6,263 research outputs found
Electron diffraction of tilted perovskites
Simulations of electron diffraction patterns for each of the
known perovskite tilt systems have been performed. The
conditions for the appearance of superlattice reflections
arising from rotations of the octahedra are modified to take
into account the effects of different tilt systems for kinematical
diffraction. The use of selected-area electron diffraction as a
tool for perovskite structure determination is reviewed and
examples are included
AgNb7O18 : an ergodic relaxor ferroelectric
AgNb7O18 is an ergodic relaxor ferroelectric at room temperature with an incipient transition to the nonergodic state. Electron diffraction confirms a locally polar symmetry, while X-ray diffraction perceives a nonpolar structure. All ions are repelled away from zones where NbO6 octahedra are edge-sharing
Ferroelectricity in the xAg2Nb4O11–(1−x)Na2Nb4O11 solid solution
Compositions in the (AgxNa1-x)2Nb4O11 solid solution have been prepared by a conventional
solid state method. Composites containing Ag2Nb4O11 have been shown to be ferroelectric
and the Curie temperature shown to decrease from 149 °C at x = 1 to 62 °C at x = 0.7. Roomtemperature
compositions with x ≤ 0.7 are monoclinic, while those with x ≥ 0.8 are
rhombohedral with structures consistent with the relevant end-members. At x = 0.75, the
structure was mainly rhombohedral but with coexistence of the monoclinic structure,
indicating the proximity of a phase boundary
Towards 'smart lasers': self-optimisation of an ultrafast pulse source using a genetic algorithm
Short-pulse fibre lasers are a complex dynamical system possessing a broad
space of operating states that can be accessed through control of cavity
parameters. Determination of target regimes is a multi-parameter global
optimisation problem. Here, we report the implementation of a genetic algorithm
to intelligently locate optimum parameters for stable single-pulse mode-locking
in a Figure-8 fibre laser, and fully automate the system turn-on procedure.
Stable ultrashort pulses are repeatably achieved by employing a compound
fitness function that monitors both temporal and spectral output properties of
the laser. Our method of encoding photonics expertise into an algorithm and
applying machine-learning principles paves the way to self-optimising `smart'
optical technologies
Dark solitons in laser radiation build-up dynamics
We reveal the existence of slowly-decaying dark solitons in the radiation
build-up dynamics of bright pulses in all-normal dispersion mode-locked fiber
lasers, numerically modeled in the framework of a generalized nonlinear
Schr\"odinger equation. The evolution of noise perturbations to
quasi-stationary dark solitons is examined, and the significance of background
shape and soliton-soliton collisions on the eventual soliton decay is
established. We demonstrate the role of a restoring force in extending soliton
interactions in conservative systems to include the effects of dissipation, as
encountered in laser cavities, and generalize our observations to other
nonlinear systems
Genetic algorithm-based control of birefringent filtering for self-tuning, self-pulsing fiber lasers
Polarization-based filtering in fiber lasers is well-known to enable spectral
tunability and a wide range of dynamical operating states. This effect is
rarely exploited in practical systems, however, because optimization of cavity
parameters is non-trivial and evolves due to environmental sensitivity. Here,
we report a genetic algorithm-based approach, utilizing electronic control of
the cavity transfer function, to autonomously achieve broad wavelength tuning
and the generation of Q-switched pulses with variable repetition rate and
duration. The practicalities and limitations of simultaneous spectral and
temporal self-tuning from a simple fiber laser are discussed, paving the way to
on-demand laser properties through algorithmic control and machine learning
schemes.Comment: Accepted for Optics Letters, 12th June 201
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
HRTEM study of a new non-stoichiometric BaTiO(3-δ) structure
BaTiO3-based multilayer ceramic capacitors (MLCCs) with Ni internal electrodes are co-fired in
reducing atmospheres to avoid oxidation of the electrode. Although dielectric materials are doped by
acceptor, donor and amphoteric dopants to minimize the oxygen vacancy content, there is still a
large concentration of oxygen vacancies that are accommodated in the BaTiO3 active layers. In
general, ABO3 perovskites demonstrates a strong ability to accommodate the oxygen vacancies and
maintain a regular pseudo-cubic structure. Oxygen deficient barium titanate can be transformed to a
hexagonal polymorph (h-BT) at high temperatures1,2. In this paper, we report the new modulated and
long range ordered structures of non-stoichiometric BaTiO3-δ that are observed in the electrically
degraded Ni-BaTiO3 MLCCs at low temperature
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