Quantitative photoacoustic tomography from boundary pressure measurements: noniterative recovery of optical absorption coefficient from the reconstructed absorbed energy map

We describe a noniterative method for recovering optical absorption coefficient distribution from the absorbed energy map reconstructed using simulated and noisy boundary pressure measurements. The source reconstruction problem is first solved for the absorbed energy map corresponding to single- and multiple-source illuminations from the side of the imaging plane. It is shown that the absorbed energy map and the absorption coefficient distribution, recovered from the single-source illumination with a large variation in photon flux distribution, have signal-to-noise ratios comparable to those of the reconstructed parameters from a more uniform photon density distribution corresponding to multiple-source illuminations. The absorbed energy map is input as absorption coefficient times photon flux in the time-independent diffusion equation (DE) governing photon transport to recover the photon flux in a single step. The recovered photon flux is used to compute the optical absorption coefficient distribution from the absorbed energy map. In the absence of experimental data, we obtain the boundary measurements through Monte Carlo simulations, and we attempt to address the possible limitations of the DE model in the overall reconstruction procedure.

Microstructural evolution during laser resolidification of Fe-25 atom percent Ge alloy

The microstructural evolution of concentrated alloys is relatively less understood both in terms of experiments as well as theory. Laser resolidification represents a powerful technique to study the solidification behavior under controlled growth conditions. This technique has been utilized in the current study to probe experimentally microstructural selection during rapid solidification of concentrated Fe-25 atom pct Ge alloy. Under the equilibrium solidification condition, the alloy undergoes a peritectic reaction between ordered alpha(2) (B2) and its liquid, leading to the formation of ordered hexagonal intermetallic phase epsilon (DO19). In general, the as-cast microstructure consists of epsilon phase and e-p eutectic and alpha(2) that forms as a result of an incomplete peritectic reaction. With increasing laser scanning velocity, the solidification front undergoes a number of morphological transitions leading to the selection of the microstructure corresponding to metastable alpha(2)/beta eutectic to alpha(2) dendrite + alpha(2)/beta eutectic to alpha(2) dendrite. The transition velocities as obtained from the experiments are well characterized. The microstructural selection is discussed using competitive growth kinetics.

Detection of Tsunami Wave Generation and Propagation Using Fiber Bragg Grating Sensors

This paper describes the design and development of a Fiber Bragg Grating (FBG) sensor system for monitoring tsunami waves generated in the deep ocean. An experimental setup was designed and fabricated to simulate the generation and propagation of a tsunami wave. The characteristics and efficiency of the developed FBG sensor was evaluated with a standard commercial Digiquartz sensor. For real time monitoring of tsunami waves, FBG sensors bonded to a cantilever is used and the wavelength shifts (Delta lambda(B)) in the reflected spectra resulting from the strain/pressure imparted on the FBGs have been recorded using a high-speed Micron Optics FBG interrogation system. The parameters sensed are the signal burst during tsunami generation and pressure variations at different places as the tsunami wave propagates away from the source of generation. The results obtained were compared with the standard commercial sensor used in tsunami detection. The observations suggest that the FBG sensor was highly sensitive and free from many of the constraints associated with the commercial tsunameter.

Universal SU(2) gadget for polarization optics

We present a design of a universal gadget, consisting of two half-wave plates and two quarter-wave plates coaxially mounted, which can realize every SU (2) polarization optical transformation; to realize a given SU (2) element one simply has to rotate these plates about the common axis to angular positions characteristic of the element. The design is also geometrically interpreted in terms of Hamilton's theory of turns for the group SU (2).

Hamilton’s theory of turns and a new geometrical representation for polarization optics

Hamilton’s theory of turns for the group SU(2) is exploited to develop a new geometrical representation for polarization optics. While pure polarization states are represented by points on the Poincaré sphere, linear intensity preserving optical systems are represented by great circle arcs on another sphere. Composition of systems, and their action on polarization states, are both reduced to geometrical operations. Several synthesis problems, especially in relation to the Pancharatnam-Berry-Aharonov-Anandan geometrical phase, are clarified with the new representation. The general relation between the geometrical phase, and the solid angle on the Poincaré sphere, is established.

Chiral synthons from carvone, Part 40. A simple, enantiospecific approach to both enantiomers of 1 alpha,25-dihydroxyvitamin D-3 A-ring precursors from R-carvone

A simple and direct approach to both enantiomeric series of A-ring derivatives of 1 alpha,25-dihydroxyvitamin D-3 and the corresponding 1 alpha,3 alpha-derivatives, starting from the abundantly available R-carvone, is described. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

High efficiency infrared antireflection coatings (ARCs) for space optics

Simple ARC designs for germanium (Ge) optics useful in spaceborne electro-optical systems have been generated. It is seen that the designs which are non-quarterwave in nature are efficient in terms of spectral coverage and residual reflection loss. They have been realised experimentally and the resulting ARCs are found to have very good spectral and durability properties.

Change in spectrum of Brownian fluctuations of optically trapped red blood cells due to malarial infection

We study the properties of single red blood cells (RBCs) held in an optical-tweezers trap. We observe a change in the spectrum of Brownian fluctuations between RBCs from normal and malaria-infected samples. The change, caused by infection-induced structural changes in the cell, appears as a statistical increase in the mean (by 25%) and standard deviation (by 200%) of the corner frequency measured over similar to 100 cells. The increase is observed even though the ensemble of cells being measured consists mostly of cells that do not actually host the parasite, but are from an infected pool. This bystander effect appears to vindicate other observations that infected cells can affect the biomechanical properties of uninfected cells. The change is also observed to be independent of the stage of infection and its duration, highlighting its potential for disease detection. (C) 2010 Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers. [DOI: 10.1117/1.3427142].

Structural and magnetic properties of Sr2Fe1+xMo1-xO6 (-1 <= x <= 0.25)

We have synthesized the solid solution Sr2Fe1+xMo1-xO6 with -1 <= x <= 0.25, the composition x=0 corresponding to the well-known double-perovskite system Sr2FeMoO6. We report structural and magnetic properties of the above system, exhibiting systematic variations across the series. These results restrict the range of models that can explain magnetism in this family of compounds, providing an understanding of the magnetic structure.

Mass analyser optics for wide-beam ion sources in ion implantation systems

Ion implantation systems, used for producing high-current ion beams, employ wide-beam ion sources which are rotated through 90 degrees . These sources need mass analyser optics which are different from the conventional design. The authors present results of calculation of the image distance as a function of entrance and exit angles of a sector magnet mass analyser having such a source. These computations have been performed for the magnetic deflection angles 45 degrees , 60 degrees and 90 degrees . The details of the computations carried out using the computer program MODBEAM, developed for this purpose, are also discussed.

Structure and representation of correlation functions and the density matrix for a statistical wave field in optics

A systematic structure analysis of the correlation functions of statistical quantum optics is carried out. From a suitably defined auxiliary two‐point function we are able to identify the excited modes in the wave field. The relative simplicity of the higher order correlation functions emerge as a byproduct and the conditions under which these are made pure are derived. These results depend in a crucial manner on the notion of coherence indices and of unimodular coherence indices. A new class of approximate expressions for the density operator of a statistical wave field is worked out based on discrete characteristic sets. These are even more economical than the diagonal coherent state representations. An appreciation of the subtleties of quantum theory obtains. Certain implications for the physics of light beams are cited.

Structure of bovine prothrombin fragment 1 refined at 2.25 Å resolution

The structure of bovine prothrombin fragment 1 has been refined at 2.25 Å resolution using high resolution measurements made with the synchrotron beam at CHESS. The synchrotron data were collected photographically by oscillation methods (R-merge = 0.08). These were combined with lower order diffractometer data for refinement purposes. The structure was refined using restrained least-squares methods with the program PROLSQ to a crystallographic R-value of 0.175. The structure includes 105 water molecules with occupancies of >0·6. The first 35 residues (Ala1-Leu35) of the N-terminal ?-carboxy glutamic acid-domain (Ala1-Cys48) of fragment 1 are disordered as are two carbohydrate chains of Mr ? 5000; the latter two combine to render 40% of the structure disordered. The folding of the kringle of fragment 1 is related to the close intramolecular contact between the inner loop disulfide groups. Half of the conserved sequence of the kringle forms an inner core surrounding these disulfide groups. The remainder of the sequence conservation is associated with the many turns of the main chain. The Pro95 residue of the kringle has a cis conformation and Tyr74 is ordered in fragment 1, although nuclear magnetic resonance studies indicate that the comparable residue of plasminogen kringle 4 has two positions. Surface accessibility calculations indicate that none of the disulfide groups of fragment 1 is accessible to solvent.

Minimal three-component SU(2) gadget for polarization optics

Two identities involving quarter-wave plates and half-wave plates are established. These are used to improve on an earlier gadget involving four wave plates leading to a new gadget involving just three plates, a half-wave plate and two quarter-wave plates, which can realize all SU(2) polarization transformations. This gadget is shown to involve the minimum number of quarter-wave and half-wave plates. The analysis leads to a decomposition theorem for SU (2) matrices in terms of factors which are symmetric fourth and eighth roots of the identity.