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At least 55 records · Page 3

Two-photon excited deep-red and near-infrared emissive organic co-crystals

Abstract Two-photon excited near-infrared fluorescence materials have garnered considerable attention because of their superior optical penetration, higher spatial resolution, and lower optical scattering compared with other optical materials. Herein, a convenient and efficient supramolecular approach is used to synthesize a two-photon excited near-infrared emissive co-crystalline material. A naphthalenediimide-based triangular macrocycle and coronene form selectively two co-crystals. The triangle-shaped co-crystal emits deep-red fluorescence, while the quadrangle-shaped co-crystal displays deep-red and near-infrared emission centered on 668 nm, which represents a 162 nm red-shift compared with its precursors. Benefiting from intermolecular charge transfer interactions, the two co-crystals possess higher calculated two-photon absorption cross-sections than those of their individual constituents. Their two-photon absorption bands reach into the NIR-II region of the electromagnetic spectrum. The quadrangle-shaped co-crystal constitutes a unique material that exhibits two-photon absorption and near-infrared emission simultaneously. This co-crystallization strategy holds considerable promise for the future design and synthesis of more advanced optical materials.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Deep near-infrared survey of the Southern Sky (DENIS)

DENIS (Deep Near-Infrared Survey of the Southern Sky) will be the first complete census of astronomical sources in the near-infrared spectral range. The challenges of this novel survey are both scientific and technical. Phenomena radiating in the near-infrared range from brown dwarfs to galaxies in the early stages of cosmological evolution, the scientific exploitation of data relevant over such a wide range requires pooling expertise from several of the leading European astronomical centers. The technical challenges of a project which will provide an order of magnitude more sources than given by the IRAS space mission, and which will involve advanced data-handling and image-processing techniques, likewise require pooling of hardware and software resources, as well as of human expertise. The DENIS project team is composed of some 40 scientists, computer specialists, and engineers located in 5 European Community countries (France, Germany, Italy, The Netherlands, and Spain), with important contributions from specialists in Australia, Brazil, Chile, and Hungary. DENIS will survey the entire southern sky in 3 colors, namely in the I band at a wavelength of 0.8 micron, in the 1.25 micron J band, and in the 2.15 micron K' band. The sensitivity limits will be 18th magnitude in the I band, 16th in the J band, and 14.5th in the K' band. The angular resolution achieved will be 1 arcsecond in the I band, and 3.0 arcseconds in the J and K' bands. The European Southern Observatory 1 m telescope on La Silla will be dedicated to survey use during operations expected to last four years, commencing in late 1993. DENIS aims to provide the astronomical community with complete digitized infrared images of the full southern sky and a catalogue of extracted objects, both of the best quality and in readily accessible form. This will be achieved through dedicated software packages and specialized catalogues, and with assistance from the Leiden and Paris Data Analysis Centers. The data will be mailed on DAT tapes from La Silla to the two Data Analysis Centers for further processing. Two centers are necessary because of the shear quantity of data and because of the complementary roles the Centers will develop, each exploiting its own particular expertise. The Leiden Data Analysis Center (LDAC) will extract objects, establish their parameters, and archive them into a source catalogue. The LDAC will collaborate with the Groningen Space Research group that has gained experience in infrared image handling from the IRAS satellite. The Paris Data Analysis Center (PDAC) will be responsible for archiving and preprocessing the raw data to provide a homogeneous set of data suitable for further reduction in both the Leiden and Paris data analysis streams. The PDAC will also extract and archive images for the sources flagged by the LDAC as extended, and create a catalogue of galaxies. In exploiting the DENIS data we foresee the collaboration with other data analysis centers, such as the Observatoire de Lyon where the relevant DENIS catalogue of galaxies can be incorporated into their extragalactic database. The Point Sources and the Small Extended Sources catalogues could be incorporated in the Late Type Star database at Montpellier, and in the SIMBAD database as CDS. At Groningen the IRAS Point Source catalogue and/or image data can be merged with the DENIS catalogues. At Meudon algorithms and software will be developed with main goal assessing the limits reachable for the homogeneity and intrinsic consistency between the ensemble of the images in the data base (flat-fielding, relative positioning of the fields, bootstrapped flux calibration) but also for the data analysis.

Deul, E.↗

Bound Exciton Complexes in Near-Infrared Emitting Quantum Shells

Near-infrared (NIR) light sources based on colloidal semiconductor nanocrystals (NCs) represent a scalable, low-cost alternative to epitaxial semiconductor platforms. However, their performance remains hindered by rapid Auger recombination, a problem that is particularly pronounced in narrow-bandgap materials. Here, we report on CdS/HgS/CdS and CdS/HgCdSe/ ZnS quantum shells (QSs), a class of spherical quantum wells specifically engineered for a suppression of nonradiative Auger processes. Fabricated QSs exhibit tunable NIR emission with photoluminescence quantum yields reaching ∼60% below 1000 nm and up to 30% near 1300 nm. Optical gain and stimulated emission were observed in CdS/HgS/CdS QSs. In contrast, CdS/HgCdSe/ZnS QSs displayed a photoinduced absorption in lieu of optical gain despite demonstrating a comparatively stronger Auger suppression. Transient absorption spectroscopy revealed that this phenomenon arises from the formation of bound multiexciton complexes that induce long-lived sub-bandgap multiexciton states. The observation of such bound excitonic clusters at room temperature offers a pathway toward nonlinear NIR photonic phenomena, including biexciton−exciton cascade emission, optical modulation, and singleexciton gain.

Auger recombination↗

Near-infrared observations of FSC 15307+3252

Near-infrared observations of the infrared luminous galaxy FSC 15307+3252 are reported. Imaging shows that there is at least one, and possibly more, companion sources within 1.5 sec. Near-infrared spectra show the lines of a low-redshift Seyfert 2 galaxy in the visible, and the line ratios are characteristic of narrow-line AGNs. We conclude that FSC 15307+3252 represents an extension of the infrared bright systems to higher luminosities.

Soifer, B. T.↗

High Efficiency Near Infrared Spectrometer for Zodiacal Light Spectral Study

We are developing a near infrared spectrometer for measuring solar absorption lines in the zodiacal light in the near infrared region. R. Reynolds at el. (2004, ApJ 61 2, 1206) demonstrated that observing single Fraunhofer line can be a powerful tool for extracting zodiacal light parameters based on their measurements of the profile of the Mg I l~neat 5 184 A. We are extending this technique to the near infrared with the primary goal of measuring the absolute intensity of the zodiacal light. This measurement will provide the crucial information needed to accurately subtract zodiacal emission from the DIRBE measurements to get a much higher quality measurement of the extragalactic IR background. The instrument design is based on a dual Fabry-Perot interferometer with a narrow band filter. Its double etalon design allows to achieve high spectral contrast to reject the bright out of band telluric OH emission. High spectral contrast is absolutely necessary to achieve detection limits needed to accurately measure the intensity of the absorption line. We present the design, estimated performance of the instrument with the expected results of the observing program.

Kutyrea, A. S.↗

Near-infrared imaging of Markarian 231: Evidence for a double nucleus

Near-infrared (1.2-2.4 micrometers) images are presented for the central 10 arcsec of the Seyfert 1 galaxy Markarian 231. We find a faint, but intrinsically luminous (M(sub k) approximately -20.7) secondary peak in the near-infrared light distribution approximately 3.5 arcsec (2.7 kpc) south of the primary Seyfert 1 nucleus. Since there is no optical or infrared evidence for ongoing star formation at the location of this secondary peak, and its near-infrared luminosity and color are comparable to slightly reddened spiral bulges or elliptical nuclei, we identify this peak with the stripped nucleus of the companion galaxy involved in the Mrk 231 merger event. Depending upon the exact ratio of the masses of the primary and secondary nucleus in the Mrk 231 system we estimate a merger time scale of less than or equal to 10(exp 9) yr. The morphology of the southern nucleus suggests that it may have recently survived a close passage (r less than 200 pc) with the Seyfert 1 nucleus on a highly elliptical orbit, in which case the merger time scale may be significantly shorter (approximately 10(exp 7) yr. We re-calculate the average merger time scale for the seven ultraluminous infrared galaxies with double nuclei in the Bright Galaxy Sample (the BGS) of Soifer et al. (AJ, 98, 766 (1989)) and derive a value of approximately 10(exp 8) yr. Since seven of ten of the ultraluminous infrared galaxies in the BGS are now known to be double, we estimate the ultraluminous 'phase' may be close to this value. Along with Arp 220 and Mrk 273, Mrk 231 is the third member of the class to possess a high brightness temperature non-thermal radio core and a double nucleus, suggesting the time scale for the generation or fueling of the active nucleus can be much less than the dynamical time scale for the merger of the progenitor nuclei.

Armus, L.↗

BASS. XXIX. The Near-infrared View of the Broad-line Region (BLR): The Effects of Obscuration in BLR Characterization

Virial black hole (BH) mass (M BH ) determination directly involves knowing the broad-line region (BLR) clouds' velocity distribution, their distance from the central supermassive BH (R BLR ), and the virial factor (f). Understanding whether biases arise in M BH estimation with increasing obscuration is possible only by studying a large (N > 100) statistical sample of obscuration-unbiased (hard) X-ray-selected active galactic nuclei (AGNs) in the rest-frame near-infrared (0.8–2.5 μm) since it penetrates deeper into the BLR than the optical. We present a detailed analysis of 65 local Burst Alert Telescope (BAT) selected Seyfert galaxies observed with Magellan/FIRE. Adding these to the near-infrared BAT AGN spectroscopic survey database, we study a total of 314 unique near-infrared spectra. While the FWHMs of Hα and near-infrared broad lines (He i, Paβ, Paα) remain unbiased to either BLR extinction or X-ray obscuration, the Hα broad-line luminosity is suppressed when N H ≳ 10 21 cm –2 , systematically underestimating M BH by 0.23–0.46 dex. Near-infrared line luminosities should be preferred to Hα until N H < 10 22 cm –2 , while at higher obscuration a less-biased R BLR proxy should be adopted. We estimate f for Seyfert 1 and 2 using two obscuration-unbiased M BH measurements, i.e., the stellar velocity dispersion and a BH mass prescription based on near-infrared and X-ray, and find that the virial factors do not depend on the redshift or obscuration, but some broad lines show a mild anticorrelation with M BH . Furthermore, our results show the critical impact obscuration can have on BLR characterization and the importance of the near-infrared and X-rays for a less-biased view of the BLR.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

High Resolution Near Infrared Spectrometer to Study the Zodiacal Light Spectrum

We are developing a near infrared spectrometer for measuring solar absorption lines in the zodiacal light in the near infrared region. R. Reynolds at el. (2004, ApJ 612, 1206) demonstrated that observing single Fraunhofer line can be a powerful tool for extracting zodiacal light parameters based on their measurements of the profile of the Mg I line at 5184 A. We are extending this technique to the near infrared with the primary goal of measuring the absolute intensity of the zodiacal light. This measurement will provide the crucial information needed to accurately subtract zodiacal emission from the DIRBE measurements to get a much higher quality measurement of the extragalactic IR background. The instrument design is based on a dual Fabry-Perot interferometer with a narrow band filter. Its double etalon design allows to achieve high spectral contrast to reject the bright out of band telluric OH emission. High spectral contrast is absolutely necessary to achieve detection limits needed to accurately measure the intensity of the absorption line. We present the design, estimated performance of the instrument with the expected results of the observing program.

Kutyrev, Alexander↗

A Noble-Transition Alloy Excels at Hot-Carrier Generation in the Near Infrared

Above-equilibrium “hot”-carrier generation in metals is a promising route to convert photons into electrical charge for efficient near-infrared optoelectronics. However, metals that offer both hot-carrier generation in the near-infrared and sufficient carrier lifetimes remain elusive. Alloys can offer emergent properties and new design strategies compared to pure metals. In this work, it is shown that a noble-transition alloy, Au x Pd 1-x , outperforms its constituent metals concerning generation and lifetime of hot carriers when excited in the near-infrared. At optical fiber wavelengths (e.g., 1550 nm), Au 50 Pd 50 provides a 20-fold increase in the number of ≈0.8 eV hot holes, compared to Au, and a threefold increase in the carrier lifetime, compared to Pd. The discovery that noble-transition alloys can excel at hot-carrier generation reveals a new material platform for near-infrared optoelectronic devices.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Observing the surface of Titan through near-infrared windows in its atmosphere

Possibilities of observing the surface of Titan through near infrared windows in the atmosphere are explored. Studies of Titan's near infrared spectrum are discussed with particular attention being given to the opacity of Titan's atmosphere, infrared spectra of candidate materials of Titan's surface, and ground based studies of Titan's surface. Instruments on board Cassini which will have the capability to observe Titan in the near infrared are presented together with what they may observe. These instruments include the descent imager/spectral radiometer, the Huygens probe and the visible infrared mapping spectrometer, and the imaging science subsystem.

Griffith, Caitlin A.↗

Near-infrared observations of Venus

Ground-based near-infrared observations of the Venus night side reveal anomalous bright features at wavelengths near 1.7 and 2.3 micrometer (Allen and Crawford, 1984; Allen, 1987). These features are thought to be formed as thermal radiation from the hot lower atmosphere leaks through holes in the middle and/or lower sulfuric acid cloud decks. Because these holes allow radiation to escape from deep in the troposphere, they provide an opportunity to significantly improve our understanding of the composition, thermal structure, and dynamics of this region of the Venus atmosphere. New near-infrared observations of the Venus night side are needed to address these questions. During the first year of this program, researchers requested and received observing time at six sites and organized a highly-skilled team. The wide array of sites should allow researchers to collect the data needed to meet all of the proposed objectives. High resolution spectra of the Venus night side was obtained. Researchers are currently collecting the first images of Venus from Kitt Peak and Table Mountain. The state-of-the-art infrared array detectors that are being used at these sites are allowing researchers to collect hundreds of high-quality images during each observing day. These images show the expected bright features, but they have not yet begun to track these features.

Crisp, D.↗

Synopsis of current satellite snow mapping techniques, with emphasis on the application of near-infrared data

The Skylab EREP S192 Multispectral Scanner data have provided for the first time an opportunity to examine the reflectance characteristics of snowcover in several spectral bands extending from the visible into the near-infrared spectral region. The analysis of the S192 imagery and digital tape data indicates a sharp drop in reflectance of snow in the near-infrared, with snow becoming essentially nonreflective in Bands 11 (1.55-1.75 micron) and 12 (2.10-2.35 micron). Two potential applications to snow mapping of measurements in the near-infrared spectral region are possible: (1) the use of a near-infrared band in conjunction with a visible band to distinguish automatically between snow and water droplet clouds; and (2) the use of one or more near-infrared bands to detect areas of melting snow.

Barnes, J. C.↗

Near-infrared mapping of ARP 299 (IC 694-NGC 3690) - Colliding galaxies unveiled

Near-infrared maps and multicolor photometry of the interacting galaxies IC 694 and NGC 3690 which form Arp 299 (= Markarian 171) are presented. These data reveal for the first time the distribution of nuclei and old red stars in a cataclysmically interacting system. The nuclei are considerably offset from the visual centroids of the galaxies but not from the mass centroids. The near-infrared colors of the most active regions are strongly affected by extinction, emission form hot dust, and bremsstrahlung. Near-infrared emission is also identified with secondary regions of star formation, probably resulting from the galaxies' interaction.

Telesco, C. M.↗

H2 spectroscopy as an agent for extinction determinations The near-infrared curve for the Orion molecular cloud

A near-infrared (1.8 to 3.5) microns extinction curve for the Orion molecular cloud is presented. The curve is derived from high-resolution spectra of the Orion H2 source recorded from the Kuiper Airborne Observatory. The data reveal that the Orion extinction law is indistinguishable from a 1/lambda form in the near-infrared, except for strongly enhanced extinction near a wavelength of about 3 microns. The implications of these results, in the context of current interstellar grain models, are discussed.

Davis, D. S.↗

Circumnuclear Regions In Barred Spiral Galaxies: Near-Infrared Imaging - 1

We present sub-arcsecond resolution ground-based near-infrared images of the central regions of a sample of twelve barred galaxies with circumnuclear star formation activity, which is organized in ring-like regions typically one kiloparsec in diameter. We also present Hubble Space Telescope near-infrared images of ten of our sample galaxies, and compare them with our ground-based data. Although our sample galaxies were selected for the presence of circumnuclear star formation activity, our broad-band near-infrared images are heterogeneous, showing a substantial amount of small-scale structure in some galaxies, and practically none in others. We argue that, where it exists, this structure is caused by young stars, which also cause the characteristic bumps or changes in slope in the radial profiles of ellipticity, major axis position angle, surface brightness and colour at the radius of the circumnuclear ring in most of our sample galaxies. In 7 out of 10 HST images, star formation in the nuclear ring is clearly visible as a large number of small emitting regions, organised into spiral arm fragments, which are accompanied by dust lanes. NIR colour index maps show much more clearly the location of dust lanes and, in certain cases, regions of star formation than single broad-band images. Circumnuclear spiral structure thus outlined appears to be common in barred spiral galaxies with circumnuclear star formation.

Perez-Ramirez, D.↗

Calibration of the visible and near-infrared channels of the NOAA-9 AVHRR using high-altitude aircraft measurements from August 1985 and October 1986

Visible and near infrared wavelength sensors mounted on operational satellites now in use do not have onboard absolute calibration devices. One means of establishing an in-orbit calibration for a satellite sensor is to make simultaneous measurement of a bright, relatively uniform scene along the satellite view vector from a calibrated instrument on board a high altitude aircraft. Herein, aircraft data were recorded over White Sands, New Mexico at satellite overpass time. Comparison of the coincident aircraft and orbiting satellite data for the visible and near infrared wavelength channels of the NOAA-9 Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer shows that the calibration of the visible channel was unchanged from prelaunch values, but that the near infrared channel has degraded 6 percent by Aug. 1985. By Oct. 1986 the visible channel had degraded 13 percent and the near infrared channel had degraded 19 percent.

Smith, Gilbert R.↗

Evaluation of a near-infrared photomultiplier

A high performance near infrared sensitive photomultiplier tube was procured and evaluated with emphasis on those characteristics affecting its use over the very large amplitude range of signals encountered by an airborne lidar intended for mapping the distribution of stratospheric aerosols. A cathode quantum efficiency of 4.3 percent at 1.06 micrometer wavelength and a background count of less than 10,000 per second were realized. It is recommended that the tube be stored and operated at a temperature near -20 C, or cooler. Performance was found acceptable for the application in both pulse counting and analog modes, but careful design, probably including dynamic gain control, will be required to effectively utilize both modes on the same lidar shot.

Evans, W. E.↗

Jupiter and Saturn - Near-infrared spectral albedos

The near-infrared (0.65-2.5 micron) spectral albedo of Jupiter and Saturn with 1.5% spectral resolution is presented for the center of disk and for the limb. There is a distinct difference in the continuum slope between Jupiter and Saturn which may be attributed to a difference in the dust content or composition of the two atmospheres. There is an indication of limb brightening in the deepest CH4 bands on Saturn. No limb brightening is found for Jupiter.

Clark, R. N.↗