Optics Commons^™

Computational Design Of Fiber-Optic Probes For Biosensing, Suwarna Karna

Electrical Engineering Theses

This thesis presents a study on the optical characteristics of hollow-core photonic crystal fibers (HC-PCFs) with a band gap cladding structure and their applications in optical fiber sensing. This 800B HC-PCF exhibited excellent optical properties and has a flexible structure, which makes them suitable for a wide range of industrial applications. Finite element simulations and structural optimization designs were conducted using the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) technique to determine the optimal performance parameters of the 800B HC-PCF. The fiber was further modified using the SPR technique to improve its practical detection capabilities. The performance of the modified fiber was observed …

Utilizing Inverse Design To Create Plasmonic Waveguide Devices, Michael Efseaff, Kyle Wynne, Mark C. Harrison

Engineering Faculty Articles and Research

In modern communications networks, data is transmitted over long distances using optical fibers. At nodes in the network, the data is converted to an electrical signal to be processed, and then converted back into an optical signal to be sent over fiber optics. This process results in higher power consumption and adds to transmission time. However, by processing the data optically, we can begin to alleviate these issues and surpass systems which rely on electronics. One promising approach for this is plasmonic devices. Plasmonic waveguide devices have smaller footprints than silicon photonics for more compact photonic integrated circuits, although they …

Numerical Simulation Of Steady-State Thermal Blooming With Natural Convection, Jeremiah S. Lane, Justin Cook, Martin Richardson, Benjamin F. Akers

Faculty Publications

This work investigates steady-state thermal blooming of a high-energy laser in the presence of laser-driven convection. While thermal blooming has historically been simulated with prescribed fluid velocities, the model introduced here solves for the fluid dynamics along the propagation path using a Boussinesq approximation to the incompressible Navier–Stokes equations. The resultant temperature fluctuations were coupled to refractive index fluctuations, and the beam propagation was modeled using the paraxial wave equation. Fixed-point methods were used to solve the fluid equations as well as to couple the beam propagation to the steady-state flow. The simulated results are discussed relative to recent experimental …

Fano-Type Resonance Structures Based On Combination Of Fiber Bragg Grating With Fabry-Perot Interferometer, A.Zh. Sakhabutdinov, T.A. Agliullin, S.M.R.H. Hussein, A.A. Kuznetsov, V.I. Anfinogentov, B.I. Valeev

Karbala International Journal of Modern Science

The work is dedicated to the mathematical modeling of the combined fiber-optic structure, which consists of a Fabry-Perot interferometer in the form of a thin polymer film at the end of an optical fiber and a fiber Bragg grating formed near it. The simulation results obtained using the proposed rigorous mathematical model are in good agreement with the reflectance spectrum of the experimental fiber-optic structure. It is shown that the combination of two resonant wave processes in the optical fiber leads to the asymmetric Fano-type resonance. The spectral shape of the resonance depends on the parameters of the structure, in …

The Development Of Optomechanical Sensors—Integrating Diffractive Optical Structures For Enhanced Sensitivity, Faolan Radford Mcgovern, Aleksandra Hernik, Catherine M. Grogan, George Amarandei, Izabela Naydenova

Conference Papers

The term optomechanical sensors describes devices based on coupling the optical and mechanical sensing principles. The presence of a target analyte leads to a mechanical change, which, in turn, determines an alteration in the light propagation. Having higher sensitivity in comparison with the individual technologies upon which they are based, the optomechanical devices are used in biosensing, humidity, temperature, and gases detection. This perspective focuses on a particular class, namely on devices based on diffractive optical structures (DOS). Many configurations have been developed, including cantilever- and MEMS-type devices, fiber Bragg grating sensors, and cavity optomechanical sensing devices. These state-of-the-art sensors …

Multi-Kilowatt Fiber Laser Amplifiers And Hollow-Core Delivery Fibers, Matthew Cooper

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation 2023-2024

High-power fiber lasers have emerged as a cornerstone in the realm of laser technology. Characterized by their exceptional efficiency, ruggedness, and versatility, fiber lasers are experiencing widespread use in manufacturing, medical, defense, science, and in long range sensing. Unfortunately, high-power applications require strict spatial and spectral performance characteristics to be maintained, which has yet to be perfected.

This dissertation discusses the power scaling of ytterbium-doped fiber laser amplifiers, presenting three significant advancements. First, a novel photonic lantern-based method is introduced for real-time monitoring of laser beam modal content and beam quality. Initial tests highlight the photonic lantern's efficiency in predicting …

Optical Characterization Of Liquids: Refractive Index And Raman Gain Coefficient Measurements, Cesar A. Lopez-Zelaya

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation 2023-2024

Novel technologies capable of generating wavelengths not accessible with typical laser gain media have been among the primary drivers of the field of nonlinear optics. Here, we are interested in the linear and nonlinear properties of liquids beyond the visible spectrum, motivated in part by their use as core materials in optical fibers. Given their dispersion, nonlinearities, transparency, and ability to be mixed, liquids show potential for exploiting in-fiber nonlinear phenomena for developing the new generation of low cost, size, weight, and power wavelength-agile fiber-laser sources. For the design, modeling, and experimental realization of these liquid-core fiber laser sources, proper …

Development Of Holographic Optical Elements For Use In Wound Monitoring, Pamela Stoeva, Tatsiana Mikulchyk, Brian Rogers, M. Oubaha, Suzanne Martin, Dervil Cody, M.A. Ferrara, G. Coppola, Izabela Naydenova

Conference Papers

Wounds that fail to heal impact the quality of life of 2.5 % of the total population. The costs of chronic wound care will reach $15–22 billion by 2024. These alarming statistics reveal the financial strain for both the medical industry and society. A solution can be found in compact and accessible sensors that offer real-time analysis of the wound site, facilitating continuous monitoring and immediate treatment, if required. Benefits of these sensors include reduction of cost and can extend the reach of healthcare to remote areas. The progression of a wound site can be closely monitored with holographic optical …

Design And Fabrication Of Volume Holographic Optical Couplers For A Range Of Non-Normal Incidence Angles, Dipanjan Chakraborty, Rosen Georgiev, Sinead Aspell, Izabela Naydenova, Suzanne Martin

Conference Papers

A theoretical model has previously been developed to calculate the holographic recording beam angles required in air (at any recording wavelength) to produce a Volume Holographic Optical Element (VHOE) for operation as a coupler for different input and output angles. In this paper, the experimental study is extended to further validate the VHOE coupler design and fabrication approach for additional incident beam angles, comparing -40° -45° and -50° (in air). The output angle for each VHOE is +45° within the medium and the coupler operational wavelength is 633nm. Holographic recording in Bayfol HX 200 photopolymer at 532nm is used to …

Fabrication And Characterisation Of Large Area, Uniform And Controllable Surface Relief Patterns In Photopolymer Material, Owen Kearney, Izabela Naydenova

Conference Papers

As the risk of antibiotic resistant pathogens increases, development of convenient point of care devices is essential. Such devices would help avoid infection – ensure cleanliness of environments and assist in bacteria analysis. The ultimate aim of the research presented here is to develop a compact, cost effective, easy to use optical device which is capable of detecting and quantifying bacteria in an aqueous sample. The surface relief patterns have a dual role, they provide a diffracted light signal, and control the adhesion of the bacteria to the surface. The strength of the diffracted signal is expected to provide a …

Design, Construction, And Stabilization Of An Adjustable Repetition Rate Frequency Comb For Precision Spectroscopy, Matthew Carter

Physics, Astronomy and Geophysics Honors Papers

Optical frequency combs have numerous applications across the sciences. One of the most powerful applications is in molecular spectroscopy, which takes advantage of both the coherence of lasers and combs’ inherent broad bandwidth. One well-established design is the erbium fiber comb, which is popular due to its low cost and relative ease of construction. I have modified the traditional all-fiber design by introducing an adjustable free-space section which allows for adjustments to the path length, and thus the comb’s repetition rate. This low-cost addition allows for repetition rate matching, a necessity for dual-comb spectroscopy, and active repetition rate stabilization, which …

Reflective Planar Optics With Cholesteric Liquid Crystal For Near-Eye Displays, Yannanqi Li

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Display market has undergone dramatic changes as the near eye displays (NED) are gaining increasing attention because they offer a deeper level of human-computer interaction with the advancement of electronic devices and computer sciences. The NEDs can be presented in two ways: virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR). The former is completely immersive while the latter combines the digital information with the surrounding scenes. Although several VR headsets have been commercialized for consumers and AR products for prosumers because of their high cost, but there is still a long way to go to satisfy the strict requirements of human …

Integrated Frequency Combs For Applications In Optical Communications & Microwave Photonics, Chinmay Shirpurkar

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

This dissertation reviews the advancements made in chip-scale optical frequency combs and their applications towards optical communications and optical to RF links. We review different chip-scale comb sources and in particular, chip-scale Kerr microresonator frequency combs. Then, we establish the theoretical background in nonlinear optics which allows the formation and stabilization of Kerr solitons in nonlinear cavities. We also discuss the concept of optical injection locking and in particular, multi-tone injection locking which precedes the idea of regenerative harmonic injection locking. We then go on to show the experimental work involved in soliton generation and characterization. We show efforts towards …

Diethoxycarbonyl-Bodipys As Heavy-Atom-Free Photosensitizers For Holographic Recording In Cellulose Acetate Photopolymer, Aimee Sheehan, Tatsiana Mikulchyk, Catherine S.P. De Castro, Safakath Karuthedath, Wejdan Althobaiti, Metodej Dvoracek, Sabad-E Gul, Hugh Byrne, FréDéRic Laquai, Izabela Naydenova, Mikhail Filatov

Articles

A series of new heavy-atom-free photosensitizers based on 2,6-diethoxycarbonyl-BODIPY scaffold was designed and applied for holographic recording in a photopolymerizable material. Photoinduced electron transfer between the BODIPY and meso-aryl subunits, followed by the formation of BODIPY triplet excited states via spin-orbit charge transfer intersystem crossing (SOCT-ISC) was studied by steady-state and ultrafast pump-probe transient optical spectroscopy. Highly efficient photosensitization was observed for dyads bearing pyrene and anthracene substituents, which exhibited singlet oxygen generation quantum yields () of up to 94%. Charge transfer and SOCT-ISC were observed in non-polar solvent (toluene) due to the increased electron accepting ability of the diethoxycarbonyl-BODIPY. …

Surface Reconstruction In Iron Garnets, Sushree Dash

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

This dissertation presents the results of a study investigating the physical mechanisms underlying an unexpectedly large increase in magneto-optic efficiency observed in iron garnet. Such materials are technologically important for telecommunications due to their nonreciprocal optical action. In the past, our group had found evidence of an enhanced Faraday rotation in bismuth-substituted iron garnet films less than 50 nm thick. Subsequent investigation revealed that this enhancement could be traced to surface effects. This is significant because understanding these phenomena could be used to formulate engineering solutions for device miniaturization. In this dissertation, we present the result of a research project …

High-Dynamic-Range And High-Efficiency Near-Eye Display Systems, En-Lin Hsiang

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Near-eye display systems, which project digital information directly into the human visual system, are expected to revolutionize the interface between digital information and physical world. However, the image quality of most near-eye displays is still far inferior to that of direct-view displays. Both light engine and imaging optics of near-eye display systems play important roles to the degraded image quality. In addition, near-eye displays also suffer from a relatively low optical efficiency, which severely limits the device operation time. Such an efficiency loss originates from both light engines and projection processes. This dissertation is devoted to addressing these two critical …

Particle Swarm Optimization For High Rigidity Spectrometer, Yicheng Wang

Honors Theses

The goal of this project is to find reliable parameter settings for a multi-dimensional global optimizer to optimize the performance of a large acceptance ion optical system for the requirements of nuclear physics experiments. We develop and test the Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO), a global optimization algorithm designed for continuous multi-dimensional problems, on a large acceptance particle beam separator, the High Rigidity Spectrometer (HRS) at the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams (FRIB), which is a laboratory specializing in the production and experimental study of short-lived nuclear matter. We split the HRS into two sections, the High-Transmission Beamline (HTBL) and the …

Optical Tweezers: Exerting Force With Light, Gabriella Seifert

Scripps Senior Theses

Photons carry momentum. When a tightly-focused beam of photons hit a particle, they transfer some of their momentum to the particle, exerting a force. Optical tweezers take advantage of this phenomenon to trap (or “tweeze”) a spherical bead just after the focus of a diverging laser beam, creating a potential well that pulls in beads. In this thesis, I predict the force exerted on trapped beads and measure the actual force using an optical tweezers setup that I built. To predict the force, I follow the path of all possible rays from a diverging beam incident on a spherical bead …

Optical Design Study Of A High-Resolution Spectrograph Utilizing Photonic Lanterns For A Large Fiber Array Telescope, Richard D'Alo

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation 2023-2024

Large area fiber array telescopes are a relatively modern development in the long history of telescope design and effectively create a single large equivalent aperture by combining many smaller unit telescopes at a fraction of the cost. In this study a spectrograph optical design is demonstrated that utilizes photonic lanterns in the input fiber feed for the Large Fiber Array Spectroscopic Telescope (LFAST) design concept, where photonic lanterns provide a simplified approach to the fiber feed originally proposed for LFAST. Conservation of etendue is applied to derive the relationship between slit size and photonic lantern ratio, and classical echelle spectrograph …

Compact And High Optical Efficiency Near-Eye Displays With Liquid Crystal Flat Optics, Junyu Zou

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Since the concepts of augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) were introduced, they have attracted people's attention worldwide, both in the industry and research areas. As the most promising hardware architecture that can bring AR/VR into daily life, near eye displays (NEDs) have been studied and investigated heavily over the past half-century, especially the concept of "Metaverse" introduced by some top companies in recent years. However, the form factor and optical efficiency are two major bottlenecks for the current NEDs before they can become the major platform. Liquid crystal (LC) flat optics have several advantages, including compact, high diffraction …

Another Angle On Perspective, John Adam

Mathematics & Statistics Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Concept Connectivity: An Educational And Research Framework For Scientific Learning In Optics, Photonics, And Electronic Education, Benjamin Dingel, John Gabriel C. Rivera, Francesca De Guzman Palabrica, Clint Dominic Bennett

Physics Faculty Publications

We present a novel framework referred to as Concept Connectivity that aids in educating and engaging students by presenting the topic of the Special Theory of Relativity (STR) in a coherent and unified manner. It uses different analogue implementations of the STR coming from seemingly distinct fields of study such as (i) Optics, (ii) Photonics, and (iii) Electronics to connect not only to the concepts of the STR but to the various concepts from these different fields. In these analogue implementations, the fundamental characteristics of the different STR phenomena can be mimicked in many different ways. Concept Connectivity has two …

The Employees’ Perspective: Situational Leadership Style Flexibility And Effectiveness And Employee Performance In A Technological Organization, Merari Cortes

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Poor employee performance can have adverse effects on business outcomes. Business leaders are concerned with poor performance, which can minimize profitability and negatively impact business sustainability. Grounded in the Situational Leadership II® model, the purpose of this quantitative correlational study was to examine the relationship between situational leadership style flexibility, effectiveness, and employee performance as perceived by employees, controlling for employee gender, job location, and tenure. A random sample of 99 technology company employees completed the Leader Behavior Analysis II®– Other and the Employee Job Performance measurement tools. Using hierarchical multilinear regression, employee gender, job location, and tenure were entered …

The Behavior Of Partially Coherent Twisted Space-Time Beams In Atmospheric Turbulence, Milo W. Hyde Iv

Faculty Publications

We study how atmospheric turbulence affects twisted space-time beams, which are non-stationary random optical fields whose space and time dimensions are coupled with a stochastic twist. Applying the extended Huygens–Fresnel principle, we derive the mutual coherence function of a twisted space-time beam after propagating a distance z through atmospheric turbulence of arbitrary strength. We specialize the result to derive the ensemble-averaged irradiance and discuss how turbulence affects the beam’s spatial size, pulse width, and space-time twist. Lastly, we generate, in simulation, twisted space-time beam field realizations and propagate them through atmospheric phase screens to validate our analysis.

Emission Spectroscopy Of Ingaas Quantum Dots Via High-Resolution Fabry-Perot Interferometer, Raju Bhai Kc

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Single photons emitted from self-assembled quantum dots have been widely studied to use as a promising qubit for quantum information processing. Therefore, it is critical to fully understand the emission spectra from the quantum dot's excitation if we want to use a single photon as a quantum bit. It is almost impossible to produce rotationally symmetric quantum dots due to various growth conditions and restrictions. So the real quantum dots do not have a perfectly symmetric structure. A broken rotational symmetry causes an asymmetric exchange interaction between electron and hole, leading to a fine structure splitting between two excited states. …

Fabrication And Optical Properties Of Two-Dimensional Transition Metal Dichalcogenides, Manpreet Boora

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Two-dimensional layered materials such as graphene and transition metal dichalcogenides have gained a lot of attention because of their distinctive chemical, optical, and electronic properties. Transition metal dichalcogenides can have a tunable bandgap in the range of 1 − 3 eV (visible), which enables their applications in ultrathin field effect transistors, photovoltaics, sensors, and optoelectronic devices. They exhibit an indirect-to-direct band gap transition when thinned down from bulk to a single layer. They show strong photoluminescence, electron–photon interaction, valley pseudospin, nonlinear optical response, and lack of dangling bonds. Many exotic phenomena appear when materials are thinned to nanoscale size because …

Color-Changing Reflection Hologram For Quality Assurance Of Therapeutic Ultrasound Systems, Tatsiana Mikulchyk, John Walsh, Jacinta Browne, Izabela Naydenova, Dervil Cody

Articles

The acoustic output of clinical therapeutic ultrasound equipment requires regular quality assurance (QA) testing to ensure the safety and efficacy of the treatment and that any potentially harmful deviations from the expected output power density are detected as soon as possible. A hologram, consisting of a reflection grating fabricated in an acrylate photopolymer film, has been developed to produce an immediate, visible, and permanent change in the color of the reconstructed hologram from red to green in response to incident ultrasound energy. The influence of the therapeutic ultrasound insonation parameters (exposure time, ultrasound power density, and proximity to the point …

Review-Electrode Kinetics And Electrolyte Stability In Vanadium Flow Batteries, Andrea Bourke, Daniela Oboroceanu, Nathan Quill, Catherine Lenihan, Maria Alhajji Safi Maria Alhajji Safi, Mallory A. Miller, Robert F. Savinell, Jesse S. Wainright, Varsha Sasikumarsp, Maria Rybalchenko, Pupak Amini, Niall Dalton, Robert P. Lynch, D. Noel Buckley

Articles

Two aspects of vanadium flow batteries are reviewed: electrochemical kinetics on carbon electrodes and positive electrolyte stability. There is poor agreement between reported values of kinetic parameters; however, most authors report that kinetic rates are faster for VIV/VV than for VII/VIII. Cycling the electrode potential increases the rates of both reactions initially due to roughening but when no further roughening is observed, the VII/VIII and VIV/VV reactions are affected oppositely by the pretreatment potential. Anodic pretreatment activates the electrode for the VII/VIII reaction, and deactivates it for VIV/VV. Three states of the carbon surface are suggested: reduced and oxidized states …

Photonic Monitoring Of Atmospheric Fauna, Adrien P. Genoud

Dissertations

Insects play a quintessential role in the Earth’s ecosystems and their recent decline in abundance and diversity is alarming. Monitoring their population is paramount to understand the causes of their decline, as well as to guide and evaluate the efficiency of conservation policies. Monitoring populations of flying insects is generally done using physical traps, but this method requires long and expensive laboratory analysis where each insect must be identified by qualified personnel. Lack of reliable data on insect populations is now considered a significant issue in the field of entomology, often referred to as a “data crisis” in the field. …

Atom-Specific Probing Of Electron Dynamics In An Atomic Adsorbate By Time-Resolved X-Ray Spectroscopy, Simon Schreck, Elias Diesen, Martina Dell'angela, Chang Liu, Matthew Weston, Flavio Capotondi, Hirohito Ogasawara, Jerry Larue, Roberto Costantini, Martin Beye, Piter S. Miedema, Joakim Halldin Stenlid, Jörgen Gladh, Boyang Liu, Hsin-Yi Wang, Fivos Perakis, Filippo Cavalca, Sergey Koroidov, Peter Amann, Emanuele Pedersoli, Denys Naumenko, Ivaylo Nikolov, Lorenzo Raimondi, Frank Abild-Pedersen, Tony F. Heinz, Johannes Voss, Alan C. Luntz, Anders Nilsson

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

The electronic excitation occurring on adsorbates at ultrafast timescales from optical lasers that initiate surface chemical reactions is still an open question. Here, we report the ultrafast temporal evolution of x-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) and x-ray emission spectroscopy (XES) of a simple well-known adsorbate prototype system, namely carbon (C) atoms adsorbed on a nickel [Ni(100)] surface, following intense laser optical pumping at 400 nm. We observe ultrafast (∼100  fs) changes in both XAS and XES showing clear signatures of the formation of a hot electron-hole pair distribution on the adsorbate. This is followed by slower changes on a few picoseconds …