A heated vapor cell unit for dichroic atomic vapor laser lock in atomic rubidium

The design and performance of a compact heated vapor cell unit for realizing a dichroic atomic vapor laser lock (DAVLL) for the D(2) transitions in atomic rubidium is described. A 5 cm long vapor cell is placed in a double-solenoid arrangement to produce the required magnetic field; the heat from the solenoid is used to increase the vapor pressure and correspondingly the DAVLL signal. We have characterized experimentally the dependence of important features of the DAVLL signal on magnetic field and cell temperature. For the weaker transitions both the amplitude and gradient of the signal are increased by an order of magnitude.     

Automation of a Research Facility for Atomic Vapor Laser Isotope Separation

The problems of introducing automation into experimental studies required for the development of an atomic vapor laser isotope separation method are considered. The investigations are carried out at a facility consisting of a vacuum module and a set of wavelength-tunable dye lasers pumped with copper vapor lasers. The vacuum module contains an atomic beam source, a quadrupole mass spectrometer, and a luminescence detection system. The approaches used to stabilize the laser wavelength and to scan the laser wavelength with the simultaneous recording of the mass-spectrometer and luminescence signals in strong high-frequency electromagnetic fields accompanying the operation of copper vapor lasers are also considered. Examples of experimental results are presented.     

Imaging with neutral atoms—a new matter-wave microscope

Matter‐wave microscopy can be dated back to 1932 when Max Knoll and Ernst Ruska published the first image obtained with a beam of focussed electrons. In this paper a new step in the development of matter‐wave microscopy is presented. We have created an instrument where a focussed beam of neutral, ground‐state atoms (helium) is used to image a sample. We present the first 2D images obtained using this new technique. The imaged sample is a free‐standing hexagonal copper grating (with a period of about 36 μm and rod thickness of about 8 μm). The images were obtained in transmission mode by scanning the focussed beam, which had a minimum spot size of about 2.0 μm in diameter (full width at half maximum) across the sample. The smallest focus achieved was 1.9 ± 0.1 μm. The resolution for this experiment was limited by the speed ratio of the atomic beam through the chromatic aberrations of the zone plate that was used to focus. Ultimately the theoretical resolution limit is set by the wavelength of the probing particle. In praxis, the resolution is limited by the source and the focussing optics.     

New photoacoustic cell design for studying aqueous solutions and gels

A new photoacoustic (PA) cell design, which is particularly suitable for investigations of liquids, gels, and outgassing samples is presented. The setup is based on a PA cell of only 78.5 mm(3) volume, which is sealed on the sample side with either a 163 μm thick chemical vapor deposition diamond window or a 3.91 μm thin diamond membrane. This design offers great advantages compared to traditionally used open-ended PA cells especially when investigating volatile compounds. The new PA cell design is particularly interesting in the studies of biological samples characterized by a high water content. The performance was demonstrated with mid-infrared PA measurements of glucose in aqueous solutions using a tunable quantum-cascade laser as a light source. A detection limit of 100?mg/dl (SNR = 3) has been achieved. Furthermore, the spectral changes of glucose dissolved in water caused by mutorotation have been monitored time-resolved.     

Quantitative measurements of magnetic stray field dynamics of Permalloy particles in a photoemission electron microscopy

By example of a Permalloy particle (40 × 40 μm(2) size, 30 nm thickness) we demonstrate a procedure to quantitatively investigate the dynamics of magnetic stray fields during ultrafast magnetization reversal. The measurements have been performed in a time-resolving photoemission electron microscope using the X-ray magnetic circular dichroism. In the particle under investigation, we have observed a flux-closure-dominated magnetic ground structure, minimizing the magnetic stray field outside the sample. A fast magnetic field pulse introduced changes in the micromagnetic structure accompanied with an incomplete flux closure. As a result, stray fields arise along the edges of domains, which cause a change of contrast and an image deformation of the particles geometry (curvature of its edge). The magnetic stray fields are calculated from a deformation of the X-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD) images taken after the magnetic field pulse in a 1 ns interval. These measurements reveal a decrease of magnetic stray fields with time. An estimate of the lower limit of the domain wall velocity yields about 2 × 10(3) m s(-1).     

基于高梯度磁场结构电感式油液污染物检测传感器研究

机械设备油液中不可避免会引入一些污染物,这些污染物会对设备的正常运行造成影响,尤其金属磨粒。在一定程度上,磨粒的属性反映着设备的磨损状态。目前检测磨粒的方法有很多,而电感检测法因结构简单而被广泛应用。传统的电感检测法精度不高,此研究在检测线圈的两侧贴上开有矩形槽的高导磁坡莫合金,可以使磁场向感应区域聚集。先通过仿真对比分析了不同坡莫合金结构的磁场强度,结果表明三角形槽的结构磁场集中但不均匀,矩形开口槽有更高的磁场强度,磁场分布均匀且集中。然后根据仿真结果进行相关实验,结果表明加入矩形槽的坡莫合金后,铁磁性金属颗粒检测信噪比提升20%,检测下限提升至30μm;非铁磁性金颗粒检测信噪比提升70%以上,检测下线提升至100μm,传感器检测精度明显提高。此研究提供了一种高精度电感检测方法来检测油液中的污染物,这对于油系统的寿命诊断和健康监控具有重要意义。     

Exploiting cantilever curvature for noise reduction in atomic force microscopy

Optical beam deflection is a widely used method for detecting the deflection of atomic force microscope (AFM) cantilevers. This paper presents a first order derivation for the angular detection noise density which determines the lower limit for deflection sensing. Surprisingly, the cantilever radius of curvature, commonly not considered, plays a crucial role and can be exploited to decrease angular detection noise. We demonstrate a reduction in angular detection shot noise of more than an order of magnitude on a home-built AFM with a commercial 450 μm long cantilever by exploiting the optical properties of the cantilever curvature caused by the reflective gold coating. Lastly, we demonstrate how cantilever curvature can be responsible for up to 45% of the variability in the measured sensitivity of cantilevers on commercially available AFMs.     

Measurement of probe displacement to the thermal resolution limit in photonic force microscopy using a miniature quadrant photodetector

A photonic force microscope comprises of an optically trapped micro-probe and a position detection system to track the motion of the probe. Signal collection for motion detection is often carried out using the backscattered light off the probe-however, this mode has problems of low S/N due to the small backscattering cross sections of the micro-probes typically used. The position sensors often used in these cases are quadrant photodetectors. To ensure maximum sensitivity of such detectors, it would help if the detector size matched with the detection beam radius after the condenser lens (which for backscattered detection would be the trapping objective itself). To suit this condition, we have used a miniature displacement sensor whose dimensions makes it ideal to work with 1:1 images of micrometer-sized trapped probes in the backscattering detection mode. The detector is based on the quadrant photo-integrated chip in the optical pick-up head of a compact disc player. Using this detector, we measured absolute displacements of an optically trapped 1.1 μm probe with a resolution of ～10 nm for a bandwidth of 10 Hz at 95% significance without any sample or laser stabilization. We characterized our optical trap for different sized probes by measuring the power spectrum for each probe to 1% accuracy, and found that for 1.1 μm diameter probes, the noise in our position measurement matched the thermal resolution limit for averaging times up to 10 ms. We also achieved a linear response range of around 385 nm with cross talk between axes ?4% for 1.1 μm diameter probes. The detector has extremely high bandwidth (few MHz) and low optical power threshold-other factors that can lead to its widespread use in photonic force microscopy.     

A Zeeman slower design with permanent magnets in a Halbach configuration

We describe a simple Zeeman slower design using permanent magnets. Contrary to common wire-wound setups, no electric power and water cooling are required. In addition, the whole system can be assembled and disassembled at will. The magnetic field is however transverse to the atomic motion and an extra repumper laser is necessary. A Halbach configuration of the magnets produces a high quality magnetic field and no further adjustment is needed. After optimization of the laser parameters, the apparatus produces an intense beam of slow and cold (87)Rb atoms. With typical fluxes of (1-5) × 10(10)?atoms/s at 30 m s(-1), our apparatus efficiently loads a large magneto-optical trap with more than 10(10) atoms in 1 s, which is an ideal starting point for degenerate quantum gas experiments.     

Scanning magneto-optical Kerr microscope with auto-balanced detection scheme

We have developed a scanning magneto-optical Kerr microscope dedicated to localization and measurement of the in-plane magnetization of ultra-thin layered magnetic nanostructures with high sensitivity and signal-to-noise ratio. The novel light detection scheme is based on a differential photodetector with automatic common mode noise rejection system with a high noise suppression up to 50 dB. The sensitivity of the developed detection scheme was tested by measurement of a single Co layer and a giant magnetoresistance (GMR) multilayer stack. The spatial resolution of the Kerr microscope was demonstrated by mapping an isolated 5×5 μm spin-valve pillar.     

Development of a combined AFM-tribometer test rig

A test rig has been developed that combines an atomic force microscope with a tribometer built for testing sliding electrical contacts. This instrument is able to visualise the onset and development of topographical changes in surfaces due to tribological stress, quasi in situ, at ambient air conditions. The spatial resolution reaches atomic levels, and exact quantitative topographical information is available in all three dimensions. Using a so-called ‘stand-alone AFM’, commercial components can be tested without the need for extended sample preparation. Some first measurements on the conductive plastic film of a commercial potentiometer tribologically stressed by a precious metal wiper are presented. The results demonstrate that all surface modifications in a selected area occurring within the first few stress cycles can be visualised and prepared for quantitative analysis. Topographical changes can be identified as a combination of adhesive and abrasive wear leading to the formation of small plateaux that are partly built up from wiper material, and have widths in the region of 5 μm to 10 μm.     

Cavitating nozzle flows in micro- and minichannels under the effect of turbulence

The cavitation phenomenon inside micro- and minichannel configurations was numerically investigated. The simulations for each channel were performed at different upstream pressures varying from 1 to 15 MPa. Two microchannel configurations with inner diameters of 152 and 254 μm and two minichannel configurations with inner diameters of 504 and 762 μm were simulated. To validate the numerical approach, micro-jet impingement from a microchannel with an inner diameter of 152 μm was first simulated at different Reynolds numbers. Then, the mixture model was used to model the multiphase flow inside the channels. The results of this study present major differences in the cavitating flows between the micro- and miniscale channels and show that the pressure profile and vapor phase distribution exhibit different features. The static pressure drops to negative values (tensile stress) in microchannels, while the minimum static pressure in minichannels is found to be equal to vapor saturation pressure, and higher velocity magnitudes especially at the outlet are visible in the microchannels. It is shown that for higher upstream pressures, the cavitating flow extends over the length of the micro/minichannel, thereby increasing the possibility of collapse at the outlet. The effect of energy associated with turbulence was investigated at high Reynolds numbers for both micro/minichannels and its impact was analyzed using wall shear stress, turbulence kinetic energy and mean velocity at various locations of the micro/minichannels.     

基于DAVLL技术的半导体激光器稳频装置设计

分析了二向色性原子蒸气激光频率锁定(dichroic atomic vapor laser lock,DAVLL)技术稳定激光器频率的原理,并采用DFB894.6nm半导体激光器和Cs原子气室搭建稳频实验装置。实验测量了不同磁场条件下的DAVLL光谱,发现Cs原子D1线的DAVLL光谱零值点处的斜率随磁场强度增加而增大,但谱线零点斜率不随磁场变化。根据半导体激光器锁频原理设计制作了驱动电路,测试结果表明,该稳频装置的短时频率稳定度达16 MHz。     

Accurate measurements of water vapor transmission through high-performance barrier layers

We report a new approach to measuring very low rates of water vapor transmission through high-performance barrier layers, based on detection of the water vapor by cavity ring-down infrared spectroscopy. It provides accurate and traceable measurements with a detection limit for water vapor transmission significantly below 1 × 10(-4) g∕m(2)∕day. The system is underpinned by dynamic reference standards of water vapor generated between 5 and 2000 nmol∕mol with an estimated relative expanded uncertainty of ±2%. It has been compared with other methods and demonstrates good comparability.     

Manipulating InAs nanowires with submicrometer precision

InAs nanowires are grown epitaxially by catalyst-free metal organic vapor phase epitaxy and are subsequently positioned with a lateral accuracy of less than 1 μm using simple adhesion forces between the nanowires and an indium tip. The technique, requiring only an optical microscope, is used to place individual nanowires onto the corner of a cleaved-edge wafer as well as across predefined holes in Si(3)N(4) membranes. The precision of the method is limited by the stability of the micromanipulators and the precision of the optical microscope.     

Ion source with longitudinal ionization of a molecular beam by an electron beam in a magnetic field

A high-efficiency ion source for a mass-spectrometer’s detector of molecular beams and their scattering products is described. The ion source is designed according to a scheme of impact ionization of a beam particle by a longitudinal electron beam in a magnetic field with a strength of up to 130 mT. The design of the source developed is very flexible and has no limitations for use in any experiments with molecular beams. An ionization efficiency of particles of an atomic helium beam of 10^?3 ions/atom has been achieved. The useful signal-to-background ratio in the detector’s chamber is 3 × 10⁴ during detection of ions with mass-to-charge ratio m/q = 4 amu.     

Microfabricated atomic vapor cell arrays for magnetic field measurements

We describe a method for charging atomic vapor cells with cesium and buffer gas. By this, it is possible to adjust the buffer gas pressure in the cells with good accuracy. Furthermore, we present a new design of microfabricated vapor cell arrays, which combine silicon wafer based microfabrication and ultrasonic machining to achieve the arrays of thermally separated cells with 50 mm(3) volume. With cells fabricated in the outlined way, intrinsic magnetic field sensitivities down to 300 fT∕Hz(1∕2) are reached.     

Filling the gap of a plasma opening switch with plasma from an electroexploding wire in an external magnetic field

The dynamics of filling the interelectrode gap of a plasma opening switch (POS) using an electroexploding wire with a diameter of 4 μm (tungsten) and 6 μm (carbon) is considered. The wire was connected to coaxial electrodes of the POS perpendicular to the force lines of a longitudinal magnetic field, which was created by an external source. When a current was transmitted through the wire, the longitudinal speed of produced plasma was ≈10⁶ cm/s, and the azimuthal speed was ≈10⁷ cm/s (for tungsten) and ≥1.3 × 10⁷ cm/s (for carbon). As a result, a plasma “washer” was formed and the total quantity of particles in it was determined by the parameters of the wire and the POS gap. This result is the first step in a solution of “the first shot” problem.     

Note: adhesive stamp electrodes using spider silk masks for electronic transport measurements of supra-micron sized samples

A procedure for fabricating adhesive stamp electrodes based on gold coated adhesive tape used to measure electronic transport properties of supra-micron samples in the lateral range 10-100 μm and thickness >1 μm is described. The electrodes can be patterned with a ~4 μm separation by metal deposition through a mask using Nephila clavipes spider dragline silk fibers. Ohmic contact is made by adhesive lamination of a sample onto the patterned electrodes. The performance of the electrodes with temperature and magnetic field is demonstrated for the quasi-one-dimensional organic conductor (TMTSF)(2)PF(6) and single crystal graphite, respectively.     

The use of an Er:YAG laser to remove demineralized dentin and its influence on dentin permeability

The purpose of this study was to analyze, correlate, and compare the demineralization and permeability of dentin remaining after caries removal with either an Er:YAG laser, a bur, or a curette. Thirty human dentin fragments were immersed in a demineralizing solution for 20 days and were randomly divided into three groups (n = 10) for the removal of the demineralized lesion. The groups were G1—Er:YAG laser (200 mJ/6 Hz; noncontact at 12 mm; spot: 0.63 mm), G2—Bur, and G3—Curette. The specimens were then immersed in a 10% copper sulfate solution, then in a 1% dithiooxamide alcoholic solution for 30 min and kept in ammonia vapor for 7 days. Next, the specimens were examined with optical microscopy. The amount of demineralized dentin and the level of copper ion infiltration in the dentin were quantified in μm using Axion Vision software. Data were analyzed with the Kruskal‐Wallis test (p < 0.05) and Pearson's Correlation test. The analysis revealed no significant differences between the three caries removal methods in terms of their capacity to remove demineralized tissue (G1: 10.6 μm; G2: 8.4 μm; G3: 11 μm), although the laser removal generated more tissue permeability than the others methods (G1: 17.6 μm; G2: 6.6 μm; G3: 5.5 μm). The correlation between the remaining demineralized dentin and the dentin permeability was moderate for the conventional methods and higher for the Er:YAG laser. It can therefore be concluded that the laser produced an increase in permeability that was directly proportional to the amount of demineralized tissue removal. Microsc. Res. Tech. 76:225–230, 2013. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.