Effects of metal film on transmission characteristics of single-dielectric-slab THz waveguide

The effects of a symmetrical metal film on the transmission characteristics of TM mode in the thicker single-dielectric-slab THz waveguide is analyzed theoretically. We find that the coating of metal film results in huge difference in the attenuation coefficients of TM mode, and it is increasing with respect to increase in the THz frequency. In case of a thicker single-dielectric-slab THz waveguide with low absorption loss, the influence of metal film on the loss of TM mode can not be ignored. We further study the influence of metal film on the mode field distribution of TM mode and we find that the mode field distribution of TM mode in the thicker dielectric slab is varied significantly after coating

THz wave transmission within the metal-clad antiresonant reflecting hollow waveguides

We present the transmission characteristics of THz waves in the metal-clad antiresonant reflecting hollow waveguides. We have derived the equation for the blueshift of the resonance frequency. The effects of the waveguide structure on the blueshift of the resonance frequency are studied comprehensively. In particular, we find that the blueshift of the resonance frequency is strongly affected by the interval between two dielectric slabs. By changing the interval, we obtain that the maximum frequency-tuning-range is up to 2030 GHz, and the maximum sensitivity of the resonance frequency shift is up to 6950 GHz/mm at the resonance order of m = 1. When the THz wave is at the near-zero loss frequency, both the loss and the dispersion of the guide modes are very low

Broadband THz transmission within the symmetrical plastic film coated parallel-plate waveguide

We report the broadband THz transmission within the symmetrical plastic film coated parallel-plate waveguide. We theoretically study the antiresonant reflecting mechanism of the waveguide and we find that the broadband THz wave can transmit in this waveguide with ultra-low loss. The loss of TM mode in this waveguide can be 4 orders of magnitude lower than the uncoated parallel-plate waveguide. The transmission bandwidth of this waveguide is up to 5.12 THz. We further show the mode field distributions which explain the loss mechanism

Double-dielectric-slab waveguides for guiding broadband THz wave with low propagation loss and small beam width

A double-dielectric-slab waveguide is proposed to guide broadband THz waves. We derive the dispersion equations of both the even mode and odd mode of the waveguide, which are used to study the relationships between the mode propagating characteristics and the waveguide structure, as well as the THz wave frequency. Furthermore, the mode field distribution characteristics of the two modes are studied. The results obtained show that this simple waveguide can guide the broadband THz wave with relatively low loss and small beam width simultaneously

Metasurfaces Excited by an Evanescent Wave for Terahertz Beam Splitters with a Tunable Splitting Ratio

In terahertz (THz) photonics, a beam splitter is an important component. Although various THz beam-splitting devices using several principles have been proposed, the splitting ratio of existing designs is not adjustable. Here, a THz beam splitter with an adjustable splitting ratio is demonstrated using a metasurface integrated onto a prism. The metasurface excited by an evanescent wave can convert part of a linearly polarized incident wave into a cross-polarized wave and manipulate its phase simultaneously. As a result, the cross-polarized wave can pass through the interface, even if the incident angle is larger than the total internal reflection angle, while the co-polarized wave is reflected by the prism. The splitting ratio of the device can be adjusted from 4.56:1 to 0.63:1 by tuning the resonant response of the metasurface and varying the interval distance between the metasurface and the prism. The metasurface samples are fabricated using low-cost standard printed circuit technology, and the experimental results are consistent with the simulations. Therefore, the proposed beam splitter with a tunable splitting ratio is promising as a key component in the THz system

Metasurfaces Excited by an Evanescent Wave for Terahertz Beam Splitters with a Tunable Splitting Ratio

In terahertz (THz) photonics, a beam splitter is an important component. Although various THz beam-splitting devices using several principles have been proposed, the splitting ratio of existing designs is not adjustable. Here, a THz beam splitter with an adjustable splitting ratio is demonstrated using a metasurface integrated onto a prism. The metasurface excited by an evanescent wave can convert part of a linearly polarized incident wave into a cross-polarized wave and manipulate its phase simultaneously. As a result, the cross-polarized wave can pass through the interface, even if the incident angle is larger than the total internal reflection angle, while the co-polarized wave is reflected by the prism. The splitting ratio of the device can be adjusted from 4.56:1 to 0.63:1 by tuning the resonant response of the metasurface and varying the interval distance between the metasurface and the prism. The metasurface samples are fabricated using low-cost standard printed circuit technology, and the experimental results are consistent with the simulations. Therefore, the proposed beam splitter with a tunable splitting ratio is promising as a key component in the THz system

Effects of harvest time and added molasses on nutritional content, ensiling characteristics and degradation of whole crop wheat

Objective Wheat is an alternative to corn silage for ruminant feeding in northern China. This study examined the effects of harvest time and added molasses on nutritional content, ensiling characteristics and in vitro degradation of whole crop wheat (WCW). Methods Fresh WCW at the milk-ripe stage was harvested at 0700 h (i.e., in the morning [Mo]) and 1700 h (i.e., in the afternoon [Af]), and then immediately used to prepare silage and make hay. Commercial molasses was added to Af WCW at 0%, 2%, 4%, and 6% (fresh weight) proportions. The WCW treated with molasses was mixed thoroughly prior to ensiling. Results Dry matter (DM), neutral detergent fiber, water soluble carbohydrate (WSC) content (p<0.01), accumulative gas production in 72 h (GP72h, 77.46 mL/g vs 95.15 mL/g) and dry matter disappearance in vitro (69.15% vs 76.77%) were lower (p<0.05), while crude protein (CP) content was higher for WCW silage (WCWS) compared to WCW (p<0.01). The propionic acid and butyric acid concentrations in WCWS from Mo WCW were 1.47% and 0.26%, respectively. However, the propionic and butyric acid concentrations were negligible, while the ammonia nitrogen/total nitrogen (NH3-N/TN, p<0.01) concentration was lower and the rate of gas production at 50% of the maximum (17.05 mL/h vs 13.94 mL/h, p<0.05) was higher for Af WCWS compared to Mo WCWS. The incubation fluid’s NH3-N concentration was lower in WCWS and Af WCW compared to Mo WCW (p<0.05). The CP and WSC content increased with increasing molasses levels (p<0.05). Furthermore, the pH (p<0.01) and time when gas production was 50% of the maximum (2.78 h vs 3.05 h, p<0.05) were lower in silage treated with 4% molasses than silage without molasses. Conclusion Harvesting wheat crops in the afternoon and adding molasses at 4% level to WCW optimally improved ensiling characteristics, leading to well-preserved silage

Graphene Plasmon Resonances for Electrically-Tunable Sub-Femtometer Dimensional Resolution

A coupled graphene structure (CGS) is proposed to obtain an electrically tunable sub-femtometer (sub-fm) dimensional resolution. According to analytical and numerical investigations, the CGS can support two branches of localized surface plasmon resonances (LSPRs), which park at the dielectric spacer between two pieces of graphene. The coupled efficiencies of the odd-order modes are even four orders of magnitude higher than that of the even-order modes. In particular, a sub-fm resolution for detecting the change in the spacer thickness can be reached using the lowest order LSPR mode. The LSPR wavelength and the dimensional differential resolution can be electrically-tuned from 9.5 to 33 &mu;m and from 4.3 to 15 nm/pm, respectively, by modifying the chemical potential of the graphene via the gate voltage. Furthermore, by replacing the graphene ribbon (GR) at the top of the CGS with multiple GRs of different widths, a resonant frequency comb in the absorption spectrum with a tunable frequency interval is generated, which can be used to detect the changes in spacer thicknesses at different locations with sub-fm resolution