Pulsed Excitation Research Articles

Ultrafast switching to zero field topological spin textures in ferrimagnetic TbFeCo films.

The capability of femtosecond (fs) laser pulses to manipulate topological spin textures on a very short time scale is sparking considerable interest. This article presents the creation of high density zero field topological spin textures by fs laser excitation in ferrimagnetic TbFeCo amorphous films. The topological spin textures are demonstrated to emerge under fs laser pulse excitation through a unique ultrafast nucleation mechanism, rather than thermal effects. Notably, large intrinsic uniaxial anisotropy could substitute the external magnetic field for the creation and stabilization of topological spin textures, which is further verified by the corresponding micromagnetic simulation. The ultrafast switching between topological trivial and nontrivial magnetic states is realized at an optimum magnitude of magnetic field and laser fluence. Our results would broaden the options to generate zero-field topological spin textures from versatile magnetic states and provides a new perspective for ultrafast switching of 0/1 magnetic states in spintronic devices.

Coronene: a model for ultrafast dynamics in graphene nanoflakes and PAHs.

Assuming a delta pulse excitation, quantum wavepackets are propagated on the excited state manifold in the energy range from 3.4-5.0 eV for coronene and 2.4-3.5 eV for circumcoronene to study the time evolution of the states as well as their lifetimes. The full-dimensional (102 and 210 degrees of freedom for coronene and circumcoronene respectively) non-adiabatic dynamics simulated with the ML-MCTDH method on twelve coupled singlet electronic states show that the different absorption spectra are only due to electronic delocalisation effects that change the excited state energies, but the structural dynamics in both compounds are identical. Breathing and tilting motions drive the decay dynamics of the electronic states away from the Frank-Condon region independently of the size of the aromatic system. This promising result allows the use of coronene as a model system for the dynamics of larger polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and graphene one dimensional sheets or nanoflakes.

Research on the vibration mechanism of compressor complex exhaust pipeline based on transient flow

The periodic exhaust of the compressor often induces gas flow fluctuations within the pipeline, leading to vibrations. Excessive vibration can lead to fatigue, cracks, loosening of components, and resulting in local leakage, which may easily lead to fire, explosion, and secondary hazards. Therefore, in this paper, a computational model for the transient flow field of the compressor exhaust pipeline was established, using the pulse excitation method and Fluent software, the natural frequencies of the gas column in the pipeline were calculated, and the patterns of oscillation decay of the gas column wave propagating back and forth within three exhaust pipes were researched. The mechanism behind the pipeline pressure pulsation and the influence of pipeline structural parameters on the natural frequencies of the gas column were explored. The calculation results show that the first-order natural frequency of the gas column is very close to the double frequency of the compressor excitation frequency at 3.33Hz, and the second-order natural frequency of the gas column is very close to the quadruple frequency of the compressor excitation frequency at 3.33Hz, which may cause significant pipeline vibrations. Altering the pipeline structure, especially when influenced by airflow branching after a tee junction, results in complex changes in the natural frequencies of the gas column. Furthermore, the structural natural frequencies of the pipeline were obtained through the finite element. It has been observed that resonance phenomena exist among the structural natural frequencies and their harmonics of the pipeline and the natural frequencies of the gas column and their harmonics, as well as multiples of the excitation frequency. These results lay the foundation for understanding the vibration mechanism of the pipeline and finding ways to reduce vibration.

A novel model of nonlocal photoacoustic and plasmaelastic heated by laser pulsed excitation of nanoscale semiconductor medium

The study takes into account the diffusion of photo-excited carriers in the presence of a laser pulse and theoretically investigates photoacoustic wave propagation in the thermoelastic domain. In a nonlocality medium, the phenomena of thermomechanical and acoustic wave interaction are considered. Thermoelasticity, photothermal, and photoacoustic theories provide the controlling formulas. Photoacoustic waves are not dependent on electron–phonon or electron–hole thermalization processes; rather, they are produced by thermoelastic stress resulting from the temperature increase induced by the laser. The optical, elastic, and thermoelastic characteristics of nanoscale semiconductor materials are taken into account and photoacoustic signals are predicted by solving a thermal diffusion issue and a thermoelastic problem in combination. The mathematical model can be solved using the harmonic wave approach. By obtaining numerical solutions, all the physical fields of the physical domain, such as thermal, acoustic, mechanical, and carrier density diffusion, as well as displacements and temperatures, can be derived. The influences of nonlocal parameters, thermal delay, and laser pulse effect are investigated and compared using two- and three-dimensional visual representations, corresponding to two-dimensions and three-dimensions domains, respectively.

Impact of excitation pulse width on the upconversion luminescence lifetime of NaYF4:Yb3+,Er3+ nanoparticles.

The upconversion luminescence (UCL) lifetime has a wide range of applications, serving as a critical parameter for optimizing the performance of upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) in various fields. It is crucial to understand that this lifetime does not directly correlate with the decay time of the emission level; rather, it represents a compilation of all the physical phenomena taking place in the upconversion process. To delve deeper into this, we analyzed the dependence of the UCL lifetime on the excitation pulse width for β-NaYF4:Yb3+,Er3+ nanoparticles. The results revealed a significant increase in the UCL lifetime with both the excitation pulse width and the excitation intensity. The laser fluence was identified as the parameter governing the UCL decay dynamics. We showcased the universality of the pulse-width-dependent UCL lifetime phenomenon by employing UCNPs of various sizes, surface coatings, host matrices, Yb3+ and Er3+ ratios, and dispersing UCNPs in different solvents. Theoretical explanations for the experimental findings were derived through a rate equation analysis. Finally, we discussed the implications of these results in UCNP-FRET (Förster resonance energy transfer)-based applications.

Transient IR spectroscopy of optically centrifuged CO2 (R186-R282) and collision dynamics for the J = 244-282 states.

Collisions of optically centrifuged CO2 molecules with J = 244-282 (Erot = 22 800-30 300 cm-1) are investigated with high-resolution transient IR absorption spectroscopy to reveal collisional and orientational phenomena of molecules with hyper-thermal rotational energies. The optical centrifuge is a non-resonant optical excitation technique that uses ultrafast, 800 nm chirped pulses to drive molecules to extreme rotational states through sequential Raman transitions. The extent of rotational excitation is controlled by tuning the optical bandwidth of the excitation pulses. Frequencies of 30 R-branch ν3 fundamental IR probe transitions are measured for the J = 186-282 states of CO2, expanding beyond previously reported IR transitions up to J = 128. The optically centrifuged molecules have oriented angular momentum and unidirectional rotation. Polarization-sensitive transient IR absorption of individual rotational states of optically centrifuged molecules and their collision products reveals information about collisional energy transfer, relaxation kinetics, and dynamics of rotation-to-translation energy transfer. The transient IR probe also measures the extent of polarization anisotropy. Rotational energy transfer for lower energy molecules is discussed in terms of statistical models and a comparison highlights the role of increasing energy gap with J and angular momentum of the optically centrifuged molecules.

Single-Bit Reception With Coded Excitation for Lightweight Advanced Ultrasonic Imaging Systems.

The demand for an efficient and reliable ultrasonic phased array imaging system is not unique to a single industry. Today's imaging systems can be enhanced in a number of areas including; improving scanning and processing times, reducing data storage requirements, simplifying hardware, and prolonging probe lifespan. In this work, it is shown that by combining the use of coded excitation with single-bit data capture, a number of these areas can be improved. Despite using single-bit receive data, resolution can be recovered through the coded excitation pulse compression process, and shown to produce high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) images of phase coherence imaging (PCI) and total focusing method (TFM) of tip diffraction in a carbon steel sample. Comparison with conventional single-cycle transmission pulses has shown that little imaging performance degradation is seen despite a significant reduction in data resolution and size. This has also been shown to be effective at low excitation voltages with gain compensation due to the obsolescence of signal saturation concerns when considering single-bit receive data. The ability to compute high-resolution ultrasonic images from low-resolution input data at low transmission voltages has important implications for data compression, acquisition and imaging performance, operator safety, and hardware simplification for ultrasonic imaging systems across industrial and medical fields.

Yb2+-Doped Silicate Glasses as Optical Sensor Materials for Cryogenic Thermometry.

Optical sensors constitute attractive alternatives to resistive probes for the sensing and monitoring of temperature (T). In this work, we investigated, in the range from 2 to 300 K, the thermal behavior of Yb2+ ion photoluminescence (PL) in glass hosts for cryogenic thermometry. To that end, two kinds of Yb2+-doped preforms, with aluminosilicate and aluminophosphosilicate core glasses, were made using the modified chemical vapor deposition (MCVD) technique. The obtained preforms were then elongated, at about 2000 °C, to canes with an Yb2+-doped core of about 500 µm. Under UV excitation and independently of the core composition, all samples of preforms and their corresponding canes presented a wide visible emission band attributed to Yb2+ ions. Furthermore, PL kinetics measurements, recorded at two emission wavelengths (502 and 582 nm) under 355 nm pulsed excitation, showed an increase, at very low T, followed by a decrease in lifetime until room temperature (RT). A modified two-level model was proposed to interpret such a decay time dependence versus T. Based on the fit of lifetime data with this model, the absolute (Sa) and relative (Sr) sensitivities were determined for each sample. For both the preform and its corresponding cane, the aluminophosphosilicate glass composition featured the highest performances in the cryogenic domain, with values exceeding 28.3 µsK-1 and 94.4% K-1 at 30 K for Sa and Sr, respectively. The aluminophosphosilicate preform also exhibited the wider T operating range of 10-300 K. Our results show that Yb2+-doped silicate glasses are promising sensing materials for optical thermometry applications in the cryogenic domain.

The effect of and correction for through-slice dephasing on 2D gradient-echo double angle mapping.

To show that variations through slice and slice profile effects are two major confounders affecting 2D dual angle maps using gradient-echo signals and thus need to be corrected to obtain accurate maps. The 2D gradient-echo transverse complex signal was Bloch-simulated and integrated across the slice dimension including nonlinear variations in inhomogeneities through slice. A nonlinear least squares fit was used to find the factor corresponding to the best match between the two gradient-echo signals experimental ratio and the Bloch-simulated ratio. The correction was validated in phantom and in vivo at 3T. For our RF excitation pulse, the error in the factor scales by approximately 3.8% for every 10 Hz/cm variation in along the slice direction. Higher accuracy phantom maps were obtained after applying the proposed correction; the root mean square error relative to the gold standard decreased from 6.4% to 2.6%. In vivo whole-liver maps using the corrected map registered a significant decrease in gradient through slice. inhomogeneities varying through slice were seen to have an impact on the accuracy of 2D double angle maps using gradient-echo sequences. Consideration of this confounder is crucial for research relying on accurate knowledge of the true excitation flip angles, as is the case of mapping using a spoiled gradient recalled echo sequence.

Probing the “Dead-Time” in NMR by Combining Single Pulse and Solid Echo Experiments Followed by a Global Model Fit Analysis

The main question addressed in this work is how to probe the “effective dead-time” in an NMR instrument, i.e., the time needed to blank the receiver after an rf-pulse excitation to prevent damage to the receiver and to avoid any distortion of the NMR signal being sampled. The strategy is to design a suitable FID-model to fit the single pulse excitation (SPE) and solid echo pulse (SEPS) data (on solid Tricosane) using a Global model-fit analysis technique. The derived dead time is discussed with respect to sampling temperature (25–40 °C) and—in particular—with respect to the number of SEPS data involved in the Global fit analysis by applying the Bayesian Information Criterion (BIC) in combination with more traditional statistical analysis. It is concluded that the “effective dead time” can be determined within a standard error of less than 2.5%.

Effect of heterogenous dopant and high temperature pulse excitation on ozone sensing behavior of In2O3 nanostructures and an image recognition method coupled to ozone sensing array

Ground-level ozone (O3) is a primary air pollutant with potential adverse impacts on human health and ecosystems. Aiming to detect O3 concentration and develop efficient O3 sensing materials, sensing behavior of heterogenous cation (Fe3+, Sn4+ and Sb5+) doped In2O3 nanostructures was investigated. The incorporation of these cations modulated the electronic structure of semiconductor oxides, affecting the density of chemisorbed oxygen species and reactive sites. From O3 sensing results, Fe3+ doped In2O3 based sensors featuring saturated resistance curves in O3 gas, demonstrated fast sensing speed and qualified detection threshold (20 ppb). In contrast, Sn4+ and Sb5+ doped counterparts exhibited non-saturated sensing curves, resulting in slower response/recovery speed. As a proof-of-concept, these optimized sensors were integrated as the sensor array. Coupled to the image recognition technique, this sensor array could successfully discriminate O3 and NOx. That is, through the tailored combination of material modulation and sensor array, this study paves a novel approach for highly sensitive and selective O3 detection.

A Single-Sensor Approach for Noninvasively Tracking Phase Velocity in Tendons during Dynamic Movement.

Shear wave tensiometry is a noninvasive method for directly measuring wave speed as a proxy for force in tendons during dynamic activities. Traditionally, tensiometry has used broadband excitation pulses and measured the wave travel time between two sensors. In this work, we demonstrate a new method for tracking phase velocity using shaped excitations and measurements from a single sensor. We observed modulation of phase velocity in the Achilles tendon that was generally consistent with wave speed measures obtained via broadband excitation. We also noted a frequency dependence of phase velocity, which is expected for dispersive soft tissues. The implementation of this method could enhance the use of noninvasive wave speed measures to characterize tendon forces. Further, the approach allows for the design of smaller shear wave tensiometers usable for a broader range of tendons and applications.

Beating resonance patterns and extreme power flux skewing in anisotropic elastic plates.

Elastic waves in anisotropic media can exhibit a power flux that is not collinear with the wave vector. This has notable consequences for waves guided in a plate. Through laser-ultrasonic experiments, we evidence remarkable phenomena due to slow waves in a single-crystal silicon wafer. Waves exhibiting power flux orthogonal to their wave vector are identified. A pulsed line source that excites these waves reveals a wave packet radiated parallel to the line. Furthermore, there exist precisely eight plane waves with zero power flux. These so-called zero-group-velocity modes are oriented along the crystal's principal axes. Time acts as a filter in the wave-vector domain that selects these modes. Thus, a point source leads to beating resonance patterns with moving nodal curves on the surface of the infinite plate. We observe this pattern as it emerges naturally after a pulsed excitation.

Spectral domain nonlinear quantum interferometry with pulsed laser excitation

Spectral domain nonlinear quantum interferometry with pulsed laser excitation

Characterization of laser-pumped Cs-4He atomic magnetometer

In principle, laser-pumped Cs–4He magnetometers can take advantage of the high sensitivity of optically pumped magnetometers and the high accuracy of proton magnetometers. However, insufficient experimental studies have been conducted on the optimization conditions and physics of this type of magnetometer. In this study, we investigate the experimental performance of a laser-pumped Cs–4He magnetometer by optimizing the sensitivity of the excitation pulse settings. We report some dependence relationships that have not been previously reported. The optimal settings under the obtainable experimental conditions in our lab are 34 °C for temperature, 10 for pulse duration, and 67 V and 2.2 V for high- and low-level voltages, respectively, which provide a sensitivity of 26 within a frequency of 0.08–0.2 Hz. This study provides a solid reference for further improving the Cs–4He magnetometer, offers the possibility of measuring physical constants more accurately, and provides a deeper understanding of plasma interaction processes.

Fast 19 F spectroscopic imaging with pseudo-spiral k-space sampling.

Fluorine MRI is finding wider acceptance in theranostics applications where imaging of 19 F hotspots of fluorinated contrast material is central. The essence of such applications is to capture ghosting-artifact-free images of the inherently low MR response under clinically viable conditions. To serve this purpose, this work introduces the balanced spiral spectroscopic imaging (BaSSI) sequence, which is implemented on a 3.0 T clinical scanner and is capable of generating 19 F hotspot images in an efficient manner. The sequence utilizes an all-phase-encoded pseudo-spiral k-space trajectory, enabling the acquisition of broadband (80 ppm) fluorine spectra free from chemical shift ghosting. BaSSI can acquire a 64 × 64 image with 1 mm × 1 mm voxels in just 14 s, significantly outperforming typical MRSI sequences used in 1 H or 31 P imaging. The study employed in silico characterization to verify essential design choices such as the excitation pulse, as well as to identify the boundaries of the parameter space explored for optimization. BaSSI's performance was further benchmarked against the 3D ultrashort-echo-time balanced steady-state free precession (3D UTE BSSFP) sequence, a well established method used in 19 F MRI, in vitro. Both sequences underwent extensive optimization through exploration of a wide parameter space on a small phantom containing 10 μL of non-diluted bulk perfluorooctylbromide (PFOB) prior to comparative experiments. Subsequent to optimization, BaSSI and 3D UTE BSSFP were employed to capture images of small non-diluted bulk PFOB samples (0.10 and 0.05 μL), with variations in the number of signal averages, and thus the total scan time, in order to assess the detection sensitivities of the sequences. In these experiments, the detection sensitivity was evaluated using the Rose criterion (Rc ), which provides a quantitative metric for assessing object visibility. The study further demonstrated BaSSI's utility as a (pre)clinical tool through postmortem imaging of polymer microspheres filled with PFOB in a BALB/c mouse. Anatomic localization of 19 F hotspots was achieved by denoising raw data obtained with BaSSI using a filter based on the Rose criterion. These data were then successfully registered to 1 H anatomical images. BaSSI demonstrated superior detection sensitivity in the benchmarking analysis, achieving Rc values approximately twice as high as those obtained with the 3D UTE BSSFP method. The technique successfully facilitated imaging and precise localization of 19 F hotspots in postmortem experiments. However, it is important to highlight that imaging 10 mM PFOB in small mice postmortem, utilizing a 48 × 48 × 48 3D scan, demanded a substantial scan time of 1 h and 45 min. Further studies will explore accelerated imaging techniques, such as compressed sensing, to enhance BaSSI's clinical utility.

FastPtx: a versatile toolbox for rapid, joint design of pTx RF and gradient pulses using Pytorch's autodifferentiation.

With modern optimization methods, free optimization of parallel transmit pulses together with their gradient waveforms can be performed on-line within a short time. A toolbox which uses PyTorch's autodifferentiation for simultaneous optimization of RF and gradient waveforms is presented and its performance is evaluated. MR measurements were performed on a 9.4T MRI scanner using a 3D saturated single-shot turboFlash sequence for [Formula: see text] mapping. RF pulse simulation and optimization were done using a Python toolbox and a dedicated server. An RF- and Gradient pulse design toolbox was developed, including a cost function to balance different metrics and respect hardware and regulatory limits. Pulse performance was evaluated in GRE and MPRAGE imaging. Pulses for non-selective and for slab-selective excitation were designed. Universal pulses for non-selective excitation reduced the flip angle error to an NRMSE of (12.3±1.7)% relative to the targeted flip angle in simulations, compared to (42.0±1.4)% in CP mode. The tailored pulses performed best, resulting in a narrow flip angle distribution with NRMSE of (8.2±1.0)%. The tailored pulses could be created in only 66s, making it feasible to design them during an experiment. A 90° pulse was designed as preparation pulse for a satTFL sequence and achieved a NRMSE of 7.1%. We showed that both MPRAGE and GRE imaging benefited from the pTx pulses created with our toolbox. The pTx pulse design toolbox can freely optimize gradient and pTx RF waveforms in a short time. This allows for tailoring high-quality pulses in just over a minute.

Large Tolerance of Lasing Properties to Impurity Defects in GaAs(Sb)‐AlGaAs Core‐Shell Nanowire Lasers

AbstractGaAs‐AlGaAs based nanowire (NW) lasers hold great potential for on‐chip photonic applications, where lasing metrics have steadily improved over the years by optimizing resonator design and surface passivation methods. The factor that will ultimately limit the performance will depend on material properties, such as native‐ or impurity‐induced point defects and their impact on non‐radiative recombination. Here, the role of impurity‐induced point defects on the lasing performance of low‐threshold GaAs(Sb)‐AlGaAs NW‐lasers is evaluated, particularly by exploring Si‐dopants and their associated vacancy complexes. Si‐induced point defects and their self‐compensating nature are identified using correlated atom probe tomography, resonant Raman scattering, and photoluminescence experiments. Under pulsed optical excitation the lasing threshold is remarkably low (<10 µJ cm−2) and insensitive to impurity defects over a wide range of Si doping densities, while excess doping ([Si]>1019 cm−3) imposes increased threshold at low temperature. These characteristics coincide with increased Shockley‐Read‐Hall recombination, reflected by shorter carrier lifetimes, and reduced internal quantum efficiencies (IQE) . Remarkably, despite the lower IQE the presence of self‐compensating Si‐vacancy defects provides an improved temperature stability in lasing threshold with higher characteristic temperature and room‐temperature lasing. These findings highlight an overall large tolerance of lasing metrics to impurity defects in GaAs‐AlGaAs based NW‐lasers.

Velocity selective spin labeling using parallel transmission.

Ultra-high field (UHF) provides improved SNR which greatly benefits SNR starved imaging techniques such as perfusion imaging. However, transmit field (B1 + ) inhomogeneities commonly observed at UHF hinders the excitation uniformity. Here we show how replacing standard excitation pulses with parallel transmit pulses can improve efficiency of velocity selective labeling. The standard tip-down and tip-up excitation pulses found in a velocity selective preparation module were replaced with tailored non-selective kT -points pulse solutions. Bloch simulations and experimental validation on a custom-built flow phantom and in vivo was performed to evaluate different pulse configurations in circularly polarized mode (CP-mode) and parallel transmit (pTx) mode. Tailored pTx pulses significantly improved velocity selective labeling fidelity and signal uniformity. The transverse magnetization normalized RMS error was reduced from 0.489 to 0.047 when compared to standard rectangular pulses played in CP-mode. Simulations showed that manipulation of time symmetry in the tailored pTx pulses is vital in minimizing residual magnetization. In addition, in vivo experiments achieved a 44% lower RF power output and a shorter pulse duration when compared to using adiabatic pulses in CP-mode. Using tailored pTx pulses for excitation within a velocity selective labeling preparation mitigated transmit field artifacts and improved SNR and contrast fidelity. The improvement in labeling efficiency highlights the potential of using pTx to improve robustness and accessibility of flow-based sequences such as velocity selective spin labeling at ultra-high field.

Coherent control of a multilevel resonant medium by subcycle pulses

We theoretically demonstrate the possibility of coherent control of the response of a multilevel resonant medium by means of half-cycle unipolar or quasi-unipolar attosecond pulses. We show that despite the ultrabroad spectrum of half-cycle pulses the induced medium polarization can be efficiently steered through the proper choice of the parameters for the excitation pulses. Besides, we found that the response of a multilevel medium for the amplitude of driving subcycle pulses below a certain threshold can be quantitatively well approximated by the two-level model.