Deep-etched high-density fused-silica transmission gratings with high efficiency at a wavelength of 1550 nm

We describe the design, fabrication, and excellent performance of an optimized deep-etched high-density fused-silica transmission grating for use in dense wavelength division multiplexing (DWDM) systems. The fabricated optimized transmission grating exhibits an efficiency of 87.1% at a wavelength of 1550 nm. Inductively coupled plasma-etching technology was used to fabricate the grating. The deep-etched high-density fused-silica transmission grating is suitable for use in a DWDM system because of its high efficiency, low polarization-dependent loss, parallel demultiplexing, and stable optical performance. The fabricated deep-etched high-density fused-silica transmission gratings should play an important role in DWDM systems. (c) 2006 Optical Society of America.

Beam splitting of low-contrast binary gratings under second Bragg angle incidence

Beam splitting of low-contrast rectangular gratings under second Bragg angle incidence is studied. The grating period is between lambda and 2 lambda. The diffraction behaviors of the three transmitted propagating orders are illustrated by analyzing the first three propagating grating modes. From a simplified modal approach, the design conditions of gratings as a high-efficiency element with most of its energy concentrated in the -2nd transmitted order (similar to 90%) and of gratings as a 1 x 2 beam splitter with a total efficiency over 90% are derived. The grating parameters for achieving exactly the splitting pattern by use of rigorous coupled-wave analysis verified the design method. A 1 x 3 beam splitter is also demonstrated. Moreover, the polarization-dependent diffraction behaviors are investigated, which suggest the possibility of designing polarization-selective elements under such a configuration. The proposed concept of using the second Bragg angle should be helpful for developing new grating-based devices. (C) 2008 Optical Society of America.

Recording multiple holographic gratings in silver-doped photopolymer using peristrophic multiplexing

Plane-wave transmission gratings were stored in the same location of silver- doped photopolymer ¯lm using peristrophic multiplexing techniques. Constant and vari- able exposure scheduling methods were adopted for storing gratings in the ¯lm using He{Ne laser (632.8 nm). The role of recording geometry on the dynamic range of the ma- terial was studied by comparing the results obtained from both techniques. Peristrophic multiplexing with rotation of the ¯lm in a plane normal to the bisector of the incident beams resulted in better homogenization of di®raction e±ciencies and larger M/# value.

Application of Mathieu functions for the study of non-slanted reflection gratings

In this work we prensent an analysis of non-slanted reflection gratings by using exact solution of the second order differential equation derived from Maxwell equations, in terms of Mathieu functions. The results obtained by using this method will be compared to those obtained by using the well known Kogelnik's Coupled Wave Theory which predicts with great accuracy the response of the efficieny of the zero and first order for volume phase gratings, for both reflection and transmission gratings.

Moiré Displacement Transducer for N/C Systems

Noncontact method of sensing accurately the magnitude and direction of displacements is essential in systems such as the numerically controlled machines. A displacement transducer, using Moiré transmission gratings is described. The notable feature of this instrument is that it requires only gratings of small lengths, even for measurement of large displacements.

Role of external electron donor in methylene blue sensitized dichromated gelatin holograms:an experimental study

An experimental study to ascertain the role of external electron donor in methylene blue sensitized dichromated gelatin (MBDCG) holograms has been carried out. The required volume holographic transmission gratings in MBDCG have been recorded using 633-nm light from a He-Ne laser. Three well-known electron donors, namely, N, N-dimethylformamide (DMF); ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA); triethanolamine (TEA), were used in this study. The variation of diffraction efficiency (η) as a function of light exposure (E) and concentration (C) of the electron donor under consideration was chosen as the figure of merit for judging the role of external electron donor in MBDCG holograms. A self-consistent analysis of the experimental results was carried out by recalling the various known facts about the photochemistry and the hologram formation in DSDCG and also DCG. The important findings and conclusions are as follows: (i) Each η vs E graph is a bell-shaped curve and its peak height is influenced in a characteristic manner by the external electron donor used. (ii) High diffraction efficiency/recording speed can be achieved in pure MBDCG holograms. (iii) The diffraction efficiency/recording speed achieved in electron donor sensitized MBDCG holograms did not show any significant improvement at all over that observed in pure MBDCG holograms. (iv) In electron donor sensitized MBDCG holograms, the electron donor used, depending on its type and concentration, appears to promote the process of cross-linking of gelatin molecules in a manner to either retain or deteriorate the refractive-index modulation achieved using pure MBDCG.

Polarizing beam splitter of a deep-etched fused-silica grating

We described a highly efficient polarizing beam splitter (PBS) of a deep-etched binary-phase fused-silica grating, where TE- and TM-polarized waves are mainly diffracted in the -1st and 0th orders, respectively. Tb achieve a high extinction ratio and diffraction efficiency, the grating depth and period are optimized by using rigorous coupled-wave analysis, which can be well explained based on the modal method with effective indices of the modes for TE/TM polarization. Holographic recording technology and inductively coupled plasma etching are employed to fabricate the fused-silica PBS grating. Experimental results of diffraction efficiencies approaching 80% for a TE-polarized wave in the -1st order and more than 85% for a TM-polarized wave in the 0th order were obtained at a wavelength of 1550 nm. Because of its compact structure and simple fabrication process, which is suitable for mass reproduction, a deep-etched fused-silica grating as a PBS should be a useful device for practical applications. (C) 2007 Optical Society of America

Investigation on the panchromaticity of silver-doped poly(vinyl alcohol)/acrylamide photopolymer

An investigation on the panchromaticity of a silver-doped poly(vinyl alcohol)/acrylamide photopolymer system is presented in this paper. Frequency-doubled Nd:YAG (532 nm) and Arþ (488 nm) lasers were used for the characterization of the films. Previous studies using an He–Ne laser (632:8 nm) showed that plane-wave transmission grating with a high diffraction efficiency of 75% could be stored in the optimized film. From the present study, it was noted that transmission gratings with 70% diffraction efficiency could be recorded using Arþ and Nd:YAG lasers, thereby elucidating the possibility of using the developed photopolymer system as a competent panchromatic recording medium

Silver-doped photopolymer media for holographic recording

Incorporation of silver ions into a dye-sensitized poly(vinyl alcohol)/acrylamide photopolymer is observed to give better performance compared to other metal-ion-doped photopolymer holographic recording media. Plane-wave transmission gratings were recorded in the photopolymer films using a He–Ne laser, and various holographic parameters were optimized so as to explore maximum potential of the material for various holographic applications. Silver-doped films showed good energy sensitivity, and gratings recorded in optimized film exhibited a diffraction efficiency of more than 75%. The potential of the material for holographic data storage applications is also studied using peristrophic multiplexing

A moiré deflectometer for antimatter

The precise measurement of forces is one way to obtain deep insight into the fundamental interactions present in nature. In the context of neutral antimatter, the gravitational interaction is of high interest, potentially revealing new forces that violate the weak equivalence principle. Here we report on a successful extension of a tool from atom optics—the moiré deflectometer—for a measurement of the acceleration of slow antiprotons. The setup consists of two identical transmission gratings and a spatially resolving emulsion detector for antiproton annihilations. Absolute referencing of the observed antimatter pattern with a photon pattern experiencing no deflection allows the direct inference of forces present. The concept is also straightforwardly applicable to antihydrogen measurements as pursued by the AEgIS collaboration. The combination of these very different techniques from high energy and atomic physics opens a very promising route to the direct detection of the gravitational acceleration of neutral antimatter.

Hot thermal X-ray emission from the Be star HD 119682

We present an analysis of a series of four consecutive Chandra high-resolution transmission gratings observations, amounting to a total of 150 ks, of the Be X-ray source HD 119682 (=1WGA J1346.5–6255), a member of the new class of γ Cas analogs. The Chandra light curve shows significant brightness variations on timescales of hours. However, the spectral distribution appears rather stable within each observation and during the whole campaign. A detailed analysis is not able to detect any coherent pulsation up to a frequency of 0.05 Hz. The Chandra High Energy Transmission Gratings spectrum seems to be devoid of any strong emission line, including Fe Kα fluorescence. The continuum is well described with the addition of two collisionally ionized plasmas of temperatures kT ≈ 15 keV and 0.2 keV, respectively, by the apec model. Models using photoionized plasma components (mekal) or non-thermal components (powerlaw) give poorer fits, providing support for the pure thermal scenario. These two components are absorbed by a single column with N H = (0.20+0.15 –0.03) × 1022 cm–2 compatible with the interstellar value. We conclude that HD 119682 can be regarded as a pole-on γ Cas analog.

Chandra and Suzaku observations of the Be/X-ray star HD110432

We present an analysis of a pointed 141 ks Chandra high-resolution transmission gratings observation of the Be X-ray emitting star HD110432, a prominent member of the γ Cas analogs. This observation represents the first high-resolution spectrum taken for this source as well as the longest uninterrupted observation of any γ Cas analog. The Chandra light curve shows a high variability but its analysis fails to detect any coherent periodicity up to a frequency of 0.05 Hz. Hardness ratio versus intensity analyses demonstrate that the relative contributions of the [1.5-3] Å, [3-6] Å, and [6-16] Å energy bands to the total flux change rapidly in the short term. The analysis of the Chandra High Energy Transmission Grating (HETG) spectrum shows that, to correctly describe the spectrum, three model components are needed. Two of those components are optically thin thermal plasmas of different temperatures (kT ≈ 8-9 and 0.2-0.3 keV, respectively) described by the models vmekal or bvapec. The Fe abundance in each of these two components appears equal within the errors and is slightly subsolar with Z ≈ 0.75 Z ☉. The bvapec model better describes the Fe L transitions, although it cannot fit well the Na XI Lyα line at 10.02 Å, which appears to be overabundant. Two different models seem to describe well the third component. One possibility is a third hot optically thin thermal plasma at kT = 16-21 keV with an Fe abundance Z ≈ 0.3 Z ☉, definitely smaller than for the other two thermal components. Furthermore, the bvapec model describes well the Fe K shell transitions because it accounts for the turbulence broadening of the Fe XXV and Fe XXVI lines with a v turb ≈ 1200 km s–1. These two lines, contributed mainly by the hot thermal plasma, are significantly wider than the Fe Kα line whose FWHM < 5 mÅ is not resolved by Chandra. Alternatively, the third component can be described by a power law with a photon index of Γ = 1.56. In either case, the Chandra HETG spectrum establishes that each one of these components must be modified by distinct absorption columns. The analysis of a noncontemporaneous 25 ks Suzaku observation shows the presence of a hard tail extending up to at least 33 keV. The Suzaku spectrum is described with the sum of two components: an optically thin thermal plasma at kT ≈ 9 keV and Z ≈ 0.74 Z ☉, and a very hot second plasma with kT ≈ 33 keV or, alternatively, a power law with photon index of Γ = 1.58. In either case, each one of the two components must be affected by different absorption columns. Therefore, the kT = 8-9 keV component is definitely needed while the nature of the harder emission cannot be unambiguously established with the present data sets. The analysis of the Si XIII and S XV He-like triplets present in the Chandra spectrum points to a very dense (ne ~ 1013 cm–3) plasma located either close to the stellar surface (r < 3R *) of the Be star or, alternatively, very close (r ~ 1.5R WD) to the surface of a (hypothetical) white dwarf companion. We argue, however, that the available data support the first scenario.

On the Radial Onset of Clumping in the Wind of the B0I Massive Star QV Nor

We present an analysis of a 78 ks Chandra high-energy transmission gratings observation of the B0I star QV Nor, the massive donor of the wind-accreting pulsar 4U1538−52. The neutron star (NS) orbits its companion in a very close orbit (r < 1.4R*, in units of the stellar radii), thereby allowing probing of the innermost wind regions. The flux of the Fe Kα line during eclipse reduces to only ∼30% of the flux measured out of eclipse. This indicates that the majority of Fe fluorescence must be produced in regions close to the NS, at distances smaller than 1R* from its surface. The fact that the flux of the continuum decreases to only ∼3% during eclipse allows for a high contrast of the Fe Kα line fluorescence during eclipse. The line is not resolved and centered at 1.9368 0.0018 l = 0.0032 - + Å. From the inferred plasma speed limit of v < c l < 800 l D km s−1 and range of ionization parameters of log 1, 2 x = [- ], together with the stellar density profile, we constrain the location of the cold, dense material in the stellar wind of QV Nor using simple geometrical considerations. We then use the Fe Kα line fluorescence as a tracer of wind clumps and determine that these clumps in the stellar wind of QV Nor (B0I) must already be present at radii r < 1.25R*, close to the photosphere of the star.

Simulation of light coupling enhancement and localization of transmission field via subwavelength metallic gratings

Surface plasmons(SPs) generated in nano metallic gratings on medium layer can greatly enhance the transmission field through the metallic gratings. The enhancement effect is achieved from lambda = 500 nm to near-infrared domain. The enhancement rate is about 110 % at the wavelength of about 6 10 nm and about 180 % at lambda = 700 nm and 740 nm where most kinds of thin film solar cells have a high spectral response. These structures should provide a promising way to increase the coupling efficiency of thin film solar cells and optical detectors of different wavelength response.