A novel video opto-mechanical (VOM) device for studying the effect of stretching speed on the optical and structural properties of fibers

Using a novel video opto-mechanical (VOM) device, the effect of stretching speed on the optical and structural properties of polypropylene (PP) fibers during the dynamic stretching process is studied. The objective of the present study is to correlate the optical and mechanical properties of PP fibers with the speed of stretching using the multiple-beam Fizeau fringes system. The skeletonization of the multiple-beam Fizeau fringes are determined automatically by using one-dimension Fourier transform method. The stepper motor is adjusted in order to stretch the fibers continuously with constant and uniform speed until breaking of the fiber. The refractive indices, birefringence, transverse sectional area and the orientation function of PP fibers are studied as a function of the draw ratio at different speeds of stretching. An empirical formula is given to correlate the birefringence of PP fiber and both the draw ratio and the speed of stretching. Stretching process of PP with low speed (slow stretching) is recommended to overcome the necking deformation along the fiber. The VOM device could be used to measure the yield strain. The draw ratio-stretching speed superposition is discussed with some details. Microinterferograms are given for illustration.     

3D refractive index profile for the characterization of necking phenomenon along stretched polypropylene fibres

The phenomenon of neck formation in polymers has attracted considerable attention. During the cold-drawing process an initial undrawn material is transformed into anisotropic one across a narrow transition region called ‘neck’. The Video Opto-Mechanical (VOM) device attached with multiple-beam Fizeau fringes techniques are used to stretch polypropylene (PP) fibres. A iPP sample is stretched to have a neck at room temperature. The optical properties of the deformed material over the necking region are examined. Another PP sample is stretched (without necking deformation) at room temperature and the optical properties are also examined. The task of this study is to characterize and assess the necking phenomenon along cold-drawn polypropylene (iPP) fibre axis. The effect of necking on the optical properties of the fibre is confirmed by the determination of the 3D refractive index profile at different regions along the deformed PP fibre. Also the orientation function is calculated for the necked sample. The contour lines of microinterferograms are given for illustrations.     

Surface modification of recycled carbon fiber and its reinforcement effect on nylon 6 composites: Mechanical properties,morphology and crystallization behaviors

Recycled carbon fiber (RCF) was employed as a reinforcement material for preparation of nylon 6-based thermoplastic composites. An effective approach was developed to clean and modify the surface condition of RCF with nitric acid and then with an epoxy macromolecular coupling agent. The interfacial adhesion between RCF and nylon 6 matrix was improved significantly as a result of such a surface modification. Consequently, the reinforcing potential of the RCF was enhanced substantially, and thus, the mechanical properties and thermal stabilities of nylon 6 composites were improved remarkably. The morphologies of fracture surfaces indicated that RCF achieved a homogeneous dispersion in nylon 6 matrix due to good interfacial boding between fibers and matrix. The studies of non-isothermal and isothermal crystallization behaviors showed that RCF acted as a nucleation agent for the crystallization of nylon 6; therefore, the crystallization rate and nucleation density increased notably due to the heterogeneous nucleating effect of RCF in the matrix. These crystallization features may be advantageous for the enhancement of mechanical performance and processability of nylon 6-based composites. This study may provide a design guide for RCF-reinforced nylon 6 composites with a great potential as well as a low cost for industrial and civil applications.     

A study of the effect of gamma and laser irradiation on the thermal,optical and structural properties of CR-39 nuclear track detector

A comparative study of the effect of gamma and laser irradiation on the thermal, optical and structural properties of the CR-39 diglycol carbonate solid state nuclear track detector has been carried out. Samples from CR-39 polymer were classified into two main groups: the first group was irradiated by gamma rays with doses at levels between 20 and 300 kGy, whereas the second group was exposed to infrared laser radiation with energy fluences at levels between 0.71 and 8.53 J/cm². Non-isothermal studies were carried out using thermogravimetry, differential thermogravimetry and differential thermal analysis to obtain activation energy of decomposition and transition temperatures for the non-irradiated and all irradiated CR-39 samples. In addition, optical and structural property studies were performed on non-irradiated and irradiated CR-39 samples using refractive index and X-ray diffraction measurements. Variation in the onset temperature of decomposition T _o, activation energy of decomposition E _a, melting temperature T _m, refractive index n and the mass fraction of the amorphous phase after gamma and laser irradiation were studied.

It was found that many changes in the thermal, optical and structural properties of the CR-39 polymer could be produced by gamma irradiation via degradation and cross-linking mechanisms. Also, the gamma dose has an advantage of increasing the correlation between thermal stability of the CR-39 polymer and bond formation created by the ionizing effect of gamma radiation. On the other hand, higher laser-energy fluences in the range 4.27–8.53 J/cm² decrease the melting temperature of the CR-39 polymer and this is most suitable for applications requiring molding of the polymer at lower temperatures.     

有机化凹凸棒土/尼龙6复合材料的光谱分析研究

采用硅烷偶联剂对凹凸棒土进行表面接枝改性,并通过熔融共混技术在双螺杆挤出机上制备了有机化凹凸棒土/尼龙6复合材料.利用X射线光电子能谱(XPS)、红外光谱(FTIR)、X射线衍射(XRD)和扫描电镜(SEM)对改性结果和复合材料的晶体结构和微观相貌进行表征.结果表明:改性后凹凸棒土表面Si,N,C元素的质量分数提高,结...     

Automatic fringe analysis of the induced anisotropy of bent optical fibres

A new theoretical model considering the refraction of the incident light beam by the fibre is suggested to determine the refractive index profile of bent optical fibres. This new model (slabs model) considering the cross section of the bent optical fibre consists of large number of slabs. The slabs model bases on the refraction of the incident beam by the fibre. The refractive index profile of the optical fibre cladding before bending obtained using the automated Fizeau interferometer with the aid of suggested model is compared with other models such as, the homogenous model and the multilayer model to verify the ability of this slab model. The refractive index profile of the bent optical fibre cladding is investigated using this suggested model. In addition, the new model is used to obtain the induced birefringence and the guiding parameters. The bending radius is recommended to be greater than 7.1 mm for the used optical fibre. The consideration of the refraction increases the accuracy of the results.     

THz laser field effect on the optical properties of cylindrical quantum well wires

The oscillator strength and the linear and third order nonlinear refractive index changes of a cylindrical quantum well wire under intense non-resonant laser field have been investigated within the effective mass-approximation by using a finite element method. We found that the laser amplitude, the incident light and the intersubband relaxation time have an important influence on the refractive index changes.     

Influence of temperature on the optical and structural properties along the diameter of optical fibres

Multiple-beam Fizeau fringes technique with an opto-thermal device is used to study the effect of temperature on the optical properties of Philips graded-index optical fibres. The refractive index profile of the optical fibre is measured at different temperatures. From these profiles the opto-thermal coefficient, the profile shape parameter α, the cladding/core maximum refractive index difference Δn and some guidance parameters of the optical fibre that play an important role in communication are determined. The variation of oscillation and dispersion energies along the diameter of the optical fibre (energy profile) are calculated at different temperatures. An empirical formula of the energy profile is obtained. Microinterferograms are given for illustrations.     

Influence of MgO on structure and optical properties of alumino-lithium-phosphate glasses

MgO doped lithium alumino phosphate glasses (PLA: P₂O₅+Li₂O+Al₂O₃+MgO) were prepared by melt quenching technique. Raman spectra display three significant peaks at 698, 1164 and 1383 cm⁻¹ attributed to: symmetric stretching vibrations of the bridging oxygen (BO) in the P–O–P chains, symmetric stretching vibrations of the PO₂ groups, and the asymmetric vibrations vas(PO₂) of the non-bridging oxygen (NBO) atoms, respectively. Also, the density, molar volumes and ion concentration have been discussed and correlated with the structural changes within the glassy matrix. Some optical constants such as refractive index and dispersion parameters (E_o: single-oscillator energy and E_d: dispersive energy) of the glasses were determined. Finally, the values of the optical band gap for direct and indirect allowed transitions have been determined from the absorption edge studies. It is deduced that the values of E_opt increase with increasing MgO content. It was assigned to structural changes induced from the formation of non-bridging oxygen. The Urbach energy (ΔE) was found to decrease from 0.578 to 0.339 eV with increasing MgO content from 0.5 to 2 mol.     

光学材料折射率和色散的高精度测量技术研究

本文探讨了在一般精度的测角仪器上达到高精度测量折射率和色散的新原理和新方法,这些新原理和方法包括:光学角规补偿法测色散、直角照射法、自准封闭式最小偏向角法。通过实际大量的测量工作证明在1″测角仪(测角精度为3″)和测微望远镜上,上述原理方法都可以达到△n~±3×10~(-6),△(n_λ_1-n_λ_2)~±2×10~(-6)的精度。     

Interferometric studies on the influence of temperature on the optical and dispersion parameters of GRIN optical fibre

Opto-thermal device attached to automate Fizeau interferometer is used to investigate the influence of temperature on opto-thermal properties of multimode graded-index (GRIN) optical fibre in the range from 27 to 54 °C. The effect of temperature on the refractive index profile of fibre is studied. The optical parameters and the opto-thermal coefficient of this fibre are determined. Also the variation of oscillation and dispersion energies, zero dispersion wavelengths, coupling efficiency, normalised frequency, number of propagation modes with the temperature and the material dispersion with the wavelength at different temperatures are calculated. Microinterferograms are given for illustration.     

Interferometric method to measure and test the optical homogeneity of transparent materials

The main idea of the method is to eliminate physically the influence of errors of glass sample plane surfaces on the wavefront transmitting through the sample. This makes it possible to reveal the “pure” optical inhomogeneity of the material independently of the errors of flat surfaces of a glass sample made in the form of a plane-parallel plate or a wedge of the small refractive angle. A basic optical layout of the laser interferometer explaining the capabilities of the practical application of the method is presented.     

Effect of position-dependent effective mass on linear and nonlinear optical properties of a cubic quantum dot

In this paper, we first obtain an analytic relation for studying the position-dependent effective mass in a GaAs/Al_xGa_1−xAs cubic quantum dot. Then, the effect of position-dependent effective mass on the intersubband optical absorption coefficient and the refractive index change in the quantum dot are studied. Our numerical calculations are performed using both a constant effective mass and the position-dependent effective mass. We calculate the linear, nonlinear and total intersubband absorption coefficient and refractive index change as a function of the incident optical intensity and structural parameters such as dot length. The results obtained from the present work show that spatially varying electron effective mass plays an important role in the intersubband optical absorption coefficient and refractive index change in a cubic quantum dot.     

Effect of N ion implantation on the optical properties of an organometallic complex—Zinc cadmium thiocyanate single crystal

A highly efficient non-linear optical organometallic compound zinc cadmium thiocyanate (ZCTC) single crystal was grown by solvent evaporation method. The as grown single crystals were implanted with 45 keV N⁵⁺ ions having energy at various fluencies of 1 × 10¹⁵, 5 × 10¹⁵, 1 × 10¹⁶ and 5 × 10¹⁶ ions/cm². The surface modification induced by the ion implantation was studied using scanning electron microscopy. The UV spectrum shows an increase in absorbance with the increase in the dosage of the ions implanted. There is a red shift in the cut off wavelength due to implantation which may be attributed to the lattice damage produced during implantation. From the Raman spectra, it is observed that there is no shift in the peak positions or any extra peaks due to implantation confirming that the nitrogen ions are not substituted into the lattice. The FWHM, area and intensity of the Raman peak corresponding to CN stretching vibration were calculated and the influence of ion implantation on these parameters was discussed. The effect of implantation on the PL spectra was analysed and discussed in detail. The change in refractive index of the sample due to implantation was reported.     

Temperature dependence of ice optical constants: Implications for simulating the single-scattering properties of cold ice clouds

For a spectrum from ultraviolet to microwave and a temperature range from 160 to 270 K, the optical constants of water ice are compiled on the basis of the Kramers-Kronig relation in conjunction with existing datasets reported in literature. Significant temperature dependence is observed in both the mid-infrared and longer wavelengths. A sensitivity study at wavelengths in the infrared split window region indicates that the temperature dependence of the single-scattering properties of ice crystals is not negligible. Thus, it is necessary to take into account the temperature dependence of ice optical constants when simulating the radiative properties of cirrus clouds for various applications to remote sensing under cirrus cloud conditions.     

Linear and nonlinear optical properties of strained GaN/AlN quantum dots: Effects of impurities,radii of QDs,and the incident optical intensity

The linear and nonlinear optical properties of cylinder GaN/AlN quantum dots with strain effects and impurity are investigated by taking into account the effects of the deformation potential and piezoelectric potential on the conduction band edge. The results are presented as a function of photon energies and QD radii. The optical absorption spectrum and refractive index changes have a blueshift in the presence of the impurity. With increasing distance of the impurity’s position along the growth direction, the peak values of the refractive index changes decrease and shift to higher photon energy. When the sizes of the QDs increase, redshift effects are observed and the relative amplitudes diminish. It can be found that the nonlinear effect becomes obvious with increase of the incident optical intensity. Then there is a “hole-burning” in the absorption coefficient spectra and two new peaks will appear in the total refractive index change spectrum when the optical intensity becomes larger enough. Finally it can be concluded that the intensity of the incident light and the position of the impurity play an important role in the linear and nonlinear optical properties.     

Electric field effects on the linear and nonlinear intersubband optical properties of double semi-parabolic quantum wells

In this work, the effects of the electric field on the optical properties of the symmetric and asymmetric double semi-parabolic quantum wells (DSPQWs) are investigated numerically for typical GaAs/Al_xGa_1−xAs. Optical properties are obtained using the compact density matrix approach. Our calculations for the asymmetric DSPQW show that the resonant peak values of the total refractive index change and total optical absorption coefficient are maximum for a certain value of the applied electric field, due to the anti-crossing effect. However, for the symmetric DSPQW, the resonant peak values of these optical properties decrease monotonically with increasing the applied electric field. Also, our results indicate that a larger value of the optical rectification coefficient of the symmetric DSPQW can be induced by applying a small electric field.     

Interferometric determination of the refractive indices and birefringence of some highly oriented fibres

Variable wavelength interferometric technique (VAWI) is a direct method for determining the refractive indices and birefringence of highly oriented fibres. This method uses the polarizing interference Pluta microscope with a monochromatic light from wedge interference filter that provides a continuously variable wavelength. The standard calibration process of the Pluta polarizing interference microscope is carried out and a calibration graph is obtained. The refractive indices and birefringence of PEN, CONEX and TECHNORA were measured over the visible range of the spectrum and the constants for the Cauchy's dispersion formula were determined. The oscillation and dispersion energies were calculated from the measurements of the refractive index.     

The effects of pressure and hydrogenic donor impurity on the linear and nonlinear optical properties of a GaAs/GaAlAs nanowire superlattice

The combined effects of hydrostatic pressure, presence and absence of hydrogenic donor impurity are investigated on the linear and nonlinear optical absorption coefficients and refractive index changes of a GaAs/Ga_1−xAl_xAs nanowire superlattice. The wave functions and corresponding eigenvalues are calculated using finite difference method in the framework of effective mass approximation. Analytical expressions for the linear and third order nonlinear optical absorption coefficients and refractive index changes are obtained by means of compact-density matrix formalism. The linear and third order nonlinear absorption coefficient and refractive index changes are presented as a function of photon energy for different values of hydrostatic pressure, incident photon intensity and relaxation time in the presence and absence of hydrogenic donor impurity. It is found that the linear and third order nonlinear absorption coefficients, refractive index changes and resonance energy are quite sensitive to the presence of impurity and applied hydrostatic pressure. Moreover, the saturation in optical spectrum and relaxation time can be adjusted by increasing pressure in presence of impurity whereas the effect of hydrostatic pressure is negligible in the case of absence of hydrogenic impurity.     

Theory and analysis of phase sensitivity-tunable optical sensor based on total internal reflection

This study presents a theory of a phase sensitivity-tunable optical sensor based on total-internal reflection (TIR). This investigation attempts to design a phase sensitivity-tunable optical sensor consisting of an isosceles right-angle prism, some quarter- and half-wave plates, and a Mach-Zehnder interferometer. When the azimuth angles of the quarter-wave plates are chosen properly, the final phase difference of the two interference signals are associated with the azimuth angle of the fast axis of the half-wave plates, thus creating the controllable phase sensitivity. Numerical analysis demonstrates that the high phase measuring sensitivity and the small measuring range, and the low phase measuring sensitivity and the wide measuring range can be performed by selecting the suitable azimuth angle of the half-wave plates. The feasibility of the measuring method was demonstrated by the experiment results. The sensor could be applied in various fields, such as chemical, biological, biochemical sensing, and precision machinery measurement.