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Full-Text Articles in Physics

Ultrashort Pulse Laser Filamentation Electrical And Optical Diagnostic Comparison, James E. Wymer Aug 2022

Ultrashort Pulse Laser Filamentation Electrical And Optical Diagnostic Comparison, James E. Wymer

Optical Science and Engineering ETDs

Results presented here examine the effect of changing gas pressure on the radio frequency (RF) emissions of an ultrashort pulse laser filament plasma and how those emissions vary longitudinally in the laser focal region. We use a WR284 rectangular waveguide with a 1.5 cm hole that allows the beam through. A 3.2 GHz microwave signal is emitted in the waveguide, and signals are received through a waveguide-to-coax antenna connected to an HP8470B Schottky diode. By enabling and disabling the 3.2 GHz signal, we measure both the self-emitted RF from a USPL filament and subsequently the degree of attenuation a filament …


The Population Densities Of Argon Metastable Levels, Nada Khogeer, Chelsy Gonzalez, Milka Nikolic Apr 2019

The Population Densities Of Argon Metastable Levels, Nada Khogeer, Chelsy Gonzalez, Milka Nikolic

Physics and Astronomy

In this experiment, we used the optical emission spectroscopy (OES) method to obtain the main properties of low temperature Argon plasma. The experiment was sustained in powers and pressures that ranges from 30-100 W and 15-100 mTorr. We used numerical methods for the Argon kinetic model to calculate metastable levels and resonant states for the first excited states in low temperature Argon plasma. By finding the ratio of two spectral lines and finding another ratio from a different upper energy level that goes down to the same two lower energy levels, we can construct a system of two nonlinear equations. …


Construction And Optimization Of A Tapered Amplifier System For Applications In Ultra-Cold Plasma Research, Ryan Cole Jan 2015

Construction And Optimization Of A Tapered Amplifier System For Applications In Ultra-Cold Plasma Research, Ryan Cole

Honors Theses

The number density of cold atoms confined in a magneto-optical trap (MOT) is critically dependent on the intensity of the lasers used to cool the sample. To generate large optical powers while retaining the practicality of homemade external cavity diode lasers (ECDLs), a tapered amplifier (TA) system was designed and constructed to amplify the output of an existing 780 nm, continuous-wave ECDL. The amplifier’s performance is discussed in terms of its gain and power output. Under standard operating conditions, optical amplification of 12 dB is achieved, with a maximum power output of 0.75 W. The completed amplifier is installed into …


High Resolution Time-Resolved Imaging System In The Vacuum Ultraviolet Region, Yuseong Jang Jan 2014

High Resolution Time-Resolved Imaging System In The Vacuum Ultraviolet Region, Yuseong Jang

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

High-power debris-free vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) light sources have applications in several scientific and engineering areas, such as high volume manufacturing lithography and inspection tools in the semiconductor industry, as well as other applications in material processing and photochemistry. For the past decades, the semiconductor industry has been driven by what is called "Moore's Law". The entire semiconductor industry relies on this rule, which requires chip makers to pack transistors more tightly with every new generation of chips, shrinking the size of transistors. The ability to solve roadmap challenges is, at least partly, proportional to our ability to measure them. The …


Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy, Connor Drake Jun 2011

Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy, Connor Drake

Physics

The goal of this work is to use a Neodymium-Doped Yttrium Aluminum Garnet (Nd:YAG) Laser, spectrometer, and computer to create a Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) system. LIBS utilizes a focused, high-powered, pulsed laser whose peak electric field ionizes materials at the beam focal point, creating localized plasma. The plasma state includes broken molecular bonds, atom/electron-ionization, and excited electrons, which on the macroscopic level is a loud “snap” and a bright spark. In this project, a fiber optic cable is used to capture light emitted from the spark, and direct it into a spectrometer which tallies the number of photons …


The Effects Of Electrode Geometry On Current Pulse Caused By Electrical Discharge Over An Ultra-Fast Laser Filament, Matthew Bubelnik Jan 2005

The Effects Of Electrode Geometry On Current Pulse Caused By Electrical Discharge Over An Ultra-Fast Laser Filament, Matthew Bubelnik

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The time-resolved electrical conductivity of a short-pulse generated plasma filament in air was studied. Close-coupled metal electrodes were used to discharge the stored energy of a high-voltage capacitor and the resulting microsecond-scale electrical discharge was measured using fast current sensors. Significant differences in the time dependence of the current were seen with the two electrode geometries used. Using sharp-tipped electrodes additional peaks in the time-resolved conductivity were seen, relative to the single peak seen with spherical electrodes. We attribute these additional features to secondary electron collisional ionization brought about by field enhancement at the tips. Additional discrepancies in the currents …