A Low-Frequency Photoacoustic Spectrometer with an RGB Light-Emitting Diode for Evaluating Photosynthetic Activity in Plant Leaves

Acoustical Physics - A photoacoustic spectrometer based on a three-colored light-emitting diode (with peak emission wavelengths of 465, 525, and 640 nm) designed to determine the intensity of...     

Heteromolecular structures in aqueous solutions of dimethylformamide and tetrahydrofuran,according to molecular dynamics data

The complex dielectric permittivity of aqueous solutions of tetrahydrofuran and dimethylformamide in wide ranges of temperature (220–300 K) and pressure (0.1–12 MPa) is studied by means of molecular dynamics. The autocorrelation functions of the dipole moments of molecules are calculated. Dielectric permittivity spectra are obtained. The dielectric relaxation times are determined as functions of the tetrahydrofuran and dimethylformamide concentrations in the indicated binary mixtures. The dielectric relaxation frequency shifts toward low frequencies in the range of tetrahydrofuran and dimethylformamide concentrations x ≤ 0.5 molar fraction, due to the formation of heteromolecular structures with hydrogen bonds. This is confirmed by the negative values of the excess dielectric permittivities of binary solutions at x ～ 0.3–0.4 molar fraction.     

Nonlinear transformation of a spectrum of femtosecond laser pulses in a gas-filled microcapillary

Features of light pulse propagation and nonlinear optical transformation of the spectrum generated by titanium-sapphire laser pulses (τ_0.5 = 27 fs, λ₀ = 790 nm) have been studied experimentally in a 50-cm cylindrical hollow waveguide (microcapillary with 280-μm diameter core) filled with gaseous molecular nitrogen and helium. Stable guided propagation of light pulses with an intensity of ~1.5⋅10¹⁴ W/cm² in the fundamental EH₁₁ mode of the gas-filled capillary has been demonstrated. Exact focusing of the laser light made it possible to obtain rather high relative (≥95%) and absolute (~60%) energy transmission efficiencies for the pulses at gas pressures equal to or lower than 760 Torr. A method to determine the nonlinear phase shift of the pulses has been proposed. Values of the nonlinear refractive index n₂ ≈ 4.5⋅10^–23 cm²/(W⋅Torr) (N₂) and n₂ ≈ 2.8⋅10^–23 cm²/(W⋅Torr) (He) have been found. A short-wavelength shift in addition to the Kerr nonlinearity has been shown to be contributed by the generated electron plasma at high pulse intensities (≥10¹⁴ W/cm²).     

Photoinduced optical activity of C<Subscript>70</Subscript> fullerene in organic solvents

We have experimentally studied for the first time the effect of photoinduced rotation of the plane of polarization for pulsed laser radiation in solutions of C₇₀ fullerene in organic solvents and their mixtures. We have shown that the effect is observed for elliptical polarization of the laser radiation and is absent for linear polarization. We present the results of a study of the nonlinear optical characteristics of the C₇₀ solutions. We discuss the physical mechanisms by which nonlinear gyrotropy is induced in solutions. Translated from Zhurnal Prikladnoi Spektroskopii, Vol. 76, No. 1, pp. 93–99, January–February, 2009.     

Terahertz Spectroscopy of Aqueous Solutions of Acetic Acid

Journal of Applied Spectroscopy - The fingerprint regions of infrared and Raman spectra of aqueous solutions of acetic acid at concentrations of 0.3 and 0.8 mole fractions and pure solutions were...     

Raman spectroscopy of the interface between a thin nanostructured ZnO film and fullerene C60

The resonance and nonresonance Raman scattering in the interface between a thin ZnO film with a well-developed nanostructured surface morphology and a layer of fullerene C60 molecules deposited on this film has been investigated. It is shown that the intensity of the interaction between the C60 molecules and ZnO film surface can be estimated based on the spectral scattering characteristics.     

Self-induced polarization rotation of laser beam in fullerene (C70) solutions

Nonlinear self-rotation of elliptically polarized laser pulses (λ = 532 nm, τ_FWHM ~ 12 ns) in toluene, benzene and binary mixture (toluene + ethanol) solutions of fullerene C₇₀ has been investigated experimentally. Absolute values and signs of the nonlinear refractive indices (n₂) and nonlinear optical susceptibilities χ⁽³⁾(ω, ? ω, ω) of C₇₀ solutions in toluene and benzene at different values of polarization ellipse (θ = 0.2 ÷ 0.8) have been determined. High-resolution transmission electron microscope studies of C₇₀ solutions showed that in toluene + ethanol mixtures ball-shaped C₇₀ clusters are formed with particle sizes in the range ~ 100 ÷ 500 nm. It has been demonstrated, that the clusters sizes depend on the C₇₀ concentration and volume fraction of ethanol in toluene. Correlation between the processes of C₇₀ clusters formation in solutions and the values of polarization self-rotation angle of transmitted laser beam has been demonstrated. Physical mechanisms of laser induced optical activity in fullerene solutions have been discussed.