors. There will be more than 200 optical components, mirrors and lenses, with diameters ranging from 5 mm to 8200 mm. Their surface shapes range from flat to off-axis ellipsoid, including also spherical, on and off-axis hyperbolae and parabolas as well as cylindrical surfaces. Depending on the interferometer configuration, the different possible optical path lengths are of the order of 100 to 300 meters. We describe briefly the principles chosen as well as the types of criteria and method used for the alignment. The method can certainly be applied to other optical systems. The explanations given are understandable to the non-optician, this text is not intended to be an alignment procedure.

Speckle size in optical Fourier domain imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lamouche, G.; Vergnole, S.; Bisaillon, C.-E.; Dufour, M.; Maciejko, R.; Monchalin, J.-P.

2007-06-01

As in conventional time-domain optical coherence tomography (OCT), speckle is inherent to any Optical Fourier Domain Imaging (OFDI) of biological tissue. OFDI is also known as swept-source OCT (SS-OCT). The axial speckle size is mainly determined by the OCT resolution length and the transverse speckle size by the focusing optics illuminating the sample. There is also a contribution from the sample related to the number of scatterers contained within the probed volume. In the OFDI data processing, there is some liberty in selecting the range of wavelengths used and this allows variation in the OCT resolution length. Consequently the probed volume can be varied. By performing measurements on an optical phantom with a controlled density of discrete scatterers and by changing the probed volume with different range of wavelengths in the OFDI data processing, there is an obvious change in the axial speckle size, but we show that there is also a less obvious variation in the transverse speckle size. This work contributes to a better understanding of speckle in OCT.

Enhanced aluminum reflecting and solar-blind filter coatings for the far-ultraviolet

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Del Hoyo, Javier; Quijada, Manuel

2017-09-01

The advancement of far-ultraviolet (FUV) coatings is essential to meet the specified throughput requirements of the Large UV/Optical/IR (LUVOIR) Surveyor Observatory which will cover wavelengths down to the 100 nm range. The biggest constraint in the optical thin film coating design is attenuation in the Lyman-Alpha Ultraviolet range of 100-130 nm in which conventionally deposited thin film materials used in this spectral region (e.g., aluminum [Al] protected with Magnesium fluoride [MgF2]) often have high absorption and scatter properties degrading the throughput in an optical system. We investigate the use of optimally deposited aluminum and aluminum tri-fluoride (AlF3) materials for reflecting and solar blind band-pass filter coatings for use in the FUV. Optical characterization of the deposited designs has been performed using UV spectrometry. The optical thin film design and optimal deposition conditions to produce superior reflectance and transmittance using Al and AlF3 are presented.

Ultra-precise micro-motion stage for optical scanning test

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Wen; Zhang, Jianhuan; Jiang, Nan

2009-05-01

This study aims at the application of optical sensing technology in a 2D flexible hinge test stage. Optical fiber sensor which is manufactured taking advantage of the various unique properties of optical fiber, such as good electric insulation properties, resistance of electromagnetic disturbance, sparkless property and availability in flammable and explosive environment, has lots of good properties, such as high accuracy and wide dynamic range, repeatable, etc. and is applied in 2D flexible hinge stage driven by PZT. Several micro-bending structures are designed utilizing the characteristics of the flexible hinge stage. And through experiments, the optimal micro-bending tooth structure and the scope of displacement sensor trip under this optimal micro-bending tooth structure are derived. These experiments demonstrate that the application of optical fiber displacement sensor in 2D flexible hinge stage driven by PZT substantially broadens the dynamic testing range and improves the sensitivity of this apparatus. Driving accuracy and positioning stability are enhanced as well. [1,2

Manufacturing plastic injection optical molds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bourque, David

2008-08-01

ABCO Tool & Die, Inc. is a mold manufacturer specializing in the manufacturing of plastic injection molds for molded optical parts. The purpose of this presentation is to explain the concepts and procedures required to build a mold that produces precision optical parts. Optical molds can produce a variety of molded parts ranging from safety eyewear to sophisticated military lens parts, which must meet precise optical specifications. The manufacturing of these molds begins with the design engineering of precision optical components. The mold design and the related optical inserts are determined based upon the specific optical criteria and optical surface geometry. The mold manufacturing techniques will be based upon the optical surface geometry requirements and specific details. Manufacturing processes used will be specific to prescribed geometrical surface requirements of the molded part. The combined efforts result in a robust optical mold which can produce molded parts that meet the most precise optical specifications.

Acousto-Optic Processing of 2-D Signals Using Temporal and Spatial Integration.

DTIC Science & Technology

1983-05-31

Documents includes data on: Architectures; Coherence Properties of Pulsed Laser Diodes; Acousto - optic device data; Dynamic Range Issues; Image correlation; Synthetic aperture radar; 2-D Fourier transform; and Moments.

Environmental performance of an elliptical core polarization maintaining optical fiber for fiber optic gyro applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Martinelli, Vincent P.; Squires, Emily M.; Watkins, James J.

1994-03-01

Corning has introduced a new polarization-maintaining optical fiber to satisfy customer requirements for a range of commercial and military FOG applications. This fiber has an elliptical core, matched-clad design, and is intended for operation in the 780 to 850 nm wavelength region. The fiber has a beat length less than 1.5 mm, attenuation rate less than 10 dB/km, and a typical coiled h-parameter less than 1.5 X 10-4 m-1 in the designated operating wavelength range. It has a cladding diameter of 80 micrometers and a coating diameter of 185 micrometers . The coating is an acrylate system, similar to that used in telecommunications optical fibers. We report on the performance of this elliptical core fiber for a variety of environmental exposures representative of an automotive application.

Effect of optical damage resistant dopants on the dielectric properties of LiNbO3: Insight from broadband impedance spectroscopy and Raman scattering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cochard, Charlotte; Guennou, Mael; Spielmann, Thiemo; van Hoof, Niels; Halpin, Alexei; Granzow, Torsten

2018-04-01

Optical damage limits the application range of congruent LiNbO3. This problem is commonly overcome by adding optical-damage-resistant cations. Here, the influence of doping with optical-damage-resistant Mg and Zn on the ionic and piezoelectric contributions to the dielectric permittivity is investigated in a broad frequency range (1 mHz-2 THz). It is shown that the two dopants have radically different influences on the variation of ionic permittivity with doping, in spite of their similarities with respect to the crystallographic structure. Raman spectroscopy reveals that the difference in permittivity can be traced to the effect of Mg and Zn doping on the susceptibility of the phonon modes. Both observations point to differences in the defect incorporation mechanisms.

Bilayer Metasurfaces for Dual- and Broadband Optical Antireflection

DOE PAGES

Huang, Li; Chang, Chun-Chieh; Zeng, Beibei; ...

2017-08-09

Optical antireflection has long been pursued for a wide range of applications, but existing approaches encounter issues in the performance, bandwidth, and structure complexity, particularly in the long-wavelength infrared regime. Here we present the demonstration of bilayer metasurfaces that accomplish dual- and broadband optical antireflection in the terahertz and mid-infrared spectral ranges. Furthermore, by simply tailoring the structural geometry and dimensions, here we show that subwavelength metal/dielectric structures enable dramatic reduction of Fresnel reflection and significant enhancement of transmission at a substrate surface, operating either at two discrete narrow bands or over a broad bandwidth up to 28%. We alsomore » use a semianalytical interference model to interpret the obtained results, in which we find that the dispersion of the constituent structures plays a critical role in achieving the observed broadband optical antireflection.« less

Coherent Excitation of Optical Phonons in GaAs by Broadband Terahertz Pulses

PubMed Central

Fu, Zhengping; Yamaguchi, Masashi

2016-01-01

Coherent excitation and control of lattice motion by electromagnetic radiation in optical frequency range has been reported through variety of indirect interaction mechanisms with phonon modes. However, coherent phonon excitation by direct interaction of electromagnetic radiation and nuclei has not been demonstrated experimentally in terahertz (THz) frequency range mainly due to the lack of THz emitters with broad bandwidth suitable for the purpose. We report the experimental observation of coherent phonon excitation and detection in GaAs using ultrafast THz-pump/optical-probe scheme. From the results of THz pump field dependence, pump/probe polarization dependence, and crystal orientation dependence, we attributed THz wave absorption and linear electro-optic effect to the excitation and detection mechanisms of coherent polar TO phonons. Furthermore, the carrier density dependence of the interaction of coherent phonons and free carriers is reported. PMID:27905563

Laboratory evaluation of Fecker and Loral optical IR PWI systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gorstein, M.; Hallock, J. N.; Houten, M.; Mcwilliams, I. G.

1971-01-01

A previous flight test of two electro-optical pilot warning indicators, using a flashing xenon strobe and silicon detectors as cooperative elements, pointed out several design deficiencies. The present laboratory evaluation program corrected these faults and calibrated the sensitivity of both systems in azimuth elevation and range. The laboratory tests were performed on an optical bench and consisted of three basic components: (1) a xenon strobe lamp whose output is monitored at the indicator detector to give pulse to pulse information on energy content at the receiver; (2) a strobe light attenuating optical system which is calibrated photometrically to provide simulated range; and (3) a positioning table on which the indicator system under study is mounted and which provides spatial location coordinates for all data points. The test results for both systems are tabulated.

Elastic, optical and structural features of wide range of CdO- Na2B4O7 glasses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saddeek, Y. B.; Aly, K. A.; Shaaban, Kh S.; Mossad Ali, Atif; Sayed, M. A.

2018-06-01

Wide range of CdO—Na2B4O7 glasses have been prepared and characterized via XRD, FTIR and UV spectroscopies along with DTA and ultrasonic techniques. The compositional dependence of the physical parameters such as the density, the molar volume, the optical transmittance, the optical band gap, the ultrasonic velocities and the elastic moduli on CdO content were determined. The profiles of XRD assured the amorphous nature of the explored glasses. The clarification of the borate and cadmium functional groups besides their linkages was extracted from the deconvoluted FTIR spectra. Such a clarification was used in the analysis of the relation of the mechanical, T g and optical parameters versus CdO content. These physical parameters revealed the glass modifier role of CdO.

Design of a variable-focal-length optical system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ricks, D.; Shannon, R. R.

1984-01-01

Requirements to place an entire optical system with a variable focal length ranging from 20 to 200 cm within a overall length somewhat less than 100 cm placed severe restrictions on the design of a zoom lens suitable for use on a comet explorer. The requirements of a wavelength range of 0.4 to 1.0 microns produced even greater limitations on the possibilities for a design that included a catadioptric (using mirrors and glass) front and followed by a zooming refractive portion. Capabilities available commercial zoom lenses as well as patents of optical systems are reviewed. Preliminary designs of the refractive optics zoom lens and the catadioptric system are presented and evaluated. Of the two, the latter probably has the best chance of success, so long as the shortest focal lengths are not really needed.

Frequency range selection method of trans-impedance amplifier for high sensitivity lock-in amplifier used in the optical sensors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Park, Chang-In; Jeon, Su-Jin; Hong, Nam-Pyo; Choi, Young-Wan

2016-03-01

Lock-in amplifier (LIA) has been proposed as a detection technique for optical sensors because it can measure low signal in high noise level. LIA uses synchronous method, so the input signal frequency is locked to a reference frequency that is used to carry out the measurements. Generally, input signal frequency of LIA used in optical sensors is determined by modulation frequency of optical signal. It is important to understand the noise characteristics of the trans-impedance amplifier (TIA) to determine the modulation frequency. The TIA has a frequency range in which noise is minimized by the capacitance of photo diode (PD) and the passive component of TIA feedback network. When the modulation frequency is determined in this range, it is possible to design a robust system to noise. In this paper, we propose a method for the determination of optical signal modulation frequency selection by using the noise characteristics of TIA. Frequency response of noise in TIA is measured by spectrum analyzer and minimum noise region is confirmed. The LIA and TIA circuit have been designed as a hybrid circuit. The optical sensor is modeled by the laser diode (LD) and photo diode (PD) and the modulation frequency was used as the input to the signal generator. The experiments were performed to compare the signal to noise ratio (SNR) of the minimum noise region and the others. The results clearly show that the SNR is enhanced in the minimum noise region of TIA.

MTF measurement of IR optics in different temperature ranges

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bai, Alexander; Duncker, Hannes; Dumitrescu, Eugen

2017-10-01

Infrared (IR) optical systems are at the core of many military, civilian and manufacturing applications and perform mission critical functions. To reliably fulfill the demanding requirements imposed on today's high performance IR optics, highly accurate, reproducible and fast lens testing is of crucial importance. Testing the optical performance within different temperature ranges becomes key in many military applications. Due to highly complex IR-Applications in the fields of aerospace, military and automotive industries, MTF Measurement under realistic environmental conditions become more and more relevant. A Modulation Transfer Function (MTF) test bench with an integrated thermal chamber allows measuring several sample sizes in a temperature range from -40 °C to +120°C. To reach reliable measurement results under these difficult conditions, a specially developed temperature stable design including an insulating vacuum are used. The main function of this instrument is the measurement of the MTF both on- and off-axis at up to +/-70° field angle, as well as measurement of effective focal length, flange focal length and distortion. The vertical configuration of the system guarantees a small overall footprint. By integrating a high-resolution IR camera with focal plane array (FPA) in the detection unit, time consuming measurement procedures such as scanning slit with liquid nitrogen cooled detectors can be avoided. The specified absolute accuracy of +/- 3% MTF is validated using internationally traceable reference optics. Together with a complete and intuitive software solution, this makes the instrument a turn-key device for today's state-of- the-art optical testing.

Fiberoptics technology and its application to propulsion control systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Baumbick, R. J.

1983-01-01

Current work on optical sensors and optically controlled actuators for use in air-breathing engine control systems is reviewed with particular reference to the design and operation of several new fiber-optic devices. These include a tachometer, a rotary position encoder, a Fabry-Perot interferometer and a rare-earth sensor for measuring engine gas temperatures, a high-temperature photoswitch designed for the range -55 to 260 C, and optical cables and connectors. The advantages of optics over conventional wire systems used for sensing and actuator control are briefly discussed.

Free-space wavelength-multiplexed optical scanner.

PubMed

Yaqoob, Z; Rizvi, A A; Riza, N A

2001-12-10

A wavelength-multiplexed optical scanning scheme is proposed for deflecting a free-space optical beam by selection of the wavelength of the light incident on a wavelength-dispersive optical element. With fast tunable lasers or optical filters, this scanner features microsecond domain scan setting speeds and large- diameter apertures of several centimeters or more for subdegree angular scans. Analysis performed indicates an optimum scan range for a given diffraction order and grating period. Limitations include beam-spreading effects based on the varying scanner aperture sizes and the instantaneous information bandwidth of the data-carrying laser beam.

Camera, handlens, and microscope optical system for imaging and coupled optical spectroscopy

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mungas, Greg S. (Inventor); Boynton, John (Inventor); Sepulveda, Cesar A. (Inventor); Nunes de Sepulveda, legal representative, Alicia (Inventor); Gursel, Yekta (Inventor)

2012-01-01

An optical system comprising two lens cells, each lens cell comprising multiple lens elements, to provide imaging over a very wide image distance and within a wide range of magnification by changing the distance between the two lens cells. An embodiment also provides scannable laser spectroscopic measurements within the field-of-view of the instrument.

Status of fiberoptics technology for propulsion control systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Baumbick, R. J.

1982-01-01

Optical sensors and optically controlled actuators for use in airbreathing engine control systems are discussed. The environmental conditions in which the aircraft will operate require the fiberoptic cables and optical connectors to perform reliably at temperatures over the -55 C to 260 C range. The status of fiberoptics technology for operation in this environment is reviewed.

Camera, handlens, and microscope optical system for imaging and coupled optical spectroscopy

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mungas, Greg S. (Inventor); Boynton, John (Inventor); Sepulveda, Cesar A. (Inventor); Nunes de Sepulveda, Alicia (Inventor); Gursel, Yekta (Inventor)

2011-01-01

An optical system comprising two lens cells, each lens cell comprising multiple lens elements, to provide imaging over a very wide image distance and within a wide range of magnification by changing the distance between the two lens cells. An embodiment also provides scannable laser spectroscopic measurements within the field-of-view of the instrument.

Solid state electro-optic color filter and iris

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1974-01-01

Test results obtained have confirmed the practicality of the solid state electro-optic filters as an optical control element in a television system. Neutral-density control range in excess of 1000:1 has been obtained on sample filters. Test results, measurements in a complete camera system, discussions of problem areas, analytical comparisons, and recommendations for future investigations are included.

Flight-Like Optical Reference Cavity for GRACE Follow-On Laser Frequency Stabilization

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Folkner, W. M.; deVine, G.; Klipstein, W. M.; McKenzie, K.; Spero, R.; Thompson, R.; Yu, N.; Stephens, M.; Leitch, J.; Pierce, R.;

Modeling and performance analysis of an all-optical photonic microwave filter in the frequency range of 0.01-15 GHz

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aguayo-Rodríguez, Gustavo; Zaldívar-Huerta, Ignacio E.; Rodríguez-Asomoza, Jorge; García-Juárez, Alejandro; Alonso-Rubio, Paul

2010-01-01

The generation, distribution and processing of microwave signals in the optical domain is a topic of research due to many advantages such as low loss, light weight, broadband width, and immunity to electromagnetic interference. In this sense, a novel all-optical microwave photonic filter scheme is proposed and experimentally demonstrated in the frequency range of 0.01-15.0 GHz. A microwave signal generated by optical mixing drives the microwave photonic filter. Basically, photonic filter is composed by a multimode laser diode, an integrated Mach- Zehnder intensity modulator, and 28.3-Km of single-mode standard fiber. Frequency response of the microwave photonic filter depends of the emission spectral characteristics of the multimode laser diode, the physical length of the single-mode standard fiber, and the chromatic dispersion factor associated to this type of fiber. Frequency response of the photonic filter is composed of a low-pass band centered at zero frequency, and several band-pass lobes located periodically on the microwave frequency range. Experimental results are compared by means of numerical simulations in Matlab exhibiting a small deviation in the frequency range of 0.01-5.0 GHz. However, this deviation is more evident when higher frequencies are reached. In this paper, we evaluate the causes of this deviation in the range of 5.0-15.0 GHz analyzing the parameters involved in the frequency response. This analysis permits to improve the performance of the photonic microwave filter to higher frequencies.

Detection and laser ranging of orbital objects using optical methods

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wagner, P.; Hampf, D.; Sproll, F.; Hasenohr, T.; Humbert, L.; Rodmann, J.; Riede, W.

2016-09-01

Laser ranging to satellites (SLR) in earth orbit is an established technology used for geodesy, fundamental science and precise orbit determination. A combined active and passive optical measurement system using a single telescope mount is presented which performs precise ranging measurements of retro reflector equipped objects in low earth orbit (LEO). The German Aerospace Center (DLR) runs an observatory in Stuttgart where a system has been assembled completely from commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) components. The visible light directed to the tracking camera is used to perform angular measurements of objects under investigation. This is done astrometrically by comparing the apparent target position with cataloged star positions. First successful satellite laser ranging was demonstrated recently using an optical fiber directing laser pulses onto the astronomical mount. The transmitter operates at a wavelength of 1064 nm with a repetition rate of 3 kHz and pulse energy of 25 μJ. A motorized tip/tilt mount allows beam steering of the collimated beam with μrad accuracy. The returning photons reflected from the object in space are captured with the tracking telescope. A special low aberration beam splitter unit was designed to separate the infrared from visible light. This allows passive optical closed loop tracking and operation of a single photon detector for time of flight measurements at a single telescope simultaneously. The presented innovative design yields to a compact and cost effective but very precise ranging system which allows orbit determination.

Prelaunch optical characterization of the Laser Geodynamic Satellite (LAGEOS 2)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Minott, Peter O.; Zagwodzki, Thomas W.; Varghese, Thomas; Seldon, Michael

1993-01-01

The optical range correction (the distance between the apparent retroreflective skin of the satellite and the center of mass) of the LAGEOS 2 was determined using computer analysis of theoretical and experimentally measured far field diffraction patterns, and with short pulse lasers using both streak camera-based range receivers and more conventional PMT-based range receivers. The three measurement techniques yielded range correction values from 248 to 253 millimeters dependent on laser wavelength, pulsewidth, and polarization, location of the receiver in the far field diffraction pattern and detection technique (peak, half maximum, centroid, or constant fraction). The Lidar cross section of LAGEOS 2 was measured at 4 to 10 million square meters, comparable to the LAGEOS 1.

Fiber optic multiplex optical transmission system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bell, C. H. (Inventor)

1977-01-01

A multiplex optical transmission system which minimizes external interference while simultaneously receiving and transmitting video, digital data, and audio signals is described. Signals are received into subgroup mixers for blocking into respective frequency ranges. The outputs of these mixers are in turn fed to a master mixer which produces a composite electrical signal. An optical transmitter connected to the master mixer converts the composite signal into an optical signal and transmits it over a fiber optic cable to an optical receiver which receives the signal and converts it back to a composite electrical signal. A de-multiplexer is coupled to the output of the receiver for separating the composite signal back into composite video, digital data, and audio signals. A programmable optic patch board is interposed in the fiber optic cables for selectively connecting the optical signals to various receivers and transmitters.

On-chip broadband silicon thermo-optic 2☓2 four-mode optical switch for optical space and local mode switching.

PubMed

Zhou, Ting; Jia, Hao; Ding, Jianfeng; Zhang, Lei; Fu, Xin; Yang, Lin

2018-04-02

We present a silicon thermo-optic 2☓2 four-mode optical switch optimized for optical space switching plus local optical mode switching. Four asymmetric directional couplers are utilized for mode multiplexing and de-multiplexing. Sixteen 2☓2 single-mode optical switches based on balanced thermally tunable Mach-Zehnder interferometers are exploited for switching function. The measured insertion losses are 8.0~12.2 dB and the optical signal-to-noise ratios are larger than 11.2 dB in the wavelength range of 1525~1565 nm. The optical links in "all-bar" and "all-cross" states exhibit less than 2.0 dB and 1.4 dB power penalties respectively below 10 -9 bit error rates for 40 Gbps data transmission.

System and Method for Scan Range Gating

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lindemann, Scott (Inventor); Zuk, David M. (Inventor)

2017-01-01

A system for scanning light to define a range gated signal includes a pulsed coherent light source that directs light into the atmosphere, a light gathering instrument that receives the light modified by atmospheric backscatter and transfers the light onto an image plane, a scanner that scans collimated light from the image plane to form a range gated signal from the light modified by atmospheric backscatter, a control circuit that coordinates timing of a scan rate of the scanner and a pulse rate of the pulsed coherent light source so that the range gated signal is formed according to a desired range gate, an optical device onto which an image of the range gated signal is scanned, and an interferometer to which the image of the range gated signal is directed by the optical device. The interferometer is configured to modify the image according to a desired analysis.

Improved laser-based triangulation sensor with enhanced range and resolution through adaptive optics-based active beam control.

PubMed

Reza, Syed Azer; Khwaja, Tariq Shamim; Mazhar, Mohsin Ali; Niazi, Haris Khan; Nawab, Rahma

2017-07-20

Various existing target ranging techniques are limited in terms of the dynamic range of operation and measurement resolution. These limitations arise as a result of a particular measurement methodology, the finite processing capability of the hardware components deployed within the sensor module, and the medium through which the target is viewed. Generally, improving the sensor range adversely affects its resolution and vice versa. Often, a distance sensor is designed for an optimal range/resolution setting depending on its intended application. Optical triangulation is broadly classified as a spatial-signal-processing-based ranging technique and measures target distance from the location of the reflected spot on a position sensitive detector (PSD). In most triangulation sensors that use lasers as a light source, beam divergence-which severely affects sensor measurement range-is often ignored in calculations. In this paper, we first discuss in detail the limitations to ranging imposed by beam divergence, which, in effect, sets the sensor dynamic range. Next, we show how the resolution of laser-based triangulation sensors is limited by the interpixel pitch of a finite-sized PSD. In this paper, through the use of tunable focus lenses (TFLs), we propose a novel design of a triangulation-based optical rangefinder that improves both the sensor resolution and its dynamic range through adaptive electronic control of beam propagation parameters. We present the theory and operation of the proposed sensor and clearly demonstrate a range and resolution improvement with the use of TFLs. Experimental results in support of our claims are shown to be in strong agreement with theory.

Handbook of the optical, thermal and mechanical properties of six polycrystalline dielectric materials

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dewitt, D. P.

1972-01-01

The design data for six polycrystalline dielectric materials are presented to describe the optical, thermal, and mechanical properties. The materials are aluminum oxide, calcium fluoride, magnesium fluoride, magnesium oxide, silicon dioxide, and titanium dioxide. The primary interest is in the polycrystalline state, although single crystal data are included when appropriate. The temperature range is room temperature to melting point. The wavelength range is from near ultraviolet to near infrared.

Kinetic analysis of rare gas metastable production and optically pumped Xe lasers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Demyanov, A. V.; Kochetov, I. V.; Mikheyev, P. A.; Azyazov, V. N.; Heaven, M. C.

2018-01-01

Optically pumped all-rare-gas lasers use metastable rare gas atoms as the lasing species in mixtures with He or Ar buffer gas. The metastables are generated in a glow discharge, and we report model calculations for the optimal production of Ne*, Ar*, Kr* and Xe*. Discharge efficiency was estimated by solving the Boltzmann equation. Laser efficiency, gain and output power of the CW optically pumped Xe laser were assessed as functions of heavier rare gas content, pressure, optical pump intensity and the optical path length. It was found that, for efficient operation the heavier rare gas content has to be of the order of one percent or less, and the total pressure—in the range 0.3-1.5 atm. Output power and specific discharge power increase approximately linearly with pump intensity over the output range from 300-500 W cm-2. Ternary mixtures Xe:Ar:He were found to be the most promising. Total laser efficiency was found to be nearly the same for pumping the 2p8 or 2p9 state, reaching 61%-70% for a pump intensity of ~720 W cm-2 when the Xe fraction was in the range 0.001 ÷ 0.01 and Ar fraction—0.1 ÷ 0.5. However, when the 2p8 state was pumped, the maximum total efficiency occurred at larger pressures than for pumping of the 2p9 state. The discharge power density required to sustain a sufficient Xe* number density was in the range of tens of watts per cubic centimeter for 50% Ar in the mixture.

Piezo-based, high dynamic range, wide bandwidth steering system for optical applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Karasikov, Nir; Peled, Gal; Yasinov, Roman; Feinstein, Alan

2017-05-01

Piezoelectric motors and actuators are characterized by direct drive, fast response, high positioning resolution and high mechanical power density. These properties are beneficial for optical devices such as gimbals, optical image stabilizers and mirror angular positioners. The range of applications includes sensor pointing systems, image stabilization, laser steering and more. This paper reports on the construction, properties and operation of three types of piezo based building blocks for optical steering applications: a small gimbal and a two-axis OIS (Optical Image Stabilization) mechanism, both based on piezoelectric motors, and a flexure-assisted piezoelectric actuator for mirror angular positioning. The gimbal weighs less than 190 grams, has a wide angular span (solid angle of > 2π) and allows for a 80 micro-radian stabilization with a stabilization frequency up to 25 Hz. The OIS is an X-Y, closed loop, platform having a lateral positioning resolution better than 1 μm, a stabilization frequency up to 25 Hz and a travel of +/-2 mm. It is used for laser steering or positioning of the image sensor, based on signals from a MEMS Gyro sensor. The actuator mirror positioner is based on three piezoelectric actuation axes for tip tilt (each providing a 50 μm motion range), has a positioning resolution of 10 nm and is capable of a 1000 Hz response. A combination of the gimbal with the mirror positioner or the OIS stage is explored by simulations, indicating a <10 micro-radian stabilization capability under substantial perturbation. Simulations and experimental results are presented for a combined device facilitating both wide steering angle range and bandwidth.

A leader-return-stroke consistent macroscopic model for calculations of return stroke current and its optical and electromagnetic emissions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cai, Shuyao; Chen, Mingli; Du, Yaping; Qin, Zilong

2017-08-01

A downward lightning flash usually starts with a downward leader and an upward connecting leader followed by an upward return stroke. It is the preceding leader that governs the following return stroke property. Besides, the return stroke property evolves with height and time. These two aspects, however, are not well addressed in most existing return stroke models. In this paper, we present a leader-return stroke consistent model based on the time domain electric field integral equation, which is a growth and modification of Kumar's macroscopic model. The model is further extended to simulate the optical and electromagnetic emissions of a return stroke by introducing a set of equations relating the return stroke current and conductance to the optical and electromagnetic emissions. With a presumed leader initiation potential, the model can then simulate the temporal and spatial evolution of the current, charge transfer, channel size, and conductance of the return stroke, furthermore the optical and electromagnetic emissions. The model is tested with different leader initiation potentials ranging from -10 to -140 MV, resulting in different return stroke current peaks ranging from 2.6 to 209 kA with different return stroke speed peaks ranging from 0.2 to 0.8 speed of light and different optical power peaks ranging from 4.76 to 248 MW/m. The larger of the leader initiation potential, the larger of the return stroke current and speed. Both the return stroke current and speed attenuate exponentially as it propagates upward. All these results are qualitatively consistent with those reported in the literature.

Full range line-field parallel swept source imaging utilizing digital refocusing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fechtig, Daniel J.; Kumar, Abhishek; Drexler, Wolfgang; Leitgeb, Rainer A.

2015-12-01

We present geometric optics-based refocusing applied to a novel off-axis line-field parallel swept source imaging (LPSI) system. LPSI is an imaging modality based on line-field swept source optical coherence tomography, which permits 3-D imaging at acquisition speeds of up to 1 MHz. The digital refocusing algorithm applies a defocus-correcting phase term to the Fourier representation of complex-valued interferometric image data, which is based on the geometrical optics information of the LPSI system. We introduce the off-axis LPSI system configuration, the digital refocusing algorithm and demonstrate the effectiveness of our method for refocusing volumetric images of technical and biological samples. An increase of effective in-focus depth range from 255 μm to 4.7 mm is achieved. The recovery of the full in-focus depth range might be especially valuable for future high-speed and high-resolution diagnostic applications of LPSI in ophthalmology.

Flat Ge-doped optical fibres for food irradiation dosimetry

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Noor, N. Mohd; Jusoh, M. A.; Razis, A. F. Abdull

Exposing food to radiation can improve hygiene quality, germination control, retard sprouting, and enhance physical attributes of the food product. To provide for food safety, radiation dosimetry in irradiated food is required. Herein, fabricated germanium doped (Ge-doped) optical fibres have been used. The fibres have been irradiated using a gamma source irradiator, doses in the range 1 kGy to 10 kGy being delivered. Using Ge-doped optical fibres of variable size, type and dopant concentration, study has been made of linearity, reproducibility, and fading. The thermoluminescence (TL) yield of the fibres were obtained and compared. The fibres exhibit a linear dosemore » response over the investigated range of doses, with mean reproducibility to within 2.69 % to 8.77 %, exceeding the dose range of all commercial dosimeters used in evaluating high doses for the food irradiation industry. TL fading of the Ge-doped flat fibres has been found to be < 13%.« less

CAOS-CMOS camera.

PubMed

Riza, Nabeel A; La Torre, Juan Pablo; Amin, M Junaid

2016-06-13

Proposed and experimentally demonstrated is the CAOS-CMOS camera design that combines the coded access optical sensor (CAOS) imager platform with the CMOS multi-pixel optical sensor. The unique CAOS-CMOS camera engages the classic CMOS sensor light staring mode with the time-frequency-space agile pixel CAOS imager mode within one programmable optical unit to realize a high dynamic range imager for extreme light contrast conditions. The experimentally demonstrated CAOS-CMOS camera is built using a digital micromirror device, a silicon point-photo-detector with a variable gain amplifier, and a silicon CMOS sensor with a maximum rated 51.3 dB dynamic range. White light imaging of three different brightness simultaneously viewed targets, that is not possible by the CMOS sensor, is achieved by the CAOS-CMOS camera demonstrating an 82.06 dB dynamic range. Applications for the camera include industrial machine vision, welding, laser analysis, automotive, night vision, surveillance and multispectral military systems.

Electrothermally actuated tip-tilt-piston micromirror with integrated varifocal capability.

PubMed

Morrison, Jessica; Imboden, Matthias; Little, Thomas D C; Bishop, D J

2015-04-06

MEMS micromirrors have proven to be very important optical devices with applications ranging from steerable mirrors for switches and cross-connects to spatial light modulators for correcting optical distortions. Usually beam steering and focusing are done with different MEMS devices and tilt angles in excess of 10 degrees are seldom obtained. Here we describe a single MEMS device that combines tip/tilt, piston mode and varifocal capability into a single, low cost device with very large tilt angles. Our device consists of a 400 micron diameter mirror driven with thermal bimorphs. We have demonstrated deflection angles of ± 40 degrees along both axes, a tunable focal length which varies between -0.48 mm to + 20.5 mm and a piston mode range of 300 microns - four separately controllable degrees of freedom in a single device. Potential applications range from smart lighting to optical switches and devices for telecom systems.

Flat Ge-doped optical fibres for food irradiation dosimetry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Noor, N. Mohd; Jusoh, M. A.; Razis, A. F. Abdull; Alawiah, A.; Bradley, D. A.

2015-04-01

Exposing food to radiation can improve hygiene quality, germination control, retard sprouting, and enhance physical attributes of the food product. To provide for food safety, radiation dosimetry in irradiated food is required. Herein, fabricated germanium doped (Ge-doped) optical fibres have been used. The fibres have been irradiated using a gamma source irradiator, doses in the range 1 kGy to 10 kGy being delivered. Using Ge-doped optical fibres of variable size, type and dopant concentration, study has been made of linearity, reproducibility, and fading. The thermoluminescence (TL) yield of the fibres were obtained and compared. The fibres exhibit a linear dose response over the investigated range of doses, with mean reproducibility to within 2.69 % to 8.77 %, exceeding the dose range of all commercial dosimeters used in evaluating high doses for the food irradiation industry. TL fading of the Ge-doped flat fibres has been found to be < 13%.

User oriented end-station on VUV pump-probe magneto-optical ellipsometry at ELI beamlines

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Espinoza, Shirly; Neuber, Gerd; Brooks, Christopher D.; Besner, Bastian; Hashemi, Maryam; Rübhausen, Michael; Andreasson, Jakob

2017-11-01

A state of the art ellipsometer for user operations is being implemented at ELI Beamlines in Prague, Czech Republic. It combines three of the most promising and exotic forms of ellipsometry: VUV, pump-probe and magneto-optical ellipsometry. This new ellipsometer covers a spectral operational range from the NIR up to the VUV, with high through-put between 1 and 40 eV. The ellipsometer also allows measurements of magneto-optical spectra with a 1 kHz switchable magnetic field of up to 1.5 T across the sample combining ellipsometry and Kerr spectroscopy measurements in an unprecedented spectral range. This form of generalized ellipsometry enables users to address diagonal and off-diagonal components of the dielectric tensor within one measurement. Pump-probe measurements enable users to study the dynamic behaviour of the dielectric tensor in order to resolve the time-domain phenomena in the femto to 100 ns range.

Optical synchronization system for femtosecond X-ray sources

DOEpatents

Wilcox, Russell B [El Cerrito, CA; Holzwarth, Ronald [Munich, DE

2011-12-13

Femtosecond pump/probe experiments using short X-Ray and optical pulses require precise synchronization between 100 meter-10 km separated lasers in a various experiments. For stabilization in the hundred femtosecond range a CW laser is amplitude modulated at 1-10 GHz, the signal retroreflected from the far end, and the relative phase used to correct the transit time with various implementations. For the sub-10 fsec range the laser frequency itself is upshifted 55 MHz with an acousto-optical modulator, retroreflected, upshifted again and phase compared at the sending end to a 110 MHz reference. Initial experiments indicate less than 1 fsec timing jitter. To lock lasers in the sub-10 fs range two single-frequency lasers separated by several teraHertz will be lock to a master modelocked fiber laser, transmit the two frequencies over fiber, and lock two comb lines of a slave laser to these frequencies, thus synchronizing the two modelocked laser envelopes.

Imaging based refractometers

DOEpatents

Baba, Justin S.

2015-11-24

Refractometers for simultaneously measuring refractive index of a sample over a range or wavelengths of light include dispersive and focusing optical systems. An optical beam including the rang of wavelengths is spectrally spread along a first axis and focused along a second axis so as to be incident to an interface between the sample and a prism at a range of angles of incidence including a critical angle for at least one wavelength. In some cases, the prism can have a triangle, parallelogram, trapezoid, or other shape. In some cases, the optical beam can be reflected off of multiple interfaces between the prism and the sample. An imaging detector is situated to receive the spectrally spread and focused light from the interface and form an image corresponding to angle of incidence as a function of wavelength. One or more critical angles are indentified and corresponding refractive indices are determined.

Development and applications of optical interferometric micrometrology in the angstrom and subangstrom range

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lauer, James L.; Abel, Phillip B.

1988-01-01

The recent development of the scanning electron tunneling microscope and the atomic force microscope requires absolute standards for measurements in the angstrom and subangstrom range. Optical interferometry with lasers and multiple mode laser resonances can provide absolute measurements as the laser wavelengths are very accurately known. A key feature of such measurements is the use of piezoelectric crystals as translators of the highest accuracy for very small disturbances. However, the dimensional changes of these crystals resulting from electrical potential changes depend on many variables, among them the method of mounting, so that accurate calibrations are necessary. Starting from advances in optical metrology made by physicists trying to find gravity waves, advances which led to measurements down to 10 to the -5 A, the author designed and built a much simpler system for the angstrom range. The major limiting factors were mechanical vibrations, air currents, thermal changes and laser instabilities.

On the prospects of application and development of solid-state photomultipliers for the task of analog detecting of pulsed optical signals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bogdanov, S. V.; Kolobov, N. A.; Levin, E. V.; Pozdnyakov, Y. I.; Shubin, V. E.; Shushakov, D. A.; Sitarsky, K. Yu.; Torgovnikov, R. A.

2018-02-01

In this paper, we analyze the influence of the crosstalk level and the dynamic range on the basic characteristics of a silicon solid-state photomultiplier and demonstrate their importance for detecting of optical signals with backlight illumination, in particular, for LIDAR application. Experimental results obtained in the study of threshold and fluctuation parameters of detectors with different levels of crosstalk and dynamic range are presented. It is shown that the detector design combining a high dynamic range with a small crosstalk gives a noticeable advantage in such applications.

Amorphous photonic crystals with only short-range order.

PubMed

Shi, Lei; Zhang, Yafeng; Dong, Biqin; Zhan, Tianrong; Liu, Xiaohan; Zi, Jian

2013-10-04

Distinct from conventional photonic crystals with both short- and long-range order, amorphous photonic crystals that possess only short-range order show interesting optical responses owing to their unique structural features. Amorphous photonic crystals exhibit unique light scattering and transport, which lead to a variety of interesting phenomena such as isotropic photonic bandgaps or pseudogaps, noniridescent structural colors, and light localization. Recent experimental and theoretical advances in the study of amorphous photonic crystals are summarized, focusing on their unique optical properties, artificial fabrication, bionspiration, and potential applications. Copyright © 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Optical hydrogen sensors based on metal-hydrides

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Slaman, M.; Westerwaal, R.; Schreuders, H.; Dam, B.

2012-06-01

For many hydrogen related applications it is preferred to use optical hydrogen sensors above electrical systems. Optical sensors reduce the risk of ignition by spark formation and are less sensitive to electrical interference. Currently palladium and palladium alloys are used for most hydrogen sensors since they are well known for their hydrogen dissociation and absorption properties at relatively low temperatures. The disadvantages of palladium in sensors are the low optical response upon hydrogen loading, the cross sensitivity for oxygen and carbon, the limited detection range and the formation of micro-cracks after some hydrogen absorption/desorption cycles. In contrast to Pd, we find that the use of magnesium or rear earth bases metal-hydrides in optical hydrogen sensors allow tuning of the detection levels over a broad pressure range, while maintaining a high optical response. We demonstrate a stable detection layer for detecting hydrogen below 10% of the lower explosion limit in an oxygen rich environment. This detection layer is deposited at the bare end of a glass fiber as a micro-mirror and is covered with a thin layer of palladium. The palladium layer promotes the hydrogen uptake at room temperature and acts as a hydrogen selective membrane. To protect the sensor for a long time in air a final layer of a hydrophobic fluorine based coating is applied. Such a sensor can be used for example as safety detector in automotive applications. We find that this type of fiber optic hydrogen sensor is also suitable for hydrogen detection in liquids. As example we demonstrate a sensor for detecting a broad range of concentrations in transformer oil. Such a sensor can signal a warning when sparks inside a high voltage power transformer decompose the transformer oil over a long period.

Analysis of the selected optical parameters of filters protecting against hazardous infrared radiation.

PubMed

Gralewicz, Grzegorz; Owczarek, Grzegorz

2016-09-01

The paper analyses the selected optical parameters of protective optic filters used for protection of the eyes against hazardous radiation within the visible (VIS) and near infrared (NIR) spectrum range. The indexes characterizing transmission and reflection of optic radiation incident on the filter are compared. As it follows from the completed analysis, the newly developed interference filters provide more effective blocking of infrared radiation in comparison with the currently used protective filters.

Experimental establishment of the erosion nature of the pulsed low-threshold optical breakdown of air near the surface

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Min'ko, L. Ia.; Chumakov, A. N.; Chivel', Iu. A.

1988-08-01

Nanosecond kinetic spectroscopy methods are used to establish the erosion nature of the pulsed low-threshold optical breakdown of air near the surface upon exposure of certain metals (indium, lead) to microsecond neodymium and CO2 laser radiation. It is shown that this optical breakdown of air by CO2 laser radiation is accompanied by the formation of a plasma spectrum which is optically thin in the visible range.

Optical properties of Si+ implanted PMMA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Balabanov, S.; Tsvetkova, T.; Borisova, E.; Avramov, L.; Bischoff, L.; Zuk, J.

2010-04-01

In the present work, low energy ion beam irradiation was used for surface modification of polymethyl-methacrylate (PMMA) using silicon (Si+) as the ion species. After high doses ion implantation of Si+ in the polymer material, a characterization of the optical properties was performed using optical transmission measurements in the visible and near infra-red (IR) wavelength range. The optical absorption increase observed with the ion dose was attributed to ion beam induced structural changes in the modified material.

Commercial applications for optical data storage

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tas, Jeroen

1991-03-01

Optical data storage has spurred the market for document imaging systems. These systems are increasingly being used to electronically manage the processing, storage and retrieval of documents. Applications range from straightforward archives to sophisticated workflow management systems. The technology is developing rapidly and within a few years optical imaging facilities will be incorporated in most of the office information systems. This paper gives an overview of the status of the market, the applications and the trends of optical imaging systems.

Adaptive Optics For Imaging Bright Objects Next To Dim Ones

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shao, Michael; Yu, Jeffrey W.; Malbet, Fabien

1996-01-01

Adaptive optics used in imaging optical systems, according to proposal, to enhance high-dynamic-range images (images of bright objects next to dim objects). Designed to alter wavefronts to correct for effects of scattering of light from small bumps on imaging optics. Original intended application of concept in advanced camera installed on Hubble Space Telescope for imaging of such phenomena as large planets near stars other than Sun. Also applicable to other high-quality telescopes and cameras.

All-optical 1st- and 2nd-order differential equation solvers with large tuning ranges using Fabry-Pérot semiconductor optical amplifiers.

PubMed

Chen, Kaisheng; Hou, Jie; Huang, Zhuyang; Cao, Tong; Zhang, Jihua; Yu, Yuan; Zhang, Xinliang

2015-02-09

We experimentally demonstrate an all-optical temporal computation scheme for solving 1st- and 2nd-order linear ordinary differential equations (ODEs) with tunable constant coefficients by using Fabry-Pérot semiconductor optical amplifiers (FP-SOAs). By changing the injection currents of FP-SOAs, the constant coefficients of the differential equations are practically tuned. A quite large constant coefficient tunable range from 0.0026/ps to 0.085/ps is achieved for the 1st-order differential equation. Moreover, the constant coefficient p of the 2nd-order ODE solver can be continuously tuned from 0.0216/ps to 0.158/ps, correspondingly with the constant coefficient q varying from 0.0000494/ps(2) to 0.006205/ps(2). Additionally, a theoretical model that combining the carrier density rate equation of the semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA) with the transfer function of the Fabry-Pérot (FP) cavity is exploited to analyze the solving processes. For both 1st- and 2nd-order solvers, excellent agreements between the numerical simulations and the experimental results are obtained. The FP-SOAs based all-optical differential-equation solvers can be easily integrated with other optical components based on InP/InGaAsP materials, such as laser, modulator, photodetector and waveguide, which can motivate the realization of the complicated optical computing on a single integrated chip.

Hybrid reflection type metasurface of nano-antennas designed for optical needle field generation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Shiyi; Zhan, Qiwen

2015-03-01

We propose a reflection type metal-insulator-metal (MIM) metasurface composed of hybrid optical antennas for comprehensive spatial engineering the properties of optical fields. Its capability is illustrated with an example to create a radially polarized vectorial beam for optical needle field generation. Functioning as local quarter-wave-plates (QWP), the MIM metasurface is designed to convert circularly polarized incident into local linear polarization to create an overall radial polarization with corresponding binary phases and desired normalized amplitude modulation ranged from 0.07 to 1. To obtain enough degrees of freedom, the optical-antenna layer comprises periodic arrangements of double metallic nano-bars with perpendicular placement and single nano-bars respectively for different amplitude modulation requirements. Both of the antennas enable to introduce π/2 retardation while reaching the desired modulation range both for phase and amplitude. Through adjusting the antennas' geometry and array carefully, we shift the gap-surface plasmon resonances facilitated by optical antennas to realize the manipulation of vectorial properties. Designed at 1064 nm wavelength, the particularly generated vectorial light output can be further tightly focused by a high numerical aperture objective to obtain longitudinally polarized flat-top focal field. The so-called optical needle field is a promising candidate for novel applications that transcend disciplinary boundaries. The proposed metasurface establishes a new class of compact optical components based on nano-scale structures, leading to compound functions for vectorial light generation.

Nanostructured optical fibre arrays for high-density biochemical sensing and remote imaging.

PubMed

Deiss, F; Sojic, N; White, D J; Stoddart, P R

2010-01-01

Optical fibre bundles usually comprise a few thousand to tens of thousands of individually clad glass optical fibres. The ordered arrangement of the fibres enables coherent transmission of an image through the bundle and therefore enables analysis and viewing in remote locations. In fused bundles, this architecture has also been used to fabricate arrays of various micro to nano-scale surface structures (micro/nanowells, nanotips, triangles, etc.) over relatively large areas. These surface structures have been used to obtain new optical and analytical capabilities. Indeed, the imaging bundle can be thought of as a "starting material" that can be sculpted by a combination of fibre drawing and selective wet-chemical etching processes. A large variety of bioanalytical applications have thus been developed, ranging from nano-optics to DNA nanoarrays. For instance, nanostructured optical surfaces with intrinsic light-guiding properties have been exploited as surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) platforms and as near-field probe arrays. They have also been productively associated with electrochemistry to fabricate arrays of transparent nanoelectrodes with electrochemiluminescent imaging properties. The confined geometry of the wells has been loaded with biosensing materials and used as femtolitre-sized vessels to detect single molecules. This review describes the fabrication of high-density nanostructured optical fibre arrays and summarizes the large range of optical and bioanalytical applications that have been developed, reflecting the versatility of this ordered light-guiding platform.

Microcystic macular oedema in optic neuropathy: case series and literature review.

PubMed

Kessel, Line; Hamann, Steffen; Wegener, Marianne; Tong, Jessica; Fraser, Clare L

2018-05-25

Cavitations in the inner nuclear layer associated with severe optic atrophy and loss of retinal ganglion cells have clinically been termed microcystic macular oedema (MME). We describe a case series of MME in patients of all ages but predominantly younger patients with a wide range of optic atrophies ranging from acute onset optic disc drusen associated ischemic optic neuropathy to slowly progressive disease as glaucoma. There were no physical distinctions between MME in different causes of optic atrophy suggesting a common causative mechanism. We reviewed the literature on MME and it appears that MME is associated with more severe visual loss, and is more common in hereditary optic neuropathies and neuro-myelitis optica spectrum disease rather than in patients with optic atrophy secondary to multiple sclerosis and glaucoma. Three main causative mechanisms have been proposed, including increased vitreal traction on the macular as the ganglion cells are lost. Others have suggested that trans-synaptic loss of cells in the inner nuclear layer causes formation of empty spaces or cavities. Finally, some have hypothesized a disturbance in the fluid homeostasis of the inner retina as Müller cells are lost or their function is impaired. There are no known treatments of MME. In conclusion, MME seems to be a marker of severe optic nerve atrophy irrespective of the underlying cause. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

A broadening temperature sensitivity range with a core-shell YbEr@YbNd double ratiometric optical nanothermometer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marciniak, L.; Prorok, K.; Francés-Soriano, L.; Pérez-Prieto, J.; Bednarkiewicz, A.

2016-02-01

The chemical architecture of lanthanide doped core-shell up-converting nanoparticles can be engineered to purposely design the properties of luminescent nanomaterials, which are typically inaccessible to their homogeneous counterparts. Such an approach allowed to shift the up-conversion excitation wavelength from ~980 to the more relevant ~808 nm or enable Tb or Eu up-conversion emission, which was previously impossible to obtain or inefficient. Here, we address the issue of limited temperature sensitivity range of optical lanthanide based nano-thermometers. By covering Yb-Er co-doped core nanoparticles with the Yb-Nd co-doped shell, we have intentionally combined temperature dependent Er up-conversion together with temperature dependent Nd --> Yb energy transfer, and thus have expanded the temperature response range ΔT of a single nanoparticle based optical nano-thermometer under single ~808 nm wavelength photo-excitation from around ΔT = 150 K to over ΔT = 300 K (150-450 K). Such engineered nanocrystals are suitable for remote optical temperature measurements in technology and biotechnology at the sub-micron scale.The chemical architecture of lanthanide doped core-shell up-converting nanoparticles can be engineered to purposely design the properties of luminescent nanomaterials, which are typically inaccessible to their homogeneous counterparts. Such an approach allowed to shift the up-conversion excitation wavelength from ~980 to the more relevant ~808 nm or enable Tb or Eu up-conversion emission, which was previously impossible to obtain or inefficient. Here, we address the issue of limited temperature sensitivity range of optical lanthanide based nano-thermometers. By covering Yb-Er co-doped core nanoparticles with the Yb-Nd co-doped shell, we have intentionally combined temperature dependent Er up-conversion together with temperature dependent Nd --> Yb energy transfer, and thus have expanded the temperature response range ΔT of a single nanoparticle based optical nano-thermometer under single ~808 nm wavelength photo-excitation from around ΔT = 150 K to over ΔT = 300 K (150-450 K). Such engineered nanocrystals are suitable for remote optical temperature measurements in technology and biotechnology at the sub-micron scale. Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available: Characterization, structural and morphological characterization of nanocrystals, the measurement setup. See DOI: 10.1039/c5nr08223d

Experimental setup for investigation of nanoclusters at cryogenic temperatures by electron spin resonance and optical spectroscopies

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Mao, S., E-mail: maoshunghost@tamu.edu; Meraki, A.; McColgan, P. T.

2014-07-15

We present the design and performance of an experimental setup for simultaneous electron spin resonance (ESR) and optical studies of nanoclusters with stabilized free radicals at cryogenic temperatures. A gas mixture of impurities and helium after passing through a RF discharge for dissociation of molecules is directed onto the surface of superfluid helium to form the nanoclusters of impurities. A specially designed ESR cavity operated in the TE{sub 011} mode allows optical access to the sample. The cavity is incorporated into a homemade insert which is placed inside a variable temperature insert of a Janis {sup 4}He cryostat. The temperaturemore » range for sample investigation is 1.25–300 K. A Bruker EPR 300E and Andor 500i optical spectrograph incorporated with a Newton EMCCD camera are used for ESR and optical registration, respectively. The current experimental system makes it possible to study the ESR and optical spectra of impurity-helium condensates simultaneously. The setup allows a broad range of research at low temperatures including optically detected magnetic resonance, studies of chemical processes of the active species produced by photolysis in solid matrices, and investigations of nanoclusters produced by laser ablation in superfluid helium.« less

Development of a compact optical MEMS scanner with integrated VCSEL light source and diffractive optics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Krygowski, Thomas W.; Reyes, David; Rodgers, M. Steven; Smith, James H.; Warren, Mial E.; Sweatt, William C.; Blum-Spahn, Olga; Wendt, Joel R.; Asbill, Randolph E.

1999-09-01

In this work the design and initial fabrication results are reported for the components of a compact optical-MEMS laser scanning system. This system integrates a silicon MEMS laser scanner, a Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting Laser (VCSEL) and passive optical components. The MEMS scanner and VCSEL are mounted onto a fused silica substrate which serves as an optical interconnect between the devices. Two Diffractive Optical Elements (DOE's) are etched into the fused silica substrate to focus the VCSEL beam and increase the scan range. The silicon MEMS scanner consists of an actuator that continuously scans the position of a large polysilicon gold- coated shuttle containing a third DOE. Interferometric measurements show that the residual stress in the 50 micrometer X 1000 micrometer shuttle is extremely low, with a maximum deflection of only 0.18 micrometer over an 800 micrometer span for an unmetallized case and a deflection of 0.56 micrometer for the metallized case. A conservative estimate for the scan range is approximately plus or minus 4 degrees, with a spot size of about 0.5 mm, producing 50 resolvable spots. The basic system architecture, optical and MEMS design is reported in this paper, with an emphasis on the design and fabrication of the silicon MEMS scanner portion of the system.

Second-harmonic generation in substoichiometric silicon nitride layers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pecora, Emanuele; Capretti, Antonio; Miano, Giovanni; Dal Negro, Luca

2013-03-01

Harmonic generation in optical circuits offers the possibility to integrate wavelength converters, light amplifiers, lasers, and multiple optical signal processing devices with electronic components. Bulk silicon has a negligible second-order nonlinear optical susceptibility owing to its crystal centrosymmetry. Silicon nitride has its place in the microelectronic industry as an insulator and chemical barrier. In this work, we propose to take advantage of silicon excess in silicon nitride to increase the Second Harmonic Generation (SHG) efficiency. Thin films have been grown by reactive magnetron sputtering and their nonlinear optical properties have been studied by femtosecond pumping over a wide range of excitation wavelengths, silicon nitride stoichiometry and thermal processes. We demonstrate SHG in the visible range (375 - 450 nm) using a tunable 150 fs Ti:sapphire laser, and we optimize the SH emission at a silicon excess of 46 at.% demonstrating a maximum SHG efficiency of 4x10-6 in optimized films. Polarization properties, generation efficiency, and the second order nonlinear optical susceptibility are measured for all the investigated samples and discussed in terms of an effective theoretical model. Our findings show that the large nonlinear optical response demonstrated in optimized Si-rich silicon nitride materials can be utilized for the engineering of nonlinear optical functions and devices on a Si chip.

Ultrahigh-speed clock recovery with optical phase lock loop based on four-wave-mixing in a semiconductor optical amplifier

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Dong Hwan; Kim, Sang Hyuck; Jo, Jae Cheol; Choi, Sang Sam

2000-08-01

A new phase lock loop (PLL) is proposed and demonstrated for clock recovery from 40 Gbps time-division-multiplexed (TDM) optical signal using simple optical phase lock loop circuit. The proposed clock recovery scheme improves the jitter effect in PLL circuit from the clock pulse laser of harmonically-mode locked fiber laser. The cross-correlation component between the optical signal and an optical clock pulse train is detected as a four-wave-mixing (FWM) signal generated in SOA. The lock-in frequency range of the clock recovery is found to be within 10 KHz.

Nonlinear graphene plasmonics

PubMed Central

2017-01-01

The rapid development of graphene has opened up exciting new fields in graphene plasmonics and nonlinear optics. Graphene's unique two-dimensional band structure provides extraordinary linear and nonlinear optical properties, which have led to extreme optical confinement in graphene plasmonics and ultrahigh nonlinear optical coefficients, respectively. The synergy between graphene's linear and nonlinear optical properties gave rise to nonlinear graphene plasmonics, which greatly augments graphene-based nonlinear device performance beyond a billion-fold. This nascent field of research will eventually find far-reaching revolutionary technological applications that require device miniaturization, low power consumption and a broad range of operating wavelengths approaching the far-infrared, such as optical computing, medical instrumentation and security applications. PMID:29118665

Nonlinear graphene plasmonics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ooi, Kelvin J. A.; Tan, Dawn T. H.

2017-10-01

The rapid development of graphene has opened up exciting new fields in graphene plasmonics and nonlinear optics. Graphene's unique two-dimensional band structure provides extraordinary linear and nonlinear optical properties, which have led to extreme optical confinement in graphene plasmonics and ultrahigh nonlinear optical coefficients, respectively. The synergy between graphene's linear and nonlinear optical properties gave rise to nonlinear graphene plasmonics, which greatly augments graphene-based nonlinear device performance beyond a billion-fold. This nascent field of research will eventually find far-reaching revolutionary technological applications that require device miniaturization, low power consumption and a broad range of operating wavelengths approaching the far-infrared, such as optical computing, medical instrumentation and security applications.

Universal method for crosstalk noise and transmission loss analysis for N-port nonblocking optical router for photonic networks-on-chip

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xie, Yiyuan; Zhang, Zhendong; Song, Tingting; He, Chao; Li, Jiachao; Wang, Guijin

2016-05-01

Crosstalk noise and transmission loss are two key elements in determining the performance of optical routers. We propose a universal method for crosstalk noise and transmission loss analysis for the N-port nonblocking optical router used in photonic networks-on-chip. Utilizing this method, we study the crosstalk noise and transmission loss for the five-, six-, seven-, and eight-port optical routers. We ascertain that the crosstalk noise and transmission loss are different for different input-output pairs. For the five-port optical router, the maximum crosstalk noise ranges from 0 to -7.07 dBm, and the transmission loss ranges from -9.05 to -0.51 dB. Furthermore, based on the crosstalk noise and transmission loss, we analyze optical signal-to-noise ratio (OSNR) and bit error ratio (BER) for the five-, six-, seven-, and eight-port nonblocking optical routers. As the number of ports increases, the minimum average OSNR decreases and the average BER increases. In addition, in order to present the performance of the routers more visually, a fiber-optic communications system is designed to simulate the transmission processes of the signals of the different paths of the routers in Optisystem. The results show that the power amplitude of the input signal is obviously higher than the corresponding output signal. With this method, we can easily evaluate the transmission loss, crosstalk noise, OSNR, and BER of high-radix nonblocking optical routers and conveniently study the performance of the N-port optical router.

Optical diffuse reflectance accessory for measurements of skin tissue by near-infrared spectroscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marbach, R.; Heise, H. M.

1995-02-01

An optimized accessory for measuring the diffuse reflectance spectra of human skin tissue in the near-infrared spectral range is presented. The device includes an on-axis ellipsoidal collecting mirror with efficient illumination optics for small sampling areas of bulky body specimens. The optical design is supported by the results of a Monte Carlo simulation study of the reflectance characteristics of skin tissue. Because the results evolved from efforts to measure blood glucose noninvasively, the main emphasis is placed on the long-wavelength near-infrared range where sufficient penetration depth for radiation into tissue is still available. The accessory is applied for in vivo diffuse reflectance measurements.