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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.

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At least 19 records
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2022

3D magnetic imaging using electron vortex beam microscopy

Abstract Electron vortex beams are free-electron waves that carry orbital angular momentum. There has been growing theoretical and experimental interest in the use of electron vortex beams as a tool for the investigation of magnetic materials. However, due to the complex wavefront of the propagating waves, a deeper understanding of the interaction of electron vortex beams and the magnetic sample is needed. Here we calculate the magnetic phase shift that an electron vortex beam obtains upon transmitting through a magnetic sample. We show that this magnetic phase shift is influenced by the out-of-plane magnetization, which is a unique characteristic of incident electron vortex beams and is proportional to their orbital angular momentum. Finally, we develop a phase retrieval methodology to retrieve the out-of-plane component of magnetization. Based on our theory, we discuss suitable experimental conditions that would enable this imaging capability for magnetic materials and further extend to non-magnetic chiral materials.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗
DOE OSTI2014

Generation of cylindrically polarized vector vortex beams with digital micromirror device

We propose a novel technique to directly transform a linearly polarized Gaussian beam into vector-vortex beams with various spatial patterns. Full high-quality control of amplitude and phase is implemented via a Digital Micro-mirror Device (DMD) binary holography for generating Laguerre-Gaussian, Bessel-Gaussian, and helical Mathieu–Gaussian modes, while a radial polarization converter (S-waveplate) is employed to effectively convert the optical vortices into cylindrically polarized vortex beams. Additionally, the generated vector-vortex beams maintain their polarization symmetry after arbitrary polarization manipulation. Due to the high frame rates of DMD, rapid switching among a series of vector modes carrying different orbital angular momenta paves the way for optical microscopy, trapping, and communication.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2021

Total Angular Momentum Dichroism of the Terahertz Vortex Beams at the Antiferromagnetic Resonances

Here, terahertz vortex beams with different superposition of the orbital angular momentum $\textit{l}$ = ± 1, ±2, ±3, and ±4 and spin angular momentum σ = ±1 were used to study antiferromagnetic (AFM) resonances in TbFe 3 (BO 3 ) 4 and Ni 3 TeO 6 single crystals. In both materials we observed a strong vortex beam dichroism for the AFM resonances that are split in external magnetic field. The magnitude of the vortex dichroism is comparable to that for conventional circular dichroism due to σ. The selection rules at the AFM resonances are governed by the total angular momentum of the vortex beam: $\textit{j}$ = σ + $\textit{l}$. In particular, for $\textit{l}$ = ±2, ±3, and ±4 the sign of $\textit{l}$ is shown to dominate over that for conventional circular polarization σ.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2016

On-chip generation and control of the vortex beam

A method to generate and control the amplitude and phase distributions of an optical vortex beam is proposed. By introducing a holographic grating on the top of a dielectric waveguide, the free space vortex beam and the in-plane guiding wave can be converted to each other. This microscale holographic grating is very robust against the variation of geometry parameters. The designed vortex beam generator can produce the target beam with a fidelity up to 0.93, and the working bandwidth is about 175 nm with the fidelity larger than 0.80. In addition, a multiple generator composed of two holographic gratings on two parallel waveguides is studied, which can perform an effective and flexible modulation on the vortex beam by controlling the phase of the input light. Our work opens an available avenue towards the integrated orbital angular momentum devices with multiple degrees of optical freedom, which can be used for optical tweezers, micronano imaging, information processing, and so on.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2014

Spin transport in tilted electron vortex beams

In this paper we have enlightened the spin related issues of tilted Electron vortex beams. We have shown that in the skyrmionic model of electron we can have the spin Hall current considering the tilted type of electron vortex beam. We have considered the monopole charge of the tilted vortex as time dependent and through the time variation of the monopole charge we can explain the spin Hall effect of electron vortex beams. Besides, with an external magnetic field we can have a spin filter configuration.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2015

Resonance scattering of a dielectric sphere illuminated by electromagnetic Bessel non-diffracting (vortex) beams with arbitrary incidence and selective polarizations

A complete description of vector Bessel (vortex) beams in the context of the generalized Lorenz–Mie theory (GLMT) for the electromagnetic (EM) resonance scattering by a dielectric sphere is presented, using the method of separation of variables and the subtraction of a non-resonant background (corresponding to a perfectly conducting sphere of the same size) from the standard Mie scattering coefficients. Unlike the conventional results of standard optical radiation, the resonance scattering of a dielectric sphere in air in the field of EM Bessel beams is examined and demonstrated with particular emphasis on the EM field’s polarization and beam order (or topological charge). Linear, circular, radial, azimuthal polarizations as well as unpolarized Bessel vortex beams are considered. The conditions required for the resonance scattering are analyzed, stemming from the vectorial description of the EM field using the angular spectrum decomposition, the derivation of the beam-shape coefficients (BSCs) using the integral localized approximation (ILA) and Neumann–Graf’s addition theorem, and the determination of the scattering coefficients of the sphere using Debye series. In contrast with the standard scattering theory, the resonance method presented here allows the quantitative description of the scattering using Debye series by separating diffraction effects from the external and internal reflections from the sphere. Furthermore, the analysis is extended to include rainbow formation in Bessel beams and the derivation of a generalized formula for the deviation angle of high-order rainbows. Potential applications for this analysis include Bessel beam-based laser imaging spectroscopy, atom cooling and quantum optics, electromagnetic instrumentation and profilometry, optical tweezers and tractor beams, to name a few emerging areas of research.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2019

Terahertz Vortex Beam as a Spectroscopic Probe of Magnetic Excitations

Circularly polarized light with spin angular momentum is one of the most valuable probes of magnetism. We demonstrate that light beams with orbital angular momentum (OAM), or vortex beams, can also couple to magnetism exhibiting dichroisms in a magnetized medium. Resonant optical absorption in a ferrimagnetic crystal depends strongly on both the handedness of the vortex and the direction of the beam propagation with respect to the sample magnetization. This effect exceeds the conventional dichroism for circularly polarized light. Furthermore, our results demonstrate the high potential of the vortex beams with OAM as a new spectroscopic probe of magnetism in matter.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2014

Direct femtosecond laser ablation of copper with an optical vortex beam

Laser surface structuring of copper is induced by laser ablation with a femtosecond optical vortex beam generated via spin-to-orbital conversion of the angular momentum of light by using a q-plate. The variation of the produced surface structures is studied as a function of the number of pulses, N, and laser fluence, F. After the first laser pulse (N=1), the irradiated surface presents an annular region characterized by a corrugated morphology made by a rather complex network of nanometer-scale ridges, wrinkles, pores, and cavities. Increasing the number of pulses (2 1000) and a deep crater is formed. The nanostructure variation with the laser fluence, F, also evidences an interesting dependence, with a coarsening of the structure morphology as F increases. Our experimental findings demonstrate that direct femtosecond laser ablation with optical vortex beams produces interesting patterns not achievable by the more standard beams with a Gaussian intensity profile. They also suggest that appropriate tuning of the experimental conditions (F, N) can allow generating micro- and/or nano-structured surface for any specific application.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2014

Femtosecond laser surface structuring of silicon using optical vortex beams generated by a q-plate

We report on laser surface structuring of silicon using Ti:Sa femtosecond laser ablation with optical vortex beams. A q-plate is used to generate an optical vortex beam with femtosecond pulse duration through spin-to-orbital conversion of the angular momentum of light. The variation of the produced surface structures is investigated as a function of the number of pulses, N, at laser fluence slightly above the ablation threshold value. At low N (≈10), only surface corrugation of the irradiated, ring-shaped area is observed. This is followed by a progressive formation of regular ripples at larger N (≈100–500), which eventually transform in smaller columnar structures for N ≈ 1000. Moreover, the central, non-ablated part is gradually decorated by nanoparticles produced during laser ablation, a process which eventually leads to the formation of a central turret of assembled nanoparticles. Our experimental findings suggest the importance of a feedback mechanism and a cumulative effect on the formation of ripples with interesting patterns not achievable by the more standard beams with a Gaussian intensity profile.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2013

Spectrum superbroadening in self-focusing of pulsed vortex beams in air

Based on numerical simulations, self-focusing of conventional and vortex optical beams produced by femtosecond pulses in air is comparatively analysed. It is shown that, other things being equal, in the case of self-focusing of vortex beams, a significantly higher concentration of energy is observed in the focal spot. As a consequence, there also arises a significant broadening of the space - time spectrum of the focused vortex beam as compared with the vortex-free self-focusing regime. The azimuthal instability of the vortex structure at small initial perturbations of the wave front leads to filamentation of radiation at distances greater than is usually the length of self-focusing. (nonlinear optical phenomena)

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2016

Properties of vortex beams formed by an array of fibre lasers and their propagation in a turbulent atmosphere

Using a numerical simulation, we investigate the possibility of synthesising vortex laser beams with a variable orbital angular momentum by a hexagonal array of fibre lasers under a phase control of individual subapertures of the array. We report the requirements to the parameters of the device generating a vortex beam (number and size of subapertures, as well as their mutual arrangement). The propagation dynamics of synthesised vortex beams is compared with that of conventional Laguerre–Gaussian beams in free space and in a turbulent atmosphere. The spectral properties of the synthesised beam, represented as a superposition of different azimuthal modes, are determined during its propagation in free space. The energy and statistical parameters of the synthesised and Laguerre–Gaussian vortex beams are shown to coincide with increasing propagation distance in a turbulent medium. (laser beams)

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2019

Atomistic Defect Makes a Phase Plate for the Generation and High-Angular Splitting of Electron Vortex Beams

Topological defects in solid-state materials by breaking the translational symmetry offer emerging properties that are not present in their parental phases. For example, edge dislocations—the 2π phase-winding topological defects—in antiferromagnetic NiO crystals can exhibit ferromagnetic behaviors. We study how these defects could give rise to topological orders when they interact with a high-energy electron beam. To probe this interaction, we formed a coherent electron nanobeam in a scanning transmission electron microscope and recorded the far-field transmitted patterns as the beam steps through the edge dislocation core in [001] NiO. Surprisingly, we found the amplitude patterns of the <020> Bragg disks evolve in a similar manner to the evolution of an annular solar eclipse. Using the ptychographic technique, we recovered the missing phase information in the diffraction plane and revealed the topological phase vortices in the diffracted beams. Through atomic topological defects, the wave function of electrons can be converted from plane wave to electron vortex. Technologically, this approach provides a feasible route for the fabrication of phase plates that can generate electron vortex beams with an angular separation that is three orders of magnitude larger than what traditional nanofabrication technology can offer. This advance will enable the collection of magnetic circular dichroism spectra with high spatial resolution and high efficiency, boosting the understanding of the relationship between symmetry breaking and magnetic property of individual topological defect at the atomic scale.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2016

Generating multiple orbital angular momentum vortex beams using a metasurface in radio frequency domain

In this paper, an electromagnetic metasurface is designed, fabricated, and experimentally demonstrated to generate multiple orbital angular momentum (OAM) vortex beams in radio frequency domain. Theoretical formula of compensated phase-shift distribution is deduced and used to design the metasurface to produce multiple vortex radio waves in different directions with different OAM modes. The prototype of a practical configuration of square-patch metasurface is designed, fabricated, and measured to validate the theoretical analysis at 5.8 GHz. The simulated and experimental results verify that multiple OAM vortex waves can be simultaneously generated by using a single electromagnetic metasurface. The proposed method paves an effective way to generate multiple OAM vortex waves in radio and microwave wireless communication applications.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2017

Discontinuities in the electromagnetic fields of vortex beams in the complex source-sink model

An analytical discontinuity is reported in what was thought to be the discontinuity-free exact nonparaxial vortex beam phasor obtained within the complex source-sink model. This discontinuity appears for all odd values of the orbital angular momentum mode. Such discontinuities in the phasor lead to nonphysical discontinuities in the real electromagnetic field components. We identify the source of the discontinuities, and provide graphical evidence of the discontinuous real electric fields for the first and third orbital angular momentum modes. Additionally, a simple means of avoiding these discontinuities is presented.

74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2016

Measuring mode indices of a partially coherent vortex beam with Hanbury Brown and Twiss type experiment

It is known that the cross-correlation function (CCF) of a partially coherent vortex (PCV) beam shows a robust link with the radial and azimuthal mode indices. However, the previous proposals are difficult to measure the CCF in practical systems, especially in the case of astronomical objects. In this letter, we demonstrate experimentally that the Hanbury Brown and Twiss effect can be used to measure the mode indices of the original vortex beam and investigate the relationship between the spatial coherent width and the characterization of CCF of the PCV beam. The technique we exploit is quite efficient and robust, and it may be useful in the field of free space communication and astronomy which are related to the photon's orbital angular momentum.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2014

Direct observation of the topological charge of a terahertz vortex beam generated by a Tsurupica spiral phase plate

A terahertz (THz) spiral phase plate with high transmission (>90% after Fresnel correction) and low dispersion has been developed based on the Tsurupica olefin polymer. Direct observations of the topological charge (both magnitude and sign) of a THz vortex beam are performed by using a THz camera with tilted lens focusing and radial defect introduction. The vortex outputs with a topological charge of ±1 (or ±2) are obtained at a frequency of 2 (or 4) THz.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2014

Highly efficient electron vortex beams generated by nanofabricated phase holograms

We propose an improved type of holographic-plate suitable for the shaping of electron beams. The plate is fabricated by a focused ion beam on a silicon nitride membrane and introduces a controllable phase shift to the electron wavefunction. We adopted the optimal blazed-profile design for the phase hologram, which results in the generation of highly efficient (25%) electron vortex beams. This approach paves the route towards applications in nano-scale imaging and materials science.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗