NSTec Diagnostic Instrumentation and Shock Wave–Related Diagnostic Development
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46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
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An End-to-end Deep Convolutional Neural Network for a Multi-scale Image Matching and Localization Problem
Abstract Diverse imaging techniques are utilized in many scientific domains to acquire a rich description of the subject under study and to further discover a variety of its proper- ties. Especially, in sample systems, by probing with optical, electron or x-ray beams, the captured images describe the sample in an extremely large range of length scales. This makes the correlation from one image to another very difficult in addition to the intrinsic appearance complexity of those scientific images. In this paper, we aim to tackle this multi-scale image matching and localization problem by proposing an end-to-end deep convolutional neural net- work. Our proposed network is designed to first generate different filters according to the two queried images originated from different length scales. Then, to compute the correlation map, we use these filters to predict the correspondence between the two images. For the training and evaluation, we collect a number of electron microscopy experiments to form a multi-scaled image patch dataset comprised of various material structures. We observe about 90% accuracy for multi-scale image matching and localization while a triplet-based network shows about 78% accuracy.
97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
Frequency-based detection of chemical expansion dynamics in thin films
Current techniques for measuring chemical expansion in thin film structures are too slow, too imprecise, or require synchrotrons. In contrast, nanoscale electrochemomechanical spectroscopy (NECS) can be used to make nanoscale measurements at time scales of seconds with simple contact or non-contact sensors. In a NECS measurement, a sample, such as thin-film oxide structure, is subjected to a temporally modulated stimulus, such as a sinusoidally alternating voltage. The stimulus causes the sample to expand, contract, deflect, or otherwise deform. A sensor, such as a contact probe or optical sensor, produces an electrical signal in response to this deformation that is correlated with the temporal modulation of the stimulus. Because the stimulus and deformation are correlated, the temporal modulation of the stimulus can be used to filter the deformation signal produced by the sensor, producing a precise, sensitive measurement of the deformation.
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
Imaging grain microstructure in a model ceramic energy material with optically generated coherent acoustic phonons
Characterization of microstructure, chemistry and function of advanced energy materials remains a challenge for instrumentation science with tremendous opportunity for new discoveries. This active area of research is starting to make considerable strides with examples ranging from methodologies that employ bright X-rays, electron microscopy and optical spectroscopy. However, further development of instruments, capable of multimodal measurements, is necessary to fully reveal complex microstructure evolution in realistic environments and dynamical systems that are far from equilibrium. In this regard, laser-based instruments have a unique advantage as multiple measurement methodologies are easily combined into a single instrument using standard optics. A new pump-probe method that uses optically generated acoustic phonons is expanding standard optical characterization by providing depth resolved information. Here we report on a noteworthy extension of this pump-probe method to image grain microstructure in ceria. Rich information regarding the orientation of individual crystallites is obtained by monitoring acoustic phonon velocities and noting how the polarization of the probe beam influences the detected signal amplitude. When paired with other optical microscopies, this methodology will provide new perspectives for optical characterization of ceramic materials.
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
Hybrid catadioptric system for advanced optical cavity velocimetry
A probe including reflector is disclosed to measure the velocity distribution of a moving surface along many lines of sight. Laser light, directed to the surface by the probe and then reflected back from the surface, is Doppler shifted by the moving surface, collected into probe, and then directed to detection equipment through optic fibers. The received light is mixed with reference laser light and using photonic Doppler velocimetry, a continuous time record of the surface movement is obtained. An array of single-mode optical fibers provides an optic signal to one or more lens groups and a reflector, such as a parabolic reflector having a mirrored interior surface.
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
A Multi-Sensor, Low Volume, Automated Culture System for Space Biology Experiments
Optical density (absorbance) is commonly used in microbiology to measure cell concentration and other colorimetric indicators. It is the main type of bioscience data returned from the BioSentinel small spacecraft mission, which was recently launched as a secondary payload on Artemis I. The flight unit takes absorbance measurements of yeast cultures at 570 nm, 630 nm, and 850 nm to track cell concentration and oxidation-reduction (redox) state of the metabolic indicator dye alamarBlue over time [1]. Because the data returned from a small spacecraft mission is necessarily limited, BioSentinel uses a specialized ground-based experiment apparatus to map the absorbance data onto several other parameters. This culture apparatus is composed of a polycarbonate base and lid which contain ports for several commercial sensors, including a standard 12 mm dissolved oxygen probe, gaseous CO2, fluid pressure, and two micro-probes for measuring pH and redox potential. It also contains a pressure relief valve, a rubber membrane for culture interaction, and a 12mm port for the custom optical probe designed to match in-flight measurements. Modules in two corners expand the culture volume into narrow columns, enabling solid-state optical density measurement and dielectric spectroscopy. The apparatus can be fit to a plate for magnetic stirring. The apparatus’s optical probe allows mapping between the flight unit’s optical data and the additional parameters measured by the ground-based experiments. Within the probe, a linear actuator pulls a plunger, drawing culture volume into the optical path. The actuator then pushes out the plunger and culture volume, cleaning any stray yeast from the inside surface of the probe. The probe chassis is 3D-printed from biocompatible resin with the optoelectronics cured inside an optically clear conformal coat which functions as a lens. To optimize the probe’s dimensions, including optical path, a test harness was developed to manipulate and measure distance while the LED light sources and photodiode detector are in operation. The test harness was composed of two 3/64” thick polycarbonate plates mounted to a set of calipers. The LEDs and photodiode were mounted on the outside of each plate. A cuvette of sample fluid was then clamped between the plates in line between the LEDs and photodiode. The test harness generated a 78% signal change between water and a dye standard for the green (570 nm) LED, a 90% signal change for the red (630 nm) LED, and a 25% signal change between water and overgrown yeast for the infrared (850 nm) LED. The improvements to the ground experiment apparatus (culture volume reduction, inclusion of an optical probe to measure flight-like optical data, and magnetic stirring for culture homogeneity) allow for more flight-like measurements to be taken and more accurate mapping of these additional parameters to the optical data returned from the flight unit. This enhancement to mission science return will give insight into how deep space radiation may affect human biology for future long-term space exploration.
Multi-Sensor↗
Hyperspectral imaging of exciton confinement within a moiré unit cell with a subnanometer electron probe
Electronic and optical excitations in two-dimensional systems are distinctly sensitive to the presence of a moiré superlattice. Here we used cryogenic transmission electron microscopy and spectroscopy to simultaneously image the structural reconstruction and associated localization of the lowest-energy intralayer exciton in a rotationally aligned WS 2 -WSe 2 moiré superlattice. In conjunction with optical spectroscopy and ab initio calculations, we determined that the exciton center-of-mass wave function is confined to a radius of approximately 2 nanometers around the highest-energy stacking site in the moiré unit cell. Our results provide direct evidence that atomic reconstructions lead to the strongly confining moiré potentials and that engineering strain at the nanoscale will enable new types of excitonic lattices.
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
Campanile Near-Field Probes Fabricated by Nanoimprint Lithography on the Facet of an Optical Fiber
One of the major challenges to the widespread adoption of plasmonic and nano-optical devices in real-life applications is the difficulty to mass-fabricate nano-optical antennas in parallel and reproducible fashion, and the capability to precisely place nanoantennas into devices with nanometer-scale precision. In this study, we present a solution to this challenge using the state-of-the-art ultraviolet nanoimprint lithography (UV-NIL) to fabricate functional optical transformers onto the core of an optical fiber in a single step, mimicking the 'campanile' near-field probes. Imprinted probes were fabricated using a custom-built imprinter tool with co-axial alignment capability with sub < 100 nm position accuracy, followed by a metallization step. Scanning electron micrographs confirm high imprint fidelity and precision with a thin residual layer to facilitate efficient optical coupling between the fiber and the imprinted optical transformer. The imprinted optical transformer probe was used in an actual NSOM measurement performing hyperspectral photoluminescence mapping of standard fluorescent beads. The calibration scans confirmed that imprinted probes enable sub-diffraction limited imaging with a spatial resolution consistent with the gap size. This novel nano-fabrication approach promises a low-cost, high-throughput, and reproducible manufacturing of advanced nano-optical devices.
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
Reduced lattice thermal conductivity of Fe-bearing bridgmanite in Earth's deep mantle: Reduced Conductivity of Fe-Bridgmanite
Complex seismic, thermal, and chemical features have been reported in Earth's lowermost mantle. In particular, possible iron enrichments in the large low shear-wave velocity provinces (LLSVPs) could influence thermal transport properties of the constituting minerals in this region, altering the lower mantle dynamics and heat flux across core-mantle boundary (CMB). Thermal conductivity of bridgmanite is expected to partially control the thermal evolution and dynamics of Earth's lower mantle. Importantly, the pressure-induced lattice distortion and iron spin and valence states in bridgmanite could affect its lattice thermal conductivity, but these effects remain largely unknown. Here we precisely measured the lattice thermal conductivity of Fe-bearing bridgmanite to 120 GPa using optical pump-probe spectroscopy. The conductivity of Fe-bearing bridgmanite increases monotonically with pressure but drops significantly around 45 GPa due to pressure-induced lattice distortion on iron sites. Our findings indicate that lattice thermal conductivity at lowermost mantle conditions is twice smaller than previously thought. The decrease in the thermal conductivity of bridgmanite in mid-lower mantle and below would promote mantle flow against a potential viscosity barrier, facilitating slabs crossing over the 1000 km depth. Modeling of our results applied to LLSVPs shows that variations in iron and bridgmanite fractions induce a significant thermal conductivity decrease, which would enhance internal convective flow. Our CMB heat flux modeling indicates that while heat flux variations are dominated by thermal effects, variations in thermal conductivity also play a significant role. The CMB heat flux map we obtained is substantially different from those assumed so far, which may influence our understanding of the geodynamo.
58 GEOSCIENCES↗
Frequency shift of an optical frequency standard as a function of probe modulation of the radiation frequency, pressure, and gas temperature in an absorbing cell
Frequency shifts of an optical Nd : YAG/I{sub 2}-standard are measured in a pressure range of molecular iodine 5 – 22 mTorr and deviation of probe modulation frequency 480 kHz – 4 MHz for the hyperfine structure component a1 of the molecular iodine absorption line R(56) 32 – 0. The frequency shift of the optical standard is estimated under varied temperatures of a cell and cell finger, which determines the pressure of the molecular iodine vapour. The requirements are defined to temperature stability of the cell and its finger for obtaining high long-term frequency stability of the optical frequency standard. (paper)
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
Method and apparatus for determining the physical properties of materials using dynamic light scattering techniques
A system for determining the physical properties of materials through the use of dynamic light scattering is disclosed. The system includes a probe, a laser source for directing a laser beam into the probe, and a photodetector for converting scattered light detected by the probe into electrical signals. The probe includes at least one optical fiber connected to the laser source and a second optical fiber connected to the photodetector. Each of the fibers may adjoin a gradient index microlens which is capable of providing a collimated laser beam into a scattering medium. The position of the second optical fiber with respect to the optical axis of the probe determines whether homodyne or self-beating detection is provided. Self-beating detection may be provided without a gradient index microlens. This allows a very small probe to be constructed which is insertable through a hypodermic needle or the like into a droplet extending from such a needle. A method of detecting scattered light through the use of a collimated, Gaussian laser beam is also provided. A method for controlling the waist and divergence of the optical field emanating from the free end of an optical fiber is also provided.
Dhadwal, Harbans S.↗
Multishell Au/Ag/SiO 2 nanorods with tunable optical properties as single particle orientation and rotational tracking probes
In this study, three-layer core–shell plasmonic nanorods (Au/Ag/SiO 2 –NRs), consisting of a gold nanorod core, a thin silver shell, and a thin silica layer, were synthesized and used as optical imaging probes under a differential interference contrast microscope for single particle orientation and rotational tracking. The localized surface plasmon resonance modes were enhanced upon the addition of the silver shell, and the anisotropic optical properties of gold nanorods were maintained. The silica coating enables surface functionalization with silane coupling agents and provides enhanced stability and biocompatibility. Taking advantage of the longitudinal LSPR enhancement, the orientation and rotational information of the hybrid nanorods on synthetic lipid bilayers and on live cell membranes were obtained with millisecond temporal resolution using a scientific complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor camera. The results demonstrate that the as-synthesized hybrid nanorods are promising imaging probes with improved sensitivity and good biocompatibility for single plasmonic particle tracking experiments in biological systems.
37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
Adaptive Optical Two-Photon Fluorescence Microscopy Probes Cellular Organization of Ocular Lenses In Vivo
The mammalian ocular lens is an avascular multicellular organ that grows continuously throughout life. Traditionally, its cellular organization is investigated using dissected lenses, which eliminates in vivo environmental and structural support. Therefore, in vivo optical imaging methods for studying lenses in their native context in live animals are urgently needed. Here, we demonstrated that two-photon fluorescence microscopy can visualize lens cells in vivo. To maintain subcellular resolution at depth, we used adaptive optics to correct aberrations owing to ocular and lens tissues, which led to substantial signal and resolution improvements. Imaging lens cells up to 980 µm deep, we observed novel cellular organizations including suture-associated voids, enlarged vacuoles, and large cavities, contrary to the conventional view of a highly ordered organization. We tracked these features longitudinally over weeks and observed the incorporation of new cells during growth. Taken together, noninvasive longitudinal in vivo imaging of lens morphology using adaptive optics two-photon fluorescence microscopy will allow us to observe the development or alterations of lens cellular organization in living animals directly.
60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
Ultrafast electron dynamics in platinum and gold thin films driven by optical and terahertz fields
Here, we investigate the ultrafast electron dynamics triggered by terahertz and optical pulses in thin platinum and gold films by probing their transient optical reflectivity. The response of the platinum film to an intense terahertz pulse is similar to the optically induced one and can be described by a two-temperature model with a 20% larger electron–phonon coupling for the terahertz-driven dynamics compared to the optically induced one, ascribed to an additional nonthermal electron–phonon coupling contribution. Surprisingly, gold films exhibit a much smaller terahertz pulse-induced reflectivity change and with a sign opposite to the optical case. Additionally we explain this remarkable observation with field emission of electrons due to Fowler–Nordheim tunneling, enabled in samples with thicknesses below the structural percolation threshold, where nanostructuring promotes near-field enhancement. Our results provide a fundamental insight into the ultrafast processes relevant to modern electro- and magneto-optical applications.
74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS↗
Probing the effect of intrinsic defects and dopants on the structural evolution and optical properties of ZnO nanocrystallites
Role of intrinsic defects and external impurities in modifying the structural and optical properties of ZnO nanostructures has been studied and discussed. ZnO nanocrystallites doped with B, N and S elements have been prepared by ultrasound assisted wet chemical method. Structural evolution of ZnO in presence of dopant ions has been studied by XRD and electron microscopic measurements. Elemental analysis like XPS has been carried out to ascertain the dopant configuration. A variation in crystallographic parameters and microstructure is found to be observed as impurity is incorporated into ZnO. This has been explained on the basis of the substitution of dopant at Zn{sup 2+} and O{sup −} sites rearranging the lattice. Optical absorption measurements and PL studies reflect a change in band gap of ZnO by impurity adsorption. Most of the cases, the band gap is found to be broadened which has been explained in the line of Moss-Burstein effect. The excitonic emission in ZnO is observed to blue shift supporting the above results and the defect emissions also get modified in terms of position and intensity. New PL bands observed have been assigned to the transitions related to the defect states present in the band gap of ZnO along with intrinsic defects.
75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
Optically pumped spin polarization as a probe of many-body thermalization
Disorder and many body interactions are known to impact transport and thermalization in competing ways, with the dominance of one or the other giving rise to fundamentally different dynamical phases. Here we investigate the spin diffusion dynamics of 13 C in diamond, which we dynamically polarize at room temperature via optical spin pumping of engineered color centers. We focus on low-abundance, strongly hyperfine-coupled nuclei, whose role in the polarization transport we expose through the integrated impact of variable radio-frequency excitation on the observable bulk 13 C magnetic resonance signal. Unexpectedly, we find good thermal contact throughout the nuclear spin bath, virtually independent of the hyperfine coupling strength, which we attribute to effective carbon-carbon interactions mediated by the electronic spin ensemble. In particular, observations across the full range of hyperfine couplings indicate the nuclear spin diffusion constant takes values up to two orders of magnitude greater than that expected from homo-nuclear spin couplings.
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
Coherent order parameter dynamics in SmTe 3
We present ultrafast optical pump-probe and ultrafast x-ray diffraction measurements of the charge density wave dynamics in SmTe3 at 300 K. We performed ultrafast x-ray diffraction measurements at the Linac Coherent Light Source to directly probe the dynamics of the finite-wave-vector order parameter. The dynamics reveal coherent oscillations at ~1.6 THz that become overdamped with increasing fluence. We identify this oscillation with the lattice component of the amplitude mode. Furthermore, our data allow for a clear identification of the amplitude mode frequency in the optical pump-probe data. In both measurements, the system reaches the symmetric phase at high fluence, where the order parameter vanishes and the response (reflectivity and x-ray intensity) is quadratic in the order parameter. This is observed in the x-ray diffraction as a small overdamped modulation near zero intensity. Similar overdamped features are observed in the optical reflectivity at high fluence. In conclusion, a time-dependent Ginzburg-Landau model captures qualitatively the essential features of the experimental observations.
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
Electrically controlling and optically observing the membrane potential of supported lipid bilayers
Supported lipid bilayers are a well-developed model system for the study of membranes and their associated proteins, such as membrane channels, enzymes, and receptors. These versatile model membranes can be made from various components, ranging from simple synthetic phospholipids to complex mixtures of constituents, mimicking the cell membrane with its relevant physiochemical and molecular phenomena. In addition, the high stability of supported lipid bilayers allows for their study via a wide array of experimental probes. In this work, we describe a platform for supported lipid bilayers that is accessible both electrically and optically, and demonstrate direct optical observation of the transmembrane potential of supported lipid bilayers. We show that the polarization of the supported membrane can be electrically controlled and optically probed using voltage-sensitive dyes. Membrane polarization dynamics is understood through electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and the analysis of an equivalent electrical circuit model. In addition, we describe the effect of the conducting electrode layer on the fluorescence of the optical probe through metal-induced energy transfer, and show that while this energy transfer has an adverse effect on the voltage sensitivity of the fluorescent probe, its strong distance dependency allows for axial localization of fluorescent emitters with ultrahigh accuracy. We conclude with a discussion on possible applications of this platform for the study of voltage-dependent membrane proteins and other processes in membrane biology and surface science.
59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗