Interface and defects engineering for multilayer laser coatings

High-reflective multilayer laser coatings are widely used in advanced optical systems from high power laser facilities to high precision metrology systems. However, the real interface quality and defects will significantly affect absorption/scattering losses and laser induced damage thresholds of multilayer coatings. With the recent advances in the control of coating design and deposition processes, these coating properties can be significantly improved when properly engineered the interface and defects. This paper reviews the recent progress in the physics of laser damage, optical losses and environmental stability involved in multilayer reflective coatings for high power nanosecond near-infrared lasers. We first provide an overview of the layer growth mechanisms, ways to control the microstructures and reduce layer roughness, as well as the nature of defects which are critical to the optical loss and laser induced damage. Then an overview of interface engineering based on the design of coating structure and the regulation of deposition materials reveals their ability to improve the laser induced damage threshold, reduce the backscattering, and realize the desirable properties of environmental stability and exceptional multifunctionality. Moreover, we describe the recent progress in the laser damage and scattering mechanism of nodule defects and give the approaches to suppress the defect-induced damage and scattering of the multilayer laser coatings. Finally, the present challenges and limitations of high-performance multilayer laser coatings are highlighted, along with the comments on likely trends in future.     

驻波声场中单分散细颗粒的相互作用特性

利用外加声场促进悬浮在气相中的细颗粒发生相互作用,进而引起颗粒的碰撞和凝并,使得颗粒平均粒径增大、数目浓度降低,是控制细颗粒排放的重要技术途径.为探究驻波声场中单分散细颗粒的相互作用,建立包含曳力、重力、声尾流效应的颗粒相互作用模型,采用四阶经典龙格-库塔算法和二阶隐式亚当斯插值算法对模型进行求解.将数值模拟得到的颗粒声波夹带速度和相互作用过程与相应的解析解和实验结果进行对比,验证模型的准确性.进而研究颗粒初始条件和直径对相互作用特性的影响.结果表明,初始时刻颗粒中心连线越接近声波波动方向、颗粒位置越接近波腹点,颗粒间的声尾流效应就越强,颗粒发生碰撞所需要的时间就越短.研究还发现,颗粒直径对颗粒相互作用的影响取决于初始时刻颗粒中心连线偏离声波波动方向的程度.当偏离较小时,颗粒直径越大,颗粒发生碰撞所需要的时间越短;当偏离很大时,直径较小的颗粒能够发生碰撞,而直径较大的颗粒则无法发生碰撞.     

Electrical and Thermal Transport Properties of n-type Bi6Cu2Se4O6 (2BiCuSeO + 2Bi2O2Se)

New thermoelectric materials, n-type Bi₆Cu₂Se₄O₆ oxyselenides, composed of well-known BiCuSeO and Bi₂O₂Se oxyselenides, are synthesized with a simple solid-state reaction. Electrical transport properties, microstructures, and elastic properties are investigated with an emphasis on thermal transport properties. Similar to Bi₂O₂Se, it is found that the halogen-doped Bi₆Cu₂Se₄O₆ possesses n-type conducting transports, which can be improved via Br/Cl doping. Compared with BiCuSeO and Bi₂O₂Se, an extremely low thermal conductivity can be observed in Bi₆Cu₂Se₄O₆. To reveal the origin of low thermal conductivity, elastic properties, sound velocity, Grüneisen parameter, and Debye temperature are evaluated. Importantly, the calculated phonon mean free path of Bi₆Cu₂Se₄O₆ is comparable to the interlayer distance for BiO─CuSe and BiO─Se layers, which is ascribed to the strong interlayer phonon scattering. Contributing from the outstanding low thermal conductivity and improved electrical transport properties, the maximum ZT ≈0.15 at 823 K and ≈0.11 at 873K are realized in n-type Bi₆Cu₂Se_3.2Br_0.8O₆ and Bi₆Cu₂Se_3.6Cl_0.4O₆, respectively, indicating the promising thermoelectric performance in n-type Bi₆Cu₂Se₄O₆ oxyselenides.     

Eye-safe compact scanning LIDAR technology

A 1.5-μm eye-safe, 3-D scanning, and compact Mie LIght Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) is presented. The transmitter of the LIDAR is based on a KTA optical parameter oscillator (OPO) resonator. For detecting return signals, an InGaAs APD is used. The all solid-state OPO laser transmitter has the feature of small volume and lightweight, which allows a 165-lb compact eye-safe scanning LIDAR to be constructed. A system simulation using our own model was conducted to direct the system development. A method to solve the problem with small active area APD detectors was developed and described. The preliminary field-test measurement results indicated that the LIDAR has the capability to detect aerosols and clouds in lower atmospheres up to three dimensions.     

Character of the thermal motion of water molecules according to the data on quasielastic incoherent scattering of slow neutrons

The paper discusses the applicability of quasi-crystalline approximation to describing the thermal motion of water molecules in their normal and supercooled states. The problem is subjected to the critical analysis of experimental data on incoherent scattering of slow neutrons based on theories developed by Singwi-Sjolander [1] and Oskotsky [2] modified to duly take into account the limited applicability range of diffusion approximation. The applicability conditions of quasi-crystalline approximation are shown to be consistently satisfied only when water is in supercooled state and within a narrow temperature range above the melting temperature.     

Scattering of Laser Light from Mixed Micelles

Dynamic and static scattering of light was employed to investigate mixed micelles of two homologous anionic surfactants-sodium octyl sulfate and sodium hexadecyl sulfate, above the phase boundary temperature and critical micelle concentrations (cmc). The results indicate that the mixed micelles change from prolate to sphcrical as the molar ratio SOS/SHS increases from 1 to 8. Below 1 or above 8, the formation of micelles is due to one surfactant dissolving the other.     

基于硅波导的喇曼光放大器

在硅波导上添加反向偏压的PIN结构,当波导产生受激喇曼散射时,可以将波导中双光子吸收(TPA)产生的光生自由载流子扫出波导,降低了波导的非线性损失,极大地提高了硅波导中泵浦光对信号光的喇曼增益。为了应用已经非常成熟的硅工艺,并且应用硅波导使器件小型化,根据法布里-帕罗(F-P)腔和行波放大器理论,在硅波导两端的解理面蒸镀增透膜,应用这种波导的喇曼效应设计了一种光放大器,即基于硅波导的喇曼光放大器。建立了计算放大器增益的方程,给出了不同波导长度和输入功率情况下的放大器增益,得出适当增加波导长度和泵浦光功率可以得到较高喇曼增益的结论。基于硅的光放大器有较高的饱和功率且没有泵浦源的限制,通过调整泵浦激光的波长可以放大不同波长的信号光。     

355nm Nd∶YAG激光在H_2中的高效一级斯托克斯转换

对脉冲Nd∶YAG激光(355 nm)在H2和H2∶He-Ar混合气体中的受激拉曼散射(SRS)进行了研究。在0.5 MPa的氢气中,同时测量到从二级反斯托克斯到三级斯托克斯的多波长输出,其总转化效率达88%;而高压下只剩下一级和二级斯托克斯输出,其中二级斯托克斯最大能量转化效率达44%(对应量子效率为63%)。由于高级斯托克斯的竞争,纯氢气中一级斯托克斯的最大能量转换效率不超过43%。通过向3 MPa氢气中掺入2 MPaAr气后,很好地抑制了二级斯托克斯的产生,从而获得了能量转换效率高达71%(对应量子效率为83%)的一级斯托克斯输出。对四波混频和级联受激拉曼散射在氢气多级斯托克斯产生中的作用以及惰性气体对它们的影响进行了讨论。