Engineering topics
Publications and source records attributed to Alfano, R. R..
This paper reports on pulsed laser operation obtained in chromium-activated forsterite Cr(3+):Mg2SiO4 at room temperature. The spectrum of the free-running laser peaks at 1235 nm and a bandwidth of about 22 nm. The spectral range of the laser emission is expected to extend from 850 to 1300, provided the parasitic impurity absorption may be minimized by improved crystal growth techique.
A tunable solid state laser system, chromium-activated forsterite (Cr3+: Mg2SiO4), which has the potential for tunability from 850-1400 nm, is introduced. The characteristics of the host crystal are examined. Laser experiments and measurements are presented, including the observation of pulsed laser action at room temperature. The possibilities of the system are also considered.
The Ti(3+)-doped Al2O3 has been recently demonstrated to be a tunable solid-state laser system with Ti(3+) as the laser-active ion. In this paper, the kinetics of vibrational transitions in the 2E(g)E(3/2) electronic state of Ti(3+):Al2O3a (crucial for characterizing new host materials for the Ti ion) was investigated. A 527-nm 5-ps pulse was used to excite a band of higher vibrational levels of the 2E(g)E(3/2) state, and the subsequent growth of population in the zero vibrational level and lower vibrational levels was monitored by a 3.9-micron picosecond probe pulse. The time evolution curve in the excited 2E(g)E(3/2) state at room temperature was found to be characterized by a sharp rise followed by a long decay, the long lifetime decay reflecting the depopulation of the zero and the lower vibrational levels of the 2E(g)E(3/2) state via radiative transitions. An upper limit of 3.5 ps was estimated for intra-2E(g)E(3/2)-state vibrational relaxation time.
The first direct picosecond time-resolved measurement of the nonradiative transition dynamics between the excited 4T2 pump band and the metastable 2E storage level of the trivalent chromium ion in alexandrite is reported. The nonradiative relaxation times of 17 ps for intra-4T2 vibrational transitions, and 27 ps for 4T2-2E electronic transition are obtained. The thermal repopulation rate of the 4T2 state from the metastable 2E level is of the order 3.5 x 10 to the 9th per s.
The characteristics of nonradiative transitions between the 4T2 and 2E excited states of trivalent-chromium-ion-activated ruby (containing 0.04 percent Cr2O3 by weight) and alexandrite (containing 0.4 at. percent chromium ion) laser crystals were studied using the technique described by Gayen et al. (1985). In this technique, a 527-nm pulse excites the 4T2 band of the Cr(3+), and the subsequent population kinetics among excited states is monitored by an IR picosecond probe pulse as a function of pump-probe delay. In ruby, a resolution-limited sharp rise in the excited state population was followed by a long-lifetime decay, leading to an upper limit of 7 ps for the 4T2-state nonradiative lifetime. In alexandrite, a longer rise time was followed by a multicomponent decay. A theoretical model is proposed for explaining the induced absorption and the transition dynamics observed in these crystals.
Photoinduced near infrared absorption, parallel and perpendicular photoconductivity of an highly oriented form of trans-polyacetylene have been studied as a function of the angle between the laser polarization and the fiber axis. The results are discussed on the basis of the phonon-assisted hopping model for the transport of the charge carriers.
The observation of photoinduced excitations in trans-polyacetylene in its liquid form in the frequency range from 2000 to 6000/cm is reported on. These measurements strongly suggest that transpolyacetylene is capable of supporting charged solitons even in solution.
In a picosecond excite-and-probe absorption measurement, a 527-nm picosecond pulse excites the 4T2 state of the Cr(3+) ion in ruby and a 3.4-micron picosecond probe pulse monitors the growth and decay of population in the 2E state as a function of pump-probe delay. From the growth of population in the metastable 2E state, an upper limit of 7 ps for the nonradiative lifetime of the 4T2 state is determined.
Optical absorption, fluorescence emission, Raman scattering, and time-resolved emission experiments are reported on a new liquid form of soluble polyacetylene. This liquid consists of separate polyene chains, grown on activated sites of a polybutadiene chain. The depolarization ratios as well as the time-resolved spectrum of the secondary emission were measured. The relevant spectral features are discussed and analyzed in terms of the lack of interchain interactions which characterize the polymer in solution.
The effects of long term exposure to the near Earth space environment on advanced electrooptical and radiation sensor components were examined. The effect of long duration spaceflight on the germination rate of selected terrestrial plant seeds is observed in exobiological experiments.
The vibrational dephasing of the methyl CH2 symmetric stretch mode in glycerol was directly measured over an extended temperature range using picosecond coherent Raman pump and probe spectroscopy. The dephasing time was found to increase dramatically as the temperature of the supercooled liquid was lowered. This observation is attributed to the increased hydrogen bonding with decreasing temperature which hinders the dephasing of the CH2 vibration by reducing molecular motions.