Numerical study of sub-wavelength plasmonic waveguide

The authors present an analysis of a plasmonic waveguide, simulated using a two-dimensional finite-difference time-domain technique. With the surface structures located on the surface of the metal, the device is able to confine and guide light waves in a sub-wavelength scale. And two waveguides can be placed within 150 nm (∼6% of the incident wavelength) that will helpful for the optoelectronic integration. Within the 20 μm simulation region, it is found that the intensity of the guided light at the interface is roughly two to four times the peak intensity of the incident light, and the propagation length can reach approximately 40 μm at the wavelength of 2.44 μm.     

Development of a portable 3D ultrasound imaging system for musculoskeletal tissues

3D ultrasound is a promising imaging modality for clinical diagnosis and treatment monitoring. Its cost is relatively low in comparison with CT and MRI, no intensive training and radiation protection is required for its operation, and its hardware is movable and can potentially be portable. In this study, we developed a portable freehand 3D ultrasound imaging system for the assessment of musculoskeletal body parts. A portable ultrasound scanner was used to obtain real-time B-mode ultrasound images of musculoskeletal tissues and an electromagnetic spatial sensor was fixed on the ultrasound probe to acquire the position and orientation of the images. The images were digitized with a video digitization device and displayed with its orientation and position synchronized in real-time with the data obtained by the spatial sensor. A program was developed for volume reconstruction, visualization, segmentation and measurement using Visual C++ and Visualization toolkits (VTK) software. A 2D Gaussian filter and a Median filter were implemented to improve the quality of the B-scan images collected by the portable ultrasound scanner. An improved distance-weighted grid-mapping algorithm was proposed for volume reconstruction. Temporal calibrations were conducted to correct the delay between the collections of images and spatial data. Spatial calibrations were performed using a cross-wire phantom. The system accuracy was validated by one cylinder and two cuboid phantoms made of silicone. The average errors for distance measurement in three orthogonal directions in comparison with micrometer measurement were 0.06 ± 0.39, −0.27 ± 0.27, and 0.33 ± 0.39 mm, respectively. The average error for volume measurement was −0.18% ± 5.44% for the three phantoms. The system has been successfully used to obtain the volume images of a fetus phantom, the fingers and forearms of human subjects. For a typical volume with 126 × 103 × 109 voxels, the 3D image could be reconstructed from 258 B-scans (640 × 480 pixels) within one minute using a portable PC with Pentium IV 2.4 GHz CPU and 512 MB memories. It is believed that such a portable volume imaging system will have many applications in the assessment of musculoskeletal tissues because of its easy accessibility.     

Light extraction via leaky modes in organic light emitting devices

Display and illumination technology require light sources with angular independent emission behaviour. Conversely, a strongly angular dependent spectral emission can be desirable for other applications in information technology or spectroscopy. In order to elucidate the potential of organic light-emitting devices (OLEDs) for the latter fields, we performed experimental and numerical studies of the angular dependent emission characteristics of cavity like OLEDs. The light generated in the organic multilayer structure and guided in leaky modes was coupled out by a prism. Here, a semitransparent gold anode, acting as a hole injection layer, was used to enhance the coupling of leaky modes guided inside the OLED to external modes (Kretschmann configuration). The observed light emission was strongly angle dependent, with the spectral emission peak of the device shifting from a wavelength of 680 nm to 500 nm as the angle is varied between 20° and 70° with respect to the normal of the substrate plane. Also, the emitted light shows a high degree of polarization. The observed behaviour can be predicted quantitatively by simulations, which are based on the transfer matrix formalism.     

1 W tunable near diffraction limited light from a broad area laser diode in an external cavity with a line width of 1.7 MHz

A novel unstable external cavity for a broad area laser diode is presented. The cavity is based on a V-shaped setup that improves the slow axis beam quality by coupling the internal modes of a gain guided laser diode. The novelty here is the compact unstable resonator design without lenses in direction of the slow axis. For frequency stabilisation and to narrow the line width of the laser diode emission a diffraction grating in a Littrow configuration is used. With this setup up to 1 W of near diffraction limited light with a beam quality of M² ? 1.3 and a line width of 1.7 MHz could be achieved. The external cavity laser was tunable over a range of 35 nm (FWHM) around the center wavelength of 976 nm.     

Transverse mode selection in a monolithic microchip laser

We outline an approach to mode selection in a microchip laser through judicious shaping of the pump light to create a high modal overlap with the desired mode. We demonstrate the principle by creating a donut-shaped pump profile in the focal plane of a converging lens, and use this profile to longitudinally pump a monolithic microchip laser where the output is a Laguerre-Gaussian mode of radial index p = 0 and azimuthal index l = 1 (LG_0l), or vortex beam, of power ~ 12 mW with a slope efficiency of 17%. This approach of diffractive pump shaping in the Fourier domain is advantageous as it allows for high pump intensity even with low pumping powers, thus ensuring sufficient gain is achieved for laser oscillation.     

Double groove silicon grating polarizer in telecommunication wavelength band

In this paper, we propose an ultra broad band polarizer operating in the telecommunication wavelength band, this device consisting a double groove silicon grating is designed with using the inverse mathematical method and rigorous vector diffraction theory. It is shown from our calculations that the device presents extremely high reflection (R > 95%) for TE polarization light and high transmission (T > 95%) for TM polarization over ∼400 nm wavelength range, moreover, the extinction ratio is ∼30 in the central wavelength 1550 nm. Furthermore, it is found with rigorous coupled wave analysis (RCWA) that the extremely wide band property for TE polarization is due to the excitation of strong modulation guided modes in the design wavelength range.     

Wide band polarizer with suspended silicon grating

In this paper, we propose an ultra broadband polarizer operating in the telecommunication wavelength band; this device consisting a single silicon suspended resonant grating layer is designed with using the inverse mathematical method and rigorous vector diffraction theory. It is shown from our calculations that the device presents extremely high reflection (R > 98%) for TE polarization light and high transmission (T > 98%) for TM polarization over ∼330 nm wavelength range; moreover, the extinction ratio is ∼100 in the central wavelength 1550 nm. Furthermore, it is found with Rigorous Coupled Wave Analysis (RCWA) and near field distribution that the extremely wide band property for TE polarization is due to the excitation of strong modulation guided modes in the design wavelength range.     

Single-shot multiple-delay crossed-beam spectral interferometry for measuring extremely complex pulses

We demonstrate a single-shot measurement technique based on spectral interferometry (SI) for measuring the complete intensity and phase vs. time of extremely complex ultrashort laser pulses. Ordinarily, such a method would require an extremely-high-resolution spectrometer, but, by temporally interleaving many SI measurements, each using a different reference-pulse delay, our method overcomes this need. It involves introducing a transverse time delay into the reference pulse by tilting its pulse front transversely to the spectrometer dispersion plane. The tilted reference pulse then gates the unknown pulse by interfering with it at the image plane of a low-resolution imaging spectrometer, yielding an effective increase in the delay range and spectral resolution—by a factor of 30 in our proof-of-principle implementation. Our device achieved a temporal resolution of ~ 130 fs and a temporal range of 120 ps. This simple device has the potential to measure even longer and more complex pulses.     

Mode locking of argon ion laser by use of cylindrical ultrasonic waves

The phenomenon of light diffraction by a cylindrical ultrasonic wave has been investigated. The diffraction was applied in a new type of acousto-optic modulator used for laser mode locking. The paper describes the modulator and presents results on mode locking of argon ion laser. The mode locking was obtained by means of a cylindrical acoustic wave launched in water at the frequencies of ultrasound 33-34 MHz. A standing wave regime of operation of the modulator resulted in a reliable generation of laser pulses with the duration 720 ps.     

High-capacity and security packet switching using the nonlinear effects in micro ring resonators

We propose a new design of secured packet switching generated by using nonlinear behaviors of light in a micro ring resonator. The use of chaotic signals generated by the micro ring resonator to form the filtering and packet switching characteristics is described, where the high-capacity and security switching using such form is presented. The key advantage is that the high capacity of communication data can be secured in the transmission link, where the nonlinear penalty of light traveling in the device is beneficial. For instance, the required information can be transmitted and retrieved by using the proposed packet switching scheme. In principle, the chaotic signals are generated by a Kerr effects nonlinear type of light in a micro ring resonator, where the control input power can be specified by the required output filtering signals. The ring radii used range between 10 and 20 μm, κ=0.0225, α=0.5 dB and n₂=2.2×10⁻¹⁵ m²/W. Simulation results obtained have been described based on the practical device parameters. Three forms of the applications have been simulated, the potential of using for the tunable band pass and band stop filters, in which high-capacity packet switching data can be performed, and the fs switching time is plausible.     

Measuring principle of vertical target density based on single linear array CCD camera

In consideration of the complexity and the high cost of the dual CCD intersection vertical target when it is used indoor. A novel measuring principle of one linear array CCD camera vertical target is presented. One low-power semiconductor sector-like laser with projection board is used to be the lamp-house of the CCD camera. The detection light screen of the CCD camera and the laser lamp-house are adjusted to same plane. When the projectile through the detection light screen, it blocks the part light of the laser and leaves a shadow of projectile on the board. The shadow and its coordinate are acquired and calculated by the CCD camera and computer, and the projectile coordinate of X and Y can be gotten through image processing and further calculation. The measuring principle and the formulas are given, and the measuring error is analyzed. The result indicates that the coordinate error of X and Y less than 1.5 and 2.2 mm, respectively, when the detection light screens is 1 m × 1 m, The principle presented has the advantages that measurement principle is simple, low cost and easy engineering.     

Fabrication of complex nanostructures on ZnO crystals by the interference of three femtosecond laser beams

By adjusting the laser polarization combinations, fluences and pulse numbers, we fabricated several types of two-dimensional (2D) complex nanostructures on the surface of c-cut ZnO single crystal by the interference of three femtosecond laser beams with central wavelength of 800 nm, pulse duration of 50 fs and pulse repetition frequency of 1 kHz. The hexagonal 2D nanostructures with a period of 600 nm are very regular and uniform, in which nanoparticles, nanorings and nanoripples with sizes of 200 nm are embedded. Excited by 800 nm femtosecond laser pulses, the photoluminescence (PL) micrographs reveal that the 2D nanostructures can emit purer and brighter blue light compared with the plane surface. These nanostructures have potential applications in blue light-emitting diodes (LEDs), high density optical storage and other optoelectronic devices.     

Direct determination of gas velocity and gas temperature in an atmospheric-pressure argon-hydrogen plasma jet

Direct gas temperature and gas velocity measurements made in the exit plane of a subsonic argon-hydrogen thermal plasma jet from high-resolution lineshape analysis of laser light scattered by the plasma are reported. The lineshapes are in general a superposition of the ion feature of the Thomson-scattered light and the lineshape of Rayleigh scattered light. In the center of the jet Thomson scattering dominates while at larger radii Rayleigh scattering dominates. Because of the complexity of the lineshapes of light scattered by multicomponent plasmas, only those that are predominantly due to Thomson scattering can in practice be analyzed for gas temperature. Gas velocity can be determined from the Doppler shift of the lineshapes relative to the frequency of the incident laser if the velocity is greater than about 50 m s⁻¹. The maximum gas temperature measured was 14,500 K±5%. The maximum gas velocity measured was 1100 m s⁻¹±3%. Temperature values and the radial velocity profile are compared with those previously obtained from a subsonic all-argon plasma jet operated under similar conditions.     

Design and operation of a double-fiber displacement sensor

Design and operation of a double-fiber sensor for displacement measurements are reported in this study. In this arrangement, one fiber transmits the laser light to the target and the second one receives the light reflected off the target and transmits to a photodetector. Utilizing inexpensive plastic optical fibers offers advantages such as higher reflexability and more robustness at a reasonable cost, which are required for some applications. The novelties of the reported design are compactness of the fiber probe, flexibility, long dynamic range (22 mm), and it is possible to use the source and the detector at the same side. The displacement of the target causes the intensity modulation and such a power variation is the base of sensor operation. Measurements for the metallic and non-metallic surfaces are performed and the results for aluminum, copper, and bronze sheets are presented here. Our results indicate that the sensitivity is highest for the plane mirror (288.8 mV/mm), high for the shiny metallic surfaces (230.6 mV/mm), but it can be used for other surfaces with a reasonable sensitivity. Important parameters of the sensor such as reproducibility (1.0%) and hysteresis effect (1.8%) are also investigated for this device. The theoretical formulation of the sensor operation is also developed and the computed results are compared with the experimental ones. The obtained experimental respond curve agrees well with the theoretical one, which verifies the successful operation of the proposed sensor system for precise displacement measurements.     

All-optical clock recovery using a ridge width varied two-section partly gain-coupled DFB self-pulsation laser

A 1.55 μm InGaAsP-InP partly gain-coupled two-section DFB self-pulsation laser (SPL) with a varied ridge width has been fabricated. The laser produces self-pulsations with a frequency tuning range of more than 135 GHz. All-optical clock recovery from 40 Gb/s degraded data streams has been demonstrated. Successful lockings of the device at frequencies of 30 GHz, 40 GHz, 50 GHz, and 60 GHz to a 10 GHz sidemode injection are also conducted, which demonstrates the capability of the device for all-optical clock recovery at different frequencies. This flexibility of the device is highly desired for practical uses.     

Theoretical study of the electro-optic effect of aperiodically poled lithium niobate in a Q-switched dual-wavelength laser

The electro-optic effect of aperiodically poled lithium niobate (APLN) has been theoretically investigated and proposed to use as a Q-switch in a simultaneous dual-wavelength laser. Our analysis shows that the polarization planes of the z-polarized (or y-polarized) dual-wavelength beams can be simultaneously rotated by 90° through a well-constructed APLN with an external electric field applied along the y-axis, which enables Q-switch function in a dual-wavelength laser cavity. Using a Nd:YVO₄ laser operating at 1.0643 μm and 1.3419 μm as an example, we present a design method of APLN by using the so-called simulated annealing algorithm. The influence of the domain errors in fabricating an APLN device is also studied. The results show that the device is not susceptible to the fabrication errors.     

Surface plasmon enhanced ultra-low threshold second harmonic generation in periodically poled whispering gallery resonator

The surface plasmon enhanced ultra-low threshold second harmonic generation is observed, designed and simulated in whispering gallery resonator made of MgO doped periodically poled LiNbO₃. Here the electric field associated with incident optical radiation of picowatt level is amplified to milliwatt level through surface plasmon resonance in Kretschmann geometry which is formed by a BK₇ prism plane, 29 nm thin gold layer and 20 nm thin GaAs layer. This enhanced electric field then coupled to a whispering gallery resonator, which facilitated the generation of second harmonic for an incident laser radiation of picowatt level. In this proposed configuration with an incident optical power of 94.6 pW, generated second harmonic through whispering gallery resonator is found to be 14.6 mW.     

Extremely wide band Rayleigh resonant reflector with sharp angular spectra in near infrared wavelength band

In this paper, we propose an extremely broadband Rayleigh resonant reflector with sharp angular spectra operating in near infrared wavelength band, this device consisting of a single germanium resonant grating layer is designed and analyzed by using with the rigorous vector diffraction theory. At the Rayleigh angle, the first diffracted order can be appear from evanescent to a propagating one, thus, a very sharp angular spectrum characteristics can be presented in the device. Based on the guided mode resonant effect, high index material such as silicon and germanium can be designed as wide band reflector, beam splitter and polarizer in near infrared wavelength region. Through connecting Rayleigh phenomena and guided mode resonant effect, we can design a new kind of optical devices with versatile characteristics such as sharp angular spectra and extremely wide reflection band. In this paper, we present a Rayleigh resonant reflector with extremely high reflection (R > 99.5%) for TE polarization light over ∼600 nm wavelength range and sharp angular spectral distribution. In addition, it is shown from our calculations that the high-index nano-layer located adjacent to the substrate is seen to critically affect the resulting spectra of Rayleigh resonant reflector.     

Simulations of grazing-incidence pumped Ni-like Sn X-ray laser at 11.9 nm

Grazing-incidence pumped Ni-like Sn X-ray laser media at 11.9 nm (4d-4p, J = 0-1) is modelled using code EHYBRID and a post-processor code. The required atomic data are obtained using the Cowan code. In this study the pre-formed plasma is pumped on longitudinal direction with a grazing angle. Detailed simulations were performed to optimize the driving laser configurations. Relatively high gain is produced for the Ni-like Sn X-ray laser at 11.9 nm with long pre-pulse and short main pulse drive energy of only 100 mJ on 4 mm slab targets. Using low intensity pre-pulse prior to long pulse decreases the electron density gradient. X-ray resonance lines between 13 and 25 Å emitted from tin plasma have been simulated using post-processor coupled with EHYBRID. The ratio of these resonance lines can be used to measure electron temperature of the laser produced Sn plasma.     

Ultrasound induces cellular destruction of nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells in the presence of curcumin

Objectives

Curcumin, a natural pigment from the traditional Chinese herb, has shown promise as an efficient enhancer of ultrasound. The present study aims to investigate ultrasound-induced cellular destruction of nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells in the presence of curcumin in vitro.

Methods

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma cell line CNE2 cells were incubated by 10 μm curcumin and then were treated by ultrasound for 8 s at the intensity of 0.46 W/cm². Cytotoxicity was evaluated using MTT assay and light microscopy. Mitochondrial damage was analyzed using a confocal laser scanning microcopy with Rhodamine 123 and ultrastructural changes were observed using a transmission electron microscopy (TEM).

Results

MTT assay showed that cytotoxicity induced by ultrasound treatment alone and curcumin treatment alone was 18.16 ± 2.37% and 24.93 ± 8.30%, respectively. The cytotoxicity induced by the combined treatment of ultrasound and curcumin significantly increased up to 86.67 ± 7.78%. TEM showed that microvillin disappearance, membrane blebbing, chromatin condensation, swollen mitochondria, and mitochondrial myelin-like body were observed in the cells treated by ultrasound and curcumin together. The significant collapse of mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) was markedly observed in the CNE2 cells after the combined treatment of curcumin and ultrasound.

Conclusions

Our findings demonstrated that ultrasound sonication in the presence of curcumin significantly killed the CNE2 cells and induced ultrastructural damage and the dysfunction of mitochondria, suggesting that ultrasound treatment remarkably induced cellular destruction of nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells in the presence of curcumin.