Search NASA⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search NASA

Results for “far field diffraction”

Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 253 records · Page 14

Detection of reflector surface from near field phase measurements

The deviation of a reflector antenna surface from a perfect parabolic shape causes degradation of the performance of the antenna. The problem of determining the shape of the reflector surface in a reflector antenna using near field phase measurements is not a new one. A recent issue of the IEEE tansactions on Antennas and Propagation (June 1988) contained numerous descriptions of the use of these measurements: holographic reconstruction or inverse Fourier transform. Holographic reconstruction makes use of measurement of the far field of the reflector and then applies the Fourier transform relationship between the far field and the current distribution on the reflector surface. Inverse Fourier transformation uses the phase measurements to determine the far field pattern using the method of Kerns. After the far field pattern is established, an inverse Fourier transform is used to determine the phases in a plane between the reflector surface and the plane in which the near field measurements were taken. These calculations are time consuming since they involve a relatively large number of operations. A much faster method can be used to determine the position of the reflector. This method makes use of simple geometric optics to determine the path length of the ray from the feed to the reflector and from the reflector to the measurement point. For small physical objects and low frequencies, diffraction effects have a major effect on the error, and the algorithm provides incorrect results. It is believed that the effect is less noticeable for large distortions such as antenna warping, and more noticeable for small, localized distortions such as bumps and depressions such as might be caused by impact damage.

Ida, Nathan↗

Multi-wavelength surface emitting quantum cascade laser based on equivalent phase shift

A novel surface emitting distributed feedback quantum cascade laser emitting around λ ∼ 4.6 μm is demonstrated by employing an equivalent phase shift (EPS) of quarter-wave (λ/4). The EPS is fabricated through extending one sampling period by 50% in the center of a sampled Bragg grating. Single-lobed far-field radiation pattern with a low divergence angle of about 0.6° × 16.8° is obtained. Selective single-mode lasing with a mean side mode suppression ratio above 20 dB and wavelength coverage range of 72 nm is achieved simultaneously on a single wafer only by changing the sampling period.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Application of a particular class of integrals in the theory of diffraction

A particular class of integrals appearing in the problems of diffraction is treated in this paper. For the analysis of the classical sources or lasers, Kirchhoff’s integral can be used only for apertures of a determined shape. So far, the problems are solved and analyzed completely, whenever the geomtry of apertures creates the possibility of using Kirchhoff’s integral, namely for the so-called geometry of rectangular apertures. Other apertures exist for which Kirchhoff’s integral cannot be applied, because of difficulties of mathematical character. In this group of apertures belong all the apertures which are bounded with an inclined line, such as those with triangular form. In this paper, the application of a particular class of integrals is shown to give satisfying results in two problems of diffraction theory: double-diffraction phenomena consisting on separating the interferential-diffractional field from the diffractional field, and the case of near-zone of diffraction in the triangular aperture.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

In situ high energy X-ray diffraction measurement of strain and dislocation density ahead of crack tips grown in hydrogen

The deformation fields near fatigue crack tips grown in hydrogen and in air were measured using high-energy x-ray diffraction. A larger magnitude of elastic strain was observed in the hydrogen case compared to the air case. The magnitude of elastic strain was quantified through an effective crack tip stress intensity factor. The dislocation profile ahead of the crack was probed via x-ray line broadening and electron back-scatter diffraction was used to assess the crack path (intergranular vs. transgranular). Ahead of the crack tip grown in hydrogen, an order of magnitude lower dislocation density, compared to a baseline density far from the crack, was observed. This decrease in dislocation density was not observed in the air case. These differences are discussed in terms of two leading hydrogen embrittlement mechanisms, Hydrogen Enhanced Localized Plasticity (HELP) and Hydrogen Enhanced Decohesion (HEDE). We have observed a decrease in transgranular cohesion (transgranular HEDE), as well as an increase in intergranular fracture. The measurements of dislocation activity support a model of a decrease in intergranular cohesion (intergranular HEDE) which is likely facilitated by the HELP mechanism. Here, this suggests that the increase in fatigue crack growth rate is due to a sum of the two effects of hydrogen, in which the crack grows faster in the transgranular fracture mode and faster due to an increase in a new mode of intergranular fracture. Published by Elsevier Ltd on behalf of Acta Materialia Inc.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Phase Imaging: A Compressive Sensing Approach

Since Wolfgang Pauli posed the question in 1933, whether the probability densities |Ψ(r)|² (real-space image) and |Ψ(q)|² (reciprocal space image) uniquely determine the wave function Ψ(r) [1], the so called Pauli Problem sparked numerous methods in all fields of microscopy [2, 3]. Reconstructing the complete wave function Ψ(r) = a(r)e-iφ(r) with the amplitude a(r) and the phase φ(r) from the recorded intensity enables the possibility to directly study the electric and magnetic properties of the sample through the phase. In transmission electron microscopy (TEM), electron holography is by far the most established method for phase reconstruction [4]. Requiring a high stability of the microscope, next to the installation of a biprism in the TEM, holography cannot be applied to any microscope straightforwardly. Recently, a phase retrieval approach was proposed using conventional TEM electron diffractive imaging (EDI). Using the SAD aperture as reciprocal-space constraint, a localized sample structure can be reconstructed from its diffraction pattern and a real-space image using the hybrid input-output algorithm [5]. We present an alternative approach using compressive phase-retrieval [6]. Our approach does not require a real-space image. Instead, random complimentary pairs of checkerboard masks are cut into a 200 nm Pt foil covering a conventional TEM aperture (cf. Figure 1). Used as SAD aperture, subsequently diffraction patterns are recorded from the same sample area. Hereby every mask blocks different parts of gold particles on a carbon support (cf. Figure 2). The compressive sensing problem has the following formulation. First, we note that the complex-valued reciprocal-space wave-function is the Fourier transform of the (also complex-valued) real-space wave-function, Ψ(q) = F[Ψ(r)], and subsequently the diffraction pattern image is given by |Ψ(q)|2 = |F[Ψ(r)]|2. We want to find Ψ(r) given a few differently coded diffraction pattern measurements yn = |F[HnΨ(r)]|2, where the matrices Hn encode the mask structure of the aperture. This is a nonlinear inverse problem, but has been shown to be solvable even in the underdetermined case [6]. Since each diffraction pattern yn contains diffraction information from selected regions of the same sample, the differences in each pattern contain local phase information, which can be combined to form a full estimate of the real-space wave-function[7]. References: [1] W. Pauli in “Die allgemeinen Prinzipien der Wellenmechanik“, ed. H Geiger and W Scheel, (Julius Springer, Berlin). [2] A. Tonomura, Rev. Mod. Phys. 59 (1987), p. 639. [3] J. Miao et al, Nature 400 (1999), p. 342. [4] H. Lichte et al, Annu. Rev. Mater. Res. 37 (2007), p. 539. [5] J. Yamasaki et al, Appl. Phys. Lett. 101 (2012), 234105. [6] P Schniter and S Rangan. Signal Proc., IEEE Trans. on. 64(4), (2015), pp. 1043. [7] Supported by the Chemical Imaging, Signature Discovery, and Analytics in Motion initiatives at PNNL. PNNL is operated by Battelle Memorial Inst. for the US DOE; contract DE-AC05-76RL01830.

Schneider, Sebastian↗

Scaling and dimensional analysis of acoustic streaming jets

This paper focuses on acoustic streaming free jets. This is to say that progressive acoustic waves are used to generate a steady flow far from any wall. The derivation of the governing equations under the form of a nonlinear hydrodynamics problem coupled with an acoustic propagation problem is made on the basis of a time scale discrimination approach. This approach is preferred to the usually invoked amplitude perturbations expansion since it is consistent with experimental observations of acoustic streaming flows featuring hydrodynamic nonlinearities and turbulence. Experimental results obtained with a plane transducer in water are also presented together with a review of the former experimental investigations using similar configurations. A comparison of the shape of the acoustic field with the shape of the velocity field shows that diffraction is a key ingredient in the problem though it is rarely accounted for in the literature. A scaling analysis is made and leads to two scaling laws for the typical velocity level in acoustic streaming free jets; these are both observed in our setup and in former studies by other teams. We also perform a dimensional analysis of this problem: a set of seven dimensionless groups is required to describe a typical acoustic experiment. We find that a full similarity is usually not possible between two acoustic streaming experiments featuring different fluids. We then choose to relax the similarity with respect to sound attenuation and to focus on the case of a scaled water experiment representing an acoustic streaming application in liquid metals, in particular, in liquid silicon and in liquid sodium. We show that small acoustic powers can yield relatively high Reynolds numbers and velocity levels; this could be a virtue for heat and mass transfer applications, but a drawback for ultrasonic velocimetry.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Detector Arrays for an Airborne Infrared Echelle Spectrometer

The design of a long-slit echelle spectrograph covering the 16 - 210 micron range for use on the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) is under study at NASA-Ames. This wavelength range is selected for its content of important astrophysical spectral lines accessible from an airborne platform, and availability of suitable detectors. Two dimensional arrays will be used to simultaneously provide spectral coverage in the dispersion direction and imaging in the cross-dispersion direction. Major goals are: (1) to reach sensitivities limited primarily by the background from the residual atmosphere and the telescope; (2) to provide imaging not far from the diffraction limit of the 2.5 meter (effective) aperture of the telescope; and (3) to obtain diffraction-limited spectral resolution from the large echelle grating, which means that the resolving power increases with decreasing wavelength. To meet these requirements, three detector types are forseen: a commercially available monolithic Si:Sb IBC array to cover the wavelength range from 16 to 40 microns, a Ge:Sb photoconductor array to cover the range from 40 to 125 microns, and a stressed Ge:Ga photoconductor array covering the range from 125 to 210 microns. The paper discusses details of the studies and plans for the field optics, detectors, and readouts.

Erickson, E. F.↗

Chelation and stabilization of berkelium in oxidation state +IV

Berkelium (Bk) has been predicted to be the only transplutonium element able to exhibit both +III and +IV oxidation states in solution, but evidence of a stable oxidized Bk chelate has so far remained elusive. Here, in this work, we describe the stabilization of the heaviest 4+ ion of the periodic table, under mild aqueous conditions, using a siderophore derivative. The resulting Bk(IV) complex exhibits luminescence via sensitization through an intramolecular antenna effect. This neutral Bk(IV) coordination compound is not sequestered by the protein siderocalin - a mammalian metal transporter - in contrast to the negatively charged species obtained with neighbouring trivalent actinides americium, curium and californium (Cf). The corresponding Cf(III)-ligand-protein ternary adduct was characterized by X-ray diffraction analysis. Finally, combined with theoretical predictions, these data add significant insight to the field of transplutonium chemistry, and may lead to innovative Bk separation and purification processes.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

[Overview of the GSFC Effort to Build Microwave Detectors for CMB Polarization]

Filled arrays of bolometers are currently being employed for use in astronomy from the far-infrared through millimeter portion of the electromagnetic spectrum. Because of the large range of wavelengths for which such detectors are applicable, the size of a pixel (p) relative to the wavelength (lambda) will vary according to the specific application of a given available technology. As the pixel size becomes comparable to a wavelength of the absorbed radiation, correlations in the radiation field at the pixel can affect the imaging properties of the system independent of the correlations introduced by the front-end optics. We study the dependence of image fidelity and induced polarization on the size of the pixel by employing a formalism in which diffraction due to the pixel boundary is treated by propagating the second-order statistical correlations of the radiation field through a model optical system. We construct simulated polarized images of square pixels for various ratios of p lambda. For the limit in which few modes are supported by the pixel (p lambda lesssiml), we find that the diffraction due to the pixel edges is non-negligible and hence must be considered along with the telescope diffraction pattern in modeling the ultimate spatial resolution of an imaging system. For the case in which the pixel is over-moded (p lambda ggl), the geometric limit is approached as expected. This technique provides a quantitative approach to understand and optimize the imaging properties of planar detectors in the few-mode limit.

Chuss, David↗

Plasmonic Surface Lattice Resonances: Theory and Computation

In overview, plasmonic surface lattice resonances (Plasmonic SLRs) are mixed light-matter states emergent in a system of periodically arranged metallic nanoparticles (NPs) under the constraint that the array spacing is approximately equal to an integer multiple of the wavelength of optical frequency light divided by the index of refraction of the surrounding medium. The properties of SLRs derive from two separate physical effects; the electromagnetic (plasmonic) response of metal NPs, and the electromagnetic states (photonic cavity modes) associated with the array of NPs. Metal NPs, especially free electron metals such as silver, gold, aluminum and alkali metals, support optical-frequency electron density oscillations known as localized surface plasmons (LSPs). The high density of conduction-band electrons for these metals gives rise to plasmon excitations that strongly couple to light even for particles that are several orders of magnitude smaller than the wavelength of the excitation source. In this sense, LSPs have the remarkable ability to squeeze far-field light into intensely-localized near-electric-fields that can enhance the intensity of light by factors of ~ 10 3 or more. Moreover, due to advances in the synthesis and fabrication of NPs, the intrinsic dependence of LSPs on NP geometry, composition, and size can readily be exploited to design NPs with a wide range of optical properties. One drawback in using LSPs to enhance optical, electronic, or chemical processes is the losses introduced into the system by via dephasing and Ohmic damping - an effect which must either be tolerated or mitigated. Plasmonic SLRs enable the mitigation of loss effects through the coupling of LSPs to diffractive states that arise from arrays satisfying Bragg scattering conditions, also known as Rayleigh anomalies (RAs). Bragg modes are well known for arrays of dielectric NPs, where they funnel and trap incoming light into the plane of the lattice, defining a photonic cavity. The low losses and narrow linewidths associated with dielectric NPs produce Bragg modes that oscillate for ~ 10 3 - 10 4 cycles before decaying. These modes are of great interest to the meta-materials community but have relatively weak electric fields associated with dielectric NPs, and therefore are not used for applications where local field enhancements are needed. Plasmonic lattices, i.e., photonic crystals composed of metallic NPs, combine the characteristics from both LSPs and diffractive states, enabling both enhanced local fields and narrow linewidth excitations, in many respects providing the best advantages of both materials. Thus, by controlling the periodicity and global symmetry of the lattice, in addition to the material composition and shape of the constituent NPs, SLRs can be designed to simultaneously survive for up to 10 3 cycles while maintaining the electric field enhancements near the NP surface that have made the use of LSPs ubiquitous in nanoscience. Modern fabrication methods allow for cm 2 -scale patches of two-dimensional (2D) arrays that are composed of approximately one trillion NPs, making them effectively infinite at the nanoscale. Because of these advances, it is now possible to experimentally realize SLRs with properties that approach those predicted by idealized theoretical models. In this Account, we introduce the fundamental theory of both SLRs and SLR-mediated lasing, where the latter is one of the most important applications of plasmonic SLRs that has emerged to date. The focus of this article is on theoretical concepts for describing plasmonic SLRs and computational methods used for their study, but throughout we emphasize physical insights provided by the theory that aid in making applications.

77 NANOSCIENCE AND NANOTECHNOLOGY↗

First 14-Layer Twinned Hexagonal Perovskite Ba 14 Mn 1.75 Ta 10.5 O 42 : Atomic-Scale Imaging of Cation Ordering

Formation of hexagonal perovskite with mixed cubic and hexagonal stacking of AO 3 layers becomes more and more difficult when the number of layers in the stacking repeating unit increases. So far, the highest number of layers reported for twinned hexagonal perovskite is 12, with alternative 5 consecutive cubic layers and one hexagonal layer in the (ccccch) 2 sequence. Here, we present the unexpected formation of a 14-layer twinned hexagonal perovskite with a stacking sequence (cccccch) 2 for the BaO 3 layers on the Ba 14 Mn 1.75 Ta 10.5 O 42 (Ba 8 MnTa 6 O 24 ) composition, the first example of twinned hexagonal perovskite with a periodicity exceeding 12-layers. The B-cation and vacancy distributions are characterized by multiple efficient and complementary techniques including neutron and synchrotron powder diffraction, scanning transmission electron microscopy-high angle annular dark field (STEM-HAADF) imaging, and electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) and X-ray energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) elemental mapping. Atomic-resolution STEM-HAADF imaging and EELS/EDS elemental mapping enables direct observation of high-spin d 5 Mn 2+ cation ordering in the d 0 Ta 5+ host, thus demonstrating the great potential of this technique for probing cation ordering and performing structure determination. Moreover, atomic mapping allows for the observation of local defect structure variants, which can be a powerful tool for future new material design. The large high-spin Mn 2+ cation and Ta-vacancy pair formation in face-sharing octahedral sites play key roles on both the stabilization of this 14-layer twinned hexagonal perovskite structure and the Mn 2+ ordering in the central corner-sharing octahedral (CSO) positions within the five-consecutive CSO layers. Here, compared with the 8-layer twinned Ba 8 ZnTa 6 O 24 material, the low quality factor in microwave frequency and enhanced ultraviolet and visible light absorption of Ba 14 Mn 1.75 Ta 10.5 O 42 as well as the photocatalytic activity on water splitting are discussed in terms of the presence of high-spin Mn 2+ cations in the structure.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Phase-locked laser array through global antenna mutual coupling

Here, phase locking of an array of lasers is a highly effective way in beam shaping, to increase the output power, and to reduce lasing threshold. In this work, we present a novel phase-locking mechanism based on "antenna mutual coupling" wherein laser elements interact through far-field radiations with definite phase relations. This allows long-range global coupling among array elements to achieve robust 2-dimensional phase-locked laser array. The new scheme is ideal for lasers with deep sub-wavelength confined cavity such as nanolasers, where the divergent beam pattern could be used to form strong coupling among elements in the array. We experimentally demonstrated such a scheme using sub-wavelength short-cavity surface-emitting lasers at terahertz frequency. More than 37 laser elements are phase-locked to each other, delivering up to 6.5 mW single-mode radiations at ~3 terahertz, with maximum 450-mW/A slope efficiency and near diffraction limit beam divergence.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Geometrically Tunable Beamed Light Emission from a Quantum‐Dot Ensemble Near a Gradient Metasurface

Abstract Optical metasurfaces have been widely investigated in recent years as a means to tailor the wavefronts of externally incident light for passive device applications. At the same time, their use in active optoelectronic devices such as light emitters is far less established. This work explores their ability to control the radiation properties of a nearby continuous ensemble of randomly oriented incoherent dipole sources via near‐field interactions. Specifically, a film of colloidal quantum dots is deposited on a plasmonic metasurface consisting of a 1D array of metallic nanoantennas on a metal film. The array is designed to introduce a linear phase profile upon reflection, and a bi‐periodic nanoparticle arrangement is introduced to ensure adequate sampling of the desired phase gradient. Highly directional radiation patterns are correspondingly obtained from the quantum dots at an enhanced emission rate. The underlying radiation mechanism involves the near‐field excitation of surface plasmon polaritons at the metal film, and their selective diffractive scattering by the metasurface into well‐collimated beams along predetermined geometrically tunable directions. These results underscore the distinctive ability of metasurfaces to control radiation properties directly at the source level, which is technologically significant for the continued miniaturization and large‐scale integration of optoelectronic devices.

Wang, Xiaowei↗

Revisiting the Kitaev material candidacy of Ir 4 + double perovskite iridates

Quantum magnets with significant bond-directional Ising interactions, so-called Kitaev materials, have attracted tremendous attention recently in the search for exotic spin liquid states. Here we present a comprehensive set of measurements that enables us to investigate the crystal structures, Ir 4+ single-ion properties, and magnetic ground states of the double perovskite iridates La 2 BIrO 6 (B = Mg, Zn) and A 2 CeIrO 6 (A = Ba, Sr) with a large nearest-neighbor distance >5 angstrom between Ir 4+ ions. Our neutron powder diffraction data on Ba 2 CeIrO 6 can be refined in the cubic space group Fm$\overline{3}$m, while the other three systems are characterized by weak monoclinic structural distortions. Despite the variance in the noncubic crystal field experienced by the Ir 4+ ions in these materials, x-ray absorption spectroscopy and resonant inelastic x-ray scattering are consistent with J eff = 1/2 moments in all cases. Furthermore, neutron scattering and resonant magnetic x-ray scattering show that these systems host A-type antiferromagnetic order. These electronic and magnetic ground states are consistent with expectations for face-centered-cubic magnets with significant antiferromagnetic Kitaev exchange, which indicates that spacing magnetic ions far apart may be a promising design principle for uncovering additional Kitaev materials

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Disentangling x-ray dichroism and birefringence via high-purity polarimetry

High-brilliance synchrotron radiation sources have opened new avenues for x-ray polarization analysis that go far beyond conventional polarimetry in the optical domain. With linear x-ray polarizers in a crossed setting, polarization extinction ratios down to 10 -10 can be achieved. This renders the method sensitive to probe the tiniest optical anisotropies that would occur, for example, in strong-field quantum electrodynamics due to vacuum birefringence and dichroism. Here we show that high-purity polarimetry can be employed to reveal electronic anisotropies in condensed matter systems with utmost sensitivity and spectral resolution. Taking CuO and La 2 CuO 4 as benchmark systems, we present a full characterization of the polarization changes across the Cu K-absorption edge and their separation into dichroic and birefringent contributions. At diffraction-limited synchrotron radiation sources and x-ray lasers, where polarization extinction ratios of 10 -12 can be achieved, our method has the potential to assess birefringence and dichroism of the quantum vacuum in extreme electromagnetic fields.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

High-dynamic-range coherent diffractive imaging: ptychography using the mixed-mode pixel array detector

Coherent (X-ray) diffractive imaging (CDI) is an increasingly popular form of X-ray microscopy, mainly due to its potential to produce high-resolution images and the lack of an objective lens between the sample and its corresponding imaging detector. One challenge, however, is that very high dynamic range diffraction data must be collected to produce both quantitative and high-resolution images. In this work, hard X-ray ptychographic coherent diffractive imaging has been performed at the P10 beamline of the PETRA III synchrotron to demonstrate the potential of a very wide dynamic range imaging X-ray detector (the Mixed-Mode Pixel Array Detector, or MM-PAD). The detector is capable of single photon detection, detecting fluxes exceeding 1 × 10 8 8-keV photons pixel -1 s -1 , and framing at 1 kHz. A ptychographic reconstruction was performed using a peak focal intensity on the order of 1 × 10 10 photons µm -2 s -1 within an area of approximately 325 nm × 603 nm. This was done without need of a beam stop and with a very modest attenuation, while `still' images of the empty beam far-field intensity were recorded without any attenuation. The treatment of the detector frames and CDI methodology for reconstruction of non-sensitive detector regions, partially also extending the active detector area, are described.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Diamond formation kinetics in shock-compressed C$-$H$-$O samples recorded by small-angle x-ray scattering and x-ray diffraction

Extreme conditions inside ice giants such as Uranus and Neptune can result in peculiar chemistry and structural transitions, e.g., the precipitation of diamonds or superionic water, as so far experimentally observed only for pure C$-$H and H 2 O systems, respectively. Here, we investigate a stoichiometric mixture of C and H 2 O by shock-compressing polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastics and performing in situ x-ray probing. We observe diamond formation at pressures between 72 ± 7 and 125 ± 13 GPa at temperatures ranging from ~3500 to ~6000 K. Combining x-ray diffraction and small-angle x-ray scattering, we access the kinetics of this exotic reaction. The observed demixing of C and H 2 O suggests that diamond precipitation inside the ice giants is enhanced by oxygen, which can lead to isolated water and thus the formation of superionic structures relevant to the planets’ magnetic fields. Moreover, our measurements indicate a way of producing nanodiamonds by simple laser-driven shock compression of cheap PET plastics.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗