New methods of biological analyte sensing are needed for development of miniature biosensors that are highly sensitive and require minimal sample preparation. One novel technique employs optical resonances known as Whispering Gallery Modes (WGMs). These modes arise from total internal reflection of light at the internal surface of a high index microsphere within a low index medium and produce an evanescent field that extends into the surrounding medium. The WGMs produce multiple narrow spectral peaks that shift position with variations in the local index of refraction sampled by the evanescent tail of the WGMs. To excite these WGMs, we embed quantum dots (QDs) in the periphery of polystyrene microspheres to serve as local light sources. By coupling emission from the QDs to the WGMs, the sensors can be excited and interrogated remotely and, by monitoring the shift of multiple resonance modes, may provide higher sensitivity and accuracy compared with similar techniques. The high refractometric sensitivity of the WGMs offers potential for trace detection of molecules adsorbed onto or bound to the microsphere sensor elements. The sensitivity of these sensors is demonstrated by monitoring the wavelength shift of multiple resonant modes as bulk index of refraction is changed. The potential for targeted biosensing is explored through addition of a protein that adsorbs to the microsphere surface, thrombin. Microsensor response in all cases demonstrated increased sensitivity over theoretical predictions. Models based on Mie theory and continuity of the radial functions across the sphere-media interface were used to model the location, Q-factor, and sensitivity of the WGMs in microspheres by considering the embedded QDs as a high index outer layer. This model was used, along with estimates of the QD-layer index and penetration depth, to relate the locations and sensitivities of the modes to our experimental results with strong agreement between the two. In all, these microspheres demonstrate feasibility for use as remote microsensors with sensitivities rivaling current techniques.

<p>The field of inverse problems is an area in applied mathematics that is of great importance in several scientific and industrial applications. Since an inverse problem is typically founded on non-linear and ill-posed models it is a very difficult problem to solve. To find a regularized solution it is crucial to have <em>a priori</em> information about the solution. Therefore, general theories are not sufficient considering new applications.</p><p>In this thesis we consider the inverse problem to determine the beam bending stiffness from measurements of the transverse dynamic displacement. Of special interest is to localize parts with reduced bending stiffness. Driven by requirements in the wood-industry it is not enough considering time-efficient algorithms, the models must also be adapted to manage extremely short calculation times.</p><p>For the developing of efficient methods inverse problems based on the fourth order Euler-Bernoulli beam equation and the second order string equation are studied. Important results are the transformation of a nonlinear regularization problem to a linear one and a convex procedure for finding parts with reduced bending stiffness.</p>

The pseudo-spectral time domain (PSTD) and discrete dipole approximation (DDA) are two of the most popular methods to model the single-scattering properties of ice crystals and aerosols. Both methods solve for Maxwell’s equations. The PSTD method uses a Fourier pseudo-spectral method and a finite-difference method to compute the spatial and temporal derivatives of electromagnetic fields. The DDA method uses an electromagnetic integral equation in the frequency domain to calculate the single-scattering properties. We used a spherical model for this study because the analytical solution was given by the Lorenz-Mie theory. Previous studies have found that at refractive indices between 1.2 and 1.5, PSTD computed the single-scattering properties of spherical particles faster for large size parameters, while DDA was more computationally efficient at small size parameters; however, these previous studies did not consider absorptive cases. The purpose of this study was to expand the range of refractive indices to include absorptive cases and to determine which method was more efficient for computing the single-scattering properties of atmospheric particles within set criteria. The PSTD and DDA methods were systematically assessed in this study for 31 different realistic complex refractive indices. Similar to the previous studies, it was found that PSTD was more efficient than DDA for particles with large size parameters. The results in this study were consistent with the previous studies for non-absorptive to moderately absorptive particles. However, for strongly absorptive cases, DDA was more efficient than PSTD at all size parameters for the absorptive particles. It was also determined that the efficiencies of the two methods were dependent on both the real and imaginary parts of the complex refractive index. The significance of this study was to improve our understanding of the capabilities of the PSTD and DDA methods for computing single-scattering properties.

With many unique advantages compared to traditional sensors, optical fiber sensors have been studied and applied to many different areas. Interferometric sensors are one of the most useful sensor types due to their high sensitivities and relatively relaxed requirement on the stability of the optical source’s power level. In-line optical interferometric sensors received further attention as a result of compactness and robustness to the reference channel instability. Long period gratings (LPG) are one of the most useful components in the in-line optical fiber sensors. However, the fabrication cost is normally high due to the expensive masks and stringent photolithographic procedures. Two new sensor components, namely abrupt tapers and connector-offset attenuators, are proposed as couplers in the optical fiber to couple light from core to cladding (or reverse) to replace LPGs. Using OPTIBPM software, the coupling coefficients between core and cladding modes are calculated. For an abrupt taper, coupling mostly happens between LP01 and LP0m modes; the first ten LP0m modes account for 98% of the incident mode energy. For a connector-offset attenuator, coupling mainly happens between LP01 and LP1m modes; the first ten LP0m and first ten LP1m modes account for 92% of the incident mode energy. The relative direction of two connector-offset attenuators is found to be very important to the interference performance. Phase dependent interference (attenuation range from 1 dB to 35 dB) is observed in the simulation for the interferometers using abrupt tapers and connector-offset attenuators. Three interferometers are realized in the experiment using the abrupt tapers (Mach-Zehnder and Michelson) or the connector-offset attenuators (Michelson). Due to the interference between core and cladding modes, transmission is strongly dependent on wavelength ranging from 3 dB to 26 dB in the best implementation. Although it is difficult to make two perfect parallel connector-offset attenuators required by the Mach-Zehnder interferometers by using the fusion splicer, some evidence of constructive interference is observed in the experiment. The interferometers are tested as refractive index (RI) sensors using the maximum attenuation wavelength shift relative to the RI change. Given that the minimum resolution of optical spectrum analyzer is 10 pm, ~10-4 difference of the RI can be detected by the interferometric sensors using the abrupt tapers or the connector-offset attenuators. / Thesis (Master, Physics, Engineering Physics and Astronomy) -- Queen's University, 2008-08-18 15:42:59.506

Šiame darbe analizuojami didesnio lūžio rodiklio lęšių įtaka, akinių lęšių nešiotojams. Išnagrinėta mokslinės literatūros lęšių ir jų esamų aberacijų klausimais. Išanalizuota didesnio lūžio rodiklio plonintų lęšių, sferinių ir asferinių optinės charakteristikos. Išsiaiškinta kokių refrakcijos ydų turintys klientai netoleruoja labiausiai didesnio lūžio rodiklio plonintų lęšių. Pateikti tyrimo grafikai ir jų analizė bei išvados. Tyrime dalyvavo 90 respondentų. Tiriamieji suskirstyti pagal amžių, išsilavinimą, refrakcijos ydas bei nešiojamus akinių lęšius (plonintus ar neplonintus, sferinius ar asferinius). Analizuojant šio darbo temą, pastebėta, kad ši problema susijusi su akinių lęšių nepageidaujamais efektais, analizuojama mažai. Gauti tyrimo rezultatai rodo, kad didesnio lūžio rodiklio ploninti lęšiai, ypač asferiniai sukelia nepageidaujamus efektus. Tuos vaizdo iškraipymus labiau pajaučia tie klientai, kurie turi toliaregystės (hipermetropijos) refrakcijos ydas. Esant vidutinio laipsnio (nuo ±3.0 D iki ±6.0 D) ir didesnio laipsnio miopijai (nuo ±6.0 D ir daugiau), klientai nori lengvesnių ir plonesnių akinių lęšių. Todėl užsisako didesnio lūžio rodiklio asferinius akinių lęšius, kurie esant didesnėms dioptrijoms nedidina akių ir yra žymiai plonesni bei lengvesni. Tačiau tokie akinių lęšiai ne visada pateisina laukiamus lūkesčius. Asferinius lęšius užsisakė 30 respondentų: 22 žmonės buvo su trumparegystės (miopijos) refrakcijos yda, iš kurių nepageidaujamus vaizdo efektus... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / In this work, effect of lenses with higher refractive index for glasses wearers is analysed. Scientific literature in field of lenses and current aberration in them is examined. Optical characteristics of thin lenses with higher refractive index both spherical and aspherical are investigated. It has been find out what kind of refractive defects have clients who do not tolerate thin lenses with higher refractive index. Graphs of the research, their analysis and conclusions are presented. The research involved 90 respondents. Participants of the research were divided according to age, education, refractive defects and eyeglass lenses worn (thin or non-thin, spherical or aspherical). While analysing the topic of the work, it was noticed that this problem, related with adverse effect of glasses, is analysed a little. The results of research shows that thin lenses with higher refractive index and especially aspherical ones cause adverse effects. Image distortions are felt by these clients who have refraction defects of long-sightedness (hypermetropia). At moderate (from ± 3.0 to ± 6.0 D D) and higher degree of myopia (from ± 6.0 D, and more), clients want lighter, thinner eyeglass lenses. Therefore, they order aspherical eyeglass lenses with higher refractive index, which consisting higher dioptres do not increase eye and are much thinner and lighter. Unfortunately these kind of eyeglass lenses do not always justify expectations. Aspherical lenses was ordered by 30 respondents:... [to full text]

Optical metamaterials are artificial media that exhibit new properties from structuring on the nanometric scale. One of the main researches in metamaterials investigates materials with negative refractive index, which can allow the development of perfect lens and other exciting potential applications. In this thesis, we theoretically study the properties of negative-index optical fishnet metamaterials, especially the origin of their negative-valued refractive index, and also associated theoretical problems. The thesis can be divided into 4 parts. In the first part we study the light scattering at an interface between air and a semi-infinite fishnet metamaterial. With a fully-vectorial numerical method, we calculate the scattering coefficients of the interface and find that the energy transport inside the fishnet is due to a single Bloch mode, the fundamental one. Based on the single-interface scattering coefficients and the effective index of this Bloch mode we propose a new algorithm for retrieving effective optical parameters of the metamaterial. The approach emphasizes the key role played by the fundamental Bloch mode and provides retrieved parameters that are more accurate or stable than those obtained by classical methods based only on light reflection and transmission through finite-thickness metamaterial slabs. Due to the importance of the fundamental Bloch mode in the light transport in metamaterials, in the second part, based on the Bloch mode orthogonality we derive closed-form expressions for the scattering coefficients at an interface between two periodic media with slightly different geometrical parameters, which is a computationally demanding electromagnetic problem. We show that the analytical expressions are very accurate for various geometries, including dielectric waveguides and metallic metamaterials. Thus they can be useful for designing and engineering stacks of periodic structures. As shown in the first part, the fundamental Bloch mode is central to explain the negative refraction phenomenon in fishnet metamaterials. In the third part, we derive an accurate semi-analytical model for the complex propagation constant of the fishnet fundamental Bloch mode. This is achieved by analyzing light propagation and scattering inside the fishnet. The model shows that the origin of broad-band negative index of fishnets can be mainly understood as a plasmon resonance in the transversal metal-insulator-metal (MIM) channels. The plasmon resonance enhances the 'magnetic' response of fishnet and the losses associated to this resonance can be compensated by including gain in the dielectric layers of the fishnet. Furthermore, the model allows an easy and precise geometrical tailoring of fishnet metamaterials. As shown in the third part, it is the plasmon resonance in metal-insulator-metal (MIM) structures that induces the negative index of fishnet metamaterials. In the last part, we study the asymptotic behavior of 3D MIM nanoresonators, as the resonator size is shrunk below the diffraction limit. In particular we show that the quality factor increases from 10 to 100 when the resonator volume is scaled down from (λ/2n)3 to (λ/50)3. We provide a comprehensive study with a semi-analytical Fabry-Perot model. The model remains accurate over the whole size scale even in the quasi-static regime for which retardation effects are not expected. This important and counterintuitive result indicates that both localized plasmon resonances in nanoparticles and delocalized resonance in elongated plasmonic nanowires can be possibly understood as a wave-retardation based antenna problem.

Our aim was to establish a methodology for laser assisted oxidation of semiconductor and metal surfaces. One advantage of laser oxidation is the fact that radiation is heavily absorbed in a thin surface layer of the sample and the other is its ability for local oxidation. In addition to this, laser beam can be directed into some areas that other processes cannot reach. For these reasons, Nd:YAG pulsed laser working at 1064 nm wavelength is used for the oxidation purposes of Si and Ta films. First, SiO2 layer was obtained for various O2 pressures and laser powers. The thickness, refractive index, structural, dielectric, electrical and optical characteristics of the SiO2 layers have been determined. We have established that there exists an interval of laser power in which the oxidation occurs without surface melting. The oxidation process is controlled by the laser power rather than by the substrate temperature (673 &ndash / 748 K). It was found that better film quality is obtained at higher substrate temperatures and laser power greater than 3.36 J/cm2. Second, rf-sputtered Ta films were oxidized by laser, because Ta2O5 appears to be a good promising candidate to replace SiO2 because of its high dielectric constant, high breakdown voltage and relevant small leakage current values. It was found that the substrate temperature is an important parameter to obtain denser layers with reduced amount of suboxides and the most suitable substrate temperature range is around 350 C to 400 C. &amp / #946 / -orthorhombic crystal structure was obtained when the substrate temperature is 350 &ndash / 400 C for thinner films (up to 20 &ndash / 25 nm) and 300 &ndash / 350 C for thicker films (40 nm). The refractive index values of laser grown thin tantalum oxide films were between ~1.9 and 2.2 being close to those of bulk Ta2O5 (2.0 &ndash / 2.2). Oxide thicknesses in uniform Gaussian&ndash / like shapes were measured as around the twice of those initial Ta films. Effective dielectric constant values reached ~26 when the substrate temperature was increased from 250 C to around 400 C. It was shown that the leakage current density level decreases with increasing substrate temperature. However, the refractive index values of the films were smaller than those of thermally grown films. Porous structure formed during laser oxidation might be the reason for lower refractive indices and can be improved by post&ndash / oxidation annealing.

A reflection retarder is a device that induces a change in the phase between the parallel and perpendicular components, of the electric field, to the plane of incidence while maintaining the relative amplitudes. A film-substrate reflection retarder is a reflection retarder that only consists of a film-substrate system. Film-substrate reflection retarders have been previously studied in the negative, zero, and positive systems. The type of system is determined by the relationship between the refractive index of the ambient N0, film N1, and substrate N2: if N1<(N0*N2)^(1/2) , the system is negative; if N1=(N0*N2)^(1/2), the system is zero; if N1>(N0*N2)^(1/2), the system is positive. It has been determined that is the condition required to achieve reflection retarders, in general. Angle-of-incidence tunable (AIT) retarder designs have not been investigated for the zero system, but have been studied in the negative system. An exact retarder in the zero system only exists at a single angle of incidence and a corresponding single film thickness. By approximating the retarder condition to allow the relative amplitudes to be within 5% of the exact value of unity, it is possible to realize unique AIT retarders in the zero system: retarders that can be operated over a continuous range of angles of incidence resulting in a large range of phase shifts approaching 360°. It is possible to have multiple angles of incidence with a difference of between their respective phase shifts. By inducing a phase shift of, it is possible to modulate the polarization of light. By employing an approximation of the retarder condition, AIT retarder designs were developed. The design’s tolerance to changes in design parameters is analyzed and discussed.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-11T19:25:33Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2010-06-18Bitstream added on 2014-06-13T20:48:26Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 nardi_ja_me_ilha.pdf: 631258 bytes, checksum: 8e51cb1b756b6f3050e1a667f2eda8e6 (MD5) / Os vidros teluritos são materiais que apresentam importantes propriedades ópticas de interesse aplicativo na área da fotônica. Uma das propriedades interessantes de tal vidro é o elevado índice de refração. De acordo com estudos realizados, o incremento de óxidos modificadores de rede nos vidros teluritos provoca o aumento do índice de refração em tal material, devido à mudanças estruturais ocorridas. Com esse intuito, sintetizamos amostras de vidros teluritos com nióbio, de composição 80TeO2-(20-x)Li2O-xNb2O5 (x = 0, 5, 10 e 15). Para caracterização das amostras foram realizadas medidas de espectroscopia na região do infravermelho (FTIR) e UV-Vis, espectroscopia Raman e Difratometria de Raios-X. Foram realizadas medidas de índice de refração das amostras para verificar a influência da concentração de óxido de nióbio acerca deste índice. A difratometria de Raios-X confirmou o estado amorfo das amostras. Os estudos de caracterização (por espectroscopia no infravermelho e Raman) mostraram que a inserção de óxido de nióbio deslocou, para maiores freqüências, as bandas de absorção características dos grupos TeO4 e NbO4 provocadas por mudanças estruturais e pela incorporação de oxigênios não-ligantes. A espectroscopia na região ultravioleta-visível mostrou uma tendência no aumento do comprimento de onda de corte com o acréscimo de óxido de nióbio, o qual pode estar associado a alguma mudança estrutural. As medidas de índice de refração mostraram que, de acordo com o incremento de óxidos modificadores, este índice aumentou. Tal fato se deve à transição de oxigênios nãoligantes para ligantes e à polarização das ligações Te–O dos grupos TeO4 e ligações Nb–O dos grupos NbO4, pois essas ligações apresentam maiores momentos de dipolo elétrico que as demais. / Tellurite glasses are important materials which have interesting optical properties application in photonics mainly due to its high refractive index. According to studies, the increase of network modifier oxides in tellurite glasses can increase the refractive index in such material, due to structural changes. For this purpose, samples with niobium tellurite glasses of composition 80TeO2-(20-x)Li2O-xNb2O5 (x = 0, 5, 10 and 15) were synthesized and characterized by (FTIR) and UV-Vis spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction. The influence of niobium oxide concentration to the refractive index was also investigated. The characterization studies (infrared spectroscopy and Raman) showed that the insertion of niobium oxide shifted the characteristic absorption bands of groups TeO4 and NbO4 to higher frequencies. The structural changes are due to incorporation of non-bridging oxygen. The UV-Vis spectra showed a trend of increasing the wavelength of UV-Vis cut-off with the addition of niobium oxide and this increase may be linked to structural changes. The X-ray diffraction confirmed the amorphous state of samples. The measurement of refractive index showed that, in accordance with the increment of oxide modifiers, this index increased. This is due to the transition from non-bridging oxygen to bridging oxygen and the polarization of the Te-O bonds of the groups TeO4 and links Nb-O of the NbO4 groups because these bonds have higher dipole moments than the others.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-11T19:25:33Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2008-03-26Bitstream added on 2014-06-13T20:26:58Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 monteiro_aa_me_ilha.pdf: 1376381 bytes, checksum: 0f42995675356c3407c89bdc7ba2e50c (MD5) / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) / Vidros teluretos são estudados devido as suas interessantes características ópticas (altos índice de refração, comparados aos vidros silicatos), apresentando-se como materiais promissores para o uso em fibras ópticas baseados nas propriedades ópticas lineares e nãolineares. Espectros de absorção na região do infravermelho e no UV - Vis indicam que a incorporação do lítio no vidro baseado no telúrio provoca a formação de pirâmides trigonais TeO3 e também a formação de bipirâmides trigonais dos grupos TeO4 simétricas. Porém, em ambos os sistemas ternários, TeO2-Li2O-TiO2 (TLT) e TeO2-Li2O-WO3 (TLW), ocorre uma progressiva mudança na coordenação dos átomos de Te (TeO3 para TeO4) quando os óxidos de TiO2 e WO3 substituem o óxido de Li2O na composição da matriz vítrea. Essas informações estruturais também são correlacionadas com a expressão para o índice de refração devido ao modelo de Wemple: n2-1=(EdEo)/(E2o-E2) , onde Eo é a energia relacionada à freqüência de absorção óptica, E é a energia da onda incidente, Eda “energia de dispersão”, determinada pela equação Ed = BNcZaNe, com B sendo uma constante, Nc o número de coordenação do cátion, Za é a valência do ânion e Ne é o número de elétrons de valência do ânion. Os valores de Ed tendem a aumentar com o aumento da concentração de TiO2. Entretanto, os valores de E0 e Ed do sistema TLW são maiores do que os valores do sistema TLT. Como a polarizabilidade eletrônica (α) é diretamente responsável pelo comportamento do índice de refração, e os grupos estruturais TeO4 por possuírem maiores magnitudes de αsão os responsáveis pelos altos valores do índice de refração dos vidros teluretos. Por outro lado, como os grupos TeO3 têm menor polarizabilidade eletrônica, a sua presença provoca a diminuição dos valores de n. / Tellurite glasses are being studied due to their interesting optical characteristics, presenting as promising material for use in optical fiber based on linear and non-linear optical properties. Spectra of absorption in the region of the infrared and UV-Vis indicate that the incorporation of lithium in tellurium based glass causes the formation of pyramids trigonais TeO3 and also the trigonal bipyramids of symmetrical TeO4 groups. However, in both ternary systems, TeO2-Li2O-TiO2 (TLT) e TeO2-Li2O-WO3 (TLW), occur a gradual change in the coordination of atoms of Te (TeO3 to TeO4) when oxides of TiO2 and WO3 replace the oxide Li2O in the composition of the vitreous matrix. Such structural information is also correlated with the expression for the refractive index due to the Wemple’s model: n2-1 = [EdEo]/[Eo 2- E2], where Eo is the energy of optical absorption, E is the incidente wave energy and Ed is the “dispersion energy” determined by the equation: Ed =BcNcZaNe , with Bc = 0.39 eV, Nc is the number of cation coordination, Za is the anion valence and Ne is the effective number of anion valence electrons. The values of Ed tend to increase with increasing concentration of TiO2. Meanwhile, the value of E0 and Ed of the system TLW are greater than the values of the system TLT. As the electronics polarizability (α) is directly responsible for the behavior of the refractive index, and structural groups TeO4, due to their larger magnitudes of α, are responsible for high values of the refractive index of the tellurite glasses. Moreover, as the groups TeO3 have lower electronics polarizability, its presence causes a decreasing of the refraction index values n.