Interface and defects engineering for multilayer laser coatings

High-reflective multilayer laser coatings are widely used in advanced optical systems from high power laser facilities to high precision metrology systems. However, the real interface quality and defects will significantly affect absorption/scattering losses and laser induced damage thresholds of multilayer coatings. With the recent advances in the control of coating design and deposition processes, these coating properties can be significantly improved when properly engineered the interface and defects. This paper reviews the recent progress in the physics of laser damage, optical losses and environmental stability involved in multilayer reflective coatings for high power nanosecond near-infrared lasers. We first provide an overview of the layer growth mechanisms, ways to control the microstructures and reduce layer roughness, as well as the nature of defects which are critical to the optical loss and laser induced damage. Then an overview of interface engineering based on the design of coating structure and the regulation of deposition materials reveals their ability to improve the laser induced damage threshold, reduce the backscattering, and realize the desirable properties of environmental stability and exceptional multifunctionality. Moreover, we describe the recent progress in the laser damage and scattering mechanism of nodule defects and give the approaches to suppress the defect-induced damage and scattering of the multilayer laser coatings. Finally, the present challenges and limitations of high-performance multilayer laser coatings are highlighted, along with the comments on likely trends in future.     

Time-dependent Ginzburg–Landau equations for multi-gap superconductors

We numerically solve the time-dependent Ginzburg–Landau equations for two-gap superconductors using the finite-element technique. The real-time simulation shows that at low magnetic field, the vortices in small-size samples tend to form clusters or other disorder structures. When the sample size is large, stripes appear in the pattern. These results are in good agreement with the previous experimental observations of the intriguing anomalous vortex pattern, providing a reliable theoretical basis for the future applications of multi-gap superconductors.     

Current air quality analytics and monitoring: A review

This review summarizes the different tools and concepts that are commonly applied in air quality monitoring. The monitoring of atmosphere is extremely important as the air quality is an important problem for large communities. Main requirements for analytical devices used for monitoring include a long period of autonomic operation and portability. These instruments, however, are often characterized by poor analytical performance. Monitoring networks are the most common tools used for monitoring, so large-scale monitoring programmes are summarized here. Biomonitoring, as a cheap and convenient alternative to traditional sample collection, is becoming more and more popular, although its main drawback is the lack of standard procedures. Telemonitoring is another approach to air monitoring, which offers some interesting opportunities, such as ease of coverage of large or remote areas, constituting a complementary approach to traditional strategies; however, it requires huge costs.     

Eye-safe compact scanning LIDAR technology

A 1.5-μm eye-safe, 3-D scanning, and compact Mie LIght Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) is presented. The transmitter of the LIDAR is based on a KTA optical parameter oscillator (OPO) resonator. For detecting return signals, an InGaAs APD is used. The all solid-state OPO laser transmitter has the feature of small volume and lightweight, which allows a 165-lb compact eye-safe scanning LIDAR to be constructed. A system simulation using our own model was conducted to direct the system development. A method to solve the problem with small active area APD detectors was developed and described. The preliminary field-test measurement results indicated that the LIDAR has the capability to detect aerosols and clouds in lower atmospheres up to three dimensions.     

Character of the thermal motion of water molecules according to the data on quasielastic incoherent scattering of slow neutrons

The paper discusses the applicability of quasi-crystalline approximation to describing the thermal motion of water molecules in their normal and supercooled states. The problem is subjected to the critical analysis of experimental data on incoherent scattering of slow neutrons based on theories developed by Singwi-Sjolander [1] and Oskotsky [2] modified to duly take into account the limited applicability range of diffusion approximation. The applicability conditions of quasi-crystalline approximation are shown to be consistently satisfied only when water is in supercooled state and within a narrow temperature range above the melting temperature.     

Scattering of Laser Light from Mixed Micelles

Dynamic and static scattering of light was employed to investigate mixed micelles of two homologous anionic surfactants-sodium octyl sulfate and sodium hexadecyl sulfate, above the phase boundary temperature and critical micelle concentrations (cmc). The results indicate that the mixed micelles change from prolate to sphcrical as the molar ratio SOS/SHS increases from 1 to 8. Below 1 or above 8, the formation of micelles is due to one surfactant dissolving the other.     

355nm Nd∶YAG激光在H_2中的高效一级斯托克斯转换

对脉冲Nd∶YAG激光(355 nm)在H2和H2∶He-Ar混合气体中的受激拉曼散射(SRS)进行了研究。在0.5 MPa的氢气中,同时测量到从二级反斯托克斯到三级斯托克斯的多波长输出,其总转化效率达88%;而高压下只剩下一级和二级斯托克斯输出,其中二级斯托克斯最大能量转化效率达44%(对应量子效率为63%)。由于高级斯托克斯的竞争,纯氢气中一级斯托克斯的最大能量转换效率不超过43%。通过向3 MPa氢气中掺入2 MPaAr气后,很好地抑制了二级斯托克斯的产生,从而获得了能量转换效率高达71%(对应量子效率为83%)的一级斯托克斯输出。对四波混频和级联受激拉曼散射在氢气多级斯托克斯产生中的作用以及惰性气体对它们的影响进行了讨论。     

Infra-red free-carrier absorption due to impurity scattering in semiconducting quantum well structures

The theory of free-carrier absorption (FCA) is developed, in the extreme quantum limit when the carriers are assumed to populate only the lowest quantized energy level, for quasi-two and one-dimensional semiconducting quantum well structures where the carriers are scattered by ionized impurities. The radiation field is assumed to be polarized in the plane of the layer in the quasi-two-dimensional case and along the length of the wire in the quasi-one-dimensional case. Expressions for FCA are obtained for the cases where the impurities are either in the well (background impurities) or outside the well (remote impurities). Variation of FCA is numerically studied with photon frequency and well width.