Search

We have demonstrated enhanced light emission from a CdSe/ZnS quantum dot scintillator film in the normal direction by photonic crystal structures. With the control of the photonic crystal structures, a two-fold enhancement was achieved for the wavelength-integrated emission spectra under the excitation of both ultra-violet and X-rays, which is beneficial to radiation detection applications. Furthermore, it is found that the optical properties such as the bandwidth and peak wavelength can be controlled by adjusting the thickness of a TiO2 conformal layer which was deposited on the surface of the photonic crystal slab formed from solidified resist. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A whipple shield using Al/PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene) energetic material to protect against space debris is presented. The hypervelocity impact characteristics were investigated experimentally using a two-stage light gas gun at velocities between 3 and 6 km/s. A good protection of the shield was obtained through comparative experiments which used the same bumper areal density. The results showed that the critical projectile diameter can be improved by 28% by contrast with the Christiansen ballistic limit equations. The Al/PTFE energetic material bumper can break up the projectile into smaller, less massive, and slower projectiles due to the combined effect of impact and explosion, thereby producing a sharp rise in the spacecraft protection ability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Details a study of a gallium phosphide, hemispherical, solid immersion lens through the imaging of 40-nanometer-diameter fluorescent dye balls. Spatial resolution as small as 139 nanometer at a wavelength of 560 nanometer; Diffraction-limited system of numerical aperture 2.0.

Derives a thermodynamic equation-of-state (EOS) for porous materials in a wide pressure range. Combination of EOS with Rankine-Hugoniot relations for material behavior prediction; Development of a theoretical model valid for Hugoniot predictions; Determination of a porous material volume under isobaric conditions.

We have demonstrated that periodical arrays of silver nanoparticles can enhance the light emission from a plastic scintillator layer on the surface of a silicon substrate. The enhancement is attributed to surface lattice resonances with a photonic-plasmonic nature. Although the enhancement exhibits directional characteristics for individual wavelengths, the wavelength-integrated enhancement shows a monotonous increase with increasing emission angle. As a result, an overall 1.81-fold wavelength- and angle-integrated enhancement has been obtained. This observation is promising for fundamental and applied research into enhanced luminescent material layers on opaque substrates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A capillary co-flow focusing process is developed to generate stimuli-responsive microbubbles (SRMs) that comprise perfluorocarbon (PFC) suspension of silver nanoparticles (SNPs) in a lipid shell. Upon continuous laser irradiation at around their surface plasmon resonance band, the SNPs effectively absorb electromagnetic energy, induce heat accumulation in SRMs, trigger PFC vaporization, and eventually lead to thermal expansion and fragmentation of the SRMs. This optical droplet vaporization (ODV) process is further simulated by a theoretical model that combines heat generation of SNPs, phase change of PFC, and thermal expansion of SRMs. The model is validated by benchtop experiments, where the ODV process is monitored by microscopic imaging. The effects of primary process parameters on behaviors of ODV are predicted by the theoretical model, indicating the technical feasibility for process control and optimization in future drug delivery applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A compact fiber-optic vector magnetometer based on directional scattering between polarized plasmon waves and ferro-magnetic nanoparticles is demonstrated. The sensor configuration reported in this work uses a short section of tilted fiber Bragg grating (TFBG) coated with a nanometer scale gold film and packaged with a magnetic fluid (Fe3O4) inside a capillary. The transmission spectrum of the sensor provides a fine comb of narrowband resonances that overlap with a broader absorption of the surface plasmon resonance (SPR). The wavelength of the SPR attenuation in transmission shows high sensitivity to slight perturbations by magnetic fields, due to the strong directional scattering between the SPR attenuated cladding modes and the magnetic fluid near the fiber surface. Both the orientation (2 nm/deg) and the intensity (1.8 nm/mT) of magnetic fields can be determined unambiguously from the TFBG spectrum. Temperature cross sensitivity can be referenced out by monitoring the wavelength of the core mode resonance simultaneously. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A series of reverse-impact experiments were performed on vanadium at shock pressure ranging from 32GPa to 88GPa. Particle velocity profiles measured at sample/LiF window interface were used to estimate the sound velocities, shear modulus, and yield stress in shocked vanadium. A phase transition at ~60.5 GPa that may be the body-centered cubic (BCC) to rhombohedral structure was identified by the discontinuity of the sound velocity against shock pressure. This transition pressure is consistent with the results from diamond anvil cell (DAC) experiments and first-principle calculations. However, present results show that the rhombohedral phase has higher strength and shear modulus than the BCC phase, which is contrast to the findings from DAC experiments and theoretical work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report the fabrication and characterization of a lead-silicate glass microsphere resonator. We show that at the wavelengths near 1555 nm high Q modes can be efficiently excited from a 109 μm diameter lead-silicate glass microsphere via evanescent coupling using a tapered silica fiber with a waist diameter of 2 μm. Resonances with Q-factors as high as 0.9×107 were observed. This is very close to the theoretical material-limited Q-factor and is the highest Q-factor reported so far from a nonlinear glass microsphere. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]