Enhancement of Kerr nonlinearity with vanishing absorption in a tripod scheme

The giant enhancement of Kerr nonlinearity in a four-level tripod type system is investigated theoretically. By tuning the value of the Rabi frequency of the coherent control field, owing to the double dark resonances, the giant-enhanced Kerr nonlinearity can be achieved within the right transparency window. The in fluence of Doppler broadening is also discussed.

Upconversion luminescence and optical power limiting effect based on two- and three-photon absorption processes of ZnO crystal

Near-infrared to UV and visible upconversion luminescence was observed in single-crystalline ZnO under an 800 nm infrared femtosecond laser irradiation. The optical properties of the crystal reveal that the UV and VIS emission band are due to the exciton transition (D0X) bound to neutral donors and the deep luminescent centers in ZnO, respectively. The relationship between the upconversion luminescence intensity and the pump power of the femtosecond laser reveals that the UV emission belongs to three-photon sequential band-to-band excitation and the VIS emission belongs to two-photon simultaneous defect-absorption induced luminescence. A saturation phenomenon and polarization-dependent effect are also observed in the upconversion process of ZnO. A very good optical power limiting performance at 800 nm has been demonstrated. The two- and three-photon absorption coefficients of ZnO crystal were measured to be 0.2018 cm GW(-1) and 7.102 x 10(-3) cm(3) GW(-2), respectively. The two- and three-photon cross sections were calculated to be 1.189 x 10(-51) cm(4) s and 1.040 x 10(-80) cm(6) s(2), respectively. (c) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The gated integration technique for the accurate measurement of the autocorrelation function of speckle intensities scattered from random phase screens

A new approach based on the gated integration technique is proposed for the accurate measurement of the autocorrelation function of speckle intensities scattered from a random phase screen. The Boxcar used for this technique in the acquisition of the speckle intensity data integrates the photoelectric signal during its sampling gate open, and it repeats the sampling by a preset number, in. The average analog of the in samplings output by the Boxcar enhances the signal-to-noise ratio by root m, because the repeated sampling and the average make the useful speckle signals stable, while the randomly varied photoelectric noise is suppressed by 1/ root m. In the experiment, we use an analog-to-digital converter module to synchronize all the actions such as the stepped movement of the phase screen, the repeated sampling, the readout of the averaged output of the Boxcar, etc. The experimental results show that speckle signals are better recovered from contaminated signals, and the autocorrelation function with the secondary maximum is obtained, indicating that the accuracy of the measurement of the autocorrelation function is greatly improved by the gated integration technique. (C) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Measurement of the neutron beta decay asymmetry using ultracold neutrons

The free neutron beta decay correlation A₀ between neutron polarization and electron emission direction provides the strongest constraint on the ratio λ = g_A/g_V of the Axial-vector to Vector coupling constants in Weak decay. In conjunction with the CKM Matrix element V_ud and the neutron lifetime τ_n, λ provides a test of Standard Model assumptions for the Weak interaction. Leading high-precision measurements of A₀ and τ_n in the 1995-2005 time period showed discrepancies with prior measurements and Standard Model predictions for the relationship between λ, τ_n, and V_ud. The UCNA experiment was developed to measure A₀ from decay of polarized ultracold neutrons (UCN), providing a complementary determination of λ with different systematic uncertainties from prior cold neutron beam experiments. This dissertation describes analysis of the dataset collected by UCNA in 2010, with emphasis on detector response calibrations and systematics. The UCNA measurement is placed in the context of the most recent τ_n results and cold neutron A₀ experiments.

Measurement of the neutron (^3He) spin structure function at low Q^2 : a connection between the Bjorken and Drell-Hearn-Gerasimov sum rules

The spin dependent cross sections, σT_1/2 and σT_3/2 , and asymmetries, A_∥ and A_⊥ for ³He have been measured at the Jefferson Lab's Hall A facility. The inclusive scattering process ³He(e,e)X was performed for initial beam energies ranging from 0.86 to 5.1 GeV, at a scattering angle of 15.5°. Data includes measurements from the quasielastic peak, resonance region, and the deep inelastic regime. An approximation for the extended Gerasimov-Drell-Hearn integral is presented at a 4-momentum transfer Q² of 0.2-1.0 GeV².

Also presented are results on the performance of the polarized ³He target. Polarization of ³He was achieved by the process of spin-exchange collisions with optically pumped rubidium vapor. The ³He polarization was monitored using the NMR technique of adiabatic fast passage (AFP). The average target polarization was approximately 35% and was determined to have a systematic uncertainty of roughly ±4% relative.

Microwave absorption and emission from magnetized afterglow plasmas

The microwave scattering properties of an axially magnetized afterglow plasma column in an S-band waveguide have been investigated experimentally. The column axis is perpendicular to the electric field and the direction of wave propagation in the H_(10)-mode waveguide. Strong absorption is found in the range of upper hybrid frequencies, ω_c ≤ ω ≤ [ω^2_c + ω^2_p(r,t)]^(1/2) where ω_c is the electron cyclotron frequency and ω_p is the locally and temporally varying electron plasma frequency. With the high absorption the noise emission approaches the blackbody limit. A microwave radiometer has been used to measure the noise power and with a comparison and null-technique the electron temperature. As emission and absorption are largely confined to a resonant layer, spatially resolved temperature data are obtained. Time resolution is obtained by gating the radiometer. The peak electron density is derived from the emission or absorption onset at the maximum upper hybrid frequency and confirmed by independent measurements. With this diagnostic technique the electron density and temperature decay has been studied under a variety of experimental conditions. Ambipolar diffusion and collisional cooling essentially account for the plasma decay, but impurities and metastable ions play an important role. The diagnostic method is successfully applied in a microwave heating experiment. The existence of absorbing resonant layers is shown by a peak in the radial temperature profile where the local upper hybrid frequency equals the heating frequency. The knowledge of the plasma parameters is important in the study of hot plasma effects. Buchsbaum-Hasegawa modes are investigated in a wide range of magnetic fields (.5 < ω_c/ω < .985).

Experimental and theoretical developments in extended x-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) spectroscopy

To obtain accurate information from a structural tool it is necessary to have an understanding of the physical principles which govern the interaction between the probe and the sample under investigation. In this thesis a detailed study of the physical basis for Extended X-ray Absorption Fine Structure (EXAFS) spectroscopy is presented. A single scattering formalism of EXAFS is introduced which allows a rigorous treatment of the central atom potential. A final state interaction formalism of EXAFS is also discussed. Multiple scattering processes are shown to be significant for systems of certain geometries. The standard single scattering EXAFS analysis produces erroneous results if the data contain a large multiple scattering contribution. The effect of thermal vibrations on such multiple scattering paths is also discussed. From symmetry considerations it is shown that only certain normal modes contribute to the Debye-Waller factor for a particular scattering path. Furthermore, changes in the scattering angles induced by thermal vibrations produces additional EXAFS components called modification factors. These factors are shown to be small for most systems.

A study of the physical basis for the determination of structural information from EXAFS data is also presented. An objective method of determining the background absorption and the threshold energy is discussed and involves Gaussian functions. In addition, a scheme to determine the nature of the scattering atom in EXAFS experiments is introduced. This scheme is based on the fact that the phase intercept is a measure of the type of scattering atom. A method to determine bond distances is also discussed and does not require the use of model compounds or calculated phase shifts. The physical basis for this method is the absence of a linear term in the scattering phases. Therefore, it is possible to separate these phases from the linear term containing the distance information in the total phase.

Magnetic trapping of atomic tritium for neutrino mass measurement

Improved measurement of the neutrino mass via β decay spectroscopy requires the development of new energy measurement techniques and a new β decay source. A promising proposal is to measure the β energy by the frequency of the cyclotron radiation emitted in a magnetic field and to use a high purity atomic tritium source. This thesis examines the feasibility of using a magnetic trap to create and maintain such a source. We demonstrate that the loss rate due to β decay heating is not a limiting factor for the design. We also calculate the loss rate due to evaporative cooling and propose that the tritium can be cooled sufficiently during trap loading as to render this negligible. We further demonstrate a design for the magnetic field which produces a highly uniform field over a large fraction of the trap volume as needed for cyclotron frequency spectroscopy while still providing effective trapping.

Upper hybrid resonance absorption and scattering from a plasma column

The electromagnetic scattering and absorption properties of small (kr~1/2) inhomogeneous magnetoplasma columns are calculated via the full set of Maxwell's equations with tensor dielectric constitutive relation. The cold plasma model with collisional damping is used to describe the column. The equations are solved numerically, subject to boundary conditions appropriate to an infinite parallel strip line and to an incident plane wave. The results are similar for several density profiles and exhibit semiquantitative agreement with measurements in waveguide. The absorption is spatially limited, especially for small collision frequency, to a narrow hybrid resonant layer and is essentially zero when there is no hybrid layer in the column. The reflection is also enhanced when the hybrid layer is present, but the value of the reflection coefficient is strongly modified by the presence of the glass tube. The nature of the solutions and an extensive discussion of the conditions under which the cold collisional model should yield valid results is presented.

Macroscopically Dissipative Systems with Underlying Microscopic Dynamics : Properties and Limits of Measurement

While some of the deepest results in nature are those that give explicit bounds between important physical quantities, some of the most intriguing and celebrated of such bounds come from fields where there is still a great deal of disagreement and confusion regarding even the most fundamental aspects of the theories. For example, in quantum mechanics, there is still no complete consensus as to whether the limitations associated with Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle derive from an inherent randomness in physics, or rather from limitations in the measurement process itself, resulting from phenomena like back action. Likewise, the second law of thermodynamics makes a statement regarding the increase in entropy of closed systems, yet the theory itself has neither a universally-accepted definition of equilibrium, nor an adequate explanation of how a system with underlying microscopically Hamiltonian dynamics (reversible) settles into a fixed distribution.

Motivated by these physical theories, and perhaps their inconsistencies, in this thesis we use dynamical systems theory to investigate how the very simplest of systems, even with no physical constraints, are characterized by bounds that give limits to the ability to make measurements on them. Using an existing interpretation, we start by examining how dissipative systems can be viewed as high-dimensional lossless systems, and how taking this view necessarily implies the existence of a noise process that results from the uncertainty in the initial system state. This fluctuation-dissipation result plays a central role in a measurement model that we examine, in particular describing how noise is inevitably injected into a system during a measurement, noise that can be viewed as originating either from the randomness of the many degrees of freedom of the measurement device, or of the environment. This noise constitutes one component of measurement back action, and ultimately imposes limits on measurement uncertainty. Depending on the assumptions we make about active devices, and their limitations, this back action can be offset to varying degrees via control. It turns out that using active devices to reduce measurement back action leads to estimation problems that have non-zero uncertainty lower bounds, the most interesting of which arise when the observed system is lossless. One such lower bound, a main contribution of this work, can be viewed as a classical version of a Heisenberg uncertainty relation between the system's position and momentum. We finally also revisit the murky question of how macroscopic dissipation appears from lossless dynamics, and propose alternative approaches for framing the question using existing systematic methods of model reduction.

Measurement of the galactic cosmic ray antiproton flux from 0.25 gev to 3.11 gev with the isotope matter antimatter experiment (imax)

The intensities and relative abundances of galactic cosmic ray protons and antiprotons have been measured with the Isotope Matter Antimatter Experiment (IMAX), a balloon-borne magnet spectrometer. The IMAX payload had a successful flight from Lynn Lake, Manitoba, Canada on July 16, 1992. Particles detected by IMAX were identified by mass and charge via the Cherenkov-Rigidity and TOP-Rigidity techniques, with measured rms mass resolution ≤0.2 amu for Z=1 particles.

Cosmic ray antiprotons are of interest because they can be produced by the interactions of high energy protons and heavier nuclei with the interstellar medium as well as by more exotic sources. Previous cosmic ray antiproton experiments have reported an excess of antiprotons over that expected solely from cosmic ray interactions.

Analysis of the flight data has yielded 124405 protons and 3 antiprotons in the energy range 0.19-0.97 GeV at the instrument, 140617 protons and 8 antiprotons in the energy range 0.97-2.58 GeV, and 22524 protons and 5 antiprotons in the energy range 2.58-3.08 GeV. These measurements are a statistical improvement over previous antiproton measurements, and they demonstrate improved separation of antiprotons from the more abundant fluxes of protons, electrons, and other cosmic ray species.

When these results are corrected for instrumental and atmospheric background and losses, the ratios at the top of the atmosphere are p/p=3.21(+3.49, -1.97)x10^(-5) in the energy range 0.25-1.00 GeV, p/p=5.38(+3.48, -2.45) x10^(-5) in the energy range 1.00-2.61 GeV, and p/p=2.05(+1.79, -1.15) x10^(-4) in the energy range 2.61-3.11 GeV. The corresponding antiproton intensities, also corrected to the top of the atmosphere, are 2.3(+2.5, -1.4) x10^(-2) (m^2 s sr GeV)^(-1), 2.1(+1.4, -1.0) x10^(-2) (m^2 s sr GeV)^(-1), and 4.3(+3.7, -2.4) x10^(-2) (m^2 s sr GeV)^(-1) for the same energy ranges.

The IMAX antiproton fluxes and antiproton/proton ratios are compared with recent Standard Leaky Box Model (SLBM) calculations of the cosmic ray antiproton abundance. According to this model, cosmic ray antiprotons are secondary cosmic rays arising solely from the interaction of high energy cosmic rays with the interstellar medium. The effects of solar modulation of protons and antiprotons are also calculated, showing that the antiproton/proton ratio can vary by as much as an order of magnitude over the solar cycle. When solar modulation is taken into account, the IMAX antiproton measurements are found to be consistent with the most recent calculations of the SLBM. No evidence is found in the IMAX data for excess antiprotons arising from the decay of galactic dark matter, which had been suggested as an interpretation of earlier measurements. Furthermore, the consistency of the current results with the SLBM calculations suggests that the mean antiproton lifetime is at least as large as the cosmic ray storage time in the galaxy (~10^7 yr, based on measurements of cosmic ray ^(10)Be). Recent measurements by two other experiments are consistent with this interpretation of the IMAX antiproton results.