Bragg gratings fabricated in monomode photosensitive optical fiber by UV exposure through a phase mask

A photolithographic method is described for fabricating refractive index Bragg gratings in photosensitive optical fiber by using a special phase mask grating made of silica glass. A KrF excimer laser beam (249 nm) at normal incidence is modulated spatially by the phase mask grating. The diffracted light, which forms a periodic, high-contrast intensity pattern with half the phase mask grating pitch, photoimprints a refractive index modulation into the core of photosensitive fiber placed behind, in proximity, and parallel, to the mask; the phase mask grating striations are oriented normal to the fiber axis. This method of fabricating in-fiber Bragg gratings is flexible, simple to use, results in reduced mechanical sensitivity of the grating writing apparatus and is functional even with low spatial and temporal coherence laser sources

A Two-dimensional Splashing Model for Investigating Impingement Characteristics of Supercooled Large Droplets

This document is the Accepted Manuscript of the following article: C. Wang, S. Chang, M. Leng, H. Wu, and B. Yang, 'A two-dimensional splashing model for investigating impingement characteristics of supercooled large droplets', International Journal of Multiphase Flow, Vol. 80, April 2016, pp. 131-149. This manuscript version is made available under the terms of the Creative Commons CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 license http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/. The Version of Record is available online at doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijmultiphaseflow.2015.12.005. © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.In this article, a two-dimensional (2D) splashing model is proposed to investigate the dynamics when supercooled large droplets (SLD) impinging on a wall surface in the aircraft-icing field. Energy conservation for droplet motion and impingement is used to capture the properties of the splashed droplets. A new statistical treatment of the droplet impinging energy and angle during the droplet-wall interaction is introduced in order to calculate the average dynamics of the SLD within a micro-control volume on wall surface. Based on the LEWICE predictions of droplet collection efficiencies and the available experimental ones, a new criterion for droplet splashing/deposition as well as a new formulation for the splashed mass is suggested. Lagrangian approach is adopted to describe the movement and impingement of SLD. The proposed model together with the previously developed droplet tracking method (DTM) for calculating droplet collection efficiency with the effect of droplet reimpingement constitute a relatively complete predicting approach of SLD impingement characteristics. Comparisons between the current predictions and the experimental observations, including SLD impingement over clean and contaminated airfoil surfaces as well as shapes of ice accretion in typical icing conditions, are carried out. Further, results obtained with the LEWICE splashing model are also plotted on the same graphs in order to assess the accuracy of the current splashing model in predicting SLD impingement. Results show that good agreement is achieved between the current predictions, including SLD impingement and ice accretion shapes, and the experimental ones. The predictions of the impingement distribution over contaminated surfaces obtained with the current splashing model show a much closer agreement with the experimental results than the ones obtained with LEWICE splashing model. For further investigation of SLD impingement, the properties of the droplet splashing and reimpingement during the ice accretion process are also addressed.Peer reviewe

Improved Neutron-Capture Element Abundances in Planetary Nebulae

Spectroscopy of planetary nebulae (PNe) provides the means to investigate s-process enrichments of neutron(n)-capture elements that cannot be detected in asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars. However, accurate abundance determinations of these elements present a challenge. Corrections for unobserved ions can be large and uncertain, since in many PNe only one ion of a given n-capture element has been detected. Furthermore, the atomic data governing the ionization balance of these species are not well-determined, inhibiting the derivation of accurate ionization corrections. We present initial results of a program that addresses these challenges. Deep high resolution optical spectroscopy of ~20 PNe has been performed to detect emission lines from trans-iron species including Se, Br, Kr, Rb, and Xe. The optical spectral region provides access to multiple ions of these elements, which reduces the magnitude and importance of uncertainties in the ionization corrections. In addition, experimental and theoretical efforts are providing determinations of the photoionization cross-sections and recombination rate coefficients of Se, Kr, and Xe ions. These new atomic data will make it possible to derive robust ionization corrections for these elements. Together, our observational and atomic data results will enable n-capture element abundances to be determined with unprecedented accuracy in ionized nebulae.Comment: 6 pages, 6 figures, to appear in "The Origin of the Elements Heavier than Fe", Sep 25-27, 2008, Turin, Italy, PASA, eds. John C. Lattanzio and M. Lugar

Effective index drift from molecular hydrogen diffusion in hydrogen-loaded optical fibres and its effect on Bragg grating fabrication

When hydrogen loading is used to enhance the photosensitivity of silica-based optical waveguides and fibres, the presence of molecular hydrogen dissolved in the glass matrix changes the effective index of propagation of guided optical modes by as much as 0.05%. Real-time monitoring of the reflectivity spectrum of Bragg gratings written in such conditions shows that the centre wavelength follows the changes in hydrogen concentration due to diffusion and reaction with glass defects

Identification of absolute geometries of cis and trans molecular isomers by Coulomb Explosion Imaging

Citation: Ablikim, U., Bomme, C., Xiong, H., Savelyev, E., Obaid, R., Kaderiya, B., . . . Rolles, D. (2016). Identification of absolute geometries of cis and trans molecular isomers by Coulomb Explosion Imaging. Scientific Reports, 6, 8. doi:10.1038/srep38202An experimental route to identify and separate geometric isomers by means of coincident Coulomb explosion imaging is presented, allowing isomer-resolved photoionization studies on isomerically mixed samples. We demonstrate the technique on cis/trans 1,2-dibromoethene (C2H2Br2). The momentum correlation between the bromine ions in a three-body fragmentation process induced by bromine 3d inner-shell photoionization is used to identify the cis and trans structures of the isomers. The experimentally determined momentum correlations and the isomer-resolved fragment-ion kinetic energies are matched closely by a classical Coulomb explosion model

Apodised in-fibre Bragg grating reflectors photoimprinted using a phase mask

An apodized in-fibre Bragg grating reflector is fabricated using the phase mask photoimprinting technique. The reflector has a centre wavelength of 1550 nm, a bandwidth of 0.22 nm and a peak reflectivity of 90%. At 0.4 nm (50 GHz) from the centre wavelength the reflectivity is 40 dB lower than the peak reflectivity; this is an improvement of more than 20 dB over an unapodized Bragg grating reflector with similar bandwidth and peak reflectivity

Enhanced photosensitivity in lightly doped standard telecommunication fibre exposed to high fluence ArF excimer laser light

The core refractive index of Corning SMF-28 optical fibre exposed to ArF laser pulses increases with the square of the fluence per pulse. Bragg gratings with a refractive index modulation amplitude higher than 10 -3 have been obtained. This is an order of magnitude improvement over previously reported values for this type of fibre in the absence of treatment to enhance the photosensitivity