Electromagnetics and Photonics Commons^™

Functional Nanoparticles In Thin Films As Sensing Media, Elena A. Guliants, Ryan Schwarb, Hope Bearbower, James R. Gord, Christopher E. Bunker

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

The combination of unique properties offered by materials on the nanoscale with the increased role of surface chemistry in nanostructured solids makes core-shell nanoparticles extremely attractive for application to "smart" thin-film coatings. Sensing properties of nanoparticle-based thin films were studied in several systems containing organic-coated semiconductor and metallic particles. In semiconductors, the interaction of organic shell and/or thin-film "matrix" with the environment results in changes in the nanoparticle's surface states, altering the optical properties of the thin film. Measuring the electrical properties of thin films composed of metallic cores with hydrocarbon shells offers another mechanism to monitor the local environment …

Refractive Indices Of Liquid Crystals And Their Applications In Display And Photonic Devices, Jun Li

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Liquid crystals (LCs) are important materials for flat panel display and photonic devices. Most LC devices use electrical field-, magnetic field-, or temperature-induced refractive index change to modulate the incident light. Molecular constituents, wavelength, and temperature are the three primary factors determining the liquid crystal refractive indices: ne and no for the extraordinary and ordinary rays, respectively. In this dissertation, we derive several physical models for describing the wavelength and temperature effects on liquid crystal refractive indices, average refractive index, and birefringence. Based on these models, we develop some high temperature gradient refractive index LC mixtures for photonic applications, such …

Discrete Wave Propagation In Quadratically Nonlinear Media, Robert Iwanow

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Discrete models are used in describing various microscopic phenomena in many branches of science, ranging from biology through chemistry to physics. Arrays of evanescently coupled, equally spaced, identical waveguides are prime examples of optical structures in which discrete dynamics can be easily observed and investigated. As a result of discretization, these structures exhibit unique diffraction properties with no analogy in continuous systems. Recently nonlinear discrete optics has attracted a growing interest, triggered by the observation of discrete solitons in AlGaAs waveguide arrays reported by Eisenberg et al. in 1998. So far, the following experiments involved systems with third order nonlinearities. …

Interphase Exchange Coupling In Fe/Sm-Co Bilayers With Gradient Fe Thickness, Ming-Hui Yu, Jason R. Hattrick-Simpers, Ichiro Takeuchi, Jing Li, Z. L. Wang, J. P. Liu, S. E. Lofland, Somdev Tyagi, J. W. Freeland, D. Giubertoni, M. Bersani, M. Anderle

Faculty Publications

We have fabricated Fe∕Sm–Co bilayers with gradient Fe thicknesses in order to systematically study the dependence of exchange coupling on the thickness of the Fe layer. The Fe layer was deposited at two different temperatures (150 and 300°C) to study the effect of deposition temperature on the exchange coupling. Magneto-optical Kerr effect and x-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD) have been employed as nondestructive rapid characterization tools to map the magnetic properties of the gradient samples. Systematic enhancement in exchange coupling between the soft layer and the hard layer is observed as the soft layer thickness is decreased. Separate exchange couplings …

Design Of A Dynamic Focusing Microscope Objective For Oct Imaging, Supraja Murali

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) is a novel optical imaging technique that has assumed significant importance in bio-medical imaging in the last two decades because it is non-invasive and provides accurate, high resolution images of three dimensional cross-sections of body tissue, exceeding the capabilities of the current predominant imaging technique –ultrasound. In this thesis, high resolution OCT is investigated for in vivo detection of abnormal skin pathology for the early diagnosis of cancer. The technology presented is based on a dynamic focusing microscopic imaging probe conceived for skin imaging and the detection of abnormalities in the epithelium. A novel method for …

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 …

A New Hybrid Diffractive Photo-Mask Technology, Jin Won Sung

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In the field of photolithography for micro-chip manufacturing, the photo-mask is used to print desired patterns on a proper photo-resist on wafer. The most common type of photo-mask is binary amplitude mask made an opaque layer of chrome. The principle and potential application of hybrid photo-mask with diffractive phase element and binary amplitude is presented in this dissertation paper from both numerical modeling and experimental research. The first important application is the characterization of aberration in the stepper system using hybrid diffractive photo-mask. By utilizing multiple diffractive illumination conditions, it is possible to characterize Zernike wave front aberration coefficients up …

Spectral Signature Modification By Application Of Infrared Frequency-Selective Surfaces, Brian Monacelli

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

It is desirable to modify the spectral signature of a surface, particularly in the infrared (IR) region of the electromagnetic spectrum. To alter the surface signature in the IR, two methods are investigated: thin film application and antenna array application. The former approach is a common and straightforward incorporation of optically-thin film coatings on the surface designated for signature modification. The latter technique requires the complex design of a periodic array of passive microantenna elements to cover the surface in order to modify its signature. This technology is known as frequency selective surface (FSS) technology and is established in the …

Liquid Crystal Optics For Communications, Signal Processing And 3-D Microscopic Imaging, Sajjad Khan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation proposes, studies and experimentally demonstrates novel liquid crystal (LC) optics to solve challenging problems in RF and photonic signal processing, freespace and fiber optic communications and microscopic imaging. These include free-space optical scanners for military and optical wireless applications, variable fiber-optic attenuators for optical communications, photonic control techniques for phased array antennas and radar, and 3-D microscopic imaging. At the heart of the applications demonstrated in this thesis are LC devices that are non-pixelated and can be controlled either electrically or optically. Instead of the typical pixel-by-pixel control as is custom in LC devices, the phase profile across …

Design And Assessment Of Compact Optical Systems Towards Special Effects Imaging, Vesselin Chaoulov

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A main challenge in the field of special effects is to create special effects in real time in a way that the user can preview the effect before taking the actual picture or movie sequence. There are many techniques currently used to create computer-simulated special effects, however current techniques in computer graphics do not provide the option for the creation of real-time texture synthesis. Thus, while computer graphics is a powerful tool in the field of special effects, it is neither portable nor does it provide work in real-time capabilities. Real-time special effects may, however, be created optically. Such approach …

Tunable Liquid Crystal Photonic Devices, Yun-Hsing Fan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Liquid crystal (LC)-based adaptive optics are important for information processing, optical interconnections, photonics, integrated optics, and optical communications due to their tunable optical properties. In this dissertation, we describe novel liquid crystal photonic devices and their fabrication methods. The devices presented include inhomogeneous polymer-dispersed liquid crystal (PDLC), polymer network liquid crystals (PNLC) and phase-separated composite film (PSCOF). Liquid crystal/polymer composites could exist in different forms depending on the fabrication conditions. In Chap. 3, we demonstrate a novel nanoscale PDLC device that has inhomogeneous droplet size distribution. In such a PDLC, the inhomogeneous droplet size distribution is obtained by exposing the …

System Design And Optimization Of Optical Coherence Tomography, Avni Ceyhun Akcay

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Optical coherence imaging, including tomography (OCT) and microscopy (OCM), has been a growing research field in biomedical optical imaging in the last decade. In this imaging modality, a broadband light source, thus of short temporal coherence length, is used to perform imaging via interferometry. A challenge in optical coherence imaging, as in any imaging system towards biomedical diagnosis, is the quantification of image quality and optimization of the system components, both a primary focus of this research. We concentrated our efforts on the optimization of the imaging system from two main standpoints: axial point spread function (PSF) and practical steps …

Interferometry-Based Free Space Communication And Information Processing, Muzamil Arshad Arain

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation studies, analyzes, and experimentally demonstrates the innovative use of interference phenomenon in the field of opto-electronic information processing and optical communications. A number of optical systems using interferometric techniques both in the optical and the electronic domains has been demonstrated in the filed of signal transmission and processing, optical metrology, defense, and physical sensors. Specifically it has been shown that the interference of waves in the form of holography can be exploited to realize a novel optical scanner called Code Multiplexed Optical Scanner (C-MOS). The C-MOS features large aperture, wide scan angles, 3-D beam control, no moving parts, …

Optical Wave Propagation In Discrete Waveguide Arrays, Jared Hudock

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The propagation dynamics of light in optical waveguide arrays is characteristic of that encountered in discrete systems. As a result, it is possible to engineer the diffraction properties of such structures, which leads to the ability to control the flow of light in ways that are impossible in continuous media. In this work, a detailed theoretical investigation of both linear and nonlinear optical wave propagation in one- and two-dimensional waveguide lattices is presented. The ability to completely overcome the effects of discrete diffraction through the mutual trapping of two orthogonally polarized coherent beams interacting in Kerr nonlinear arrays of birefringent …

High Gain / Broadband Oxide Glasses For Next Generation Raman Amplifiers, Clara Rivero

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Interest in Raman amplification has undergone a revival due to the rapidly increasing bandwidth requirements for communications transmission, both for long haul and local area networks, and recent developments in the telecom fiber industry and diode laser technology. In contrast to rare earth doped fiber amplifiers, for which the range of wavelengths is fixed and limited, Raman gain bandwidths are larger and the operating wavelength is fixed only by the pump wavelength and the bandwidth of the Raman active medium. In this context, glasses are the material of choice for this application due to their relatively broad spectral response, and …

Coherence Properties Of Optical Near-Fields, Adela Apostol

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Next generation photonics-based technologies will ultimately rely on novel materials and devices. For this purpose, phenomena at subwavelength scales are being studied to advance both fundamental knowledge and experimental capabilities. In this dissertation, concepts specific to near-field optics and experimental capabilities specific to near-field microscopy are used to investigate various aspects of the statistical properties of random electromagnetic fields in the vicinity of optically inhomogeneous media which emit or scatter radiation. The properties of such fields are being characterized within the frame of the coherence theory. While successful in describing the far-field properties of optical fields, the fundamental results of …

Liquid Crystal Materials And Tunable Devices For Optical Communications, Fang Du

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In this dissertation, liquid crystal materials and devices are investigated in meeting the challenges for photonics and communications applications. The first part deals with polymer-stabilized liquid crystal (PSLC) materials and devices. Three polymer-stabilized liquid crystal systems are developed for optical communications. The second part reports the experimental investigation of a novel liquid-crystal-infiltrated photonic crystal fiber (PCF) and explores its applications in fiber-optic communications. The curing temperature is found to have significant effects on the PSLC performance. The electro-optic properties of nematic polymer network liquid crystal (PNLC) at different curing temperatures are investigated experimentally. At high curing temperature, a high contrast, …

Wide Angle Decentered Lens Beam Steering For Infrared Countermeasures Applications, Jennifer L. Gibson, Bradley D. Duncan, Edward A. Watson, John S. Loomis

Electro-Optics and Photonics Faculty Publications

A beam-steering system consisting of three cemented achromatic doublets is presented. Intended for use in IR countermeasure applications, our system is designed to operate over the 2- to 5-μm spectrum with minimum angular dispersion. We show that dispersion can be minimized by using doublet lenses fashioned from AMTIR-1 and germanium. Our system is designed to be compact and lightweight, with no internal foci, while allowing steering to ±22.5 deg. We also maintain a minimum 2-in. clear aperture for all steering angles, and a nominal divergence of 1 mrad. Plane wave and Gaussian beam analyses of our system are presented.

Modeling And Simulation Of Photonic Crystal Fibers Using Finite Difference Frequency Domain Method, Md. Khalid Ikram

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Photonic crystal fibers (PCFs) allow guiding light in low-index core. These fibers exhibit properties such as single-mode operation in broad wavelength region. The mode shape and group velocity dispersion can be controlled by designing the microstructures of the cladding. In order to study these properties, a fast, efficient, and highly accurate numerical modeling method is required.

A full-vectorial finite-difference frequency-domain (FDFD) method is implemented. The modal properties of conventional step index fiber and index-guiding PCF are analyzed using this modeling technique. Compared to plane wave expansion and biorthogonal basis methods, FDFD is found to be simple, reliable, and efficient. PCFs …

Lorentz-Violating Electrostatics And Magnetostatics, Quentin G. Bailey, V. Alan Kostelecký

Publications

Electromagnetostatics experiments show promise for improving existing sensitivities to parity-odd coefficients for Lorentz violation in the photon sector.

Volume Holographic Recording And Readout For 90-Deg Geometry, Partha P. Banerjee, Monish Ranjan Chatterjee, Nickolai Kukhtarev, Tatiana Kukhtareva

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

When a prerecorded cross-beam hologram is reconstructed (so-called edge-lit readout) with a uniform plane wave and a point source, the resulting exact solutions reveal Bessel-function-type diffracted beam profiles, which are fundamentally modified under weak propagational diffraction. The case of a profiled beam readout with propagational diffraction may be analyzed using a transfer function approach based on 2-D Laplace transforms. In a second series of investigations, dynamic readout from a cross-beam volume hologram recorded with two orthogonal uniform plane waves is considered for various dependences of the refractive index modulation with intensity. Typically, refractive index profiles that are proportional to the …

Volume Holographic Optical Elements, Ching-Cherng Sun, Partha P. Banerjee

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

The final two papers are concerned with the analysis of novel holograms. Banerjee et al. investigate holographic recording and reconstruction for edge-lit holograms recorded in a 90-degree geometry. Various cases of recording and readout that incorporate propagational diffraction have been modeled. It is shown that the 90-degree geometry can result in beam shaping, as evidenced through preliminary experimental results with photorefractive lithium niobate. Nguyen et al. propose a new approach for designing computer-generated holograms. An artificial neural network is used to initiate the genetic algorithm so that the high computation cost of genetic algorithms for synthesizing holograms is significantly reduced …

Fuzzy Modeling Of Electromagnetic Emissions From Portable Electronic Devices Onboard Commercial Aircraft, Madiha Jamil Jafri

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The use of Portable Electronic Devices (PEDs) is prohibited during take-off and landing of an aircraft because PEDs may emit signals that can interfere with the aircraft's navigation and communication systems. The electromagnetic interference (EMI) on the aircraft's electronics due to PEDs emissions is examined for Boeing 737 and 747 aircraft. This work, funded by the NASA Graduate Researchers Program, uses Interference Path Loss (IPL) data, collected by researchers from NASA Langley Research Center, Eagles Wings Inc. and United Airlines on several out-of-service United B737 and B747 airplanes.

B737 and B747 IPL data has been analyzed using a graphical analysis …

Estimating Equatorial F-Region Daytime Vertical E X B Drift Velocities From Ground-Based Magnetometer Measurements In The Philippine Longitude Sector, Shauna M. Kinkela

Theses and Dissertations

Ionospheric disturbances can severely impact Department of Defense (DoD) systems, such as radar. satellite. and navigation technologies. Forecasting disturbances and describing the Earth's ionosphere, in turn, relies upon innovative computer-based models that gather input parameters from ground and space-borne observations and empirical models for ionospheric drivers. Equatorial E x B drift velocities are significant input parameters that go into many ionospheric models, because they help describe vertical plasma motions near the magnetic equator. Previous work by Anderson, et al 2002 has demonstrated the ability to derive Peruvian longitude sector, daytime vertical E x B drifts from ground-based magnetometer data. The …

Comparative Study On The Use Of Coherent Radar-Derived Electric Fields Vs. Statistical Electric Fields For The Initialization Of A High-Latitude Ionospheric Model, Christopher M. Hogue

Theses and Dissertations

The structure and time development of the magnetosphere-ionosphere system have significant impacts on the Air Force and its mission. Specifically, an accurate knowledge of ionospheric plasma densities is important for the operation of many Air Force systems. This research analyzes plasma density structure development through comparing two distinct electric field models. The two models compared here are a commonly used statistical model created by Heppner and Maynard 1987, and a more recently developed model using real-time coherent radar measurements from the SuperDARN radar network. Ionospheric simulations were run using Utah State University s Time-Dependent Ionospheric Model (TDIM) with the two …

Interferometric And Holographic Imaging Of Surface-Breaking Cracks, James Lawrence Blackshire, Bradley D. Duncan

Electro-Optics and Photonics Faculty Publications

Two advanced nondestructive evaluation systems are developed for imaging surface-breaking cracks in aerospace materials. The systems use scanning heterodyne interferometry and frequency-translated holography principles to image ultrasonic displacement fields on material surfaces with high resolution and sensitivity. Surface-breaking cracks are detected and characterized by visualizing near-field ultrasonic scattering processes, which in turn results in local intensification of ultrasonic displacement fields in the immediate vicinity of a crack. The local intensification permits cracks to be easily distinguished from background levels, and creates unique displacement field images that follow the contours and morphology of the cracks with microscopic precision. The interferometric and …

An Analysis Of Electromagnetic Interference (Emi) Of Ultra Wideband(Uwb) And Ieee 802.11a Wireless Local Area Network (Wlan) Employing Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (Ofdm), Juan Lopez Jr.

Theses and Dissertations

Military communications require the rapid deployment of mobile, high-bandwidth systems. These systems must provide anytime, anywhere capabilities with minimal interference to existing military, private, and commercial communications. Ultra Wideband (UWB) technology is being advanced as the next generation radio technology and has the potential to revolutionize indoor wireless communications. The ability of UWB to mitigate multipath fading, provide high-throughput data rates (e.g., greater than 100 Mbps), provide excellent signal penetration (e.g., through walls), and low implementation costs makes it an ideal technology for a wide range of private and public sector applications. Preliminary UWB studies conducted by The Institute for …

Chemical Structure - Nonlinear Optical Property Relationships For A Series Of Two-Photon Absorbing Fluorene Molecules, Joel Mccajah Hales

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation reports on the investigation of two-photon absorption (2PA) in a series of fluorenyl molecules. Several current and emerging technologies exploit this optical nonlinearity including two-photon fluorescence imaging, three-dimensional microfabrication, site-specific photodynamic cancer therapy and biological caging studies. The two key features of this nonlinearity which make it an ideal candidate for the above applications are its quadratic dependence on the incident irradiance and the improved penetration into absorbing media that it affords. As a consequence of the burgeoning field which exploits 2PA, it is a goal to find materials that exhibit strong two-photon absorbing capabilities. Organic materials are …

Selective Mode Excitation In Specialty Waveguides Using Micro Optical, Waleed Mohammed

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Although optical fibers and specialty waveguides are the base of majority of today's telecom and light delivery applications, fabrication deformation, nonlinearity and attenuation limit the bandwidth of the data being transmitted or the amount of power carried by these systems. One-way to overcome these limitations without changing the fibers design or fabrication is to engineer the input light in order to excite a certain mode or a group of modes with unique optical properties. Diffractive and micro optics are highly effective for selectively coupling light to specific modes. Using micro optics, mode selective coupling can be achieved through several matching …

Discrete Nonlinear Wave Propagation In Kerr Nonlinear Media, Joachim Meier

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Discrete optical systems are a subgroup of periodic structures in which the evolution of a continuous electromagnetic field can be described by a discrete model. In this model, the total field is the sum of localized, discrete modes. Weakly coupled arrays of single mode channel waveguides have been known to fall into this class of systems since the late 1960's. Nonlinear discrete optics has received a considerable amount of interest in the last few years, triggered by the experimental realization of discrete solitons in a Kerr nonlinear AlGaAs waveguide array by H. Eisenberg and coworkers in 1998. In this work …