Polarization-sensitive quantum-optical coherence tomography

We set forth a polarization-sensitive quantum-optical coherence tomography (PS-QOCT) technique that provides axial optical sectioning with polarization-sensitive capabilities. The technique provides a means for determining information about the optical path length between isotropic reflecting surfaces, the relative magnitude of the reflectance from each interface, the birefringence of the interstitial material, and the orientation of the optical axis of the sample. PS-QOCT is immune to sample dispersion and therefore permits measurements to be made at depths greater than those accessible via ordinary optical coherence tomography. We also provide a general Jones matrix theory for analyzing PS-QOCT systems and outline an experimental procedure for carrying out such measurements.Comment: 15 pages, 5 figures, to appear in Physical Review

A genetic algorithm based approach to fiber design for high coherence and large bandwidth supercontinuum generation

We present a new approach to the design of optical microstructured fibers that have group velocity dispersion (GVD) and effective nonlinear coefficient (gamma ) tailored for supercontinuum (SC) generation. This hybrid approach combines a genetic algorithm (GA) with pulse propagation modeling, but without include it into the GA loop, to allow the efficient design of fibers that are capable of generating highly coherent and large bandwidth SC in the mid-infrared (Mid-IR) spectrum. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first use of a GA to design fiber for SC generation. We investigate the robustness of these fiber designs to variation in the fiber's structural parameters. The optimized fiber structure based on a type of tellurite glass (70TeO(2) - 10 Na(2)O - 20 ZnF(2)) is predicted to have near-zero group velocity dispersion (< +/-2 ps/nm/km) from 2 to 3 microm, and a effective nonlinear coefficient of gamma approximately 174 W(-1)km(-1) at 2 microm. The SC output of this fiber shows a significant bandwidth and coherence increase compare to a fiber with a single zero group velocity dispersion wavelength at 2 microm.Wen Qi Zhang, Shahraam Afshar V. and Tanya M. Monr

Oxygen microscopy and high-throughput analysis of icO(2) by means of cell-penetrating phosphorescent dyes

C

Phosphorescent Oxygen-Sensitive Probes

VIII, 101 p. 39 illus., 17 illus. in color.onlin