Interference has long been used for precision measurement of path-length changes. Since the advent of the laser, interference has become one of the most versatile tools in metrology. Specifically, ultra-short laser pulses allow unprecedented resolution in absolute length measurements. While ultra-short laser pulses lead to high resolution, for example in white-light interferometry, they are very susceptible to dispersion. Quantum resources have been proposed to overcome some of the problems related to distortions in the interferometric signal. For example, the Hong-Ou-Mandel (HOM) interferometer relies on frequency-entangled photon pairs and features automatic even-order dispersion cancellation and high interference visibility resilient to unbalanced loss. Quantum-OCT is a technique based on HOM interferometry, that promises to overcome Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) a classical imaging technique based on low coherence light. Furthermore, straightforward modifications of the HOM interferometer can display several different interferometric signals, including the HOM peak, quantum beating, and phase super-resolution. However, the quantum resources required are hard to produce and dim, leading to long integration times and single-photon counting. In this thesis, we introduce the theory behind Chirped-Pulse Interferometry (CPI), a new technique that combines all the advantages of Q-OCT, including even-order dispersion cancellation, but without the need for any quantum resources. We then experimentally implement CPI and demonstrate all the important characteristics shared by the HOM interferometer, but at dramatically larger signal levels. We show how CPI can be used to measure dispersion cancelled axial profiles of an optical sample and show the improvement in resolution over white-light interferometry. Finally, we show that by modifying CPI in analogous ways to HOM, CPI can also be made to produce interferometric signal identical to the HOM peak, quantum beating, and phase super-resolution.

Pulse Compression and Dispersion Control in Ultrafast Optics Vikrant K. Chauhan 116 Pages Directed by Dr. Rick P. Trebino In this thesis, we introduced novel pulse compressors that are easy to align and which also compensate for higher order dispersion terms. They use a single dispersive element or a combination of dispersive elements in single-element-geometry. They solve the problem of extra-cavity pulse compression by providing control of the pulse width in almost all of the experiments performed using ultrashort pulses, and they even compensate for higher order dispersion. We performed full spatiotemporal characterization of these compressors and demonstrated their performance. We also developed a theoretical simulation of pulse compressors which is based on a matrix based formalism. It models the full spatiotemporal characteristics of any dispersion control system. We also introduced a simple equation, in its most general form, to relate the total dispersion and magnification introduced by an arbitrary sequence of dispersive devices. Pulse compressor characterization was done using interferometric measurements in the experiments presented in this work, but we also developed a method to measure pulses that uses polarization gating FROG for measuring two unknown pulses. In the last part, we briefly discuss the designing of a high energy chirped pulse amplification system.

Not available / text

Not available / text

This thesis contains three separate yet closely related topics: fracture, friction and simulation of mechanical response of a confined granular medium. The first two are experimental investigations and the last one is a numerical study. In the fracture part, I will describe how to break a piece of silicon in a controlled way such that the atomic nature of the fracture process can be revealed in a macroscopic experiment. In the friction part, I will present another experiment using almost exactly the same setup as for the low temperature fracture experiment to study the properties of static friction and explore ideas concerning the origin of friction. In the last part, I will construct a confined granular packing and study how pulses and continuous waves propagate through it. All these three topics are relevant to geophysical science. I sincerely hope that my study can ignite some fresh thinking in that area and help other researchers to design models that can make more precise earthquake predictions. / text

Not available / text

The purpose of this work is to study the initial value problem for coherent pulse propagation (SIT) for zero area pulses. We employ the machinery of the newly developed mathematical technique of the inverse scattering method (ISM) to deduce general rules by which one can predict the kind of output pulses for a given input pulse impinging on a resonant attenuator. This study is relevant since the area theorem cannot provide unambiguous information about zero area pulses. Thus in effect we introduce an equivalent and more general formulation to the theorem in terms of the reflection coefficient, r(ν), of the ISM. The poles of r(ν) correspond to the steady state solitary pulses called solitons. We show that the threshold for soliton generation, including breathers, is for an absolute initial area of about π, a result consistent with the predictions of the area theorem. We solve an example of an input zero area profile. We also show that if the input pulse has an odd profile with respect to time, only breathers can be expected as solitons. We demonstrate that the conservation equations are of limited use when applied to zero area pulses. They give satisfactory results only in a limited region. We compare the predictions of the conservation equations to the predictions of the ISM, and come to the conclusion that for zero area pulses, the ISM is the only known satisfactory approach.

No description available.

No description available.

Pulses are nutrient dense foods that possess many beneficial effects. The purpose of this project was to examine the prevalence and effect of pulse consumption on nutrient intake in Canadian adults (≥ 19 y). Analysis was performed on data (N = 20,156) from the 2004 Canadian Community Health Survey (Cycle 2.2). Respondents were divided into groups based on pulse consumption and levels of intake and the association between nutrient intakes and pulse consumption was examined. Analysis revealed that thirteen percent of Canadians consumed pulses on any given day, and individuals with higher pulse intakes had higher intakes of macronutrients as well as enhanced micronutrient intake. Although pulses are generally low in sodium, its intake also was higher in pulse consumers. These data indicate that pulse consumption supports dietary advice that pulses be included in healthful diets. Further studies will be necessary so that dietary advice to increase consumption of pulses will maximize their nutritional benefits.