Related papers: Spatial and polarization structure in micro-dome r…
We introduce a new X-ray imaging technique to facilitate propagation-based phase contrast of large, centimeter-sized samples. The diffracted X-ray wavefield behind the sample is demagnified by asymmetric Bragg crystal optics, thereby…
Variable curvature mirrors of large amplitude are designed by using finite element analysis. The specific case studied reaches at least a 800 {\mu}m sag with an optical quality better than {\lambda}/5 over a 120 mm clear aperture. We…
We investigate the spatial beam dynamics inside a multimode graded-index fiber under Raman amplification by adopting a semi-analytical variational approach. The variational analysis provides us with four coupled ordinary differential…
We study theoretically the internal thermal noise of a mirror coated on a plano-convex substrate. The comparison with a cylindrical mirror of the same mass shows that the effect on a light beam can be reduced by a factor 10, improving the…
We investigate the diffraction conditions and associated formation of stopgaps for waves in crystals with different Bravais lattices. We identify a prominent stopgap in high-symmetry directions that occurs at a frequency below the…
The resonant acousto-optic effect is studied both analytically and numerically in the terahertz range where the transverse-optical (TO) phonons play the role of a mediator which strongly couples the ultrasound and light fields. A…
Solids with spatially varying photonic structure offer gaps to light of a wider range of frequencies than do simple photonic systems. We solve numerically the field distribution in a solid cholesteric with a linearly varying inverse pitch…
Nanobeam electron diffraction can probe local structural properties of complex crystalline materials including phase, orientation, tilt, strain, and polarization. Ideally, each diffraction pattern from a projected area of a few unit cells…
A fundamental limit to the sensitivity of optical interferometers is imposed by Brownian thermal fluctuations of the mirrors' surfaces. This thermal noise can be reduced by using larger beams which "average out" the random fluctuations of…
We study normal functions capturing D-brane superpotentials on several one- and two-parameter Calabi-Yau hypersurfaces and complete intersections in weighted projective space. We calculate in the B-model and interpret the results using…
Silicon-based micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) can be fabricated using bulk and surface micromachining technology. A micro mirror designed as an oscillatory MEMS constitutes a prominent example. Typically, in order to minimize energy…
We describe a diffraction microscopy technique based on refractive optics to study structural variations in crystals. The X-ray beam diffracted by a crystal was magnified by beryllium parabolic refractive lenses on a 2D X-ray camera. The…
Beryllium reflectors are used at spallation neutron sources in order to enhance the low-energy flux of neutrons emanating from the surface of a cold and thermal moderator. The design of such a moderator/reflector system is typically carried…
The coating design for mirrors used in interferometric detectors of gravitational waves currently consists of stacks of two alternating dielectric materials with different refractive indexes. In order to explore the performance limits of…
Reducing a set of diverse bulk-optic-based optical components to a single ultrathin and compact element that enables the same complex functionality has become an emerging research area, propelling further integration and miniaturization in…
Several on-going and future experiments use a Stokes polarimeter (i.e. a rotating wave plate followed by a steady polarizer and by an unpolarized detector) to measure the small polarized component of the Cosmic Microwave Background. The…
Magneto-optical effects in structured anisotropic media have attracted significant attention due to their potential in tunable photonic devices. In particular, dichroic cholesteric liquid crystals (i.e., cholesterics in which the real parts…
Experimentation with obliquely incident light established that all four circular reflectances of a chiral sculptured thin film backed by a metallic mirror contain strong evidence of the circular Bragg phenomenon. When the mirror is removed,…
The relative permittivity dyadic of a dielectric structurally chiral material (SCM) varies helicoidally along a fixed direction; in consequence, the SCM exhibits the circular Bragg phenomenon, which is the circular-polarization-selective…
Nonlinear optical propagation in cholesteric liquid crystals (CLC) with a spatially periodic helical molecular structure is studied experimentally and modeled numerically. This periodic structure can be seen as a Bragg grating with a…