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Cladding pumped single-frequency Yb3+-doped fiber amplifiers at 976 nm were investigated. Over 4 W output power was obtained and further power scaling can be achieved by reducing the cladding diameter of the Yb3+-doped fiber.

Thesis. 1977. Ph.D.--Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Physics. / Microfiche copy available in Archives and Science. / Includes bibliographical references. / Ph.D.

Thesis. 1975. Ph.D.--Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. / Vita. / Includes bibliographies. / Ph.D.

An J=1→J=1 atomic system in Samarium with incident laser resonant radiation has been investigated. A linearly polarized laser at 686nm excites atoms from the level 4ƒ[superscript]66s[superscript]2 [superscript]7F[subscript]1 to a excited level 4ƒ[superscript]66s6p [superscript]9F[subscript]1 via the process of optical pumping. When an external magnetic field is applied to the atom-laser interaction and the decay fluorescence collected, a level-crossing profile appears. Theoretical predictions of the level-crossing profile can be made using spherically irreducible tensors to describe the density matrix which take advantage of the symmetry of the atomic system. By comparing theory with experimental data, a discussion is made of the various parameters and external factors that can affect this system, which show that Doppler broadening is the major influence. An additional investigation is made into the evolution of the J=1→J=1 atomic system with increasing laser exposure. Comparisons of the experimental data with theoretical predictions are made by analyzing the FWHM of the overall level-crossing profile, the FWHM of the dip about B = 0 and the relative depth of the dip. By charting the progress of these parameters with increasing laser exposure, it can be seen that the theory and experimental data agree qualitatively. / http://proxy.library.adelaide.edu.au/login?url= http://library.adelaide.edu.au/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?BBID=1320338 / Thesis (Ph.D.) -- University of Adelaide, School of Chemistry and Physics, 2008

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington, 2001. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (p. 224-236).

NMR is a powerful analytical spectroscopic tool used to perform detailed studies of structure and dynamics of molecules in solution. However, despite NMR's excellent spectral sensitivity, most NMR methods suffer from low detection sensitivity. This low detection sensitivity results largely from extremely small (Boltzmann) nuclear spin polarization at thermal equilibrium--in even the strongest of magnets. This dissertation focuses on selected research areas that maybe used to combat the limitations presented by NMR and measure weak spectral responses with atomic-scale precision. In particular, these methods involve the use of laser-polarized xenon, liquid crystals, and polarization transfer (cross-polarization) techniques to enhance NMR sensitivity and/or measure weak interactions. The potential use of these tools to study host-guest interactions is of particular interest. In certain systems the sensitivity problem of conventional NMR/MRI can be overcome by applying optical pumping (OP) methods to enhance nuclear spin polarization. For instance, OP of noble gases (such as xenon) is employed to dramatically increase their nuclear spin polarization by transferring angular momentum of laser light to electronic and then nuclear spins. Next, cryptophane complexes are ideal choices for fundamental studies of prototypical host-guest interactions. Of general interest when studying host-guest interactions is how (1) physical confinement at the nanoscale and (2) interactions between guest and host may affect the properties, dynamics, interactions, and/or reactivity of a trapped molecule and the host/guest complex as a whole. As a more specific example, we are interested in probing host-guest dynamic coupling, which refers to the relative motion of the guest within the host, determined by the relative sizes and geometries--as well as the interactions involved. With the development of new NMR methods and techniques, we hope to gain insight into mechanisms that underlie complex formation by probing the structures, dynamics and energetic contributions involved in ligand binding, where molecular contributions such as: orientational and motional freedom of the guest; and structure, dynamics, and ordering of the host can influence the behavior of inclusion complexes.

Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy has been extensively used to investigate numerous systems of interest, ranging from collections of molecules to living organisms. However, NMR suffers from one key drawback: an inherent lack of detection sensitivity, as compared to other common forms of spectroscopy. This is due to the minute nuclear magnetic moments and low nuclear spin polarization levels at thermal equilibrium (~10-5 to 10-6), and thus necessitates the use of relatively large sample volumes. One way to overcome this low detection sensitivity is to introduce a species with highly non-equilibrium nuclear spin polarization, such as `hyperpolarized' xenon-129. Hyperpolarized xenon can either be used as its own chemical sensor (due to its exquisitely sensitive chemical shift range), or the non-equilibrium polarization may be transferred from xenon to another molecule of interest (such as a protein or inclusion complex). Hyperpolarized xenon is produced through a process known as spin-exchange optical pumping (SEOP), where the angular momentum from resonant, circularly-polarized light is transferred to the electronic spins of an alkali-metal, and is subsequently transferred to the xenon nuclei through gas-phase collisions. While SEOP has been extensively characterized throughout the years, new experimental techniques and emerging technologies have considerably advanced the field in recent years, and may enable a new understanding of the underlying physics of the system. The first five chapters in this dissertation review background information and the principal motivations for this work. Chapter one reviews the basics of NMR, from the various components of the nuclear spin Hamiltonian and different spin-relaxation pathways to the reasons behind the low polarization of nuclear spins at thermal equilibrium and a few alternative methods to `boost' the NMR signal. Chapter two discusses the fundamental aspects of SEOP, including the electronic spin polarization of the alkali-metal, polarization transfer to the xenon nuclei, and different avenues for the spin polarization to be depleted. The third chapter covers the practical considerations of SEOP from the viewpoint of an experimentalist; namely, the experimental differences when using a variety of alkali metals and noble gases, as well as different SEOP apparatuses and experimental parameters. Chapter four details a variety of different light sources that may be used for SEOP; specifically, the use of laser diode arrays (LDAs) are reviewed, including LDAs that have been frequency-narrowed for more efficient light absorption by the alkali metal. The fifth background chapter covers a variety of magnetic resonance applications of hyperpolarized xenon, including molecular biosensors, specific and non-specific binding with proteins, materials studies, and in vivo applications. The sixth chapter is used as an overview of the dissertation research, which is presented in chapters seven through eleven. Chapter seven details the arrangement of the particular SEOP apparatus used in this research, as well as the experimental protocol for producing hyperpolarized xenon. The eighth chapter accounts the implementation and characterization of the first frequency-narrowed LDA used in this research, as well as an equal comparison to a traditional broadband LDA. Chapter nine introduces the use of in situ low-field NMR polarimetry, which was used to distinguish an anomalous dependence of the optimal OP cell temperature on the in-cell xenon density; the low-field set-up is also used to examine the build-up of nuclear spin polarization in the OP cell as it occurs. The tenth chapter covers the use of high power, frequency-narrowed light sources that are spectrally tunable independent of laser power; this allows for the study of changes to the optimal spectral offset as a function of in-cell xenon density, OP cell temperature, and laser power. Xenon polarization build-up curves are also studied to determine if the spectral offset of the laser affects the nuclear spin polarization dynamics within the OP cell. Finally, chapter eleven accounts the use of high power, broadband LDAs to perform SEOP in which cesium is used as the alkali metal; these results demonstrate (for the first time) that the xenon polarization generated by cesium optical pumping can surpass that of rubidium OP under conditions of high laser flux and elevated in-cell xenon densities.

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