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At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources

Waveguide-plasmon polaritons: strong coupling of photonic and electronic resonances in a metallic photonic crystal slab.

Strong coupling between localized particle plasmons and optical waveguide modes leads to drastic modifications of the transmission of metallic nanowire arrays on dielectric waveguide substrates. The coupling results in the formation of a new quasiparticle, a waveguide-plasmon polariton, with a surprisingly large Rabi splitting of 250 meV. Our experimental results agree well with scattering-matrix calculations and a polariton-type model. The effect provides an efficient tool for photonic band gap engineering in metallodielectric photonic crystal slabs. We show evidence of a full one-dimensional photonic band gap in resonant plasmon-waveguide structures.

Journal Article↗

Polaritonic and photonic gap interactions in a two-dimensional photonic crystal.

If an ionic material is used in a photonic crystal, the lattice resonance creates a polaritonic gap in the infrared range. The interaction between a polaritonic gap and the structure gap in a 2D square photonic crystal is studied by transfer matrix photonic band structure calculations. The polaritonic gap appears for a surprisingly low volume density of the ionic material. The TM gaps are larger than the TE gaps, as in the dielectric case. By varying the lattice constant, the structure gaps can be shifted across the polaritonic gap, and the effects of merging the two gaps can be studied.

Journal Article↗

Observation of two-photon above-threshold ionization of rare gases by xuv harmonic photons.

We have successfully observed two-photon above-threshold ionization in rare gas atoms (Ar, Xe, and He) by the fifth harmonic (25 eV photon energy) of a KrF laser. Use of the energy-resolved photoelectron counting system together with our laser, providing strong 25 eV radiation at 40-100 Hz, enabled us to detect the very weak single-color two-photon above-threshold ionization signals. Experimental data are in good agreement with our theoretical calculations newly developed along the line of multichannel quantum defect theory.

Journal Article↗

Production of doubly charged helium ions by two-photon absorption of an intense sub-10-fs soft x-ray pulse at 42 eV photon energy.

We report on the observation of doubly charged helium ions produced by a nonlinear interaction between a helium atom and photons with a photon energy of 42 eV which are generated with the 27th harmonic of a femtosecond pulse from a Ti:sapphire laser. The number of ions is proportional to the square of the intensity of the 27th harmonic pulse, and thus two-photon double ionization should be dominantly induced as compared with other nonlinear processes accompanying sequential ionization via a singly charged ion. This phenomenon is utilized to measure the pulse duration of the 27th harmonic pulse by using an autocorrelation technique, for the first time to our knowledge, and as a result a duration of 8 fs is found.

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Demonstration of temporal distinguishability in a four-photon state and a six-photon state.

An experiment is performed to demonstrate the temporal distinguishability of a four-photon state and a six-photon state, both from parametric down-conversion. The experiment is based on a multiphoton interference scheme in a recently discovered projection measurement of a maximally entangled N-photon state. By measuring the visibility of the interference dip, we can distinguish the various scenarios in the temporal distribution of the pairs and, thus, quantitatively determine the degree of temporal distinguishability of a multiphoton state.

Journal Article↗

Scanning total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy under one-photon and two-photon excitation: image formation.

We propose a new type of total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy (TIRFM) called scanning TIRFM (STIRFM) that uses a focused ring-beam illumination and a high-numerical-aperture objective (NA = 1.65). The evanescent field produced by the STIRFM is focused laterally, producing a small excitation volume that can induce a nonlinear effect such as two-photon absorption. Experimental images of CdSe quantum dot nanocrystals and Rhodamine 6G-doped microbeads show that good lateral and axial resolutions are achieved with the current setup. The theoretical simulation of the focal spot produced in STIRFM geometry shows that the focused evanescent field is split into two peaks because of the depolarization effect of a high numerical-aperture objective lens. However, the point-spread function analysis of both one-photon and two-photon excitation cases shows that the detection of the focus-splitting effect is dependent on the detection pinhole size. The effect of pinhole size on image formation is theoretically investigated and confirmed experimentally with the nanocrystal images.

Journal Article↗

Isotropic photonic gaps in a circular photonic crystal.

We investigated the optical properties of a circular photonic crystal (CPC) for which the distance between lattices was systematically distributed. The transmission spectra of CPC composed of alumina cylinders were examined in the frequency region from 0 to 20 GHz. We show that photonic gaps are obtained not only in CPCs but also in phase-shifted CPCs. The isotropic photonic gaps are evidenced by changes in the incident angle of a millimeter wave.

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Defect-mode dependence of two-photon-absorption enhancement in a one-dimensional photonic bandgap structure.

A one-dimensional photonic crystal containing a single CdS defect layer of various thicknesses was fabricated. The dependence of the two-photon-absorption (TPA) coefficient on the defect mode was investigated by use of a femtosecond pump-probe method. Experimental results show that the TPA coefficient of the CdS defect layer depends strongly on the defect mode in the photonic bandgap. This is consistent with the predicted dependence of light intensity within the defect layer.

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Enhanced single-photon emission from quantum dots in photonic crystal waveguides and nanocavities.

A theoretical formalism is presented to investigate enhanced radiative decay of excited dipoles in photonic crystal waveguides and nanocavities with a view to achieving efficient single-photon emission from embedded quantum dots. Surprisingly, large enhancement effects are achievable in both waveguides and nanocavities, and enhanced emission in the waveguide is shown to scale proportionally (inversely) with the photon group index (velocity). Further, a way to include radiative coupling of the quantum dot is shown, and the importance of its inclusion is subsequently demonstrated.

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Tunable photon lifetime in photonic molecules: a concept for delaying an optical signal.

We experimentally and theoretically studied the photon lifetime spectral distribution in two coherently coupled spherical microcavities of 3-16 microm diameter forming a photonic molecule, which shows a multipeak narrowband modal structure resulting from lifting of the mode degeneracy with respect to the azimuthal quantum number. The results demonstrate the feasibility of photonic molecules as a basis for a multichannel, wavelength-tunable optical delay-line device, which can be used for delay times in the range 10 ps to 1 ns.

Journal Article↗

Two-photon photochemical long-period grating fabrication in pure-fused-silica photonic crystal fiber.

We report what is to our knowledge the first photochemical fabrication of a long-period grating in a pure-fused-silica photonic crystal fiber. The inscription technique is based on a two-photon absorption mechanism and does not require a specially designed photonic crystal fiber with a photosensitive Ge-doped core. The characteristic fluence value for the inscription is an order of magnitude less than that for a standard telecom fiber irradiated under similar conditions with the same grating parameters.

Journal Article↗

A new photonic bandgap cover for a patch antenna with a photonic bandgap substrate.

A new photonic bandgap (PBG) cover for a patch antenna with a photonic bandgap substrate is introduced. The plane wave expansion method and the FDTD method were used to calculate such an antenna system. Numerical results for the input return loss, radiation pattern, surface wave, and the directivity of the antennas are presented. A comparison between the conventional patch antenna and the new PBG antenna is given. It is shown that the new PBG cover is very efficient for improving the radiation directivity. The physical reasons for the improvement are also given.

Electrochemistry↗

Photon-photon coincidences for activity determination: I-125 and other radionuclides.

Theory and experiment of photon-photon coincidence counting with distance variation for activity standardisation of radionuclide solutions are described. The activity of an I-125 solution from an international comparison organised by the BIPM in 2004 was determined. The value obtained agrees with other methods within a limit of 0.2%. The extension of this activity standardisation method to other radionuclides such as Cd-109 with I-125 as a tracer nuclide, In-111, Am-241 and I-124 with a radionuclidic impurity of I-125 is studied. Achieved uncertainties of the activities of Cd-109 and In-111 are of the order of 1.5%. The activity values of sources of Am-241 are determined relative to each other. Am-241 is used for checking the measuring system and as a long-lived reference source. After decay of the order of several I-124 half-lives, sources of I-124 with I-125 are measured to determine the I-125 activity portion.

Algorithms↗

Divergent pathways in photobleaching of 7,9-dicis-rhodopsin and 9,11-dicis-12-fluororhodopsin: one-photon-two-bond and one-photon-one-bond isomerization.

Through low-temperature photochemistry, UV/vis spectroscopy, and chromophore extraction experiments, we have established that 7,9-dicis-rhodopsin undergoes one-photon-two-bond photoisomerization to a batho intermediate (its absorption maximum is slightly blue shifted from that of bathorhodopsin) containing the all-trans geometry, while 9,11-dicis-12-fluororhodopsin undergoes one-photon-one-bond isomerization to the corresponding 9-cis isomer and then the all-trans batho intermediate. The difference in the photochemical properties of the two dicis pigment analogs was rationalized by possible local protein perturbation, lability of the 11-cis geometry, and photochemical properties of the chromophores.

Animals↗

The integrated photon echo and solvation dynamics. II. Peak shifts and two-dimensional photon echo of a coupled chromophore system.

A theoretical description of one- and two-color photon echo peak shifts (PEPS) and two-dimensional (2D) photon echo spectrum (PES) of a coupled chromophore system are presented. The effects of population relaxation in the one-exciton states on both the PEPS and the 2D PES are investigated. For values of time T shorter than the population relaxation time, a finite two-color peak shift magnitude and nonzero cross peaks in the 2D PES provide evidence of electronic coupling between the chromophores. These two distinct observables, i.e., PEPS and off-diagonal peaks, both originate from the electronic coupling. However, it is shown that the PEPS and 2D PES methods can provide complementary information on the structure-dependent nonlinear optical responses of coupled chromophore systems.

Algorithms↗

Optimized temporal response in multichannel two-photon fluorescence lifetime microscopy using a photonic crystal fibre.

The integration of fibre optics into an imaging system for the convenient delivery and collection of light has resulted in many hybrid forms of novel biomedical optical instrumentation. Although it is extremely robust and cost effective, fibre integration requires special consideration in a time-domain fluorescence lifetime imaging schema where multipath propagation in the fibre causes significant spread in photon transit times. In this study, we investigated the effect of the length of a multimode collection fibre on the temporal performance of a multichannel fluorescence lifetime microscope and demonstrated the effectiveness of a photonic crystal fibre as a means of optimizing the collection and delivery of emitted fluorescence in terms of temporal resolution. The findings are pertinent to all studies that employ a multimode optical fibre to collect and deliver an emitted fluorescence signal from a sample to a remote detector for measurement of the characteristic fluorescence lifetime.

Animals↗

Refractive-index-mismatch induced aberrations in single-photon and two-photon microscopy and the use of aberration correction.

We examine the effects of aberrations induced by a refractive index mismatch on the signal level and resolution of single-photon (1-p) and two-photon (2-p), conventional and confocal scanning microscopes. In particular, we consider the aberrations introduced by an interface between oil/glass and water. Resolution is defined in terms of enclosed fluorescence, rather than full-width half-maximum, revealing more useful information for heavily aberrated point spread functions (PSFs). It is shown that, at large focusing depths, the resolution of 2-p conventional and 1-p confocal microscopes are almost identical. The benefits of aberration correction are examined by removing Zernike aberration modes. With aberration correction, the best resolution is found for 1-p confocal and 2-p confocal modes. An approximation based upon geometrical optics is also introduced which shows that the axial resolution of heavily aberrated PSFs is roughly proportional to focusing depth.

Microscopy, Fluorescence↗

Monte Carlo source model for photon beam radiotherapy: photon source characteristics.

A major barrier to widespread clinical implementation of Monte Carlo dose calculation is the difficulty in characterizing the radiation source within a generalized source model. This work aims to develop a generalized three-component source model (target, primary collimator, flattening filter) for 6- and 18-MV photon beams that match full phase-space data (PSD). Subsource by subsource comparison of dose distributions, using either source PSD or the source model as input, allows accurate source characterization and has the potential to ease the commissioning procedure, since it is possible to obtain information about which subsource needs to be tuned. This source model is unique in that, compared to previous source models, it retains additional correlations among PS variables, which improves accuracy at nonstandard source-to-surface distances (SSDs). In our study, three-dimensional (3D) dose calculations were performed for SSDs ranging from 50 to 200 cm and for field sizes from 1 x 1 to 30 x 30 cm2 as well as a 10 x 10 cm2 field 5 cm off axis in each direction. The 3D dose distributions, using either full PSD or the source model as input, were compared in terms of dose-difference and distance-to-agreement. With this model, over 99% of the voxels agreed within +/-1% or 1 mm for the target, within 2% or 2 mm for the primary collimator, and within +/-2.5% or 2 mm for the flattening filter in all cases studied. For the dose distributions, 99% of the dose voxels agreed within 1% or 1 mm when the combined source model-including a charged particle source and the full PSD as input-was used. The accurate and general characterization of each photon source and knowledge of the subsource dose distributions should facilitate source model commissioning procedures by allowing scaling the histogram distributions representing the subsources to be tuned.

Algorithms↗