Temperature-dependent etalon effects in laser systems
Temperature dependent extracavity and intracavity etalon effects in optical materials for carbon dioxide lasers
Mcelroy, J. H.↗
SEARCH · Engineering Papers
Results for “materials for optics”
Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.
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Optical enhancement of photomultipliers at ultraviolet wavelengths
Optical enhancement of photomultipliers extended to UV wavelengths, using suprasil and spectrosil fused silica with high flat transmission curves as optical materials
Grant, G. R.↗
The interaction of infrared radiation with the eye: A review of the literature
A compilation of data concerning the effects of infrared radiation on the eye is presented. Information in the following areas is included: (1) transmission and absorption of infrared radiation by the ocular tissues, (2) range of infrared radiation which is harmful to the ocular tissues, (3) infrared radiation thresholds of the various oscular tissues, and (4) infrared radiation transmission and absorption of current optic materials.
Turner, H. S.↗
Far-infrared filters utilizing small particle scattering and antireflection coatings
High-transmission, low-pass scatter filters for blocking at wavelengths from 3.5 to 50 microns and single-layer antireflection coatings for optical materials used in the 25- to 300-micron region of the spectrum are described. The application of both techniques to liquid-He-cooled filters permits the construction of efficient low-pass and medium-width bandpass filters for use throughout the far infrared.
Armstrong, K. R.↗
Gas threshold Cerenkov counters
The report describes two designs are reported of gas threshold Cerenkov counters for recording electrons of primary cosmic rays without recording protons. Also presented are design and technological measures which ensure maximum light collection of the Cerenkov radiation originating on the photocathode of the photomultiplier inside the radiator. The dependence of the reflection factor on the length of the light wave for different coatings is shown as well as for the throughput of the different optical materials employed. A range of methods for determining the efficiency of the counters during the recording of cosmic ray nucons and ways of increasing it further are given.
Logachev, V. I.↗
Optical design of the SBUV/TOMS experiment on Nimbus G
The paper examines the tradeoffs performed in optimizing the optical design of the solar backscatter ultraviolet/total ozone mapping spectrometer (SBUV/TOMS) experiment on Nimbus G to stringent performance requirements within the limitations of the spacecraft interface. The SBUV portion of the experiment incorporates a double monochromator optimized for better than 1.0 A spectral resolution over the wavelength range 1600-4000 A. The TOMS portion of the experiment is a stepped line scanning system with a 105-deg total field of view. Special techniques are used to reduce the polarization sensitivity of the instrument to less than 5% for 100% linearly polarized incident radiation and to keep the spectral stray light to less than 0.000001 of the incident solar spectrum. Optical material selection is imperative in order to minimize the effects of fluorescence and phosphorescence arising from the bombardment of particulate radiation in space.
Henderson, B. D.↗
Dielectric breakdown induced by picosecond laser pulses
The damage thresholds of transparent optical materials were investigated. Single picosecond pulses at 1.06 microns, 0.53 microns and 0.35 microns were obtained from a mode locked Nd-YAG oscillator-amplifier-frequency multiplier system. The pulses were Gaussian in space and time and permitted the determination of breakdown thresholds with a reproducibility of 15%. It was shown that the breakdown thresholds are characteristic of the bulk material, which included nine alkali halides, five different laser host materials, KDP, quartz, sapphire and calcium fluoride. The extension of the damage data to the ultraviolet is significant, because some indication was obtained that two- and three-photon absorption processes begin to play a role in determining the threshold. Throughout the visible region of the spectrum the threshold is still an increasing function of frequency, indicating that avalanche ionization is the dominant factor in determining the breakdown threshold. This was confirmed by a detailed study of the damage morphology with a high resolution microscope just above the threshold. The influence of self focusing is discussed, and evidence for beam distortion below the power threshold for complete self focusing is presented, confirming the theory of Marburger.
Smith, W. L.↗
Sky surveys in the ultraviolet
Instrumentation, results, and future prospects for sky surveys at UV wavelengths inaccessible from the ground are reviewed. Detectors and optical materials, coatings, and systems for UV surveys are discussed, previously performed UV sky surveys are recounted, and some specific results of these surveys are examined. The rationale for UV surveys is explained, and the detectors and instrumentation considered for future UV surveys are described. It is noted that for the wavelength range from 1000 to 2000 A, detectors and instrumentation are already available to provide an all-sky UV survey of moderate resolution (10 to 30 arcsec) and moderate sensitivity (reaching hot stars as faint as 18th visual magnitude in direct imagery and 11th magnitude spectrographically with 2-A resolution).
Carruthers, G. R.↗
STS-2, -3, -4 Induced Environment Contamination Monitor (ICEM)
The second, third, and fourth space transportation system missions are described including the location of the IECM in the payload bay and the shuttle coordinate systems used. Measurement results from the three flights are given for each instrument with comparisons to original goals for preflight environment and induced environment contamination. These results include very low levels of molecular mass accumulation rates, absence of molecular films on optical samples, outgassing species above 50 amu undetectable generally low levels of on-orbit particulates, and decay rates for early mission water dump particulates. Results of exposure of several optical materials and coatings to atomic oxygen are also presented. From these results, it is concluded that the space shuttle met the established induced environment contamination goals.
Miller, E. R.↗
Optimal design of GaAs-based concentrator space solar cells for 100 AMO, 80 deg C operation
Using a detailed computer code and reasonable values of electrical and optical material parameters from current published literature, parameter optimization studies were performed on three configurations of GaAs-based concentrator solar cells for 100 AMO, 80 C operation. These studies show the possibility of designing GaAs-based solar cells with efficiencies exceeding 22% at 100 AMO 80 C and probable efficiency degradation of less than 15% after a 70% reduction in diffusion length in each cell region.
Goradia, C.↗
Large Deployable Reflector Science and Technology Workshop. Volume 3: Systems and Technology Assessment
The results of five technology panels which convened to discuss the Large Deployable Reflector (LDR) are presented. The proposed LDR is a large, ambient-temperature, far infrared/submillimeter telescope designed for space. Panel topics included optics, materials and structures, sensing and control, science instruments, and systems and missions. The telescope requirements, the estimated technology levels, and the areas in which the generic technology work has to be augmented are enumerated.
Leidich, C. A.↗
Technology Panel Reports
Results are presented from five technology panels which convened to identify relevant technologies within their discipline for the Large Deployable Reflector (LDR) and to assess the current and projected state of these technologies. The five panels considered the following topics: optics, materials and structure, sensing and control, science instruments, and systems and missions.
Source record↗
Transmittance and reflectance of crystalline quartz and highand low-water content fused silica from 2 microns to 1 mm
The transmittances and reflectances of cultured crystalline quartz, Suprasil, Suprasil W, and Infrasil were compared over the wavelength region from 2 to 1000 microns. The high-water content of Suprasil and the low-water content of cultured crystalline quartz, Suprasil W, and Infrasil were determined by their transmittances measured at 2.73 microns where water content causes high absorption in optical materials. The fact that the fused silicas, both with high- and low-water content, had identical far-IR transmittances and that their transmittances were greatly inferior to that of crystalline quartz led to the conclusion that their inferior transmittance is due to their amorphous structure and not to their water content.
Heaney, J. B.↗
Effects of Monatomic Oxygen on Coatings
Report describes tests in which paints, metals, and optical materials carried in orbit around Earth determined how monatomic oxygen in rare orbital atmosphere affects them. Specimen disks carried aloft on Space Shuttle and exposed for 41.17 h at altitude of 120 nmi (222 km).
Whitaker, Ann↗
Scattering from mirrors contaminated by particulates - A model
A model has been used to fit the bidirectional reflectance distribution function for a variety of samples with different angles of incidence and degrees of contamination and roughness by the proper adjustment of six parameters. Exponential and Gaussian composite surface height autocorrelation functions are used to simulate the data at the small and medium angles, and a perturbation of these functions with two additional parameters allows the fit of the upward and downward curve portions of the data at the large angles. Good agreement is found with previous results. The present approach is the same as the classical dispersion equation in treating the index of refraction of optical materials.
Wang, Yaujen↗
Microwave response of an HEMT photoconductor
Interdigitated photodetectors of various geometries have been fabricated on GaAlAs/GaAs heterostructure material. Optical response characteristics of these devices have been examined at both dc and microwave frequencies. The microwave response, at frequencies to 8 GHz, was studied by illuminating the devices with the output of an internally modulated GaAlAs diode laser. Results of these measurements are presented and compared with that of GaAs photoconductors.
Claspy, P. C.↗
Raman intensity as a probe of concentration near a crystal growing in solution
The feasibility of using Raman spectral scattering signals for measurements of concentration profiles near a crystal interface during growth or dissolution is discussed. With KH2PO4 (KDP) as a test material, optical multichannel analyzer (OMA) detection of a solute Raman vibrational band provided direct quantification of solute concentration with band intensity. The intersection of incident laser and Raman collection optics provided 3-D selective point measurements of the solution concentration field. Unlike many other techniques, the Raman band intensity is not sensitive to the typical temperature variations. Precision calibration of Raman intensity versus KDP concentration with less than 1 pct standard deviation error levels was demonstrated. A fiber optic, which sampled incident laser intensity and coupled it to the OMA, provided a fully synchronized monitor of fluctuations in laser power to correlate with observed Raman signals. With 1 W of laser power at the sample, good data statistics required eight repeated data collections at approximately 2.5 min collection. The accumulated time represents the concentration measurement time at one spatial location. Photomicroscopy documented a 30 micrometer diameter by 200 micrometer of laser Raman scattering region in the solution near the crystal surface. The laser beam was able to approach up to 25 micrometer from the crystal surface. However, a crystal surface reflected intensity contribution was weakly detectable. Nucleated microcrystals were seen in the crystal-growing solution. These microcrystals convect right up to the crystal surface and indicate no quiet diffusion region under normal gravity conditions. Translation of the solution cell with respect to the optics caused systematic intensity errors.
Wilkinson, R. Allen↗
Microwave response of an HEMT photoconductor
Interdigitated photodetectors of various geometries have been fabricated on GaAlAs/GaAs heterostructure material. Optical response characteristics of these devices have been examined at both dc and microwave frequencies. The microwave response, at frequencies to 8 GHz, was studied by illuminating the devices with the output of an internally modulated GaAlGa diode laser. Results of these measurements are presented and compared with that of GaAs photoconductors.
Claspy, P. C.↗