Vectorial structure of Hermite–Laguerre–Gaussian beam in the far field

Starting from Maxwell's equations, a Hermite–Laguerre–Gaussian (HLG) beam is decomposed into the TE and TM terms by using the vector angular spectrum representation. By means of the method of stationary phase, the analytical TE and TM terms are presented in the far field. The energy flux distributions of the TE and TM terms are also investigated and depicted in the far field. The influences of the additional angle parameter and Gaussian waist width on the vectorial structure and energy flux pattern of HLG beam are also investigated. This research reveals the internal vectorial structure of HLG beam and may provide a new approach to the manipulation of laser beams.     

Influence of laser irradiation on the optical and structural properties of poly(ethylene terephthalate) fibres

Laser irradiation has been previously investigated for achieving uniform heating of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) fibres in the hot-drawing stage of the production process, so as to obtain better fibre mechanical properties. The optical properties and dye uptake of PET fibres also depend on the polymer chain orientation and crystallinity within the fibre structure. This paper reports an investigation of a concept whereby laser irradiation and interferometry could be used to modify and trace a small change in the optical properties of a PET monofilament fibre, but the corresponding change in the dye uptake would not be detected visually. A copper vapour laser (550-580 nm wavelengths) was used to expose consecutive 4 mm lengths along a running length of monofilament to 39.8 W cm⁻², at a pulse rate of 9.89 kHz in order to modify, in a controlled way, the polymer crystallinity and orientation. A 3D finite element simulation, based on uncoupled heat-transfer analysis, indicated that rapid heating and cooling could be obtained with the laser to give the small changes required. Irradiated and untreated samples were analysed by interferometry and a 0.16% change was detected in the birefringence profiles, corresponding to a small reduction in the degree of orientation and crystallinity of the irradiated samples. Density measurements and wide-angle X-ray scattering (WAXS) analysis confirmed the change in crystallinity. Tests conducted for dye adsorption and tensile strength showed a small increase in the former and only a very small decrease in the latter. It was concluded that these changes in property provide the opportunity for a laser-irradiated PET monofilament fibre to be used as a subtle tracer element in brand labels for textile garments as an anti-counterfeit measure.     

Effect of C doping on the structural and optical properties of sol–gel TiO2 thin films

Undoped and C-doped TiO₂ thin films have been prepared by sol–gel process. Their structure and optical properties have been investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and UV–vis spectroscopy. It has been observed that C dopants retard the transformation from anatase-to-rutile phase. Namely, C doping effect is attributed to the anatase phase stabilization. The optical analyses show that the optical band gap of anatase C-doped TiO₂ decreases with increasing amount of C. Also, it is founded that C dopants have been shown to make TiO₂ have a visible light photoresponse.     

Vortex pinning properties of –Ba–Cu–O and –Ba–Cu–O superconducting bulks

We have studied the effect of a small amount of Y-site substitution by La or Pr ions on the vortex pinning in the Y–Ba–Cu–O system. (Y_1-xLa_x)–Ba–Cu–O and (Y_1-xPr_x)–Ba–Cu–O bulks were fabricated by the melt-textured growth, in which x was varied from 0 to 0.01. The critical current density J_c at 77 K is improved in magnetic fields parallel to the c-axis above 2–4.5 T and the corresponding irreversibility field, H_irr, shifts to the higher value in both bulks.     

Hyperspherical harmonics approach to the trinucleon system with Reid soft core potential: Calculation of geometrical structure coefficients

We present the full set of equations for the solution of the trinucleon problem by the hyperspherical harmonics expansion (HHE) method where nucleons interact via the Reid soft core (RSC) potential. The coupling potential matrix elements are expressed in terms of geometrical structure coefficients (GSC) and potential multipoles (PM). Introduction of GSC greatly simplifies the calculation of the potential matrix and makes the numerical algorithm efficient. A method for calculating all the twelve independent sets of GSC needed, by using the completeness property of the Jacobi polynomials has been presented. A convenient sum rule for each set of GSC has also been derived and precision of the calculated GSC has been checked by the sum rule. Such calculations of GSC are efficient and fast, in view of the complexity of the HHE equations.     

Impact of interface geometric structure on organic–metal interface energetics and subsequent films electronic structure

We present the electronic structure of various pentacene thin films grown on Au(1 1 1), Cu(1 1 1), Cu(1 0 0), and Cu(1 1 0) surfaces studied by angle-resolved ultraviolet photoemission spectroscopy using synchrotron radiation. A systematic variation of the metal surface such as the substrate metal and its surface symmetry allows a comprehensive discussion on the correlation between the electronic structure and the interface geometric structure. In the monolayer regime, we observed the evidence of the formation of the organic–metal interface state depending on the metal surface, i.e., the interface geometric structure. This evidence is explained by the different organic–metal and intermolecular interactions, which originate from the hybridization of the molecular orbitals with the metal wavefunction. These interface geometric and electronic phenomena can be a seed for the subsequent film growth and resultant films electronic structure.     

Far-field properties and beam quality of vectorial Hermite–Laguerre–Gaussian beams beyond the paraxial approximation

The far-field properties and beam quality of vectorial nonparaxial Hermite–Laguerre–Gaussian (HLG) beams are studied in detail, where, instead of the second-order-moments-based M² factor, the extended power in the bucket (PIB) and βparameter are used to characterize the beam quality in the far field and the intensity in the formulae is replaced by the z component of the time-averaged Poynting vector S_z. It is found that the S_z PIB and βparameter of vectorial nonparaxial HLG beams depend on the mode indices n, m, αparameter and waist-width-to-wavelength ratio w₀/λ and the PIB and βparameter are additionally dependent on the bucket's size taken.     

Synthesis and high-frequency magnetic properties of sol–gel derived Ni–Zn ferrite–forsterite composites

Ni_0.5Zn_0.5Fe₂O₄–forsterite composites were synthesized by a sol–gel method. X-ray diffraction and SEM were used to characterize the crystallization behavior of the composite samples which were heat treated at temperatures varying from 800 to 1100°C. The results showed that Ni_0.5Zn_0.5Fe₂O₄ and forsterite (Mg₂SiO₄) can co-crystallize and the crystallites grow even more larger with increasing heat-treatment temperature. High-frequency (10 MHz–1 GHz) magnetic and dielectric properties of the composite samples were presented. Permeability increased with heat-treatment temperature. Quality factor was found to be two orders higher than that of equivalent pure, bulk ferrite.     

Transport properties of carbon nanotube–metal nanocomposites

The performed investigations permit to reveal the effect of giant magnetic resistance in the specimens of the compacted nanocarbon materials containing multi-walled carbon nanotubes modified with the transition metals (Fe and Co).     

Experimental study of a semiconductor laser diode having a Mach–Zehnder interferometer in the cavity

The performance of a semiconductor laser diode that has an asymmetric Mach–Zehnder interferometer all-optical switch in the cavity has been studied experimentally. This novel device was designed to be free from clock pulse insertion, since mode-locked optical pulses are generated internally and change the balance of the interferometer periodically. The device was fabricated using a InGaAsP/InP buried heterostructure and the primary optical properties of the device were investigated. Lasing characteristics that were peculiar to the twin-cavity structure were observed, i.e., continuous-wave lasing power oscillation in relation to the injection current balance between the two arms, and cyclic changes in the single/multiple emission peaks as a function of bias voltage at the saturable absorber. Electrical spectrum analysis indicated 40 GHz modulation of lasing output from the twin-cavity laser.     

The influence of indium on the structural modification of the amorphous Ge–In–Se system

The effect of both the chemical composition and the nature of the chemical bonding of amorphous alloyed samples of Ge_xIn_ySe_100−x−y prepared under vacuum with x=20, 4y15 on the efficiency of the structural modification Δφ is analysed using a simple consideration based on the coordination number Z, and the number of topological constraints N_co. The previously obtained parameters have been used for the determination of the number of continuous deformation (i.e. zero-frequency modes f ), and for the estimation of the cohesive energies of these glasses, assuming simple additivity of bond energies. A trial has been made to correlate the results of this paper with the previously published data of glass transition temperature T_g, activation energy ₀ and the shift of the K-absorption edge (ΔE_K) of the composition of vacuum prepared Ge_xIn_ySe_100−x−y. It was found that there is a correlation between the lone-pair electrons and the stability of the vitreous state. According to the criterion of Liang, the above correlation has been interpreted in terms of Δφ.     

Influence of a Fabry–Perot etalon on a chirped optical pulse

Taking into consideration the fact that the output from a Fabry–Perot etalon is formed on the basis of the interference of the multi-reflected beams of the input pulse that enters the etalon, an analytical expression of the output pulse intensity has been derived for an input chirped Gaussian pulse passing through an etalon. Using the expression, the temporal width and the peak power of the output pulse is investigated. Results show that for a given etalon, the chirp factor and the width of the input pulse have intense effects on the width and the peak of the output pulse.     

A new form of the Sutton–Chen potential for the Cu–Ag alloys

The analytic construction of a many-body potential inspired from the Sutton–Chen parametrization is presented for copper and silver. A new approach is used to model the cross interaction for the Cu–Ag alloys. The parameters are fitted to first principles calculations based on the full potential linear plane wave method. The structural properties of the order and disorder Cu–Ag alloys in the B₂and fcc structures are presented for different concentration.     

Determining the opto-mechanical and geometrical properties of high-density polyethylene fibres

A method is described to determine the opto-mechanical and geometrical properties of high-density polyethylene, HDPE, fibres at the same time for the same region from the fibre. Variations of the transverse sectional shapes, areas, optical and mechanical properties of fibres during the cold drawing process were investigated. A rotator-mechanical drawing device was used for rotating the fibre around its longitudinal axis during the cold drawing process. The Pluta polarizing two-beam interference microscope was attached with the rotator-mechanical drawing device for detecting these variations under the interferometer. The rotator-mechanical drawing device permits determining the tensile stress–strain curve, Poisson's ratio and strain optical coefficient for HDPE fibres. Also, it permits determining the refractive index profile of the drawn fibres taking into considering the transverse sectional area and the enclosed area under the fringe shift. The optical orientation factor and orientation angle was calculated for HDPE fibre to clarify the orientation of molecules during the cold drawing process. Microinterferograms are utilized for illustrations.     

Propagation of high-order Bessel–Gaussian beam through a misaligned first-order optical system

The generalized diffraction integralis used to derive a generalized formula for high-order Bessel–Gaussian beams (HBGBs) through a misaligned first-order ABCD optical system. It is found that, when a HBGB propagates through a misaligned optical system, the beam shape of the output beam is unchanged. However, the center of the output beam is deviated from the optical axis, forming a decentered HBGB. The position of the output beam may be controlled by adjusting the misaligned parameters. Based on the derived formula, the diffraction patterns of HBGBs propagating through a simple misaligned lens system have been calculated numerically. These results may be useful in the application of laser beams for trapping and manipulating a wide variety of particles.     

Gate voltage-dependent Aharanov–Bohm experiment in the presence of Rashba spin–orbit interaction

We measured gate voltage-dependent Aharonov–Bohm oscillations in an InGaAs-based two-dimensional electron gas ring with a gate on top of one of the branches. After ensemble averaging, the h/e oscillation spectrum showed smooth oscillatory behavior as a function of the gate voltage. This could be a manifestation of the spin–orbit interaction induced interference.     

Optical–optical double resonance spectroscopy of the transition of CaOH

The state of CaOH was investigated using optical–optical double resonance spectroscopy. A combined least-squares fit of the double resonance transition data along with optical transition data and the millimeter-wave pure rotational data of the state was performed using an effective Hamiltonian. The spin–rotation constant was determined for the state for the first time. An analysis of these constants showed that the Ca–O bond length and spin–rotation parameter of the state have the smallest values of all the observed ²Σ⁺ states of CaOH. This evidence suggests the assignment of the state as arising from a Ca⁺ atomic orbital of mainly 5sσ character. This atomic orbital assignment was shown to be consistent with both previous work on CaF and recent theoretical calculations on CaOH.     

Propagation of generalized Mathieu–Gauss beams through paraxial misaligned optical systems

Based on the generalized diffraction integral, we derive an analytical formula for generalized Mathieu–Gauss beams (gMGBs) passing through an apertured misaligned optical system. Furthermore, we use the fact that a hard aperture function can be expanded into a finite sum of complex Gaussian functions to establish an approximate propagation equation of gMGBs through paraxial circularly apertured optical system. As an example, the propagation of ordinary and modified zeroth order MGBs through a misaligned thin lens is studied numerically.     

Application of the Wigner distribution function to complex-argument Hermite– and Laguerre–Gaussian beams beyond the paraxial approximation

The Wigner distribution function (WDF) is applied to study the propagation of complex-argument Hermite–Gaussian (HG) and Laguerre–Gaussian (LG) beams beyond the paraxial approximation. The analytical expressions for their intensity distributions in free-space propagation are derived, which are expressed in terms of Hermite polynomials for nonparaxial complex-argument HG beams and in terms of the sum of finite Hermite polynomials for nonparaxial complex-argument LG beams. A detailed comparison of the WDF approach, series expansion method and paraxial expressions is made, which shows that in the paraxial regime the WDF approach and series expansion method deliver consistent results with that of paraxial expressions. Beyond the paraxial approximation, the WDF approach offers convergent results, whereas the series expansion method has a limited applicable range, within which it gives consistent results with that of WDF approach but beyond which it gives unrealistic and divergent results.     

Water and oil wettability of hybrid organic–inorganic titanate–silicate thin films deposited via a sol–gel route

Hybrid organic–inorganic titanate–silicate thin films were deposited on silicium wafer via a sol–gel route. Hybrid sols were formulated by mixing an inorganic titanium alkoxide solution with solutions of hybrid organic–inorganic silicon alkoxides partially substituted with non-hydrolysable alkyl chains. Three organo-silicate precursors were used to introduce methyl, octyl, or hexadecyl chains in the oxide network. Physico-chemical and morphological properties of derived hybrid films have been studied by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, ellipsometry, and atomic force microscopy. Contact angle measurements have also been performed to assess the water and mineral oil wettability of hybrid films. Wettability properties of these films are discussed with respect to physico-chemical and morphological features. It is shown that increasing the fraction and length of alkyl chains in the oxide network conjointly increases water and oil contact angles measured on such hybrid films.