In the last decade, adaptive optics systems have been implemented on all the major ground based telescopes and have proven reliable tools for correcting the image to near the diffraction limit. However, the correction from these systems is limited to a narrow field of view. This dissertation address the challenges of widening the corrected field of single conjugate adaptive optics by properly using statistical information on the optical turbulence profile of the atmosphere above the telescope, and by optimizing the trade-off between image quality and field of view. Altair is the facility adaptive optics system for the 8-meter Gemini North telescope and marks the historical beginning of wide field adaptive optics. Its performance evaluation in Part One is the first on-sky comparison of sparse field images from an altitude-conjugated and a ground-conjugated deformable mirror. All of the other basic aspects of Altair's performance are characterized for use by the Gemini community to plan observations. We also study and report. on techniques for extrapolating the edge of the deformable mirror, a critical step in altitude-conjugated mode. In Part Two we develop a point spread function model for Ground Layer Adaptive Optics (GLAO) that is based on analytic forms of the phase power spectral density. This model has been used for feasibility studies of GLAO on Gemini, and the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT), currently the most advanced extremely large telescope project. The TMT will be an adaptive telescope that has science goals for the huge 81 square arcminute field of the Wide Field Optical Spectrograph (WFOS). We will show that WFOS-GLAO provides useful gains and will operate in the very wide GLAO (VWGLAO) regime, which has no additional overhead for seeing improved operation. To identify the VWGLAO regime we use statistical turbulence profile models and examine anisoplanatism in terms of image quality metrics relevant to the science that GLAO will likely assist. The VWGLAO regime is where there are useful gains over the theoretical seeing limit for wide field science that measure data collection efficiency as proportional to the product of image quality and the field of view (solid angle). We also show that for many cases VWGLAO will not be impacted by lag anisoplanatism nor by wavefront sensor noise.

Le travail effectué au cours de cette thèse a porté sur le développement et la mise en œuvre de nouvelles stratégies en microscopie non linéaire permettant d'augmenter le nombre de signaux non linéaires simultanément observables d'une part, et la vitesse d'acquisition d'autre part. Dans un premier temps, nous avons exploré la possibilité de produire des signaux multiples au moyen de deux trains d'impulsions synchronisés de longueur d'onde centrale distincte. Nous avons montré que cette approche permet d'exciter de façon optimale et simultanée trois protéines fluorescentes respectivement bleue, jaune, et rouge. Une application de cette méthode consiste à imager de grands volumes de tissus marqués avec des transgènes Brainbow dans le but d'étudier la connectivité ou le lignage cellulaire. Plus généralement, nous avons montré que cette approche permet de combiner plusieurs signaux non linéaires tels que la fluorescence, la génération de seconde (SHG) et de troisième (THG) harmoniques, ainsi que le mélange à quatre ondes (FWM). Dans un deuxième temps, nous avons étudié la possibilité d'augmenter la vitesse d'imagerie. Pour cela, nous avons mis en œuvre plusieurs manières de produire des faisceaux de Bessel focalisés afin d'augmenter la profondeur de champ d'un microscope à balayage. Enfin, en vue d'augmenter la vitesse d'acquisition tout en préservant le sectionnement optique, nous avons construit un microscope biphotonique à nappe de lumière de profil spatial programmable. Dans cette géométrie nous avons comparé les propriétés d'imagerie de profils d'excitation de type gaussien et de Bessel pour des applications en biologie du développement.

Les travaux de cette thèse ont porté sur les photodétecteurs quantiques pour le proche infrarouge. Pour améliorer les performances de ces détecteurs (propriétés spectrales et sensibilité au bruit thermique), nous avons étudié des concepts originaux intégrant des nanorésonateurs 2D et 3D. Dans un premier temps, afin de faciliter l'analyse numérique de ces structures, nous avons développé un nouveau code de simulation spécifique aux résonateurs 3D, basé sur la technique d'intégration finie. Les matrices associées aux équations sont creuses, ce qui permet d'avoir recours à des algorithmes spécifiques pour accélérer les calculs. Dans un deuxième temps, nous avons proposé deux concepts de photodétecteurs : 1. Nous avons étudié un concept de photodétecteur non refroidi, basé sur la détection à 2 photons dans de l'arséniure de gallium. Ce matériau semiconducteur n'absorbe pas de photons individuels de longueur d'onde supérieure à 900 nm ; en revanche des effets non linéaires permettent l'absorption des photons par paire, avec toutefois une probabilité très faible. L'intégration de cavités résonantes nanostructurées dans ces détecteurs permet un gain sur cette absorption de plusieurs ordres de grandeur, en confinant le rayonnement dans un faible volume de semiconducteur. Cela a pu être démontré numériquement et expérimentalement, avec la fabrication et la caractérisation d'un démonstrateur. 2. En parallèle, nous avons travaillé sur la réduction du bruit dans des photodétecteurs à base d'arséniure d'indium gallium. Dans ces détecteurs, le bruit est lié essentiellement au courant d'obscurité du détecteur, et peut être réduit en diminuant le volume de semiconducteur. Là encore, nous avons cherché à compenser l'absorption plus faible du rayonnement à l'aide de cavités résonantes nanostructurées. Celles-ci induisent notamment une localisation importante de la génération des photoporteurs dans le semiconducteur. Ce concept a fait l'objet d'un dépôt de brevet.

The performance of electrical and optical devices based on two-dimensional semiconductors (2D) such as molybdenum disulfide is critically influenced due to very poor light absorption in the atomically thin layers. In this study, the phonon mediated optical absorption and emission properties in single atomic layers of MoS2 have been investigated. The electronic transitions in MoS2 due to near-field optical interaction and the influence of interface phonons due to the dielectric substrate GaN on the relaxation of optically generated carriers will be described. The near-field interaction can be induced in the presence of metal plasmons deposited on the surface of MoS2 monolayers. A hybrid metal-semiconductor system was realized by the deposition of silver (Ag) NPs on MoS2 layer and the localized plasmon modes were selectively chosen to interact with quasiparticles such as excitons and phonons. These quasiparticles are confined within the single atomic layer of MoS2 and are stable at room temperatures due to high binding energy. The lattice vibrational modes in MoS2 can be optically excited with the pulses from a femtosecond laser. These phonon modes can be optically dressed due to near-field interaction in the hybrid Ag-MoS2 system under an optical excitation resonant to localized plasmon modes. The coherent dynamics of the carriers in MoS2 were manipulated by the generation of dressed phonons. The driving field creates a coherence between the ground levels in the presence of optical near-field. A strong coupling between the exciton and plasmon modes forming a plexciton band is observed at room temperature within the coherence lifetime of the system. A significant enhancement of photoluminescent (PL) emission from MoS2 monolayer occurs due to carrier density modulation in the presence near-field interactions. The absorption and emission properties of MoS2 are influenced due to the interactions with the semiconducting substrate. The coupling of carriers in MoS2 with the interfacial phonons, and the charge and energy transfer across the interface in 2D MoS2-GaN (0001) significantly change the UF absorption properties and the relaxation of carriers from the excitonic absorption states. An increased light absorption and enhanced PL emission from the single atomic layer of MoS2 was observed. The phonon-assisted processes can activate the dipole forbidden transitions and hence can explain the interaction of incident light in single atomic layer of MoS2. The MoS2-GaN heterostructure provides a platform to exploit strong coupling between the free carriers or excitons, plasmons and phonons. The gold (Au) NPs have a plasmon energy resonant to MoS2 and hence results in the strong exciton-plasmon coupling due to near-field interaction. In the meantime, the localized plasmon energy of platinum (Pt) NPs is selected to be in resonance to GaN bandedge emission and resonant to C excitonic state in MoS2. The localized plasmons in Pt can actively interact with carriers in MoS2 near Γ-point. The non-equilibrium absorption characteristics of MoS2 nanosheets on GaN hybridized with Au and Pt NPs are influenced due to activation of the defect levels of GaN induced due to interband optical excitation.

No description available.

Understanding the fundamental physics in light absorption and perfect light absorption is vital for device applications in detector, sensor, solar energy harvesting and imaging. In this research study, a large area fabrication of Al-doped ZnO/Al2O3/graphene/Al2O3/gold/silicon device was enabled by a spin-processable hydrophilic mono-layer graphene oxide. In contrast to the optical properties of noble metals, which cannot be tuned or changed, the permittivity of transparent metal oxides, such as Al-doped ZnO and indium tin oxide, are tunable. Their optical properties can be adjusted via doping or tuned electrically through carrier accumulation and depletion, providing great advantages for designing tunable photonic devices or realizing perfect absorption. A significant shift of Raman frequency up to 360 cm-1 was observed from graphene in the fabricated device reported in this work. The absorption from the device was tunable with a negative voltage applied on the Al-doped ZnO side. The generated absorption change was sustainable when the voltage was off and erasable when a positive voltage was applied. The reflection change was explained by the Fermi level change in graphene. The sustainability of tuned optical property in graphene can lead to a design of device with less power consumption.

No description available.

This thesis studies different Eu optical centers in MgS:Eu and CaS:Eu thin films produced by Chemically Controlled Pulse Laser Deposition (CCPLD) and evaluates their suitability for the development of spectral storage devices of the future. The produced thin films consist of one or more optically active layer(s), MgS:Eu, CaS:Eu or a similar material, and a corresponding ZnS capping layer that functions as a protecting barrier for the other layers and preserves their composition and integrity. Given that the synthesis of the materials used to produce the multilayer structures in this work proved a great challenge, careful attention was given to the optimization of all fabrication parameters. Mass Spectrometry was used during the deposition of the thin films and the data obtained resulted on improvements and optimization of the deposition process. Scanning electron microscopy studies of these thin films were conducted to study degradation upon long-term storage. Microscopy results show that the morphology of the produced thin films is correlated to the growth environment during deposition and deterioration of the deposited materials could be initiated by nano-gaps and cracks in the capping layer of the thin films. In addition to optical centers in MgS:Eu and CaS:Eu, new centers were created by changing the thin film growth environment inside a hi-vacuum chamber, modifying the composition of the ablation target material, or both. For example, introducing O2, or alternatively HCl, inside the CCPLD chamber while producing MgS:Eu thin films results in the formation of impurity associated centers across lattice sites throughout the deposited structures. In another method of impurity doping studied, Cl- and Na+ were introduced into the MgS:Eu and CaS:Eu lattices by mixing trace amounts of the impurity ions into these materials in polycrystalline form and making this mixture a deposition target by hi-pressure cold compression technique. The introduction of these impurity ions will alter the crystal field environment around the Eu ions thus creating new optical centers with a shift in energy of their characteristic Zero Phonon Line. After extensive characterization of the optical properties of the thin films produced, laser-induced fluorescence spectroscopy and absorption spectroscopy measurements confirm that they are suitable candidates to be used in conjunction with power-gated spectral holeburning technique and could potentially provide ultrahigh, terabits per square inch, storage densities. / Physics

Master of Science / Department of Physics / Brett D. Esry / The two-state field-aligned (1-D) model has been employed to investigate the dissociation dynamics of a hydrogen molecular ion and its isotopes under the Born-Oppenheimer approximation without rotation. The emphasis of this work was on the role of mass during the dynamical dissociation processes and on the laser-induced branching ratios between different photon pathways. Firstly, we have found that scaling the pulse duration of the laser pulse, applied to H[subscript]2+ and D[subscript]2+ , by the square root of the mass ratio of these isotopes will produce similar structure in the nuclear kinetic energy release (KER) spectra. In fact, the similarity of the spectra is enhanced by including some averaging that is necessary for comparison with experiment. For this to occur, the same broad initial vibrational distribution and a short pulse are preferred. Using this scaling idea, it is possible to produce effectively shorter laser pulses by studying heavier isotopes, like D[subscript]2+. Secondly, we have demonstrated analytically and numerically that there is a carrier-envelope phase effect in the total dissociation probability (TDP) of H[subscript]2+, and this effect grows with nuclear mass. We further show that under the same laser conditions, the CEP effect in the asymmetry between breakup channels decreases with mass. Our analytic expressions enhance the idea that CEP effects can be understood as an interference between different n-photon processes. Thirdly, the trends in the dissociation dynamics of H[subscript]2+ and D[subscript]2+ in a 800nm ultra short intense laser field were demonstrated by studying the dissociation branching ratios of multiphoton processes as a function of the laser peak intensity (from 8[times]10[superscript]9 to 10[superscript]14 W/cm[superscript]2) or pulse length (5fs-7.5fs). Based on the two-state approximation, an energy-analysis method (EAM) was employed to separate multiphoton processes. The results show that the one-photon dissociation process dominates over all other photon processes under all the laser conditions applied in the calculations and that the zero-photon process contributes to a surprisingly large fraction of the total dissociation. Two- and three- photon dissociation are weaker processes, but become more and more important as the laser peak intensity and pulse length increases. A two-state Floquet method was used to check the accuracy of the EAM, and good agreement between the two methods was found, demonstrating the reliability of the EAM. In comparison with H[subscript]2+, D[subscript]2+ displays stronger two and three photon branching ratios (above-threshold dissociation - ATD), which can be attributed to the late arrival of D[subscript]2+ to the critical distance for ATD to occur due to its heavier mass. Therefore, this "mass" effect can be used to steer the molecular dissociation pathways.

Polarized helium-3 is used as a contrast agent for lungs magnetic resonance imaging that has recently reached the pre-clinical applications. One method to hyperpolarize 3He is the metastability exchange optical pumping (MEOP). Optical pumping is performed in standard conditions at low pressure (~ 1 mbar) and low magnetic field (~ 1 Gauss). In this work, the complete update of a low field polarizer dedicated to small animal lungs imaging is presented. The implementation of a new 10 W laser, new peristaltic compressor and others components resulted in a production of 3-4 scc/min for a polarization between 30 to 40%. Images of rat lungs made with better resolution and a new dynamic radial sequence are presented as a validation of the system. Since few years, MEOP has also been studied at higher pressures and higher magnetic fields in small sealed cells. It showed that, thanks to hyperfine decoupling effect induced by high magnetic field, it was also possible to efficiently polarize at higher pressure (67 mbar). Experiments done at 4.7 and 1.5 T are reported in this work. The first ones show a benefic (higher polarization values) and a negative effect (lower production rates) of the magnetic field. The seconds highlight the advantage of using an annular beam shape of the laser that matches the distribution of 23S state atoms at higher pressure. Nuclear polarization values of 66.4% at 32 mbar and 31% at 267 mbar were obtained in 20 mL sealed cells and a 10 times increase in the production rate compare to best standard conditions. These promising results were the first motivation for building a high-field polarizer working inside MRI scanner in hospital. The design and the construction of such a polarizer are described in detail in the last part of the dissertation. The polarizer produces hyperpolarize 3He at 30-40% with a 4 times higher flow than the low field polarizer (10-15 scc/min). The first good quality human lungs images made in Poland with healthy volunteers are the main result of this work.