Diagnostics of laser-induced plasma on carbon-based polymer material using atomic and molecular emission spectra

Time-integrated optical emission analysis of laser-induced plasma on Teflon is presented.Plasma was induced under atmospheric pressure air using transversely excited atmospheric CO_(2) laser pulses.Teflon is a C-based polymer that is,among other things,interesting as a substrate for laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy analysis of liquid samples.This study aimed to determine the optimal experimental conditions for obtaining neutral and ionized C spectral lines and C2 and CN molecular band emission suitable for spectrochemical purposes.Evaluation of plasma parameters was done using several spectroscopic techniques.Stark profiles of appropriate C ionic lines were used to determine electron number density.The ratio of the integral intensity of ionic-to-atomic C spectral lines was used to determine the ionization temperature.A spectral emission of C2 Swan and CN violet bands system was used to determine the temperature of the colder,peripheral parts of plasma.We critically analyzed the use of molecular emission bands as a tool for plasma diagnostics and suggested methods for possible improvements.

Intensities and spectral features of the ~4I_(13/2)-~4I_(15/2) potential laser transition of Er^(3+) centers in CaF_2-CeF_3 disordered crystal

A CaF2-CeF3 disordered crystal containing 1.06% of Er^3＋ ions was grown by the temperature gradient technique.Optical absorption and emission spectra recorded at room temperature and at 10 K, luminescence decay curve recorded at room temperature, and extended x-ray-absorption fine structure spectra were analyzed with an intention to assess the laser potential related to the ^4I13/2→^4I15/2 transition of Er^3＋. In addition, the thermal diffusivity of the crystal was measured at room temperature. The analysis of room-temperature spectra revealed that the ^4I13/2 emission is long-lived with a radiative lifetime value of 5.5 ms, peak emission cross section of 0.73 × 10^-20 cm^2, and large spectral width pointing at the tunability of the emission wavelength in the region stretching from approximately 1480 nm to 1630 nm. The energies of the crystal field components for the ground and excited multiplets determined from low-temperature absorption and emission spectra made it possible to predict successfully the spectral position and shape of the room-temperature ^4I13/2→^4I15/2 emission band. Based on the correlation of the optical spectra and dynamics of the luminescence decay, it was concluded that in contrast to Yb^3＋ ions in heavily doped CaF2 erbium ions in the CaF2-CeF3 crystal reside in numerous sites with dissimilar relaxation rates.

Pure red visible emission via three-photon excitation of colloidal Na3ZrF7：Er nanoparticles using a telecom-band laser

We provide the first demonstration of pure red emission in the visible light region via three-photon excitation in monodisperse N a3 ZrF7：Er nanoparticles （NPs） by using a laser operating in the telecommunication band. NPs of -22 nm in diameter are synthesized at 260℃ by the thermal decomposition method. The experimental results reveal that the Na3ZrF7：Er NPs exhibit pure red emission in the visible region under 1480 nm laser excitation, and the emission intensity is significantly influenced by the Er3＋ ion concentration. The decay times of the 4S3/2 → 4F15/2 and 4F9/2 → 4F15/2 transitions of the Er3＋ ions at 540 and 655 nm, respectively, are reduced by increasing the Er3＋ ion concentration in the Na3ZrF7：Er NPs. The suppressed emission intensity result from the defect-related quenching effect： when trivalent Er3＋ ions replac tetravalent Zr4＋ ions, extra Na＋ ions and F- vacancies are formed to re-balance the charge in the Na3ZrF7 matrix. The emission color of the Na3ZrF7：Er NPs is related to the cross relaxation between Er3＋ ions. These results provide an important step toward more ef- fective biological imaging and photodynamic therapy by minimizing the scattering of the excitation light and increasing the penetration depth.

1.5 μm dual-lateral-mode distributed Bragg reflector laser for terahertz excitation

A terahertz excitation source based on a dual-lateral-mode distributed Bragg reflector （DBR） laser working in the 1.5 μm range is experimentally demonstrated. By optimizing the width of the ridge waveguide, the fundamental and the first-order lateral modes are obtained from the laser. The mode spacing between the two modes is 9.68 nm, corresponding to a beat signal of 1.21 THz. By tuning the bias currents of the phase and DBR sections, the wavelengths of the two modes can be tuned by 2 nm, with a small strength difference （〈5 dB） and a large side-mode suppression ratio （SMSR 〉 45 dB）.

Excitation and relaxation dynamics in ultrafast laser irradiated optical glasses

We discuss the dynamics of ultrashort pulsed laser excitation in bulk optical silica-based glasses(fused silica and borosilicate BK7) well-above the permanent modification threshold. We indicate subsequent structural and thermomechanical energy relaxation paths that translate into positive and negative refractive index changes, compression and rarefaction zones. If fast electronic decay occurs at low excitation levels in fused silica via self-trapping of excitons,for carrier densities in the vicinity of the critical value at the incident wavelength, persistent long-living absorptive states indicate the achievement of low viscosity matter states manifesting pressure relaxation, rarefaction, void opening and compaction in the neighboring domains. An intermediate ps-long excited carrier dynamics is observed for BK7 in the range corresponding to structural expansion and rarefaction. The amount of excitation and the strength of the subsequent hydrodynamic evolution is critically dependent on the pulse time envelope, indicative of potential optimization schemes.

Observation of wedge waves and their mode transformation by laser ultrasonic technique

Wedge waves （WWs） in wedges, including their dispersion characteristics and mode transformation, are investigated using the laser ultrasound technique. Pulsed laser excitation and optical deflection beam method for detection are used to record WWs. Numerous WWs are detected by scanning the excitation laser along the wedge tip. Dispersions of WWs are obtained by using the two-dimensional （2D） Fourier transformation method, and different WW orders are revealed on the wedges. Mode transformation is determined by fixing the distance between the excitation and detection position, as well as by scanning the samples along the normal direction of the wedge tip.

What are Exciting in Laser Science

Recent advances in selected areas of laser science are briefly reviewed. They include laser technology, coherent control of quantum systems by lasers, X ray generation by ultrashort high intensity laser pulses, and laser spectroscopic studies of surface catalysis in real environment.

Displacement sensor based on polarization mixture of orthogonal polarized He-Ne laser at 1.15μm

Displacement sensor based on the polarization mixture and the cavity tuning of the orthogonal polarized He-Ne laser 1.15μm is presented.The power tuning curves of He-Ne laser are irregular,and it is difficult to measure the change in cavity length.The distortion of the curves is caused by the higher relative excitation compared with the He-Ne laser at 633 nm.In view of its potential for the wider displacement measuring range,a new method of displacement sensing is developed.Experiments show that displacement measuring stability based on the method of the polarization mixture is better than that of the power tuning curves. The displacement sensor achieves the measuring range of 100 mm,resolution of 144 nm,and linearity of 7×10- 6 .

Compact waveguide CO_2 laser excited by a RF power supply

The design and performance of radio frequency (RF) excited partial Z-fold waveguide CO_2 laser with two channels are exposed. The length of the partial Z-fold channel is 3×460 mm and that of the single channel is 460 mm. The electrodes for the two channels are common and excited by a same RF source. According to our analysis, this kind of structure can greatly improve the laser offset frequency stability. In the experiments, we studied the variation of laser output power with gas pressure for two different channels. The maximum laser output power is about 23 W for the partial Z-fold channel and about 6 W for the single channel.

Analysis of the Interaction of Pulsed Laser with Nanoporous Activated Carbon Cloth

Interaction of pulsed transversely excited atmospheric （TEA） CO2-1aser radiation at 10.6 μm with nanoporous activated carbon cloth was investigated. Activated carbon cloth of different adsorption characteristics was used. Activated carbon cloth modifications were initiated by laser pulse intensities from 0.5 to 28 MW/cm^2, depending on the cloth adsorption characteristics. CO2 laser radiation was effectively absorbed by the used activated carbon cloth and largely converted into thermal energy. The type of modification depended on laser power density, number of pulses, but mostly on material characteristics such as specific surface area. The higher the surface area of activated carbon cloth, the higher the damage threshold.

High-resolution photoacoustic microscope for rat brain imaging in vivo

A reflection-mode photoacoustic microscope（PAM） for rat brain imaging in vivo is constructed.A pulsed laser is used as an excitation source,and a focused ultrasound transducer is adopted to collect the photoacoustic signal.Raster scanning is applied to acquire three-dimensional（3D） data.The obtained measurements of the lateral and axial resolutions of the microscope are 45 and 15μm,respectively.The imaging depth in the chicken breast tissue is 3.1 mm at a signal-to-noise ratio（SNR） of 20 dB without any signal averaging.The imaging speed is 30 A-line/s.Experimental results in vivo demonstrate the capability of 3D imaging of the brain vessels of the rat after removing the skull.

Two-photon imaging of lymphoma cells targeted by gold nanoparticles

Gold nanoparticles （NPs） have highly efficient multi-photon-induced luminescence. In this paper, we record the two-photon images of gold NPs, lymphoma cell line Karpas 299, and Karpas 299 incubated with 30-nm-diameter gold NPs and ACT-1 antibody conjugates （Au30-ACT-1 conjugates） by using a multi-photon microscopy system. Due to the specific conjugation of ACT-1 antibody and cell membrane receptor CD25, gold NPs are only bound to the surface of cell membrane of Karpas 299. The luminescence intensity of gold NPs is higher than that of cells at 750-nm laser excitation. By comparing the images of Karpas 299 cells incubated with and without gold NPs, it is found that by means of gold NPs, we can get clear cell images with lower excitation power. Their excellent optical and chemical properties make gold NPs an attractive contrast agent for cellular imaging.

Investigation of ultrafast electron dynamics of nickel film and micro-nano-structure film

The electron thermalization and relaxation processes in ferromagnetic nickel thin film and micro-nano- structure film have been studied by measuring the transient change after excitation by a femtosecond laser pulse. The measurements indicate that the electron thermalization time is between 18 and 47 fs. This is somewhat faster than the value reported before. And the thermalization time of the micro-nano-structure film is much longer than the nickel film. We deduce that it is caused by the discontinuity of the electron band close to the Fermi level in the micro-nano-structure nickel film.

Application of electric field ionization method to detect the high-lying Rydberg states of Eu I

The 4f^76s（~9S）np 8 P J （J = 5/2, 7/2, 9/2） Rydberg series converging to the first ionization limit 4f 7 6s 9 S 4 of the Eu atom using the three-step laser excitation and electric-field-ionization （EFI） method are studied. First, the Eu atom is excited from the 4f 7 6s 2 8 S o 7/2 ground state to the 4f 7 6s7s 8 S o 7/2 state through the 4f 7 6s6p 10 P 9/2 state by the first two dye lasers. Next, it is populated to many higher-n members of the 4f 7 6s（ 9 S）np 8 P J Rydberg series by the third dye laser whose wavelength is scanned within a certain range. Finally, the atom in these higher-n states is ionized by the external pulsed electric field. With the field strength up to 2 kV/cm, we can detect the atom in 4f 7 6s（ 9 S）np 8 P J states with n 40. With the given laser line width, the level energies of Rydberg states with n as high as 72 can be determined. We not only confirm the previous data on the 4f 7 6s（ 9 S） np 8 P J Rydberg series, but also extend the n-value assignment significantly by detecting more states.

Ultrafast blue light emission from SiC nanowires

Cubic silicon carbide （SIC） nanowires are synthesized in a catalyst-assisted process. The nanowires with diameter of ～ 40 nm exhibit strong blue light emission at room temperature under ultraviolet （UV） femtosecond laser excitation. The photon energy of peak emission is higher than the energy bandgap of cubic SiC which shows involvement of quantum confinement effect. The ultrafast fluorescence is deconvoluted by Monte-Carlo method. The results show two ultrafast decay processes whose lifetimes are about 26 and 567 ps respectively. The mechanisms of such ultrafast processes are discussed.

Micro-Raman spectroscopy of single leukemic cells

The Raman spectra from leukemic cell line （HL60） and normal human peripheral blood mononuclear cells （PBMCs） are obtained by confocal micro-Raman spectroscopy using near-infrared laser （785 nm） excitation. The scanning range is from 500 to 2000 cm^-1. The two average Raman spectra of normal PBMCs and carcinoma cells have clear differences because their structure and amount of nucleic acid, protein, and other major molecules are changed. The spectra are also compared and analyzed by principal component analysis （PCA） to demonstrate the two distinct clusters of normal and transformed cells. The sensitivity of this technique for identifying transformed cells is 100%.