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DOE OSTI2018

Energy density engineering via zero-admittance domains in all-dielectric stratified materials

Emerging photonic, sensing, and quantum applications require high fields and tight localization but low power consumption. Spatial, spectral, and magnitude control of electromagnetic fields is of key importance for enabling experiments in atomic, molecular, and optical physics. Here in this paper, we introduce the concept of zero-admittance domains as a mechanism for tailoring giant optical fields bound within or on the surface of dielectric media. The described mechanism permits the creation of highly localized fields of extreme amplitudes simultaneously for incident photons of multiple wavelengths and incidence angles but arbitrary polarization states. No material constraints are placed upon the bounding media. Both intrinsic and extrinsic potential practical limitations of the predicted field enhancement are analyzed and applications relevant to optical sensors and microsources are briefly discussed.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

DOE OSTI2014

WE-E-18A-08: Towards a Next-Generation Electronic Portal Device for Simultaneous Imaging and Dose Verification in Radiotherapy

Purpose: This work forms part of an ongoing study to develop a next-generation electronic portal imaging device (EPID) for simultaneous imaging and dose verification in radiotherapy. Monte Carlo (MC) simulations were used to characterize the imaging performance of a novel EPID that has previously been demonstrated to exhibit a water-equivalent response. The EPID ' s response was quantified in several configurations and model parameters were empirically validated against experimental measurements. Methods: A MC model of a novel a-Si EPID incorporating an array of plastic scintillating fibers was developed. Square BCF-99-06A scintillator fibers with PMMA cladding (Saint-Gobain Crystals) were modelled in a matrix with total area measuring 150×150 mm{sup 2}. The standard electromagnetic and optical physics Geant4 classes were used to simulate radiation transport from an angled slit source (6 MV energy spectrum) through the EPID and optical photons reaching the photodiodes were scored. The prototype's modulation transfer function (MTF) was simulated and validated against experimental measurements. Several optical transport parameters, fiber lengths and thicknesses of an air gap between the scintillator and photodiodes were investigated to quantify their effects on the prototype's detection efficiency, sensitivity and MTF. Results: Simulated EPID response was more sensitive to variations in geometry than in the optical parameters studied. The MTF was particularly sensitive to the introduction of a 0.5–1.0 mm air gap between the scintillator and photodiodes, which lowered the MTF relative to that simulated without the gap. As expected, increasing the fiber length increased the detector efficiency and sensitivity while decreasing the MTF. Conclusion: A model of a novel water-equivalent EPID has been developed and benchmarked against measurements using a physical prototype. We have demonstrated the feasibility of this new device and are continuing to optimize the design to achieve an imaging response that warrants the development of a next-generation prototype.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

DOE OSTI2019

Aerosol hygroscopic growth, contributing factors, and impact on haze events in a severely polluted region in northern China

This study investigates the impact of the aerosol hygroscopic growth effect on haze events in Xingtai, a heavily polluted city in the central part of the North China Plain (NCP), using a large array of instruments measuring aerosol optical, physical, and chemical properties. Key instruments used and measurements made include the Raman lidar for atmospheric water vapor content and aerosol optical profiles, the PC-3016A GrayWolf six-channel handheld particle and mass meter for atmospheric total particulate matter (PM) that has diameters less than 1 and 2.5 µ m (PM 1 and PM 2.5 , respectively), the aerosol chemical speciation monitor (ACSM) for chemical components in PM 1 , and the hygroscopic tandem differential mobility analyzer (H-TDMA) for aerosol hygroscopicity. The changes in PM 1 and PM 2.5 agreed well with that of the water vapor content due to the aerosol hygroscopic growth effect. Two cases were selected to further analyze the effects of aerosol hygroscopic growth on haze events. The lidar-estimated hygroscopic enhancement factor for the aerosol backscattering coefficient during a relatively clean period (Case I) was lower than that during a pollution event (Case II) with similar relative humidity (RH) levels of 80 %–91 %. The Kasten model was used to fit the aerosol optical hygroscopic growth factor (GF) whose parameter b differed considerably between the two cases, i.e., 0.1000 (Case I) versus 0.9346 (Case II). The aerosol acidity value calculated from ACSM data for Case I (1.35) was less than that for Case II (1.50) due to different amounts of inorganics such as NH 4 NO 3 , NH 4 HSO 4 , and (NH 4 ) 2 SO 4 . Model results based on H-TDMA data showed that aerosol hygroscopic growth factors in each size category (40, 80, 110, 150, and 200 nm) at different RH levels (80 %–91 %) for Case I were lower than those for Case II. For similar ambient RH levels, the high content of nitrate facilitates the hygroscopic growth of aerosols, which may be a major factor contributing to heavy haze episodes in Xingtai.

Chen, Jun↗

DOE OSTI2015

Ultrahigh energy resolution focusing monochromator for inelastic x-ray scattering spectrometer

A further development of a focusing monochromator concept for X-ray energy resolution of 0.1 meV and below is presented. Theoretical analysis of several optical layouts based on this concept was supported by numerical simulations performed in the “Synchrotron Radiation Workshop” software package using the physical-optics approach and careful modeling of partially-coherent synchrotron (undulator) radiation. Along with the energy resolution, the spectral shape of the energy resolution function was investigated. It was shown that under certain conditions the decay of the resolution function tails can be faster than that of the Gaussian function.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

DOE OSTI2015

co2amp: A software program for modeling the dynamics of ultrashort pulses in optical systems with CO 2 amplifiers

We describe a computer code for simulating the amplification of ultrashort mid-infrared laser pulses in CO 2 amplifiers and their propagation through arbitrary optical systems. This code is based on a comprehensive model that includes an accurate consideration of the CO 2 active medium and a physical optics propagation algorithm, and takes into account the interaction of the laser pulse with the material of the optical elements. Finally, the application of the code for optimizing an isotopic regenerative amplifier is described.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗

NASA NTRS2012

Analyses of Hubble Space Telescope Aluminized-Teflon Insulation Retrieved After 19 Years of Space Exposure

Since its launch in April 1990, the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) has made many important observations from its vantage point in low Earth orbit (LEO). However, as seen during five servicing missions, the outer layer of multilayer insulation (MLI) has become successively more embrittled and has cracked in many areas. In May 2009, during the 5th servicing mission (called SM4), two MLI blankets were replaced with new insulation pieces and the space-exposed MLI blankets were retrieved for degradation analyses by teams at NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC) and NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC). The MLI blankets were from Equipment Bay 8, which received direct sunlight, and Equipment Bay 5, which received grazing sunlight. Each blanket contained a range of unique regions based on environmental exposure and/or physical appearance. The retrieved MLI blanket s aluminized-Teflon (DuPont) fluorinated ethylene propylene (Al-FEP) outer layers have been analyzed for changes in optical, physical, and mechanical properties, along with space induced chemical and morphological changes. When compared to pristine material, the analyses have shown how the Al-FEP was severely affected by the space environment. This paper reviews tensile properties, solar absorptance, thermal emittance, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) data and atomic oxygen erosion values of the retrieved HST blankets after 19 years of space exposure.

deGroh, Kim K.↗

NASA NTRS2013

An Overview of Regional Experiments on Biomass Burning Aerosols and Related Pollutants in Southeast Asia: From BASE-ASIA and the Dongsha Experiment to 7-SEAS

By modulating the Earth-atmosphere energy, hydrological and biogeochemical cycles, and affecting regional-to-global weather and climate, biomass burning is recognized as one of the major factors affecting the global carbon cycle. However, few comprehensive and wide-ranging experiments have been conducted to characterize biomass-burning pollutants in Southeast Asia (SEA) or assess their regional impact on meteorology, the hydrological cycle, the radiative budget, or climate change. Recently, BASEASIA (Biomass-burning Aerosols in South-East Asia: Smoke Impact Assessment) and the 7-SEAS (7- South-East Asian Studies) Dongsha Experiment were conducted during the spring seasons of 2006 and 2010 in northern SEA, respectively, to characterize the chemical, physical, and radiative properties of biomass-burning emissions near the source regions, and assess their effects. This paper provides an overview of results from these two campaigns and related studies collected in this special issue, entitled Observation, modeling and impact studies of biomass burning and pollution in the SE Asian Environment. This volume includes 28 papers, which provide a synopsis of the experiments, regional weatherclimate, chemical characterization of biomass-burning aerosols and related pollutants in source and sink regions, the spatial distribution of air toxics (atmospheric mercury and dioxins) in source and remote areas, a characterization of aerosol physical, optical, and radiative properties, as well as modeling and impact studies. These studies, taken together, provide the first relatively complete dataset of aerosol chemistry and physical observations conducted in the sourcesink region in the northern SEA, with particular emphasis on the marine boundary layer and lower free troposphere (LFT). The data, analysis and modeling included in these papers advance our present knowledge of source characterization of biomass-burning pollutants near the source regions as well as the physical and chemical processes along transport pathways. In addition, we raise key questions to be addressed by a coming deployment during springtime 2013 in northern SEA, named 7-SEASBASELInE (Biomass-burning Aerosols Stratocumulus Environment: Lifecycles and Interactions Experiment). This campaign will include a synergistic approach for further exploring many key atmospheric processes (e.g., complex aerosol-cloud interactions) and impacts of biomass burning on the surface-atmosphere energy budgets during the lifecycles of biomass burning emissions.

aerosol/biomass burning↗

NASA NTRS1989

Shooting and bouncing rays - Calculating the RCS of an arbitrarily shaped cavity

A ray-shooting approach is presented for calculating the interior radar cross section (RCS) from a partially open cavity. In the problem considered, a dense grid of rays is launched into the cavity through the opening. The rays bounce from the cavity walls based on the laws of geometrical optics and eventually exit the cavity via the aperture. The ray-bouncing method is based on tracking a large number of rays launched into the cavity through the opening and determining the geometrical optics field associated with each ray by taking into consideration (1) the geometrical divergence factor, (2) polarization, and (3) material loading of the cavity walls. A physical optics scheme is then applied to compute the backscattered field from the exit rays. This method is so simple in concept that there is virtually no restriction on the shape or material loading of the cavity. Numerical results obtained by this method are compared with those for the modal analysis for a circular cylinder terminated by a PEC plate. RCS results for an S-bend circular cylinder generated on the Cray X-MP supercomputer show significant RCS reduction. Some of the limitations and possible extensions of this technique are discussed.

Ling, Hao↗

DOE OSTI2019

Optical Stochastic Cooling Program at Fermilab's Integrable Optics Test Accelerator

Beam cooling enables an increase of peak and average luminosities and significantly expands the discovery potential of colliders. Optical Stochastic Cooling (OSC) is a high-bandwidth cooling technique that will advance the present state-of-the-art, stochastic-cooling rate by more than three orders of magnitude. A proof-of-principle demonstration with protons or heavy ions involves prohibitive costs, risks and technological challenges; however, exploration of OSC with electrons is a cost-effective alternative for studying the beam-cooling physics, optical systems and diagnostics. The ability to demonstrate OSC was a key requirement in the design of Fermilab's Integrable Optics Test Accelerator (IOTA) ring. The IOTA program will explore the physics and technology of OSC in amplified and non-amplified configurations. We also plan to investigate the cooling and manipulation of a single electron stored in the ring. The OSC apparatus is currently being fabricated, and installation will begin in the fall of 2019. In this contribution, we will describe the IOTA OSC program, the upcoming passive-OSC experimental runs and ongoing preparations for an amplified-OSC experiment

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗

DOE OSTI2019

Optical Stochastic Cooling Program at Fermilab's Integrable Optics Test Accelerator

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗

NASA NTRS2005

The Space Laser Business Model

Creating long-duration, high-powered lasers, for satellites, that can withstand the type of optical misalignment and damage dished out by the unforgiving environment of space, is work that is unique to NASA. It is complicated, specific work, where each step forward is into uncharted territory. In the 1990s, as this technology was first being created, NASA gave free reign to a group of "laser jocks" to develop their own business model and supply the Space Agency with the technology it needed. It was still to be a part of NASA as a division of Goddard Space Flight Center, but would operate independently out of a remote office. The idea for this satellite laboratory was based on the Skunk Works concept at Lockheed Martin Corporation. Formerly known as the Lockheed Corporation, in 1943, the aerospace firm, realizing that the type of advanced research it needed done could not be performed within the confines of a larger company, allowed a group of researchers and engineers to essentially run their own microbusiness without the corporate oversight. The Skunk Works project, in Burbank, California, produced America s first jet fighter, the world s most successful spy plane (U-2), the first 3-times-the-speed-of-sound surveillance aircraft, and the F-117A Nighthawk Stealth Fighter. Boeing followed suit with its Phantom Works, an advanced research and development branch of the company that operates independent of the larger unit and is responsible for a great deal of its most cutting-edge research. NASA s version of this advanced business model was the Space Lidar Technology Center (SLTC), just south of Goddard, in College Park, Maryland. Established in 1998 under a Cooperative Agreement between Goddard and the University of Maryland s A. James Clark School of Engineering, it was a high-tech laser shop where a small group of specialists, never more than 20 employees, worked all hours of the day and night to create the cutting- edge technology the Agency required of them. Drs. Robert Afzal and Joseph Dallas were directors of the SLTC, and led the development and production of active spaceborne, remote-sensing, optical instruments. As a pioneer in the area of photonics, Dr. Dallas led basic research, development, and production of semiconductor laser diode products, improving coupling efficiency through novel physical optics modeling and intracavity phase-correction techniques. He worked for NASA for 15 years, 11 of which were as a civil servant, and 4 of which were as a contractor.

Source record↗

NASA NTRS2015

Analyses of Hubble Space Telescope Aluminized-Teflon Multilayer Insulation Blankets Retrieved After 19 Years of Space Exposure

Since its launch in April 1990, the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) has made many important observations from its vantage point in low Earth orbit (LEO). However, as seen during five servicing missions, the outer layer of multilayer insulation (MLI) has become increasingly embrittled and has cracked in many areas. In May 2009, during the 5th servicing mission (called SM4), two MLI blankets were replaced with new insulation and the space-exposed MLI blankets were retrieved for degradation analyses by teams at NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC) and NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC). The retrieved MLI blankets were from Equipment Bay 8, which received direct sunlight, and Equipment Bay 5, which received grazing sunlight. Each blanket was divided into several regions based on environmental exposure and/or physical appearance. The aluminized-Teflon (DuPont, Wilmington, DE) fluorinated ethylene propylene (Al-FEP) outer layers of the retrieved MLI blankets have been analyzed for changes in optical, physical, and mechanical properties, along with chemical and morphological changes. Pristine and as-retrieved samples (materials) were heat treated to help understand degradation mechanisms. When compared to pristine material, the analyses have shown how the Al-FEP was severely affected by the space environment. Most notably, the Al-FEP was highly embrittled, fracturing like glass at strains of 1 to 8 percent. Across all measured properties, more significant degradation was observed for Bay 8 material as compared to Bay 5 material. This paper reviews the tensile and bend-test properties, density, thickness, solar absorptance, thermal emittance, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) elemental composition measurements, surface and crack morphologies, and atomic oxygen erosion yields of the Al-FEP outer layer of the retrieved HST blankets after 19 years of space exposure.

Radiation↗

DOE OSTI2020

Raytracing the long trace profiler

The optical design of the Long Trace Profiler optical system is explored with a commercial raytrace program, Zemax OpticStudio™ (ZOS)1, with the intent of finding and correcting sources of systematic error. ZOS provides both geometric raytracing tools and physical optics Gaussian beam propagation and diffraction image calculation tools, and two design modes, sequential component (SC) and non-sequential component (NSC) that are optimized for different aspects of the design process. The original LTP-II system employs a singlet lens with a 1250 mm focal length. It is optimized to provide minimum distortion over a surface slope angle range of ±5 mrad. Using the ZOS tools, we are able to simulate ghost rays that produce distortion in the beam spot image and can minimize the distortion by deliberate misalignment of the beamsplitter (BS) components. Unfortunately, the reference beam is compromised because of the component tilts. The most recent LTP500 system design simplifies the optical system and makes the reference beam usable again, even with misalignment of the polarizing beamsplitter (PBS). Two lenses are designed for the LTP500 - a cemented doublet that has been fabricated, and a singlet with one aspheric surface. Both have focal distances of 500 mm with an expanded angular measurement range of ±10 mrad. The aspheric singlet provides superior performance. ZOS allows the import of wavefront measurement data produced by commercial interferometer software. We apply the wavefront error measurement from the cemented doublet to the model to show that the 19nm RMS wavefront error needs to be improved by at least a factor of ten in order to reduce the systematic error to a level that will allow the LTP to approach its design limit of a few tens of nanoradians.

Takacs, Peter Z.↗

NASA NTRS1992

LDEF thermal control coatings post-flight analysis

The optical, physical, and chemical properties of selected spacecraft thermal control coatings, exposed for 10 months and 5.8 years on the leading edge (Row 9) of the LDEF, are reported. The following coatings were used: quartz/silver optical solar reflector; silvered FEP Teflon; S-13GLO, YB-71, and A-276 white paints; black paint; and sputter deposited coatings over graphite-epoxy composite substrates. The solar absorptance, total normal emittance, scanning electron and X-ray photoelectron microscopy, and X-ray diffraction analyses will be compared for the control, the 10 month exposed, and the 5.8 year exposed specimens. Data suggests that the high atomic flux over the last 6 months of the LDEF mission may have influenced the results from from this coatings experiment.

Slemp, Wayne S.↗

DOE OSTI2019

Full-sky beam convolution for cosmic microwave background applications

We introduce a publicly available full-sky beam convolution code library intended to inform the design of future cosmic microwave background (CMB) instruments and help current experiments probe potential systematic effects. The code can be used to assess the impact of optical systematics on all stages of data reduction for a realistic experiment, including analyses beyond power spectrum estimation, by generating signal timelines that may serve as input to full analysis pipelines. The design and mathematical framework of the Python code is discussed along with a few simple benchmarking results. We present a simple two-lens refracting telescope design and use it together with the code to simulate a year-long dataset for 400 detectors scanning the sky on a satellite instrument. The simulation results identify a number of sub-leading optical non-idealities and demonstrate significant B-mode residuals caused by extended sidelobes that are sensitive to polarized radiation from the Galaxy. For the proposed design and satellite scanning strategy, we show that a full physical optics beam model generates B-mode systematics that differ significantly from the simpler elliptical Gaussian model. The code is available at https://github.com/adrijd/beamconv

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

DOE OSTI2019

Lifshitz theory of the cosmological constant

Highlights: •Previous attempts to solve the enigma of the cosmological constant have failed. •This paper deduces the correct order of magnitude from the physics of the quantum vacuum. •A dynamical cosmological constant is predicted. •No new fields are introduced, but rather new concepts in fields as old as quantum electromagnetism. -- Abstract: Astrophysics has given empirical evidence for the cosmological constant that accelerates the expansion of the universe. Atomic, Molecular, and Optical Physics have proven experimentally that the quantum vacuum exerts forces – the van der Waals and Casimir forces – on neutral matter. It has long been conjectured (Zel’dovich, 1968) that the two empirical facts, the cosmological constant and the Casimir force, have a common theoretical explanation, but all attempts of deriving both from a unified theory in quantitative detail have not been successful so far. In AMO Physics, Lifshitz theory has been the standard theoretical tool for describing the measured forces of the quantum vacuum. This paper develops a version of Lifshitz theory that also accounts for the electromagnetic contribution to the cosmological constant. Assuming that the other fields of the Standard Model behave similarly, gives a possible quantum-optical explanation for what has been called dark energy.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2018

Advances in the calculation of optical properties in superlattices; novel insights derived from the theory of finite periodic systems

Highlights: • Truly quantum calculation of optical properties in superlattices. • An approach that goes beyond the abilities of the current approaches in the literature. • Accurate calculations based on bona fide superlattice eigenvalues and eigenfunctions. • Accurate calculation of optical-transition matrix elements and new selection rules. • Optical spectra of AlGaAs and InGaN superlattices agree with experimental results. • Optical spectra features of blue diodes faithfully reproduced and fully explained. • Unexplained lines in high-resolution spectra assigned to surface and edge states. - Abstract: Using the genuine superlattice eigenvalues and eigenfunctions, and their parity symmetries, new transition selection rules are derived, and a novel approach for the explicit calculation of the optical spectra of periodic structures presented. The optical response and infrared spectra published in the last 40 years for (In, Ga)N and (Al, Ga)As superlattices, with different number of unit cells n (varying from ∼10 to ∼400) and barrier and valley widths in the range of 2.5 nm to 40 nm, and different properties have been revisited. Among the various examples discussed here, we study the narrow peaks clustered in groups reported in high resolution spectra of blue-emitting devices, that could not be explained until now. These properties are faithfully reproduced and fully understood. We show that these effects are related to and depend on the surface energy levels and their tuneable detachment. We shown also that the optical transitions experimentally observed, but forbidden by the current optical physics, are really allowed transitions. Since the number of energy eigenvalues E{sub μ,ν}{sup r,v} and eigenfunctions Ψ{sub μ{sup ′},ν{sup ′r,v}}(z) is now much greater, the number of allowed matrix-elements can be extremely large (of the order of n{sup 2} n{sub c}n{sub v}∕2, with n{sub c} and n{sub v} the number of subbands in the conduction and valence bands). We show that this number can be reduced by using the eigenfunctions’ symmetries, which are behind the parity symmetry selection rules and the leading order selection rules. These rules reduce the number of matrix-elements evaluations from ∼n{sup 2}n{sub c}n{sub v}∕2 to ∼nn{sub c}n{sub v}∕2, i.e., depending on the superlattice, from about 1000 to 100. We discuss also a third rule, that collects the contributions of the surface and edge states, reducing the number of transitions even more to N{sub s}≤n{sub c}n{sub v}. With these rules, the main peaks are conserved and their number practically matches that of the real spectrum. Excellent agreements are found with experimental results.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

NASA NTRS2002

Toric offset three-reflector antenna for the advanced microwave limb sounder

An advanced Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS), now in concept development for a potential future mission, is a space-borne heterodyne instrument to measure pressure, temperature, and atmospheric constituents from thermal emission between 120 and 2400 GHz. Previous MLS instruments used pencil-beam antennas sized to resolve N 1 vertical scale height. Current atmospheric models need better horizontal resolution than orbit spacing provides. To meet these needs, a new antenna concept combines the wide scan range of the parabolic torus with unblocked offset Cassegrain optics. The resulting system is diffraction-limited in the vertical plane but extremely astigmatic, with beamwidths 0.13~2.5. Nadir axis symmetry ensures that this Beam AspectRatio (BAR) is invariant over f33' of azimuth. The antenna can feed either an array of receivers or multiplexed low-noise receivers whose FOVs are swept by a small scanning mirror. We describe 3 stages of antenna design: First, using a paraxial-optics method, we choose conic profiles given vertical resolution orbit geometry, then develop the surfaces by nadir axis rotation, matching axisymmetric feeds to the BAR. A ray-trace program validates the design and generates alignment and deformation tolerances. Finally, a physical optics analysis verifies reflector surface currents and radiation patterns.

microwave↗