Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Optics Commons

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Western University

Discipline
Keyword
Publication Year
Publication
Publication Type

Articles 1 - 18 of 18

Full-Text Articles in Optics

Dynamic Light Scattering Optical Coherence Tomography To Probe Motion Of Subcellular Scatterers., Nico J J Arezza, Marjan Razani, Michael C Kolios Feb 2019

Dynamic Light Scattering Optical Coherence Tomography To Probe Motion Of Subcellular Scatterers., Nico J J Arezza, Marjan Razani, Michael C Kolios

Medical Biophysics Publications

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is used to provide anatomical information of biological systems but can also provide functional information by characterizing the motion of intracellular structures. Dynamic light scattering OCT was performed on intact, control MCF-7 breast cancer cells and cells either treated with paclitaxel to induce apoptosis or deprived of nutrients to induce oncosis. Autocorrelations (ACs) of the temporal fluctuations of OCT intensity signals demonstrate a significant decrease in decorrelation time after 24 h in both the paclitaxel-treated and nutrient-deprived cell groups but no significant differences between the two groups. The acquired ACs were then used as input for …


Ceilometer Measurements From The University Of Western Ontario Of Smoke From The Extraordinary Fires Of 2017 In Western Canada, Achini J K Abayakoon Ms. Mar 2018

Ceilometer Measurements From The University Of Western Ontario Of Smoke From The Extraordinary Fires Of 2017 In Western Canada, Achini J K Abayakoon Ms.

Western Research Forum

Background:

The summer of 2017 saw many fires in Western Canada. Smoke from these fires was transported by winds over to London and was measured using a Lufft CHM15k ceilometer which was installed at the Cronyn Observatory of The University of Western Ontario.

Methods:

The cloud base height can be calculated by the time taken for the backscatter signal to reach the transmitter while the backscatter effects can be used to determine the atmospheric structure using the principle of light detection and ranging (LiDAR).

Results:

Smoke particle concentrations over London, Ontario were observed within 72 hours of the fires taking …


The Study Of Plasmonics In Nanohole Metallic Metamaterials, Kieffer J. Davieau Apr 2017

The Study Of Plasmonics In Nanohole Metallic Metamaterials, Kieffer J. Davieau

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Plasmonics is the study of light-matter interaction. The interaction of incident light (photons) with surface plasmons present in metamaterials results in unique optical properties. Nanohole arrays are a metamaterial consisting of an array of sub-wavelength holes perforated in an optically thin metallic film which resides upon a dielectric material. The interaction of light with the surface plasmons present in the nanohole array leads to extraordinary optical transmission which produces resonance peaks with a higher intensity than the incident light. By changing the physical parameters of the nanohole array, such as hole size and periodicity, the resonance peaks can be tuned …


Nanoscale Thermal And Electronic Properties Of Thin Films Of Graphene And Organic Polyradicals, Sabastine Chukwuemeka Ezugwu Dec 2016

Nanoscale Thermal And Electronic Properties Of Thin Films Of Graphene And Organic Polyradicals, Sabastine Chukwuemeka Ezugwu

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Ultrathin film materials have attracted significant attention in light of their potential applications in very large scale integrated electronics and data storage. For instance, the amount of data that can be addressed and stored in a memory device scales inversely with the thinness of the active layer of these components. In our thesis, we have developed a suite of scanning-probe and nano-optical techniques focused on understanding the electronic surface properties and the thermal conductivity of ultrathin materials. We discuss a few specific examples in which we applied these techniques towards improved performance of thin films of graphene and organic polyradicals …


Parametric Design, Modeling, And Optical Evaluation Of Retroreflective Prismatic Structures, Sama Hussein Aug 2016

Parametric Design, Modeling, And Optical Evaluation Of Retroreflective Prismatic Structures, Sama Hussein

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Retroreflectors (RR) are defined as passive optical structures that redirect incident light to its originating source. Specific types of retroreflectors called inverted cubes (ICs) function through total internal reflection (TIR) and are used in various applications such as measurement tools, traffic signs and automotive rear and side lighting. This thesis aims to model, analyze, fabricate and study a novel type of IC retroreflectors called right triangular prism (RTP). A parametric approach is used to model existing IC geometries from a generic unit cube and is then implemented to model the novel RTP geometry. Those elements are then tested by optical …


Digging Deeper With Diffuse Correlation Spectroscopy, Kyle J. Verdecchia Jul 2016

Digging Deeper With Diffuse Correlation Spectroscopy, Kyle J. Verdecchia

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Patients with neurological diseases are vulnerable to cerebral ischemia, which can lead to brain injury. In the intensive care unit (ICU), neuromonitoring techniques that can detect flow reductions would enable timely administration of therapies aimed at restoring adequate cerebral perfusion, thereby avoiding damage to the brain. However, suitable bedside neuromonitoring methods sensitive to changes of blood flow and/or oxygen metabolism have yet to be established.

Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) is a promising technique capable of non-invasively monitoring flow and oxygenation. Specifically, diffuse correlation spectroscopy (DCS) and time-resolved (TR) NIRS can be used to monitor blood flow and tissue oxygenation, respectively, and …


The Study Of Nano-Optics In Hybrid Systems, Marek J. Brzozowski Jan 2016

The Study Of Nano-Optics In Hybrid Systems, Marek J. Brzozowski

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

In this thesis, we study the quantum light-matter interaction in polaritonic heterostructures. These systems are made by combining various nanocomponents, such as quantum dots, graphene films, metallic nanoparticles and metamaterials. These heterostructures are used to develop new optoelectronic devices due to the interaction between nanocomposites.

Photoluminescence quenching and absorption spectrum are determined and an explanatory theory is developed for these polaritonic heterostructures. Photoluminescence quenching is evaluated for a graphene, metallic nanoparticle and quantum dot system. It is shown that average distance between nanocomposites or concentration of nanocomposites affect the output these system produced. Photoluminescence quenching was also evaluated for a …


Studies Of Periodic And Quasiperiodic Gold Nanohole Arrays And Their Applications, Zhaoliang Yang May 2015

Studies Of Periodic And Quasiperiodic Gold Nanohole Arrays And Their Applications, Zhaoliang Yang

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Wavelength to refractive index sensitivity and resonance wavelength position are two very important performance characteristics for nanohole array based surface plasmon resonance sensors while these characteristics are mostly researched on periodic nanohole arrays, instead of quasiperiodic nanohole arrays. This thesis deduces theoretical equations about the wavelength to refractive index sensitivity and resonance wavelength position of quasiperiodic nanohole arrays. Theoretical analysis shows that wavelength to refractive index sensitivity is not associated with geometry pattern, hole size or pitch but with the wavelength. A novel surface plasmon resonance platform is built by transferring gold films patterned with quasiperiodic nanohole arrays to the …


Plasmonic Optical Sensors: Performance Analysis And Engineering Towards Biosensing, Peipei Jia Jun 2014

Plasmonic Optical Sensors: Performance Analysis And Engineering Towards Biosensing, Peipei Jia

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Surface plasmon resonance (SPR) sensing for quantitative analysis of chemical reactions and biological interactions has become one of the most promising applications of plasmonics. This thesis focuses on performance analysis for plasmonic sensors and implementation of plamonic optical sensors with novel nanofabrication techniques.

A universal performance analysis model is established for general two-dimensional plasmonic sensors. This model is based on the fundamental facts of surface plasmon theory. The sensitivity only depends on excitation light wavelength as well as dielectric properties of metal and dielectrics. The expression involves no structure-specified parameters, which validates this formula in broad cases of periodic, quasiperiodic …


Quantum Optics Of Polaritonic Nanocomposites, Chris Racknor Apr 2014

Quantum Optics Of Polaritonic Nanocomposites, Chris Racknor

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

In this thesis, we study the quantum optical interaction in polaritonic nanocomposites. These systems are made by the combination of two or more micro- or nano-scale structures with complementary optical properties, such as polaritonic materials, excitonic materials, photonic crystals (PCs), quantum dots (QDs), waveguides, couplers, metal nanorods (MNRs), bionanoparticles. The nanocomposites systems studied included QDs doped within a polaritonic PC, an excitonic waveguide coupler, and a metamaterial waveguide. Also addressed are systems consisting of MNRs paired with biological labelling dye or QDs.

The application of a strain field, known as the acousto-optic effect, was found to control photon transmission in …


Two Dimensional Angular Domain Optical Imaging In Biological Tissues, Eldon Ng Nov 2013

Two Dimensional Angular Domain Optical Imaging In Biological Tissues, Eldon Ng

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Optical imaging is a modality that can detect optical contrast within a biological sample that is not detectable with other conventional imaging techniques. Optical trans-illumination images of tissue samples are degraded by optical scatter. Angular Domain Imaging (ADI) is an optical imaging technique that filters scattered photons based on the trajectory of the photons. Previous angular filters were limited to one dimensional arrays, greatly limiting the imaging capability of the system.

We have developed a 2D Angular Filter Array (AFA) that is capable of acquiring two dimensional projection images of a sample. The AFA was constructed using rapid prototyping techniques. …


Fabricating Cost-Effective Nanostructures For Biomedical Applications, Erden Ertorer Sep 2013

Fabricating Cost-Effective Nanostructures For Biomedical Applications, Erden Ertorer

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

In this thesis we described inexpensive alternatives to fabricate nanostructures on planar substrates and provided example applications to discuss the efficiency of fabricated nanostructures.

The first method we described is forming large area systematically changing multi-shape nanoscale structures on a chip by laser interference lithography. We analyzed the fabricated structures at different substrate positions with respect to exposure time, exposure angle and associated light intensity profile. We presented experimental details related to the fabrication of symmetric and biaxial periodic nanostructures on photoresist, silicon surfaces, and ion-milled glass substrates. Behavior of osteoblasts and osteoclasts on the nanostructures was investigated. These results …


Investigating The Influence Of Interface And Vacancy Defects On The Growth Of Silicon Quantum Dots In Sio2, John Phelan Sep 2013

Investigating The Influence Of Interface And Vacancy Defects On The Growth Of Silicon Quantum Dots In Sio2, John Phelan

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The effects of interface and vacancy defects on silicon quantum dot (Si-QD) growth are investigated using measurements of Time Resolved Photoluminescence (TRPL), Photoluminescence (PL) Spectroscopy and Electron Paramagnetic Resonance (EPR). Thermally grown SiO2 thin films (280nm) were irradiated with high energy (400keV – 1MeV) silicon ions in order to introduce defects into the Si-QD growth layer of SiO2. A noticeable increase in PL emission intensity is seen with the highest energy pre-implanted sample over a single implant sample. TRPL results show increased radiative lifetimes for the lower energy (400keV) pre-implant while little or no difference is seen …


The Study Of Optoelectronics In Semiconductor And Metallic Nanoparticle Hybrid Systems, Daniel G. Schindel Jan 2013

The Study Of Optoelectronics In Semiconductor And Metallic Nanoparticle Hybrid Systems, Daniel G. Schindel

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This thesis examines optoelectronics of photonic crystals and photonic nanofibers, especially with quantum dots and metallic nanoparticles doped into them. The simulations produced focus on the quantum dots, which are presented in an ensemble of 3-level systems.

In order to consider a photonic nanofiber in isolation, a model was developed for the density of photonic states. We studied two profiles, a square cross-section and a circular cross-section. In addition, we consider two architectures, one where a photonic crystal surrounds a dielectric fiber, and one where the fiber is another photonic crystal. We found several photonic nanofibers with a single bound …


Multi-Sensor Calibration And Validation Of The Uwo-Pcl Water Vapour Lidar, Robin Wing Dec 2012

Multi-Sensor Calibration And Validation Of The Uwo-Pcl Water Vapour Lidar, Robin Wing

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The Purple Crow Lidar (PCL) has recently participated in a water vapour validation cam- paign with the NASA/GSFC Atmospheric Laboratory for Validation/Interagency Collaboration and Education (ALVICE) Lidar. The purpose of this calibration campaign is to insure that PCL water vapour measurements are of sufficient quality for use in scientific investigations of atmo- spheric change, and to be included in the Network for the Detection of Atmospheric Climate Change (NDACC) data base. The detection of long term changes in water vapour concentra- tion, particularly in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere (UTLS) is an issue of pressing scientific, ecological and societal …


Electrohydrodynamic Enhancement Of Heat Transfer And Mass Transport In Gaseous Media, Bulk Dielectric Liquids And Dielectric Thin Liquid Films, Seyed Reza Mahmoudi May 2012

Electrohydrodynamic Enhancement Of Heat Transfer And Mass Transport In Gaseous Media, Bulk Dielectric Liquids And Dielectric Thin Liquid Films, Seyed Reza Mahmoudi

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Controlling transport phenomena in liquid and gaseous media through electrostatic forces has brought new important scientific and industrial applications. Although numerous EHD applications have been explored and extensively studied so far, the fast-growing technologies, mainly in the semiconductor industry, introduce new challenges and demands. These challenges require enhancement of heat transfer and mass transport in small scales (sometimes in molecular scales) to remove highly concentrated heat fluxes from reduced size devices. Electric field induced flows, or electrohydrodynamics (EHD), have shown promise in both macro and micro-scale devices.

Several existing problems in EHD heat transfer enhancements were investigated in this thesis. …


Quantum Coherence And Interference In Metallic Photonic Crystals And Hybrid Systems, Ali Hatef Dec 2011

Quantum Coherence And Interference In Metallic Photonic Crystals And Hybrid Systems, Ali Hatef

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

In the first part of the thesis, we study the absorption coefficient of quantum dots doped in metallic photonic crystals under different circumferences. We study numerically the temporal evolution of the absorption coefficient profile where a probe field is applied to monitor the absorption process in two cases, when quantum dots are embedded lightly and densely. We also studied the effect of a changing plasma frequency on the absorption profile of quantum dots two possible field configurations. We show that the changes in plasma energy can take the system from the absorption region to the transparent and gain region.

As …


Rational Design And Advanced Fabrication Of Metallic Nanostructures For Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy, Betty Cristina Galarreta Aug 2011

Rational Design And Advanced Fabrication Of Metallic Nanostructures For Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy, Betty Cristina Galarreta

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

One of the main challenges in analytical science and technology is to develop devices that provide unambiguously the chemical nature of the material of interest with the minimum intrusiveness, the smallest amount of analyte, and the shortest acquisition time. Among the promising methods for such purpose, optical spectroscopy such as surface-enhanced Raman scattering is considered a suitable option. This spectroscopic technique takes advantage of the interaction between an optical field and metallic nanostructures to magnify the electromagnetic field in the vicinity of the nanostructure, resulting in an amplified signal of the vibrational fingerprints of the adsorbed molecules onto the metallic …