THz optical pulses from a coupled-cavity quantum-dot laser

Optical pulses are generated from a coupled-cavity quantum-dot (QD) laser consisting of a short QD-waveguide Fabry–Perot (F–P) cavity and three long external fiber Bragg grating (FBG) cavities. When the laser is biased at low operation current, the feedback from the external cavities dominates and laser pulses have a 1.01 THz repetition rate, determined by the equal frequency difference of the three FBGs. We are thus able to decouple the repetition rate of a mode-locked laser from the cavity length. With much higher bias current, the QD F–P cavity dominates and the repetition rate is switched to 43.8 GHz, defined by the length of the F–P cavity.     

Investigation of flow features and acoustic radiation of a round cavity

In this work, the interaction between a boundary layer and a circular cylindrical cavity is studied. Experimental pressure and velocity results for a cavity of diameter 10 cm and depth ranging from 10 to 15 cm are described, for flow velocities between 50 and 110 m s^?1. This flow configuration is found to generate intense discrete depth- and flow-dependent tones, resulting in modes similar in appearance to Rossiter modes found in shallow rectangular cavities. Differences between the cylindrical cavity's mean flow and that of a similarly sized rectangular cavity are highlighted. The development of the shear layer is quantified, in terms of thickening and of velocity statistics profiles. Radial and azimuthal acoustic modes are observed in the acoustic field inside the cavity. A feedback model based on the coupled behaviour of the fundamental acoustic depth mode of the cavity and the large scale dynamics of the shear layer is constructed, and its response is compared to experimental data. A good qualitative agreement between available data and modeled behaviour is observed, allowing the two acoustic modes found in this work to be attributed to the interaction of the shear layer with the cavity's fundamental depth mode.     

Cavity size and temperature dependence of stimulated emission in single Zn1 − xCdxSe/ZnSe quantum-well lasers

We observed stimulated emission originating from light-hole transitions in single Zn_1 − xCd_xSe quantum-well structures, using high excitation photoluminescence spectroscopy as a function of temperature and cavity length. We found that the lasing wavelength depends on the cavity length, and can be switched by varying the sample temperature. The occurrence of lasing from light-hole recombinations in short cavities is also accompanied by an increase in the threshold of stimulated emission, with respect to larger cavities.     

Fabry–Pérot cavities based on chemical etching for high temperature and strain measurement

In this paper, two hybrid multimode/single mode fiber Fabry–Pérot (FP) cavities were compared. The cavities fabricated by chemical etching are presented as high temperature and strain sensors. In order to produce this FP cavity a single mode fiber was spliced to a graded index multimode fiber with 62.5 μm core diameter. The Fabry–Pérot cavities were tested as a high temperature sensor in the range between room temperature and 700 °C and as strain sensors. A reversible shift of the interferometric peaks with temperature allowed to estimate a sensitivity of 0.75 ± 0.03 pm/°C and 0.98 ± 0.04 pm/°C for the sensor A and B respectively. For strain measurement sensor A demonstrated a sensitivity of 1.85 ± 0.07 pm/μ? and sensor B showed a sensitivity of 3.14 ± 0.05 pm/μ?. The sensors demonstrated the feasibility of low cost fiber optic sensors for high temperature and strain.     

Numerical evaluation of the intensity distribution of a multiple-beam Fizeau fringe in reflection at finite number of beams collected

We modified the intensity distribution formula in multiple-beam reflected system produced at infinite number of beams collected to be a function of finite number of beams collected. From the modified equation, a numerical process was performed to find a finite number of beams value that gives the same intensity at infinity. We claim that 30 beams are enough to produce the intensity distribution same as if infinity number of beams are collected. Our deductions were verified by numerically evaluating the intensity distribution of a multiple-beam Fizeau–Tolansky interferometer with a wedge angle = 0.0003164 rad using ray tracing at 30 number of beams collected and the results of simulation are consistent. The consistency signifies that using 30 instead of infinity number of beams collected in ray tracing for the intensity distribution evaluation may reduce the time drastically.     

Influences of geometry parameter on mode suppression ratio of fiber grating external cavity semiconductor laser

According to equivalent external cavity approximation model, after taking into account the joint contribution of semiconductor laser, external cavity and fiber grating (FG) to the phase condition, the mode distribution of the fiber grating external cavity semiconductor laser (FGESL) can be determined. As a result, the effect of the FG external cavity length (L) on the side mode suppression ratio (SMSR) of the FGESL is investigated theoretically. The results show that with the injected current and the coupling efficiency increase of the SMSR has taken on rise at all. For strong feedback (R₂ = 10^?4), the SMSR become more flattened with more than 40 dB, but, for weak feedback condition, The SMSR have lesser than 35 dB by an oscillation during rising course. Under the condition of short external cavity, the SMSR is in deep relation to the external cavity length, but the SMSR of longer external cavity is smaller than the SMSR of shorter external cavity on the whole and for 8–11 mm of the external cavity length, the SMSR of the FGESL has better (SMSR > 40.8 dB), and the SMSR become more flattened.     

Effect of cavity geometry on the performance of a gyrotron

The effect of interaction cavity geometry on the gyrotron performance in terms of cold cavity parameters (Q value and axial electric field profile), Ohmic wall loss, start oscillation current and interaction efficiency are analyzed in detail in this article. The measurement of Q value and axial electric field profile is also performed for the cavities with different geometries by using non-destructive and perturbation techniques, respectively. Scattering matrix code is used for the computation of Q value and axial electric field profile and results are compared with the experimental data. A Particle-in-Cell code and a specific beam–wave interaction computation code based on generalized non-linear theory are used in the efficiency calculations. For all numerical and experimental analyses, the case of 42 GHz, 200 kW gyrotron is considered here.     

Highly accurate film thickness measurement based on automatic fringe analysis

This paper describes an automated multiple-beam interferometry for measuring a calibrated step height of (27.00 ± 3.00) nm nominally. The fringes captured from the multiple-beam Fizeau–Tolansky interferometer were thinned by using a written program to obtain accurate measurement. We claim that multiple-beam interferometry based on automatic fringe thinning process can provide a real time solution for calibrating step heights precisely and with high accuracy. The uncertainty budget of the multiple-beam interferometry method due to incomplete parallelism of the incident beam and the inhomogeneity of the reflecting layers was calculated automatically with a written ray tracing program. The uncertainty budget in multiple-beam interferometry was estimated to be of the order of 3.00 nm.     

Momentum-resolved lifetimes of image-potential states on Ag(001)

Binding energies and decay rates of image potential states at an Ag(001) surface have been investigated with time-resolved two-photon photoemission. For the first four image potential states the binding energies are determined to be 561, 170, 72 and 37 meV with respect to the vacuum level. Lifetimes of the first three states are extracted to be 57, 165 and 380 fs at k_∥ = 0. With increasing parallel momentum k_∥ the lifetime of the n = 1 state decreases such that the inverse lifetime scales proportional to the kinetic energy within the parallel motion with 34 meV/eV. As light source for the pump-probe photoemission experiments a novel all fiber based femtosecond laser system with a repetition rate of 1.5 MHz has been used.     

Investigation on two dimensional photonic crystal resonant cavity based bandpass filter

In this paper, different cavities, namely quasi square, tri-quarter square, square, hexagonal, circular, elliptical, diamond and annular ring based photonic crystal bandpass filters (PCBPFs) are proposed and investigated by exploiting coupling between two in-line quasi waveguides and a resonant cavity. The resonant wavelength, output efficiency and bandwidth of designed PCBPFs are studied by varying the size of the cavity. The normalized transmission spectra of PCBPF are observed using 2D finite difference time domain (FDTD) method. The photonic band gap (PBG) is calculated by plane wave expansion (PWE) method. The circular cavity based PCBPF gives better performance than others because of its circular resonating modes. The number of passbands is increased linearly while increasing the size of the cavity. The overall size of the PCBPF chip is about 11.4 μm × 11.4 μm, which is more suitable for photonic integrated circuits (PIC), wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) systems and sensing applications.     

Afterglow in bulk AlN single crystals under β-irradiation

Regularities of afterglow at room temperature and of thermoluminescence at further heating up to 673 K have been studied in bulk aluminum nitride single crystals. It has been established that after exposure to β-irradiation luminescence decay at RT may be described by superposition of two exponential components: fast (59 s) and slow (606 s) ones, caused by defects of the anion crystal sublattice O_N- and V_N-centers, respectively. The afterglow spectrum is shown to be characterized by the 3.43 eV band with FWHM=0.61 eV that dominates also in the thermoluminescence under study. From analysis of the TL curves in terms of the general order formalism it has been concluded that variation of the activation energy observed within the 0.46–0.85 eV range with increasing storage of the samples from 5 min to 3 days may be caused by energy distribution of traps on the basis of oxygen-related centers. For the first time the compensation effect has been found, and phenomenologically interpreted for the TL processes of the AlN single crystals. Isokinetic temperature has been estimated within the framework of empiric and non-empiric relations.     

Performance and application of a high energy monochromated Cu Kα1 X-ray source for the electron spectroscopy of materials

A Cu Kα₁ sealed tube X-ray source (hν = 8047.8 eV) and LiF(2 2 0) Johansson geometry monochromator crystal have been interfaced to a Scienta ESCA300 spectrometer for high energy XPS studies of materials, in particular for the measurement of Auger parameters associated with deep core levels in metallic alloys. The detailed arrangement of the source, monochromator and spectrometer combination is described, and factors affecting the overall intensity and resolution are discussed. The optimisation and characterisation of the system are also described. Several examples of Cu Kα₁ excited survey spectra (Cr, Fe, stainless steel), deep core level spectra (Cr 1s, Fe 1s) and Auger spectra (Cr KLL, Cr LMM, Fe KLL) are presented, which illustrate the capability of the system. Auger vacancy satellites are identified in the Cr LMM spectrum. For a series of Cr–Si alloys measurements are reported of the change in the Cr Auger parameter on going from metal to alloy.     

Spectroscopic study of singlet oxygen photogeneration by lipophilic photosensitiser in liposomes

The time- and spectrally-resolved phosphorescence measurements of protoporphyrin IX (PpIX), haematoporphyrin (HpD) and singlet oxygen in liposomal samples under different oxygen concentrations were performed. We observed two different phosphorescence lifetimes of two distinct groups of photosensitisers (PSs). The group with shorter lifetime is located deep inside the nonpolar lipid bilayer, whereas the group with longer lifetime is exposed to H₂O due to its localisation near the bilayer surface. When the oxygen concentration in H₂O is increased about five times, a significant change in the slower decay component of the group of PS near the surface was observed from 3.8 to 1.3 μs (HpD) and from 3.3 to 1.2 μs (PpIX). On the other hand, the shorter phosphorescence components exhibit less-pronounced changes in lifetimes from 0.42 to 0.39 μs (HpD) and from 0.28 to 0.25 μs (PpIX). The singlet oxygen decay time decreases from 7.3 to 3.5 μs (PpIX) and from 8.0 to 3.5 μs (HpD) in H₂O. The results are discussed in the frame of a model, where an increase of the oxygen concentration in the aqueous medium is accompanied by only a slight increase of the oxygen concentration inside the lipid bilayer.     

Biochemical sensor based on a novel all-fibre cavity ring down spectroscopy technique incorporating a tilted fibre Bragg grating

A novel all-fibre cavity ring down spectroscopy technique is proposed where a tilt fibre Bragg grating (TFBG) or long-period grating (LPG) in the cavity provides sensitivity to surrounding medium. Such configuration with an LPG as the representative was theoretically analyzed. Two spectral bands were identified employable for sensing of surrounding refractive index for a weak LPG while only one band existed for a strong LPG. A TFBG, with enhanced sensitivity compared to usual LPGs, was used in a ring down cavity of 1 m constructed with 2 fibre Bragg gratings as the reflectors and the decay time changed from 220 to 450 ns when the TFBG was immersed into water from air.     

Improved Statistically Optimal Nearfield Acoustical Holography in subsonically moving fluid medium

Statistically Optimal Nearfield Acoustical Holography (SONAH) can be used to reconstruct three-dimensional sound fields by projecting two-dimensional data measured on a “small” aperture that partially covers a composite sound source in a “static” fluid medium. Here, an improved SONAH procedure is proposed that includes the mean flow effects of a moving fluid medium while the sound source and receivers are stationary. The backward projection performance of the proposed procedure is further improved by using a wavenumber filter to suppress subsonic noise components. Through numerical simulations at Mach 0.6, it is shown that the improved procedure can accurately reconstruct sound source locations and radiation patterns: e.g., the spatially averaged reconstruction errors of the conventional and improved SONAH procedures are 15.40 dB and 0.19 dB, respectively, for a monopole simulation and 21.60 dB and 0.19 dB for an infinite-size panel. The wavenumber filter further reduces spatial noise, e.g., decreasing the reconstruction error from 1.73 dB to 0.19 dB for the panel simulation. An existing data measured in a wind tunnel operating at Mach 0.12 is reused for the validation. The locations and radiation patterns of the two loudspeakers are successfully identified from the sound fields reconstructed by using the proposed SONAH procedure.     

Blind estimation of reverberation time in classrooms and hospital wards

This paper investigates blind Reverberation Time (RT) estimation in occupied classrooms and hospital wards. Measurements are usually made while these spaces are unoccupied for logistical reasons. However, occupancy can have a significant impact on the rate of reverberant decay. Recent work has developed a Maximum Likelihood Estimation (MLE) method which utilises only passively recorded speech and music signals, this enables measurements to be made while the room is in use. In this paper the MLE method is applied to recordings made in classrooms during lessons. Classroom occupancy levels differ for each lesson, therefore a model is developed using blind estimates to predict the RT for any occupancy level to within ±0.07 s for the mid-frequency octave bands. The model is also able to predict the effective room and per person absorption area.Ambient sound recordings were also carried out in a number of rooms in two hospitals for a week. Hospital measurements are more challenging as the occurrence of free reverberant decay is rarer than in schools and the acoustic conditions may be non-stationary. However, by gaining recordings over a period of a week, estimates can be gained within ±0.07 s. These estimates are representative of the times when the room contains the highest acoustic absorption. In other words when curtains are drawn, there are many visitors or perhaps a window may be open.     

Modulation of output power in the spatio-temporal analysis of a semi conductor laser

This paper examines the spatio temporal patterns of a set of a (2 + 1) dimensional partial differential equations (PDE) describing the dynamics of semiconductor external cavity THz lasers. The study is conducted in two phases: (a) first we show that the behaviour of the single mode system may be periodic or chaotic; (b) the output power may be optimized by proper choices of parameters, such as cavity length and injected current, which lead to high dimensional spatio-temporal chaotic regimes. This conclusion applies to systems with one and with two external cavities, and is robust with respect to variations of parameter values and initial-boundary conditions.     

Wavelength tunable,high energy femtosecond laser pulses directly generated from large-mode-area photonic crystal fiber

Wavelength tunable high energy ultrashort laser pulses are generated from a large-mode-area photonic crystal fiber in anomalous dispersion (AD) regime. A simplified laser cavity design with one fine polished facet of the fiber as a cavity mirror is used. The intra-cavity dispersion compensation is achieved by a grating pair, the spatial dispersed light from which also have optical spectrum filtering effects combined with the limited aperture of the fiber core. The laser system is able to generate ultrashort pulses ranging from 494 fs (with 56 nJ pulse energy) to 1.24 ps (with 49 nJ pulse energy) at 55 MHz repetition rate. The filtering mechanism benefits the generation of high energy pulses with narrowing pulse duration in AD regime. An undulation in frequency and time domain is also observed with the increase of the pump power. Furthermore, this laser system is directly used as seed for supercontinuum generation.     

Procedure for verification of sound source coverage over façades according to the International Standard ISO 140–5

This paper presents a new verification procedure for sound source coverage according to ISO 140–5 requirements. The ISO 140–5 standard applies to the measurement of façade insulation and requires a sound source able to achieve a sufficiently uniform sound field in free field conditions on the façade under study. The proposed method involves the electroacoustic characterisation of the sound source in laboratory free field conditions (anechoic room) and the subsequent prediction by computer simulation of the sound free field radiated on a rectangular surface equal in size to the façade being measured. The loudspeaker is characterised in an anechoic room under laboratory controlled conditions, carefully measuring directivity, and then a computer model is designed to calculate the acoustic free field coverage for different loudspeaker positions and façade sizes. For each sound source position, the method provides the maximum direct acoustic level differences on a façade specimen and therefore determines whether the loudspeaker verifies the maximum allowed level difference of 5 dB (or 10 dB for façade dimensions greater than 5 m) required by the ISO standard. Additionally, the maximum horizontal dimension of the façade meeting the standard is calculated and provided for each sound source position, both with the 5 dB and 10 dB criteria. In the last section of the paper, the proposed procedure is compared with another method used by the authors in the past to achieve the same purpose: in situ outdoor measurements attempting to recreate free field conditions. From this comparison, it is concluded that the proposed method is able to reproduce the actual measurements with high accuracy, for example, the ground reflection effect, at least at low frequencies, which is difficult to avoid in the outdoor measurement method, and it is fully eliminated with the proposed method to achieve the free field requisite.     

Fiber-based chromatic confocal microscope with Gaussian fitting method

The chromatic confocal microscopy is an effective method for displacement measurement. However, with relatively low detection efficiency, chromatic confocal systems from previous studies suffer from either a limited measuring range or an unsatisfying resolution. In this paper, a novel chromatic confocal system is proposed based on optical fiber with large diameter that is specifically chosen to allow more light to be detected, thus greatly improving the detection efficiency of the system. To accurately locate the peak wavelength of the recorded spectrum, four data processing methods are proposed and compared, within which the Gaussian fitting model is considered best for the system. A series of experiments are done to verify the feasibility, resolution and stability of the system. An applicable measuring range of 600 μm is discovered with a highly linear range of 400 μm. The system has a high resolution close to 0.10 μm with satisfying stability shown by a long-term displacement standard deviation of 0.16 μm.