Membrane-based deformable mirror: intrinsic aberrations and alignment issues

A deformable mirror (DM) is an important component of an adaptive optics system. It is known that an on-axis spherical/parabolic optical component, placed at an angle to the incident beam introduces defocus as well as astigmatism in the image plane. Although the former can be compensated by changing the focal plane position, the latter cannot be removed by mere optical realignment. Since the DM is to be used to compensate a turbulence-induced curvature term in addition to other aberrations, it is necessary to determine the aberrations induced by such (curved DM surface) an optical element when placed at an angle (other than 0 deg) of incidence in the optical path. To this effect, we estimate to a first order the aberrations introduced by a DM as a function of the incidence angle and deformation of the DM surface. We record images using a simple setup in which the incident beam is reflected by a 37 channel micro-machined membrane deformable mirror for various angles of incidence. It is observed that astigmatism is a dominant aberration, which was determined by measuring the difference between the tangential and sagittal focal planes. We justify our results on the basis of theoretical simulations and discuss the feasibility of using such a system for adaptive optics considering a trade-off between wavefront correction and astigmatism due to deformation. (C) 2015 Optical Society of America

Studies directed towards the synthesis of schisanartane and related complex nortriterpenoids: construction of models of the peripheral ABC and FGH segments of rubrifloradilactone C

A conceptually unifying and flexible approach to the ABC and FGH segments of the nortriterpenoid rubrifloradilactone C, each embodying a furo[3,2-b]furanone moiety, from the appropriate Morita-Baylis-Hillman adducts is delineated. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Thiol-ene Clickable Hyperscaffolds Bearing Peripheral Allyl Groups

Radical catalyzed thiol-ene reaction has become a useful alternative to the Huisgen-type click reaction as it helps to expand the variability in reaction conditions as well as the range of clickable entities. Thus, direct generation of hyper-branched polymers bearing peripheral allyl groups that could be clicked using a variety of functional thiols would be of immense value. A specifically designed AB(2) type monomer, that carries two allyl benzyl ethers groups and one alcohol functionality, was shown to undergo self-condensation under acid-catalyzed melt-transetherification to yield a hyperbranched polyether that carries numerous allyl end-groups. Importantly, it was shown that the kinetics of polymerization is not dramatically affected by the change of the ether unit from previously studied methyl benzyl ether to an allyl benzyl ether. The peripheral allyl groups were readily clicked quantitatively, using a variety of thiols, to generate an hydrocarbon-soluble octadecyl-derivative, amphiphilic systems using 2-mercaptoethanol and chiral amino acid (N-benzoyl cystine) derivatized hyperbranched structures; thus demonstrating the versatility of this novel class of clickable hyperscaffolds. (C) 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 49:1735-1744, 2011

Role of water contamination within the GC column of a GasBench II peripheral on the reproducibility of O-18/O-16 ratios in water samples

The GasBench II peripheral along with MAT 253 combination provides a more sensitive platform for the determination of water isotope ratios. Here, we examined the role of adsorbed moisture within the gas chromatography (GC) column of the GasBench II on measurement uncertainties. The uncertainty in O-18/O-16 ratio measurements is determined by several factors, including the presence of water in the GC. The contamination of GC with water originating from samples as water vapour over a longer timeframe is a critical factor in determining the reproducibility of O-18/O-16 ratios in water samples. The shift in isotope ratios observed in the experiment under dry and wet conditions correlates strongly with the retention time of analyte CO2, indicating the effect of accumulated moisture. Two possible methods to circumvent or minimise the effect of adsorbed water on isotope ratios are presented here. The proposed methodology includes either the regular baking of the GC column at a higher temperature (120 degrees C) after analysis of a batch of 32 sample entries or conducting the experiment at a low GC column temperature (22.5 degrees C). The effects of water contamination on long-term reproducibility of reference water, with and without baking protocol, have been described.

Understanding Self-Segregation of Immiscible Peripheral Segments in Pseudodendritic Hyperbranched Polydithioacetals: Formation of Improved Janus Structures

Peripherally heterofunctionalized hyperbranched polymers (HBPs) undergo immiscibility-driven self-segregation of the outer segments to form Janus molecular entities (Macromolecules 2012, 45, 2348). In HBPs prepared via AB2 type self-condensation, single-step peripheral heterofunctionalization would lead to random distribution of the two types of terminal units, namely, homofunctionalized (homo-T) and heterofunctionalized (hetero-T) termini. Here, we examine the role of such hetero-T units on the self-segregation of heterofunctionalized pseudodendritic hyperbranched polydithioacetals. Three different heterofunctionalized HB dithioacetals bearing roughly 50 mol % each of docsyl (C-22) and MPEG-350 chains at the periphery were prepared: one of them carried a statistical distribution of homo-T and hetero-T units, and the other carried only two types of homo-T (-TR1R1 and -TR2R2) termini, whereas the third carried largely hetero-T (-TR1R2) termini. Careful examination of DSC and SAXS data reveals that the self-segregation is most effective in HBPs devoid of hetero-T units; interestingly, however, it also showed that randomly heterofunctionalized HBPs self-segregated nearly as effectively.