Retardation characteristics and birefringence of a multiple-order crystalline quartz plate

A crystalline quartz plate of thickness 1.070 mm is calibrated between 370 and 794 nm. Throughout this spectral interval, the retardance varied by 32π and the plate introduced quarterwave retardance 16 times at different wavelengths. The birefringence (n_e−n_o) of crystalline quartz was calculated as a single quantity and varied from 0.00971 at 370 nm to 0.00891 at 794 nm. All measurements were carried out at 23°C.     

Modal Birefringence Dependent Supercontinuum Due to Cross-Phase Modulation in a Dispersion-Flattened/Decreasing Fiber

It was found by numerical analysis that a 320 nm wide and flat spectrum at 20 dB less than the central maximum intensity is generated from cross-phase modulated soliton pulses with 3.5 ps pulse width and 2.3 W peak power, which are propagated through a 2.4km length of dispersion-flattened/decreasing fiber (DFDF). The cross-phase modulation (XPM) at a central wavelength of 1.55 μm is achieved by exciting two orthogonally polarized modes into the principal axes. The wave-vector mismatch between the orthogonal pulses can be neglected because of soliton trapping when the modal birefringence of the DFDF is less than |n_ox - n_0y| = 10⁻⁶. The effect of modal birefringence on supercontinuum generation is discussed in temporal and spectral regimes by numerical analysis.     

The effect of fluorine substitutions on the refractive index properties for π-conjugated calamitic nematic materials

In order to reveal the effect of fluorine substitutions on the refractive index properties for calamitic nematic materials, we carried out a comparative study with respect to non-fluorinated and two types of laterally fluorinated 1,4-bis[4-(hexyloxy)phenyl]ethynylbenzene molecules. Phase transition behaviours were investigated by differential scanning calorimetry and polarised optical microscopy. Additionally, extraordinary and ordinary refractive index and birefringence were evaluated from each single component system. All the analogues exhibited high birefringence values beyond 0.3 at 550 nm, of which an analogue with a fluorine substitution at the central benzene ring showed the highest Δn-value of 0.43. With respect to an analogue with the highest level of fluorination, Δn as well as n_e and n_o values were declined due to decreased order parameter and diluted molecular density. Not only the mesomorphic behaviours but also optical properties strongly relied on the manner of fluorine substitution including the number and position.     

Modified Michelson interferometer for probing refractive index of birefringent crystal CSBN50

Based on the modified Michelson interferometer and phase analysis method, a high-accuracy method for probing the refractive index (RI) of transparent medium is proposed. The validated test was performed on a birefringent crystal CSBN50 with the estimated accuracy being up to 10⁻⁴. The ordinary and extraordinary refractive indices of CSBN50 at 632.8 nm are determined as n₀=2.32853±0.00016 and n_e=2.27664±0.00016, respectively.     

Linear birefringence parameters determination of a multi-order wave plate via phase detection at large oblique incidence angles

In order to characterize the linear birefringence parameters (LBPs) of a multi-order wave plate (MWP) including ordinary refractive index n_o, extraordinary refractive index n_e and the order number precisely, phase retardation measurement by means of large oblique incidence angle on the MWP has been proposed and demonstrated. However, the effects of spatial shifting and multiple reflections by the MWP depress the accuracy of the measurements significantly. Thus, we propose a retro-reflected geometry in a polarized heterodyne interferometer that can determine the LBPs of a MWP precisely. This method is not only able to reduce the spatial shifting effect but also avoids multiple reflections of the emerging beams. Experimentally, the oblique incidence angle in a range from 30° to 44° was scanned and the highest sensitivity ever for measurements of n_o and n_e for an uncoated MWP was obtained. The detection sensitivity for the refractive indices (n_o,n_e, n_o−n_e) of an uncoated MWP can be up to 10⁻⁶.     

Refractive indices, order parameter and principal polarizability of cholesteric liquid crystals and their homogeneous mixtures

Measurements of refractive indices (n_e,n_o) and birefringence (Δn) have been made in solid, cholesteric and isotropic phases of cholesteryl carbonate, cholesteryl stearate and their three homogeneous mixtures of concentration 0.25, 0.50 and 0.77 at varying temperature in the range of 18-35 °C. The results clearly indicates that various transitions are of the first order. For accurate measurement of Δn, a modified wedge method was used. Using n_e and n_o, principal polarizability (α_e,α_o), internal field factor (γ_e,γ_o) and order parameter (S) have been evaluated, and their temperature dependence discussed. The order parameter has been determined by using the isotropic internal field model (Vuks approach) and the anisotropic internal field model (Neugebauer's approach), and both values agree up to average deviation of 0.7%.     

Electron heating in a submicron-size n GaAs wire

We have studied electron heating in a submicron-size GaAs wire from 4.2 K to 50 K. We find that the energy relaxation rate for the electrons is of the form τ_E⁻¹ = α + βT_eⁿ where α, β are constants and T_e is the electron temperature. We associate the temperature-independent term with a quasi-elastic surface scattering process in which an electron losses 1% of its energy at each collision. The temperature dependent term may be due to electron-phonon scattering. It is possible to fit the data to 2 < n < 3.     

Measurement of the WWγ cross section and direct limits on anomalous quartic gauge boson couplings at LEP

The process e⁺e⁻→W⁺W⁻γ is analysed using the data collected with the L3 detector at LEP at a centre-of-mass energy of 188.6 GeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 176.8 pb⁻¹. Based on a sample of 42 selected W⁺W⁻ candidates containing an isolated hard photon, the W⁺W⁻γ cross section, defined within phase-space cuts, is measured to be: σ_WWγ=290±80±16 fb, consistent with the Standard Model expectation. Including the process , limits are derived on anomalous contributions to the Standard Model quartic vertices W⁺W⁻γγ and W⁺W⁻Zγ at 95% CL: −0.043 GeV⁻²<a₀/Λ²<0.043 GeV⁻², −0.08 GeV⁻²<a_c/Λ²<0.13 GeV⁻², −0.41 GeV⁻²<a_n/Λ²<0.37 GeV⁻².     

Further evidence for neutrino oscillations from LSND: the νμ → νe decay-in-flight channel

A search for ν_μ → ν_e oscillations has been conducted at the Los Alamos Meson Physics Facility (LAMPF) using ν_μ from π⁺ decay in flight. An excess in the number of beam-related events from the ν_e C → e⁻ X inclusive reaction is observed. The excess is too large to be explained by normal ν_e contamination in the beam at a confidence level greater than 99%. If interpreted as an oscillation signal, the observed oscillation probability of (2.6 ± 1.3 ± 0.5) × 10⁻³ is consistent with the previously reported oscillation evidence from LSND.     

Influence of Fe ions in characteristics and optical properties of mesoporous titanium oxide thin films

Fe-doped mesoporous titanium dioxide (M-TiO₂-Fe) thin films have been prepared on indium tin oxide (ITO) glass substrates by sol–gel and spin coating methods. All films exhibited mesoporous structure with the pore size around 5–9 nm characterized by small angle X-ray diffraction (SAXRD) and further confirmed by high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). Raman spectra illustrated that lower Fe-doping contributed to the formation of nanocrystalline of M-TiO₂-Fe thin films. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) data indicated that the doped Fe ions exist in forms of Fe³⁺, which can play a role as e⁻ or h⁺ traps and reduce e⁻/h⁺ pair recombination rate. Optical properties including refractive indices/n, energy gaps/E_g and Urbach energy width/E₀ of the thin films were estimated and investigated by UV/vis transmittance spectra. The presence of Fe content extended the light absorption band and decreased the values of n, implying enhanced light response and performance on dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSC). The optimum Fe content in M-TiO₂-Fe thin films is determined as 10 mol%, for its compatibility of well crystalline and well potential electron transfer performance.     

CEMS study of ultra-thin films of57Fe interfaced with nickel

Using conversion electron Mössbauer spectroscopy, we have studied the hyperfine field distributions of ultra-thin iron films interfaced on both sides with nickel. The configuration of the studied system was (Ni/⁵⁷Fe/Ni) _n =(20 nm/X nm/20 nm) _n , withn=3–7 andX=0.5–1.5 nm. The films were grown at room temperature in high vacuum on (111) buffer layers of nickel previously deposited on mica substrates at 300 °C. It has been found that the average hyperfine field is practically independent of the iron layer thickness, while this parameter strongly affects the distribution profiles and the orientation of iron atom spins.     

KARMEN: Neutrino oscillation limits and new results with the upgrade

The neutrino experiment KARMEN is situated at the beam stop neutrino source ISIS which provides ν_μ's, ν_e's and from the π⁺−μ⁺-decay at rest. The oscillation channels ν_{μ → νe} and are investigated with a 56 t liquid scintillation calorimeter. No evidence for oscillations could be found with KARMEN, resulting in 90% CL exclusion limits of sin²(2Θ) < 8.5 · 10⁻³ ( ) and sin²(2Θ) < 4.0 · 10⁻² (ν_μ → ν_e) for Δm² > 100 eV². In 1996, the experiment has been upgraded by an additional veto counting system with a total coverage of 300 m². The new system allows the identification of cosmic muons in the vicinity of the detector. Vetoing these muons suppresses energetic neutrons from deep inelastic scattering of muons as well as from μ-capture by a factor of 40. Up to 1996, these neutrons represented the main background for oscillation search. The experimental sensitivity for will be significantly enhanced towards sin²(2Θ) 1.0 · 10⁻³ after a further measuring period of 2–3 years.     

Fourier spectrometry: Rovibrational analysis of an infrared Π → Σ system of yttrium monoiodide

The infrared spectrum of yttrium monoiodide has been excited in an electrodeless microwave discharge and explored between 2500 and 12 000cm⁻¹ with a high-resolution Fourier transform spectrometer. A unique system is observed (ν₀₀ = 9905.520 cm⁻¹), which we attribute to a ¹Π → ¹Σ transition and an extensive analysis is made. Rovibrational constants are obtained for both states mainly from a simultaneous multiband fitting. This procedure is applied to the whole set of 2231 observed line wavenumbers in the 1-0, 0-0, and 0–1 bands, yielding a final weighted standard deviation of 0.0038 cm⁻¹. Furthermore, a partial analysis of the 2-0 and 3-1 bands is performed. The following equilibrium constants are derived (cm⁻¹): ω′_e=192.210 ω′_ex′_e=0.463B′_e=0.0399133 α′_e=0.0001150ω″_e=215.815 ω″_ex″_e=0.514B″_e=0.0422163 α″_e=0.0001125 High-order constants D_v and H_v are also calculated for the various vibrational levels (v′ = 0, 1, 2, 3; v″ = 0, 1).     

Dispersive optical constants of a-Se100−xSbx films

Thin films of amorphous Se_100−xSb_x (x=5,10 and 20 at%) system are deposited on a silicon substrate at room temperature (300 K) by thermal evaporation technique. The optical constant such as refractive index (n) has been determined by a method based on the envelope curves of the optical transmission spectrum at normal incidence by a Swanpoel method. The oscillator energy (E_o), dispersion energy (E_d) and other parameters have been determined by the Wemple–DiDomenico method. The absorption coefficient (α) has been determined from the reflectivity and transmitivity spectrum in the range 300–2500 nm. The optical-absorption data indicate that the absorption mechanism is a non-direct transition. We found that the optical band gap, E_g^opt, decreases from 1.66±0.01 to 1.35±0.01 eV with increase Sb content.     

Temperature and pressure sensitivities of the highly birefringent photonic crystal fiber with core asymmetry

We investigated a particular design of a highly birefringent PCF with attractive features for pressure sensing applications. A plane-wave method together with the finite element method were used to numerically calculate phase and group modal birefringence, pressure and temperature sensitivities of our fiber. The simulation results together with the experiments demonstrate a considerable difference between a very high phase birefringence (B ∼ 10⁻³) and a very low negative group birefringence (G −10⁻³). Our fiber exhibits a low and positive temperature sensitivity (K_T < 0.1 rad/(K⋅m)), and relatively high and negative mechanical (pressure) sensitivity (K_p ≤ −10 rad/(MPa⋅m)), which supports its possible use as a mechanical sensor that does not require any temperature compensation.     

The FT-IR Spectrum of HCNO: The ν1, ν2, 2ν3, and ν2 + ν3 Band Systems

The infrared spectrum of HC¹⁵NO an isotopically substituted species of fulminic acid, has been measured in the range 1900-3600 cm⁻¹ at a resolution of 0.003 cm⁻¹ with a Bruker IFS 120 HR interferometer. More than 100 subbands have been assigned. Power series coefficients for these transitions are given. A Coriolis resonance between the levels 01002 (l = 0e) and 01010 (l = 1e) allows normally "forbidden" transitions to occur, some of which were observed and assigned. We correlate transition intensities and energies of the resonance system. Variations in the manifold of nν₅ states with excitation of other modes are compared.     

Limits on the neutrino magnetic moment from solar neutrino experiments

If neutrinos have non-vanishing mass and non-vanishing magnetic moments, then electron neutrinos emitted in nuclear reactions in the solar interior may undergo flavour oscillations, spin precession or resonant spin-flavour precession. Assuming equal values for the magnetic moments of all neutrino flavours and using the data from Homestake and SuperKamiokande we obtain an upper limit on the neutrino magnetic moment and find μ_νe ≤ (2.2 − 2.3) × 10⁻¹⁰μ_B, within four standard solar models. We also point out that this limit may be further reduced if the detector threshold energy for the ν_e,χe⁻ scattering is decreased.     

The effects of thermal annealing on the relaxation of rubbing-induced birefringence in polystyrene

We have conducted a systematic study on the effects of post rubbing annealing on the relaxation of rubbing-induced birefringence of polystyrene. It is found that annealing at T₀ only affects the relaxation up to T₀ + T_Lag, where T_Lag is proportional to the logarithm of the annealing time t_A. A theoretical model based on the distribution of relaxation times due to the individual birefringence elements is proposed. To remove its contribution to the net birefringence each element must overcome an energy barrier E = (317 + 1.17ξ)×10³ J/mol, and therefore must have a characteristic relaxation time τ which depends on temperature T and a barrier height which ranges from 340.4 kJ/mol to 445.7 kJ/mol. The relaxation of birefringence is expressed by the equation NB(T, t) = N(ξ)e^-t/τ(T,ξ)dξ, in which both the relaxation time τ(T,ξ) and the distribution function N(ξ) can be extracted from experimental data. The predictions of the model agree well with all the experimental results presented in this work. The differences and similarities of the relaxation of birefringence with respect to the physical aging of quenched PS are discussed. In particular, similarities in terms of the general temperature lag phenomena are noted.     

Effective indexes of refraction and limiting properties of ethyl red

With the Z-scan method, the nonlinear optical properties of ethyl red (ER) in ethanol solution are measured by using the lasers of 441.6, 535 and 633 nm, respectively. As a result, the effective indexes of refraction n₂ of CR at the three wavelengths are in the range from 10⁻¹⁰ to 10⁻⁹ m² W⁻¹. The nonlinear absorption of ER ethanol film at the three wavelengths is measured respectively. The self-diffraction of the ER solution at 441.6 and at 535 nm is investigated, respectively, and the results indicate it possesses high quality of optical limiting.     

Spectral characterization and energy levels of Cr:Sc2(MoO4)3 crystal

This paper reports the spectral properties and energy levels of Cr³⁺:Sc₂(MoO₄)₃ crystal. The crystal field strength Dq, Racah parameter B and C were calculated to be 1408 cm⁻¹, 608 cm⁻¹ and 3054 cm⁻¹, respectively. The absorption cross sections σ_α of ⁴A₂→⁴T₁ and ⁴A₂→⁴T₂ transitions were 3.74×10⁻¹⁹ cm² at 499 nm and 3.21×10⁻¹⁹ cm² at 710 nm, respectively. The emission cross section σ_e was 375×10⁻²⁰ cm² at 880 nm. Cr³⁺:Sc₂(MoO₄)₃ crystal has a broad emission band with a broad FWHM of 176 nm (2179 cm⁻¹). Therefore, Cr³⁺:Sc₂(MoO₄)₃ crystal may be regarded as a potential tunable laser gain medium.