We show by numerical simulations a fundamental gain in contrast when combining coherently monochromatic light from two adaptive optics (AO) telescopes instead of using a single stand-alone AO telescope, assuming efficient control and acquisition systems at high speed. A contrast gain map is defined as the normalized point spread functions (PSFs) ratio of a single Large Binocular Telescope (LBT) aperture over the dual Large Binocular Telescope Interferometer (LBTI) aperture in Fizeau mode. The global gain averaged across the AO-corrected field of view is improved by a factor of 2 in contrast in long exposures and by a factor of 10 in contrast in short exposures (i.e. in exposures, respectively, longer or shorter than the coherence time). The fringed speckle halo in short exposures contains not only high-angular resolution information, as stated by speckle imaging and speckle interferometry, but also high-contrast imaging information. A high-gain zone is further produced in the valleys of the PSF formed by the dark Airy rings and/or the dark fringes. Earth rotation allows us to exploit various areas in the contrast gain map. A huge-contrast gain in narrow zones can be achieved when both a dark fringe and a dark ring overlap on to an exoplanet. Compared to a single 8-m LBT aperture, the 23-m LBTI Fizeau imager can provide a gain in sensitivity (by a factor of 4), a gain in angular resolution (by a factor of 3) and, as well, a gain in raw contrast (by a factor of 2-1000 varying over the AO-corrected field of view).

We show numerical simulations with monochromatic light in the visible for the LBTI Fizeau imager, including opto-dynamical aberrations due here to adaptive optics (AO) errors and to differential piston fluctuations, while other errors have been neglected. The achievable Strehl by the LBTI using two AO is close to the Strehl provided by a single standalone AO system, as long as other differential wavefront errors are mitigated. The LBTI Fizeau imager is primarily limited by the AO performance and by the differential piston/tip-tilt errors. Snapshots retain high-angular resolution and high-contrast imaging information by freezing the fringes against piston errors. Several merit functions have been critically evaluated in order to characterize point spread functions and the modulation transfer functions for high-contrast imaging applications. The LBTI Fizeau mode can provide an image quality suitable for standard science cases (i.e. a Strehl above 70 per cent) by performing both at a time: an AO correction better than approximate to lambda/18RMS for both short and long exposures, and a piston correction better than approximate to lambda/8 RMS for long exposures or simply below the coherence length for short exposures. Such results, which can be applied to any observing wavelength, suggest that AO and piston control at the LBTI would already improve the contrast at near-and mid-infrared wavelengths. Therefore, the LBTI Fizeau imager can be used for high-contrast imaging, providing a high-Strehl regime (by both AO systems), a cophasing mode (by a fringe tracker) and a burst mode (by a fast camera) to record fringed speckles in short exposures.

Photonic technologies off er numerous advantages for astronomical instruments such as spectrographs and interferometers owing to their small footprints and diverse range of functionalities. Operating at the diffraction-limit, it is notoriously difficult to efficiently couple such devices directly with large telescopes. We demonstrate that with careful control of both the non-ideal pupil geometry of a telescope and residual wavefront errors, efficient coupling with single-mode devices can indeed be realised. A fibre injection was built within the Subaru Coronagraphic Extreme Adaptive Optics (SCExAO) instrument. Light was coupled into a single-mode fibre operating in the near-IR (J-H bands) which was downstream of the extreme adaptive optics system and the pupil apodising optics. A coupling efficiency of 86% of the theoretical maximum limit was achieved at 1550 nm for a diffraction-limited beam in the laboratory, and was linearly correlated with Strehl ratio. The coupling efficiency was constant to within <30% in the range 1250-1600 nm. Preliminary on-sky data with a Strehl ratio of 60% in the H-band produced a coupling efficiency into a single-mode fibre of similar to 50%, consistent with expectations. The coupling was >40% for 84% of the time and >50% for 41% of the time. The laboratory results allow us to forecast that extreme adaptive optics levels of correction (Strehl ratio >90% in H-band) would allow coupling of >67% (of the order of coupling to multimode fibres currently) while standard levels of wavefront correction (Strehl ratio >20% in H-band) would allow coupling of >18%. For Strehl ratios <20%, few-port photonic lanterns become a superior choice but the signal-to-noise, and pixel availability must be considered. These results illustrate a clear path to efficient on-sky coupling into a single-mode fibre, which could be used to realise modal-noise-free radial velocity machines, very-long-baseline optical/near-IR interferometers and/or simply exploit photonic technologies in future instrument design.

Long-range surface plasmon-polaritons are transverse-magnetic polarized optical surface waves formed through the interaction of photons with free electrons at the surface of metal slabs or stripes. They play important roles in a variety of field such as integrated optics, amplifiers and lasers, optical sensing, modulation, etc. Due to their longer propagation length and deeper penetration depth compared to those of single-interface surface plasmon-polaritons, they have become increasingly promising in optical sensing. In sensing applications, it is necessary to reduce the noise level in order to obtain a lower detection limit. One way to achieve this is to use dual- or triple-output Mach-Zehnder interferometers so that the common perturbations among the outputs can be suppressed. The objective of this thesis is to provide deeper insights on the performances of dual- and triple-output Mach-Zehnder interferometers in thermo-optic and optical bulk sensing applications, theoretically and experimentally, and to demonstrate their ability to suppress common perturbations and lower the detection limit. On the theoretical side, the objective is approached by constructing a model for the transfer characteristic. For dual-output Mach-Zehnder interferometers, the plane-wave model is used to develop a general model for thermo-optic sensing and an unbalanced model for optical bulk sensing. For triple-output ones, local normal mode theory is used with modal analysis for the 3×3 coupler portion of the structure. Quantitative methods to analyze and compare different detection schemes are developed. The minimum detectable phase shift is determined for the case of thermo-optic sensing while the detection limit is determined for optical bulk sensing. On the experimental side, the objective is approached by providing a direct experimental demonstration of the transfer characteristics at an optimized operating wavelength for the coupler portion of the device, then comparing to theory. Time traces are carried out and various detection schemes are applied to suppress common perturbations among the outputs, and to improve the minimum detectable phase shift or the detection limit.

Context. At the end of their lives, most stars lose a significant amount of mass through a stellar wind. The specific physical and chemical circumstances that lead to the onset of the stellar wind for cool luminous stars are not yet understood. Complex geometrical morphologies in the circumstellar envelopes prove that various dynamical and chemical processes are interlocked and that their relative contributions are not easy to disentangle. Aims. We aim to study the inner-wind structure (R < 250 R-star) of the well-known red supergiant VY CMa, the archetype for the class of luminous red supergiant stars experiencing high mass loss. Specifically, the objective is to unravel the density structure in the inner envelope and to examine the chemical interaction between gas and dust species. Methods. We analyse high spatial resolution (similar to 0 ''.024 x 0 ''.13) ALMA science verification (SV) data in band 7, in which four thermal emission lines of gaseous sodium chloride (NaCl) are present at high signal-to-noise ratio. Results. For the first time, the NaCl emission in the inner wind region of VY CMa is spatially resolved. The ALMA observations reveal the contribution of up to four different spatial regions. The NaCl emission pattern is different compared to the dust continuum and TiO2 emission already analysed from the ALMA SV data. The emission can be reconciled with an axisymmetric geometry, where the lower density polar/rotation axis has a position angle of similar to 50 degrees measured from north to east. However, this picture cannot capture the full morphological diversity, and discrete mass ejection events need to be invoked to explain localized higher-density regions. The velocity traced by the gaseous NaCl line profiles is significantly lower than the average wind terminal velocity, and much slower than some of the fastest mass ejections, signalling a wide range of characteristic speeds for the mass loss. Gaseous NaCl is detected far beyond the main dust condensation region. Realising the refractory nature of this metal halide, this hints at a chemical process that prevents all NaCl from condensing onto dust grains. We show that in the case of the ratio of the surface binding temperature to the grain temperature being similar to 50, only some 10% of NaCl remains in gaseous form while, for lower values of this ratio, thermal desorption efficiently evaporates NaCl. Photodesorption by stellar photons does not seem to be a viable explanation for the detection of gaseous NaCl at 220 R-star from the central star, so instead, we propose shock-induced sputtering driven by localized mass ejection events as an alternative. Conclusions. The analysis of the NaCl lines demonstrates the capabilities of ALMA to decode the geometric morphologies and chemical pathways prevailing in the winds of evolved stars. These early ALMA results prove that the envelopes surrounding evolved stars are far from homogeneous, and that a variety of dynamical and chemical processes dictate the wind structure.

Orientadores: Hugo Enrique Hernandez Figueroa, Júlio César Rodrigues Fernandes de Oliveira / Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Engenharia Elétrica e de Computação / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-26T11:25:22Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Januario_JoaoCarlosSorianoSampaio_M.pdf: 2247178 bytes, checksum: 866411501272be6234f26634c08a5397 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014 / Resumo: O alto crescimento da demanda por tráfego nas redes ópticas de comunicações impulsionaram sua rápida evolução a fim de que esta passasse a suportar altas taxas de transmissão e otimizasse os recursos presentes em sua camada física. Para acompanhar este desenvolvimento as arquiteturas de rede também se modernizaram, partindo das redes ponto a ponto para as atuais redes em malha, as quais requerem que uma monitoração da performance do sinal óptico seja realizada ao longo de todo o seu enlace para que os parâmetros adquiridos sirvam de entrada para um controle capaz de proporcionar a flexibilidade que a rede necessita. Por esta razão este trabalho apresenta uma proposta de monitorador da relação sinal ruído óptica (Optical Signal to Noise Ratio, OSNR), principal parâmetro associado à qualidade do sinal em um enlace óptico, baseado nas propriedades de um interferômetro Mach Zehnder. Análises em simulação e experimentais foram conduzidas para avaliar a robustez do método na presença de efeitos dispersivos e verificou-se sua validade tanto para sinais não coerentes modulados em apenas uma polarização quanto para sinais codificados a partir da multiplexação de polarizações. Experimentalmente esta afirmação se confirma através da obtenção de um erro de monitoração menor que 1,5 dB para uma faixa de OSNR de 5 dB à 25 dB para o sinal OOK à 10 Gb/s e uma erro de menor que 3,0 dB para os sinais DP-QPSK à 112 Gb/s e 16QAM à 224 Gb/s para a mesma faixa de variação de OSNR / Abstract: The increasing demand for data in an optical network boosted its fast development in order to allow higher transmission rates and ensure a new generation of components on network physical layer. To follow this development the network architectures evolved too, starting from point to point network and going to actual mesh scenario, which requires a performance monitoring to guarantee a high level of reconfigurability and flexibility. Because of that, this work shows a new approach based on a Mach Zehnder interferometer to monitor optical signal to noise ratio (OSNR), the main parameter related to signal quality in an optical link. Analysis in a simulation environment and experimentally were made to evaluate the robustness of this new method in presence of dispersive effects. With that, it was validated its accuracy for non coherent signals modulated with only one polarization and for signals which exploit polarization multiplexing. Experimental analysis show a monitoring error below 1.5dB for a signal OOK at 10Gb/s with an OSNR range from 5dB to 25dB and for a signal DP-QPSK at 112Bb/s and 16QAM at 224Gb/s a monitoring error below 3.0dB was reached with the same OSNR range / Mestrado / Telecomunicações e Telemática / Mestre em Engenharia Elétrica

This work encompasses a study of fibre optic devices and micro-resonator cavities and their use as strain sensors, interferometers, and eventually as light sources. We demonstrate the use of a pi-shifted fibre Bragg grating as a strain sensor and quantify its performance through several metrics relevant to its operation in a frequency-locked system. We then discuss the use of waveguide devices as refractive index sensors in a detailed and critical analysis of most of the literature on fibre optic-based interferometry where we define new metrics of assessment that are aimed to be device-independent. We then categorize and study the performance of the literature on fiber-optic refractive index sensors and highlight few key devices of each category based on their performance or design. We relate the performance of these interferometers to various design parameters to outline a way for future researchers to create high-performance devices. Finally, we study light emission in dye-loaded droplet micro-resonators, which are a promising new platform to generate low-threshold lasing action excited by lasers coupled to the whispering gallery modes of the resonator. We characterize multiple types of emissions in these cavities and pave the way for future microdroplet-based lasers. / Graduate / 2022-08-10

The purpose of the present thesis is to investigate the effects of interactions in interferometers in the integer quantum Hall regime. The behaviour of electrons in condensed matter systems is mostly determined by the repulsive Coulomb interaction. However, under special circumstances the Coulomb interaction can be effectively attractive, giving rise to electron-pairing in unconventional superconductors and specifically designed mesoscopic setups. In particular, electron interactions can play a crucial role in quantum Hall systems, leading for instance to the emergence of quasi-particles with fractional charge and anyonic statistics. Quantum Hall Fabry-Pérot interferometers (FPI) have attracted increasing attention due to their ability to probe such exotic physics. In addition, such interferometers are affected by electron interactions themselves in unexpected ways. For example, experimental evidence for electron-pairing in a quantum Hall FPI was recently found. Interactions play a crucial role in quantum Hall FPI, and a deeper investigation of their effects is necessary in order to reach a better understanding of these systems. We start by analysing the magnetic field and gate voltage dependence of the longitudinal resistance in an electronic FPI, taking into account the interactions between an outer-most interfering edge mode, an inner non-interfering edge mode and the bulk. For weak bulk-edge coupling and sufficiently strong inter-edge interaction, we obtain that the interferometer operates in the Aharonov-Bohm regime with a flux periodicity halved with respect to the usual expectation, as recently observed. We do not find evidence for a connection between a reduced flux period and electron pairing, though. Then, we compute electron shot noise of an integer quantum Hall FPI in the limit of strong backscattering in the presence of a inter-edge repulsive interaction. We find that the Fano factor for strong edge-edge coupling is considerably enhanced with respect to the Fano factor of a non-interacting interferometer, indicating a significant correlation between the tunnelling of subsequent electrons. In particular, we find a two-fold enhanced Fano factor for some parameters, indicative of electron pairing as found experimentally. We interpret this result in terms of a dynamical attraction between electrons taking place in the interfering edge via the exchange of neutral inter-edge plasmons. We argue that our results for interferometers in the strong backscattering limit are related to an enhancement of shot noise observed experimentally in more open devices.

Intracavity Laser Absorption Spectroscopy (ICLAS) at IR wavelengths offers an opportunity for spectral sensing of low vapor pressure compounds. We report here an ICLAS system design based on a quantum cascade laser (QCL) at THz (69.9 m) and IR wavelengths (9.38 and 8.1 m) with an open external cavity. The sensitivity of such a system is potentially very high due to extraordinarily long effective optical paths that can be achieved in an active cavity. Sensitivity estimation by numerical solution of the laser rate equations for the THz QCL ICLAS system is determined. Experimental development of the external cavity QCL is demonstrated for the two IR wavelengths, as supported by appearance of fine mode structure in the laser spectrum. The 8.1 m wavelength exhibits a dramatic change in the output spectrum caused by the weak intracavity absorption of acetone. Numerical solution of the laser rate equations yields a sensitivity estimation of acetone partial pressure of 165 mTorr corresponding to ~ 200 ppm. The system is also found sensitive to the humidity in the laboratory air with an absorption coefficient of just 3 x 10-7 cm -1 indicating a sensitivity of 111 ppm. Reported also is the design of a compact integrated data acquisition and control system. Potential applications include military and commercial sensing for threat compounds such as explosives, chemical gases, biological aerosols, drugs, banned or invasive organisms, bio-medical breath analysis, and terrestrial or planetary atmospheric science.

The purpose of this thesis is the theoretical study of interference and correlation effects in multimode and continuum mode quantum systems. We are concerned with interference effects in multiport devices which in a sense are generalised Mach-Zehnder interferometers. It is shown how these multimode devices can be employed for the study of negative result and interaction free measurements. Interference and coherence effects are also studied in relation to the radiation fields generated by atoms through the process of spontaneous emission. Besides first order interference, higher order coherence effects are investigated with the aid of Glauber's photodetection theory and it is found that detectors that lie in spacelike regions may display nonclassical correlations under certain conditions. It is well known that the vanishing of field commutators between regions that cannot be connected by subluminal signals reflects the locality of quantum field theory. But is it possible that these spacelike regions exhibit correlations that violate Bell type inequalities? This is the main question and principal concern of the thesis and the answer is affirmative, nonclassical correlations between spacelike regions are indeed possible. A scheme of four detectors that lie in spacelike points was also studied. In this case we do not consider the radiation field but a free scalar field in vacuum state. Nevertheless the virtual quanta of this field may induce nonclassical correlations if the intervals between the detectors are spacelike but small enough. The fundamental reason for this fact is the nonvanishing of the Feynman propagator outside the light cone. Since this propagator is decaying expotentially with the distance it is demonstrated that for large spacelike intervals field correlations obey classical inequalities. We should also note that different inertial observers will agree on the violation or not of these inequalities since the results are manifestly Lorentz invariant.