Real-time monitoring of Yb vapor density using an extended cavity violet diode laser

Based on laser absorption spectroscopy (LAS), we developed a vapor density monitor for controlling the vaporization rate of Yb using a tunable diode laser. The laser source consisted of an extended cavity violet diode laser which has an emission wavelength of 398.8 nm coincident with the Yb absorption transition line, 6s(2) 1S(0)-6s6p 1P(1). The light emitted from the diode laser was transmitted across an atomic vapor column generated by heating the Yb metal, while the laser frequency was scanned across the atomic transition line. By comparing the amount of incident light to the amount of light transmitted after the light passed through the vapor column, the vapor density was determined using the Beer's law. From the experimental results, we demonstrated that the diode-laser-based LAS operated successfully for the real-time monitoring of the Yb vapor density.     

A tunable picosecond dye laser for use in dioxin analysis.

A distributed-feedback dye laser with a quenching cavity was designed and constructed for generating a tunable picosecond pulse with a narrow spectral linewidth. This nearly transform-limited pulse was succeedingly amplified by a triple-pass off-axis amplifier. The pulse duration and the spectral linewidth were 60 ps and 9.4 pm, respectively. The amplified pulse was frequency-doubled by second-harmonic generation, producing a 0.5-mJ pulse with no background emission. The potential advantage of this laser in the analysis of dioxin based on supersonic jet/resonance-enhanced multiphoton ionization/mass spectrometry is discussed.     

A tunable 3D optofluidic waveguide dye laser via two centrifugal Dean flow streams

This paper presents a tunable optofluidic waveguide dye laser utilizing two centrifugal Dean flows. The centrifugal Dean flow increases the light confinement of the dye laser by shaping a three-dimensional (3D) liquid waveguide from curved microchannels. The active medium with the laser dye is dissolved in the liquid core and pumped with an external pump laser to produce stimulated emission. The laser's Fabry-Pérot microcavity is formed with a pair of aligned gold-coated fiber facets to amplify the fluorescent emission. The advantage of the 3D optofluidic waveguide dye laser is its higher efficiency, thus to obtain lasing at a reduced threshold (60%) with higher output energy. The demonstrated slope efficiency is at least 3-fold higher than its traditional two-dimensional equivalent. In addition, the laser output energy can be varied on demand by tuning the flow rates of the two flows. This technique provides a versatile platform for high potential applications microfluidic biosensor and bioanalysis.     

Laser-Induced Generation of Hydrogen in Water by Using Graphene Target

A new method of hydrogen generation from water, by irradiation with CW infrared laser diode of graphene scaffold immersed in solution, is reported. Hydrogen production was extremely efficient upon admixing NaCl into water. The efficiency of hydrogen production increased exponentially with laser power. It was shown that hydrogen production was highly efficient when the intense white light emission induced by laser irradiation of graphene foam was occurring. The mechanism of laser-induced dissociation of water is discussed. It was found that hydrogen production was extremely high, at about 80%, and assisted by a small emission of O₂, CO and CO₂ gases.     

Laser-excited ionic fluorescence spectrometry of rare-earth elements in the inductively-coupled plasma

A pulsed tunable dye laser pumped with an excimer laser is used to excite ionic fluorescence of the rare earth elements in the inductively-coupled plasma. Because several fluorescence lines were observed after laser excitation, it was possible to draw partial energy-level diagrams for most of the rare earths. Non-resonance fluorescence lines were used for all measurements in order to minimize spectral interferences. Detection limits at given excitation wavelengths are reported for each element. Laser-excited ionic fluorescence eliminates the problem of spectral interferences which has been associated with the determination of the rare earths by atomic emission spectrometry in the inductively-coupled plasma.     

A novel single frequency stabilized Fabry-Perot laser diode at 1590 nm for gas sensing

A novel single frequency stabilized Fabry-Perot (SFP) laser diode with an emission wavelength of lambda = 1590 nm for H2S gas sensing is reported. Sculpting of the multi-mode spectral distribution of a FP laser to achieve single frequency emission is carried out using post growth photolitographic processing of the device. The resulting longitudinal-mode controlled FP laser has a stabilized single frequency emission with a side mode suppression ratio (SMSR) of 40 dB. The application of this device to spectroscopic based H2S sensing is demonstrated by targeting absorption lines in the wavelength range 1588 < or = lambda < or = 1591 nm. Using wavelength modulation spectroscopy (WMS), a low detection limit of 120 ppm x m x Hz(-1/2) was estimated while targeting the absorption line at 1590.08 nm. These initial results demonstrate the potential of the stabilized FP laser diode at this wavelength as a tunable, single frequency source for spectroscopic based gas sensing.     

Infrared (1.2-1.6 microm) luminescence in Cr4+:Yb3Al5O12 single crystal with 940 nm diode pumping

Infrared (1.2-1.6 microm) luminescence in a ytterbium aluminium garnet (YbAG) crystal, doped with Cr (0.05at.%) ions, was investigated under CW laser diode pumping (lambda=940 nm). The Cr4+ emission band was observed with its peak at 1.34 microm and measured to be about 1.3 times with respect to Yb3+ IR luminescence (lambda=1.03 microm). We demonstrate that for the excitation wavelength of 940 nm Yb3+ ions act as sensitizers of the 3B2(3T2)-3B1(3A2) emission of Cr4+ ions. This crystal is promising as a high-efficient system for tunable laser (1.2-1.6 microm) output.     

A low-threshold, high-efficiency microfluidic waveguide laser

This communication describes a long (1 cm), laser-pumped, liquid core-liquid cladding (L2) waveguide laser. This device provides a simple, high intensity, tunable light source for microfludic applications. Using a core solution of 2 mM rhodamine 640 perchlorate, optically pumped by a frequency-doubled Nd:YAG laser, we found that the threshold for lasing was as low as 22 muJ (16-ns pulse length) and had a slope efficiency up to 20%. The output wavelength was tunable over a 20-nm range by changing the ratio of solvent components (dimethyl sulfoxide and methanol) in the liquid core.     

Orthogonal Trichromatic Upconversion with High Color Purity in Core-Shell Nanoparticles for a Full-Color Display

Materials with tunable emission colors has attracted increasing interest in both fundamental research and applications. As a key member of light-emitting materials family, lanthanide doped upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) have been intensively demonstrated to emit light in any color upon near-infrared excitation. However, realizing the trichromatic emission in UCNPs with a fixed composition remains a great challenge. Here, without excitation pulsed modulation and three different near-infrared pumping, we report an experimental design to fine-control emission in the full color gamut from core–shell-structured UCNPs by manipulating the energy migration through dual-channel pump scheme. We also demonstrate their potential application in full-color display. These findings may benefit the future development of convenient and versatile optical methos for multicolor tuning and open up the possibility of constructing full-color volumetric display systems with high spatiotemporal resolution.     

One‐pot synthesis of carbon dots@ZrO2 nanoparticles with tunable solid‐state fluorescence

In recent years, fluorescent carbon dots (CDs) have been developed and showed potential applications in biomedical imaging and light‐emitting diodes (LEDs) for their excellent fluorescent properties. However, it still remains a challenge to incorporate fluorescent CDs into the host matrix in situ to overcome their serious self‐quenching. Herein, a one‐pot hydrothermal method is used to prepare nano‐zirconia with CDs (CDs@ZrO₂) nanoparticles. During the reaction, CDs and nano‐zirconia are generated simultaneously and connected with silane coupling agent. The CDs@ZrO₂ nanoparticles exhibit tunable emission wavelength from 450 to 535 nm emission by regulating the content of citric acid in the feed. The quantum yield of the CDs@ZrO₂ is up to 23.8%. Furthermore, the CDs@ZrO₂ nanoparticles with regulable fluorescence emission can be used for the fluorescent material to prepare white LEDs. The prepared LED has significant white light emission with color coordinates of (0.30, 0.37) and its color rendering index (CRI) is 67.1. In summary, we have developed the solid‐state CDs@ZrO₂ nanoparticles with tunable emission by a valuable strategy, that is, one‐pot method, for white LEDs.     

Multimode Robust Lasing in a Dye-Doped Polymer Layer Embedded in a Wedge-Shaped Cholesteric

Cholesteric liquid crystals (CLCs) with induced defects are one of the most prominent materials to realize compact, low-threshold and tunable coherent light sources. In this context, the investigation of optical properties of induced defect modes in such CLCs is of great interest. In particular, many studies have been devoted to the spectral control of the defect modes depending on their thickness, optical properties, distribution along the CLC, etc. In this paper, we investigate the lasing possibilities of a dye-doped polymer layer embedded in a wedge-shaped CLC. We show that multimode laser generation is possible due to the observed multiple defect modes in the PBG that enlarges the application range of the system. Furthermore, our simulations based on a Berreman 4 × 4 matrix approach for a wide range of CLC thickness show both periodic and continuous generation of defect modes along particular spectral lines inside the PBG. Such a robust spectral behaviour of induced defect modes is unique, and, to our knowledge, is not observed in similar CLC-based structures.     

Self-location of acceptors as "isolated" or "stacked" energy traps in a supramolecular donor self-assembly: a strategy to wavelength tunable FRET emission

Control over supramolecular assemblies of donor and acceptor arrays in nanoscale dimension that facilitate efficient energy transfer resulting in tunable emission is an outstanding challenge. In pursuit of this goal, we have designed a supramolecular donor-acceptor organogel with tunable emission from green to red through controlled energy transfer by simply varying the acceptor concentration. Temperature-dependent UV/vis absorption, XRD, and AFM studies of the coassembly of 1 (donor) and 2 (acceptor) revealed the intercalation of 2 within the self-assembly of 1. Upon excitation of the decane gels of 1 with 0-2 mol % of 2, quenching of the emission of the former at 509 nm with the formation of the monomer emission of the latter at 555 nm is observed. Upon further addition of 2 (2-20 mol %), the emission was continuously red-shifted to 610 nm, which corresponds to the aggregate emission of 2. Consequently, a 98% quenching of the donor emission was observed at 509 nm. Fluorescence microscopic studies provided visual evidence for the color tuning of the FRET emission. Thus efficient trapping of excitons by "isolated" or "aggregated" acceptors through a subtle control of the self-assembly and the photophysical properties of the donor-acceptor building blocks allowed a continuous shifting of the emission color anywhere between green and red (lambdamax, 509-610 nm) in a supramolecular light harvesting system.     

Dual-pulse laser induced breakdown spectroscopy: Time-resolved transmission and spectral measurements

Spectral analysis of laser-induced plasmas for surface ablation has demonstrated the possibility of analyte signal enhancement with dual-pulse configurations as compared with traditional single-pulse LIBS. Using an orthogonal dual-pulse arrangement, measurements were performed using glass microscope slides to allow both spectral analysis as well as optical transmission measurements. Order of magnitude enhancements in Mg and Si atomic emission signal peak intensities were recorded along with similar enhancements of the continuum emission for dual-pulse LIBS as compared to single-pulse. Peak-to-base measurements showed a roughly 50% increase, while signal-to-noise ratios were enhanced by a factor of 2–3. Temporal analysis of the measured transmitted laser pulse waveforms showed no significant differences between dual-pulse and single-pulse LIBS configurations, providing additional insight into the possible laser coupling processes for the dual-pulse configuration.     

Optimization of electrochemical hydride generation in a miniaturized electrolytic flow cell coupled to microwave-induced plasma atomic emission spectrometry for the determination of selenium

The optimization of a continuous flow system for electrochemical hydride generation coupled to microwave-induced plasma atomic emission spectrometry (MIP-AES) for the determination of Se is presented. A small electrolytic cell with a porous glassy carbon working electrode was used for hydride generation. When using an Ar MIP operated in a TE101 cavity a detection limit of 0.6 ng mL(-1) (3sigma) could be achieved. The calibration curve was linear up to 1 microgram mL(-1). A standard deviation of less than 2% (10 replicate analyses) could be achieved. It was shown that interferences of transition metals are of the same order of magnitude as with a larger electrolysis cell described earlier, and light elements hardly caused any signal depression as tested. It was possible to distinguish between Se(IV) and Se(VI) species and seleno-DL-methionine, because under optimized conditions of an electrolysis current of 10 mA, a microwave power of 210 W, an Ar flow rate of 15 L h(-1) and a sample flow rate of 2.5 mL min(-1) only Se(IV) was transformed to H2Se and transferred into the plasma. Finally, the possibility of an electrochemical pre-enrichment was shown to enable it to further decrease the detection limit.     

Hypsochromically-shifted Emission of Metal-organic Frameworks Generated through Post-synthetic Ligand Reduction

Luminescent materials with tunable emission are becoming increasingly desirable as we move towards needing efficient Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) for displays. Key to developing better displays is the advancement of strategies for rationally designing emissive materials that are tunable and efficient. We report a series of emissive metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) generated using BUT-10 (BUT: Beijing University of Technology) that emits green light with λ_max at 525 nm. Post-synthetic reduction of the ketone on the fluorenone ligand in BUT-10 generates new materials, BUT-10-M and BUT-10-R. The emission for BUT-10-R is hypsochromically-shifted by 113 nm. Multivariate BUT-10-M structures demonstrate emission with two maxima corresponding to the emission of both fluorenol and fluorenone moieties present in their structures. Our study represents a novel post-synthetic ligand reduction strategy for producing emissive MOFs with tunable emission ranging from green, white-blue to deep blue.     

Time‐Resolved Synchrotron Radiation Excited Optical Luminescence: Light‐Emission Properties of Silicon‐Based Nanostructures

The recent advances in the study of light emission from matter induced by synchrotron radiation: X‐ray excited optical luminescence (XEOL) in the energy domain and time‐resolved X‐ray excited optical luminescence (TRXEOL) are described. The development of these element (absorption edge) selective, synchrotron X‐ray photons in, optical photons out techniques with time gating coincide with advances in third‐generation, insertion device based, synchrotron light sources. Electron bunches circulating in a storage ring emit very bright, widely energy tunable, short light pulses (<100 ps), which are used as the excitation source for investigation of light‐emitting materials. Luminescence from silicon nanostructures (porous silicon, silicon nanowires, and Si–CdSe heterostructures) is used to illustrate the applicability of these techniques and their great potential in future applications.     

High-quality manganese-doped zinc sulfide quantum rods with tunable dual-color and multiphoton emissions

We report a simple, fast and green phosphine-free colloidal chemistry to synthesize high-quality wurtzite-type Mn-doped ZnS quantum rods (QRs) with tunable diameters (1.6-5.6 nm), high aspect ratios (up to 50), variable Mn doping levels (0.18-1.60%), and high quantum yields (up to 45%). The electron paramagnetic resonance spectra with modeling reveal the successful doping of paramagnetic Mn(2+) ions in the host ZnS QRs. The Mn-doped ZnS QRs demonstrate tunable dual-color (orange and blue) emissions by tuning the doping levels and UV excitation wavelengths. The orange emission with long decay lifetime (3.3 ms) originates from the doped Mn(2+) states, while the blue emission with fast decay lifetime (0.31 ns) is attributed to the QR surface states. The bright two- and three-photon excitation upconversion luminescence from the Mn-doped ZnS QRs have been observed using tunable near-infrared femtosecond laser. Our strategy provides a versatile route to programmably control the optical properties of anisotropic semiconductor nanomaterials, which may create new opportunities for photonic devices and bioimaging applications.     

Tunable laser diodes for the 1250-1650 nm spectral range

A series of tunable laser diodes was developed with emission wavelength in spectral range 1250-1650 nm. This paper describes the configuration and basic characteristics at temperatures from 5 to 80 degrees C.     

LIGHT QUENCHING OF FLUORESCENCE: A NEW METHOD TO CONTROL THE EXCITED STATE LIFETIME AND ORIENTATION OF FLUOROPHORES

Abstract Experimental studies have recently demonstrated that fluorescence emission can be quenched by laser light pulses from modem high-repetition rate lasers, a phenomenon we call “light quenching.” In this overview article, we describe the possible effects of light quenching on the steady-state and time-resolved intensity and anisotropy of fluorophores. One can imagine two classes of experiments. Light quenching can occur within the single excitation pulse, or light quenching can be accomplished with a second time-delayed quenching pulse. The extent of light quenching depends on the amplitude of the emission spectrum at the quenching wavelength. Different effects are expected for light quenching by a single laser beam (within a single laser pulse) or for a time-delayed quenching pulse. Depending upon the polarization of the light quenching beam, light quenching can decrease or increase the anisotropy. Remarkably, the light quenching can break the usual z-axis symmetry of the excited state population, and the measured anisotropy (or polarization) depends upon whether the observation axis is parallel or perpendicular to the propagation direction of the light quenching beam. The polarization can increase to unity under selected conditions. Quenching with time-delayed light pulses can result in step changes in the intensity or anisotropy, which is predicted to result in oscillations in the frequency-domain intensity and anisotropy decays. These predicted effects of light quenching, including oscillations in the frequency-domain data, were demonstrated to occur using selected fluorophores. The increasing availability and use of pulsed laser sources requires consideration of the possible effects of light quenching and offers the opportunity for a new class of two-pulse or multiple-pulse time-resolved experiments where the sample is prepared by the excitation pulse and subsequent quenching pulses to modify the excited state population, followed by time- or frequency-domain measurement of the optically prepared excited fluorophores.     

DFB laser diodes in the wavelength range from 760 nm to 2.5 μm

We present a novel device technology to produce DFB laser diodes which are suitable for tunable diode laser spectroscopy. The new technological approach employs lateral metal distributed feedback (DFB) gratings in close proximity to the laser ridge which results in single mode emission with high spectral purity and output powers as required for most spectroscopic applications. Over the entire wavelength range from the visible (760 nm) up to the near-infrared (2.5 microm) single mode emission can be obtained for devices based on different semiconductor systems such as GaAs, InP and GaSb. Typical side mode suppression ratios are better than 35 dB for cw-room temperature operation and narrow linewidths ensure high spectroscopic resolution.