Effective Collection Area Research Articles

Microlens Hollow-Core Fiber Probes for Operando Raman Spectroscopy.

We introduce a flexible microscale all-fiber-optic Raman probe which can be embedded into devices to enable operando in situ spectroscopy. The facile-constructed probe is composed of a nested antiresonant nodeless hollow-core fiber combined with an integrated high refractive index barium titanate microlens. Pump laser 785 nm excitation and near-infrared collection are independently characterized, demonstrating an excitation spot of full-width-half-maximum 1.1 μm. Since this is much smaller than the effective collection area, it has the greatest influence on the collected Raman scattering. Our characterization scheme provides a suitable protocol for testing the efficacy of these fiber probes using various combinations of fiber types and microspheres. Raman measurements on a surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy sample and a copper battery electrode demonstrate the viability of the fiber probe as an alternative to bulk optic Raman microscopes, giving comparable collection to a 10 objective, thus paving the way for operando Raman studies in applications such as lithium battery monitoring.

Most efficient simultaneous solar laser emissions from three Ce:Nd:YAG rods within a single pump cavity

We report here, to the best of our knowledge, the most efficient simultaneous emissions of three continuous-wave 1064 nm solar laser beams. A fused silica aspheric lens was used to couple the concentrated solar radiation from the focal zone of a 0.4 m 2 effective collection area primary parabolic mirror into three 2.5 mm diameter, 25 mm length 0.1 at.% Ce:1.1 at.% Nd:YAG laser rods within a single conical pump cavity. For 356 W incoming solar power, 16.5 W continuous-wave total multimode solar laser power was measured, corresponding to 4.64% solar-to-laser conversion efficiency, 41.25 W/m 2 collection efficiency, and 7.64% slope efficiency, which are 1.24, 1.27, and 1.11 times, respectively, higher than previous records by pumping a single 4.5 mm diameter, 35 mm length 0.1 at.%Cr:1.0 at.%Nd:YAG ceramic laser rod. The three-rod Ce:Nd:YAG solar laser also provided 2.13, 2.25 and 1.50 times enhancements in solar-to-laser conversion efficiency, collection efficiency, and slope efficiency, respectively, as compared to previous records by pumping three 3.0 mm diameter, 25 mm length 1.0 at.% Nd:YAG rods within the same single conical pump cavity. • Most efficient simultaneous emissions of three 1064 nm solar laser beams. • 4.64% solar power-to-laser power conversion efficiency attained. • 41.25 W/m 2 solar laser collection efficiency achieved. • 7.64% solar laser slope efficiency was calculated.

Two-Dimensional High-Efficiency Transceiver Integrated Optical Phased Array With Dual-Port Antenna

We propose a 1 × 32 silicon photonics transceiver integrated optical phased array (OPA) with a large scanning angle. It can process receive and transmit signals simultaneously, which effectively increases the on-chip signal transmission efficiency. The simulation shows that the phase-tuned 62.2° lateral beam steering without grating lobe and the wavelength-tuned 31.2° longitudinal beam steering can be achieved in the transmitting mode, and the overall optical loss is less than 9.1 dB. In the receiving mode, the combination of the two detection methods reduces the complexity of the system while ensuring the sensitivity of the system. According to statistics, an effective collection area of 43.3% per unit area can be achieved in the receiving mode, which provides a reliable guarantee for subsequent high-quality signal processing.

Optical design of the Orbiting Astronomical Satellite for Investigating Stellar Systems

The Orbiting Astronomical Satellite for Investigating Stellar Systems (OASIS) is a proposed space telescope with a 14-m inflatable primary reflector that will perform high spectral resolution observations at terahertz frequencies with heterodyne receivers. The telescope consists of an inflatable metallized polymer membrane that serves as the primary antenna, followed by aberration correction optics, and a scanner that enables a 0.1-deg field of regards while achieving diffraction-limited performance over wavelength range from 63 to 660 μm. Here, the parametric solution space of the OASIS inflatable telescope design is systematically investigated by establishing analytical relations among figure of merits including first-order geometrical photon collection area and the size of correction optics. The first-order solution was further optimized by ray-trace code by incorporating numerically calculated mirror shape with preformed membrane gores. Design study shows that a space-based telescope with an effective photon collection area of over 90 m2 can be achieved by utilizing a 14-m inflatable aperture.

Ce:Nd:YAG Solar Laser with 4.5% Solar-to-Laser Conversion Efficiency

The efficiency potential of a small-size solar-pumped laser is studied here. The solar laser head was composed of a fused silica aspheric lens and a conical pump cavity, which coupled and redistributed the concentrated solar radiation from the focal zone of a parabolic mirror with an effective collection area of 0.293 m2 to end-side pump a Ce (0.1 at%):Nd (1.1 at%):YAG rod of 2.5 mm diameter and 25 mm length. Optimum solar laser design parameters were found through Zemax© non-sequential ray-tracing and LASCAD™ analysis. The utilization of the Ce:Nd:YAG medium with small diameter pumped by a small-scale solar concentrator was essential to significantly enhance the end-side pump solar laser efficiency and thermal performance. For 249 W incoming solar power at an irradiance of 850 W/m2, 11.2 W multimode solar laser power was measured, corresponding to the record solar-to-laser power conversion efficiency of 4.50%, being, to the best of our knowledge, 1.22 times higher than the previous record. Moreover, the highest solar laser collection efficiency of 38.22 W/m2 and slope efficiency of 6.8% were obtained, which are 1.18 and 1.02 times, respectively, higher than the previous records. The lowest threshold solar power of a Ce:Nd:YAG solar-pumped laser is also reported here.

Search for gamma-ray line emission from Dark Matter annihilation in the Galactic Centre with the MAGIC telescopes

We present a search for dark matter spectral lines in the Galactic Centre (GC) region with the MAGIC telescopes. The MAGIC telescopes, located on the Canary island of La Palma (Spain), are sensitive to photons in the energy range from 50 GeV to 50 TeV with low zenith angle observations. MAGIC has performed indirect dark matter searches with various astrophysical targets. Since the MAGIC telescopes are located in the northern hemisphere, the GC is visible only at high zenith angles. Observations at high zenith angles significantly increase the telescopes’ effective collection area, which boosts sensitivity for gamma rays in the TeV regime. We report the results obtained with more than 200 hours of high zenith angle observations of the GC region with MAGIC.

Superconducting nanowire single-photon detector with 3D-printed free-form microlenses.

We present an approach to increase the effective light-receiving area of superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors (SNSPD) by free-form microlenses. These lenses are printed in situ on top of the sensitive detector areas using high-resolution multi-photon lithography. We demonstrate a detector based on niobium-nitride (NbN) nanowires with a 4.5 µm × 4.5 µm sensitive area, supplemented with a lens of 60-µm-diameter. For a plane-wave-like free-space illumination at a wavelength of 1550 nm, the lensed sensor has a 100-fold increased effective collection area, which leads to a strongly enhanced system detection efficiency without the need for long nanowires. Our approach can be readily applied to a wide range of sensor types. It effectively overcomes the inherent design conflict between high count rate, high timing accuracy, and high fabrication yield on the one hand and high collection efficiency through a large effective detection area on the other hand.

Error analysis and cazlibration of Langmuir probes embedded in ITER-like tungsten divertor on EAST

• The measuring error of divertor Langmuir probes is huge due to the ablation on EAST. • A model is proposed to fit the effective collection area of the probe-tip. • The new method is suitable for calibration of the Div-LPs data in most discharges. The divertor Langmuir probes (Div-LPs) system is a key diagnostic for measuring divertor plasma parameters in tokamaks. The accuracy of the measurement is the basis of physical researches. However, the excessive heat load on the target plates may lead to serious ablation of graphite probe tips, especially during long-pulse operation or unmitigated disruptions. In order to evaluate the data uncertainty caused by ablation, a statistical study has been made based on the Ohmic discharges in the EAST (Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak) 2018 experiment campaign. The results show that for the discharges with the same plasma parameters, the peak particle flux of upper outer divertor measured by Div-LPs becomes several times smaller as the discharge progresses in a long experimental campaign, which is mainly due to that the effective collection area of the ablated probe tip becomes smaller and smaller. To quantitatively calculate the decrease of the effective area of the probe tip, the physical quantity of accumulated injection energy is introduced. A simple model is proposed and used to characterize the relationship between the effective collection area and the total accumulated injection energy. In addition, arbitrary H-mode discharges are selected to verify the model. By comparing the calibrated data of Div-LPs with other diagnostics, it is found that the model is also suitable for H-mode discharges with the strike point near the frequently-used-SP, and thereby the uncertainty after calibration is significantly reduced. In the future, the method will be employed for Div-LPs data processing near the strike point on EAST, which will facilitate further researches on divertor physics.

Bendable 3D-structured x-ray photodetectors based on pure PbI2 single crystal

PbI2 crystal is a typical layered material with a I–Pb–I monolayer as a repeating unit. Benefiting from the coexistence of ionic and van der Waals bonding, the crystal exhibits low hardness and a low Young’s modulus, slips easily along the a–b plane, and is endowed with inherently high flexibility. In this work, bendable three-dimensional (3D)-structured x-ray photodetectors based on PbI2 crystal were prepared, and finite element simulation was employed to reveal the von Mises stress distribution from the surface to the bulk of the crystal, indicating the bending stress associated with the crystal’s thickness. The uniformly distributed electric bias field inside the crystal constrains the carrier transport process, provides a consistent geometric variation and electrical contact between the crystal and the electrodes, and further ensures a high effective collection area and enhanced collection capacity for photocarriers, even when the device is subjected to bending. The degradation percentage of the sensitivity after 100 bending cycles is 12.7% and 6.6% for thick (100 μm) and thin (10 μm) samples, respectively. All the simulated and experimental results indicate that PbI2 crystal, when used to construct a 3D-structured device of appropriate thickness, is a promising candidate for the development of flexible x-ray photodetectors.

MAGIC observations of the diffuse γ-ray emission in the vicinity of the Galactic center

Aims. In the presence of a sufficient amount of target material, γ-rays can be used as a tracer in the search for sources of Galactic cosmic rays (CRs). Here we present deep observations of the Galactic center (GC) region with the MAGIC telescopes and use them to infer the underlying CR distribution and to study the alleged PeV proton accelerator at the center of our Galaxy. Methods. We used data from ≈100 h observations of the GC region conducted with the MAGIC telescopes over five years (from 2012 to 2017). Those were collected at high zenith angles (58−70 deg), leading to a larger energy threshold, but also an increased effective collection area compared to low zenith observations. Using recently developed software tools, we derived the instrument response and background models required for extracting the diffuse emission in the region. We used existing measurements of the gas distribution in the GC region to derive the underlying distribution of CRs. We present a discussion of the associated biases and limitations of such an approach. Results. We obtain a significant detection for all four model components used to fit our data (Sgr A*, “Arc”, G0.9+0.1, and an extended component for the Galactic Ridge). We observe no significant difference between the γ-ray spectra of the immediate GC surroundings, which we model as a point source (Sgr A*) and the Galactic Ridge. The latter can be described as a power-law with index 2 and an exponential cut-off at around 20 TeV with the significance of the cut-off being only 2σ. The derived cosmic-ray profile hints to a peak at the GC position and with a measured profile index of 1.2 ± 0.3 is consistent with the 1/r radial distance scaling law, which supports the hypothesis of a CR accelerator at the GC. We argue that the measurements of this profile are presently limited by our knowledge of the gas distribution in the GC vicinity.

An analysis method for data taken by Imaging Air Cherenkov Telescopes at very high energies under the presence of clouds

The effective observation time of Imaging Air Cherenkov Telescopes (IACTs) plays an important role in the detection of γ-ray sources, especially when the expected flux is low. This time is strongly limited by the atmospheric conditions. Significant extinction of Cherenkov light caused by the presence of clouds reduces the photon detection rate and also complicates or even makes impossible proper data analysis. However, for clouds with relatively high atmospheric transmission, high energy showers can still produce enough Cherenkov photons to allow their detection by IACTs. In this paper, we study the degradation of the detection capability of an array of small-sized telescopes for different cloud transmissions. We show the expected changes of the energy bias, energy and angular resolution and the effective collection area caused by absorption layers located at 2.5 and 4.5 km above the observation level. We demonstrate simple correction methods for reconstructed energy and effective collection area. As a result, the source flux that is observed during the presence of clouds is determined with a systematic error of ≲ 20%. Finally, we show that the proposed correction method can be used for clouds at altitudes higher than 5 km a.s.l. As a result, the analysis of data taken under certain cloudy conditions will not require additional time-consuming Monte Carlo simulations.

Simultaneous solar laser emissions from three Nd:YAG rods within a single pump cavity

We report here, to the best of our knowledge, the first simultaneous emission of three continuous-wave solar laser beams by end-side-pumping three 3.0 mm diameter, 25 mm length Nd:YAG single-crystal rods within a single conical pump cavity. An aspheric fused silica lens was used to couple the concentrated solar radiation from the focal zone of a parabolic mirror with 1.0 m2 effective collection area into the laser rods within the pump cavity. 18.3 W multimode solar laser power was measured, resulting in 5.1% laser slope efficiency. 0.036 W laser beam brightness figure of merit was also achieved for each beam, being 9 times more than that of the most efficient solar laser with 32.5 W/m2 collection efficiency. Since the three laser rods were associated with their own 1064 nm output mirrors, it was possible to adjust individually both solar laser output power levels and beam qualities of the three laser beams by adopting different resonant cavity lengths, enabling potential solar laser applications.

Highly charged ions in a new era of high resolution X‐ray astrophysics

X‐ray astronomy and ground‐based atomic physics have a long history of fruitful collaboration: Sound understanding of the underlying atomic physics is the key to reliable interpretation of the spectra from celestial sources; conversely, astronomical spectra have been used to benchmark and advance atomic physics. This interplay is about to become even more important as we enter a new era of high‐resolution X‐ray astrophysics with large effective collection area. Although high‐resolution observations with the gratings on the Chandra and XMM‐Newton observatories continue to drive new science, upcoming planned and proposed missions will open up new discovery space in the near future that is currently challenging to access: high‐resolution spectroscopy on extended sources, in the Fe K band, and on short time scales. This review summarizes open questions in these areas and the design parameters for the Hitomi, XRISM, Athena, and Arcus observatories. The expected high quality of spectra taken with these observatories puts new constraints on the accuracy of atomic reference data required to take full advantage of the diagnostic potential of these spectra.

Side-pumped continuous-wave Nd:YAG solar laser with 5.4% slope efficiency

The authors report here a significant progress in side-pumped solar laser slope efficiency by pumping a 3.0 mm diameter, 30 mm length Nd:YAG single-crystal laser rod through a heliostat-parabolic mirror solar energy collection and concentration system with 0.9 m2 effective collection area. A large fused silica aspheric lens allowed an efficient focusing of the concentrated solar power from the focal zone of the parabolic mirror into the laser rod mounted within a novel two-dimensional semi-cylindrical pump cavity. 15.3 W continuous-wave 1064 nm solar laser power was measured, resulting in 5.40% slope efficiency and 2.43% solar-to-laser conversion efficency, being 2.08 and 2.30 times, respectively, more than the previous records by side-pumping configuration. The 5.40% slope efficiency is also 1.08 times more than the previous record with Nd:YAG single-crystal rod by end-side-pumping approach. By adopting an asymmetric laser resonator, this novel side-pumping scheme also enabled an efficient production of high-quality solar laser beams in either TEM11 (4.0 W), TEM01* (doughnut-shaped, 2.9 W), TEM10 (3.2 W) or TEM00 (2.8 W) mode profiles.

Numerical characterization of the ARAPUCA: a new approach for LAr scintillation light detection

The ARAPUCA concept has been proposed as a simple and neat solution for increasing the effective collection area of SiPMs through the shifting and trapping of scintillation light in noble liquids, thus with great potential for improving timing and calorimetry resolution in neutrino and dark matter search experiments using time projection chambers. It is expected to achieve a single photon detection efficiency larger than 1%. The initial design consists of a box made of highly reflective internal surface material and with an acceptance window for photons composed of two shifters and a dichroic filter. The first shifter converts liquid argon scintillation VUV light to a photon of wavelength smaller than the dichroic cutoff, so the surface is highly transparent to it. When passing through the dichroic filter, it reaches the second shifter which allows the photon to be shifted to the visible region and be detected by the SiPM nested inside it. When it enters the box, the photon will likely reflect a few times, including on the dichroic filter surface, before being detected. We present a full numerical description of the device using a Monte Carlo framework, including characterization of the acceptance window, models of reflection of different materials, and sensor quantum efficiency, that can now be used to further improve the detection efficiency by comparing different geometries, positions of SiPM and materials. Estimates of simulated efficiencies, number of reflections and acquisition time are presented and compared to analytical calculations. Those are very promising results, giving a total efficiency for the detection of scintillation light in liquid argon of 1.7±0.3%. Comparison of the estimated total efficiency with a preliminary result from an experimental test with an ARAPUCA prototype made in Brazil is also presented.

Effective charge collection area during conductive and photoconductive atomic force microscopy

Conductive atomic force microscopy (C-AFM) has been widely used to map the nanoscale electrical properties of conducting polymers, nanomaterials, and organic electronic devices. While these measurements provide valuable insight into the spatial dependence of electrical performance, reported current densities and electrical conductivities measured by C-AFM are consistently much higher than those measured at the macroscopic scale. Here, we demonstrate that these anomalously high current densities and conductivities arise from ignoring current spreading and hence underestimating the current-carrying area. We present a simple experimental means of estimating the effective charge collection area during C-AFM measurements. Using semiconducting polymer poly(3-hexylthiophene) films as a test case, we find that the effective charge collection area can be as much as three orders of magnitude larger than the mechanical contact area between the probe and the film. Calibrated conductivity maps are obtained, with a quantitative correspondence with accepted values, and C-AFM photocurrent measurements of a nanostructured hybrid organic-inorganic solar cell active layer yield short-circuit current densities that match those reported for macroscopic devices. Finally, we address the observation that current spreading increases the effective charge collection area beyond the size of the probe-sample contact but does not preclude an imaging resolution below 10 nm.

Solar-pumped Cr:Nd:YAG ceramic laser with 6.7% slope efficiency

We report here a significant progress in solar laser slope efficiency by end-side-pumping a 4.5 mm diameter, 35 mm length Cr:Nd:YAG ceramic rod with a 1.0 m2 effective collection area heliostat-parabolic mirror solar energy concentration system. A novel fused silica liquid light guide lens with unique water cooling approach was used to efficiently couple the concentrated solar radiations from the focal zone of a parabolic mirror into the laser rod within a conical pumping cavity. 32.5 W continuous-wave 1064 nm solar laser power was measured, corresponding to 6.7% slope efficiency, being 1.28 times more than the previous record. The highest solar laser collection efficiency of 32.5 W/m2 was also achieved.

32.1 W/m2 continuous wave solar-pumped laser with a bonding Nd:YAG/YAG rod and a Fresnel lens

We report here significant progress in solar-pumped laser collection efficiency with a grooved bonding Nd:YAG/YAG crystal rod. A Fresnel lens was used as the primary solar radiation concentrator. A gold-plated conical pump cavity with a water filled quartz tube lens was used to concentrate the solar radiation from the focal zone of the primary concentrator into a 6-mm-diameter, 95-mm-length bonding Nd:YAG/YAG crystal rod. To the best of our knowledge, it is the first time of a bonding Nd:YAG/YAG crystal pumped by Fresnel lens solar energy collection and concentration system. For 1.03 m2 effective solar radiation collection area, 32.1 W/m2 collection efficiency was obtained, corresponding to a total slope efficiency of 5.4% and an optical-to-optical efficiency of 3.3%. The performance of the grooved bonding crystal rod was compared with the grooved non-bonding crystal rod. The maximum output power from the grooved bonding crystal rod was 22.6% higher than the value from a grooved non-bonding rod. The M2 beam quality factor was also improved from 126 to 61.

5.04% system slope efficiency solar-pumped Nd:YAG laser by a heliostat–parabolic mirror system

We demonstrated a solar-pumped laser with a heliostat–parabolic mirror system. A designed conical pump cavity with a water-filled quartz tube lens was used to couple efficiently the concentrated solar radiation from the focal zone of the primary concentrator into a 5.5-mm-diameter, 95-mm-length grooved Nd:YAG crystal rod within a gold-plated conical pump cavity. For 1.0-m2 effective solar radiation collection area, 20.1-W continuous-wave (CW) output laser power was obtained, corresponding to a total system slope efficiency of 5.04%. This value was 1.31 times higher than the previous with the same solar facility. For 1.5-m2 effective collection area, 34.6-W CW output laser power was achieved at the total system slope efficiency of 4.51%. A strong dependency of laser power on laser rod mounting position was also found.

Compensation of the sheath effects in cylindrical floating probes

In cylindrical floating probe measurements, the plasma density and electron temperature are overestimated due to sheath expansion and oscillation. To reduce these sheath effects, a compensation method based on well-developed floating sheath theories is proposed and applied to the floating harmonic method. The iterative calculation of the Allen-Boyd-Reynolds equation can derive the floating sheath thickness, which can be used to calculate the effective ion collection area; in this way, an accurate ion density is obtained. The Child-Langmuir law is used to calculate the ion harmonic currents caused by sheath oscillation of the alternating-voltage-biased probe tip. Accurate plasma parameters can be obtained by subtracting these ion harmonic currents from the total measured harmonic currents. Herein, the measurement principles and compensation method are discussed in detail and an experimental demonstration is presented.