A study of refraction of a cylindrical laser beam in stratified liquid

Refraction of a cylindrical laser beam in a transition layer at the interface of two liquids with different optical characteristics is studied theoretically and experimentally. A theoretical basis for calculations of the beam trajectory in the transition layer of stratified liquid is given. Two- and three-dimensional images (2D and 3D refractograms) of a cylindrical laser beam inside and outside the media are obtained on the basis of a tangential model of the refractive index profile. The influence of the parameters of the laser beam and media on the appearance of refractograms is studied and the optimal experimental conditions are selected with the use of computer simulation. A scheme of the setup for recording digital 2D refractogram and experimental results are presented. Algorithms for digitizing experimental images and for their comparison with calculated refractograms to determine the refractive index profile in the transition layer based on the tangential model are developed.     

Refraction of a cylindrical laser beam in a boundary temperature layer

Refraction of a cylindrical laser beam in the boundary layer near the surface of a heated metal spherical ball in water is investigated theoretically and experimentally. An experimental setup and typical refraction images (refractograms) are described. Refractograms calculated using the proposed geometric-optics model demonstrate the close agreement with experiment. Possibilities of reconstructing the temperature field in the boundary microlayer from experimental results are considered.     

层状GRIN板折射率分布的自动测量

采用溶液 凝胶扩散共聚法成功地合成了二元体系的甲基烯酸苄酯 甲基烯酸甲酯 (BZMA MMA)层状梯度折射率板 ,折射率分布是其主要性能指标。给出了一种测量该制品折射率分布的简便实验装置和自动实现方法。该测量方法基于激光干涉的原理 ,由计算机自动跟踪干涉条纹的移动来计算梯度折射率材料的折射率分布。实验表明 ,该方法简单易行 ,具有较高的折射率测量精度 ,为科学评价自研制梯度折射率材料的性能提供了保证     

Refractive index profiling of a GRIN optical fiber using a modulated speckled sheet of light

A method for calculating the refractive index of GRIN optical fiber from its transverse interference pattern is presented.In this method the transverse interference fringe pattern through an optical fiber using a sheet of light is applied to get the refractive index profile of it. The optical fiber is not immersed in a matching liquid as used in different techniques [Barakat N, El-Hennawi HA, El-Zaiat SY, Hassan R. Pure Appl Opt 1996;5:27].In this method a sheet of He–Ne laser light is allowed to illuminate the fiber. The light sheet is divided into two parts, the first is refracted through the fiber while the second is used as a reference beam. Interference pattern will be obtained between these two rays displaying the refractive index variation along the fiber radius.The fringe shift of such interference pattern has been measured and used to calculate the deflection angle of light refracted by the fiber and the cladding. An equation is derived to calculate the refractive index profile difference ratio δn at different positions across the fiber cross section in terms of the corresponding deflection angle and is verified experimentally.The optical path difference between these two rays (refracted and reference beam divided by the fiber) has been derived and the fringe shift obtained has been used to calculate the refractive index profile of the fiber.Introducing a ground glass screen on the passage of the two light beams (refracted and reference beam divided by the fiber), two superimposed identical speckle patterns are formed leading to the formation of a third speckle pattern modulated by a grid structure displaying the optical thickness of the fiber.     

Mode field distribution of an integrated-optical waveguide generated by UV-laser radiation at the surface of a planar polymer chip

An integrated-optical strip-waveguide is directly written into the surface of a planar polymer substrate by an excimer laser beam. The mode field distribution, the surface refractive index and the refractive index depth profile of the waveguide have been examined. The intensity distribution of the mode field strongly depends on the refractive index depth profile, on the light coupling conditions and on the waveguide fabrication process parameters.     

非线性光栅的自适应光限幅

首次采用液晶为自聚焦媒质,夹在内表面刻有光栅的两玻璃片间,以Ar离子激光514.5nm波长的激光束垂直入射到光栅上,实验验证了该光栅的自适应光限幅特征。     

Theoretical prediction and experimental validation of the angle-of-arrival probability density of a laser beam in a strong plane-flame turbulence

The propagation of a laser beam through a plane turbulent flame is studied using geometrical optics approximation. The random fluctuations of the refractive index caused by a strong thermal turbulence in the flame create random perturbations of the laser beam direction. From the Markovian process model applied along the whole random path of the beam, the theoretical probability density of the laser beam angle-of-arrival is derived from the analytical solution of the Einstein-Fokker-Kolmogorov equation, which we have determined in terms of a series expansion of spherical harmonics. An experimental setup and a method for measuring this probability density are described. The experimental results obtained are shown to agree with the theoretical predictions.     

Mutual repulsion of optical beams in media with nonlocal nonlinearity

Specific features of the dynamics of reflection of optical beams in media with defocusing thermal nonlinearity have been studied. It is shown that, upon laser heating of a medium, the induced inhomogeneity profile outside the pump beam is determined by thermodiffusion and heat sink conditions at sidewalls. Signal-wave trajectory equations in a medium with an induced refractive index gradient have been derived and solved. A dependence of the nonlinear total internal reflection angle on the pump power and the initial distance between the beams has been established.     

Exploitation of the Gaussian beam for the investigation of the refractive index changes induced in a medium by an intensive light wave

Conclusion It has been shown that the experimental method consisting in the change of parameters of the Gaussian beam by the lens that the beam creates in the layer passing through it is simple and suitable for use. The experimental results obtained through this method by studying the refractive index thermal changes that took place when an He-Ne laser beam was absorbed in a layer are in good agreement with the results the theory of stationary thermal defocusation affords. Comparing the results obtained with the solutions of the organic dye brilliant green in different solvents (C₂H₅OH, C₆H₅NO₂, C₃H₈O₃) the constant dn/d for glycerol has been determined. The method enables studying the physical properties of media which are connected with different mechanisms of the change of the refractive index by an intensive light beam passing through the medium.     

Transformation of a Gaussian light beam reflected in the vicinity of the Brewster angle

Variations in the profile and shift of a Gaussian light beam upon reflection from a plane interface between a transparent dielectric and a medium with a complex refractive index are studied. The beam is assumed to be incident at angles close to the Brewster’s angle, where the effects of transformation of the beam profile are most substantial. Based on numerical analysis, the reflected beam profiles are obtained for different properties of the media, parameters of the incident beam, and positions of the plane of observation.     

An Optical Differentiator Based on a Three-Layer Structure with a W-Shaped Refractive Index Profile

An optical differentiator based on a three-layer resonant structure with a W-shaped refractive index profile is proposed. The differentiation operation is performed in reflection and is associated with the resonant excitation of an eigenmode of the structure localized in the central layer. The presented results of numerical simulations demonstrate the possibility of spatial differentiation of the transverse profile of an incident optical beam, temporal differentiation of the envelope of an incident optical beam, and simultaneous spatial and temporal differentiation with a high quality. The proposed structure can find applications in designing analog optical computing and optical information processing systems.     

内置调制层型光纤表面等离子体波共振传感器研究

研究了一种基于内置调制层结构的光纤表面等离子体波共振(SPR)传感器。通过在金膜与纤芯的内侧增覆具有不同厚度和属性的光学透明薄膜作为内调制层,构成了性能独特的光电复合薄膜,起到调节倏逝波矢量和金膜表面等离子体振荡波矢量的双重作用,进而控制共振效应,为调节灵敏度提供依据。采用时域有限差分方法对内置调制层结构光纤SPR共振激励模型属性进行数值仿真。在此基础上,研制了用于液体折射率测量的内置调制层型光纤SPR传感探针。实验结果表明,该传感器在1.335～1.392折射率范围内,随着待测液体折射率的增大,SPR共振光谱向长波方向偏移,且灵敏度达到2263.1nm/RIU,与基于纤芯-金膜-环境介质三层结构的常规光纤SPR传感器相比提高一倍,能够更好地满足环境折射率检测的需求。     

Pulse laser ablation at water–air interface

We studied a new pulse laser ablation phenomenon on a liquid surface layer, which is caused by the difference between the refractive indices of the two materials involved. The present study was motivated by our previous study, which showed that laser ablation can occur at the interface between a transparent material and a gas or liquid medium when the laser pulse is focused through the transparent material. In this case, the ablation threshold fluence is reduced remarkably. In the present study, experiments were conducted in water and air in order to confirm this phenomenon for a combination of two fluid media with different refractive indices. This phenomenon was observed in detail by pulse laser shadowgraphy. A high-resolution film was used to record the phenomenon with a Nd:YAG pulse laser with 10-ns duration as a light source. The laser ablation phenomenon on the liquid surface layer caused by a focused Nd:YAG laser pulse with 1064-nm wavelength was found to be followed by the splashing of the liquid surface, inducing a liquid jet with many ligaments. The liquid jet extension velocity was around 1000 m/s in a typical case. The liquid jet decelerated drastically due to rapid atomization at the tips of the ligaments. The liquid jet phenomenon was found to depend on the pulse laser parameters such as the laser fluence on the liquid surface, laser energy, and laser beam pattern. The threshold laser fluence for the generation of a liquid jet was 20 J/cm². By increasing the incident laser energy with a fixed laser fluence, the laser focused area increased, which eventually led to an increase in the size of the plasma column. The larger the laser energy, the larger the jet size and the longer the temporal behavior. The laser beam pattern was found to have significant effects on the liquid jet’s velocity, shape, and history.     

Determining the refractive index of liquids using a modified Michelson interferometer

An accurate method for measuring the refractive index of liquids is proposed, modeled, and experimentally verified. The experimental setup is a modified Michelson interferometer employing a novel liquid chamber that allows the optical pathlength to be continuously varied without moving a mirror. This experiment allows determining the refractive index of a given liquid to high precision, with an accuracy limited only by the normal random variables encountered in interferometric measurements and ultimately the accuracy to which the wavelength of the laser light is known.     

Experimental observation and numerical simulation of guided modes in Nd:YLiF4 channel waveguides produced by carbon ion implantation

We report on, to our knowledge the first time, the channel waveguide formation in Nd:YLiF₄ laser crystal produced by 6 MeV carbon ion implantation. The guided modes are observed by using an end‐face arrangement. We construct the two‐dimensional (2D) refractive index profile of the channel waveguide cross section, which is based on the related planar waveguide index distribution as well as the rectangular shape of the waveguide cross sections. The modal intensity distribution is numerically calculated by using the beam propagation method according to the reconstructed index profile, which shows a reasonable agreement with the experimental result. (© 2007 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Optical properties of a thermocapillary depression

An axisymmetrical thermocapillary depression is induced by a He-Ne laser beam in a plane-parallel layer of a transparent liquid on an absorbing substrate. The focal length of the central part of this depression in the form of a concave mirror is studied as a function of thickness of the benzyl-alcohol layer and beam power. At a laser power of 3.5–16.5 mW, the focal length increases almost linearly with the layer thickness changing from 200 to 1000 μm. In this range of thicknesses, an increase in the beam power leads to a decrease in the focal length following a power law with an exponent close to −0.8. __________ Translated from Optika i Spektroskopiya, Vol. 92, No. 4, 2002, pp. 665–670. Original Russian Text Copyright ? 2002 by Bezuglyĭ, Tarasov.     

聚焦光场俘获微球的FDTD分析

基于动量守恒原理,采用2维时域有限差分方法(2D FDTD)建立了激光场对微米量级微球的作用力模型,讨论了入射高斯光场的波长、束腰半径、微球的折射率和半径等对聚焦光场俘获力的影响.结果表明：位于聚焦光场中特定位置的微球可被俘获,当离轴距离增加,俘获力减小.微球所受到的俘获力与微球的折射率有关,当小于环境折射率时(如汽泡),不能形成俘获,而被推离光场.模拟结果与其他文献中报道的实验结果一致. 关键词： 光镊 俘获力 时域差分有限方法(FDTD) 动量守恒     

非线性介质中强光对弱光聚焦的控制研究

从理论和实验上分析了强光控制弱光脉冲聚焦的方法, 该方法可以灵活地控制弱光的聚焦过程和特性. 通过研究两光束共同传输, 利用强抽运光在相互作用时为弱探测光提供诱导非线性效应, 从而使弱探测光发生聚焦. 得到了在抽运光保持不变情况下探测光的解析解, 并在实验上得到验证. 进一步研究了强抽运光对弱探测光焦点位置的影响. 结果显示: 通过改变抽运光功率、束宽能够有效地控制弱探测光的聚焦过程和焦点位置. 关键词： 诱导聚焦 自聚焦 非线性折射率     

Determination of the refractive index profile of a symmetric fiber preform by the transport of intensity equation

The refractive index profile of an axially symmetric fiber preform is determined by using the transport of intensity equation. In this method the preform is immersed in an index-matching liquid, and a collimated light beam impinges on it laterally. The intensity distributions of the transmitted light are measured on two close parallel planes inside the preform core. From the recorded intensity distributions, the deflection function is calculated by the transport of intensity equation. The refractive index profile is obtained by means of Abel inversion. Also, for comparison, the refractive index profile of the preform is measured by the focusing method and the results are in agreement with less than 3% error.