Comparison of spatial resolution in internal and external electro-optic probing

A new method, based on zero point of longitudinal electric field, was used to determine the spatial resolution of internal and external electro-optic (EO) probing systems. An interdigital structure electrode was fabricated on GaAs substrate to examine the spatial resolution of internal and external EO probing system. Considering the air gap between the electrode under test and the probe tip, the result of EO probing was simulated which is well accorded with experiment. The result indicates that spatial resolution of less than 0.5 and 1 m are obtained in internal and external EO probing system respectively.     

Electro-optic measurement system with high spatial resolution utilizing poled polymer film as external probe tip

A new external electro-optic probing technology has been first demonstrated using a poling electro-optic (EO) polymer film, spin-coated on 20 nm thick grounding perspective aluminum layer which sputtered on a piece of ITO glass as a probe tip, the aluminum layer which has 30% reflectance ratio is also a reference coating. A interdigital electrode was measured, and the spatial resolution of less than was obtained. Voltage sensitivity was approximately . The probing beam reflected from the metal line is phase-modulated by the signal electric field in the EO polymer film, and then converted to amplitude modulation by interference with the reference beam reflected from the 30% reflective coating. The reference electrode makes sure that the most signal voltage drops down in the EO polymer film.     

TRANSVERSE MODULATION OF BEAM PROFILES IN PUMP-PROBE CONFIGURATIONS WITH BaTiO3:Ce

Transverse spatial modulation of beam profiles for a probe beam counterpropagating to a pump beam in a 45°-cut BaTiO₃:Ce crystal with an externally applied electric field is studied numerically studied. For the case that the direct ion of the external field makes an angle of 45° with the c-axis of the crystal, the probe beam, which propagates in the direction perpendicular to the external field and has a waist wider than that of the pump beam, can acquire deep spatial modulation. In contrast, the pump beam shows no spatial modulation but diffracts only. For the case the external field is directed opposite to the direction mentioned above, the probe beam shows much stronger spatial modulation as compared to the pump.     

A short history of heavy ion beam probing

The author describes some aspects of research on controlled thermonuclear fusion as an energy source, starting in the late 1950s. There was a need for new diagnostic techniques for studying high temperature plasmas. The author proposed a diagnostic for measuring plasma density by probing a deuterium plasma with a deuterium beam and measuring the proton production from the D-D nuclear reaction. By the mid 1960s, it was possible to do so. After carrying out a D-D measurement, the author suggested switching over to an H₂⁺ beam and looking for an H⁺ signal. The H+ was loud and clear and that was the last of the nuclear measurements. One of the first things done using the molecular break-up of the H₂⁺ to measure the density of the hollow cathode arc plasma was a study of a coherent instability. The frequency response wasn't sufficient to measure the instability directly, so a Langmuir probe was used to detect the instability. The Langmuir probe gave a signal from a fixed spatial location but the beam probe signal was swept across the plasma giving 2D spatial resolution. This was the first detailed mapping of a plasma instability. Attempts to apply the ion beam probe to measuring the plasma current density in the ST Tokamak are described. Heavy ion beam probing measurements using hollow cathode arcs as target plasmas made it possible to measure T_e at low temperatures and to identify space potential fluctuations. Installation of a beam probe on the Laser Initiated Target Experiment are described, along with work on the ELMO Bumpy Torus, the VERSATOR Tokamak, TMX, TEXT, ISX-B, the Ergodic Magnetic Limiter and ATF     

Experimental study of acoustic probing of electrical space charge in solid insulators

Experimental results are presented on acoustic probing of electric fields in solid insulators. An experimental apparatus and methods are described for acoustic measurements of the bulk space charge density and electric field strength in solid insulators. The sensitivity and spatial resolution of the acoustic probe technique are determined.Institute of Introscopy Research, Polytechnical University, Tomsk. Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Fizika, No. 9, pp. 62–67, September, 1993.     

TRANSVERSE MODULATION OF BEAM PROFILES IN PUMP-PROBE CONFIGURATIONS WITH BaTiO3:Ce

Transverse spatial modulation of beam profiles for a probe beam counterpropagating to a pump beam in a 45°-cut BaTiO₃:Ce crystal with an externally applied electric field is studied numerically studied. For the case that the direct ion of the external field makes an angle of 45° with the c-axis of the crystal, the probe beam, which propagates in the direction perpendicular to the external field and has a waist wider than that of the pump beam, can acquire deep spatial modulation. In contrast, the pump beam shows no spatial modulation but diffracts only. For the case the external field is directed opposite to the direction mentioned above, the probe beam shows much stronger spatial modulation as compared to the pump.     

Investigation of a new electro-optical guest–host polyetherketone polymer films

The polyetherketone (PEK-c) guest–host system thin films in which the range of the weight percent of 3-(1,1-dicyanothenyl)-1-phenyl-4, 5-dihydro-1H-pyrazole (DCNP) is from 20% to 50% were prepared. Their corona poling temperatures were optimized by using the in situ second-harmonic generation (SHG) measurement. The high predicted value of electro-optical (EO) coefficient γ₃₃=48.8 pm/v by using two-level model was obtained when the weight percent of DCNP in the polymer system is 40%, but EO coefficients are attenuated at higher chromophore loading than 40%. The temporal stability of the EO activity of the guest–host polymer was evaluated by probing the decay of the orientational order of the chromophores in the polymer system.     

Study on effective probe depth of optical coherence tomography system by Monte Carlo simulation

The intensities of Class I and Class II signals at several different probing depths and different coherence lengths are analyzed using a Monte Carlo model with a pencil beam, and the result shows that the longitudinal resolution has influence on the effective probe depth. A Monte Carlo model for optical coherence tomography system with a focused Gaussian beam is proposed. The intensities of Class I and Class II signals at different probing depth for different radius and depth of focus of the beam are simulated using this model. We found that increasing of the depth of focus and decreasing of the beam radius can finitely increase effective probing depth. When the effective probing depth is fixed, optimal signal intensity can be achieved by altering the beam radius or the depth of focus.     

Measurement of the electro-optic coefficient of polymer thin films with better spatial resolution

A method for measuring the electro-optic coefficient of polymer films on the basis of an asymmetry Fabry–Perot cavity is introduced. The sample layer is located between two aluminium layers, which are deposited on glass substrates by thermal evaporation. This layer structure is objected to a laser beam, and a variable voltage is applied to the aluminium films resulting in a modulation of the transmitted laser power. The electro-optic coefficient γ₁₃ of the poled polymer film can be calculated by evaluating the Fabry–Perot equation. The spatial resolution is tested with a polymer film that was poled by a needle corona discharge in air through a metal grating with a period of 120 μm. By scanning the sample plate in the direction perpendicular to the grating lines, the spatial resolution is also demonstrated according to the spacing of the poled structure.     

纳米分辨相干反斯托克斯拉曼散射显微成像

采用附加探测光声子耗尽法来实现超衍射极限相干反斯托克斯拉曼散射显微成像. 此方法引入一束环形分布的附加探测光来消耗点扩展函数周边的相干声子, 实现点扩展函数的改造, 从而达到超越衍射极限的空间分辨率. 为了获得更高的空间分辨率和更佳的相位匹配条件, 通常需采用高数值孔径物镜对抽运光、斯托克斯光和探测光进行聚焦, 此时标量衍射理论不再成立. 基于矢量衍射理论, 分析了线偏振光、圆偏振光先后经过螺旋相位片和高数值孔径物镜后的光强分布, 结果表明: 圆偏振光在高数值孔径物镜后焦平面的光强分布呈中心对称状, 较线偏振环形光更适合作为附加探测光. 此外, 采用全量子理论分析了附加探测光声子耗尽法. 结果表明: 当附加探测光与探测光强度比为80时, 成像系统的横向空间分辨率可以达到45 nm; 继续提高附加探测光强度, 空间分辨将进一步提高.     

Performance Characteristics of Power Build-Up Cavity for Raman Spectroscopic Measurement

Performance characteristics of power build-up cavity (PBC) as the light source of a Raman spectroscopy based gas sensor were studied. The key parameter to optimize stable and high intra-cavity power operation was beam diameter of the back reflected beam from external cavity to diode laser. The optimum diameter determined by an appropriate distance between the cavity and diode laser was found to be comparable with the waveguide cross section of diode laser for the effective spatial filtering, where inevitable cavity coupling loss caused by slight spatial mode mismatching existed. A PBC with a finesse of ∼10300 achieved a stable TEM₀₀ mode in excess of intra-cavity power of 80 watts pumped by a 10 milliwatts diode laser. Simultaneously, the PBC wavelength is found to be passively locked effectively at 670 +/− 0.15 nm where the center of the gain region exists. A Raman spectrum of nitrogen measurement was demonstrated.     

Diagnostics of density fluctuations by enhanced scattering with frequency-tunable microwave sources

The enhanced scattering diagnostics method based on the scattering of microwaves close to the upper hybrid resonance in the plasma has a high sensitivity and spatial resolution and makes it possible to observe the plasma density fluctuations with characteristic scale-lengths much smaller than the wavelength of the probing radiation in vacuum. Good spatial resolution for spatial positioning of the scattering volume by fast tuning of the source frequency ±5% around the reference frequency in the range 100–300 GHz at high power makes this diagnostic method particularly suitable for fluctuation and high energy particle measurements in tokamak plasmas with relatively flat density and temperature profiles.     

Laser heterodyne cross-polarized technique for inspection of magnetic disks

A new optical technique for observation of service magnetic tracks on magnetic disks is developed. Weak depolarization of the probe beam due to longitudinal magneto-optical Kerr effect is detected by means of heterodyne mixing of the two cross-polarized and frequency shifted waves generated by Zeeman-type laser. In comparison with the traditional homodyne method the proposed technique has better sensitivity and spatial resolution. Experimental results obtained with standard sample magnetic disks showed the signal-to-noise ratio of about 10, and the spatial resolution of about 30 μm. A possibility of the phase-contrast super-resolution is discussed.     

具有高空间分辨力的整形环形光式差动共焦测量法

提出一种新的具有高空间分辨力的整形环形光式差动共焦测量方法。该方法通过整形环形光式共焦测量法和锐化爱里斑主瓣，改善系统横向分辨力；通过差动共焦测量法改善系统的轴向分辨力，最终达到提高系统空间分辨能力的目的。理论分析和实验表明：整形环形光内孔归一化半径ε越大，横向分辨力改善越明显，量程扩展范围越宽；当入射光波长λ=632.8nm，物镜数值孔径取NA=0.85，ε=0.5时，该系统的横向分辨力优于0.2μm，轴向分辨力优于2nm。该方法为光触针测量系统空间分辨力的提高提供了1种新的方法，可广泛应用于超精密三维微细结构工件的超精密测量。     

Statistical estimate of the deformation of a light pulse in the location of plane stratified clouds

The study of clouds in the lower atmosphere by means of laser location (lidar) started in the second half of the sixties. The first investigations in this direction by Ligda [1] and Collis [2–5] indicated the extensive prospects of optical probe systems in studying the structure and dynamics of clouds. The powerful lasers used in these systems (lasers with pulses as short as 10^–9 sec) help in identifying the upper and lower boundaries and the spatial inhomogeneity of clouds of fairly low density with the resolution necessary for projector probing. As in the case of radar, methods of studying atmospheric objects with lidars are based on an analysis of the information included in the reflected signal. The reflected signal in these cases is formed by the back-scattering of light on diffuse interaction with atmospheric inhomogeneities. The different meteorological nature (shower, fog, haze, etc.) and internal structure of the inhomogeneities reflect differently on the parameters of the signal. In general the intensity, the state of polarization, the shape of the envelope of the pulse, and the energy and frequency spectrum all vary. However, the extraction and analysis of the information contained in these changes in order to solve the inverse problem present an extremely complicated problem, as yet only solved in individual simple cases. In problems relating to the laser probing of clouds and mists, one of the most informative and easily-analyzed characteristics is the degree of deformation of the initial pulse by reason of the repeated scattering of photons. A number of preliminary estimates establishing a relationship between the parameters of the cloud layer and the shape of the reflected light pulse were presented in [6–9]. In [6, 9], in particular, the authors estimated the time characteristics of a diffusely-reflected light signal by the method of statistical tests [10], which is particularly suitable for solving multidimensional problems of atmospheric optics [11]. The algorithm of the Monte Carlo method proposed in [6, 9] and used in the present investigation enables us to allow for the complicated boundary conditions arising in the propagation of a divergent, spatially-limited light beam in a layer-like inhomogeneous scattering medium, and also the transient nature of the process.Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Fizika, No. 2, pp. 50–53, February, 1973.     

Optical phase conjugation by degenerate four-wave mixing in basic green 1 dye-doped gelatin film using He–Ne laser

Optical phase conjugation in gelatin film doped with basic green 1 has been measured using CW laser radiation (λ=632.8 nm) generated by He–Ne laser of total power 35 mW. The degenerate four-wave mixing (DFWM) experiment allowed for measurement of phase conjugate reflectivity as a function of dye concentration, backward beam intensity, forward beam intensity, probe beam intensity, mean pumping beam intensity and angle between the forward pumping beam and probe beam. For 1 mM concentration of basic green 1-doped gelatin film, 0.1% phase conjugate reflectivity has been observed.     

Submicron External Electro-optic Measuring System Based on an Electro-optic Solid Immersion Lens

In this paper, all electro-optic solid immersion lens (EOSIL) is introduced, which is made of GaAs. A reflecting external electro-optic measuring system based on the EOSIL is built. With a hemispherical GaAs EOSIL used as the external probe, 0.7 µm spot size is obtained when the wavelength of the probing beam from a laser diode is 1.3 µm and a microscope objective with 0.3 numerical aperture is used. The principle of the measuring system is analyzed by Jones matrix. By using the system, the electrical signals propagating on a microstrip transmission line are successfully measured. The voltage sensitivity about 5 mV/ is measured when 10 kHz sinusoidal electric signal is applied on the microstrip line.     

A 6 MeV heavy ion beam probe for the Large Helical Device

A 6 MeV heavy ion beam probe (HIBP) is being designed for potential measurements on the Large Helical Device (LHD). This article describes a method to control the 3-D probing beam trajectories in the helical magnetic field, an estimate of beam attenuation and energy reduction arising from the long paths in the plasma, and a cylindrical analyzer as a candidate for the energy analyzer     

Photothermal deflection microscopy for imaging sub-micronic defects in optical materials

Photothermal deflection is widely used to study defects in optical coatings and role of these defects in laser damage. Because defects responsible for laser damage are assumed to be nanometer-sized and lowly absorbing, both high spatial resolution and high sensitivity are required to detect them. In this work we theoretically and experimentally explore the capability of collinear photothermal deflection to give micronic resolution by reduction of the pump beam diameter. Thanks to a model describing temperature distribution and photothermal deflection, we have studied the effects of pump beam focusing on photothermal deflection. Then, we have developed a high resolution, high sensitivity microscope based on the photothermal deflection of a transmitted probe beam. The setup is characterized and the theoretical predictions are checked. We present a test of lateral spatial resolution obtained on specially prepared absorbing resolution targets and show that a lateral spatial resolution of 1 μm is reached on non-isolated defects. In case of single defects, we expect that 10 nm sized defects could be detected.     

Development of Hard X-ray Focusing Optics at Diamond Light Source

The short wavelength of X-rays makes them an excellent choice for probing materials on the nanometer scale and for crystallography of sub-micrometer crystallites. The objective of nanofocusing optics is to produce a small, focused beam size in order to obtain the highest X-ray flux on a small sample or as a fine spatial probe. Achieving nanometer-scale focused X-ray beam sizes puts great demands on the optical elements in an X-ray beamline—the optics must balance the requirements to de-magnify the electron beam X-ray source, to reduce the diffraction-limited focus size, and to minimize the contribution to the focus of aberrations in the optics while collecting the maximum X-ray flux into the focused beam. These requirements dictate that an extreme demagnifying geometry should be employed and that high-specification optical elements must be used. Nanofocusing optics has often been added as an upgrade to existing beamlines at Diamond, extending the range of science that can be carried out. Extreme nanofocusing also forms the basis of new beamlines at Diamond, such as the nanoprobe beamline (I14), which aims to provide sub-30-nm-dimension focused X-ray beams for mapping samples at high spatial resolution. The demand for nanometer-scale diffraction-limited X-ray beams is expected to grow at Diamond and requires corresponding advances in X-ray optics to exploit the present source and future lower emittance storage ring sources; for example, the proposed Diamond II upgrade, projected to give a factor 20 emittance reduction.