Chemical and physical studies of metallic alloy-based old Indian coins with LIBS coupled with multivariate analysis

The present work aims to demonstrate the capabilities of Laser-induced Breakdown Spectroscopy(LIBS)coupled with a multivariate technique for rapid quantification and classification of old Indian coins made of various alloys.Thirteen old Indian coins in different years of circulation,(1922–1986)were selected for the study.The concentrations were determined by Calibration free LIBS(CF-LIBS)method.The concentration of cuprum(Cu)is negligible,and aluminum(Al)is maximum in the first five coins,and vice-versa in the remaining eight coins.Two different multivariate methods,Principal Component Analysis(PCA)and Soft Independent Modelling of Class Analogy(SIMCA)have been used to classify and identify the coins.PCA classified all thirteen samples into four main alloy categories.The discernment of unknown samples to their probable class membership of alloy was performed using SIMCA.The surface hardness(Brinell hardness number)is linearly correlated with the plasma temperature and LIBS intensity ratios.The sample surface of the first and fifth coin belongs to Al-alloy,having the least surface hardness,and it became harder for Cu–Ni alloy,Ni-brass alloy,and bronze alloy.The hardness of the surface is more for bronze sample twelve.It is also observed that the plasma temperature increases monotonically with the Brinell hardness number.This analysis provides valuable information on fabrication methodology and explains large diversification in the elementary composition of old coins.

Highly sensitive and miniature microfiber-based ultrasound sensor for photoacoustic tomography

A microfiber with large evanescent field encapsulated in PDMS is proposed and demonstrated for ultrasound sensing.The compact size and large evanescent field of microfiber provide an excellent platform for the interaction between optical signal and ultrasound wave,exhibiting a high sensitivity of 3.5 mV/kPa,which is approximately 10 times higher than the single-mode fiber sensor.Meanwhile,a phase feedback stabilization module is introduced into the coherent demodulation system for long-term stable measurement.In addition,a photoacoustic tomography experiment with the microfiber ultrasound sensor is implemented to verify the excellent performance on imaging,with the depth of 12 mm,the highest lateral resolution of 65μm and axial resolution of 250μm,respectively.The highly sensitive microfiber ultrasound sensor provides a competitive alternative for various applications,such as industrial non-destructive testing,biomedical ultrasound and photoacoustic imaging.

Low-power emerging memristive designs towards secure hardware systems for applications in internet of things

Emerging memristive devices offer enormous advantages for applications such as non-volatile memories and inmemory computing(IMC),but there is a rising interest in using memristive technologies for security applications in the era of internet of things(IoT).In this review article,for achieving secure hardware systems in IoT,lowpower design techniques based on emerging memristive technology for hardware security primitives/systems are presented.By reviewing the state-of-the-art in three highlighted memristive application areas,i.e.memristive non-volatile memory,memristive reconfigurable logic computing and memristive artificial intelligent computing,their application-level impacts on the novel implementations of secret key generation,crypto functions and machine learning attacks are explored,respectively.For the low-power security applications in IoT,it is essential to understand how to best realize cryptographic circuitry using memristive circuitries,and to assess the implications of memristive crypto implementations on security and to develop novel computing paradigms that will enhance their security.This review article aims to help researchers to explore security solutions,to analyze new possible threats and to develop corresponding protections for the secure hardware systems based on low-cost memristive circuit designs.

Near-Field Scattering Enhancement of Perylene Based Aggregates for Random Lasing

Strong near-field scattering enhancement (NFSE) of polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxanes(POSS) nanoparticles (NPs) aggregates is found through physical simulation. An aggregation of N,N′-di-[3-(isobutyl polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxanes) propyl] perylene diimide(DPP) which possesses POSS as scatteres experimentally performs strong NFSE, which confirms the physical simulation results. Moreover, coherent random laser is triggered from the DPP aggregates in carbon disulfide. It is the NFSE of POSS NPs connected to both ends of DPP through covalent bonds and the NFSE of their aggregation thanks to DPP’s aggregation that is responsible for the coherent random laser. So, this work develops a method to improve weak scattering of system through construction of molecules, and opens a road to a variety of novel interdisciplinary investigations, involving molecular designing for disordered photonics.

Characteristics of normal human retinal pigment epithelium cells with extremes of autofluorescence or intracellular granule count

Background:Cells of the retinal pigment epithelium(RPE)accumulate different kinds of granules(lipofuscin,melanolipofuscin,melanosomes)within their cell bodies,with lipofuscin and melanolipofuscin being autofluorescent after blue light excitation.High amounts of lipofuscin granules within the RPE have been associated with the development of RPE cell death and age-related macular degeneration(AMD);however,this has not been confirmed in histology so far.Here,based on our previous dataset of RPE granule characteristics,we report the characteristics of RPE cells from human donor eyes that show either high or low numbers of intracellular granules or high or low autofluorescence(AF)intensities.Methods:RPE flatmounts of fifteen human donors were examined using high-resolution structured illumination microscopy(HR-SIM)and laser scanning microscopy(LSM).Autofluorescent granules were analyzed regarding AF phenotype and absolute number of granules.In addition,total AF intensity per cell and granule density(number of granules per cell area)were determined.For the final analysis,RPE cells with total granule number below 5th or above the 95th percentile,or a total AF intensity±1.5 standard deviations above or below the mean were included,and compared to the average RPE cell at the same location.Data are presented as mean±standard deviation.Results:Within 420 RPE cells examined,42 cells were further analyzed due to extremes regarding total granule numbers.In addition,20 RPE cells had AF 1.5 standard deviations below,28 RPE cells above the mean local AF intensity.Melanolipofuscin granules predominate in RPE cells with low granule content and low AF intensity.RPE cells with high granule content have nearly twice(1.8 times)as many granules as an average RPE cell.Conclusions:In normal eyes,outliers regarding autofluorescent granule load and AF intensity signals are rare among RPE cells,suggesting that granule deposition and subsequent AF follows intrinsic control mechanisms at a cellular level.The AF of a cell is related to the composition of intracellular granule types.Ongoing studies using AMD donor eyes will examine possible disease related changes in granule distribution and further put lipofuscin´s role in aging and AMD further into perspective.

Fiber Bragg Gratings in Small-Core Ge-Doped Photonic Crystal Fibers

This paper reports fiber Bragg gratings （FBGs） inscribed in a small-core Ge-doped photonic crystal fibers with a UV laser and a Talbot interferometer. The responses of such FBGs to temper- ature, strain, bending, and transverse-loading were systematically investigated. The Bragg wavelength of the FBGs shifts toward longer wavelengths with increasing temperature, tensile strain, and transverse-loading. The bending and transverse- loading properties of the FBGs are sensitive to the fiber orientations.

Detection of angiospastic disorders in the microcirculatory bed using laser diagnostics technologies

The evaluation of the microcirculatory bed functional state and the identification of angiospastic disorders with related complications,when the pathological changes are reversible,have an important role in medical practice.The aim of this study was to evaluate the possibility of using optical noninvasive methods and the cold pressor test to solve this problem.A total of 33 patients with rheumatological diseases and 32 healthy volunteers were included in the study.Laser Doppler flowmetry,tissue reflectance oximetry and pulse oximetry were used as optical noninvasive methods.The parameters were recorded before,immediately after and 20 min after the cold pressor test.Based on the measured parameters,the complex parameters of the microcirculatory bed were calculated.A detailed statistical analysis of the parameter changes for each individual in the two groups displayed diverse microcirculatory bed parameter responses upon cold exposure,with differing recovery of parameters after CPT.New diagnostic criteria were proposed for the identification of angiospastic disorders.According to the proposed criteria,27 people of the volunteers group were confirmed to not display any disorders.In the patient group,however,18 people were observed to have a relatively normal functional state of the microcirculatory bed,while 15 people were observed to have a possible tendency to angiospasm.To highlight the diferences between a relatively normal state and presence of angiospastic disorders,statistical analysis of experimental data was carried out,which revealed significant differences.Further analysis of data with angiospastic disorders identified a relationship between their diagnoses and the results of labo-ratory studies.Thus,the evaluation of combined noninvasive optical diagnostic method use,the cold pressor test and proposed diagnostic criteria showed a positive result.This approach can be used to detect the presence of possible angiospastic disorders and related complications,as well as mi-crocirculatory bed disorders against the background of other diseases.

Investigation of Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy(LIBS)for the Differentiation of Nerve and Gland Tissue-A Possible Application for a Laser Surgery Feedback Control Mechanism

Laser surgery provides clean,fast and accurate modeling of tissue.However,the inability to determine what kind of tissue is being ablated at the bottom of the cut may lead to the iatrogenic damage of structures that were meant to be preserved.In this context,nerve preservation is one of the key challenges in any surgical procedure.One example is the treatment of parotid gland pathologies,where the facial nerve（N.VII） and its main branches run through and fan out inside the glands parenchyma.A feedback system that automatically stops the ablation to prevent nerve-tissue damage could greatly increase the applicability and safety of surgical laser systems.In the present study,Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy（LIBS） is used to differentiate between nerve and gland tissue of an ex-vivo pig animal model.The LIBS results obtained in this preliminary experiment suggest that the measured spectra,containing atomic and molecular emissions,can be used to differentiate between the two tissue types.The measurements and differentiation were performed in open air and under normal stray light conditions.

Observation of 550 MHz passively harmonic mode-locked pulses at L-band in an Er-doped fiber laser using carbon nanotubes film

We demonstrate a passively harmonic mode-locked（PHML） fiber laser operating at the L-band using carbon nanotubes polyvinyl alcohol（CNTs-PVA） film. Under suitable pump power and an appropriate setting of the polarization controller（PC）, the 54^（th） harmonic pulses at the L-band are generated with the side mode suppression ratio（SMSR） better than 44 dB and a repetition frequency of 503.37 MHz. Further increasing the pump power leads to a higher frequency of 550 MHz with compromised stability of 38.5 dB SMSR. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first demonstration on the generation of L-band PHML pulses from an Er-doped fiber laser based on CNTs.

Multimodal nonlinear imaging of atherosclerotic plaques differentiation of triglyceride and cholesterol deposits

Cardiovascular diseases in general and atherothrombosis as the most common of its individualdisease entities is the leading cause of death in the developed countries.Therefore,visualizationand characterization of inner arterial plaque composition is of vital diagnostic interest,especilly for the early recognition of vulnerable plaques.Established clinical techniques provide valuablemorphological information but cannot deliver information about the chemicai composition ofindividual plaques.Therefore,spectroscopic imaging techniques have recently drawn consider-able attention.Based on the spectroscopic properties of the individual plaque components,as forinstance diferent types of lipids,the composition of atherosclerotic plaques can be analyzedqualitatively as well as quantitatively.Here,we compare the feasibility of multimodal nonlinearimaging combining,two-photon fluorescence(TPF),coherent anti-Stokes Raman scatering(CARS)and second-hamonic generation(SHG)microscopy to contrast composition and mor-phology of lipid deposits against the surrounding matrix of connective tissue with diffractionlimited spatial resolution.In this contribution,the spatial distribution of major constituents of the arterial wall and atherosclerotic plaques like elastin,collagen,triglycerides and cholesterol can be simultaneously visualized by a combination of nonlinear imaging methods,providing a powerful label-free complement to standard histopathological methods with great potential forin vivo application.

Cooling rate calibration and mapping of ultra-short pulsed laser modifications in fused silica by Raman and Brillouin spectroscopy

This paper focuses on the preparation of a new extended set of calibrations of cooling rate(fictive temperature)in fused silica determined by inelastic light scattering and its subsequent use to characterize the local cooling rate distribution in ultra-short pulsed(USP)laser modification.In order to determine the thermal history(e.g.cooling rate and fictive temperature)of fused silica,high-resolution inelastic light-scattering experiments(Raman and Brillouin spectroscopy)were investigated.Calibrations were performed and compared to the existing literature to quantify structural changes due to a change of fictive temperature.Compared to existing calibrations,this paper provides an extension to lower and higher cooling rates.Using this new set of calibrations,we characterized a USP laser modification in fused silica and calculated the local fictive temperature distribution.An equation relating the fictive temperature(Tf)to cooling rates is given.A maximum cooling rate of 3000 K min-1 in the glass transition region around 1200℃ was deduced from the Raman analysis.The Brillouin observations are sensitive to both the thermal history and the residual stress.By comparing the Raman and Brillouin observations,we extracted the local residual stress distribution with high spatial resolution.For the first time,combined Raman and Brillouin inelastic light scattering experiments show the local distribution of cooling rates and residual stresses(detailed behavior of the glass structure)in the interior and the surrounding of an USP laser modified zone.

3D particle tracking velocimetry for the determination of temporally resolved particle trajectories within laser powder bed fusion of metals

Within this work,we present a system for the measurement of the three-dimensional(3D)trajectories of spatters and entrained particles during laser powder bed fusion(L-PBF)of metals.It is comprised of two ultrahigh-speed cameras and a reconstruction task specific processing reconstruction algorithm.The system enables an automated determination of 3D measures from the trajectories of a large number of tracked particles.Ambiguity evolving from an underdetermined geometrical situation induced by a two-camera setup is resolved within the tracking using a priori knowledge of L-PBF of metals.All processing steps were optimized to run on a graphics processing unit to allow the processing of large amounts of data within an appropriate time frame.The overall approach was validated by a comparison of the measurement results to synthetic images with a known 3D ground truth.

Local Tuning of the Surface Potential in Silicon Carriers by Ion Beam Induced Intrinsic Defects

The immobilization of biomaterials on a carrier is the first step for many different applications in life science and medicine. The usage of surface-near electrostatic forces is one possible approach to guide the charged biomaterials to a specific location on the carrier. In this study, we investigate the effect of intrinsic defects on the surface potential of silicon carriers in the dark and under illumination by means of Kelvin probe force microscopy. The intrinsic defects were introduced into the carrier by local, stripe-patterned ion implantation of silicon ions with a fluence of 3 × 1013 Si ions/cm2 and 3 × 1015 Si ions/cm2 into a p-type silicon wafer with a dopant concentration of 9 × 1015 B/cm3. The patterned implantation allows a direct comparison between the surface potential of the silicon host against the surface potential of implanted stripes. The depth of the implanted silicon ions in the target and the concentration of displaced silicon atoms was simulated using the Stopping and Range of Ions in Matter (SRIM) software. The low fluence implantation shows a negligible effect on the measured Kelvin bias in the dark, whereas the large fluence implantation leads to an increased Kelvin bias, i.e. to a smaller surface work function according to the contact potential difference model. Illumination causes a reduced surface band bending and surface potential in the non-implanted regions. The change of the Kelvin bias in the implanted regions under illumination provides insight into the mobility and lifetime of photo-generated electron-hole pairs. Finally, the effect of annealing on the intrinsic defect density is discussed and compared with atomic force microscopy measurements on the 2nd harmonic. In addition, by using the Baumgart, Helm, Schmidt interpretation of the measured Kelvin bias, the dopant concentration after implantation is estimated.

Tailoring the properties of optical metamaterials

In this contribution we review our latest achievements of combined experimental and theoretical studies to tailor the properties of optical metamaterials(MMs) at will. We give three examples of metamaterial designs that have been realized by means of electron-beam lithography and whose spectroscopic characteristics have been comprehensively investigated. In every case, our experiments are complemented by rigorous numerical simulations. Particular emphasis is put on the significance of such tailored effective properties of optical MMs.

光学微瓶谐振腔传感器研究进展

作为光学微腔的一类,回音壁模式微瓶谐振腔可将光限制在极小三维区域振荡,具有高品质因子和低模式体积的特点。此外,其天然的中空通道可与微流控技术相结合,是实现光流传感器的重要平台。文章首先概述微瓶谐振腔的发展历程;然后简述微瓶谐振腔的传感机理,包括模式漂移、模式劈裂和模式展宽;接着对微瓶谐振腔理论模型和制备工艺进行介绍;随后着重阐述空心微瓶谐振腔的传感应用,包括温度传感、压力及超声波传感、生化传感、气体传感、磁场传感、液体属性传感、水凝胶相位传感等;最后对微瓶谐振腔的传感应用进行总结和展望。

Optical micro/nanofibers:achievements and future directions

Two decades ago,in 2003,Tong et al.[1]published a seminal paper that attracted many researchers working in the field of optics(and,particularly,the author of this Commentary)to the investigation and applications of optical micro/nanofibers(MNFs).In Ref.[1],Tong demonstrated a simple way to fabricate dramatically narrow–tens of nanometers in diameter–silica MNFs and their manipulation(e.g.,bending them into a knot)at the microscale.

Photonic gas sensors exploiting directly the optical properties of hybrid carbon nanotube localized surface plasmon structures

Weinvestigate the modification of the optical properties of carbon nanotubes(CNTs)resulting from a chemical reaction triggered by the presence of a specific compound(gaseous carbon dioxide(CO_(2)))and show this mechanism has important consequences for chemical sensing.CNTs have attracted significant research interest because they can be functionalized for a particular chemical,yielding a specific physical response which suggests many potential applications in the fields of nanotechnology and sensing.So far,however,utilizing their optical properties for this purpose has proven to be challenging.We demonstrate the use of localized surface plasmons generated on a nanostructured thin film,resembling a large array of nano-wires,to detect changes in the optical properties of the CNTs.Chemical selectivity is demonstrated using CO_(2) in gaseous form at room temperature.The demonstrated methodology results additionally in a new,electrically passive,optical sensing configuration that opens up the possibilities of using CNTs as sensors in hazardous/explosive environments.

Perovskites for Laser and Detector Applications

Perovskite materials have triggered a renewed interest in photovoltaic research in the recent years.They display crystal forms with 0D,1D and 2D,3D motifs,and several chemical forms,namely inorganic(titanates,rubidiates,nobiates,tantalates etc.),organic/inorganic metal halides with single to multiple cations,and even organic polymer or quantum dot-infused hybrids.Each crystal type and chemical form are endowed with specific physicochemical,optical,electronic,and morphological properties.These unique properties render them suitable for targeted applications,namely photovoltaics,LEDs,photocatalysis/electrolysis/solar fuels/solar and Li-ion batteries,gas-sensors,ferroelectrics,capacitors,transistors and memristors,photodetectors,and lasers,for advanced quantum cryptography and outer space applications.At first,the crystal and material types,and physicochemical,morphological,and optoelectronic properties of perovskite materials are discussed.Particularly,we focus on those properties which cumulatively contribute to their application in the abovementioned fields.Simultaneously,a comprehensive discussion about the advances in each field is presented.Structure/property/application relationships with key advances demonstrate the versatility of perovskites in modern optoelectronic technologies.

Cascaded tilted fiber Bragg grating for enhanced refractive index sensing

We proposed and experimentally demonstrated a cascaded tilted fiber Bragg grating(TFBG)for enhanced refractive index sensing.The TFBG is UV-inscribed in series in ordinary single-mode fiber(SMF)and reduced-diameter SMF with the same tilt angle,and then excites two sets of superposed spectral combs of cladding modes.The cascaded TFBG with total length of 18 mm has a much wider wavelength range over 100 nm and narrower wavelength separation than that of a TFBG only in the SMF,enabling an enlarged range and a higher accuracy of refractive index measurement.The fabricated TFBG with the merits of enhanced sensing capability and temperature self-calibration presents great potentials in the biochemical sensing applications.

A review on glass welding by ultra-short laser pulses

Glass welding by ultra-short pulsed(USP)lasers is a piece of technology that offers high strength joints with hermetic sealing.The joints are typically formed in glass that is transparent to the laser by exploiting nonlinear absorption effects that occur under extreme conditions.Though the temperature reached during the process is on the order of a few 1000°C,the heat affected zone(HAZ)is confined to only tens of micrometers.It is this controlled confinement of the HAZ during the joining process that makes this technology so appealing to a multitude of applications because it allows the foregoing of a subsequent tempering step that is typically essential in other glass joining techniques,thus making it possible to effectively join highly heat sensitive components.In this work,we give an overview on the process,development and applications of glass welding by USP lasers.