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The aim of this thesis is to present a simple model for the radiation to light conversion processes in fluorescent layers as an aid in future developments and applications. Optimisation between sensitivity and spatial resolution for fluorescent layers in digital radiology is a delicate task where the extrinsic efficiency for various phosphors needs to be established for varying parameters. The extrinsic efficiency of a fluorescent layer can be expressed as the ratio of the light energy per unit area at the screen surface to the incident xray energy fluence. Particle size is a critical factor in determining the value of the extrinsic efficiency, but in most models it is not treated as an independent variable. Based on the definition of a light extinction factor (ξ), a model is proposed such that, knowing the intrinsic efficiency η, the particle size and the thickness of a certain make of screen, the extrinsic efficiency can be calculated for an extended range of particle sizes and / or screen thicknesses. The light extinction factor ξ is an optical parameter determined from experimental data on extrinsic efficiency. The proposed model is compared to established methods. Further experiments have confirmed the validity of the model. Monte-Carlo simulations have been utilised to refine the calculations of energy imparted to the phosphor by taking into account the escape of scattered and K-radiation generated in the screen and interface effects at the surfaces. The luminance was measured for a set of in-house manufactured screens of varying thicknesses and particle sizes. Utilising the proposed model, the corresponding calculated values deviated ± 14 %.within the studied range.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-03-15T19:38:07Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Alfredo Almeida Araujo.pdf: 1307305 bytes, checksum: fd5b49227c52b28ef3a5392983927234 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2008-02-13 / This dissertation aims to describe the basic characteristics of microstructured fibers, their concept and performance, and to investigate the application of a low loss microstructured fiber to the development of Raman amplifiers. An analysis of the use of these amplifiers in Telecommunication applications is described. To this end, simulations were carried out with these waveguides with the data of a real fiber described in the literature. Simulations were also carried out to determine the amplifier s net gain and noise figure and to establish the advantages of its use in a complete optical fiber span, including the compensation dispersion in the O band (1260-1360 nm). As a result, it was demonstrated that the microstructured fiber presents, in some aspects, a performance that is higher than that of conventional Raman amplifiers, and complementary to that of a commercial amplifiers, such as those based on Erbium doped fiber. / Esta dissertação tem como objetivo descrever as características básicas das fibras microestruturadas, seu conceito e desempenho, e investigar a aplicação de uma fibra microestruturada de baixa perda para o desenvolvimento de amplificadores Raman. Uma análise do uso destes em aplicações de Telecomunicações é descrita. Para isso, foram realizadas simulações destes guias de onda com dados de uma fibra real descrita na literatura. Também foram realizadas simulações para verificação do ganho líquido e figura de ruído de um amplificador baseado nesta fibra e das vantagens de seu uso em um enlace óptico completo, incluindo compensação de dispersão para sinais da banda O (1260-1360 nm). Como resultado, demonstrou-se um desempenho superior em alguns aspectos aos amplificadores Raman convencionais, e complementar aos amplificadores disponíveis atualmente no mercado, como os baseados em fibra dopada com Érbio.

No description available.

Cavity ring-down spectroscopy has been used over the last twenty years as a highly sensitive absorption spectroscopic technique to measure light attenuation in gases, liquids, and solid samples. An optical cavity is used as a multi-pass cell, and the decay time of the light intensity in the cavity is measured, thereby rendering the techniques insensitive to light intensity fluctuations. Optical waveguides are used to build the optical cavities presented in this work. The geometries of such waveguides permit the use of very small liquid sample volumes while retaining the advantages of cavity ring-down spectroscopy. In this thesis cavity ring-down measurements are conducted, both, in the time domain and by measuring phase-shifts of sinusoidally modulated light, and the two methods are theoretically connected using a simple mathematical model, which is then experimentally confirmed. A new laser driver, that is compatible with high powered diode lasers, has to be designed to be able to switch from time domain to frequency domain measurements. A sample path length enhancement within the optical cavity is explored with the use of liquid core waveguides. The setup was optimised with respect to the matrix liquid, the geometrical matching of waveguide geometries, and the shape of liquid core waveguide ends. Additionally, a new technique of producing concave lenses at fibre ends has been developed and the output of a general fibre lens is simulated. Finally, liquid core waveguides are incorporated into a fibre-loop ring-down spectroscopy setup to measure the attenuation of two model dyes in a sample volume of <1 µL. The setup is characterized by measuring concentrations of Allura Red AC and Congo Red from 1 µM to a limit of detection of 5 nM. The performance of the setup is compared to other absorption techniques measuring liquid samples. / Thesis (Ph.D, Chemistry) -- Queen's University, 2013-04-23 14:08:16.33