6,372 research outputs found
Mode-locked dysprosium fiber laser: picosecond pulse generation from 2.97 to 3.30 {\mu}m
Mode-locked fiber laser technology to date has been limited to sub-3 {\mu}m
wavelengths, despite significant application-driven demand for compact
picosecond and femtosecond pulse sources at longer wavelengths. Erbium- and
holmium-doped fluoride fiber lasers incorporating a saturable absorber are
emerging as promising pulse sources for 2.7--2.9 {\mu}m, yet it remains a major
challenge to extend this coverage. Here, we propose a new approach using
dysprosium-doped fiber with frequency shifted feedback (FSF). Using a simple
linear cavity with an acousto-optic tunable filter, we generate 33 ps pulses
with up to 2.7 nJ energy and 330 nm tunability from 2.97 to 3.30 {\mu}m
(3000--3400 cm^-1)---the first mode-locked fiber laser to cover this spectral
region and the most broadly tunable pulsed fiber laser to date. Numerical
simulations show excellent agreement with experiments and also offer new
insights into the underlying dynamics of FSF pulse generation. This highlights
the remarkable potential of both dysprosium as a gain material and FSF for
versatile pulse generation, opening new opportunities for mid-IR laser
development and practical applications outside the laboratory.Comment: Accepted for APL Photonics, 22nd August 201
Spin-torque efficiency enhanced by Rashba spin splitting in three dimensions
We examine a spin torque induced by the Rashba spin-orbit coupling in three
dimensions within the Boltzmann transport theory. We analytically calculate the
spin torque and show how its behavior is related with the spin topology in the
Fermi surfaces by studying the Fermi-energy dependence of the spin torque.
Moreover we discuss the spin-torque efficiency which is the spin torque divided
by the applied electric current in association with the current-induced
magnetization reversal. It is found that high spin-torque efficiency is
achieved when the Fermi energy lies on only the lower band and there exists an
optimal value for the Rashba parameter, where the spin-torque efficiency
becomes maximum.Comment: 7 pages, 5 figure
Swept-wavelength mid-infrared fiber laser for real-time ammonia gas sensing
The mid-infrared (mid-IR) spectral region holds great promise for new
laser-based sensing technologies, based on measuring strong mid-IR molecular
absorption features. Practical applications have been limited to date, however,
by current low-brightness broadband mid-IR light sources and slow
acquisition-time detection systems. Here, we report a new approach by
developing a swept-wavelength mid-infrared fiber laser, exploiting the broad
emission of dysprosium and using an acousto-optic tunable filter to achieve
electronically controlled swept-wavelength operation from 2.89 to 3.25 {\mu}m
(3070-3460 cm^-1). Ammonia (NH3) absorption spectroscopy is demonstrated using
this swept source with a simple room-temperature single-pixel detector, with
0.3 nm resolution and 40 ms acquisition time. This creates new opportunities
for real-time high-sensitivity remote sensing using simple, compact mid-IR
fiber-based technologies.Comment: Invited article for APL Photonic
Kinematics in Kapteyn's Selected Area 76: Orbital Motions Within the Highly Substructured Anticenter Stream
We have measured the mean three-dimensional kinematics of stars in Kapteyn's
Selected Area (SA) 76 (l=209.3, b=26.4 degrees) that were selected to be
Anticenter Stream (ACS) members on the basis of their radial velocities, proper
motions, and location in the color-magnitude diagram. From a total of 31 stars
ascertained to be ACS members primarily from its main sequence turnoff, a mean
ACS radial velocity (derived from spectra obtained with the Hydra multi-object
spectrograph on the WIYN 3.5m telescope) of V_helio = 97.0 +/- 2.8 km/s was
determined, with an intrinsic velocity dispersion sigma_0 = 12.8 \pm 2.1 km/s.
The mean absolute proper motions of these 31 ACS members are mu_alpha cos
(delta) = -1.20 +/- 0.34 mas/yr and mu_delta = -0.78 \pm 0.36 mas/yr. At a
distance to the ACS of 10 \pm 3 kpc, these measured kinematical quantities
produce an orbit that deviates by ~30 degrees from the well-defined swath of
stellar overdensity constituting the Anticenter Stream in the western portion
of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey footprint. We explore possible explanations for
this, and suggest that our data in SA 76 are measuring the motion of a
kinematically cold sub-stream among the ACS debris that was likely a fragment
of the same infalling structure that created the larger ACS system. The ACS is
clearly separated spatially from the majority of claimed Monoceros ring
detections in this region of the sky; however, with the data in hand, we are
unable to either confirm or rule out an association between the ACS and the
poorly-understood Monoceros structure.Comment: Accepted to ApJ. 48 pages, 20 figures, preprint forma
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