A spectroscopic prism coupler for measuring the refractive indices and thicknesses of dielectric films

A spectroscopic prism coupler is created for measuring refractive indices n_f and thicknesses H_f of dielectric films. The operating principle of the device is based on the simultaneous resonance excitation of several waveguide modes in a film by a focused TE or TM polarized light beam in the geometry of frustrated total internal reflection. Calculations of n_f and H_f are performed using measured angular positions θ_m of dark m-lines in the cross section of the specularly reflected beam. Using obtained angles θ_m, we can calculate effective refractive indices β_m of modes. By solving a set of nonlinear dispersion equations for the modes of a planar waveguide, we can calculate refractive index n_f and thickness H_f of a film. The proposed prism coupler has no moving parts and allows us to measure the optical parameters of films 0.5–10 μm thick in the 400–1100 nm range of wavelengths. The device can also be used as a spectroscopic refractometer for measuring the refractive indices of bulk media. The device is used to measure refractive index and thickness of a SiO film and the refractive index of TF4 glass.     

Equilibrium and stability of the charged particles’ fluxes drifting crosswise to the strong magnetic field at the expense of the Hall charge separation

The current equilibrium is investigated, where the generation of the Hall electric field on the magnetic Debye radius r _B = B ₀/(4πen _e) is considered by the drifting of the relativistic electrons crosswise to the strong magnetic field. In this case, the electron propagation is possible at the distance d that is essentially larger than the electron radius of the backward reflection in the magnetic field r ₀ ? m _e v _z c/(eB ₀). The instability of the joint drift motion of ions and electrons is investigated for the frequency oscillation w much higher than the ion cyclotron frequency w _Bi and by 4π n _i m _i c ² ? B ₀ ² and (k · B ₀) = 0. It is shown that the resonance effects by the ion beam’s plasma frequency w ? kv ₀ = w _pi leads to the generation of the nonpotential perturbations with the characteristic increment Imw ～ 10^?1 ÷ 10^{? 2} w _pi. Estimates show that the instability, associated with the propagation of the high-energy ion beam through the strong magnetic field, can essentially be like the edge-localized mode in tokamaks.     

Microwave dielectric properties of Ba(Zn<Subscript>1/3</Subscript>Ta<Subscript>2 / 3</Subscript>)O<Subscript>3</Subscript> for application in high power waveguide window

Higher dielectric constant, low dielectric loss and good transmission characteristicshave been the goal for developing the ceramic waveguide window for high power windowapplications. The choice of materials having high k with low dielectric lossand reduced window size is key parameters to achieve maximum microwave transmissionwithout unleashing microwave dissipation. The microwave dielectric properties ofsynthesized Ba(Zn_1/3Ta_{2 /3})O₃ (BZT) ceramics have been studied for high power windowapplications. The structural studies are correlated with microwave dielectric propertiesof BZT. The maximum values of dielectric constant ?_r =30, Q ×f₀ = 102 THz and near zero temperaturecoefficient of resonance frequency were obtained for BZT ceramics sintered at thetemperature of 1550 °Cfor 4 h. The measured results are used to design a tapered transition from air filledwaveguide to narrow (reduced width and height) dielectric filled waveguide using Heckenslinear taper at a specific frequency. The simulation result shows that the lowerreflection loss is obtained for the tapered transition of the narrow BZT window ascompared to the standard waveguide BZT window. The return loss of –34 dB is obtained forS-bandwaveguide window with a bandwidth of 675 MHz. The return loss observed in the narrow BZTwindow is –46 dB with a bandwidth of 570 MHz at a center frequency of 3.63 GHz. Most ofthe disadvantages in conventional windows will be rectified using the design of the tapertransion employing narrow waveguide window in high power applications.     

Gyrator transform of Gaussian beams with phase difference and generation of hollow beam

The optical expression of Gaussian beams with phase difference, which is caused by gyrator transform (GT), has been obtained. The intensity and phase distribution of transform Gaussian beams are analyzed. It is found that the circular hollow vortex beam can be obtained by overlapping two GT Gaussian beams with π phase difference. The effect of parameters on the intensity and phase distributions of the hollow vortex beam are discussed. The results show that the shape of intensity distribution is significantly influenced by GT angle α and propagation distance z. The size of the hollow vortex beam can be adjusted by waist width ω₀. Compared with previously reported results, the work shows that the hollow vortex beam can be obtained without any model conversion of the light source.     

Dielectric properties of betaine phosphite-betaine phosphate solid-solution crystals in the improper ferroelastic phase

Temperature dependences of dielectric permittivity in the improper ferroelastic phase, including the region of the improper ferroelastic phase transition occurring at T=T_c1, were studied in the betaine phosphite-betaine phosphate solid-solution crystals. At a betaine phosphate (BP) concentration of 10%, the phase transition temperature T_c1 was found to shift toward higher temperatures by about 5 K compared to betaine phosphite (BPI) crystals, where T_c1=355 K. The phase transition remains in the vicinity of the tricritical point. As the BP concentration in BPI is increased, the dielectric anomaly at T=T_c1 weakens substantially compared to pure BPI. The nonlinear temperature dependence of reciprocal dielectric permittivity in the improper ferroelastic phase of BPI_xBP_1?x crystals is described in the concentration region 0.9≤x≤1 in terms of a thermodynamic model taking into account the biquadratic relation of the nonpolar order parameter of the improper ferroelastic phase transition to polarization. The decrease in the ferroelectric phase transition temperature T_c1 (or in the temperature of loss of improper ferroelastic phase stability) with increasing BP concentration in the above limits is due to the decreasing effect of the nonpolar mode on the polar instability, which is accompanied by a weakening of the dielectric anomaly at T=T_c1     

Minimization of losses and calculation of the optical properties of Bragg fiber waveguides with a hollow core

A numerical method for solving the inverse problem of determining the geometry of the multilayer shell of a Bragg waveguide that has the lowest waveguide losses for a given mode has been developed with the use of the genetic algorithm. For the calculated designs of waveguides, the distribution of the coordinates of the boundaries of shell layers has been found to be aperiodic under the condition r ₁ ≤ λ due to the axial symmetry of the problem. Waveguide losses for the TE ₀₁, TM ₀₁, and HE ₁₁ modes satisfy the conditions \(\alpha _{TM_{01} } > \alpha _{HE_{11} } > \alpha _{TE_{01} } \). It follows from the dependence of n _eff obtained for these modes on the core radius and number of shell layers that any change in the structure of the waveguide leads to the violation of the optimal propagation regime for these modes. A Bragg fiber waveguide with a hollow core that is designed for the TE ₀₁ mode and directs light in the single-mode regime is presented. The main fraction of losses in this waveguide is attributed to material absorption.     

Field transformation in a multimode optical waveguide with random irregularities of the film surface

A self-consistent mathematical model for the transformation of the average intensity of the mode spectrum I(z) of a waveguide field in a multimode planar optical waveguide with a step profile and rough surface is developed. This model is based on the matrix model for multiple scattering of modes in an optical waveguide. The elements of the intermode scattering matrix are found, which describe the process of mutual transfer of the energy of modes along a waveguide and their transformation into radiation modes. The transformation of the I(z) modes in waveguides with large-and small-scale inhomogeneities is investigated. It is shown that the largest qualitative differences in the noted dependences manifest themselves only in the initial portions of the optical waveguide. The length z of these portions is much smaller than the characteristic scale length L _k at which the fundamental energy of the kth mode excited in the optical waveguide is renewed. The effect of self-filtration of the mode spectrum I(z) is described, as a result of which a stable (normalized), independent of distance z, distribution I* is formed. It is established that irregularities of the optical waveguide boundaries exert a depolarizing effect on a guided light beam. The specific features of the normalization of the radiative dissipation of a group of modes I_i(z) in an optical waveguide are investigated. It is ascertained that, in the case of small-scale irregularities, the attenuation coefficient is described by a nonlinear monotonic dependence α(z), which asymptotically converges to the value α*, characteristic of the normalized field I*. When the optical-waveguide film has large irregularities, the dependence α(z) is characterized by a pronounced maximum due to the formation of alternative channels of radiative dissipation of the energy of waveguide modes.     

Influence of two-dimensional bragg diffraction on the competition of the waveguide TE<Subscript>0</Subscript> and TM<Subscript>0</Subscript> modes during formation of spontaneous gratings in AgCl-Ag thin films

An intricate space-time instability of patterns of small-angle scattering and diffraction of a laser beam on the structures appearing in AgCl-Ag films under exposure to the same beam is investigated. The instability is related to the formation of spontaneous gratings in the film resulting from the interference of the incident beam with the waveguide modes scattered in the film. The existence of a two-dimensional Bragg diffraction on the TE₀ and TM₀ modes with subsequent formation of secondary spontaneous gratings is revealed and is theoretically substantiated. It is established that the difference in the indicatrices of the radiation scattered into the TE₀ and TM₀ modes for the s-and p-polarizations manifests itself in different kinds of diffraction and small-angle scattering patterns at the output of illuminated samples.     

Electrical instability of LiCu<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>2</Subscript> crystals

The temperature behavior of I-U curves and the field and temperature dependences of the electrical resistivity and dielectric permittivity of crystals of the LiCu₂O₂ phase have been studied. It was established that the crystals belong to p-type semiconductors and that their static resistivity in the range 80–260 K follows the Mott law ρ=Aexp(T₀/T)^1/4 describing variable-range hopping over localized states. At comparatively low electric fields, the crystals exhibit threshold switching and characteristic S-shaped I-U curves containing a region of negative differential resistivity. In the critical voltage region, jumps in the conductivity and dielectric permittivity are observed. Possible mechanisms of the disorder and electrical instability in these crystals are discussed.     

Investigation of zero-frequency solutions to the pion dispersion equation

The instability of nuclear matter is considered for the case where it is generated by the vanishing of the frequencies of collective excitations belonging to specific types (specifically, excitations that have the pion quantum numbers J ^π = 0^?). The behavior of zero-frequency solutions to the pion dispersion equation is analyzed versus the strength G′ of spin—isospin particle—hole interaction. It is shown that there exists a strength value G′_tr (|G′_tr| ? 1) such that, for G′ < G′_tr, zero-frequency solutions are excitations of the ω _P type, while, for G′ ≥ G′_tr, such solutions are excitations of the ω _c type. Excitations of the ω _P type for G′ < ?1 describe the instability of nuclear matter against small density fluctuations (Pomeranchuk’s instability), while excitations of the ω _c type are responsible for the instability associated with pion condensation at G′ ≈ 2. For stable nuclear matter, the solutions ω _P(κ) and ω _c (κ) lie on unphysical sheets of the complex plane of frequency.     

Quantum yield and rate constant of the singlet <Superscript>1</Superscript>Δ<Subscript><Emphasis Type="Italic">g</Emphasis></Subscript> oxygen luminescence in an aqueous medium in the presence of nanoscale inhomogeneities

The quantum yields and lifetimes of photosensitized luminescence of the ¹Δ _g state of singlet oxygen in an aquatic media with a controlled concentration of dielectric anisotropy centers (polyethylene glycol) have been measured using the methods of laser fluorometry. It is established that the quantum yield and the rate constant (k _r ) of the a ¹Δ _g → X ³Σ _g ^- luminescence of ¹O₂ increase as the polymer concentration increases. The effect is analyzed within a general approach involving a relationship between kr and dielectric properties of the medium and is explained by the increased density of photon states and the local field factor in the space around O₂(а ¹Δ _g ).     

Screening properties of multiply connected ferromagnet–superconductor hybrid structures

Superconducting phase transition temperature T _c of a ferromagnet/superconductor (SF) hybrid structure consisting of a hollow superconducting (S) cylinder (shell) with the central part (core) filled with a ferromagnetic (F) metal has been analyzed on the basis of linearized Usadel equations. It has been shown that the proximity effect between the S and F metals, as well as the exchange interaction, may induce an inhomogeneous superconducting state with Δ ~ exp(iLθ + ipz), which is characterized by nonzero circulation of phase L and wavenumber p describing the Larkin–Ovchinnikov–Fulde–Ferrell (LOFF) instability along the cylinder axis. The transitions between the states with different values of L and p, which are accompanied by a nonmonotonic dependence of superconducting transition temperature T _c and effective magnetic field penetration depth Λ into the SF structure on the characteristic size of the ferromagnetic region, have been investigated.     

Optical microscopy of quasi-periodic structures induced upon excitation of waveguide TE and TM modes under irradiation of AgCl-Ag films by a laser beam

This paper reports on the results of analyzing the conditions under which quasi-periodic structures induced in AgCl-Ag photosensitive films by a linearly polarized Gaussian laser beam (λ=633 nm) can be clearly observed with the use of an optical microscope. It is shown that quasi-periodic structures with vectors K ∥ E (where E is the vector of polarization of the inducing beam) and periods d > λ are effectively formed upon excitation of waveguide TM₀ modes at a large angle of incidence (φ=70°) and the p polarization of the inducing beam. Exposure of the film on a 60° glass prism to a p-polarized beam incident on the sample at an angle φ=60° from the side of the glass leads to the effective formation of primary gratings with vectors K⊥E (due to the excitation of waveguide TM₀ modes) and secondary oblique gratings. The specific features of the quasi-periodic structures and the correlation between the primary and secondary gratings are revealed and analyzed.     

Intersubband cyclotron resonance of holes in strained Ge/GeSi(111) heterostructures with germanium wide quantum wells and cyclotron resonance of 1<Emphasis Type="Italic">L</Emphasis> electrons in GeSi layers

The submillimeter (?ω=0.5–5 meV) magnetoabsorption spectra of strained Ge/Ge_1?xSi_x(111) multilayer heterostructures with thick Ge layers (d_Ge=300–850 Å, d_GeSi≈200 Å, x≈0.1) are investigated at T=4.2 K upon band-gap optical excitation. It is revealed that the absorption spectra contain cyclotron resonance lines of 1L electrons localized in GeSi solid solution layers (unlike the previously studied structures with thin Ge layers as quantum wells for 3L electrons). The absorption spectra of the samples with thick Ge layers (d_Ge=800–850 Å) exhibit cyclotron resonance lines of holes due to transitions from the lower Landau levels in the first quantum-well subband to the Landau levels belonging to the third and fifth higher subbands.     

On the Generation and Detection of High-Frequency Gravitational Waves Optically Excited in Dielectric Media

The possibility of generating and detecting high-frequency gravitational waves based on nonlinear-optical processes in dielectric media at their excitation by intense laser radiation of visible or ultraviolet ranges is analyzed. The theory predicts the feasibility of the Hertz gravitational laboratory experiment in which the parametric conversion of intense laser radiation with frequency ω₀ = 2πf₀ (f₀ = 10¹⁴ ? 10¹⁵ Hz) to a gravitational wave with frequency ω _g = 2ω₀ and the reverse process of gravitational radiation reconversion to optical radiation are implemented in the condensed dielectric medium.     

Phase transitions and magnetoelectric coupling in BiFe<Subscript>1−<Emphasis Type="Italic">x</Emphasis></Subscript>Zn<Subscript><Emphasis Type="Italic">x</Emphasis></Subscript>O<Subscript>3</Subscript> multiferroics

Multiferroic BiFe_1?xZn _x O₃ ceramics were prepared by solution combustion method. Their structure, magnetoelectric, dielectric, magnetic, thermal characteristics were studied. The magnetic M(T) and heat capacity C _p (T) measurements demonstrate an antiferromagnetic to paramagnetic phase transition (T _N ) around 635 K. The anomaly on the temperature dependence of the dielectric constant near T _N was observed, which could be induced by the magnetoelectric coupling between electric and magnetic ordering. The magnetoelectric behavior was also confirmed by the linear relation between Δε and M², which is in the agreement of the Ginzburg-Landau theory for the second-order phase transition.     

Control of the perturbation-wave-vector range of modulation instability of dispersive electromagnetic waves in the nonlocal Josephson electrodynamics of a thin superconducting film

Modulation instability of dispersive electromagnetic waves propagating through a Josephson junction in a thin superconducting film is investigated in the framework of the nonlocal Josephson electrodynamics. A dispersion relation is found for the time increment of small perturbations of the amplitude. For dispersive waves, it is first established that spatial nonlocality suppresses the modulation instability in the range of perturbation wave vectors 0≤Q≤Q_B1(k), i.e., in the long-wavelength range of experimental interest. The modulation instability range Q_B1(k)<Q<Q_B2(k, A, L) can be controlled (which is a unique possibility) by varying a dispersion parameter, namely, the wave vector k [or the frequency ω(k)] of linear-approximation waves. In the wave-vector ranges 0≤Q≤Q_B1(k) and Q≤Q_B2(k, A, L), waves are shown to be stable.     

(Pr–Ca) Manganites That Display Multiferroic Properties: High-Temperature Magnetic,Resistive, and Dielectric Measurements

Complex magnetic, resistive, and dielectric studies of Pr_1–xCa_xMnO₃ (х = 0.15–0.30) manganites reveal multiferroic properties at T?T_C in these solid solutions. States with local magnetization in the form of ferromagnetic clusters (nucleation temperature T* ≈ 700 K) and high dielectric constants coexist in the temperature window T_C ≤ T ≤ T*. There is a correlation between the temperature dependences of specific resistance and specific magnetization.     

Determination of optical constants and nonlinear optical coefficients of Violet 1-doped polyvinyl alcohol thin film

The optical properties of Violet 1-doped polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) have been investigated using Wemble and Didomenico (WD) method. The optical constants such as refractive index n, the dispersion energy E _d, the oscillation energy E ₀, the lattice dielectric constant \(\varepsilon _{\infty } \), light frequency dielectric constant ε ₀ and the ratio of carrier concentration to the effective mass N/m* have been determined using reflection spectra in the wavelength range 300–900 nm. The single- beam Z-scan technique was used to determine the nonlinear optical properties of Violet 1:polyvinylalcohol (PVA) thin film. The experiments were performed using continuous wave (cw) laser with a wavelength of 635 nm. The calculated nonlinear refractive index of the film, n ₂ = ?2.79×10^?7 cm²/W and nonlinear absorption coefficient, β = 6.31×10^?3 cm /W. Optical limiting characteristics of the dye-doped polymer film was studied. The result reveals that Violet 1 can be a promising material for optical limiting applications.     

Eine Lumineszenzkammer

It has been shown that an external electric field gives rise to a splitting of theR ₁ emission lines of ruby (77°K). The resulting changes on the laser output were investigated withDC andAC electric fields. The application of an electric field modifies the amplification per path in a predictable way. Maser action is delayed or even suppressed depending upon the pumping level. At large fields (E?130 KV/cm) the amplification is reduced by a factor of two; an excess inverted population of twice the field-free value is required to maintain maser action. The energy stored in this way can be released in an intense maser pulse when the electric field is switched off suddenly.