Optics Commons^™

R&D Of A High-Performance Dirc Detector For A Future Electron-Ion Collider, Stacey Lee Allison

Physics Theses & Dissertations

An Electron-Ion Collider (EIC) is proposed as the next big scientific facility to be built in the United States, costing over $1 billion in design and construction. Each detector concept for the electron/ion beam interaction point is integrated into a large solenoidal magnet. The necessity for excellent hadronic particle identification (pion/kaon/proton) in the barrel region of the solenoid has pushed research and development (R&D) towards a new, high-performance Detection of Internally Reflected Cherenkov light (DIRC) detector design. The passage of a high energy charged particle through a fused silica bar of the DIRC generates optical Cherenkov radiation. A large fraction …

Growth And Magnetooptical Properties Of Anisotropic Tbf3 Single Crystals, Uygun V. Valiev, Denis N. Karimov, Gary W. Burdick, Rakhim Rakhimov, Vasiliy O. Pelenovich, Dejun Fu

Faculty Publications

The present paper investigates the Faraday effect and absorption and luminescence spectra of single-crystal TbF₃ measured at 90 K and 300 K. The optical-quality single-phase TbF₃ crystals (structural type β-YF3) were grown by the Bridgman technique. Faraday rotation angles were measured at remagnetization along the [100] crystallographic axis. Low temperature optical measurements were carried out along the [100] axis. “Quasi-doublet” sublevels with energy at 0 cm^-1, 65 cm^-1 and 190 cm^-1, and also a singlet sublevel with energy at 114 cm^-1 located in the ground 7F6 multiplet were determined from the …

Review Of Optical Detection Of Single Molecules Beyond The Diffraction And Diffusion Limit Using Plasmonic Nanostructures, Farzia Karim, Todd B. Smith, Chenglong Zhao

Physics Faculty Publications

Single-molecule detection has become a unique and indispensable tool for the study of molecular motions and interactions at the single-molecule level. Unlike ensemble measurement where the information is averaged, single-molecule analysis yields invaluable information on both the individual molecular properties and their microenvironment. Among the various technologies for the detection of single molecules, the detection with optical methods has many advantages in terms of its high sensitivity, electrical passiveness, and robustness. The recent advances in the engineering of either the excitation light or the solution of the molecules have paved the way for enhanced single-molecule detection. We present recent developments …

Ultrasensitive Inverse Weak-Value Tilt Meter, Julián Martínez-Rincón, Christopher A. Mullarkey, Gerardo I. Viza, Wei-Tao Liu, John C. Howell

Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Faculty Articles and Research

We present an interferometric technique for measuring ultrasmall tilts. The information of a tilt in one of the mirrors of a modified Sagnac interferometer is carried by the phase difference between the counter-propagating laser beams. Using a small misalignment of the interferometer, orthogonal to the plane of the tilt, a bimodal (or two-fringe) pattern is induced in the beam’s transverse power distribution. By tracking the mean of such a distribution, using a split detector, a sensitive measurement of the phase is performed. With 1.2 mW of continuous-wave laser power, the technique has a shot noise limited sensitivity of 56 frad/Hz−−−√ …

Design And Implementation Of A Microscope Based On Magneto-Optic Effects, Yuxuan Liu

Graduate Theses - Physics and Optical Engineering

When light passes through a medium that is subjected to a strong magnetic field, its polarization state may change due to magneto-optic effects such as Faraday rotation. An imaging system based on this polarization change is designed and constructed. The imaging system is built around a magnetic pulse field generator and able to detect polarization change of the incident light due to magneto-optic effects. An automated scheme is implemented using LabView. The program is developed to integrate all hardware and conduct multiple measurements automatically to enhance sensitivity. Basic testing measurements are conducted to evaluate the performance of the system. A …

Practical Advantages Of Almost-Balanced-Weak-Value Metrological Techniques, Julián Martínez-Rincón, Zekai Chen, John C. Howell

Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Faculty Articles and Research

Precision measurements of ultrasmall linear velocities of one of the mirrors in a Michelson interferometer are performed using two different weak-value techniques. We show that the technique of almost-balanced weak values (ABWV) offers practical advantages over the technique of weak-value amplification, resulting in larger signal-to-noise ratios and the possibility of longer integration times due to robustness to slow drifts. As an example of the performance of the ABWV protocol we report a velocity sensitivity of 60 fm/s after 40 h of integration time. The sensitivity of the Doppler shift due to the moving mirror is 150 nHz.

Quantum Optical Interferometry And Quantum State Engineering, Richard J. Birrittella Jr

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

We highlight some of our research done in the fields of quantum optical interferometry and quantum state engineering. We discuss the body of work for which our research is predicated, as well as discuss some of the fundamental tenants of the theory of phase estimation. We do this in the context of quantum optical interferometry where our primary interest lies in the calculation of the quantum Fisher information as it has been shown that the minimum phase uncertainty obtained, the quantum Cramer-Rao bound, is saturated by parity-based detection methods. We go on to show that the phase uncertainty one obtains …

Wave Propagation Inside Random Media, Xiaojun Cheng

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This thesis presents results of studies of wave scattering within and transmission through random and periodic systems. The main focus is on energy profiles inside quasi-1D and 1D random media.

The connection between transport and the states of the medium is manifested in the equivalence of the dimensionless conductance, g, and the Thouless number which is the ratio of the average linewidth and spacing of energy levels. This equivalence and theories regarding the energy profiles inside random media are based on the assumption that LDOS is uniform throughout the samples. We have conducted microwave measurements of the longitudinal energy profiles …

Agenda: Second International Workshop On Thin Films For Electronics, Electro-Optics, Energy And Sensors (Tfe3s), University Of Dayton Research Institute

Electro-Optics and Photonics Faculty Publications

University of Dayton’s Center of Excellence for Thin Film Research and Surface Engineering (CETRASE) is delighted to organize its second international workshop at the University of Dayton’s Research Institute (UDRI) campus in Dayton, Ohio, USA. The purpose of the new workshop is to exchange technical knowledge and boost technical and educational collaboration activities within the thin film research community through our CETRASE and the UDRI.

Multispectral Identification Array, Zachary D. Eagan

Computer Engineering

The Multispectral Identification Array is a device for taking full image spectroscopy data via the illumination of a subject with sixty-four unique spectra. The array combines images under the illumination spectra to produce an approximate reflectance graph for every pixel in a scene. Acquisition of an entire spectrum allows the array to differentiate objects based on surface material. Spectral graphs produced are highly approximate and should not be used to determine material properties, however the output is sufficiently consistent to allow differentiation and identification of previously sampled subjects. While not sufficiently advanced for use as a replacement to spectroscopy the …

Optical Physics Of Rifle Scopes, Ryan Perry

Physics

Optical systems are typically consist of multiple lenses and mirrors and are used in a wide variety of fields. While there exist a variety of setups, there are a few key concepts that are at the core of all of them. These could be used from the most advanced scientific research to a simple magnifying glass. They are also used in industry and consumer products such as glasses and cameras. We are going to go over these key concepts and show how they apply to telescopes, or more specifically rifle scopes. First, we will go over Snell's Law of refraction …

Measuring The Reflection Matrix Of A Rough Surface, Kenneth W. Burgi, Michael A. Marciniak, Mark E. Oxley, Stephen E. Nauyoks

Faculty Publications

Phase modulation methods for imaging around corners with reflectively scattered light required illumination of the occluded scene with a light source either in the scene or with direct line of sight to the scene. The RM (reflection matrix) allows control and refocusing of light after reflection, which could provide a means of illuminating an occluded scene without access or line of sight. Two optical arrangements, one focal-plane, the other an imaging system, were used to measure the RM of five different rough-surface reflectors. Intensity enhancement values of up to 24 were achieved. Surface roughness, correlation length, and slope were examined …

Stereoscopic 3-D Presentation For Air Traffic Control Digital Radar Displays, Jason G. Russi, Brent T. Langhals, Michael E. Miller, Eric L. Heft

AFIT Patents

An apparatus and method of presenting air traffic data to an air traffic controller are provided. Air traffic data including a two dimensional spatial location and altitude for a plurality of aircraft is received. A disparity value is determined based on the altitude for each aircraft of the plurality of aircraft. Left and right eye images are generated of the plurality of aircraft where at least one of the left and right eye images is based on the determined disparity value. The left and right eye images are simultaneously displayed to the air traffic controller on a display. The simultaneously …

Time-Resolved Thz Conductivity Of An Intermediate Band Semiconductor, Elliot Weiss

Macalester Journal of Physics and Astronomy

Intermediate band materials have promising applications as affordable, highly efficient solar materials. However, intermediate band solar cells exhibit low efficiency to date. Carrier recombination is a critical process that limits efficiency. If electrons relax to the valence band before they can be collected, their energy is lost. To help understand the recombination dynamics and physical properties of intermediate band semiconductors, we obtain time-resolved THz conductivity measurements of the intermediate band semiconductor, GaPAsN, at various temperatures. From our results, we build a model that provides insight to the recombination dynamics of GaPAsN.

Conductivity Measurements Of A Thermoelectric Nanomaterial Through Thz Spectroscopy, Michaela S. Koller, James Heyman, Gunnar Footh

Macalester Journal of Physics and Astronomy

In today’s society there is a great demand on energy output—in the United States alone we rely heavily on non-renewable energy sources. Thermoelectric materials may be able to be used to create more efficient energy systems or recover wasted heat from inefficient technologies. This paper focuses on the conductivity of a new thermoelectric material that incorporates copper into a tellurium nanowire PEDOT:PSS material. The addition of copper seems to increase the conductivity of the material, although the exact relationship between the percentage of copper to tellurium and its affect on the conductivity is uncertain from the results.

Studies In Mesoscopics And Quantum Microscopies, Zhenghao Ding, Gabriel C. Spalding

Honors Projects

This thesis begins with a foundational section on quantum optics. The single-photon detectors used in the first chapter were obtained through the Advanced Laboratory Physics Association (ALPhA), which brokered reduced cost for educational use, and the aim of the single-photon work presented in Chapter 1 is to develop modules for use in Illinois Wesleyan's instructional labs beyond the first year of university. Along with the American Association of Physics Teachers, ALPhA encourages capstone-level work, such as Chapter 1 of this honors thesis, which is explicitly designed to play the role of passing on, to a next generation of physics majors, …

Comparing Multiple Turbulence Restoration Algorithms Performance On Noisy Anisoplanatic Imagery, Michael Armand Rucci, Russell C. Hardie, Alexander J. Dapore

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

In this paper, we compare the performance of multiple turbulence mitigation algorithms to restore imagery degraded by atmospheric turbulence and camera noise. In order to quantify and compare algorithm performance, imaging scenes were simulated by applying noise and varying levels of turbulence. For the simulation, a Monte-Carlo wave optics approach is used to simulate the spatially and temporally varying turbulence in an image sequence. A Poisson-Gaussian noise mixture model is then used to add noise to the observed turbulence image set. These degraded image sets are processed with three separate restoration algorithms: Lucky Look imaging, bispectral speckle imaging, and a …

Electrodynamical Modeling For Light Transport Simulation, Michael G. Saunders

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Modernity in the computer graphics community is characterized by a burgeoning interest in physically based rendering techniques. That is to say that mathematical reasoning from first principles is widely preferred to ad hoc, approximate reasoning in blind pursuit of photorealism. Thereby, the purpose of our research is to investigate the efficacy of explicit electrodynamical modeling by means of the generalized Jones vector given by Azzam [1] and the generalized Jones matrix given by Ortega-Quijano & Arce-Diego [2] in the context of stochastic light transport simulation for computer graphics. To augment the status quo path tracing framework with such a modeling …

On The Simulation And Mitigation Of Anisoplanatic Optical Turbulence For Long Range Imaging, Russell C. Hardie, Daniel A. Lemaster

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

We describe a numerical wave propagation method for simulating long range imaging of an extended scene under anisoplanatic conditions. Our approach computes an array of point spread functions (PSFs) for a 2D grid on the object plane. The PSFs are then used in a spatially varying weighted sum operation, with an ideal image, to produce a simulated image with realistic optical turbulence degradation. To validate the simulation we compare simulated outputs with the theoretical anisoplanatic tilt correlation and differential tilt variance. This is in addition to comparing the long- and short-exposure PSFs, and isoplanatic angle. Our validation analysis shows an …

Measuring Molecular Orientation And Rotational Mobility Using A Tri-Spot Point Spread Function, Oumeng Zhang

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

Single molecules have become a powerful tool for biophysicists since they were first optically detected 28 years ago. Understanding molecular orientation can not only improve the accuracy of single-molecule localization, but it can also provide insight into biochemical behaviors at the nanoscale. In this thesis, I present a method to measure the molecular orientation and rotational mobility of single-molecule emitters by designing and implementing a tri-spot point spread function. The point spread function is designed so that it is capable of measuring all degrees of freedom related to molecular orientation and rotational mobility. Its design is optimized by maximizing the …