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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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At least 19 records
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2016

Interstellar laser communication: implementability criterion and optimisation conditions for the addressed signal search and sending

Using new opportunities offered by the construction of large optical telescopes, a laser radiation receiver with an iodine active quantum filter, high-energy iodine lasers with a diffraction-limited beam divergence and the discovery of exoplanets of the Earth type, including those located relatively not far from the Sun, we analyse the implementability of interstellar laser communication under the conditions, when the central spot of the diffraction pattern at the place of the laser signal reception by means of large optical telescopes can be made smaller than the orbit of the planet, and the signals come to the specified point of the orbit not synchronously with the planet motion because of the error in the determination of the distance between the Sun and the star, around which the planet chosen for communication rotates. (paper)

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2024

Dry etching of epitaxial InGaAs/InAlAs/InAlGaAs structures for fabrication of photonic integrated circuits

A dry etching process to transfer the pattern of a photonic integrated circuit design for high-speed laser communications is described. The laser stack under consideration is a 3.2-µm-thick InGaAs/InAlAs/InAlGaAs epitaxial structure grown by molecular beam epitaxy. The etching was performed using Cl2-based inductively-coupled-plasma and reactive-ion-etching (ICP-RIE) reactors. Four different recipes are presented in two similar ICP-RIE reactors, with special attention paid to the etched features formed with various hard mask compositions, in-situ passivations, and process temperatures. The results indicate that it is possible to produce high-aspect-ratio features with sub-micron separation on this multilayer structure. Additionally, the results of the etching highlight the tradeoffs involved with the corresponding recipes.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2015

Experimental multiplexing of quantum key distribution with classical optical communication

We demonstrate the realization of quantum key distribution (QKD) when combined with classical optical communication, and synchronous signals within a single optical fiber. In the experiment, the classical communication sources use Fabry-Pérot (FP) lasers, which are implemented extensively in optical access networks. To perform QKD, multistage band-stop filtering techniques are developed, and a wavelength-division multiplexing scheme is designed for the multi-longitudinal-mode FP lasers. We have managed to maintain sufficient isolation among the quantum channel, the synchronous channel and the classical channels to guarantee good QKD performance. Finally, the quantum bit error rate remains below a level of 2% across the entire practical application range. The proposed multiplexing scheme can ensure low classical light loss, and enables QKD over fiber lengths of up to 45 km simultaneously when the fibers are populated with bidirectional FP laser communications. Our demonstration paves the way for application of QKD to current optical access networks, where FP lasers are widely used by the end users.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2022

Distributed Real-time Plume Monitoring for Deep Sea Mineral Extraction​

In the emerging industry of deep-sea mining for minerals and deposits (e.g. polymetallic nodules for nickel, cobalt, copper, and manganese), more data is required to understand the effects of sediment plume generation and predict the distribution of disturbed sediment. There are two main sources of plume generation, the first being at the active mining site where the “collector” directly removes the top layer of the sea floor. The other is the “midwater plume” consisting of unwanted sediment that was collected during extraction that is pumped back into the aphotic zone. The vast majority of plume generation is caused by the collector, causing detrimental and long-lasting impacts on seafloor ecosystems due to the lack of wave activity or strong currents at the sea floor. Therefore, it is crucial to invest in the infrastructure to support the study and constant monitoring over a large area of the sea floor where plume generation is present. Due to the limited number of usable channels and power requirements, current subsea wireless communications technologies are not well suited to instrumenting the large areas of the sea floor needed to monitor plume migration. The scope of this effort is to transition experimental demonstrations of high-bandwidth, full-duplex scalable underwater laser communications to the seafloor in an open ocean environment. Specifically tackling challenges associated with the dynamic nature of the subsea world, including but not limited to, deployment logistics, sustainability, and range. The goal is to enable the internet of underwater things for deep sea industries by broadening the capabilities of subsea communications. By using high-precision laser transmitters, many of the challenges current subsea optical systems face can be circumvented, such as power consumption, interference, and bandwidth limitations. This approach lends itself to wireless interlinking multi-node networks, in series or parallel, facilitating the implementation of a wide array of sensor types. This interlinking allows all the data gathered from the network to be processed through a single hardline uplink to the surface, lowering the complexity required for near real-time data processing. Additionally, the laser control systems produce metadata that can be used to help characterize the water column between the nodes. Combining data from various sensors such as turbidity, temperature, current velocity with metadata such as beam attenuation and deflection can produce a high-resolution model of sea floor conditions around an active mining zone. The resulting near real-time model can be used to optimize location and flow rate of the mining operation to minimize and quantify the environmental impact.

Mons, Ishan↗
DOE OSTI2015

Current control of light by nonreciprocal magnetoplasmonics

The ability to actively control light has long been a major scientific and technological goal. We proposed a scheme that allows for active control of light by utilizing the nonreciprocal magnetoplasmonic effect. As a proof of concept, we applied current signal through an ultrathin metallic film in a magneto-plasmonic multilayer and found that dynamic photonic nonreciprocity appears in magnetic-optical material layer due to the magnetic field being induced from current signal and modulates surface plasmon polaritons trapped in the metal surface and the light reflected. The proposed concept provides a possible way for the active control of light and could find potential applications such as ultrafast optoelectronic signal processing for plasmonic nanocircuit technology and ultrafast/large-aperture free-space electro-optic modulation platform for wireless laser communication technology.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2011

Scintillation has minimal impact on far-field Bennett-Brassard 1984 protocol quantum key distribution

The effect of scintillation, arising from propagation through atmospheric turbulence, on the sift and error probabilities of a quantum key distribution (QKD) system that uses the weak-laser-pulse version of the Bennett-Brassard 1984 (BB84) protocol is evaluated. Two earth-space scenarios are examined: satellite-to-ground and ground-to-satellite transmission. Both lie in the far-field power-transfer regime. This work complements previous analysis of turbulence effects in near-field terrestrial BB84 QKD [J. H. Shapiro, Phys. Rev. A 67, 022309 (2003)]. More importantly, it shows that scintillation has virtually no impact on the sift and error probabilities in earth-space BB84 QKD, something that has been implicitly assumed in prior analyses for that application. This result contrasts rather sharply with what is known for high-speed laser communications over such paths, in which deep, long-lived scintillation fades present a major challenge to high-reliability operation.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2014

Spectroscopic enhancement in nanoparticles embedded glasses

This presentation provides an overview of the recent progress in the enhancement of the spectroscopic characteristics of the glass embedded with nanoparticles (NPs). Some of our research activities with few significantly new results are highlighted and facilely analyzed. The science and technology dealing with the manipulation of the physical properties of rare earth doped inorganic glasses by embedding metallic NPs or nanoclusters produce the so-called 'nanoglass'. Meanwhile, the spectroscopic enhancement relates the intensity of the luminescence measured at certain transition. The enhancement which expectedly due to the 'plasmonics wave' (referring to the coherent coupling of photons to free electron oscillations called plasmon) occurs at the interface between a conductor and a dielectric. Plasmonics being an emerging concept in advanced optical material of nanophotonics has given this material the ability to exploit the optical response at nanoscale and opened up a new avenue in metal-based glass optics. There is a vast array of plasmonic NPs concepts yet to be explored, with applications spanning solar cells, (bio) sensing, communications, lasers, solid-state lighting, waveguides, imaging, optical data transfer, display and even bio-medicine. Localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) can enhance the optical response of nanoglass by orders of magnitude as observed. The luminescence enhancement and surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) are new paradigm of research. The enhancement of luminescence due to the influence of metallic NPs is the recurring theme of this paper.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2017

Method and system for communicating with a laser power driver

A system for controlling a plurality of laser diodes includes an optical transmitter coupled to the laser diode driver for each laser diode. An optical signal including bi-phase encoded data is provided to each laser diode driver. The optical signal includes current level and pulse duration information at which each of the diodes is to be driven. Upon receiving a trigger signal, the laser diode drivers operate the laser diodes using the current level and pulse duration information to output a laser beam.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗
DOE OSTI2019

Driver circuitry and systems for high current laser diode arrays

Apparatuses, methods, and systems are disclosed to drive pumping laser diode arrays. In implementations, an integrated system can be constructed to in a compact, efficient and cost-effective manner and to meet the needs of driving laser diode arrays in various diode pumped solid state laser applications. The disclosed implementations include individual laser diode drivers or pulsers, methods of communicating with laser diode drivers, and methods of controlling the pulse shape of each laser diode driver.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2012

Communication: A vibrational study of propargyl cation using the vacuum ultraviolet laser velocity-map imaging photoelectron method

By employing the vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) laser velocity-map imaging photoelectron (VUV-VMI-PE) method, we have obtained a vibrationally resolved photoelectron spectrum of gaseous propargyl radical [C{sub 3}H{sub 3}(X{sup 2}B{sub 1})] in the energy range of 0-4600 cm{sup -1} above its ionization energy. The cold C{sub 3}H{sub 3} radicals were produced from a supersonically cooled radical beam source based on 193 nm ArF photodissociation of C{sub 3}H{sub 3}Cl. The VUV-VMI-PE spectrum of C{sub 3}H{sub 3} thus obtained reveals a Franck-Condon factor (FCF) pattern with a highly dominant origin band along with weak vibrational progressions associated with excitations of the C-C {nu}{sub 5}{sup +}(a{sub 1}) and C{identical_to}C {nu}{sub 3}{sup +}(a{sub 1}) symmetric stretching modes and the CCH {nu}{sub 7}{sup +}(b{sub 1}) out-of-plane bending mode of C{sub 3}H{sub 3}{sup +}(X{sup 1}A{sub 1}). The {nu}{sub 5}{sup +}(a{sub 1}) vibrational frequency of 1120 cm{sup -1} determined in the present study is lower than the value deduced from the recent Ar-tagged infrared photodissociation study by 102 cm{sup -1}, confirming the highly accurate vibrational frequency predictions obtained by the most recent state-of-the-art ab initio quantum calculations. The observation of the FCF disallowed {nu}{sub 7}{sup +}(b{sub 1}) mode is indicative of vibronic interactions. The discrepancy observed between the FCF pattern determined in the present study and that predicted by a recent high-level quantum theoretical investigation can be taken as evidence that the potential energy surfaces used in the latter theoretical study are in need of improvement in order to provide a reliable FCF prediction for the C{sub 3}H{sub 3}/C{sub 3}H{sub 3}{sup +} photoionization system.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2014

Near-infrared induced optical quenching effects on mid-infrared quantum cascade lasers

In space communications, atmospheric absorption and Rayleigh scattering are the dominant channel impairments. Transmission using mid-infrared (MIR) wavelengths offers the benefits of lower loss and less scintillation effects. In this work, we report the telecom wavelengths (1.55 μm and 1.3 μm) induced optical quenching effects on MIR quantum cascade lasers (QCLs), when QCLs are operated well above their thresholds. The QCL output power can be near 100% quenched using 20 mW of near-infrared (NIR) power, and the quenching effect depends on the input NIR intensity as well as wavelength. Time resolved measurement was conducted to explore the quenching mechanism. The measured recovery time is around 14 ns, which indicates that NIR generated electron-hole pairs may play a key role in the quenching process. The photocarrier created local field and band bending can effectively deteriorate the dipole transition matrix element and quench the QCL. As a result, MIR QCLs can be used as an optical modulator and switch controlled by NIR lasers. They can also be used as “converters” to convert telecom optical signals into MIR optical signals.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2015

Transparency through Structural Disorder: A New Concept for Innovative Transparent Ceramics

Transparent polycrystalline ceramics present signi fi cant eco- nomical and functional advantages over single crystal materials for optical, communication, and laser technologies. To date, transparency in these ceramics is ensured either by an optical isotropy (i.e., cubic symmetry) or a nanometric crystallite size, and the main challenge remains to eliminate porosity through complex high pressure - high temperature synthesis. Here we introduce a new concept to achieve ultimate transparency reaching the theoretical limit. We use a controlled degree of chemical disorder in the structure to obtain optical isotropy at the micrometer length scale. This approach can be applied in the case of anisotropic structures and micrometer scale crystal size ceramics. We thus report Sr 1+ x /2 Al 2+ x Si 2 - x O 8 (0 < x ≤ 0.4) readily scalable polycrystalline ceramics elaborated by full and congruent crystallization from glass. These materials reach 90% transmittance. This innovative method should drive the development of new highly transparent materials with technologically relevant applications.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2025

Gigahertz-frequency acousto-optic phase modulation of visible light in a CMOS-fabricated photonic circuit

Optical phase modulators operating at visible wavelengths are essential components for photonic technologies such as those for quantum control, communications, and laser ranging. However, they remain challenging to implement in scalable, integrated platforms capable of handling high optical powers. Here we present a visible-light, gigahertz-frequency acousto-optic phase modulator, fabricated on a 200-mm wafer in a volume CMOS foundry, that supports greater than 500 mW of optical power at 730 nm. The device combines a piezoelectric transducer and a photonic waveguide within a single, wavelength-scale structure that confines both a propagating optical mode and an electrically excitable breathing-mode mechanical resonance. By tuning the device’s geometry to optimize the optomechanical interaction, we achieve modulation depths up to 4.85 rad with 80 mW of applied microwave power at 2.31 GHz in a 2-mm-long device. This corresponds to resonant modulation figures of merit of V π = 1.32V and V π ⋅ L = 0.26V cm. To our knowledge, this is the lowest V π ever demonstrated in any acousto-optic phase modulator and represents a 15-fold reduction in V π and a 100-fold reduction in required microwave power relative to state-of-the-art modulators with high visible-wavelength power handling commonly employed in quantum control systems.

Freedman, Jacob M. [Univ. of Arizona, Tucson, AZ (↗
DOE OSTI2023

Ultra: Underwater Laser Telecommunications & Remote Access (Final Report)

High speed wireless communication has proven elusive in subsea environments due to the inherent bandwidth limitations of acoustics and range limitations of other transmission modalities. A truly connected subsea system necessitates a high-speed, resilient architecture that can enable the integration of new sensor technologies and edge analytics and allow closed-loop monitoring and control of subsea operations for integrity monitoring and optimization. Like terrestrial Internet of Things applications, the realization of this “digital subsea” vision requires the application of high speed, point-to-point wireless technologies to complement rather than replace “hard-wired” communications such as optical fiber or acoustic systems. This work addresses the development of ULTRA (Underwater LASER Telemetry and Remote Access), an ultra-long range underwater laser communications system for use in critical points of the subsea communications architecture to increase reliability, operational flexibility, and reduce communication system maintenance associated with physical subsea connections.

02 PETROLEUM↗
DOE OSTI2019

Laser optical frequency combs and their applications in optical fibre communication systems and astrophysics

This paper examines the generation and applications of laser optical frequency combs (LOFCs). The unique properties of LOFCs are widely used in spectroscopy and metrology, in particular for making ultra-accurate optical clocks. The use of LOFCs contributes to advances in optical fibre communication systems and studies pertaining to fundamental problems of astrophysics, such as the search for and investigation of exoplanets and verification of the hypothesis that physical constants vary with time. (invited paper)

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2015

Fibre optics wavemeters calibration using a self-referenced optical frequency comb

Self-referenced optical frequency combs enable the measurement of optical frequencies with a very high accuracy, achieving uncertainties close to the atomic clock used as reference (<10{sup −13} s). In this paper, we present the technique for the measurement of laser frequencies for optical communications followed at IO-CSIC and its application to the calibration of two wavemeters in the 1.5 μm optical communication window. Calibration uncertainties down to 12 MHz and 59 MHz were obtained, respectively, for each of the devices. Furthermore, the long-term behaviour of the higher resolution wavemeter was studied during a 750 h period of sustained operation, exhibiting a dispersion in the measurements of 7.72 MHz. Temperature dependence of the device was analysed, enabling to further reduce dispersion down to a 2.15 MHz range, with no significant temporal deviations.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2013

S – C – L triple wavelength superluminescent source based on an ultra-wideband SOA and FBGs

We propose and demonstrate a wide-band semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA) based triple-wavelength superluminescent source with the output in the S-, C- and L-band regions. The proposed systems uses an ultra-wideband SOA with an amplification range from 1440 to 1620 nm as the linear gain medium. Three fibre Bragg gratings (FBGs) with centre wavelengths of 1500, 1540 and 1580 nm are used to generate the lasing wavelengths in the S-, Cand L-bands respectively, while a variable optical attenuator is used to finely balance the optical powers of the lasing wavelengths. The ultra-wideband SOA generates an amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) spectrum with a peak power of -33 dBm at the highest SOA drive current, and also demonstrates a down-shift in the centre wavelength of the generated spectrum due to the spatial distribution of the carrier densities. The S-band wavelength is the dominant wavelength at high drive currents, with an output power of -6 dBm as compared to the C- and L-bands, which only have powers of -11 and -10 dBm, respectively. All wavelengths have a high average signal-to-noise ratio more than 60 dB at the highest drive current of 390 mA, and the system also shows a high degree of stability, with power fluctuations of less than 3 dB within 70 min. The proposed system can find many applications where a wide-band and stable laser source is crucial, such as in communications and sensing. (control of laser radiation parameters)

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2016

Contributed Review: A review of the investigation of rare-earth dopant profiles in optical fibers

Rare-earth doped optical fibers have captivated the interest of many researchers around the world across the past three decades. The growth of this research field has been stimulated primarily through their application in optical communications as fiber lasers and amplifiers, although rare-earth doped optical fiber based devices are now finding important uses in many other scientific and industrial areas (for example, medicine, sensing, the military, and material processing). Such wide commercial interest has provided a strong incentive for innovative fiber designs, alternative glass compositions, and novel fabrication processes. A prerequisite for the ongoing progress of this research field is developing the capacity to provide high resolution information about the rare-earth dopant distribution profiles within the optical fibers. This paper constitutes a comprehensive review of the imaging techniques that have been utilized in the analysis of the distribution of the rare-earth ion erbium within the core of optical fibers.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗