Near-field Characterization Research Articles

Accuracy of endocardial abnormal electrogram characterization using a 17-AHA-segmental late boundary and voltage-dependent sensitivity annotation for ventricular tachycardia ablation

Abstract Background Substrate-based catheter ablation of ventricular tachycardia (VT) has become the mainstay therapy for patients with scar-related VT. Correct identification and timing of abnormal near-field EGMs and discerning it from far-field EGMs, is key for procedural success. The novel CARTO™ Late Activation Mapping (LAM) module provides fast and accurate annotation of near-field EGMs including late abnormal ventricular activation. For the algorithm to succeed, a late boundary (LB) annotation line should be positioned immediately behind the normal near-field EGM, however, since the timing of normal local near-field activation varies greatly throughout the endocardium, there is currently no consensus for the optimal LB positioning. We hypothesized that 17-AHA segmental annotation of the endocardial LB followed by scar-dependent sensitivity settings, will improve the accuracy of the near-field EGM characterization. Purpose To evaluate the accuracy of endocardial abnormal EGM characterization using a 17-AHA-segmental late boundary and voltage-dependent sensitivity annotation as compared to conventional mid-QRS LB positioning. Methods Five high-resolution substrate voltage maps were obtained from 5 patients (80% male, 68±7 years old, 80% ischemic cardiomyopathy) that underwent a catheter-based ablation for scar-related VT. A personalized CT-derived anatomical reconstruction of the 17-segment AHA model was co-registered offline with the electroanatomic voltage map, using ADAS3D software. Per segment, individual LB timings were set at the highest sensitivity. A gold standard annotation map was created by two independent experts after manual scrutiny of individual EGMs. Next, the expert map was compared to automatic maps created from segmental LB and mid-QRS LB positions at normal, high, highest or mixed (normal/high or normal/highest) sensitivities, focusing on EGM voltage and activation accuracy. Results A mean of 2041±1028 points per map were analyzed. Correct correlation of EGM annotation was found on average in 91% (activation) and 81% (voltage) for all segmental LB positioned maps (segLB), and in 83% (activation) and 77% (voltage) for all mid-QRS LB positioned maps (mid-QRSLB). The highest correlation with expert map for both activation and voltage annotation was found in the mixed sensitivity normal/highest map with segmental LB positioning (activation 98%, voltage 88%). The correlation on activation was significantly superior in the segLB map when compared to the normal sensitivity maps (p=0.0008 for mid-QRSLB and p=0.02 for segLB). For correlation on voltage, the segLBmap with mixed sensitivity was significantly superior compared to three mid-QRSLB maps at normal (p=0.04), high and highest (p=0.01) sensitivity. Conclusion Individualized, 17-AHA-segmental late boundary and voltage-dependent sensitivity annotation provides a possible accurate and clinically-relevant framework for substrate assessment. Prospective validation is needed.

Mechanism insights for impedance matching in split-ring resonator topologies under bio-medical scenarios

The utilization of microwave radiation has gained increasing importance in various biological applications. However, a significant challenge remains in the interaction between the microwaves and the human skin, primarily due to the impedance mismatch. Recently, the employment of split-ring resonator (SRR) topologies has become increasingly prevalent for addressing such a problem. Despite this, most existing literatures lack a comprehensive understanding of the underlying mechanisms. In this study, we follow Babinet’s principle and numerically study the dispersion relations of a single-split-ring resonator (S-SRR) and its complementary topology, single-complementary-split-ring resonator (S-CSRR). We focus on conducting the impedance analysis, along with far-field and near-field excitation characterizations. The results indicate that S-CSRR ensures an improved impedance matching, thereby significantly enhancing microwave power flow within the bio-tissue. A 2 × 2 array of S-CSRR is experimentally examined for validation. We demonstrate that the S-CSRR array enhances the total specific absorption rate (SAR) of a deeply-implanted-tumor-phantom by a factor of 1.95. Our work may provide a broader understanding towards impedance matching, which may facilitate the design of more efficient diagnostic tools in bio-medical field.

Ultra-broadband near-field Josephson microwave microscopy

Abstract Advanced microwave technologies constitute the foundation of a wide range of modern sciences, including microwave integrated circuits, quantum computing, microwave photonics, spintronics, etc. To facilitate the design of chip-based microwave devices, there is an increasing demand for state-of-the-art microscopic techniques capable of characterizing the near-field microwave distribution and performance. In this work, we integrate Josephson junctions onto a nano-sized quartz tip, forming a highly sensitive microwave mixer on-tip. This allows us to conduct spectroscopic imaging of near-field microwave distributions with high spatial resolution. Leveraging its microwave-sensitive characteristics, our Josephson microscopy achieves a broad detecting bandwidth of up to 200 GHz, as well as remarkable frequency and intensity resolutions. Near-field characterizations of microwave circuits are also conducted to demonstrate the capabilities of Josephson microscopy. Our work emphasizes the benefits of utilizing Josephson microscopy as a real-time, non-destructive technique to advance integrated microwave devices.

Full Quantitative Near-Field Characterization of Strongly Coupled Exciton–Plasmon Polaritons in Thin-Layered WSe2 on a Monocrystalline Gold Platelet

Full Quantitative Near-Field Characterization of Strongly Coupled Exciton–Plasmon Polaritons in Thin-Layered WSe₂ on a Monocrystalline Gold Platelet

Polarization-resolved near-field characterization of coupling between a bus waveguide and a ring resonator

Light propagation in Photonic integrated circuits (PICs), which can nowadays involve complex systems of light-guiding structures, is measured with different approaches(Nuzhdin et al., 2020, Lončar et al., 2002, Hopman et al., 2007, Morichetti et al., 2014, Sapienza et al., 2012, Vesseur et al., 2007). An interferometric polarization-sensitive measurement of the evanescent fields of these structures provides insight in the performance of the circuit detects possible malfunction with sub-wavelength precision(Engelen et al., 2007, Gersen et al., 2005, Barwick et al., 2009). We demonstrate a Near-field scanning optical microscopy (NSOM) measurement on coupled ring resonators that shows how the guided modes evolve as they propagate across the optical chip. Analysis of the measurements provides information about intensity distribution of the two polarization components (TE and TM) and their spatial confinement. The data validates our methodology and opens new possibilities for analysis of signal propagation in prototyping and optimization of integrated optical systems. Direct observation of polarization state of the guided modes allows for clear understanding of mode conversion in coupling systems.

Ultrafast state-selective tunneling in two-dimensional semiconductors with a phase- and amplitude-controlled THz-scanning tunneling microscope

THz-pulse driven scanning tunneling microscopy (THz-STM) enables access to the ultrafast quantum dynamics of low-dimensional material systems at simultaneous ultrafast temporal and atomic spatial resolution. State-selective tunneling requires precise amplitude and phase control of the THz pulses combined with quantitative near-field waveform characterization. Here, we employ our state-of-the-art THz-STM with multi-MHz repetition rates, efficient THz generation, and precisely tunable THz waveforms to investigate a single sulfur vacancy in monolayer MoS2. We demonstrate that 2D transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) are an ideal platform for near-field waveform sampling by THz cross-correlation. Furthermore, we determine the THz voltage via QEV scans, which measure the THz rectified charge Q as a function of THz field amplitude E and dc bias Vdc. Mapping the complex energy landscape of localized states with a resolution down to 0.01 electrons per pulse facilitates state-selective tunneling to the HOMO and LUMO orbitals of a charged sulfur vacancy.

Far- and Near-Field Channel Measurements and Characterization in the Terahertz Band Using a Virtual Antenna Array

Far- and Near-Field Channel Measurements and Characterization in the Terahertz Band Using a Virtual Antenna Array

Collapse of carbon nanotubes due to local high-pressure from van der Waals encapsulation

Van der Waals (vdW) assembly of low-dimensional materials has proven the capability of creating structures with on-demand properties. It is predicted that the vdW encapsulation can induce a local high-pressure of a few GPa, which will strongly modify the structure and property of trapped materials. Here, we report on the structural collapse of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) induced by the vdW encapsulation. By simply covering CNTs with a hexagonal boron nitride flake, most of the CNTs (≈77%) convert from a tubular structure to a collapsed flat structure. Regardless of their original diameters, all the collapsed CNTs exhibit a uniform height of ≈0.7 nm, which is roughly the thickness of bilayer graphene. Such structural collapse is further confirmed by Raman spectroscopy, which shows a prominent broadening and blue shift in the Raman G-peak. The vdW encapsulation-induced collapse of CNTs is fully captured by molecular dynamics simulations of the local vdW pressure. Further near-field optical characterization reveals a metal-semiconductor transition in accompany with the CNT structural collapse. Our study provides not only a convenient approach to generate local high-pressure for fundamental research, but also a collapsed-CNT semiconductor for nanoelectronic applications.

Comparing machine learning approaches for estimating soil saturated hydraulic conductivity.

Characterization of near (field) saturated hydraulic conductivity (Kfs) of the soil environment is among the crucial components of hydrological modeling frameworks. Since the associated laboratory/field experiments are time-consuming and labor-intensive, pedotransfer functions (PTFs) that rely on statistical predictors are usually integrated with the existing measurements to predict Kfs in other areas of the field. In this study some of the most appropriate machine learning approaches, including variants of artificial neural networks (ANNs) were used for predicting Kfs by some easily measurable soil attributes. The analyses were performed using 100 measurements in Bajgah Agricultural Experimental Station. First, physico-chemical inputs as bulk density (BD), initial water content (Wi), saturated water content (Ws), mean weight diameter (MWD), and geometric mean diameter (GMD) of aggregates, pH, electrical conductivity (EC), and calcium carbonate equivalent (CCE) were measured. Then, radial basis functions (RBFNNs), multilayer perceptron (MLPNNs), hybrid genetic algorithm (GA-NNs), and particle swarm optimization (PSO-NNs) neural networks were utilized to develop PTFs and compared their accuracy with the traditional regression model (MLR) using statistical indices. The statistical assessment indicated that PSO-NNs with the lowest RMSE and MAPE as well as the highest correlation coefficient (R) value provided the most accurate and robust prediction of Kfs. The prediction models ranked as PSO-NNs (R = 0.958; RMSE = 0.343; MAPE = 9.47), GA-NNs (R = 0.949; RMSE = 0.404; MAPE = 11.83), MLPNNs (R = 0.933; RMSE = 0.426; MAPE = 12.13), RBFNNs (R = 0.926; RMSE = 0.452; MAPE = 14.30), and MLR (R = 0.675; RMSE = 0.685; MAPE = 22.54) in terms of their performances for the test data set. Results revealed that all NN models particularly PSO-NNs were efficient in prediction of Kfs. However, further evaluations may be recommended for other soil conditions and input variables to quantify their potential uncertainties and wider potential and versatility before they are used in other geographical locations/soil conditions.

Characterization of Chiral Near Field Within Nanogaps Using Surface‐Enhanced Raman Scattering

AbstractChiral nanogap antennas, which exhibit specific chiroptical responses, hold exceptional potential in various chiral applications, including polarization converters, asymmetric catalysis, label‐free chiral recognition, and chiral sensing. However, characterizing the chiral optical fields within nanogaps presents considerable challenges owing to their complex light field responses and spatial dimensions. In this study, the strong modulation of helicity‐resolved surface‐enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) signals in graphene by chiral plasmonic antennas, offering a promising approach to characterize chiral near fields within nanogaps is demonstrated. The SERS of achiral monolayer graphene is performed within plasmonic nanogap antennas, including single gold nanorods (GNRs) and GNR dimers on gold microflakes. The Raman scattering intensity of graphene within these nanogap antennas is enhanced approximately sixfold. Furthermore, the degree of cross‐circularly polarized Raman intensity reaches up to ≈45%, indicating a robust chiral optical field. Moreover, under opposite circularly polarized light excitation, the SERS of graphene reveals varying emission intensities attributed to the modulation arising from the chiral antennas in both the excitation and emission processes of Raman scattering. Furthermore, the degree of chirality depends on the antenna configuration and the excitation laser wavelength.

On Phase Mode Selection in the Frequency-Invariant Beamformer for Near-Field mmWave Channel Characterization

On Phase Mode Selection in the Frequency-Invariant Beamformer for Near-Field mmWave Channel Characterization

Highly Localized Optical Field Enhancement at Neon Ion Sputtered Tungsten Nanotips.

We present laser-driven rescattering of electrons at a nanometric protrusion (nanotip), which is fabricated with an in situ neon ion sputtering technique applied to a tungsten needle tip. Electron energy spectra obtained before and after the sputtering show rescattering features, such as a plateau and high-energy cutoff. Extracting the optical near-field enhancement in both cases, we observe a strong increase of more than 2-fold for the nanotip. Accompanying finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) simulations show a good match with the experimentally extracted near-field strengths. Additionally, high electric field localization for the nanotip is found. The combination of transmission electron microscope imaging of such nanotips and the determination of the near-field enhancement by electron rescattering represent a full characterization of the electric near-field of these intriguing electron emitters. Ultimately, nanotips as small as single nanometers can be produced, which is of utmost interest for electron diffraction experiments and low-emittance electron sources.

Solid-State Microwave Magnetometer with Picotesla-Level Sensitivity

Magnetometry with diamond nitrogen-vacancy (NV) ensembles has enabled devices with picotesla sensitivity at static and low-frequency fields, but their performance at higher frequencies lags far behind. The authors solve the technical challenges and demonstrate a microwave-frequency NV magnetometer with picotesla sensitivity, by implementing a pulse scheme for noise cancellation and employing a custom-grown diamond. This sensitivity enhancement could be extended into a far broader range of frequencies using spin-locking and quantum frequency mixing. These results could lead to applications such as near-field antenna characterization and microwave circuitry imaging.

Multimodal Optothermal Manipulations along Various Surfaces.

Optical tweezers have provided tremendous opportunities for fundamental studies and applications in the life sciences, chemistry, and physics by offering contact-free manipulation of small objects. However, it requires sophisticated real-time imaging and feedback systems for conventional optical tweezers to achieve controlled motion of micro/nanoparticles along textured surfaces, which are required for such applications as high-resolution near-field characterizations of cell membranes with nanoparticles as probes. In addition, most optical tweezers systems are limited to single manipulation modes, restricting their broader applications. Herein, we develop an optothermal platform that enables the multimodal manipulation of micro/nanoparticles along various surfaces. Specifically, we achieve the manipulation of micro/nanoparticles through the synergy between the optical and thermal forces, which arise due to the temperature gradient self-generated by the particles absorbing the light. With a simple control of the laser beam, we achieve five switchable working modes [i.e., tweezing, rotating, rolling (toward), rolling (away), and shooting] for the versatile manipulation of both synthesized particles and biological cells along various substrates. More interestingly, we realize the manipulation of micro/nanoparticles on rough surfaces of live worms and their embryos for localized control of biological functions. By enabling the three-dimensional control of micro/nano-objects along various surfaces, including topologically uneven biological tissues, our multimodal optothermal platform will become a powerful tool in life sciences, nanotechnology, and colloidal sciences.

Plasmonic near-field spatiotemporal characterizations of an asymmetric copper bowtie nanostructure

Photon-induced near-field electron microscopy (PINEM), developed from ultrafast transmission electron microscopy, enables near-field imaging with nanometer spatial resolution and femtosecond temporal resolution. We report the plasmonic near-field distribution and lifetime analysis for an asymmetric copper bowtie nanostructure having unequal opening angles. The PINEM images show surface plasmon polaritons and local surface-plasmon resonance excitations with various polarizations. Combined with finite-element simulations, the polarization- and structure-dependent distribution and intensity variations of the near-field were analyzed. The lifetime difference of a plasmonic near-field excited by different polarizations is also discussed. The temporal and spatial characterization of the plasmonic near-field is important for the further studies of plasmonic near-field manipulation and designs of plasmonic devices having specific functions.

Near-field optical characterization of atomic structures and polaritons in twisted two-dimensional materials

Polariton is a quasiparticle generated from strong interaction between a photon and an electric or magnetic dipole-carrying excitation. These polaritons can confine light into a small space that is beyond the diffraction limit of light, thus have greatly advanced the development of nano photonics, nonlinear optics, quantum optics and other related research. Van der Waals two-dimensional (2D) crystals provide an ideal platform for studying nano-polaritons due to reduced material dimensionality. In particular, stacking and twisting offer additional degree of freedom for manipulating polaritons that are not available in a single-layer material. In this paper, we review the near-field optical characterizations of various structures and polaritonic properties of stacked/twisted 2D crystals reported in recent years, including domain structures of stacked few-layer graphene, moiré superlattice structures of twisted 2D crystals, twisted topological polaritons, and twisted chiral plasmons. We also propose several exciting directions for future study of polaritons in stacked/twisted 2D crystals.

Phase-resolved all-fiber reflection-based s-NSOM for on-chip characterization.

We report on a phase-resolved, reflection-based, scattering-type near-field scanning optical microscope technique with a convenient all-fiber configuration. Exploiting the flexible positioning of the near-field probe, our technique renders a heterodyne detection for phase measurement and point-to-point frequency-domain reflectometry for group index and loss measurement of waveguides on a chip. The important issue of mitigating the measurement errors due to environmental fluctuations along fiber-optic links has been addressed. We perform systematic measurements on different types of silicon waveguides which demonstrate the accuracy and precision of the technique. With a phase compensation approach on the basis of a common-path interferometer, the phase drift error is suppressed to ∼ 0.013°/s. In addition, characterizations of group index, group velocity dispersion, propagation loss, insertion loss, and return loss of component waveguides on a chip are all demonstrated. The measurement accuracy of the propagation loss of a ∼ 0.2 cm long nano-waveguide reaches ±1 dB/cm. Our convenient and versatile near-field characterization technique paves the way for in-detail study of complex photonic circuits on a chip.

A Bayesian Compressive Sensing Approach to Robust Near-Field Antenna Characterization

A novel probabilistic sparsity-promoting method for robust near-field (NF) antenna characterization is proposed. It leverages on the measurements-by-design (MebD) paradigm and it exploits some a-priori information on the antenna under test (AUT) to generate an over-complete representation basis. Accordingly, the problem at hand is reformulated in a compressive sensing (CS) framework as the retrieval of a maximally-sparse distribution (with respect to the overcomplete basis) from a reduced set of measured data and then it is solved by means of a Bayesian strategy. Representative numerical results are presented to, also comparatively, assess the effectiveness of the proposed approach in reducing the "burden/cost" of the acquisition process as well as to mitigate (possible) truncation errors when dealing with space-constrained probing systems.

Giant optical anisotropy of WS2 flakes in the visible region characterized by Au substrate assisted near-field optical microscopy

Transition metal dichalcogenides (TMD) have attracted considerable attention in the field of photonic integrated circuits due to their giant optical anisotropy. However, on account of their inherent loss in the visible region and the difficulty of measuring high refractive index materials, near-field characterizations of the optical anisotropy of TMD in the visible region have inherent experimental difficulties. In this work, we present a systematical characterization of the optical anisotropy in tungsten disulfide (WS2) flakes by using scattering-type scanning near-field optical microscopy (s-SNOM) excited at 671 nm. Transverse-electric and transverse-magnetic (TM) waveguide modes can be excited in WS2 flakes with suitable thickness, respectively. With the assistance of the Au substrate, the contrast of the near-field fringes is enhanced in comparison with the SiO2 substrate. By combining waveguide mode near-field imaging and theoretical calculations, the in-plane and out-of-plane refractive indexes of WS2 are determined to be 4.96 and 3.01, respectively, indicating a high birefringence value up to 1.95. This work offers experimental evidence for the potential application of WS2 in optoelectronic integrated circuits in the visible region.

Quantitative near-field characterization of surface plasmon polaritons on monocrystalline gold platelets

Near-field microscopy allows for visualization of both the amplitude and phase of surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs). However, their quantitative characterization in a reflection configuration is challenging due to complex wave patterns arising from the interference between several excitation channels. Here, we present near-field measurements of SPPs on large monocrystalline gold platelets in the visible. We study systematically the influence of the incident angle of the exciting light on the SPPs launched by an atomic force microscope tip. We find that the amplitude and phase signals of these SPPs are best disentangled from other signals at grazing incident angle relative to the edge of the gold platelet. Furthermore, we introduce a simple model to extract the wavelength and in particular the propagation length of the tip-launched plasmons. Our experimental results are in excellent agreement with our theoretical model. The presented method allows the quantitative analysis of polaritons occurring in different materials at visible wavelengths.