Photoionisation loading of large Sr<Superscript>+</Superscript> ion clouds with ultrafast pulses

This paper reports on the use of ultrafast pulses for photoionisation loading of singly-ionised strontium ions in a linear Paul trap. We take advantage of an autoionising resonance of Sr neutral atoms to form Sr⁺ by two-photon absorption of femtosecond pulses at a wavelength of 431 nm. We compare this technique to electron-bombardment ionisation and observe several advantages of photoionisation. It actually allows for the loading of a pure Sr⁺ ion cloud in a low radio-frequency voltage amplitude regime. In these conditions, up to 4×10⁴ laser-cooled Sr⁺ ions were trapped.     

A high-stability semiconductor laser system for a <Superscript>88</Superscript>Sr-based optical lattice clock

We describe a frequency-stabilized diode laser at 698 nm used for high-resolution spectroscopy of the ¹S₀–³P₀ strontium clock transition. For the laser stabilization we use state-of-the-art symmetrically suspended optical cavities optimized for very low thermal noise at room temperature. Two-stage frequency stabilization to high-finesse optical cavities results in measured laser frequency noise about a factor of three above the cavity thermal noise between 2 Hz and 11 Hz. With this system, we demonstrate high-resolution remote spectroscopy on the ⁸⁸Sr clock transition by transferring the laser output over a phase noise-compensated 200-m-long fiber link between two separated laboratories. Our dedicated fiber link ensures a transfer of the optical carrier with frequency stability of 7×10⁻¹⁸ after 100 s integration time, which could enable the observation of the strontium clock transition with an atomic Q of 10¹⁴. Furthermore, with an eye toward the development of transportable optical clocks, we investigate how the complete laser system (laser+optics+cavity) can be influenced by environmental disturbances in terms of both short- and long-term frequency stability.     

Frequency response measurement of high-speed photodetectors using the spectrum power method in a delay self-heterodyne system

We report on a photoionization scheme for controlled loading of ⁸⁸Sr⁺ ions into a radio-frequency (rf) ion trap. The two-step doubly-resonant process drives the ⁸⁸Sr atom on the 5s^{2 1} S ₀ – 5s5p¹ P ₁ transition at 461 nm using a frequency-doubled diode laser, and then excites the atom to the autoionizing (4d²+5p²) ¹ D ₂ state with 405 nm light from a free-running diode laser. This method of trap loading is quantitatively compared to electron bombardment loading, and shown to reduce the Sr vapour pressure required to load by four orders of magnitude. It also provides more than an order of magnitude reduction in the day-to-day variation of the voltages required to compensate micromotion. We additionally introduce a two-step atomic source consisting of an oven and hotplate, which reduces the number of impurities evaporated towards the trap. This is shown to significantly reduce fluctuations in required micromotion compensation voltages. The demonstrated reduction in flux and increased source purity are expected to improve the reliability of trap operation for precision ion-trap experiments. PACS 32.80.Fb; 32.80.Pj; 39.10.+j     

3d D lifetime in laser cooled Ca : Influence of cooling laser power

We have measured the lifetime of the metastable 3D _5/2 level in Ca⁺ using the “quantum jump" technique on a single stored and laser cooled ion in a linear Paul trap. We found a linear dependence of the measured decay rate on the power of the laser which repumps the ions from the long lived 3D _3/2 level. This can be explained by off-resonant depletion of the 3D _5/2 level. The proper lifetime of this level is obtained by a linear extrapolation of the measured lifetime to zero laser power. We obtain 1100(18) ms in agreement with theoretical calculations. The observed systematic change of the decay rate resolves discrepancies between earlier experiments in which this effect had not been considered. Measurements on a linear chain of 10 laser cooled ions showed unexpected frequent coincidences of quantum jumps within our observation time of 20 ms. This indicates a so far unexplained correlation between the ions in the chain at large distances. Received 3 March 1999     

A narrow linewidth and frequency-stable probe laser source for the <Superscript>88</Superscript>Sr<Superscript>+</Superscript> single ion optical frequency standard

In this paper, we describe in detail a narrow linewidth and frequency-stable laser source used to probe the 5s ² S _1/2–4d ² D _5/2 clock transition of the ⁸⁸Sr⁺ optical frequency standard. The performance of the laser system is investigated with studies of its frequency drift rates and with high resolution spectra of the ⁸⁸Sr⁺ clock transition. The observed short-term drift rates are typically in the range of 10 to 23 mHz/s, and the current long-term drift rate is 13.9(3) mHz/s. The laser stability, after subtraction of linear drifts, reaches 5×10⁻¹⁶ at an averaging time of 3000 s. This high level of stability is attributed for the most part to stabilization of the reference cavity at the temperature where the coefficient of linear thermal expansion crosses zero. An upper bound for the laser linewidth is given by the observation of a Fourier-transform limited resonance of 4.3 Hz (Δν/ν=1×10⁻¹⁴) on the ⁸⁸Sr⁺ clock transition. The effective averaging time during the linewidth measurements was about 100 s.     

He–SrCl2 vapor laser excited by Blumlein discharge circuit

An investigation of a He–SrCl₂ vapor laser excited by Blumlein discharge circuit is performed. Dependences of laser output power on the working parameters are obtained by experiment. The optimal operating parameters for lasing on several strontium atom and ion lines are found. The multi-line average output power of 1.32 W and the power specific of 12.46 mW/cm³ are achieved, of which more than 78.1% is concentrated at the 6.45 μm laser line.     

Effect of the ceramic grain size and concentration on the dynamical mechanical and dielectric behavior of poly(vinilidene fluoride)/Pb(Zr<Subscript>0.53</Subscript>Ti<Subscript>0.47</Subscript>)O<Subscript>3</Subscript> composites

Laser-induced backside wet and dry etching (LIBWE and LIBDE) methods were developed for micromachining of transparent materials. Comparison of these techniques is helpful in understanding the etching mechanism but was not realized due to complications in setting up comparable experimental conditions. In our comparative investigations we used a solid tin film for dry and molten tin droplets for wet etching of fused-silica plates. A tin–fused-silica interface was irradiated through the sample by a KrF excimer laser beam (λ=248 nm, FWHM=25 ns); the fluence was varied between 400 and 2100 mJ/cm². A significant difference between the etch depths of the two investigated methods was not found. The slopes of the lines fitted to the measured data (sl_LIBDE=0.111 nm/mJ cm⁻², sl_LIBDE=0.127 nm/mJ cm⁻²) were almost similar. Etching thresholds for LIBDE and LIBWE were approximately 650 and 520 mJ/cm², respectively. To compare the dependence of etch rates on the pulse number, target areas were irradiated at different laser fluences and pulse numbers. With increasing pulse number a linear rise of depth was found for wet etching while for dry etching the etch depth increase was nonlinear. Secondary ion mass spectroscopic investigations proved that this can be due to the reconstruction of a new thinner tin-containing surface layer after the first pulse.     

Two-color photoionization of calcium using SHG and LED light

We present a photoionization method to load single ⁴⁰Ca ions in a linear Paul trap from an atomic beam. Neutral Ca I atoms are resonantly excited from the ground state to the intermediate 4s4p ¹P₁-level using coherent 423 nm radiation produced by single-pass second harmonic generation in a periodically poled KTiOPO₄ crystal pumped with an 120 mW extended-cavity diode laser. Ionization is then attained with a high-power light emitting diode imaged to the trap center, using an appropriately designed optical system composed of standard achromatic doublet lenses. The setup simplifies previous implementations at similar efficiency, and it hardly requires any maintenance at all.     

Transversely pumped laser using F 3 + and F2 mixed color centers in a LiF crystal at room temperature

A stable laser with F₃⁺ and F₂ mixed color centers in LiF crystal is constructed using a transversely pumped cavity at room temperature. The mixed color center laser is pumped with a nitrogen-laser-pumped dye laser. A pulse output of the laser is 0.23 mJ. The pulse widths of the F₃⁺ and F₂ color center lasers are about 12 and 8.5 ns, respectively. The optical–optical conversion efficiency is about 5.0%. The divergence of the F₃⁺ color center laser beam is about 2.2 mrad and that of the F₂ color center laser beam about 3.5 mrad. The polarization of the mixed color center laser is about 0.97. The output of the F₃⁺ color center laser extends from 515 to 575 nm and peaks at 540 nm, while that of the F₂ color center laser extends from 633 to 705 nm and peaks at 667 nm.     

K<Subscript><Emphasis Type="Italic">α</Emphasis></Subscript> x-ray emission characterization of 100 Hz, 15 mJ femtosecond laser system with high contrast ratio

We report K _α x-ray production with a high energy (110 mJ per pulse at 800 nm before compression/15 mJ at 400 nm after compression), high repetition rate (100 Hz), and high pulse contrast (better than 10⁻⁹ at 400 nm) laser system. To develop laser-based x-ray sources for biomedical imaging requires to use high-energy and high-power ultrafast laser system where compression is achieved under vacuum. Using this type of laser system, we demonstrate long-term stability of the x-ray yield, conversion efficiency higher than 1.5×10⁻⁵ with a Mo target, and the x-ray spot size close to the optical focal spot. This high-repetition K _α x-ray source can be very useful for x-ray phase-contrast imaging. S. Fourmaux and C. Serbanescu contributed equally to this work.     

Syntheses and characterization of Sr(OH)2 and SrCO3 nanostructures by ultrasonic method

The Sr(OH)₂ and SrCO₃ nanostructures were synthesized by reaction of strontium(II) acetate and sodium hydroxide or tetramethylammonium hydroxide (TMAH) via ultrasonic method. Reaction conditions, such as the concentration of the Sr²⁺ ion, aging time, power of the ultrasonic device and alkali salts show important roles in the size, morphology and growth process of the final products. The pure crystalline SrCO₃ were obtained by heating of product at 400 °C. The Sr(OH)₂ and SrCO₃ nanostructures were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), thermal gravimetric (TG), differential thermal analyses (DTA) and the infrared spectroscopy (IR).     

Metallo-organic decomposition derived (Ca, Sr)ZrO3 dielectric thin films on Pt coated Si substrate

Metallo-organic decomposition derived dielectric thin films of calcium zirconate doped with various concentrations of strontium ((Ca, Sr)ZrO₃) were prepared on Pt coated silicon substrate. Mainly in this paper, we present the investigations of their structural developments and present their electric and dielectric properties as well. The structural developments show that the CaZrO₃ film has amorphous structure with carbonate existing when annealed at 600 °C, while annealed at 650 °C and above, the carbonate is decomposed and those films crystallize into perovskite phase without preferred orientation. In addition, the prepared (Ca, Sr)ZrO₃ films with their Zr-O bonds affected by strontium doping are homogenous and stable as solid solutions in any concentration of strontium and all Bragg diffraction characteristics for the films shift downward with the increase in the concentration of strontium. Moreover, the electric properties show that the (Ca, Sr)ZrO₃ films have very low leakage current density and high breakdown strength; typically, the CaZrO₃ film annealed at 650 °C has the leakage current density approximately 9.5 × 10⁻⁸ A cm⁻² in the field strength of 2.6 MV cm⁻¹. Furthermore, the dielectric properties show that their dielectric constants are higher than 12.8 with very little dispersion in the frequency range from 100 Hz to 1 MHz and are independent of applied dc bias as well. The dielectric properties, in combination with the electric properties, make the materials promising candidates for high-voltage and high-reliability capacitor applications.     

Nonlinear optical absorption in Bi3TiNbO9 thin films using Z-scan?technique

Bi₃TiNbO₉ (BTN) thin films with layered perovskite structure were fabricated on fused silica by pulsed laser deposition. The XRD pattern revealed that the films are single-phase perovskite and highly (00l) textured. Their fundamental optical constants, such as band gap, linear refractive index, and linear absorption coefficient, were obtained by optical transmittance measurements. The dispersion relation of the refractive index vs. wavelength follows the single electronic oscillator model. The nonlinear optical absorption of the films was investigated by single beam Z-scan method at a wavelength of 800 nm with laser duration of 80 fs. We obtained the nonlinear absorption coefficient β=1.44×10⁻⁷ m/W. The results show that the BTN thin films are promising for applications in absorbing-type optical devices.     

Thermal analysis of InP-based quantum cascade lasers for efficient heat dissipation

We have theoretically investigated the thermal characteristics of double-channel ridge–waveguide InGaAs/InAlAs/InP quantum cascade lasers (QCLs) using a two-dimensional heat dissipation model. The temperature distribution, heat flow, and thermal conductance (G _th) of QCLs were obtained through the thermal simulation. A thick electroplated Au around the laser ridges helps to improve the heat dissipation from devices, being good enough to substitute the buried heterostructure (BH) by InP regrowth for epilayer-up bonded lasers. The effects of the device geometry (i.e., ridge width and cavity length) on the G _th of QCLs were investigated. With 5 μm thick electroplated Au, the G _th is increased with the decrease of ridge width, indicating an improvement from G _th=177 W/K⋅cm² at W=40 μm to G _th=301 W/K⋅cm² at W=9 μm for 2 mm long lasers. For the 9 μm×2 mm epilayer-down bonded laser with 5 μm thick electroplated Au, the use of InP contact layer leads to a further improvement of 13% in G _th, and it was totally raised by 45% corresponding to 436 W/K⋅cm² compared to the epilayer-up bonded laser with InGaAs contact layer. It is found that the epilayer-down bonded 9 μm wide BH laser with InP contact layer leads to the highest G _th=449 W/K⋅cm². The theoretical results were also compared with available obtained experimentally data.     

High-accuracy fluence determination in ion beams using fluorescent nuclear track detectors

We present an approach to use Al₂O₃:C,Mg-based fluorescent nuclear track detectors (FNTDs) and confocal laser scanning microscopy as a semiautomatic tool for fluence measurements in clinical ion beams. The method was found to cover a linear energy transfer (LET) range from at least L_∞(Al₂O₃) = 0.5 keV/μm to 61,000 keV/μm with a detection efficiency ≥99.83% (20 MeV protons) at particle fluences up to at least 5 × 10⁷ per cm². Our technique allows to determine the spatial fluence distribution on a microscopic scale and enables detailed track-by-track comparison studies between different fluence detectors.     

Wave mixing in nominally undoped Sn<Subscript>2</Subscript>P<Subscript>2</Subscript>S<Subscript>6</Subscript> at high light intensities

The intensity dependence of the photorefractive response of Sn₂P₂S₆ is studied for the Kr⁺-laser wavelength of 647 nm and pump-beam intensities of up to 10 W/cm². A considerable enhancement of the two-beam coupling gain factor with increasing intensity at a grating spacing of ≃1 μm is attributed to a light-induced increase of the effective trap density. The large gain reached at high intensities is applied for the build up of a double phase conjugate mirror with a sub-millisecond switch-on time.     

Blue and red long lasting phosphorescence (LLP) in β-Zn3(PO4)2:Mn,Zr

Multi-color long lasting phosphorescent (LLP) phenomenon in β-Zn₃(PO₄)₂:Mn²⁺,Zr⁴⁺ was systematically investigated. It is found that the red (λ_Em=616 nm) LLP performance of Mn²⁺ such as brightness and duration is largely improved, and that the blue (λ_Em=475 nm) LLP of Zr⁴⁺ with lower intensity appears when Zr⁴⁺ ions are co-doped into the matrix. The fluorescence, phosphorescence and thermoluminescence (TL) spectra show that Mn²⁺ ion is solely expected as a luminescent center, while Zr⁴⁺ ion not only acts as a luminescent center, but also induces an electron trap (Trap_Zr) associated with a TL peak at 344 K. The trap depth for Trap_Zr is 0.25 eV, while that for the intrinsic trap is 0.38 eV, associated with a dominant peak at 385 K for Zn₃(PO₄)₂:Mn²⁺. The Zr⁴⁺-induced trap with suitable depth is responsible for the improvement of the red LLP of Mn²⁺ ion and the appearance of the blue LLP of Zr⁴⁺ ion. The LLP mechanism is also investigated.     

Excitation of thermoluminescence in Eu doped Ba0.12Sr0.88SO4 nanophosphor by low energy argon ions

In the present paper thermoluminescence properties of argon ions irradiated barium strontium mixed sulphate phosphor are reported. The Ba_0.12Sr_0.88SO₄ phosphor was prepared by chemical co-precipitation method. The X-ray diffraction study of prepared sample suggests orthorhombic structure with average grain size of 37 nm. The samples were irradiated with 1.2 MeV Argon ions at fluences varying between 10¹¹-10¹⁵ ions/cm². The argon ions penetrate to the depth of 1.89 μm and lose their energy mainly via electronic stopping. Due to ion irradiation, a large number of defects in the sample are formed. Thermoluminescence (TL) glow curves were recorded for each of the ion fluence. These curves exhibit one broad peak with maximum intensity at 498 K composed of three overlapping peaks. This indicates that different sets of traps are being activated within the particular temperature range each with its own value of activation energy (E) and frequency factor (s). The peaks were observed due to formation of trap levels by ion irradiation and subsequently activation of traps on thermal stimulation. The TL response of the nanophosphor is linear in the dose range 59 kGy-590 MGy. Kinetic parameters associated with the prominent peaks were calculated using glow curve deconvolution (GCD) and verified by different glow curve shape and sample heating rate methods.     

Synthesis and characterization of nanostructured strontium hexaferrite thin films by the sol–gel method

Nanostructured single phase strontium hexaferrite, SrFe₁₂O₁₉, thin films have been synthesized on the (100) silicon substrate using a spin coating sol–gel process. The thin films with various Fe/Sr molar ratios of 8–12 were calcined at different temperatures from 500 to 900 °C. The composition, microstructure and magnetic properties of the SrFe₁₂O₁₉ thin films were characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, differential thermal analysis, thermogravimetry, X-ray diffraction, electron microscopy and vibrating sample magnetometer. The results showed that the optimum molar ratio for Fe/Sr was 10 at which the lowest calcination temperature to obtain the single phase strontium hexaferrite thin film was 800 °C. The magnetic measurements revealed that the sample with Fe/Sr molar ratio of 10, exhibited higher saturation magnetization (267.5 emu/cm³) and coercivity (4290 Oe) in comparison with those synthesized under other Fe/Sr molar ratios.