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Physics

2001

Theses and Dissertations

Articles 1 - 13 of 13

Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics

Laser Intensity Scaling Through Stimulated Scattering In Optical Fibers, Timothy H. Russell Dec 2001

Laser Intensity Scaling Through Stimulated Scattering In Optical Fibers, Timothy H. Russell

Theses and Dissertations

The influence of stimulated scattering on laser intensity in fiber optic waveguides is examined. Stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) in long, multimode optical waveguides is found to generate a Stokes beam that propagates in the fiber LP01 mode. Additionally, the same process is found to combine multiple laser beams into a single spatially coherent source. Limitations in beam cleanup and combining are also investigated to identify ways to overcome them. The last portion of the dissertation theoretically examines suppression of stimulated Raman scattering in fibers to eliminate the restriction this imposes on the power of a fiber laser or amplifier. The …

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Reduced Order Modeling For High Speed Flows With Moving Shocks, David J. Lucia Dec 2001

Reduced Order Modeling For High Speed Flows With Moving Shocks, David J. Lucia

Theses and Dissertations

The use of Proper Orthogonal Decomposition (POD) for reduced order modeling (ROM) of fluid problems is extended to high-speed compressible fluid flows. The challenge in using POD for high-speed flows is presented by the presence of moving discontinuities in the flow field. To overcome these difficulties, a domain decomposition approach is developed that isolates the region containing the moving shock wave for special treatment. The domain decomposition implementation produces internal boundaries between the various domain sections. The domains are linked using optimization-based solvers which employ constraints to ensure smoothness in overlapping portions of the internal boundary. This approach is applied …

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Modeling Axisymmetric Optical Precision Piezoelectric Membranes, James W. Rogers Jr. Oct 2001

Modeling Axisymmetric Optical Precision Piezoelectric Membranes, James W. Rogers Jr.

Theses and Dissertations

The US Department of Defense (DOD), as well as the National Aeronautics and Astronautics Administration (NASA) and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) are interested in developing and deploying precise, compliant, light-weight, space-based structures. More specifically, the Air Force’s core competencies ‘Aerospace Superiority’ and ‘Information Superiority’ demand ever-increasing depth and breadth of capability. Whether used for energy transmission or optical reconnaissance, current launch restraints limit rigid space-based optical reflector size. To support this requirement, the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) is developing a large space-based optical membrane telescope. Inflatable reflectors can conceptually break this barrier, but controlling such a compliant structure …

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Single-Sided Noninvasive Inspection Of Multielement Sample Using Fan-Beam Multiplexed Compton Scatter Tomography, Matthew A. Lange Jun 2001

Single-Sided Noninvasive Inspection Of Multielement Sample Using Fan-Beam Multiplexed Compton Scatter Tomography, Matthew A. Lange

Theses and Dissertations

As aircraft age, corrosion forms upon unobservable surfaces, particularly at the junction of the sheet aluminum and the steel rivets used to attach the sheets to the airframe, degrading the aircraft s airworthiness. Previous research developed a noninvasive technique for the evaluation of the material composition of aluminum surfaces, utilizing the information encoded in the energy spectra of Compton-scattered gamma emissions. The spectra are gathered by a six-element, high purity germanium detector array. A, first principles, deterministic computer code is used to reconstruct a two-dimensional map of the electron density of aluminum samples. Previous efforts, to image pure aluminum samples, …

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Time-Resolved Photoluminescence Of Inas/Gainsb Quantum Well Lasers, Michael R. Mckay Jun 2001

Time-Resolved Photoluminescence Of Inas/Gainsb Quantum Well Lasers, Michael R. Mckay

Theses and Dissertations

In the world of semiconductor photonic device fabrication, one important objective may be to extract as much light as possible from the device. In these devices, photons are created when electrons recombine with holes by transitioning from a high-energy state to a lower one. Unfortunately, electron-hole recombination does not always result in the formation of a photon. There are three basic types of recombination: the first results in the formation of a photon and is called radiative recombination; and the second and third, known as Shockley-Read-Hall and Auger recombination, result in the heating of the device and do not produce …

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Spectroscopic Constants, Lifetimes And Predissociation Rates For Bi2A(0+U), Michael W. Dolezal Mar 2001

Spectroscopic Constants, Lifetimes And Predissociation Rates For Bi2A(0+U), Michael W. Dolezal

Theses and Dissertations

More than 100,000 spectral features from a Bi2(X1 Σ+g → A(0+u)) absorption spectrum, encompassing 0 ≤ v' ≤ 91, 0 ≤ v" ≤ 7 and J2(A). Ground state constants, reported by Barrow et al. [1], remain unchanged. The new constants are used to redefine the A-state potential using traditional RKR methods and to set the dissociation energy at De = 29,913 cm"1, which correlates A-state dissociation products to 4S + 2D atoms. A pulsed dye laser apparatus was used to obtain lifetime data for Bi2A(0+u) …

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Numerical Study Of Optical Delay In Semiconductor Multilayer Distributed Bragg Reflector And Tunable Microcavity Structures, Michael I. K. Etan Mar 2001

Numerical Study Of Optical Delay In Semiconductor Multilayer Distributed Bragg Reflector And Tunable Microcavity Structures, Michael I. K. Etan

Theses and Dissertations

The Air Force has a growing need for the greater bandwidth, speed, and flexibility offered by optical communication links. Future space systems and airborne platforms will most likely use optical signals for efficient power transmission and to minimize the possibility of spoofing and eavesdropping. Tunable optical delays play an important role in the implementation of free space optical communication links. The primary challenge in implementing these systems is the active maintenance of coherent wave fronts across the system's optical aperture. For space applications, this aperture may he hundreds of meters in diameter. Spatial segmentation of a large aperture into smaller …

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Analyzing The Effects Of Meteorology On Radar Measured Index Of Refraction Structure Parameter, Jeffrey W. Budai Mar 2001

Analyzing The Effects Of Meteorology On Radar Measured Index Of Refraction Structure Parameter, Jeffrey W. Budai

Theses and Dissertations

Forecasting optical turbulence is essential for the Air Force's Airborne Laser program to optimize placement of aircraft. To find bow meteorology affects Cn2, the intensity of turbulence in the index of refraction, case studies of synoptically interesting times are first chosen. Correlation coefficients are then computed between radar measured Cn2 and meteorological quantities. The potential for mechanically turbulent activity is looked at. In the analysis of this work, six meteorological features were found likely to affect Cn2. Two features associated with affecting potential refractivity, and thus Cn2, are jets …

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Photoluminescence Of Single Quantum Well Structures In Gallium Arsenide, Christian A. Bartholomew Mar 2001

Photoluminescence Of Single Quantum Well Structures In Gallium Arsenide, Christian A. Bartholomew

Theses and Dissertations

The continued development of state-of the-art semiconductor technologies and devices by the United States Air Force and the Department of Defense requires accurate and efficient techniques to evaluate and model these new materials. Of particular interest to the Air Force are quantum well structures which can be used for small-scale laser sources in fly-by-light applications, as efficient infrared countermeasures to heat-seeking missiles, or as advanced seekers in optically guided missiles. This thesis provides the initial experimental procedures and data necessary to begin producing accurate yet robust models. Although carrier effective masses could not be evaluated using hot-electron photoluminescence, photoluminescence excitation …

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Spectral And Temporal Characterization Of High Temperature Events, William F. Bagby Mar 2001

Spectral And Temporal Characterization Of High Temperature Events, William F. Bagby

Theses and Dissertations

The remote observations of the temporal and spectral characteristics of the infrared (IR) emissions from exploding ordnance have been correlated with explosion conditions. A Bomem MR-154 Fourier Transform Interferometer with two detectors, InSb and HgCdTe, was used to record spectra in the 1.3 - 20 micrometers range. Data was collected at spectral resolutions of 16/cm and 4/cm, and temporal resolutions of 0.045 sand 0.123 5, respectively. The data files range in size from 900 Kilobytes to several Megabytes. These are reduced to 2-dimensional representations of temporal features that are less than 100 Kilobytes. The data analysis indicates the possibility of …

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Attenuation And Refraction Of An Electromagnetic Wave In An Electron Beam Generated Plasma, Nathaniel P. Lockwood Mar 2001

Attenuation And Refraction Of An Electromagnetic Wave In An Electron Beam Generated Plasma, Nathaniel P. Lockwood

Theses and Dissertations

Artificially generated plasmas may be employed to alter the propagation characteristics of electromagnetic waves. The purpose of this report is to study the propagation of electromagnetic waves in an electron beam generated plasma. To understand the physics related to this concept requires the development of computational tools dealing with a plasma created by an electron beam, an assessment of the temporal and spatial evolution of the plasma, and a characterization of the refraction and attenuation of electromagnetic (EM) waves in a collisional plasma. Three computer programs were developed to characterize the effectiveness of an electron beam generated plasma in refracting …

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Control And Characterization Of Line-Addressable Micromirror Arrays, Harris J. Hall Mar 2001

Control And Characterization Of Line-Addressable Micromirror Arrays, Harris J. Hall

Theses and Dissertations

This research involved the design and implementation of a complete line-addressable control system for a 32x32 electrostatic piston-actuated micromirror array device. Line addressing reduces the number of control lines from N2 to 2N making it possible to design larger arrays and arrays with smaller element sizes. The system utilizes the electromechanical bi-stability of individual elements to bold arbitrary bi-stable phase patterns. The control system applies pulse width modulated (PWM) signals to the rows and columns of the micromirror array. Three modes of operation were conceived and built into the system. The first was the traditional signal scheme which requires …

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Use Of Quantum Mechanical Calculations To Investigate Small Silicon Carbide Clusters, Jean W. Henry Mar 2001

Use Of Quantum Mechanical Calculations To Investigate Small Silicon Carbide Clusters, Jean W. Henry

Theses and Dissertations

Density Functional Theory (DFT) method was employed to model silicon carbide small clusters. Comparing the DFT calculation results with experimental results that observed by using photoelectron spectroscopy (PES), DFT predicts the same structures that experiment observed. For electron affinity, DFT results are in good agreement with experimental results, the root mean square negative offset 0.1 eV found using medium size of basis set (cc-pVDZ+) calculation. DFT results for vibrational frequencies are in good agreement with experiment results; the root mean square error is 72.5 cm-1 wave number. 16 ground state structures of SimCn (m ≤ 4, …

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