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Lifetimes and self-quenching rates have been measured for excited states of Xe I that were populated using simultaneous two-photon absorption. Lifetimes measured in this study are somewhat shorter than those measured using the broadband-excitation technique. Lifetimes reported here are all faster than 100 nsec. Deactivation rates are approximately 2 x 10 to the -10th cu cm/sec per mol.
The optical properties associated with small particles, which include aerosols, hydrosols and solid microspheres have an impact on several areas of science and engineering. Since the advent of high-speed computers and lasers, the interaction of light with matter in the form of small particles with a discontinuous optical boundary relative to the surroundings has been much better understood. Various nonlinear optical effects have been observed involving interaction of a laser beam with both solid microspheres and liquid microdroplets. These include observation of second and third harmonic generation, four wave mixing, optical visibility, two photon absorption, observation of stimulated emission and lasing, and Stimulated Raman Scattering. Many of these effects are observed with laser intensities which are orders of magnitude less than that required by threshold condition for interactions in macroscopic bulk medium. The primary reason for this is twofold. The front surface of the microsphere acts as a thick lens to enhance the internal intensity of the input laser radiation, and the spherical shape of the droplet acts as an optical cavity to provide feedback at specific wavelengths corresponding to the whispering gallery modes or the morphology dependent resonances (MDR's). The most interesting and significant recent finding in this field is undoubtedly the existence of resonance peaks in linear and nonlinear optical spectra. Such resonance peaks are only dependent on the particle morphology, which means the size, shape and refractive index of the particle. Because of the simultaneous presence of these resonances, they have been referred to by many names, including structural resonances, whispering modes or whispering gallery modes, creeping waves, circumferential waves, surfaces modes, and virtual modes. All of these names refer to the same phenomena, i.e. morphology dependent resonances (MDR's) which has already been described and predicted precisely by electromagnetic theory and Loentz-Mie theory since 1908. MDR's can become important when the particle size (radius a) approaches and exceeds the wavelength of the electromagnetic wave (lambda) and the refractive index of the particle is greater than that of the surrounding medium. Such resonances are easiest to observe from a single particle with high symmetry, such as a sphere, spheroid, or cylinder. MDR's correspond to solutions of the characteristic equations of the electromagnetic fields in the presence of a sphere.
This Letter describes the first application of entanglement-induced virtual-state spectroscopy to a molecular system. Non-classical, non-monotonic behavior in a two-photon absorption cross section of the OH A-X system, induced by an entangled biphoton state is theoretically demonstrated. A Fourier transform analysis of the biphoton cross section permits access to the energy eigenvalues of intermediate rovibronic states with a fixed excitation photon energy. The dependence of the Fourier spectrum on the tuning range of the entanglement time (T(sub e)) and the relative path delay (tau(sub e)) is discussed. Our analysis reveals that the implementation of molecular virtual-state spectroscopy for the OH A-X system requires the tuning of tau(sub e) over a pico-second range with femto-second resolution.
This Letter describes the first application of entanglement-induced virtual-state spectroscopy to a molecular system. Non-classical, non-monotonic behavior in a two-photon absorption cross section of the OH A-X system, induced by an entangled biphoton state is theoretically demonstrated. A Fourier transform analysis of the biphoton cross section permits access to the energy eigenvalues of intermediate rovibronic states with a fixed excitation photon energy. The dependence of the Fourier spectrum on the tuning range of the entanglement time T(sub e), and the relative path delay tau(sub e) is discussed. Our analysis reveals that the implementation of molecular virtual-state spectroscopy for the OH A-X system requires the tuning of tau(sub e) over a pico-second range with femto-second resolution.
The topics include: 1) Distributed Aerodynamic Sensing and Processing Toolbox; 2) Collaborative Supervised Learning for Sensor Networks; 3) Hazard Detection Software for Lunar Landing; 4) Onboard Nonlinear Engine Sensor and Component Fault Diagnosis and Isolation Scheme; 5) Network-Capable Application Process and Wireless Intelligent Sensors for ISHM; 6) Interface Supports Multiple Broadcast Transceivers for Flight Applications; 7) FPGA Sequencer for Radar Altimeter Applications; 8) Miniature Sapphire Acoustic Resonator - MSAR; 9) Process-Hardened, Multi-Analyte Sensor for Characterizing Rocket Plume Constituents; 10) SAD5 Stereo Correlation Line-Striping in an FPGA; 11) Hybrid Composite Cryogenic Tank Structure; 12) Nanoscale Deformable Optics; 13) Reliability-Based Design Optimization of a Composite Airframe Component; 14) Zinc Oxide Nanowire Interphase for Enhanced Lightweight Polymer Fiber Composites; 15) Plasma Igniter for Reliable Ignition of Combustion in Rocket Engines; 16) Wire Test Grip Fixture; 17) A Sub-Hertz, Low-Frequency Vibration Isolation Platform; 18) Carbon Nanofibers Synthesized on Selective Substrates for Nonvolatile Memory and 3D Electronics; 19) Nanoparticle/Polymer Nanocomposite Bond Coat or Coating; 20) High-Resolution Wind Measurements for Offshore Wind Energy Development; 21) Spring Tire; 22) Marsviewer 2008; 23) Mission Services Evolution Center Message Bus; 24) Major Constituents Analysis for the Vehicle Cabin Atmosphere Monitor; 25) Astronaut Health Participant Summary Application; 26) Adaption of the AMDIS Method to Flight Status on the VCAM Instrument; 27) Natural Language Interface for Safety Certification of Safety-Critical Software; 28) Cryogenic Caging for Science Instrumentation; 29) Wide-Range Neutron Detector for Space Nuclear Applications; 30) In Situ Guided Wave Structural Health Monitoring System; 31) Multiplexed Energy Coupler for Rotating Equipment; 32) Attitude Estimation in Fractionated Spacecraft Cluster Systems; 33) Full Piezoelectric Multilayer-Stacked Hybrid Actuation/Transduction Systems; 34) Active Flow Effectors for Noise and Separation Control; 35) Method and System for Temporal Filtering in Video Compression Systems; 36) Apparatus for Measuring Total Emissivity of Small, Low-Emissivity Samples; 37) Multiple-Zone Diffractive Optic Element for Laser Ranging Applications; 38) Simplified Architecture for Precise Aiming of a Deep-Space Communication Laser Transceiver; 39) Two-Photon-Absorption Scheme for Optical Beam Tracking; 40) High-Sensitivity, Broad-Range Vacuum Gauge Using Nanotubes for Micromachined Cavities; 41) Wide-Field Optic for Autonomous Acquisition of Laser Link; 42) Extracting Zero-Gravity Surface Figure of a Mirror; 43) Modeling Electromagnetic Scattering From Complex Inhomogeneous Objects; 44) Visual Object Recognition and Tracking of Tools; 45) Method for Implementing Optical Phase Adjustment; 46) Visual SLAM Using Variance Grid Maps; 47) Rapid Calculation of Spacecraft Trajectories Using Efficient Taylor Series Integration; 48) Efficient Kriging Algorithms; 49) Predicting Spacecraft Trajectories by the WeavEncke Method; 50) An Augmentation of G-Guidance Algorithms; 51) Comparison of Aircraft Icing Growth Assessment Software; 52) Silicon-Germanium Voltage-Controlled Oscillator at 105 GHz; 53) Estimation of Coriolis Force and Torque Acting on Ares-1; 54) Null Lens Assembly for X-Ray Mirror Segments; and 55) High-Precision Pulse Generator.
The simplified architecture is a minimal system for a deep-space optical communications transceiver. For a deepspace optical communications link the simplest form of the transceiver requires (1) an efficient modulated optical source, (2) a point-ahead mechanism (PAM) to compensate for two-way light travel, (3) an aperture to reduce the divergence of the transmit laser communication signal and also to collect the uplink communication signal, and (4) a receive detector to sense the uplink communication signal. Additional components are introduced to mitigate for spacecraft microvibrations and to improve the pointing accuracy. The Canonical Transceiver implements this simplified architecture (see figure). A single photon-counting smart focal plane sensor combines acquisition, tracking, and forward link data detection functionality. This improves optical efficiency by eliminating channel splits. A transmit laser blind sensor (e.g. silicon with 1,550-nm beam) provides transmit beam-pointing feedback via the two-photon absorption (TPA) process. This vastly improves the transmit/receive isolation because only the focused transmit beam is detected. A piezoelectric tiptilt actuator implements the required point-ahead angle. This point-ahead mechanism has been demonstrated to have near zero quiescent power and is flight qualified. This architecture also uses an innovative 100-mHz resonant frequency passive isolation platform to filter spacecraft vibrations with voice coil actuators for active tip-tilt correction below the resonant frequency. The canonical deep-space optical communications transceiver makes synergistic use of innovative technologies to reduce size, weight, power, and cost. This optical transceiver can be used to retire risks associated with deep-space optical communications on a planetary pathfinder mission and is complementary to ongoing lunar and access link developments.
Selective two-photon absorptive resonance femtosecond laser electronic excitation tagging (STARFLEET) velocimetry is demonstrated for the first time in a NASA Langley wind tunnel with high repetition-rate and single-shot imaging. Experiments performed in the 0.3-meter Transonic Cryogenic Tunnel (TCT) allowed for testing at 300 K over a range of pressures (124 to 517 kPa) and Mach numbers (0.2-0.8) for freestream conditions and flow behind a cylindrical model. Measurement precision and accuracy are determined for the current set of experiments, as are signal intensity and lifetime. Precisions of 3-5 m/s (based on one standard deviation) were typical in the experiment; precisions better than 2% of the mean velocity were obtained for some of the highest velocity conditions. Agreement within a mean error of 3 m/s between STARFLEET freestream velocity measurements and facility DAS readings is demonstrated. STARFLEET is also shown to return spatially-resolved velocity profiles, though some binning of the signal is required.
Three unseeded molecular tagging velocimetry (MTV) techniques have been demonstrated in NASA Langley’s 0.3-meter Transonic Cryogenic Tunnel (TCT). High pressure, cryogenic gaseous N2 is used to produce high Reynolds number transonic flow in TCTs, allowing small aircraft and space vehicles to be tested at flight Reynolds numbers. These facilities generally cannot be seeded with particles or toxic gases so unseeded velocimetry methods are needed. Three Laser Electronic Excitation and Tagging (LEET) techniques were tested: Femtosecond LEET (FLEET), Picosecond LEET (PLEET) and Selective Two-photon Absorptive Resonance Femtosecond LEET (STARFLEET). All three techniques were used over a range of pressures (124 to 517 kPa), temperatures (100-300 K) and Mach numbers (0.2-0.8) to measure freestream conditions and were then compared to conditions determined by the facility data system using conventional wall pressures and probes. Measurement precision and accuracy are presented, as are signal intensity and lifetimes which impact measurement uncertainties and are useful for understanding and modelling the various LEET processes.
The purpose of this testing was to obtain sample pulsed-laser-induced single event transients (SETs) of the Analog Devices AD620 Instrumentation Amplifier. The test was conducted at the Naval Research Laboratory using their two-photon absorption (TPA) laser.
The purpose of this testing was to characterize the pulsed-laser-induced single event effect (SEE) susceptibility of the Texas Instruments LM7171 voltage feedback amplifier. The test was conducted at the Naval Research Laboratory using their two-photon absorption (TPA) laser.
A two-photon fluorescence microscope has been developed for the study of biophysical phenomena. Two-photon microscopy is a novel form of laser-based scanning microscopy that enables three-dimensional imaging without many of the problems inherent in confocal microscopy. Unlike one-photon optical microscopy, two-photon microscopy utilizes the simultaneous nonlinear absorption of two near-infrared photons. However, the efficiency of two-photon absorption is much lower than that of one-photon absorption, so an ultra-fast pulsed laser source is typically employed. On the other hand, the critical energy threshold for two-photon absorption leads to fluorophore excitation that is intrinsically localized to the focal volume. Consequently, two-photon microscopy enables optical sectioning and confocal performance without the need for a signal-limiting pinhole. In addition, there is a reduction (relative to one-photon optical microscopy) in photon-induced damage because of the longer excitation wavelength. This reduction is especially advantageous for in vivo studies. Relative to confocal microscopy, there is also a reduction in background fluorescence, and, because of a reduction in Rayleigh scattering, there is a 4 increase of penetration depth. The prohibitive cost of a commercial two-photon fluorescence-microscope system, as well as a need for modularity, has led to the construction of a custom-built system (see Figure 1). This system includes a coherent mode-locked titanium: sapphire laser emitting 120-fs-duration pulses at a repetition rate of 80 MHz. The pulsed laser has an average output power of 800 mW and a wavelength tuning range of 700 to 980 nm, enabling the excitation of a variety of targeted fluorophores. The output from the laser is attenuated, spatially filtered, and then directed into a confocal scanning head that has been modified to provide for side entry of the laser beam. The laser output coupler has been replaced with a dichroic filter that reflects the longer-wavelength excitation light and passes the shorter-wavelength fluorescence light. Also, the confocal pinhole has been removed to increase the signal strength. The laser beam is scanned by a twoperpendicular- axis pair of galvanometer mirrors through a pupil transfer lens into the side port of an inverted microscope. Finally, the beam is focused by a 63-magnification, 1.3-numerical- aperture oil-immersion objective lens onto a specimen. The pupil transfer lens serves to match the intermediate image planes of the scanning head and the microscope, and its location is critical. In order to maximize the quality of the image, (that is, the point spread function of the objective lens for all scan positions), the entire system was modeled in optical-design software, and the various free design parameters (the parameters of the spatial-filter components as well as the separations of all of the system components) were determined through an iterative optimization process. A modular design was chosen to facilitate access to the optical train for future fluorescence correlation spectroscopy and fluorescence-lifetime experiments.
A previous study demonstrated two-photon consecutive absorption as being the most probable mechanism for the photodissociation of NO2 using a pulsed ruby laser at 6943 A. Additional data discussed here confirmed this and also examined an associated phenomenon, that of multiphoton induced fluorescence. The dissociation of NO2 by ON-O bond cleavage requires 3.4 eV, while the laser energy corresponds to 1.785 eV. The pooling of the energy of two photons would give more than enough energy to dissociate the NO2 into NO + O. Several mechanisms including (1) simultaneous absorption of two photons; (2) reaction of two singly excited NO2; (3) reaction of a singly excited NO2 with a ground state NO2; and (4) consecutive absorption of two photons were examined.
Nitrogen dioxide was photodissociated using a pulsed ruby laser at 6943 A. The energy of a single photon at this wavelength was equivalent to only 57% of the dissociation energy. The mechanism proposed to account for the results was the consecutive absorption of two photons, the first resulting in a short-lived excited state. The second photon is then absorbed by the excited species resulting in dissociation.
The results of numerical calculations of the transient stimulated Raman scattering reported previously have been verified experimentally under conditions where both linear dispersion and self-focusing effects were negligible. The existence of a delay between maxima of the laser and Stokes pulses is experimentally demonstrated for the first time, while the pulse shortening in time via Raman scattering is established more firmly than in previous work. The incident-laser-pulse duration, generated-Stokes-pulse duration, and delay between intensity maxima for the laser and Stokes pulses were measured with the two-photon absorption-fluorescence technique. The effective phonon-dephasing time is determined via spontaneous Raman scattering. By using these measured quantities, inferences are made as to the magnitude of the transient gain and the shape of the exciting picosecond laser pulse.
Heavy ion, focused X-ray, pulsed laser single event transient experiments are performed on a silicon epitaxial diode. Collected charge, transient rise times, and transient fall times are calculated and compared between the different sources. The transient shape characteristics depend on the source (ion, X-ray, or laser), even when similar amounts of charge are generated. The observed differences are examined and explained in terms of basic charge collection mechanisms.
A cesium filled diode--laser plasmadynamic converter was built to investigate the feasibility of converting laser energy to electrical energy at large power levels. Experiments were performed with a pulsed ruby laser to determine the quantity of electrons and cesium ions generated per pulse of laser beam and to determine the output voltage. A current density as high as 200 amp/sq cm from a spot of approximately 1 sq mm area and an open circuit voltage as high as 1.5 volts were recorded. A qualitative theory was developed to explain these results. In the operation of the device, the laser beam evaporates some of the cesium and ionizes the cesium gas. A dense cesium plasma is formed to absorb further the laser energy. Results suggest that the simultaneous absorption of two ruby laser photons by the cesium atoms plays an important role in the initial ionization of cesium. Inverse bremsstrahlung absorption appears to be the dominant mechanism in subsequent processes. Recombinations of electrons and cesium ions appear to compete favorably with the simultaneous absorption of two photons.
A technique is proposed for remote sensing of atomic oxygen by laser excitation of a two-photon transition. Excitation at 2256 A and subsequent fluorescence at 8447 A allow probing of the mesosphere and lower thermosphere without interference by absorption. The two-photon excitation rate is calculated, and its dependence on laser power, duration, and linewidth is discussed. Values are given for remote sensing from a spacecraft at 200 km ranging down to 80 km with 1-km range resolution. Accuracies of better than 10% are expected with a 1 J, a 20-psec excitation pulse and a 1-sq-m collecting telescope.
Disclosed are highly efficient multiphoton absorbing compounds and methods of their use. The compounds generally include a bridge of pi-conjugated bonds connecting electron donating groups or electron accepting groups. The bridge may be substituted with a variety of substituents as well. Solubility, lipophilicity, absorption maxima and other characteristics of the compounds may be tailored by changing the electron donating groups or electron accepting groups, the substituents attached to or the length of the pi-conjugated bridge. Numerous photophysical and photochemical methods are enabled by converting these compounds to electronically excited states upon simultaneous absorption of at least two photons of radiation. The compounds have large two-photon or higher-order absorptivities such that upon absorption, one or more Lewis acidic species, Lewis basic species, radical species or ionic species are formed.