Azimuthal Rotation Research Articles

Designing a square periodic racemic helix photonic metamaterial using phase-controlled interference lithography for tailored chiral response

In this study, we propose a double exposure phase-controlled laser interference lithography (DE-PCLIL) approach in 4 + 1 beams interference to design a three-dimensional (3D) racemic helical periodic nanostructure. The explicit azimuthal rotation of each beam by π/2 between the two exposures and the resultant intensity distribution discover the racemic 3D helix structure arranged in the square unit cell. The proof of concept is experimentally demonstrated by recording a series of cross-sectional images at different z-planes of the volumetric interference pattern on a CMOS camera using a spatial light modulator (SLM). Additionally, we propose an approach to realize tapering in such a geometry through a slight variation of the interference angle in both exposures. We numerically investigated optical modes and circular dichroism (CD) characteristics of the racemic helix metamaterial. The racemic helix metamaterial structure offers an angle of incidence and polarization-insensitive coupled mode. Through numerical studies, we propose an alternative way to bring 3.4-fold CD signal enhancement by varying the phase of a particular handed helix only through modulating the local chiral field. Such 3D structure is profound with perfect absorption in broad spectral regions, potentially suited for plasmonic absorber-based photovoltaic and photo-catalysis applications.

Analysis and optimization of aberration induced by oblique incidence for in-vivo tissue polarimetry.

For in-vivo polarimetry such as Mueller matrix endoscopy of human internal organ cavities, the complicated undulating tissue surfaces deliver an inescapable occurrence of oblique incidence, which induce a prominent aberration to backscattering tissue polarimetry. In this Letter, we quantitatively analyze such polarimetric aberration on polarization basic parameters derived from the Mueller matrix. A correlation heatmap is obtained as applicable criteria to select an appropriate incident angle for different polarization basic parameters. Based on the analyzing results, we propose two aberration optimization strategies of parameter selection and azimuth rotation, which are suitable for tissue samples with randomly and well-aligned fiber textures, respectively. Both strategies are demonstrated to be effective in the ex-vivo human gastric muscularis tissue experiment. The findings presented in this Letter can be useful to provide accurate polarization imaging results, widely applied on in-vivo polarimetric endoscopy for tissues with complicated surface topography.

Azimuthal rotation induced by the Marangoni force makes small Leidenfrost droplets move in random zigzag directions

Azimuthal rotation induced by the Marangoni force makes small Leidenfrost droplets move in random zigzag directions

Correcting for probe wandering by precession path segmentation.

Precession electron diffraction has in the past few decades become a powerful technique for structure solving, strain analysis, and orientation mapping, to name a few. One of the benefits of precessing the electron beam, is increased reciprocal space resolution, albeit at a loss of spatial resolution due to an effect referred to as 'probe wandering'. Here, a new methodology of precession path segmentation is presented to counteract this effect and increase the resolution in reconstructed virtual images from scanning precession electron diffraction data. By utilizing fast pixelated electron detector technology, multiple frames are recorded for each azimuthal rotation of the beam, allowing for the probe wandering to be corrected in post-acquisition processing. Not only is there an apparent increase in the resolution of the reconstructed images, but probe wandering due to instrument misalignment is reduced, potentially easing an already difficult alignment procedure.

Role of Molecular, Crystal, and Surface Chemistry in Directing the Crystallization of Entacapone Polymorphs on the Au(111) Template Surface.

The pharmaceutical compound entacapone ((E)-2-cyano-3-(3,4-dihydroxy-5-nitrophenyl)-N,N-diethylprop-2-enamide) is important in the treatment of Parkinson's disease, exhibiting interesting polymorphic behavior upon crystallization from solution. It consistently produces its stable form A with a uniform crystal size distribution on the surface of an Au(111) template while concomitantly forming its metastable form D within the same bulk solution. Molecular modeling using empirical atomistic force-fields reveals more complex molecular and intermolecular structures for form D compared to form A, with the crystal chemistry of both polymorphs being dominated by van der Waals and π-π stacking interactions with lower contributions (ca. 20%) from hydrogen bonding and electrostatic interactions. Comparative lattice energies and convergence for the polymorphs are consistent with the observed concomitant polymorphic behavior. Synthon characterization reveals an elongated needle-like morphology for form D crystals in contrast to the more equant form A crystals with the surface chemistry of the latter exposing the molecules' cyano groups on its {010} and {011} habit faces. Density functional theory modeling of surface adsorption reveals preferential interactions between Au and the synthon GA interactions of form A on the Au surface. Molecular dynamics modeling of the entacapone/gold interface reveals the entacapone molecular structure within the first adsorbed layer to show nearly identical interaction distances, for both the molecules within form A or D with respect to the Au surface, while in the second and third layers when entacapone molecule-molecule interactions overtake the interactions between those of molecule-Au, the intermolecular structures are found to be closer to the form A structure than form D. In these layers, synthon GA (form A) could be reproduced with just two small azimuthal rotations (5° and 15°) whereas the closest alignment to a form D synthon requires larger azimuthal rotations (15° and 40°). The cyano functional group interactions with the Au template dominate interfacial interactions with these groups being aligned parallel to the Au surface and with nearest neighbor distances to Au atoms more closely matching those in form A than form D. The overall polymorph direction pathway thus encompasses consideration of molecular, crystal, and surface chemistry factors.

Physics and instabilities of low-temperature E × B plasmas for spacecraft propulsion and other applications

Low-temperature E×B plasmas are used in various applications, such as Hall thrusters for satellite propulsion, ion sources and magnetron discharges for plasma processing, and negative ion sources for neutral beam injection in fusion. The plasmas in these devices are partially magnetized, meaning that the electrons are strongly magnetized while the ions are not. They are subject to various micro- and macro-instabilities that differ significantly from instabilities in fusion plasmas. These instabilities are often triggered by the large difference in electron and ion drift velocities in the E×B direction. The possibility of maintaining a large electric field in the quasineutral plasma of Hall thrusters despite anomalous electron transport, or the presence of strong double layers associated with the azimuthal rotation of plasma structures (“rotating spokes”) in magnetron discharges and Hall thrusters are examples of the very challenging and exciting physics of E×B devices. The turbulence and instabilities present in E×B plasma devices constitute a major obstacle to the quantitative description of these devices and to the development of predictive codes and are the subject of intense research efforts. In this tutorial, we discuss the key aspects of the physics of low-temperature partially magnetized E×B plasmas, as well as recent advances made through simulations, theory, and experiments in our understanding of the various types of instabilities (such as gradient-drift/Simon-Hoh and lower hybrid instabilities, rotating ionization waves, electron cyclotron drift instability, modified two-stream instability, etc.) that occur in these plasmas.

Realizing efficient asymmetric transmission using optical activity of ultrathin chiral metasurfaces for K‐band applications

AbstractAn elliptical chiral split‐ring‐resonator‐based bilayer thin metasurface is introduced in this paper. The proposed metasurface realizes strong electromagnetic (EM) activity with asymmetric transmission in the K‐band of the microwave regime. The efficiency is more than 80% over a range of frequencies from 18.6 to 20.8 GHz. Angular stability up to 60° makes the structure robust for practical applications. The structure also exhibits a negative refractive index for circularly polarized wave due to the strong chirality factor. Polarization azimuth rotation angle of 90° and ellipticity of 0° reveal the pure EM/optical activity. Furthermore, the simulation and measured results also affirmed orthogonal pure linear polarization transformation. The proposed chiral metasurface finds applications in radar and satellite belonging to K‐band.

Measurement of Optical Properties of CH3NH3PbX3 (X = Br, I) Single Crystals Using Terahertz Time-Domain Spectroscopy

Organometallic lead bromide and iodide perovskite single crystals (PSCs) are potential candidates for terahertz applications. Herein, we performed terahertz time-domain spectroscopy (THz-TDS) in the frequency range of 0.1-3.0 THz on different thicknesses of MAPbBr3 (0.3, 0.6, and 0.8 mm) and MAPbI3 (0.6, 0.8, 0.9, 1.3, and 2.3 mm). The measurements were carried out with respect to the position (along the focal area), azimuthal rotation of the PSCs, and incidence angles of the reference THz pulse on the PSCs' surface. Based on the transmitted THz pulses from PSCs from the above measurements, we calculated the real and imaginary parts of the refractive index, dielectric constants, absorption coefficients, and dark conductivity. These optical parameters tend to increase with decreases in the PSCs' thicknesses. The transmission spectra of the terahertz electric field indicate that the measured optical properties do not vary significantly with the position and orientation of PSCs. The real parts of the refractive index and dielectric constants are higher than the imaginary values for both PSCs. On the other hand, a slight blueshift in the optical phonon vibrations corresponding to Pb-Br/I-Pb and Pb-Br/I bonds is observed with an increase in thickness. Interestingly, the phonon vibrations do not vary with the incidence angle of the THz pulses on the same crystal's surface. The optical parameters based on THz-TDS reveal that the PSCs satisfy the requirement for tunable THz devices which need suitable, sensitive, and stable absorption properties between 0.1 and 3 THz.

Особенности турбулентности в электромагнитном перемешивателе жидкого металла

In the research work, conduction velocity sensors were successfully used to study the characteristics of turbulent flows arising in a liquid metal under the action of a rotating magnetic field in a vertical cylinder. At a certain magnitude of electromagnetic influence, on the graphs showing spectral energy of velocity pulsations there is observed a slope of ‘-5/3’, indicating developed homogeneous isotropic turbulence and spreading in a frequency range of up to two decades. The level of velocity pulsations varies from 4 to 10 % of the azimuthal rotation velocity. It is shown that the identified peaks in the velocity pulsation spectra correspond to the frequency of the liquid metal rotation around the cylinder axis. A nonlinear graph of the dependence of the liquid metal rotation frequency on the current frequency in the coils with a maximum near 50-75 Hz was obtained.

Pressure and Thermal Characterisation of Dynamic Instabilities During Flow Boiling in Micro/Mini-channels at Different Azimuth Orientations

• Flow boiling in microchannels at different azimuthal orientation are investigated. • 3 instability types were identified: two-phase mixing, minor and major reverse flow. • Flow instability improves the average heat transfer coefficient by up to 52% • Top-heated channels had the greatest increase in heat transfer coefficient. • Instability frequency increased with mass flux increases and heat flux decreases. Fluid instability was investigated experimentally during flow-boiling of Perfluorohexane (FC-72) in a flat horizontal micro/mini channel with a hydraulic diameter of 909 μ m and an aspect ratio of 10 (5 mm x 0.5 mm). One-sided heating at different azimuth channel orientations ( θ ) in terms of gravity were considered, which ranged from bottom-heating ( θ = 0°) to top-heated ( θ = 180°) in 30° increments. Mass fluxes of 10, 20 and 40 kg/m 2 s were considered at a saturation temperature of 56 °C. Flow instability and the resulting thermal and pressure responses were identified and studied via high-speed video, infrared thermography, and pressure measurements. Various mass flux and heat flux combinations at each channel orientation leading to flow instabilities categorised into two-phase mixing, minor reverse flow and major reverse flow, were studied. Increased mass flux resulted in more frequent and more severe flow instability, irrespective of the channel orientation. Increased heat flux resulted in an increased number of operating conditions that were susceptible to flow instability, but the instabilities occurred at lower frequencies. In general, orientations that had a horizontal heated surface ( θ = 0° and 180°) were most susceptible to flow instability, while the intermediate azimuthal rotations ( θ = 30°, 60° and 90°) exhibited flow instability only at the highest mass flux. It was also found that flow instability often resulted in improved heat transfer performance, particularly in regions of the channel that were occupied by liquid. Where-as no direct relationship between the mass flux and the heat transfer performance improvement could be identified, it was found that better heat transfer improvements were obtained at higher heat fluxes. At the highest mass flux, cases that were horizontal and heated from above ( θ = 180°) exhibited heat transfer coefficient improvements (during instability) of up to 77% and 275% in the single-phase and two-phase regions respectively compared to baseline stable conditions.

Images and photon ring signatures of thick disks around black holes

Context. High-frequency very-long-baseline interferometry (VLBI) observations can now resolve the event-horizon-scale emission from sources in the immediate vicinity of nearby supermassive black holes. Future space-VLBI observations will access highly lensed features of black hole images – photon rings – that will provide particularly sharp probes of strong-field gravity. Aims. Focusing on the particular case of the supermassive black hole M 87*, our goal is to explore a wide variety of accretion flows onto a Kerr black hole and to understand their corresponding images and visibilities. We are particularly interested in the visibility on baselines to space, which encodes the photon ring shape and whose measurement could provide a stringent test of the Kerr hypothesis. Methods. We developed a fully analytical model of stationary, axisymmetric accretion flows with a variable disk thickness and a matter four-velocity that can smoothly interpolate between purely azimuthal rotation and purely radial infall. To determine the observational appearance of such flows, we numerically integrated the general-relativistic radiative transfer equation in the Kerr spacetime, taking care to include the effects of thermal synchrotron emission and absorption. We then Fourier transformed the resulting images and analyzed their visibility amplitudes along the directions parallel and orthogonal to the black hole spin projected on the observer sky. Results. Our images generically display a wedding cake structure composed of discrete, narrow photon rings (n = 1, 2, …) stacked on top of broader primary emission that surrounds a central brightness depression of model-dependent size. At 230 GHz, the n = 1 ring is always visible, but the n = 2 ring is sometimes suppressed due to absorption. At 345 GHz, the medium is optically thinner and the n = 2 ring displays clear signatures in both the image and visibility domains. We also examine the thermal synchrotron emissivity in the equatorial plane and show that it exhibits an exponential dependence on the radius for the preferred M 87* parameters. Conclusions. The black hole shadow is a model-dependent phenomenon – even for diffuse, optically thin sources – and should not be regarded as a generic prediction of general relativity. Observations at 345 GHz are promising for future space-VLBI measurements of the photon ring shape, since at this frequency the signal of the n = 2 ring persists despite the disk thickness and nonzero absorption featured in our models. Future work is needed to investigate whether this conclusion holds in a larger variety of reasonable models.

Simultaneous measurements of axial motion and azimuthal rotation of non-uniformities (“spokes”) in a Hall thruster

Low-frequency instabilities are often present in Hall thrusters and are associated with axial and/or azimuthal oscillations of plasma non-uniformities. The axial oscillations are related to the so-called breathing mode (periodic depletion of the neutral atom density due to ionization) and are associated with large amplitude current oscillations. The low-frequency azimuthal instabilities are characterized by local non-uniformities of the light emission rotating in the azimuthal direction and are generally called “rotating spokes.” The possibility of coexistence of these two modes has been discussed in the literature but without clear experimental evidence of their correlation. In this paper, we present for the first time simultaneous measurements of the axial and azimuthal positions of the spoke. These measurements have been obtained with a high-speed camera using a triangulation method based on parallax. This method has proven to be sufficiently sensitive to track the 3D position (r–θ–z) of local non-uniformities of the light emission. The optical method has been synchronized with measurements of the current on a segmented anode. The results show that under some conditions, breathing oscillations and spoke rotation in the E×B direction are coupled. During the current rise, the spoke moves from the anode region toward the channel exhaust region while rotating in the E×B direction and seems to follow the movement of the front of neutral atoms progressively filling the channel. About 60% ± 20% of the total anode current is carried by the spoke.

Retardation of Capillary Force between Janus Particles at the Oil–Water Interface

Interactions among colloidal particles govern the hierarchical microstructure and its physical properties. Here, optical laser tweezers and Monte Carlo simulations are used to evaluate the effects of azimuthal rotation of Janus particles at the oil-water interface on interparticle interactions. We find that the capillary-induced attractive force between two Janus particles at the interface can be relaxed by azimuthal rotation around the critical separation region, at which the capillary force is ∼0.053 pN. Force relaxation leads to a decrease in capillary force around the critical separation region, resulting in a slight increase in the scaling exponent, compared to the theoretical prediction.

Manipulation of Anode Nanostructure and Composition By Glancing Angle Deposition for Thin-Film Solid Oxide Fuel Cells

Co-sputtering is a simple yet effective technique for fabricating a thin film of composite materials and different compositions by adjusting the electrical power of each sputtering target. However, practical issues arise when depositing cermet materials such as Ni-YSZ and Ni-GDC because of the contrasting characteristics of metal and ceramic sputtering targets. For example, the surface binding energy of GDC is significantly higher than that of Ni, resulting in a considerably lower sputtering yield of GDC. The difference in sputtering yield is further exacerbated by the low power density limit of the GDC target, which is set by its unfavorable material properties such as brittleness and low thermal conductivity. In contrast, due to its magnetic property, Ni requires sufficiently high sputtering power during magnetron sputtering.This work combines co-sputtering with advanced sputtering techniques such as glancing angle deposition (GLAD) and oblique angle deposition (OAD) to fabricate otherwise unobtainable Ni-GDC anode microstructure with various compositions. Reduced flux capture area of Ni caused by the high incident angle of GLAD allowed control of thin-film compositions, and optimal composition was determined based on fuel cell performance and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) analysis. A sufficient amount of GDC was necessary to expand the triple-phase boundary (TPB) and suppress the thermal agglomeration of highly mobile Ni.The effect of electrode nanostructure on fuel cell performance was also investigated. The ballistic shadowing effect during OAD was utilized to produce thin-film electrodes with various porosities. With the increase of the deposition angle, the porosity increased, whereas the in-plane electrical conductivity decreased due to the reduced density. The columnar structure was also manipulated by managing the substrate position through azimuthal rotation. As a result, various columnar structures such as vertical posts, slanted posts, and zig-zag were fabricated, and the optimal microstructure was determined via electrochemical examinations.

Combining Azimuthal and Polar Angle Resolved Shadow Mask Deposition and Nanosphere Lithography to Uncover Unique Nano-Crystals.

In this article, we present a systematic investigation on a multistep nanosphere lithography technique to uncover its potential in fabricating a wide range of two- and three-dimensional nanostructures. A tilted (polar angle) electron beam shower on a nanosphere mask results in an angled shadow mask deposition. The shape of the shadow also depends on the azimuthal angle of the mask sitting on top of the substrate. We performed angled shadow mask depositions with systematic variation of these two angular parameters, giving rise to complex nanostructures (down to 50 nm), repeated over a large area without defect. In this article, nanosphere lithography with two- and four-fold azimuthal symmetry was studied at constant tilt angles followed by variations in tilt without azimuthal rotation of the substrate. Finally, both angular parameters were simultaneously varied. The structure of shadow crystals was explained using Matlab simulation. This work stretches the horizons of nanosphere lithography, opening up new scopes in plasmonic and magnonic research.

Directivity of the muted trumpet

The directivity function of a played musical instrument describes the angular dependence of its acoustic radiation and diffraction about the instrument, musician, and musician’s chair. In this study, high angular resolution directivity data were acquired in an anechoic chamber of a muted trumpet being played by a seated musician. The chair height and horizontal displacement ensured that the geometric center of the instrument’s radiating region fell at the circular center of a computer-controlled semi-circular array of 36 microphones positioned at Δθ = 5° polar-angle increments. Azimuthal rotations progressed in Δφ = 5° increments, such that the measurements involved 2,521 unique positions over a sphere. Additional measurements at a position within the rotating reference frame facilitated post-processing. The musician played chromatic scales at each rotation position, and this process was repeated for straight, cup, and wow wow mutes in order to draw comparisons in the directivity patterns of each mute to the unmuted trumpet. Radiation behind the musician increased as a result of the mute, and mute-dependent changes to the directivity patterns primarily occurred above 1 kHz.

Azimuthal Rotation of Periodic Structure of Linear Defects in Cholesteric Layer under Planar-Conical Boundary Conditions

Azimuthal Rotation of Periodic Structure of Linear Defects in Cholesteric Layer under Planar-Conical Boundary Conditions

Ion-acoustic instability of the cylindrical inhomogeneous helicon discharge plasma with rotating electrons

The kinetic theory for the microinstabilities of a cylindrical plasma, produced by the cylindrical azimuthally symmetric (azimuthal mode number m0=0) helicon wave, based on the Vlasov–Poisson system of equations, is developed. The derived linear integral equation for the Fourier–Bessel transform of the electrostatic potential is the basic equation for the investigations of the parametric and the current-driven instabilities of the radially inhomogeneous cylindrical plasma in the radially inhomogeneous helicon wave. The short-wavelength solution of this equation for the electrostatic potential is derived in the form of the functional equation, which includes an infinite number of its satellites at a frequency separation equal to the helicon wave frequency. The analytical solution is derived for the high-frequency kinetic ion-acoustic instability of the cylindrical helicon plasma, driven by the coupled effect of the electron diamagnetic drift and of the steady azimuthal rotation of electrons relative to the ions with a radially inhomogeneous angular velocity.

Single-Layer Ultra-Wideband Multifunctional Transmissive Metasurface

The metasurface is a functional film device based on a subwavelength structure, which has a strong light field control ability and has the advantages of ultrathin, low loss, and easy manufacturing. However, realizing a multifunctional metasurface, yet simple enough to design, manufacture, and thin is still a challenge. In this article, we propose a novel metasurface with negligible thickness as a beam splitter, which can achieve half transmission and half reflection of the incident wave at the same frequency. It also controls the polarization of circularly polarized electromagnetic (EM) waves in the transmission mode. A broadband operation can be achieved based on the geometric phase theory, and the phase control can be achieved by azimuth rotation of the structure. The numerical results of the metasurface are in good agreement with the experimental results in the measured frequency range. The ultrathin multifunctional metasurface realized by the geometric phase principle provides an important stepping stone for simple optical devices and can be extended to a higher frequency range.

Fabrication of zigzag and square spiral Cu nanostructures: Influence of substrate rotation on the structural, optical and electrical properties

Copper (Cu) thin films were deposited by using glancing angle deposition in the form of zigzag and square spiral nanostructures. Thin films were fabricated under different azimuthal rotations (φ = 180°, 90°, 45°, 22.5° and 11°), to the thickness of approximately 300 nm. Morphological, chemical and structural properties were investigated by field-emission scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. For the optical characterization of the samples spectroscopic ellipsometry was used, while the electrical properties were analyzed by four-point probe method. It was found that as the azimuthal rotation decreases, deposited nanostructures become more porous with larger number of grown arms. Both, optical and electrical analyses revealed that the properties of the obtained thin films are significantly influenced by growth mechanism. By decreasing the φ parameter, the surface plasmon resonance peak was shifted from 1038.9 nm to 1676.6 nm, which can be correlated with the porosity of Cu structures. Besides, it was found that the optical and electrical properties of the thin films are also strongly dependent on the concentration of defects.