Temperature Evolution of the Dielectric Response of α-Lactose Monohydrate in the THz Frequency Range

Optics and Spectroscopy - Transmission spectra of pressed microcrystalline α-lactose monohydrate samples have been measured by THz time-domain spectroscopy in the temperature range of...     

Sapphire shaped crystals for waveguiding,sensing and exposure applications

Second half of the XX century was marked by a rapid development of sapphire shaped crystal growth technologies, driven by the demands for fast, low-cost, and technologically reliable methods of producing sapphire crystals of complex shape. Numerous techniques of shaped crystal growth from a melt have been proposed relying on the Stepanov concept of crystal shaping. In this review, we briefly describe the development of growth techniques, with a strong emphasize on those that yield sapphire crystals featuring high volumetric and surface quality. A favorable combination of physical properties of sapphire (superior hardness and tensile strength, impressive thermal conductivity and chemical inertness, high melting point and thermal shock resistance, transparency to electromagnetic waves in a wide spectral range) with advantages of shaped crystal growth techniques (primarily, an ability to produce sapphire crystals with a complex geometry of cross-section, along with high volumetric and surface quality) allows fabricating various instruments for waveguiding, sensing, and exposure technologies. We discuss recent developments of high-tech instruments, which are based on sapphire shaped crystals and vigorously employed in biomedical and material sciences, optics and photonics, nuclear physics and plasma sciences.     

Wide-Aperture Aspheric Optics for Formation of Subwavelength Caustics of a Terahertz Electromagnetic-Radiation Beam

A wide-aperture aspheric lens for focusing a terahertz electromagnetic-radiation beam in a circle of the subwavelength size is proposed. The calculation of the lens and the estimation of size of created caustic were carried out using computational methods of geometric optics and electrodynamics. The lens is made of high-density polyethylene with the help of a turning machine. For experimental estimation of the spatial resolution provided by the lens, a THz imaging system based on raster scanning of the object’s surface was created. The imaging system was used in combination with wide-aperture THz optics to record images of the streak plates with different spatial frequencies. Analysis of the experimental data showed that the aspheric lens allows the resolution of two objects spaced at a distance of 0.95λ, providing contrast of 15%. The proposed THz optics is superior to classical THz spherical lenses and off-axis parabolic mirrors, greatly expanding the capabilities of THz-spectroscopy methods and imaging.     

Early Diagnosis of Skin Melanoma Using Several Imaging Systems

Optics and Spectroscopy - A complex approach was proposed for early diagnosis of skin melanoma. The approach includes sequential examinations of skin lesions using several imaging systems. A focus...     

Terahertz Microscope Based on Solid Immersion Effect for Imaging of Biological Tissues

Optics and Spectroscopy - We propose a new method of terahertz microscopy for imaging of biological tissues with a subwavelength spatial resolution. It makes it possible to surmount the Abbe...     

An Experimentally Trained Noise Filtration Method of Optical Coherence Tomography Signals

Optics and Spectroscopy - A method for wavelet filtration procedure training for optical coherence tomography (OCT) images using the experimental measurements of test objects that were constructed...     

Sapphire waveguides and fibers for terahertz applications

Sapphire shaped crystals are considered as a favorable material platform of the terahertz (THz) waveguide and fiber optics. Unique physical properties of sapphire, along with advantages of the Edge-defined Film-fed Growth (EFG) technique, yield fabrication of the THz waveguides and fibers with a complex cross-section geometry directly from the Al₂O₃-melt, where no labour-intensive mechanical processing is required. Wide variability of the as-grown sapphire shaped crystal geometries yields different physical mechanisms of electromagnetic waveguidance. In this review, recent advantages in the THz waveguides and fibers based on the EFG-grown sapphire shaped crystals are discussed. While possessing moderate THz-wave absorbtion and quite high dispersion, flexible sapphire fibers with a simple step-index cross-section geometry yield strong confinement of guided modes in a fiber core due to a high refractive index of sapphire in the THz range. This effect opens novel opportunities of sapphire fibers in high-resolution THz imaging, using the principles of either scanning-probe near-field optical microscopy or optical fiber bundles. In turn, antiresonant and photonic crystal hard hollow-core waveguides demonstrate advanced optical performance, along with wide capabilities in THz endoscopy and sensing in harsh environments. This review highlights that the EFG-grown sapphire shaped crystals hold strong potential in different branches of THz optics.     

Development of a Standard for Verification of the System for Automated Morphometry of Clinical Images of Skin Neoplasms

Optics and Spectroscopy - Technological and metrological specifics were considered for developing a standard for calibration and verification of a system that performs automated morphometry of skin...