Laser beam fiducial line application for metrological purposes

The possibility for a collimated one-mode laser beam used as a fiducial line is considered. The technology for an “extended” laser beam formation and application for a much-extended fiducial line is proposed. The text was submitted by the authors in English.     

Laser safety primer outline for industrial/medical users

Laser safety standards are detailed technical documents arising from the complexity of the different mechanisms, depending on the parameters of the laser beam, by which lasers interact with living tissue. As a result, their interpretation by non-expert laser users, who are concerned about safety issues, can cause many difficulties. Based on experience in advising industrial and medical laser users, we have developed a primer which (i) provides step-by-step guidance in the interpretation and use of the laser safety standards, and (ii) explains how to calculate the laser irradiance (on the retina or the skin) to which the user may be subjected in typical situations. A computer program has also been developed which, through a series of questions and answers, guides the user through the calculation of the maximum permissible exposure level and the nominal optical hazard distance for the application of interest. The overall package should be particularly useful to laser safety officers and users of lasers for research applications, as an independent check on safety calculations. It also provides a useful complement to the many worked examples in the laser safety standards.     

NIIEFA accelerators for applied purposes

Since the foundation of the institute, we have designed and delivered more than three hundred different accelerators to Russia and abroad: cyclotrons, linear accelerators, and neutron generators. The technical characteristics of our equipment makes it competitive on the international market. Here we present the application, main parameters, and status of accelerators manufactured by NIIEFA, as well as prospects for the development of electrophysical systems for applied purposes.     

Determination of sound-power levels for industrial purposes

This paper describes new proposals for measuring the sound-power levels of industrial equipment. They are contained in the Noise Procedure Specification NWG-1, issued by the Oil Companies Materials Association, and are intended for use in the petroleum and petrochemical industries, but it is suggested that they could have wider applications in other industries. The shortcomings of the ISO engineering methods for determining sound-power level are discussed and compared with the proposed test methods. Future needs for specific test methods in the oil industry are indicated.     

Properties of laser-induced stimulated emission for diagnostic purposes

We describe an experimental and semi-quantitative theoretical investigation of the characteristics of two-photon-induced stimulated emission related to diagnostic applications. The laser power dependence, pressure dependence, and the spectral shape of the stimulated emission signal in CO are discussed and compared with those for laser-induced fluorescence. We also discuss decreases in the laser-induced fluorescence signal caused by the stimulated emission process, and propose a method for providing increased spatial resolution in measurements made using stimulated emission detection.This work was supported by the Swedish National Board for Technical Developments, the Swedish Energy Administration, and the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Basic Energy Sciences, Division of Chemical Sciences     

Laser spectroscopy applied to energy,environmental and medical research

Through the development of powerful laser spectroscopy techniques new means for advanced diagnostics and sample analysis have emerged. Applications of laser spectroscopy in the fields of energy, environmental and medical research are discussed. Emphasis is placed on non-intrusive diagnostic techniques for studying combustion processes, for remote monitoring of atmospheric pollutants and for industrial and medical applications of laser-induced fluorescence. Selected examples from work performed at the Lund Institute of Technology are used as illustrations, and references to books, reviews and selected papers are given.     

Principles of alignment of multibeam lasers for thermonuclear purposes

The concrete object of the investigation is the alignment of the high-power 12-channel Del'fin neodymium-glass laser facility. The objects of the alignment are the optical channel of the laser installation, the system for pointing and focusing the laser radiation on the target, the system for positioning the target in the focal volume, and the system for monitoring the optical quality of the elements of the laser installation and laser beams and also the conditions of the target irradiation in the vacuum chamber. The list of requirements that must be satisfied by the alignment beams, the possible sources of alignment beams, the makeup of the apparatus, and the methods of aligning the laser facility are considered. The principles and the actual systems of automatic alignment of the optical elements are described, as are the operating models of the automatized units. The problem of simulating the working laser beams by the alignment beams and the possibility of automatizing the control of the spatial and angular characteristics of the laser radiation are discussed. The system for controlling the alignment processes by means of a laser is considered, as is also a scheme for incorporating the automatized alignment subsystem in the overall system for the automation of the Del'fln facility.Translated from Trudy Ordena Lenina Fizicheskogo Instituta im. P. N. Lebedeva, Vol. 103, pp. 52–83, 1978.     

200 keV electron mini-accelerators for scientific and applied purposes

Created in BINP, 200 keV electron mini-accelerators with different types of high voltage generators are described:

1. —
   cascade generator with serial capacitance connection
    
2. —
   generator with high voltage step-up transformer and voltage-doubling circuit of rectification
    
3. —
   generators on the base of pulse and Tesla step-up transformers.
    

Described are their circuit and design performance peculiarities and fields of application.     

Intermittent temperature-programmed desorption study of perovskites used for catalytic purposes

A differential desorption technique, called intermittent temperature-programmed desorption (ITPD), was used to give new insights into the properties of La_1−xSr_xCo_0.8Fe_0.2O₃ perovskites as a contribution to improve their performances with respect to various important application fields such as catalysis, electrocatalysis and solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC). Both ITPD and interrupted TPD (carried out at different heating rates) evidenced two distinct oxygen adsorbed states, desorbing at temperatures lower than 400 °C, corresponding to less than 5% of a compact monolayer of oxide ions. The first one, for low desorption temperatures (lower than 290 °C) exhibits a heat of adsorption (ΔH) distribution from 101 to 121 kJ mol⁻¹. The second one, for higher desorption temperatures (between 290 and 400 °C) corresponds to ΔH = 146 ± 4 kJ mol⁻¹. Additionally, for temperatures higher than 400 °C, we observed a continuous desorption of oxygen species, probably originating from the sub-surface or semi-bulk, with an associated activation energy of desorption ≥175 kJ mol⁻¹.     

The design of an apochromatic optical spectrograph for astronomical purposes

An optical spectrograph for use in the OGS (Optical Ground Station), a 1 m telescope in Izaña Observatory (Tenerife, Spain) and the GTC telescope at Islas Canarias observatory has been designed, built and tested. The dispersive part was designed and built at the Centro de Investigaciones en Óptica, A.C. Due to requirements from Instituto Astrofísico de Canarias this Spectrograph has an f/5 collimator and camera with a plate factor of 6.55 nm/mm. Since the resolution of the system has to have a high resolution of the order of 15 μm or less, an apochromatic design was selected. This article describes this design and its main characteristics.     

Ni-sulfide particles in NaY-zeolite for combined hydrodesulfurization and hydrocracking purposes

The influence of physisorbed water on the formation of nickel-sulfide species in a ⁵⁷Co doped ion exchange type ⁵⁷Co:NiNaY catalyst is studied by Mössbauer Emission Spectroscopy. The absence or presence of physisorbed water during sulfidation seems to have no influence on the local nickel environment of the formed Ni-sulfide species. This result is confirmed by EXAFS measurements. In spite of the resemblance found in MES and EXAFS a large difference is found for the initial HDS activities, which is explained by the different particle sizes (HREM) found at the outer surface of the zeolite.     

BRDF reference standards for the infrared

A comparison between various recommended reference standards of diffuse reflectance in the IR is presented. It is shown that at a wavelength of 10.6 μm sulfur is the most Lambertian of the tested samples, although its powdery consistence makes it less suitable for use as a standard. Flame sprayed aluminum, with or without gold coating, also approaches a Lambertian surface and is suitable for use as a standard for BRDF measurements at 10.6 μm. Results for the BRDF of sulfur, gold-coated sandpaper, a commercial diffuse gold surface (by Labsphere) and flame sprayed aluminum are presented.     

CARS methane spectra: Experiments and simulations for temperature diagnostic purposes

CARS laboratory experiments were done in the 2905–2925 cm⁻¹ range, in the vicinity of the ν₁ band of the methane molecule, for pressures ranging from 1 to 50 bar, and temperatures up to 1100 K. These experiments were carried out in order to retrieve the pressure evolution of the CH₄ spectrum, as well as to confirm its temperature dependance. After a brief recall on the theory used to compute pressure broadening coefficients and relaxation rates, we consider the ν₃ and ν₄ infrared bands of methane for benchmark calculations purposes. Next, we present recent experimental CARS spectra and calculated ones. Lastly, we discuss flame experiments as well as comparisons of temperature retrieval using N₂ and CH₄ as probe molecules.     

Implantation of impurity ions into He II for optical spectroscopy purposes

An experimental arrangement for implantation and handling of high densities of alkaline earth ions in He II is described. First results, including mobility measurements of Sr⁺, Ba⁺, Zn⁺and Cd⁺ ions as well as optical detection of Ba⁺ ions, are reported.     

Quality evaluation of microscopy and scanned histological images for diagnostic purposes

In this work we present a study for assessing and comparing the fidelity of biopsy and cytology images captured with two different devices, that is optical microscopes and scanners, at 40× magnification in bright field. The devices use different ways to magnify images. Microscopes use a set of lenses while scanners capture light through arrays of micro-photoreceptors. The objective is to carry out a quantitative evaluation to discern which of the two devices provides better image quality in terms of contrast, colour and stain. Since there is no unanimous consensus on quality metrics, we will make use of both an objective metric based on perceptual features, together with a subjective psychophysical test as the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) recommends in ITU-R BT.500 for such type of tests. Both techniques indicate a slight preference for the scanner over the microscope in terms of better image quality, considering defocus as the main problem followed by colour distortions. However, the image quality of both devices is suitable for clinical, educational and research purposes.