Effects of End-Face Tilt Angle on Numerical Aperture for Straight and Bent Plastic Optical Fibers

Numerical aperture (NA) is an important parameter of optical fibers. The larger it is, the greater the amount of light input into the fiber and, hence, the greater the achievable transmission distance. In this article, analytical functions are given for numerical aperture of an angle-ended plastic optical fiber in terms of the tilt angle of its input/output face. This tilt may be intentional, as in biomedical spectroscopic sensors, or otherwise when exploiting the quick interconnectivity potential of plastic fibers. The influence of fiber curvature on its numerical aperture has also been quantified as the functions given cover both straight and curved fiber configurations.     

Combination of two basic types of synchronization in a coupled semiconductor laser system

Combination of two basic types of synchronization, anticipatory synchronization and lagged synchronization, is investigated numerically between two coupled semiconductor lasers. It is found that lagged synchronization produced by a backward coupling with a suitable delay can combine with the originally hidden anticipatory synchronization and produce a type of synchronization overcoming the original lagged synchronization produced by a forward coupling. We study the combination synchronization phenomenon when the delay of the backward coupling is different from that of the original anticipatory synchronization. Our results suggest that the synchronization combination phenomenon might allow an interpretation of an experimental observation by Sivaprakasam et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 87, 154101 (2001)] that the anticipating time is irrespective of the external-cavity round trip time, which to date remains to be understood.     

How exact are simplified scalar approaches to optical fields in oxide-confined stripe-geometry diode lasers?

Optical model, scalar or vectorial one, describing behaviour of an optical field within a diode-laser cavity, is one of the most important parts of modelling of a diode-laser operation. As compared to more accurate vectorial optical approaches, scalar ones are known to be less exact but simultaneously they need much less computation time. Besides, they have been sometimes found to be surprisingly exact even beyond their confirmed range of validity. Therefore, in this paper, real validity limits of their application have been determined by comparing their simplified results with more exact results obtained with the aid of vectorial models. The analysis comprises a comparison of an application of the most popular scalar approach to optical properties of diode lasers, i.e., the effective index method, and the vectorial method of lines for the standard 1.3-μm GaAs-based stripe-geometry diode laser. The scalar model has been found to be quite exact in the case of a determination of the effective refractive index, i.e., the wavelength of emitted radiation, whereas its exactness in the lasing threshold analysis is much worse, especially in the case of higher-order modes. Our analysis is concluded with a determination of the regions where both models give satisfactorily close results.     

Quantitative interpretation of the low-loss electron signal

Low-loss electron spectra from clean elemental standards of C, Si, Cr, Fe, Cu, Ag, and Au are presented and theoretically interpreted with the aid of two basic theories. One of these assumes a simple elastic scattering and Bethe loss regime in which the low-loss signal arises from primary electrons that have undergone a single large-angle scattering event and whose energy loss is described by the continuous slowing down approximation. However, better qualitative agreement with experiment is obtained when multiple elastic scattering is considered via the transport approximation for electron deflection. The simple low-loss electron detector used to obtain the data is also described.     

Synthesis and optical resolution of a series of inherently chiral calix[4]crowns with cone and partial cone conformations

A series of inherently chiral calix[4]arenes with cone and partial cone conformations and with crown ether moieties of variable size have been readily synthesized. By taking advantage of the carboxy appendage on the lower rim, these were condensed with the chiral auxiliary (S)-BINOL to form diastereomers which, in most cases, could be separated by preparative TLC, or more desirably, by column chromatography on silica gel (diastereomeric excess >99 % based on HPLC analysis). Seven enantiopure antipodes of inherently chiral calix[4]crowns were obtained after hydrolysis. It has been found that both the size of the crown moiety and alkylation of the last phenolic hydroxy group (accompanied with or without a change in the conformation) affect the separation of the diastereomers.     

Syntheses and characterization of ferrocenylthiocarboxylate-containing coordination compounds for nonlinear optics

Four metal-organic coordination compounds containing ferrocenylthiocarboxylate components, [Cd₂(η²-SOCFc)₂(η¹-μ₂-SOCFc)₂(4,4′-bpy)]_n (1), [Cd(SOCFc)₂(tmp)]_n (tmp = 4,4′-trimethylene-dipyridine) (2) [Zn(SOCFc)₂(2,2′-bpy)] (3), and {[Hg(SOCFc)₂(phen)] · (0.5CH₃OH)} (4) (Fc = (η⁵-C₅H₅)Fe(η⁵-C₅H₄)), have been prepared in search of good nonlinear optical (NLO) materials. Investigation of the NLO properties shows that Hg-containing compound 4 exhibits very strong third-order NLO absorptive and refractive effects. The NLO absorptive coefficient α₂ value (2.11 × 10⁻¹⁰ m W⁻¹) is larger than those of all the reported ferrocenylcarboxylate-containing coordination compounds and comparable to the well-performing Hg-containing complexes. Additionally, we further analyzed their NLO behaviors through studying electrochemical properties of the four compounds.     

Temperature influence on the intensity of water bands ν(OH) in IR spectra of some silicate minerals

An investigation is made of the temperature dependences of the intensities of bands ν(OH) in the IR spectra of talc, quartz, and muscovite under cooling-heating conditions in ranges of 93–300 and 300–673 K. In the 93–300 K range two types of water with reversible and irreversible temperature dependences of the absorption-band intensities in the IR spectra of these minerals are revealed. The types of bound water are separated in space, apply to the volume and surface of the minerals, and their absorption bands have temperature coefficients of intensity which differ in value and sign. Institute of Geology of the Karelian Scientific Center of the Russian National Academy of Sciences, 11, Pushkinskaya St., Petrozavodsk, 185610, Russia. Translated from Zhurnal Prikladnoi Spektroskopii, Vol. 66, No. 1, pp. 124–127, January–February, 1999.     

Improvement of Soliton Communication System with Optical Phase Conjugation

Optical phase conjugation is used to improve soliton communication system cascaded by distributed erbium-doped fibers. The results show that if its periodic length is chosen properly, optical phase conjugation can reduce the radiated energy and the time jitters, postpone the widening of soliton pulse width, also improve the stability of the soliton system.     

1.3μm波长光纤偏振参数自动测试仪

本文介绍一种用于1.3μm波长的光纤偏振参数自动测试仪。它利用光路集成封装和计算机自动控制及信号处理等关键技术,方便、可靠、自动地进行1.3μm光纤及其器件偏振参数的测试,对于消光比为40dB以下的偏振态测量,误差优于0.3dB.