Observation of nanojet-induced modes with small propagation losses in chains of coupled spherical cavities

Nanojet-induced modes (NIMs) and their attenuation properties are studied in linear chains consisting of tens of touching polystyrene microspheres with sizes in the 2-10 micro m range. To couple light to NIMs we used locally excited sources of light formed by several dye-doped fluorescent microspheres from the same chain of cavities. We directly observed the formation and propagation of NIMs by means of the scattering imaging technique. By measuring attenuation at long distances from the source, we demonstrate propagation losses for NIMs as small as 0.5 dB per sphere.     

Reply to “Comment on ‘Super‐resolution microscopy by movable thin‐films with embedded microspheres: Resolution analysis’ [Ann. Phys. (Berlin) 527, 513 (2015)]”

In a comment [A. Darafsheh, Ann. Phys. (Berlin) 528 (2016)] on our paper [K. W. Allen et al., Ann. Phys. (Berlin) 527, 513–522 (2015)], the results and conclusions of our work were doubted along two directions. The first is related to the methodology of our resolution quantification and use of confocal microscopy. The second is related to the mathematical treatment of our magnification measurements aimed at estimating the gap between the microsphere and the object which is relevant to the mechanisms of super‐resolution imaging. We explain that both our estimates of the object resolution and gap are valid. The comment brings out points that are of rather secondary relevance, does not offer a worthwhile improvement of the mathematical treatment, and misrepresents our estimation procedure for the gap size. We also discuss general factors and problems involved in the quantification of resolution in microsphere‐assisted microscopy.

     

Convexification Inversion Method for Nonlinear SAR Imaging with Experimentally Collected Data

Journal of Applied and Industrial Mathematics - This paper is concerned with the study of a version of the globally convergent convexification method with direct application to synthetic aperture...     

Optical spectroscopy of opal matrices with CdS embedded in its pores: Quantum confinement and photonic band gap effects

Il Nuovo Cimento D - The spectra of transmission and reflection of synthetic opal which has 3-dimensional periodic structure were measured at different orientations of incident beam relative to the...     

Continuous wave observation of massive polariton redistribution by stimulated scattering in semiconductor microcavities

A massive redistribution of the polariton occupancy to two specific wave vectors, zero and approximately 3.9x10(4) cm(-1), is observed under conditions of continuous wave excitation of a semiconductor microcavity. The "condensation" of the polaritons to the two specific states arises from stimulated scattering at final state occupancies of order unity. The stimulation phenomena, arising due to the bosonic character of the polariton quasiparticles, occur for conditions of resonant excitation of the lower polariton branch. High energy nonresonant excitation, as in most previous work, instead leads to conventional lasing in the vertical cavity structure.     

Comparative studies of the leachate of an industrial landfill by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, liquid chromatography-nuclear magnetic resonance and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry

Nowadays, the need to have a realistic characterization of industrial effluents in the environment has become more and more recognized. A palette of different analytical methods both for sample extraction and instrumental analysis are available today, some older, others introduced more recently. The aim of this research is to compare a number of these techniques. To do this we studied a real leachate from an industrial landfill and carried out chemical analyses for organic pollutants, using different extraction methods based on solid-phase extraction and solid-phase microextraction and different instrumental techniques such as GC-MS, LC-MS, NMR and LC-NMR. Results show the performances of the different techniques, which are complementary.     

Super‐resolution microscopy by movable thin‐films with embedded microspheres: Resolution analysis

Microsphere‐assisted imaging has emerged as an extraordinary simple technique of obtaining optical super‐resolution. This work addresses two central problems in developing this technology: i) methodology of the resolution measurements and ii) limited field‐of‐view provided by each sphere. It is suggested that a standard method of resolution analysis in far‐field microscopy based on convolution with the point‐spread function can be extended into the super‐resolution area. This allows developing a unified approach to resolution measurements, which can be used for comparing results obtained by different techniques. To develop the surface scanning functionality, the high‐index (n ～ 2) barium titanate glass microspheres were embedded in polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) thin‐films. It is shown that such films adhere to the surface of nanoplasmonic structures so that the tips of embedded spheres experience the objects’ optical near‐fields. Based on rigorous criteria, the resolution ～λ/6‐λ/7 (where λ is the illumination wavelength) is demonstrated for arrays of Au dimers and bowties. Such films can be translated along the surface of investigated samples after liquid lubrication. It is shown that just after lubrication the resolution is diffraction limited, however the super‐resolution gradually recovers as the lubricant evaporates.

     

Spectrally resolved resonant propulsion of dielectric microspheres

Use of resonant light forces opens up a unique approach to high‐volume sorting of microspherical resonators with much higher uniformity of resonances compared to that in coupled‐cavity structures obtained by the best semiconductor technologies. In this work, the spectral response of the propulsion forces exerted on polystyrene microspheres near tapered microfibers is directly observed. The measurements are based on the control of the detuning between the tunable laser and internal resonances in each sphere with accuracy higher than the width of the resonances. The measured spectral shape of the propulsion forces correlates well with the whispering‐gallery mode resonances in the microspheres. The existence of a stable radial trap for the microspheres propelled along the taper is demonstrated. The giant force peaks observed for 20‐μm spheres are found to be in a good agreement with a model calculation demonstrating an efficient use of the light momentum for propelling the microspheres.

     

Quantifying uncertainty in the measurement of arsenic in suspended particulate matter by Atomic Absorption Spectrometry with hydride generator

Arsenic is the toxic element, which creates several problems in human being specially when inhaled through air. So the accurate and precise measurement of arsenic in suspended particulate matter (SPM) is of prime importance as it gives information about the level of toxicity in the environment, and preventive measures could be taken in the effective areas. Quality assurance is equally important in the measurement of arsenic in SPM samples before making any decision. The quality and reliability of the data of such volatile elements depends upon the measurement of uncertainty of each step involved from sampling to analysis. The analytical results quantifying uncertainty gives a measure of the confidence level of the concerned laboratory. So the main objective of this study was to determine arsenic content in SPM samples with uncertainty budget and to find out various potential sources of uncertainty, which affects the results. Keeping these facts, we have selected seven diverse sites of Delhi (National Capital of India) for quantification of arsenic content in SPM samples with uncertainty budget following sampling by HVS to analysis by Atomic Absorption Spectrometer-Hydride Generator (AAS-HG). In the measurement of arsenic in SPM samples so many steps are involved from sampling to final result and we have considered various potential sources of uncertainties. The calculation of uncertainty is based on ISO/IEC17025: 2005 document and EURACHEM guideline. It has been found that the final results mostly depend on the uncertainty in measurement mainly due to repeatability, final volume prepared for analysis, weighing balance and sampling by HVS. After the analysis of data of seven diverse sites of Delhi, it has been concluded that during the period from 31^st Jan. 2008 to 7^th Feb. 2008 the arsenic concentration varies from 1.44 ± 0.25 to 5.58 ± 0.55 ng/m³ with 95% confidence level (k = 2).