Full-field imaging-based instantaneous hyperspectral absolute refractive index measurement

Multispectral refractometers typically measure refractive index (RI) at discrete monochromatic wavelengths via a serial process. We report on the demonstration of a white light full-field imaging-based refractometer capable of instantaneous multispectral measurement of absolute RI of clear liquid-gel samples across the entire visible light spectrum. The broad optical bandwidth refractometer is capable of hyperspectral measurement of RI in the range 1.30-1.70 between 400 and 700 nm with a maximum error of 0.0036 units (0.24% of actual) at 414 nm for an η=1.50 sample. We present system design and calibration method details as well as results from a system validation sample.     

Monitoring some liquid cladding layer properties using LED beam transmittance coefficients through the fiber itself

We report work on the adaptation of a conventional optical fiber assembly to monitor the properties of liquid. An LED¹ was used in conjunction with a home-made fiber cell fitted with glass fiber rods to monitor some of the physical properties of liquid samples. The technique discriminates between different liquids using their light transmittance ability as cladding layer to the glass fiber. Discrimination between liquids according to their transmission coefficients is partly dependant on refractive index of liquids; therefore, samples were also tested with a refractometer for comparison. Results show that the technique is superior to the refractometer in distinguishing between liquids of different indexes.     

A true fiber optic refractometer

The best instrument to measure the refractive index of liquids is the Abbe refractometer which can only provide accuracies of the order of 10⁻⁵ at visible wavelengths and 10⁻⁴ in the near infrared. Here we present a technique by which the exact wavelength positions in the near infrared frequency comb of a tilted grating inscribed in the core of an optical fiber can be used to measure the absolute value of the refractive index of a liquid in which the fiber is inserted, with an accuracy of ±5×10⁻⁵. This is in contrast to typical fiber optic‐based “refractometry” where only refractive index variations can be measured accurately, hence the appellation of “true” fiber optic refractometer here. In addition to the increased accuracy, the fiber refractometer proposed here offers the additional advantages associated with in situ measurements. The performance of this refractometer is demonstrated by measurements in water from room temperature down to near freezing at wavelengths in the 1550 nm window.

     

Optical Tamm mode based refractometer in all-dielectric configuration

Optical Tamm (OT) modes formed at the interface of distributed-Bragg reflector (DBR) and low-index dielectric material, exhibit strong dispersive features at optical frequencies which gives rise to the possibility of designing refractometer with improved sensitivity. Using this idea, we design a TiO₂/SiO₂ based DBR configuration for sensing refractive-index changes around 1.33 using spectral-interrogation as well as angular-interrogation method. Dispersion characteristics of OT modes in the DBR configuration are tailored to obtain spectral sensitivity ∼1200 nm/RIU and angular sensitivity ∼40°/RIU for both transverse-electric (TE) and transverse-magnetic (TM) polarizations. We also show that the sensitivity could be substantially tuned over a wide range by appropriately choosing the thicknesses of DBR constituent layer. An all-dielectric DBR configuration gives rise to the possibility of realizing refractometer in any desired spectral region by linearly translating the dispersive behavior of photonic bandgap (PBG) guided OT modes.     

A high-sensitivity photonic crystal fiber (PCF) based on the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) biosensor for detection of density alteration in non-physiological cells (DANCE)

A highly sensitive photonic crystal fiber based on the surface plasmon resonance (PCF-SPR) biosensor for the detection of the density alteration in non-physiological cells (DANCE) is described. Human acute leukemia cells are determined by the discontinuous sucrose gradient centrifugation (DSGC) in which the cells are separated into several bands. The separated cells with different intracellular densities and refractive indexes (RI) ranging from 1.3342 to 1.3344 are distinguished in situ by means of the differential transmission spectrum. The biosensor shows a maximum amplitude sensitivity of 2000?nm/RIU and resolution as high as 5?×?10^?5?RIU. According to the wavelength interrogation method, a maximum spectral sensitivity of 9000?nm/RIU in the sensing range between 1.33 and 1.53 is achieved, corresponding to a resolution as high as 1.11?×?10^?5?RIU for the biosensor. The proposed PCF-SPR biosensor has promising application in biological and biochemical detection.     

Optical refractometer based on an asymmetrical twin-core fiber Michelson interferometer

We report and demonstrate an optical refractometer based on a compact fiber Michelson interferometer. The Michelson interferometer is composed of an asymmetrical twin-core fiber containing a central core and a side core. By chemically etching a segment of the twin-core fiber until the side core is exposed, the effective index of the side core in the etched region is sensitive to the environmental refractive index, which leads to a shift of the transmission spectrum of the Michelson interferometer. The experimental results show that such a device has a refractive index resolution of more than 800 nm/refractive index unit in the range of 1.34-1.37.     

水热法制备ZnS:Cu,Tm超细X射线发光粉

研究了水热法合成的ZnS: Cu,Tm超细X射线发光粉及其光致发光(PL)和X射线激发发光(X-ray excited luminescence,XEL)光谱特性.200 ℃水热处理12 h直接合成样品的纳米晶粒径约15 nm,尺寸分布窄,分散性好,具有纯立方相的类球形结构.氩气保护下900 ℃退火1 h后的样品存在一定的团聚,但团聚后尺寸为200—600 nm,为超细X射线发光粉,此时样品为纯六方相的类球形为主的结构.所有样品的PL和XEL光谱均为宽带谱.水热法直接合成样品的XEL强度最强时,样品的Cu/Zn,Tm/Cu比值分别为3×10^-4和2.在此比值条件下,900 ℃退火1 h样品的XEL发光最强,此时其两个峰值分别位于453,525 nm.发光强度增强的同时粒径很小,对提高成像系统分辨率非常有意义.通过比较PL光谱与XEL光谱特性,讨论了PL和XEL光谱的发光机理和其不同的激发机理. 关键词： ZnS:Cu Tm 水热法 X射线激发发光     

Optical losses and absorption cross-section of silicon nanocrystals

 Si-rich silicon oxide and SiO₂ (SRSO)/SiO₂ multilayer (ML) samples were grown by reactive magnetron sputtering and then annealed at high temperature to induce the formation of Si-nc with mean size of 3-4 nm and density of about 3.5×10¹⁸ cm⁻³ as deduced from high resolution TEM micrographs. Refractive index and thickness have been determined by m-line measurements, which have shown a birefringence of about 1.5% due to the ML structure. Rib-loaded waveguides have been fabricated to measure propagation losses in the visible-infrared range. The analysis of the different contributions to optical losses such as Mie scattering and scattering due to waveguide roughness has allowed us to isolate the contribution due to the absorption losses and thus to extract the absorption cross-section at different wavelengths. Values of about 3.5×10⁻¹⁸ cm² have been found at 830 nm, increasing with decreasing of the wavelength.     

Holographic cure monitoring of the DuPont Somos 7100 stereolithography resin

The optical characteristics of a commercial UV curable resin are investigated using non-degenerate four-wave mixing. The material assessed is an epoxy resin, DuPont Somos^TM 7100. The holographic gratings were written at a wavelength of λ=351.1 nm for an irradiance range 0.5–3.0 W/cm² and read at λ=632.8 nm in order to assess the reactivity, curing speed, shrinkage and resolution of the resin.     

Design of an Auger Electron Mössbauer Spectrometer (AEMS) using a modified cylindrical mirror analyzer

We have designed and built an Auger Electron Mössbauer Spectrometer (AEMS) for the detection of resonant ⁵⁷Fe Auger electrons using a modified commercial cylindrical mirror analyzer (CMA). The CMA final aperture was modified intentionally in order to increase electron transmission at the expense of reducing its energy resolution, from an original value of 0.5 % to a value of 11 % after the modification. The Channeltron detector electronics and the pre-amplifier were also modified in order to increase the counting efficiency. The electron energy analyzer is selective in energy in the 30 eV–3000 eV range, so the spectrometer can be used to detect MNN (45 eV) and LMM (600–700 eV) Fe Auger signals, what gives it a high surface sensitivity for Fe containing samples. We have used it to acquire the Fe LMM Auger signals generated from the de-excitation process after γ-Ray resonant nuclear absorption. The spectrometer can be used to study samples non-enriched in ⁵⁷Fe, with acquisition times from 5 to 7 days, what is a big advantage. From electron trajectory Monte Carlo simulations in metallic iron, the mean-escape-depth of the detected Auger signals has been estimated in approximately 1 nm. Fe K conversion electrons and KLL Auger electrons with mean escape depths of 129 nm and 78 nm respectively also contribute to the detected signal although in a lesser proportion.     

All-fiber multimode-interference-based refractometer sensor: proposal and design

A novel all-fiber refractometer sensor is proposed, which is based on multimode interference in the multimode fiber core section sandwiched between two single-mode fibers. A wide-angle beam propagation method in the cylindrical coordinate is employed as the modeling tool for simulation and design of the proposed refractometer sensor. The design for a refractometer is presented that shows that the refractometer would have an estimated resolution of 5.4 x 10(-5) for refractive indices from 1.33 to 1.45 and of 3.3 x 10(-5) for refractive indices from 1.38 to 1.45 through the choice of an appropriate length of the multimode fiber core section.     

IAE-3 and IAE-6 high resolution photographic materials for recording laser radiation in the IR-region

New photographic materials for recording the radiation of injection lasers (λ=840 nm) with a sensitivity of ?10^-4 J/sm² and a resolution of 4300 lines/mm, and photographic materials for recording the radiation in the region of 1060 nm with a sensitivity of ?10^-4 J/sm² and a resolution of 1000 lines/mm are described.     

TEM monitoring of silver nanoparticles formation on the surface of lead crystal glass

Silver nanoparticles have been formed on the surface of lead crystal glass by means of (i) ion-exchange of alkaline ions from the glass by Ag⁺ ions from a molten salts bath, and (ii) silica based sol-gel coatings containing silver. All experimental variables concerning both ion-exchange process and sol-gel coatings application were combined and studied as main parameters governing the reduction of Ag⁺ ions to Ag⁰ atoms and further aggregation to form nanosized colloids. The content of thermoreducing agents (arsenic or antimony oxides) in the lead crystal glass was essential to favour the reduction of silver ions to form nanoparticles. Optimal experimental conditions to be used for the obtaining of surface silver nanoparticles were determined. TEM was used as the principal characterisation technique for direct observation of the nanoparticles generated. The size of silver colloids varied in the 20-300 nm range for ion-exchanged samples and in the 10-80 nm range for sol-gel coated samples.     

Fourier transform measurements of SO2 absorption cross sections:: I. Temperature dependence in the 24 000–29 000 cm−1 (345–420 nm) region

Absorption cross sections of SO₂ have been obtained in the 24 000–29 000 cm^?1 spectral range (345–420 nm) with a Fourier transform spectrometer at a resolution of 2 cm^?1. Pure SO₂ samples were used and measurements were performed at room temperature (298 K) as well as at 318, 338 and 358 K. This is the first time that temperature effects in this spectral region are reported and investigated. This paper is the first of a series that will report on measurements of the absorption cross section of SO₂ in the UV/visible region at a higher than previously reported resolution and that will investigate temperature effects in support of tropospheric, stratospheric and astrophysical or planetary applications.     

Time-resolved OSL studies of YAlO3:Mn2+ crystals

Time-Resolved Optically Stimulated Luminescence (TR-OSL) from single crystalline YAlO₃:Mn²⁺ samples was investigated using a green light emitting diode (λ ∼ 525 nm) as stimulation light source. The TR-OSL decay curve of the material can be described with a single exponential decay function with a lifetime about 80 ms that does not depend on irradiation dose in the range from 50 mGy to 1 kGy. This OSL decay is superposed on a photoluminescence signal with a much shorter (3.5 ms) decay lifetime. The Mn²⁺ photoluminescence decay with a lifetime of 3.5 ms can be easily eliminated by corresponding time resolution using pulsed OSL readout. Dose response and thermal stability of the OSL signal are consistent with the previous thermoluminescent (TL) studies of the material.     

BaFBr:Eu2+ nanophosphor-SiO2 hybrid entrapped in Anodise Alumina membrane pores array

Sol–gel template method has been used to prepare BaFBr:Eu²⁺ nanophosphor-SiO₂ hybrid entrapped within the nanopores array (of about 200 nm size) of a comercial anodized alumina (AA) membrane. Structural and morphological measurements using electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) have shown the presence of the BaFBr:Eu²⁺ nanophosphor in the silica xerogel entrapped within the nanopores array; photoluminescence and X-ray excited luminescence measurements have shown Eu²⁺ luminescence at 395 nm accompanied by a broad band due to AA membrane. The method assures a relatively uniform spreading of the BaFBr nanophosphor into the AA membrane pores array without the nanoparticles agglomeration. Preliminary imaging tests have shown a spatial resolution in the micrometer range and even in the submicrometer range can be expected. As BaFBr:Eu²⁺ is a very efficient X-ray phosphor the material might be used as X-ray micro-imaging detector.     

Detection of atomic oxygen by laser-induced fluorescence spectroscopy at 130 nm

VUV radiation generated by stimulated Raman scattering from H₂ and tunable around 130 nm is applied to the detection of atomic oxygen produced in a flow-tube. Concentrations in the range to the detection of atomic oxygen produced in a flow-tube. Concentrations in the range of 10¹⁰ to 10¹¹ O-atoms per cm³ lead to fluorescence signals that can easily be detected on a nanosecond timescale. We deduce that oxygen impurities generated by plasma-wall interaction in present-day tokamak experiments should be measurable with spatial and temporal resolution applying this vuv source.     

Properties of a gold-deposited surface plasmon resonance-based glass rod sensor with various light-emitting diodes and its application to a refractometer

The performance of a simple sensor system prepared using gold (Au)-deposited glass rods of 1 to 4 mm in diameter with a deposition length of 100 mm based on surface plasmon resonance (SPR) is presented. The sensor properties of the Au-deposited glass rods of 2 mm in diameter with deposition lengths of 10 to 100 mm are also presented. The sensor system consists of a light-emitting diode (LED) as the light source and a photodiode (PD) as the detector. The response curves and sensor properties of the Au-deposited glass rod with a Au film thickness of 45 nm obtained by using three LEDs with yellowish green (563 nm), red (660 nm), and infrared (940 nm) emissions were investigated. The results were compared with those of a corresponding Au-deposited optical fiber sensor with a core diameter of 0.2 mm. Though the sensitivity, response, and detection limit of the Au-deposited glass rod sensor are lower than those of the optical fiber sensor, the fabrication and handling of the Au-deposited glass rod sensor are easier because of the robustness. Since the dielectric constant of Au changes with the light wavelength, the sensor properties of both the Au-deposited glass rod sensor and the optical fiber sensor depend strongly on the wavelength of the incident light and can be controlled by changing the LED emission wavelength. This sensor system is a new SPR-based refractometer with easy construction and operation. Ethanol concentrations in various spirits were measured with this SPR-based refractometer and the results agreed well with those measured with an Abbe refractometer.     

Synthesis and characterization of Co (Ni or Cu)-MCM-41 mesoporous molecular sieves with different amount of metal obtained by using microwave irradiation method

Co (Ni or Cu)-MCM-41 mesoporous molecular sieves with different amount of metal were synthesized by using cetyltrimethyl ammonium bromide as a template and by a novel microwave irradiation method. These samples were characterized by powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and N₂ physical adsorption. The experimental results show that Co (Ni or Cu)-MCM-41 mesoporous molecular sieves were successfully synthesized. When the as-synthesized samples were calcined at 550 °C for 10 h, the template was effectively removed. Under microwave irradiation condition, Co-MCM-41 mesoporous molecular sieves have specific surface areas in a range of 745.7-1188.8 m²/g and average pore sizes in a range of 2.46-2.75 nm; Ni-MCM-41 mesoporous molecular sieves have specific surface areas in a range of 625.8-1161.3 m²/g and average pore sizes of ca. 2.7 nm; Cu-MCM-41 mesoporous molecular sieves have specific surface areas in a range of 601.6-1142.9 m²/g and average pore sizes in a range of 2.46-2.76 nm. On the other hand, with increasing the introduced metal amount, the specific surface area and pore volume of the synthesized Co (Ni or Cu)-MCM-41 mesoporous molecular sieves became small, and the mesoporous ordering of the samples became poor. Under the comparable synthesis conditions, the synthesized Co-MCM-41 mesoporous molecular sieve has a bigger specific surface area and a more uniform pore distribution as compared with the synthesized Ni-MCM-41and Cu-MCM-41 mesoporous molecular sieves.     

Low temperature vibrational modes of GeSe2 observed by far infrared spectroscopy

The polarized far infrared transmittance of single crystal GeSe₂ has been measured at 300, 80 and 10 K in the spectral range 20–600 cm⁻¹. The spectra, recorded at a resolution of 0.1cm⁻¹, are compared with previous measurements which were recorded at lower resolution and only for samples at room temperature. The improved data have enabled us to remove some of the uncertainties regarding the interpretation of earlier measurements.