Effective room-temperature broad-band recording of 3D dynamic holograms in CdF<Subscript>2</Subscript>:Ga crystals

Photochromic CdF₂:Ga crystals with bistable impurity centers were effectively used for the dynamic recording of holograms and readout over the visible and near IR spectral regions at spatial frequencies of up to 5000 mm^?1 at room temperature. The diffraction efficiency of the dynamic holograms was as high as 60% at maximum and exceeded 1% when the beams’ intensities were in the ratio 1:100. As one goes from the low temperatures (≤200 K) to 300 K, the peak diffraction efficiency of the dynamic holograms decreases approximately by a factor of 1.5, while the speed of their response and photosensitivity in the long-wavelength spectral region increases by more than an order of magnitude. For the sake of comparison, the dynamic holograms were recorded under the same conditions as the widely used electrooptical SBN crystals. Comparative analysis ascertained a unique combination of the useful features offered by CdF₂:Ga crystals in holography.     

Non-destructive evaluation of materials at high temperatures using electro-optic holography

An electro-optic holographic technique for the non-destructive evaluation of materials at high temperatures is presented. The test object is heated in an oven that can attain a temperature of 1000 °C. Electro-optic holography is used for the real-time visualization of full field in-plane displacement fringes. Digital image processing techniques are used for the analysis of fringes. Some of the problems encountered, while recording interferograms at high temperatures, are discussed. The technique is employed for the measurement of in-plane strains, in a disc of a super alloy, subjected to diametral compression, at 1000 °C.     

Properties of CdF2:Ga as a medium for real-time holography

The metastable nature of the excited state of bistable Ga centers in semiconducting CdF₂ crystals allows for the use of CdF₂:Ga and CdF₂:Ga,Y crystals as materials for real-time holography over a wide range of response times (1–1000 ms). The characteristics of these materials and optimal conditions for their use are discussed in the framework of a model that describes the decay of photo-induced gratings written in them. Received: 20 November 2000 / Published online: 20 April 2001     

Holography and electronic speckle pattern interferometry in geophysics

Geophysical applications of holography and ESPI are reviewed. First, laboratory experiments of rock deformation and failure with holographic interferometry and holographic in situ stressmeters are briefly summarized. Then, holographic measurements of tunnel deformations made in Japan are described. The holographic recording system, consisting of an He---Ne gas laser and associated optical elements, was installed in a tunnel at the Amagase Crustal Movement Observatory, Japan in 1984. Tunnel deformations caused by tidal and tectonic forces have been precisely determined using the ‘real-time’ technique of holographic interferometry. Finally, some attempts to apply ESPI to geophysical measurements are introduced.     

Suppression of Noise Effects in Color Correction by Spectral Sensitivities of Image Sensors

The accurate transformation of device responses to tristimulus values is important at an early stage in color management and this transformation is usually called color correction. In this paper it is shown that the influence of noise on color correction can be suppressed if the square of the singular values by the singular value decomposition (SVD) of a sensor matrix represented by surface reflectance, SLVA^1/2, is larger than the noise variance, where S is the M × N matrix of M channel spectral sensitivities, L is the N × N diagonal matrix for an recording illuminant, V is the N × N matrix which is composed of eigenvectors of an autocorrelation matrix for spectral reflectance of samples, A is the N × N diagonal matrix with eigenvalues of the autocorrelation matrix along the diagonal and N is the number of the dimension, respectively. A method to suppress the influence of noise on color correction by spectral sensitivities of sensors is presented for the first time.     

Investigations of As-S-Se thin films for use as inorganic photoresist for digital image-matrix holography

As-S-Se chalcogenide thin films are successfully employed in classical and dot-matrix holography as inorganic photoresists for obtaining a relief-phase hologram. However using these films for image-matrix hologram recording has not been studied due to some features of image-matrix technology. For the applied research of the optical properties of As-S-Se films an experimental device of digital image-matrix holographic recording based on 100 mW 405 nm semi-conductor laser and Spatial Light Modulator (SLM) has been created. The device has the following main parameters: 140 × 105 μm frame size; laser intensity during exposure 10 W/cm². With the help of this device diffraction grating and security holograms were recorded on As-S-Se thin films. The work reported herein presents results of an experimental study of how diffraction efficiency (DE) of the received relief-phase holographic gratings depends on an exposure and period. Diffraction grating profiles and speed of etching corresponding to different exposure doses are shown. Hologram samples with DE = 65% have been received which allows for using chalcogenide film as alternative to organic photoresists in applied dot-matrix and image-matrix holography.     

A live fringe technique for stress measurements in reflecting thin films, using holography

A simple technique is given for measuring stresses in reflecting thin films, using real-time holography. The technique gives clear real fringes with good visibility which can be easily monitored and photographed. No substrate profile measurement is needed. Thermal stress of 0.49 × 10⁹ dynes cm^-2 is observed for a 200.0 nm thick Ag film in the temperature range of 30 to 55°C. This is in good agreement with reported values.     

Exponential Localization of Hydrogen-like Atoms in Relativistic Quantum Electrodynamics

We consider two different models of a hydrogenic atom in a quantized electromagnetic field that treat the electron relativistically. The first one is a no-pair model in the free picture, the second one is given by the semi-relativistic Pauli-Fierz Hamiltonian. We prove that the no-pair operator is semi-bounded below and that its spectral subspaces corresponding to energies below the ionization threshold are exponentially localized. Both results hold true, for arbitrary values of the fine-structure constant, e ², and the ultra-violet cut-off, Λ, and for all nuclear charges less than the critical charge without radiation field, Z _c  = e ⁻²2/(2/π + π/2). We obtain similar results for the semi-relativistic Pauli-Fierz operator, again for all values of e ² and Λ and for nuclear charges less than e ⁻²2/π.     

Ground State and Charge Renormalization in a Nonlinear Model of Relativistic Atoms

We study the reduced Bogoliubov-Dirac-Fock (BDF) energy which allows to describe relativistic electrons interacting with the Dirac sea, in an external electrostatic potential. The model can be seen as a mean-field approximation of Quantum Electrodynamics (QED) where photons and the so-called exchange term are neglected. A state of the system is described by its one-body density matrix, an infinite rank self-adjoint operator which is a compact perturbation of the negative spectral projector of the free Dirac operator (the Dirac sea). We study the minimization of the reduced BDF energy under a charge constraint. We prove the existence of minimizers for a large range of values of the charge, and any positive value of the coupling constant α. Our result covers neutral and positively charged molecules, provided that the positive charge is not large enough to create electron-positron pairs. We also prove that the density of any minimizer is an L ¹ function and compute the effective charge of the system, recovering the usual renormalization of charge: the physical coupling constant is related to α by the formula α_phys ≃ α(1 + 2α/(3π) log Λ)⁻¹, where Λ is the ultraviolet cut-off. We eventually prove an estimate on the highest number of electrons which can be bound by a nucleus of charge Z. In the nonrelativistic limit, we obtain that this number is  ≤  2Z, recovering a result of Lieb. This work is based on a series of papers by Hainzl, Lewin, Séré and Solovej on the mean-field approximation of no-photon QED.     

Optical decoherence and persistent spectral hole burning in Er:LiNbO3

Developing new resonant optical materials for spatial-spectral holography and quantum information applications requires detailed knowledge of the decoherence and population relaxation dynamics for the quantum states involved in the optical transitions, motivating the need for fundamental material studies. We report recent progress in studying these properties in erbium-doped lithium niobate at liquid helium temperatures. The influence of temperature, applied magnetic fields, measurement timescale, and dopant concentration were probed using photon echo spectroscopy and time-resolved spectral hole burning on the 1532 nm transition of Er³⁺:LiNbO₃. Effects of spectral diffusion due to interactions between Er³⁺ ions and between the Er³⁺ ion and ⁷Li and ⁹³Nb nuclear spins in the host lattice were observed. In addition, long-lived persistent spectral storage of seconds to minutes was observed due to non-equilibrium population redistribution among superhyperfine states.     

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.     

A symmetry relating certain processes in 2-and 4-dimensional space-times and the value α0 = 1/4π of the bare fine structure constant

The symmetry manifests itself in exact relations between the Bogoliubov coefficients for processes induced by an accelerated point mirror in 1 + 1 dimensional space and the current (charge) densities for the processes caused by an accelerated point charge in 3 + 1 dimensional space. The spectra of pairs of Bose (Fermi) massless quanta emitted by the mirror coincide with the spectra of photons (scalar quanta) emitted by the electric (scalar) charge up to the factor e ²/ħc. The integral relation between the propagator of a pair of oppositely directed massless particles in 1 + 1 dimensional space and the propagator of a single particle in 3 + 1 dimensional space leads to the equality of the vacuum-vacuum amplitudes for the charge and the mirror if the mean number of created particles is small and the charge e = √ħc. Due to the symmetry, the mass shifts of electric and scalar charges (the sources of Bose fields with spin 1 and 0 in 3 + 1 dimensional space) for the trajectories with a subluminal relative velocity β₁₂ of the ends and the maximum proper acceleration w ₀ are expressed in terms of the heat capacity (or energy) spectral densities of Bose and Fermi gases of massless particles with the temperature w ₀/2π in 1 + 1 dimensional space. Thus, the acceleration excites 1-dimensional oscillation in the proper field of a charge, and the energy of oscillation is partly deexcited in the form of real quanta and partly remains in the field. As a result, the mass shift of an accelerated electric charge is nonzero and negative, while that of a scalar charge is zero. The symmetry is extended to the mirror and charge interactions with the fields carrying spacelike momenta and defining the Bogoliubov coefficients α^B,F. The traces trα^B,F, which describe the vector and scalar interactions of the accelerated mirror with a uniformly moving detector, were found in analytic form for two mirror trajectories with subluminal velocities of the ends. The symmetry predicts one and the same value e ₀ = √ħc for the electric and scalar charges in 3 + 1 dimensional space. Arguments are adduced in favor of the conclusion that this value and the corresponding value α₀ = 1/4π of the fine structure constant are the bare, nonrenormalized values. The text was submitted by the author in English.     

2D Raman spectroscopy study of dolomite and cyanobacterial extracellular polymeric substances from Khor Al‐Adaid sabkha (Qatar)

Dolomite precipitation, limited at low temperature, appears to be impacted by microbial extracellular polymeric substances (EPS). The presence of dolomites has been reported in the extreme environments of Arabian Gulf sabkhas. Many of these sites are characterized by extensive growth of cyanobacterial mats that are recognized as key producers of EPS. However, no information has been gathered on the cyanobacterial EPS involvement in dolomite precipitation. The objective of this study was to obtain in situ information on the spatial distribution of cyanobacterial EPS and dolomite in Khor Al‐Adaid sabkha (Qatar) sediments by chemical mapping. For this purpose, in situ 2D Raman spectroscopy and atomic force microscopy were applied. Additionally, samples were analyzed with scanning electron microscopy and X‐ray diffraction. Raman fingerprints of dolomite (300, 725, and 1098 cm⁻¹), cyanobacteria, and their EPS (1000, 1130, 1148, and 1508 cm⁻¹) were observed widely distributed in the top 2 cm of the sabkhas sediments. 2D chemical imaging of sediment layers characterized minerals and organic matter of microbial origins at high spatial resolution. Raman mapping indicated small dolomite clusters (<2 µm) embedded in a dense cyanobacterial EPS matrix. The spatial distribution showed that small dolomite clusters are closely associated with cyanobacterial EPS and organic carbon. Our results prove that cyanobacterial molecules are closely related to dolomite in the sabkhas sediments. This study demonstrated that Raman mapping is a robust and sensitive technique for acquisition of in situ information on cell–mineral interactions. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Synthesis of nanometric iron oxide films by RPLD and LCVD for thermo–photo sensors

Iron oxide films were deposited on <100> Si substrates by reactive pulsed laser deposition (RPLD) using a KrF laser (248 nm). These films were deposited too by laser (light) chemical vapor deposition (LCVD) using continuous ultraviolet photodiode radiation (360 nm). The deposited films demonstrated semiconducting properties. These films had large thermo-electromotive force (e.m.f.) coefficient (S) and high photosensitivity (F). For films deposited by RPLD the S coefficient varied in the range 0.8–1.65 mV/K at 205–322 K. This coefficient depended on the band gap (E _g ) of the semiconductor films, which varied in the range 0.43–0.93 eV. The largest F value found was 44 V_c/W for white light at power density I≅0.006 W/cm². Using LCVD, iron oxide films were deposited from iron carbonyl vapor. For these films, the S coefficient varied in the range −0.5 to 1.5 mV/K at 110–330 K. The S coefficient depended on E _g of the semiconductor films, which varied in the range 0.44–0.51 eV. The largest F value of these films was about 40 V_c/W at the same I≅0.006 W/cm². Our results showed that RPLD and LCVD can be used to synthesize iron oxide thin films with variable stoichiometry and, consequently, with different values of E _g . These films have large S coefficient and high photosensitivity F and therefore can be used as multi-parameter sensors: thermo–photo sensors.     

On the nature of some biradicaloid and antiaromatic Vis/NIR‐chromophores

Dyes derived from the biradicalic oxyallyl and cyclopentadienylium were calculated by time‐dependent density functional theory (TDDFT) and the characteristics of the prominent low‐energy transitions revealed by graphical means. According to theoretical and experimental studies, 4‐aminophenyl‐substituted dyes absorb intensely at long wavelengths up to the near infrared. If the amino groups are removed the absorption wavelengths are changed little. As found in the previous studies on the squaraine and croconaine oxyallyl dyes, the substituents play only a minor role in the spectral excitation. Charge‐transfer‐type excitations do not occur between the donor aryl substituents and the central oxyallyl or cyclopentadienylium acceptor group. This behaviour is exceptional since donor–acceptor compounds tend to produce charge‐transfer‐ or polymethine‐type electronic transitions. The hitherto rarely used electron density difference (EDD) maps clearly unveiled the spectral excitation features. The spectral excitation of the title compounds is predominantly localized at the oxyallyl and cyclopentadienylium groups, respectively. Characteristics of simple chromophoric compounds and of conventional CT‐ and polymethine dyes are given for comparison. The biradicaloid character of these dyes is supported by the calculated low singlet–triplet splitting energies. Spin properties were characterized in terms of expectation values of the S²‐operator and antiaromatic properties in terms of nucleus‐independent chemical shifts (NICS). According to the ΔE_S/T and <S²> criteria compounds with the acyclic oxyallyl fragment are more biradicaloid. The parent compounds oxyallyl, thioxyallyl and cyclopentadienylium, display extremely large <S²> values. These compounds are triplets in the ground state. The absorption wavelengths of selected biradicaloid species were also calculated by the multi‐reference SORCI method. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

New photopolymer with trifunctional monomer for holographic applications

New holographic recording materials based on photopolymerizable systems have contributed significantly to the recent growth of holographic applications. Previously, we reported that in photopolymerizable systems with a difunctional monomer, Ethylene Glycol DiMethAcrylate (EGDMA) improves the behaviour of the system and explains the role played by an eosin ester that has an oxo-oxime group in the production of amine initiator radicals. This comparative study was carried out in our laboratory using differential scanning photo-calorimetry and holography. The results of the new photosensitive recording materials for holography indicate that this system can be used for the formulation of very promising photopolymers that have a better performance. The aim of this study was to change the crosslinking monomer in order to increase the energetic sensitivity and discover the rest of the behavior. The new photo-polymerizable mixture contains PentaErythritol TriAcrylate (PETA) in a 1:1 ratio of volume and a 2-Hydroxy-Ethylene MethAcrylate monomer (HEMA). A diffraction efficiency of 80% is achieved with an energetic sensitivity of 3 J/cm² at 514 nm, and the spatial resolution is up to 2000 lines/mm.Part of this paper was presented at the IS&T/SPIE Symposium in Electronic Imaging, Science and Technology (Holographic Materials), February 5–10, San Jose, CA, USA     

Investigation of the spectral kinetics of ultrashort light pulses using time holography

On the basis of principles of time holography we suggest a method for recording changes of a spectrum in ultrashort light pulses with a time resolution of up to 10⁻¹⁴ sec. As a clear way to describe the spectrum kinetics, a function of the spectral shift is introduced. We consider, as an example, the possibilities of investigating the spectral-temporal structure of pico- and femtosecond pulses and their transformations on interaction with a dispersion medium. B. I. Stepanov Institute of Physics, National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, 68, F. Skorina Ave., Minsk, 220072, Belarus. Translated from Zhurnal Prikladnoi Spektroskopii, Vol. 66, No. 1, pp. 25–29, January–February, 1999.     

New glassy liquid crystals for optical data-storage applications

Low-molar-mass liquid crystals consisting of a binary nematic mixture of two-naphthylester which exhibit an anisotropic glassy state at room temperature have recently proven to be a suitable material for erasable optical data-storage applications. Using the holographic-grating technique, it is shown that more than 1000 all-optical write, read and erase cycles can be realized without remarkable loss of reversibility. The recording intensities are of the order of 100 W/cm² and optical erasure can be achieved with about twice that intensity. The times for recording and erasure of the optical gratings range on the millisecond scale and the stored gratings persist several months with a diffraction efficiency of typically 1 %. The spatial resolution has been proven down to 2 µm so far. The obtained results are compared with other reversible recording materials.     

Exploring Chromophore-Binding Pocket: High-Resolution Solid-State 1H–13C Interfacial Correlation NMR Spectra with Windowed PMLG Scheme

High-resolution two-dimensional (2D) ¹H–¹³C heteronuclear correlation spectra are recorded for selective observation of interfacial 3–5.5 ? contacts of the uniformly ¹³C-labeled phycocyanobilin (PCB) chromophore with its unlabeled binding pocket. The experiment is based on a medium- and long-distance heteronuclear correlation (MELODI–HETCOR) method. For improving ¹H spectral resolution, a windowed phase-modulated Lee–Goldburg (wPMLG) decoupling scheme is applied during the t ₁ evolution period. Our approach allows for identification of chromophore–protein interactions, in particular for elucidation of the hydrogen-bonding networks and charge distributions within the chromophore-binding pocket. The resulting pulse sequence is tested on the cyanobacterial (Cph1) phytochrome sensory module (residues 1–514, Cph1Δ2) containing uniformly ¹³C- and ¹⁵N-labeled PCB chromophore (u-[¹³C,¹⁵N]-PCB-Cph1Δ2) at 17.6 T.