Optics Commons^™

Interactions Of Organic Fluorophores With Plasmonic Surface Lattice Resonances, Robert J. Collison

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

It is common knowledge that metals, alloys and pure elements alike, are lustrous and reflective, the more so when a metal surface is flat, polished, and free from oxidation and surface fouling. However, some metals reflect visible light, in the 380 nm to 740 nm range of wavelengths, much more strongly than others. In particular, some metals reflect wavelengths in certain portions of the ultraviolet (UV), visible, and near-infrared (NIR) regime, let us say 200 nm to 2000 nm, while absorbing light strongly in other segments of this range. There are several factors that account for this difference between various …

Third Harmonic Generation: A Method For Visualizing Myelin In The Murine Cerebral Cortex, Michael Redlich

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Here we present the use of Third Harmonic Generation (THG) for the label-free imaging of myelinated axons in the murine cerebral cortex. Myelin plays an important role in the processes of learning and disease. However, much of the myelin biology research thus far has focused on white matter tracts where myelin is more visible. Much is still unknown, particularly with regard to myelin in gray matter. First, we engage in THG microscopy using an optical parametric oscillator pumped by a titanium-sapphire laser to demonstrate the utility of the technique for imaging myelin in vivo. Second, we investigate the use of …

Dynamics Of Transmission In Disordered Topological Insulators, Yuhao Kang, Yiming Huang, Azriel Genack

Publications and Research

Robust transmission in topological insulators makes it possible to steer waves without attenuation along bent paths within imperfectly fabricated photonic devices. But the absence of reflection does not guarantee the fidelity of pulsed transmission which is essential for core photonic functionalities. Pulse transmission is disrupted by localized modes in the bulk of topological insulators which coexist with the continuum edge mode and are pushed deeper into the band gap with increasing disorder. Here we show in simulations of the Haldane model that pulse propagation in disordered topological insulators is robust throughout the central portion of the band gap where localized …

Toward Transformable Photonics: Reversible Deforming Soft Cavities, Controlling Their Resonance Split And Directional Emission, Mark Douvidzon, Shai Maayani, Harel Nagar, Tamir Admon, Vladimir Shuvayev, Lan Yang, Lev Deych, Yael Roichman, Tal Carmon

Publications and Research

We report on reversible and continuously deformable soft micro-resonators and the control of their resonance split and directional emission. Assisted by computerized holographic-tweezers, functioning as an optical deformer of our device, we gradually deform the shape and change the functionality of a droplet whispering-gallery cavity. For example, we continuously deform hexagonal cavities to rectangular ones and demonstrate switching to directionally emitting mode-of-operation, or splitting a resonant mode to a 10-GHz separated doublet. A continuous trend of improving spatial light modulators and tweezers suggests that our method is scalable and can control the shape and functionality of many individual devices. We …

Polarization Sensitive Imaging Techniques Using Quantum Entangled Qubits, Vitaly Sukharenko

Dissertations and Theses

The aim of this research is to study imaging techniques using quantum entangled qubits. These techniques extract information about the quantum state of two entangled qubits and corelate the degree of entanglement to each pixel. Imaging information of the underlying structure or material is decoded using the reconstruction of the quantum density matrix along with the calculated entanglement and concurrence levels between the two qubits. Reconstruction of a quantum state and quantum state tomography are of increasing importance in quantum information science. Quantum state tomography is used to describe entanglement of trapped ions [1] and photons [2]. Number of experiments …

Optically Transparent Microwave Absorber Based On Water-Based Moth-Eye Structures, H Kwon, G D’Aguanno, Andrea Alù

Advanced Science Research Center

We propose an approach to realize an optically transparent microwave absorber based on water-based moth-eye metamaterial structures. The absorber is made of a periodic array of properly shaped glass caps infiltrated with distilled water. Analytical calculations and numerical simulations show that the water-based metamaterial absorbs electromagnetic waves over a wide spectral band ranging from 4GHz to well above 120GHz, showing absorption levels close to 100% for incident radiation that ranges from normal to grazing angles, for both TE and TM polarizations. Yet, the structure is optically transparent, offering exciting opportunities in a variety of civil and military applications, such as …

Emulating Condensed Matter Systems In Classical Wave Metamaterials, Matthew Weiner

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

One of the best tools we have for the edification of physics is the analogy. When we take our classical set of states and dynamical variables in phase space and treat them as vectors and Hermitian operators respectively in Hilbert space through the canonical quantization, we lose out on a lot of the intuition developed with the previous classical physics. With classical physics, through our own experiences and understanding of how systems should behave, we create easy-to-understand analogies: we compare the Bohr model of the atom to the motion of the planets, we compare electrical circuits to the flow of …

Control Of Molecular Energetics And Transport Via Strong Light-Matter Interaction, Rong Wu

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Strong light-matter coupling in excitonic systems results in the formation of half-light half-matter quasiparticles called exciton polaritons. These hybrid quasiparticles take on the best of both systems, namely, the long-range propagation and coherence arising from the photonic component and the nonlinear interaction from the excitonic component. We develop methods for making high quality factor cavities and investigate the potential applications of these strongly coupled states arising specifically in organic molecular systems.

In the first project we investigate the potential of organic dye molecules to undergo condensation in an optical cavity at room temperature. The second study involves the use of …

Snow-Albedo Feedback In Northern Alaska: How Vegetation Influences Snowmelt, Lucas C. Reckhaus

Theses and Dissertations

This paper investigates how the snow-albedo feedback mechanism of the arctic is changing in response to rising climate temperatures. Specifically, the interplay of vegetation and snowmelt, and how these two variables can be correlated. This has the potential to refine climate modelling of the spring transition season. Research was conducted at the ecoregion scale in northern Alaska from 2000 to 2020. Each ecoregion is defined by distinct topographic and ecological conditions, allowing for meaningful contrast between the patterns of spring albedo transition across surface conditions and vegetation types. The five most northerly ecoregions of Alaska are chosen as they encompass …

Optically Pumped Spin Polarization As A Probe Of Many-Body Thermalization, Daniela Pagliero, Pablo R. Zangara, Jacob Henshaw, Ashok Ajoy, Rodolfo H. Acosta, Jeffrey A. Reimer, Alexander Pines, Carlos A. Meriles

Publications and Research

Disorder and many body interactions are known to impact transport and thermalization in competing ways, with the dominance of one or the other giving rise to fundamentally different dynamical phases. Here we investigate the spin diffusion dynamics of ¹³C in diamond, which we dynamically polarize at room temperature via optical spin pumping of engineered color centers. We focus on low-abundance, strongly hyperfine-coupled nuclei, whose role in the polarization transport we expose through the integrated impact of variable radio-frequency excitation on the observable bulk ¹³C magnetic resonance signal. Unexpectedly, we find good thermal contact throughout the nuclear spin bath, …

Syllabus Ee330 Electromagnetics, Nicholas Madamopoulos

Open Educational Resources

Concepts covered in the undergraduate electrical engineering class of electromagnetics

Microspheres With Atomic-Scale Tolerances Generate Hyperdegeneracy, Jacob Kher-Alden, Shai Maayani, Leopoldo L. Martin, Mark Douvidzon, Lev Deych, Tal Carmon

Publications and Research

Degeneracies play a crucial rule in precise scientific measurements as well as in sensing applications. Spherical resonators have a high degree of degeneracy thanks to their highest symmetry; yet, fabricating perfect spheres is challenging because even a stem to hold the sphere breaks the symmetry. Here we fabricate a levitating spherical resonator that is evanescently coupled to a standard optical fiber. We characterize the resonators to exhibit an optical quality factor exceeding a billion, 10 μm radius, and sphericity to within less than 1µ. Using our high quality and sphericity, we experimentally lift degeneracies of orders higher than 200, which …

Mode Discrimination In Dissipatively Coupled Laser Arrays, Jiajie Ding, Mohammad-Ali Miri

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

Optical Potts Machine Through Networks Of Three-Photon Down-Conversion Oscillators, Mostafa Honari-Latifpour, Mohammad-Ali Miri

Publications and Research

In recent years there has been a growing interest in optical simulation of lattice spin models for applications in classical computing. Here, we propose optical implementation of a three-state Potts spin model by using networks of coupled parametric oscillators with phase tristability. We first show that the cubic nonlinear process of spontaneous three-photon down-conversion is accompanied by a tristability in the phase of the subharmonic signal between three states with 2��/3 phase contrast. The phase of such a parametric oscillator behaves like a three-state spin system. Next, we show that a network of dissipatively coupled three-photon down-conversion oscillators emulates the …

Microbial Degradability Of Terrigenous, Marsh-Exported, And Estuarine Colored Dissolved Organic Matter In Long Island Sound, John R. Supino

Dissertations and Theses

The Long Island Sound is one of the world's most urbanized estuaries, polluted from excess nutrients which impact the quality of water through increased biological productivity. Dissolved organic matter (DOM) is a sensitive indicator of anthropogenic pollution and nutrient enrichment in coastal waters as well as an important part of the carbon cycle and serves as a primary food source for aquatic food webs. Additionally, the colored portion of DOM (CDOM) impacts coastal optical properties, ocean color, and light attenuation. High levels of CDOM have been shown to inhibit the growth of phytoplankton and limit photosynthesis, damaging the food chain …

Sequence-Coded Coherent Laser Ranging With High Detection Sensitivity, Keren Shemer, Gil Bashan, H Hagai Diamandi, Yosef London, Tzur Raanan, Yochai Israelashvili, Alon Charny, Itzik Cohen, Arik Bergman, Nadav Levanon, Avi Zadok

Advanced Science Research Center

The compression of extended, coded sequences allows for laser ranging measurements with low peak power levels. Previous realizations of this approach were restricted by additive noise of direct, incoherent detection. In this work we bring together pulse sequence coding and optical coherent detection to achieve very high sensitivity. Collected sequences with an overall energy equivalent to only 800 photons are successfully compressed. The observed sensitivity agrees with analytic predictions. Compared with incoherent detection, measurement durations are reduced by four orders of magnitude. The protocol is suitable for laser ranging over tens of kilometers, depending on atmospheric conditions.

Exciton Polaritons In Two-Dimensional Transition Metal Dichalcogenides, Jie Gu

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Strong interaction between photons and excitons in semiconductors results in the formation of half-light half-matter quasiparticles termed exciton-polaritons. Owing to their hybrid character, they inherit the strong interparticle interaction from their excitonic (matter) component via Coulomb interaction while the photonic component lends the small mass (~10⁵ times lighter than free electrons) and long propagation distances. Additionally, exciton-polaritons also carry properties of the host material excitons such as spin and valley polarization and can be probed via the photons that leak out of the cavities since the photon carries all the information owing to conservation laws. Since the first demonstration …

Optical And Collective Properties Of Excitons In 2d Semiconductors, Matthew N. Brunetti

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

We study the properties of excitons in 2D semiconductors (2DSC) by numerically solving the Schr\"{o}dinger equation for an interacting electron and hole in the effective mass approximation, then calculating optical properties such as the transition energies, oscillator strengths, and absorption coefficients. Our theoretical approach allows us to consider both direct excitons in monolayer (ML) 2DSC and spatially indirect excitons in heterostructures (HS) consisting of two 2DSC MLs separated by few-layer insulating hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN). In particular, we study indirect excitons in TMDC HS, namely MoS₂, MoSe₂, WS₂, and WSe₂; …

Rocketry And Observability Predictions For Cubesat, Juliano A. Everett

Publications and Research

Estimating the visibility of Sunlight reflected by the holographic retro-reflector of Cubesat Alpha, and to convert this to star apparent magnitude to learn more about the visibility of these sails through reflected sunlight, to in turn determine if glints of these holograms are visible by terrestrial observers.

Topological Insulating States In Photonics And Acoustics, Xiang Ni

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Recent surge of interest in topological insulators, insulating in their interior but conducting at the surfaces or interfaces of different domains, has led to the discovery of a variety of new topological states, and their topological invariants are characterized by numerous approaches in the category of topological band theory. The common features shared by topological insulators include, the topological phase transition occurs if the bulk bandgap is formed due to the symmetries reduction, the topological invariants exist characterizing the global properties of the material and inherently robust to disorder and continuous perturbations irrespective of the local details. Most importantly, these …

Optical Detection And Storage Of Entanglement In Plasmonically Coupled Quantum-Dot Qubits, M. Otten, S.K. Gray, German Kolmakov V

Publications and Research

Recent proposals and advances in quantum simulations, quantum cryptography, and quantum communications substantially rely on quantum entanglement formation. Contrary to the conventional wisdom that dissipation destroys quantum coherence, coupling with a dissipative environment can also generate entanglement. We consider a system composed of two quantum-dot qubits coupled with a common, damped surface plasmon mode; each quantum dot is also coupled to a separate photonic cavity mode. Cavity quantum electrodynamics calculations show that upon optical excitation by a femtosecond laser pulse, entanglement of the quantum-dot excitons occurs, and the time evolution of the g(2) pair correlation function of the cavity photons …

Control Of Energy Transfer And Molecular Energetics Using Photonic Nanostructures, Rahul Deshmukh

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

In the last three decades, the design and fabrication of different types of photonic nanostructures have allowed us to control and enhance the interaction of light (or photons) with matter (or excitons). In this work, we demonstrate the use of three different nanostructures to control different material properties. The design and fabrication of the nanostructures is discussed along with the results obtained using characterization techniques of angle-resolved white light reflectivity and transmission, and time-resolved and steady-state photoluminescence experiments. Specifically, we demonstrate the use of Optical Topological Transitions (OTT) in metamaterials to show enhanced efficiency in the non-radiative transfer of energy …

Control Of Light-Matter Interactions Via Nanostructured Photonic Materials, Nicholas Proscia

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The thesis here investigates the manipulation of light-matter interactions via nanoscale engineering of material systems. When material systems are structured on the nanoscale, their optical responses can be dramatically altered. In this thesis, this is done in two primary ways: One method is by changing the geometry of nanostructures to induce a resonant behavior with incident electromagnetic field of optical wavelengths. This allows field enhancement in highly localized areas to strengthen exotic light-matter interactions that would otherwise be too weak to measure or for practical use. In this regard, the work presented here studies a voltage produced in a metal …

Using Fundamental Properties Of Light To Investigate Photonic Effects In Condensed Matter And Biological Tissues, Laura A. Sordillo

Dissertations and Theses

Light possesses characteristics such as polarization, wavelength and coherence. The interaction of light and matter, whether in a semiconductor or in a biological sample, can reveal important information about the internal properties of a system. My thesis focuses on two areas: photocarriers in gallium arsenide and biomedical optics. Varying the excitation wavelength can be used to study both biological tissue and condensed matter. I altered the excitation wavelengths to be in the longer near-infrared (NIR) optical windows, in the shortwave infrared (SWIR) range, a wavelength region previously thought to be unusable for medical imaging. With this method, I acquired high …

Impact Of Fiber Parameters On Edfa And/Or Raman Amplified High-Spectral-Efficiency Coherent Wdm Transmissions, Lufeng Leng

Publications and Research

The impact of fiber properties is investigated for coherent systems employing polarization-division multiplexed high-level quadrature amplitude modulation, wavelength-division multiplexing, and erbium-doped fiber amplifier and/or distributed Raman amplification. This is done by comparing the performances of fiber links of various attenuation coefficients and effective areas via experimentally verified analytical methods. Results show that the excess noise, which originates at amplifiers compensating for the losses of filters and switches located between fiber spans, can weaken or even diminish the performance enhancement brought about by lowering the fiber attenuation coefficient, especially if distributed Raman amplification is employed. This leads to the difference in …

Charge State Dynamics And Quantum Sensing With Defects In Diamond, Jacob D. Henshaw

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

In recent years, defect centers in wide band gap semiconductors such as diamond, have received significant attention. Defects offer great utility as single photon emitters, nanoscale sensors, and quantum memories and registers for quantum computation. Critical to the utility of these defects, is their charge state.

In this dissertation, experiments surrounding the charge state dynamics and the carrier dynamics are performed and analyzed. Extensive studies of the ionization and recombination processes of defects in diamond, specifically, the Nitrogen Vacancy (NV) center, have been performed. Diffusion of ionized charge carriers has been imaged indirectly through the recapture of said carriers by …

Nanostructured Fibers As A Versatile Photonic Platform: Radiative Cooling And Waveguiding Through Transverse Anderson Localization, Norman Nan Shi, Cheng-Chia Tsai, Michael J. Carter, Jyotirmoy Mandal, Adam C. Overvig, Matthew Y. Sfeir, Ming Lu, Catherine L. Craig, Gary D. Bernard, Yuan Yang, Nanfang Yu

Publications and Research

Broadband high reflectance in nature is often the result of randomly, three-dimensionally structured materials. This study explores unique optical properties associated with one-dimensional nanostructures discovered in silk cocoon fibers of the comet moth, Argema mittrei. The fibers are populated with a high density of air voids randomly distributed across the fiber cross-section but are invariant along the fiber. These filamentary air voids strongly scatter light in the solar spectrum. A single silk fiber measuring ~50 μm thick can reflect 66% of incoming solar radiation, and this, together with the fibers' high emissivity of 0.88 in the mid-infrared range, allows …

Physical Applications Of The Geometric Minimum Action Method, George L. Poppe Jr.

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This thesis extends the landscape of rare events problems solved on stochastic systems by means of the \textit{geometric minimum action method} (gMAM). These include partial differential equations (PDEs) such as the real Ginzburg-Landau equation (RGLE), the linear Schroedinger equation, along with various forms of the nonlinear Schroedinger equation (NLSE) including an application towards an ultra-short pulse mode-locked laser system (MLL).

Additionally we develop analytical tools that can be used alongside numerics to validate those solutions. This includes the use of instanton methods in deriving state transitions for the linear Schroedinger equation and the cubic diffusive NLSE.

These analytical solutions are …

Control Of Light-Matter Interaction In 2d Semiconductors, Zheng Sun

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

In this thesis we discuss the control of light matter interaction in low dimensional nanostructure cavity light confining structures. These structures have controllable dispersion properties through design which can be exploited to modify the interaction of light and matter. We will discuss two different types of light confining microcavities: a dielectric cavity and a metal cavity. The specific design of the cavity gives rise to the confinement of the electric field in the center where the nano-materials are placed. In this work, the main material was on the new class of two- dimensional semiconductors of transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs). Due …

Nonlinear Optical Studies Of Defects And Domain Structures In Perovskite-Type Dielectric Ceramics, David J. Ascienzo

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

In order to improve future generations of dielectric capacitors a deeper understanding of voltage-induced dielectric breakdown and electrical energy storage limitations is required. This dissertation presents the use of far-field optical second harmonic generation (SHG) polarimetry for probing structural defects and polar domains in linear and nonlinear perovskite dielectric ceramics. We investigated the formation of electric field-induced structural distortions at pristine Fe-doped SrTiO₃ (Fe:STO) electrode interfaces, structural defect and strain formation due to oxygen vacancy migration in electrodegraded Fe:STO single crystals, and mixed tetragonal and rhombohedral phase domains in ferroelectric Zr-doped BaTiO₃ (BZT) films exhibiting excellent …