207 research outputs found
Efficient microwave-induced optical frequency conversion
Frequency conversion process is studied in a medium of atoms with a
configuration of levels, where transition between two lower states is driven by
a microwave field. In this system, conversion efficiency can be very high by
virtue of the effect of electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT).
Depending on intensity of the microwave field, two regimes of EIT are realized:
''dark-state'' EIT for the weak field, and Autler-Townes-type EIT for the
strong one. We study both cases via analytical and numerical solution and find
optimum conditions for the conversion.Comment: 15 pages, 5 figure
Generation of continuous-wave THz radiation by use of quantum interference
We propose a scheme for generation of continuous-wave THz radiation. The
scheme requires a medium where three discrete states in a
configuration can be selected, with the THz-frequency transition between the
two lower metastable states. We consider the propagation of three-frequency
continuous-wave electromagnetic (e.m.) radiation through a medium.
Under resonant excitation, the medium absorption can be strongly reduced due to
quantum interference of transitions, while the nonlinear susceptibility is
enhanced. This leads to very efficient energy transfer between the e.m. waves
providing a possibility for THz generation. We demonstrate that the photon
conversion efficiency is approaching unity in this technique.Comment: 18 pages, 4 figure
Transverse fatigue behaviour and residual stress analyses of double sided FSW aluminium alloy joints
Friction stir welding (FSW) since its invention has been attracting relevant interest for joining aluminium alloys. Due to the nature of this process, the materials can be joint without melting. Thanks to this peculiar characteristic, the issues associated with the cooling from liquid phase are avoided or considerably reduced, such as cracking, porosity, and defects. However, as well as other well-established welding techniques, the FSW process gives rise to formation of residual stress in the welding region and surrounding volume: heat and thermo-mechanical affected zones. Presence of residual stress in a mechanical component is well-known to affect its performance, particularly regarding fatigue at high number of cycles. Another aspect that influences the fatigue life is the underlying microstructure. In this work, we firstly study the residual stress field and the underlying microstructural features arising in FSW butt joints and their effect on the fatigue performance of this type of weldments. The evaluation of residual stress field is carried out by means of modern experimental techniques. In the first instance, synchrotron X-ray powder diffraction was employed for two-dimensional full field maps of residual stress. Corroboration of these measurements was done by exploiting the capability of focused ion beam and digital image correlation (FIB-DIC), which is able to deliver pointwise absolute measurement of residual stress. A set of FSW samples were then tested under uniaxial fatigue loading at several loading ranges, in the high cycle fatigue regime, in order to understand whether the severity of loads affects the crack path and life endurance. Fractographic and electron backscattered diffraction (EBSD) analysis then revealed crack nucleation site and propagation mechanisms with the respect of the underlying microstructure. Outcome of these experimental studies is then thoroughly discussed
Efficient Raman Sideband Generation in a Coherent Atomic Medium
We demonstrate the efficient generation of Raman sidebands in a medium
coherently prepared in a dark state by continuous-wave low-intensity laser
radiation. Our experiment is performed in sodium vapor excited in
configuration on the D line by two laser fields of resonant frequencies
and , and probed by a third field .
First-order sidebands for frequencies , and up to the
third-order sidebands for frequency are observed. The generation
starts at a power as low as 10 microwatt for each input field. Dependencies of
the intensities of both input and generated waves on the frequency difference
(), on the frequency and on the optical
density are investigated.Comment: 7 pages, 6 figure
Phase correlation of laser waves with arbitrary frequency spacing
The theoretically predicted correlation of laser phase fluctuations in
Lambda-type interaction schemes is experimentally demonstrated. We show, that
the mechanism of correlation in a Lambda scheme is restricted to high frequency
noise components, whereas in a double- scheme, due to the laser phase
locking in closed-loop interaction, it extends to all noise frequencies. In
this case the correlation is weakly sensitive to coherence losses. Thus the
double-Lambda scheme can be used to correlate e.m. fields with carrier
frequency differences beyond the GHz regime.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure
Temporal build-up of electromagnetically induced transparency and absorption resonances in degenerate two-level transitions
The temporal evolution of electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) and
absorption (EIA) coherence resonances in pump-probe spectroscopy of degenerate
two-level atomic transition is studied for light intensities below saturation.
Analytical expression for the transient absorption spectra are given for simple
model systems and a model for the calculation of the time dependent response of
realistic atomic transitions, where the Zeeman degeneracy is fully accounted
for, is presented. EIT and EIA resonances have a similar (opposite sign) time
dependent lineshape, however, the EIA evolution is slower and thus narrower
lines are observed for long interaction time. Qualitative agreement with the
theoretical predictions is obtained for the transient probe absorption on the
line in an atomic beam experiment.Comment: 10 pages, 9 figures. Submitted to Phys. Rev.
Finite Element Modelling and Experimental Validation of the Enamel Demineralisation Process at the Rod Level
In the past years, a significant amount of effort has been directed at the observation and characterisation of caries using experimental techniques. Nevertheless, relatively little progress has been made in numerical modelling of the underlying demineralisation process. The present study is the first attempt to provide a simplified calculation framework for the numerical simulation of the demineralisation process at the length scale of enamel rods and its validation by comparing the data with statistical analysis of experimental results. FEM model was employed to simulate a time-dependent reaction-diffusion equation process in which H ions diffuse and cause demineralisation of the enamel. The local orientation of the hydroxyapatite crystals was taken into account. Experimental analysis of the demineralising front was performed using advanced high-resolution synchrotron X-ray micro-Computed Tomography. Further experimental investigations were conducted by means of SEM and STEM imaging techniques. Besides establishing and validating the new modelling framework, insights into the role of the etchant solution pH level were obtained. Additionally, some light was shed on the origin of different types of etching patterns by simulating the demineralisation process at different etching angles of attack. The implications of this study pave the way for simulations of enamel demineralisation within different complex scenarios and across the range of length scales. Indeed, the framework proposed can incorporate the presence of chemical species other than H ions and their diffusion and reaction leading to dissolution and re-precipitation of hydroxyapatite. It is the authors\u2019 hope and aspiration that ultimately this work will help identify new ways of controlling and preventing caries
Recovering the second moment of the strain distribution from neutron Bragg edge data
Point by point strain scanning is often used to map the residual stress (strain) in engineering materials and components. However, the gauge volume and hence spatial resolution is limited by the beam defining apertures and can be anisotropic for very low and high diffraction (scattering) angles. Alternatively, wavelength resolved neutron transmission imaging has a potential to retrieve information tomographically about residual strain induced within materials through measurement in transmission of Bragg edges - crystallographic fingerprints whose locations and shapes depend on microstructure and strain distribution. In such a case the spatial resolution is determined by the geometrical blurring of the measurement setup and the detector point spread function. Mathematically, reconstruction of strain tensor field is described by the longitudinal ray transform; this transform has a non-trivial null-space, making direct inversion impossible. A combination of the longitudinal ray transform with physical constraints was used to reconstruct strain tensor fields in convex objects. To relax physical constraints and generalise reconstruction, a recently introduced concept of histogram tomography can be employed. Histogram tomography relies on our ability to resolve the distribution of strain in the beam direction, as we discuss in the paper. More specifically, Bragg edge strain tomography requires extraction of the second moment (variance about zero) of the strain distribution which has not yet been demonstrated in practice. In this paper we verify experimentally that the second moment can be reliably measured for a previously well characterised aluminium ring and plug sample. We compare experimental measurements against numerical calculation and further support our conclusions by rigorous uncertainty quantification of the estimated mean and variance of the strain distribution
New Consequences of Induced Transparency in a Double-Lambda scheme: Destructive Interference In Four-wave Mixing
We investigate a four-state system interacting with long and short laser
pulses in a weak probe beam approximation. We show that when all lasers are
tuned to the exact unperturbed resonances, part of the four-wave mixing (FWM)
field is strongly absorbed. The part which is not absorbed has the exact
intensity required to destructively interfere with the excitation pathway
involved in producing the FWM state. We show that with this three-photon
destructive interference, the conversion efficiency can still be as high as
25%. Contrary to common belief,our calculation shows that this process, where
an ideal one-photon electromagnetically induced transparency is established, is
not most suitable for high efficiency conversion. With appropriate
phase-matching and propagation distance, and when the three-photon destructive
interference does not occur, we show that the photon flux conversion efficiency
is independent of probe intensity and can be close to 100%. In addition, we
show clearly that the conversion efficiency is not determined by the maximum
atomic coherence between two lower excited states, as commonly believed. It is
the combination of phase-matching and constructive interference involving the
two terms arising in producing the mixing wave that is the key element for the
optimized FWM generation. Indeed, in this scheme no appreciable excited state
is produced, so that the atomic coherence between states |0> and |2> is always
very small.Comment: Submitted to Phys. Rev. A, 7 pages, 4 figure
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