Wedge refraction of electromagnetic waves in absorbing crystals

Journal of Experimental and Theoretical Physics - Topological features of the self-intersection of wave surfaces near singular optical axes of an absorbing crystal are investigated. Distributions...     

Conical refraction of elastic waves in absorbing crystals

The absorption-induced acoustic-axis splitting in a viscoelastic crystal with an arbitrary anisotropy is considered. It is shown that after “switching on” absorption, the linear vector polarization field in the vicinity of the initial degeneracy point having an orientation singularity with the Poincaré index n = ±1/2, transforms to a planar distribution of ellipses with two singularities n = ±1/4 corresponding to new axes. The local geometry of the slowness surface of elastic waves is studied in the vicinity of new degeneracy points and a self-intersection line connecting them. The absorption-induced transformation of the classical picture of conical refraction is studied. The ellipticity of waves at the edge of the self-intersection wedge in a narrow interval of propagation directions drastically changes from circular at the wedge ends to linear in the middle of the wedge. For the wave normal directed to an arbitrary point of this wedge, during movement of the displacement vector over the corresponding polarization ellipse, the wave ray velocity s runs over the same cone describing refraction in a crystal without absorption. In this case, the end of the vector moves along a universal ellipse whose plane is orthogonal to the acoustic axis for zero absorption. The areal velocity of this movement differs from the angular velocity of the displacement vector on the polarization ellipse only by a constant factor, being delayed by π/2 in phase. When the wave normal is localized at the edge of the wedge in its central region, the movement of vector s along the universal ellipse becomes drastically nonuniform and the refraction transforms from conical to wedge-like.     

Multi-band,highly absorbing,microwave metamaterial structures

A further example of multi-band absorption using ultra-thin, polarization-insensitive, wide-angled metamaterial absorbers that operate in multi-frequency bands within the microwave regime is presented in this work. The basic structure geometry is utilised to create multi-band highly absorbing structures by incorporating the scalability property of the metamaterials. Simulation results verify the structure’s ability for high absorption. The multi-band absorbers are promising candidates as absorbing elements in scientific and technical applications because of its multi-band absorption, polarization insensitivity, and wide-angle response. Finally, the current distributions for those structures are presented to gain a better insight into the physics behind the multiple absorption mechanism.     

Calibration of imaging laser-induced fluorescence measurements in highly absorbing flames

It has been described earlier that imaging measurements of laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) in flames can be calibrated to number densities with an integrated absorption measurement provided the integrated absorption is small. In this paper a method is presented that extends the technique to flames with substantial absorption, improves the number density determination and allows the experimental parameters to be chosen more freely. The method is based on an iterative computer procedure that reconstructs the 1-D spatially resolved absorption profile from laser measurements of the 1-D spatially resolved LIF and the integrated absorption of the laser beam. The technique is experimentally demonstrated by measurements of OH number densities in atmospheric flames. It is potentially a single-pulse method. Other applications of the iterative procedure are mentioned.     

PIE: Perpendicular-incidence ellipsometry—application to the determination of the optical properties of uniaxial and biaxial absorbing crystals

Perpendicular-incidence ellipsometry (to be given the acronym PIE) is simpler than oblique-incidence conventional or generalized ellipsometry as a tool for the characterization of optically anisotropic surfaces. To illustrate the potential usefulness and simplicity of PIE, we present an example of its application to the determination of the optical properties of uniaxially and biaxially anisotropic crystals.     

A new technique for Raman spectroscopy in highly absorbing liquid systems

In this paper we describe a new technique for Raman spectroscopy in highly absorbing liquid samples. Such a technique, called Jet Flow Raman Spectroscopy (JFRS) is used in the case of saturated solutions of strong electrolytes such as CuCl₂ and CoCl₂. A comparison of spectra obtained with JFRS and a semicapillary cell is shown. The power of the JFRS technique is also proved with the evidence of a resonant Raman effect in saturated aqueous solutions of CuCl₂.     

Effect of absorbing microinhomogeneities on optical damage to Alkali-Halide crystals

Micropores up to 30?C100 ??m in size (bulk density ??10⁵ cm^?3) are obtained in NaCl, KCl, KBr, and RbI via the effect of a pulse of a CO₂ laser with power density 10⁶?C10⁷ W cm^?2 up to 5 ??s long. When a pore appears, plasma formation is initiated. The average temperature is ??5500 K and the pressure is ??10⁴ kg cm^?2. The dependence of the average weight of the material removed from the pore on the energy of the crystal lattice is found. Pore formation occurs mainly via the effect of the radiation pulse, due to evaporation at the absorption wave front (velocity, 5 m s^?1) and plastic deformation. The annealing kinetics of micropores and the effect of the ionizing radiation on the bulk pore formation in NaCl crystals are investigated.     

Schlieren photography to study sound interaction with highly absorbing materials

Strong absorption of sound is often caused by the conversion of sound energy into heat. When this happens, it is not possible to study the interaction of sound with the absorbing material by means of reflected sound characteristics, because there is no reflected sound. Detecting for example the distance that sound travels in a strongly absorbing material, can be done by heat detection systems. However, the presence of temperature detectors in such materials interferes with the sound field and is therefore not really suitable. Infrared measurements are a possible option. Another option is the use of Schlieren photography for simultaneous visualization of sound and heat. This technique is briefly outlined with a 3 MHz sound beam incident on a highly absorbing sponge.     

On the mechanism of light-induced orientation of molecules in absorbing nematic liquid crystals

A new mechanism is proposed for the collective light-induced rotation of orientationally ordered molecules of absorbing nematic liquid crystals. The mechanism derives from the noncentral character of the light-induced change in the interaction potential of the excited and unexcited molecules and also from the anisotropy of their correlation function. Rotation is produced by the difference of the torques exerted by the intermolecular forces orienting the ensembles of excited and unexcited molecules. Pis’ma Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 68, No. 5, 410–414 (10 September 1998)     

Hybrid diffusion approximation in highly absorbing media and its effects of source approximation

A modified diffusion approximation model called the hybrid diffusion approximation that can be used for highly absorbing media is investigated. The analytic solution of the hybrid diffusion approximation for reflectance in two-source approximation and steady-state case with extrapolated boundary is obtained. The effects of source approximation on the analytic solution are investigated, and it is validated that two-source approximation in highly absorbing media to describe the optical properties of biological tissue is necessary. Monte Carlo simulation of recovering optical parameters from refiectant data is done with the use of this model. The errors of recovering μ＇s and μ＇s are smaller than 15% for the reduced albedo between 0.77 and 0.5 with the source-detector separation of 0.4-3 mm.     

Erosion of phonon critical points in highly doped crystals

The infrared sideband structure at 15°K of CaF₂ with U-centers is studied as a function of U-center concentration.     

Two-center holographic recording in highly doped LiNbO3 crystals

In this paper, we report the observation of electron tunneling during two-center recording in LiNbO₃:Fe:Mn doped with high Fe concentration. Unlike tunneling in the singly doped lithium niobate that erases the hologram, the effect in two-center recording can improve the diffraction efficiency of the hologram after the recording while it is kept in the dark. A detailed study of this effect in LiNbO₃:Fe:Mn is presented both theoretically and experimentally. We show that the hologram strength may increase or decrease due to tunneling, depending on the experimental condition of recording. PACS 42.40.-i; 42.70.Ln; 42.40.Lx     

A guided-wave configuration for two-wave-mixing-based devices containing highly absorbing Au-doped sol-gels

Received: 11 May 1998