Mechanisms and efficient elimination approaches of self-absorption in LIBS

Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy(LIBS) is a promising analytical spectroscopy technology based on spectroscopic analysis of the radiation emitted by laser-produced plasma.However, for quantitative analysis by LIBS, the so-called self-absorption effects on the spectral lines, which affect plasma characteristics, emission line shapes, calibration curves, etc, can no longer be neglected. Hence, understanding and determining the self-absorption effects are of utmost importance to LIBS research. The purpose of this review is to provide a global overview of self-absorption in LIBS on the issues of experimental observations and adverse effects,physical mechanisms, correction or elimination approaches, and utilizations in the past century.We believe that better understanding and effective solving the self-absorption effect will further enhance the development and maturity of LIBS.

Elemental and proximate analysis of coal by x-ray fluorescence assisted laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy

Although laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy(LIBS),as a fast on-line analysis technology,has great potential and competitiveness in the analysis of chemical composition and proximate analysis results of coal in thermal power plants,the measurement repeatability of LIBS needs to be further improved due to the difficulty in controlling the stability of the generated plasmas at present.In this paper,we propose a novel x-ray fluorescence(XRF) assisted LIBS method for high repeatability analysis of coal quality,which not only inherits the ability of LIBS to directly analyze organic elements such as C and H in coal,but also uses XRF to make up for the lack of stability of LIBS in determining other inorganic ash-forming elements.With the combination of elemental lines in LIBS and XRF spectra,the principal component analysis and the partial least squares are used to establish the prediction model and perform multi-elemental and proximate analysis of coal.Quantitative analysis results show that the relative standard deviation(RSD) of C is 0.15%,the RSDs of other elements are less than 4%,and the standard deviations of calorific value,ash content,sulfur content and volatile matter are 0.11 MJ kg,0.17%,0.79% and 0.41%respectively,indicating that the method has good repeatability in determination of coal quality.This work is helpful to accelerate the development of LIBS in the field of rapid measurement of coal entering the power plant and on-line monitoring of coal entering the furnace.

Vapor cell geometry effect on Rydberg atom-based microwave electric field measurement

The geometry effect of a vapor cell on the metrology of a microwave electric field is investigated. Based on the splitting of the electromagnetically induced transparency spectra of cesium Rydberg atoms in a vapor cell, high-resolution spatial distribution of the microwave electric field strength is achieved for both a cubic cell and a cylinder cell. The spatial distribution of the microwave field strength in two dimensions is measured with sub-wavelength resolution. The experimental results show that the shape of a vapor cell has a significant influence on the abnormal spatial distribution because of the Fabry-P6rot effect inside a vapor cell. A theoretical simulation is obtained for different vapor cell wall thicknesses and shows that a restricted wall thickness results in a measurement fluctuation smaller than 3% at the center of the vapor cell.

Accurate quantitative CF-LIBS analysis of both major and minor elements in alloys via iterative correction of plasma temperature and spectral intensity

The chemical composition of alloys directly determines their mechanical behaviors and application fields.Accurate and rapid analysis of both major and minor elements in alloys plays a key role in metallurgy quality control and material classification processes.A quantitative calibration-free laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy(CF-LIBS)analysis method,which carries out combined correction of plasma temperature and spectral intensity by using a secondorder iterative algorithm and two boundary standard samples,is proposed to realize accurate composition measurements.Experimental results show that,compared to conventional CF-LIBS analysis,the relative errors for major elements Cu and Zn and minor element Pb in the copperlead alloys has been reduced from 12%,26%and 32%to 1.8%,2.7%and 13.4%,respectively.The measurement accuracy for all elements has been improved substantially.

Effect of external magnetic field on the shift of resonant frequency in photoassociation of ultracold Cs atoms

We study the influence of external magnetic field on the shift of the resonant frequency in the photoassociation of ultracold Cs atoms, which are captured in a magnetically levitated optical crossed dipole trap. With the increase of the photoassociation laser intensity, the linear variation of the frequency shift is measured by recording the photoassociation spectra of the long-range 0_u^+ state of Cs molecule below the 6S_(1/2)+ 6P_(1/2) dissociation limit at different magnetic fields.The slope of the frequency shift to the intensity of the photoassociation laser exhibits a strong dependence on the external magnetic field. The experimental data is simulated with an analytic theory model, in which a single channel rectangular potential with the tunable well depth is introduced to acquire the influence of the magnetic field on the atomic behavior in the effective range where photoassociation occurs.

Measurement and analysis of species distribution in laser-induced ablation plasma of an aluminum–magnesium alloy

We proposed a theoretical spatio-temporal imaging method,which was based on the thermal model of laser ablation and the two-dimensional axisymmetric multi-species hydrodynamics model.By using the intensity formula,the integral intensity of spectral lines could be calculated and the corresponding images of intensity distribution could be drawn.Through further image processing such as normalization,determination of minimum intensity,combination and color filtering,a relatively clear species distribution image in the plasma could be obtained.Using the above method,we simulated the plasma ablated from Al-Mg alloy by different laser energies under 1 atm argon,and obtained the theoretical spatio-temporal distributions of Mg I,Mg II,Al I,Al II and Ar I species,which are almost consistent with the experimental results by differential imaging.Compared with the experimental decay time constants,the consistency is higher at low laser energy,indicating that our theoretical model is more suitable for the plasma dominated by laser-supported combustion wave.

Rydberg electromagnetically induced transparency and Autler–Townes splitting in a weak radio-frequency electric field

We utilize an electromagnetically induced transparency(EIT) of a three-level cascade system involving Rydberg state in a room-temperature cell, formed with a cesium 6 S_(1/2)–6 P_(3/2)–66 S_(1/2) scheme, to investigate the Autler–Townes(AT)splitting resulting from a 15.21-GHz radio-frequency(RF) field that couples the |66 S_(1/2) → |65 P_(1/2) Rydberg transition.The radio-frequency electric field induced AT splitting, γAT, is defined as the peak-to-peak distance of an EIT-AT spectrum.The dependence of AT splitting γAT on the probe and coupling Rabi frequency, ?_p and ?_c, is investigated. It is found that the EIT-AT splitting strongly depends on the EIT linewidth that is related to the probe and coupling Rabi frequency in a weak RF-field regime. Using a narrow linewidth EIT spectrum would decrease the uncertainty of the RF field measurements.This work provides new experimental evidence for the theoretical framework in [J. Appl. Phys. 121, 233106(2017)].

Nonlinear spectroscopy of three-photon excitation of cesium Rydberg atoms in vapor cell

We present nonlinear spectra of four-level ladder cesium atoms employing 6 S1/2→6 P3/2→7 S1/2→30 P3/2 scheme of a room temperature vapor cell.A coupling laser drives Rydberg transition,a dressing laser couples two intermediate levels,and a probe laser optically probes the nonlinear spectra via electromagnetically induced transparency(EIT).Nonlinear spectra are detected as a function of coupling laser frequency.The observed spectra exhibit an enhanced absorption(EA) signal at coupling laser resonance to Rydberg transition and enhanced transmission(ET) signals at detunings to the transition.We define the enhanced absorption(transmission) strength,HEA(HET),and distance between two ET peaks,γET,to describe the spectral feature of the four-level atoms.The enhanced absorption signal HEA is found to have a maximum value when we vary the dressing laser Rabi frequency Ωd,corresponding Rabi frequency is defined as a separatrix point,ΩdSe.The values of ΩdSe and further η=ΩdSe/Ωc are found to depend on the probe and coupling Rabi frequency but not the atomic density.Based on ΩdSe,the spectra can be separated into two regimes,weak and strong dressing ranges,Ωd≤ΩdSe and Ωd≥QdSe,respectively.The spectroscopies display different features at these two regimes.A four-level theoretical model is developed that agrees well with the experimental results in terms of the probe-beam absorption behavior of Rabi frequency-dependent dressed states.

Highly sensitive detection of Rydberg atoms with fluorescence loss spectrum in cold atoms

Fluorescence loss spectrum for detecting cold Rydberg atoms with high sensitivity has been obtained based on lock-in detection of fluorescence of 6 P3/2 state when cooling lasers of the magneto-optical trap are modulated.The experiment results show that the signal to noise ratio has been improved by 32.64 dB when the modulation depth(converted to laser frequency)and frequency are optimized to 4 MHz and 6 kHz,respectively.This technique enables us to perform a highly sensitive non-destructive detection of Rydberg atoms.

Numerical simulation of laser-induced plasma in background gas considering multiple interaction processes

Laser-induced plasma is often produced in the presence of background gas,which causes some new physical processes.In this work,a two-dimensional axisymmetric radiation fluid dynamics model is used to numerically simulate the expansion process of plasma under different pressures and gases,in which the multiple interaction processes of diffusion,viscosity and heat conduction between the laser ablated target vapor and the background gas are further considered,and the spatio-temporal evolutions of plasma parameters(species number density,expansion velocity,size and electron temperature)as well as the emission spectra are obtained.The consistency between the actual and simulated spectra of aluminum plasma in 1 atm argon verifies the correctness of the model and the numerical simulation,thus providing a refinement analysis method for the basic research of plasma expansion in gases and the application of laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy.

Superfluid to Mott-insulator transition in a one-dimensional optical lattice

Bose–Einstein condensates(BEC)of sodium atoms are transferred into one-dimensional(1D)optical lattice potentials,formed by two laser beams with a wavelength of 1064 nm,in a shallow optical trap.The phase coherence of the condensate in the lattice potential is studied by changing the lattice depth.A qualitative change in behavior of the BEC is observed at a lattice depth of~13.7Er,where the quantum gas undergoes a transition from a superfluid state to a state that lacks well-to-well phase coherence.

Generation of stable and tunable optical frequency linked to a radio frequency by use of a high finesse cavity and its application in absorption spectroscopy

The laser frequency could be linked to an radio frequency through an external cavity by the combination of Pound-Drever-Hall and Devoe-Brewer locking techniques.A stable and tunable optical frequency at wavelength of 1.5μm obtained by a cavity with high finesse of 96000 and a fiber laser has been demonstrated,calibrated by a commercial optical frequency comb.The locking performances have been analyzed by in-loop and out-loop noises,indicating that the absolute frequency instability could be down to 50 kHz over 1 s and keep to less than 110 kHz over 2.5 h.Then,the application of this stabilized laser to the direct absorption spectroscopy has been performed.With the help of balanced detection,the detection sensitivity,in terms of optical density,can reach to 9.4×10^(-6).

Microwave Induced Ultralong-Range Charge Migration in a Rydberg Atom

A microwave induced superposition of the 40S_(1/2) and 40P_(1/2) states of a Cs atom has been investigated in detail.Ultralong-range charge migration which spans a region more than 200 nm has been discovered. As far as we know, this is the first time to discover charge migration in such a long range. This leads to a large dipole moment which oscillates periodically. The present discovery may stimulate new applications such as quantum simulation of many body physics dominated by periodic interactions. In addition, we find an interesting phenomenon that Cs atoms in the superposition of 40S_(1/2) and 40P_(1/2) have a much larger blockade radius than those of Cs(40S_(1/2))or Cs(40P_(1/2)) atoms.

Generalized Aubry–André–Harper Models in Optical Superlattices

Ultracold atoms trapped in optical superlattices provide a simple platform for realizing the seminal Aubry–André–Harper(AAH)model.However,this model ignores the periodic modulations on the nearest-neighbor hoppings.We establish a generalized AAH model by which an optical superlattice system can be approximately described when V_(1)≫V_(2),with periodic modulations on both on-site energies and nearest-neighbor hoppings.This model supports much richer topological properties absent in the standard AAH model.Specifically,by calculating the Chern numbers and topological edge states,we show that the generalized AAH model possesses multifarious topological phases and topological phase transitions,unlike the standard AAH model supporting only a single topological phase.Our findings can uncover more opportunities for using optical superlattices to study topological and localization physics.

Spin current in a spinor Bose–Einstein condensate induced by a gradient magnetic field

We develop a research of spin currents in a^(23)Na spinor Bose–Einstein condensate(BEC)by applying a magnetic field gradient.The spin current is successfully induced by the spin-dependent force arising from the magnetic field gradient.The dynamics of the spin components under the magnetic force is investigated.The study is promising to be extended to produce a longer spin-coherence and to enhance the sensitivity of the spin-mixing interferometry in a spinor BEC.

Radiation-Pressure Effects in Cold-Atom Absorption Spectroscopy and Electromagnetically Induced Transparency

Radiation pressure due to the interaction between a probe light and cold atoms is investigated in a standard cesium magneto-optical trap. The radiation pressure alters the absorption spectroscopy of cold atoms, leading to line shapes and linewidths after resonant interaction that are different for positive and negative probe chirps. The difference is attributed to the radiation pressure of the probe laser, due to which atoms become accelerated at the resonance. The effect of the radiation pressure is also seen in electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) involving an excited Rydberg level. The density matrix equation accounting for the radiation pressure is used to simulate the experiments. The simulations agree well with the measurements both for absorption and EIT spectra. We find that the effect of the radiation pressure is reduced at low probe intensities, and can be neglected when the probe intensity is smaller than Isat/2 .

声学三维量子霍尔态的观测

Quantum Hall effect,the quantized transport phenomenon of electrons under strong magnetic fields,remains one of the hottest research topics in condensed matter physics since its discovery in 2D electronic systems.Recently,as a great advance in the research of quantum Hall effects,the quantum Hall effect in 3D systems,despite its big challenge,has been achieved in the bulk ZrTe_(5)and Cd_(3)As_(2)materials.Interestingly,Cd_(3)As_(2)is a Weyl semimetal,and quantum Hall effect is hosted by the Fermi arc states on opposite surfaces via the Weyl nodes of the bulk,and induced by the unique edge states on the boundaries of the opposite surfaces.However,such intriguing edge state distribution has not yet been experimentally observed.Here,we aim to reveal experimentally the unusual edge states of Fermi arcs in acoustic Weyl system with the aid of pseudo-magnetic field.Benefiting from the macroscopic nature of acoustic crystals,the pseudo-magnetic field is introduced by elaborately designed the gradient onsite energy,and the edge states of Fermi arcs on the boundaries of the opposite surfaces are unambiguously demonstrated in experiments.Our system serves as an ideal and highly tunable platform to explore the Hall physics in 3D system,and has the potential in the application of new acoustic devices.

Deep learning in two-dimensional materials:Characterization,prediction,and design

Since the isolation of graphene,two-dimensional(2D)materials have attracted increasing interest because of their excellent chemical and physical properties,as well as promising applications.Nonetheless,particular challenges persist in their further development,particularly in the effective identification of diverse 2D materials,the domains of large-scale and highprecision characterization,also intelligent function prediction and design.These issues are mainly solved by computational techniques,such as density function theory and molecular dynamic simulation,which require powerful computational resources and high time consumption.The booming deep learning methods in recent years offer innovative insights and tools to address these challenges.This review comprehensively outlines the current progress of deep learning within the realm of 2D materials.Firstly,we will briefly introduce the basic concepts of deep learning and commonly used architectures,including convolutional neural and generative adversarial networks,as well as U-net models.Then,the characterization of 2D materials by deep learning methods will be discussed,including defects and materials identification,as well as automatic thickness characterization.Thirdly,the research progress for predicting the unique properties of 2D materials,involving electronic,mechanical,and thermodynamic features,will be evaluated succinctly.Lately,the current works on the inverse design of functional 2D materials will be presented.At last,we will look forward to the application prospects and opportunities of deep learning in other aspects of 2D materials.This review may offer some guidance to boost the understanding and employing novel 2D materials.

Visible-infrared-terahertz optical modulation of few-layer graphene through lithium intercalation

Optical modulation is significant and ubiquitous to telecommunication technologies,smart windows,and military devices.However,due to the limited tunability of traditional doping,achieving broadband optical property change is a tough problem.Here,we demonstrate a remarkable transformation of optical transmittance in few-layer graphene(FLG)covering the electromagnetic spectra from the visible to the terahertz wave after lithium(Li)intercalation.It results in the transmittance being higher than 90%from the wavelengths of 480 to 1040 nm,and it increases most from 86.4%to 94.1%at 600 nm,reduces from∼80%to∼68%in the wavelength range from 2.5 to 11μm,has∼20%reduction over a wavelength range from 0.4 to 1.2 THz,and reduces from 97.2%to 68.2%at the wavelength of 1.2 THz.The optical modification of lithiated FLG is attributed to the increase of Fermi energy(Ef)due to the charge transfer from Li to graphene layers.Our results may provide a new strategy for the design of broadband optical modulation devices.

Quartz-enhanced multiheterodyne resonant photoacoustic spectroscopy

The extension of dual-comb spectroscopy(DCS)to all wavelengths of light along with its ability to provide ultralarge dynamic range and ultra-high spectral resolution,renders it extremely useful for a diverse array of applications in physics,chemistry,atmospheric science,space science,as well as medical applications.In this work,we report on an innovative technique of quartz-enhanced multiheterodyne resonant photoacoustic spectroscopy(QEMR-PAS),in which the beat frequency response from a dual comb is frequency down-converted into the audio frequency domain.In this way,gas molecules act as an optical-acoustic converter through the photoacoustic effect,generating heterodyne sound waves.Unlike conventional DCS,where the light wave is detected by a wavelengthdependent photoreceiver,QEMR-PAS employs a quartz tuning fork(QTF)as a high-Q sound transducer and works in conjunction with a phase-sensitive detector to extract the resonant sound component from the multiple heterodyne acoustic tones,resulting in a straightforward and low-cost hardware configuration.This novel QEMRPAS technique enables wavelength-independent DCS detection for gas sensing,providing an unprecedented dynamic range of 63 dB,a remarkable spectral resolution of 43 MHz(or~0.3 pm),and a prominent noise equivalent absorption of 5.99×10^(-6)cm^(-1)·Hz-1/2.