ALBERT

Description: Electrochemical in operando X-ray diffraction (XRD) is a powerful method to analyze structural changes of energy storage materials while inserting/de-inserting charge carriers, such as Li- or Na-ions, into/from a host structure. The design of an XRD in operando cell is presented, which enables the use of thin (6 μ m) aluminum foil as X-ray window as a non-toxic alternative to conventional beryllium windows. Owing to the reduced thickness, diffraction patterns and their changes during cycling can be observed with excellent quality, which was demonstrated for two cathode materials for sodium-ion batteries in a half-cell set-up, P2-Na 0.7 MnO 2 and Na 2.55 V 6 O 16 ⋅ 0.6H 2 O.

Description: A high-speed impedance measurement system was developed, which enables the measurement of various characteristics of CW and pulsed plasmas with time resolution of less than a microsecond. For this system, a voltage and current sensor is implemented in a printed circuit board to sense the radio frequency signals. A digital board, which has a high-speed analog to digital converter and a field-programmable gate-array, is used to calculate the impedance of the signal. The final output of impedance is measured and stored with a maximum speed of 3 Msps. This sensor system was tested in a pulsed-plasma by applying it to the point between the matching box and the plasma chamber. The experimental equipment was constructed connecting the matching box, a 13.56 MHz generator, a 2 MHz generator that produced pulsed power, and a pulse-signal generator. From the temporal behavior of the measured impedance, we were able to determine the time intervals of transient states, especially of the initial active state. This information can be used to set the pulse frequency and duty for plasma processing.

Description: The type of the Electron String Ion Sources (ESIS) is considered to be the appropriate one to produce pulsed C 4+ and C 6+ ion beams for cancer therapy accelerators. In fact, the new test ESIS Krion-6T already now provides more than 10 10 C 4+ ions per pulse and about 5 × 10 9 C 6+ ions per pulse. Such ion sources could be suitable to apply at synchrotrons. It has also been found that Krion-6T can provide more than 10 11 C 6+ ions per second at the 100 Hz repetition rate, and the repetition rate can be increased at the same or larger ion output per second. This makes ESIS applicable at cyclotrons as well. ESIS can be also a suitable type of ion source to produce the 11 C radioactive ion beams. A specialized cryogenic cell was experimentally tested at the Krion-2M ESIS for pulse injection of gaseous species into the electron string. It has been shown in experiments with stable methane that the total conversion efficiency of methane molecules to C 4+ ions reached 5%÷10%. For cancer therapy with simultaneous irradiation and precise dose control (positron emission tomography) by means of 11 C, transporting to the tumor with the primary accelerated 11 C 4+ beam, this efficiency is preliminarily considered to be large enough to produce the 11 C 4+ beam from radioactive methane and to inject this beam into synchrotrons.

Description: A grid image refractometer (GIR) has been implemented at the Nike krypton fluoride laser facility of the Naval Research Laboratory. This instrument simultaneously measures propagation angles and transmissions of UV probe rays ( λ = 263 nm, Δ t = 10 ps) refracted through plasma. We report results of the first Nike-GIR measurement on a CH plasma produced by the Nike laser pulse (∼1 ns FWHM) with the intensity of 1.1 × 10 15 W/cm 2 . The measured angles and transmissions were processed to construct spatial profiles of electron density ( n e ) and temperature ( T e ) in the underdense coronal region of the plasma. Using an inversion algorithm developed for the strongly refracted rays, the deployed GIR system probed electron densities up to 4 × 10 21 cm −3 with the density scale length of 120 μm along the plasma symmetry axis. The resulting n e and T e profiles are verified to be self-consistent with the measured quantities of the refracted probe light.

Description: Conventional techniques for characterization of thermoelectric performance require bringing measurement equipment into direct contact with the thermoelectric device, which is increasingly error prone as device size decreases. Therefore, the novel work presented here describes a non-contact technique, capable of accurately measuring the maximum ΔT and maximum heat pumping of mini to micro sized thin film thermoelectric coolers. The non-contact characterization method eliminates the measurement errors associated with using thermocouples and traditional heat flux sensors to test small samples and large heat fluxes. Using the non-contact approach, an infrared camera, rather than thermocouples, measures the temperature of the hot and cold sides of the device to determine the device ΔT and a laser is used to heat to the cold side of the thermoelectric module to characterize its heat pumping capacity. As a demonstration of the general applicability of the non-contact characterization technique, testing of a thin film thermoelectric module is presented and the results agree well with those published in the literature.

Description: To estimate the coefficient of friction between tire and runway surface during airplane touchdowns, we designed an experimental rig to simulate such events and to record the impact and friction forces being executed. Because of noise in the measured signals, we developed a filtering method that is based on the ensemble empirical mode decomposition and the bandwidth of probability density function of each intrinsic mode function to extract friction and impact force signals. We can quantify the coefficient of friction by calculating the maximum values of the filtered force signals. Signal measurements are recorded for different drop heights and tire rotational speeds, and the corresponding coefficient of friction is calculated. The result shows that the values of the coefficient of friction change only slightly. The random noise and experimental artifact are the major reason of the change.

Description: Eddy currents have an important effect on tokamak plasma equilibrium and control of magneto hydrodynamic activity. The vacuum vessel of the Sino-UNIted Spherical Tokamak is separated into two hemispherical sections by a toroidal insulating barrier. Consequently, the characteristics of eddy currents are more complex than those found in a standard tokamak. Thus, it is necessary to measure and analyze the eddy-current distribution. In this study, we propose an experimental method for measuring the eddy-current distribution in a vacuum vessel. By placing a flexible printed circuit board with magnetic probes onto the external surface of the vacuum vessel to measure the magnetic field parallel to the surface and then subtracting the magnetic field generated by the vertical-field coils, the magnetic field due to the eddy current can be obtained, and its distribution can be determined. We successfully applied this method to the Sino-UNIted Spherical Tokamak, and thus, we obtained the eddy-current distribution despite the presence of the magnetic field generated by the external coils.

Description: We demonstrate and theoretically analyze the two-dimensional spatiotemporal focusing of femtosecond pulses by utilizing a two-dimensional spectral disperser. Compared with spatiotemporal focusing with a diffraction grating, it can achieve widefield illumination with better sectioning ability for a multiphoton excitation process. By utilizing paraxial approximation, our analytical method improves the axial confinement ability and identifies that the free spectra range (FSR) of the two-dimensional spectral disperser affects the out-of-focus multiphoton excitation intensity due to the temporal self-imaging effect. Based on our numerical simulation, a FSR of 50 GHz is necessary to reduce the out-of-focus two-photon excitation by 2 orders of magnitude compared with that in a grating-based spatiotemporal focusing scheme for a 90-fs excitation laser pulse. We build a two-dimensional spatiotemporal focusing microscope using a virtually imaged phased array and achieve an axial resolution of 1.3 μ m, which outperforms the resolution of conventional spatiotemporal focusing using a grating by a factor of 1.7, and demonstrate better image contrast inside a tissue-like phantom.

Description: Infrared imaging diagnostic method for two-dimensional calorimetric diagnostics has been developed for intense pulsed electron beam (IPEB). By using a 100- μ m-thick tungsten film as the infrared heat sink for IPEB, the emitting uniformity of the electron source can be analyzed to evaluate the efficiency and stability of the diode system. Two-dimensional axisymmetric finite element method heat transfer simulation, combined with Monte Carlo calculation, was performed for error estimation and optimization of the method. The test of the method was finished with IPEB generated by explosive emission electron diode with pulse duration (FWHM) of 80 ns, electron energy up to 450 keV, and a total beam current of over 1 kA. The results showed that it is possible to measure the cross-sectional energy density distribution of IPEB with energy sensitivity of 0.1 J/cm 2 and spatial resolution of 1 mm. The technical details, such as irradiation protection of bremsstrahlung γ photons and the functional extensibility of the method were discussed in this work.

Description: Ultrafast magnetization reversal of a ferrimagnetic metallic alloy GdFeCo was investigated by time-resolved resonant magneto-optical Kerr effect measurements using a seeded free electron laser. The GdFeCo alloy was pumped by a linearly polarized optical laser pulse, and the following temporal evolution of the magnetization of Fe in GdFeCo was element-selectively traced by a probe free electron laser pulse with a photon energy tuned to the Fe M -edge. The results have been measured using rotating analyzer ellipsometry method and confirmed magnetization switching caused by ultrafast heating.

Description: In this paper, a two-step AC electrochemical etching process was investigated for the fabrication of platinum probes with controllable aspect ratio from 10 to 30, and tip apex radius less than 300 nm. Experiment results show that the shape of the obtained probes is quite sensitive to the etching time of the first step and the voltage applied in the second step. A graphite crucible was used as the counter electrode during etching. It is proved that the shape of the counter electrode also play a key role for realizing high-aspect-ratio probes. The method presented here provides a simple way in the fabrication of micro-tool for the construction of high-aspect-ratio microstructures, especially for the 3D electrochemical micromachining.

Description: Laser-accelerated ion beams can be used in many applications and, especially, to initiate nuclear reactions out of thermal equilibrium. We have experimentally studied aneutronic fusion reactions induced by protons accelerated by the Target Normal Sheath Acceleration mechanism, colliding with a boron target. Such experiments require a rigorous method to identify the reaction products (alpha particles) collected in detectors among a few other ion species such as protons or carbon ions, for example. CR-39 track detectors are widely used because they are mostly sensitive to ions and their efficiency is near 100%. We present a complete calibration of CR-39 track detector for protons, alpha particles, and carbon ions. We give measurements of their track diameters for energy ranging from hundreds of keV to a few MeV and for etching times between 1 and 8 h. We used these results to identify alpha particles in our experiments on proton-boron fusion reactions initiated by laser-accelerated protons. We show that their number clearly increases when the boron fuel is preformed in a plasma state.

Description: Dibenzoterrylene (DBT) molecules within a crystalline anthracene matrix show promise as quantum emitters for controlled, single photon production. We present the design and construction of a chamber in which we reproducibly grow doped anthracene crystals of optical quality that are several mm across and a few μ m thick. We demonstrate control of the DBT concentration over the range 6–300 parts per trillion and show that these DBT molecules are stable single-photon emitters. We interpret our data with a simple model that provides some information on the vapour pressure of DBT.

Description: High energy photons are measured for the first time in wire-array Z-pinch experiments on the Primary Test Stand (PTS) which delivers a current up to 8 MA with a rise time of 70 ns. A special designed detecting system composed of three types of detectors is used to measure the average energy, intensity, and pulse waveform of high energy photons. Results from Pb-TLD (thermoluminescence dosimeter) detector indicate that the average energy is 480 keV (±15%). Pulse shape of high energy photons is measured by the photodiode detector consisted of scintillator coupled with a photodiode, and it is correlated with soft x-ray power by the same timing signal. Intensity is measured by both TLD and the photodiode detector, showing good accordance with each other, and it is 10 10 cm −2 (±20%) at 2 m in the horizontal direction. Measurement results show that high energy photons are mainly produced in pinch regions due to accelerated electrons. PTS itself also produces high energy photons due to power flow electrons, which is one order smaller in amplitude than those from pinch region.

Description: A novel type of hybrid non-symmetric flexure hinges (NSFHs) is developed for higher motion precision in this paper, then the finite beam based matrix modeling (FBMM) method is employed to describe elastic deformation behaviors, model compliance matrix, and define non-dimensional precision factors of the hybrid NSFHs. Influences of the dimensional parameters on the dominant compliances and motion accuracies of the NSFHs are analytically investigated based on the FBMM models, while an asymmetry ratio is introduced and its influences on performances of the NSFHs are well revealed. Moreover, making comparisons of the main performances between the proposed NSFHs and symmetric flexure hinges, the obtained results indicate that the hybrid NSFHs can greatly improve the motion accuracy and suppress the adverse inherent motions. Finally, performances of the NSFHs and modeling accuracies are investigated by experimental tests, and making comparison with other flexure hinges.

Description: The design considerations and eventual performance of a new, ultra-low noise optical head for dynamic atomic force microscopy (AFM) are presented. The head, designed specifically for the study of hydration layers and ion organization next to solid surfaces and biomolecules, displays an integrated tip-sample distance noise below 3 pm. The sensitivity of the optical beam deflection sensor, operating at frequencies up to 8.6 MHz (3 dB roll-off), is typically below 10   fm / Hz , enabling utilization of high frequency cantilevers of low thermal noise for fundamental and higher mode imaging. Exceptional signal stability and low optical noise are achieved by replacing the commonly used laser diode with a helium-neon laser. An integral photothermal excitation of the cantilever produces pure harmonic oscillations, minimizing the generation of higher cantilever modes and deleterious sound waves characterizing the commonly used excitation by a piezoelectric crystal. The optical head is designed to fit on top of the widespread Multimode ® (Bruker) piezo-tube and accommodate its commercial liquid cell. The performance of the new AFM head is demonstrated by atomic resolution imaging of a muscovite mica surface in aqueous solution.

Description: We describe the design, fabrication, and performance of a self-referenced, optically coherent frequency comb. The system robustness is derived from a combination of an optics package based on polarization-maintaining fiber, saturable absorbers for mode-locking, high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) detection of the control signals, and digital feedback control for frequency stabilization. The output is phase-coherent over a 1-2 μm octave-spanning spectrum with a pulse repetition rate of ∼200 MHz and a residual pulse-to-pulse timing jitter

Description: High-energy e – and π – were measured by the multichannel plate (MCP) detector at the PiM1 beam line of the High Intensity Proton Accelerator Facilities located at the Paul Scherrer Institute, Villigen, Switzerland. The measurements provide the absolute detection efficiencies for these particles: 5.8% ± 0.5% for electrons in the beam momenta range 17.5–300 MeV/c and 6.0% ± 1.3% for pions in the beam momenta range 172–345 MeV/c. The pulse height distribution determined from the measurements is close to an exponential function with negative exponent, indicating that the particles penetrated the MCP material before producing the signal somewhere inside the channel. Low charge extraction and nominal gains of the MCP detector observed in this study are consistent with the proposed mechanism of the signal formation by penetrating radiation. A very similar MCP ion detector will be used in the Neutral Ion Mass (NIM) spectrometer designed for the JUICE mission of European Space Agency (ESA) to the Jupiter system, to perform measurements of the chemical composition of the Galilean moon exospheres. The detection efficiency for penetrating radiation determined in the present studies is important for the optimisation of the radiation shielding of the NIM detector against the high-rate and high-energy electrons trapped in Jupiter’s magnetic field. Furthermore, the current studies indicate that MCP detectors can be useful to measure high-energy particle beams at high temporal resolution.

Description: It has been reported that treating music wire (high carbon steel wire) by cooling to cryogenic temperatures can enhance its mechanical properties with particular reference to those properties important for musical performance. We use such wire for suspending many of the optics in Advanced LIGO, the upgrade to LIGO—the Laser Interferometric Gravitational-Wave Observatory. Two properties that particularly interest us are mechanical loss and breaking strength. A decrease in mechanical loss would directly reduce the thermal noise associated with the suspension, thus enhancing the noise performance of mirror suspensions within the detector. An increase in strength could allow thinner wire to be safely used, which would enhance the dilution factor of the suspension, again leading to lower suspension thermal noise. In this article, we describe the results of an investigation into some of the mechanical properties of music wire, comparing untreated wire with the same wire which has been cryogenically treated. For the samples we studied, we conclude that there is no significant difference in the properties of interest for application in gravitational wave detectors.

Description: Annealing procedures for hot-wire sensors of platinum and platinum-plated tungsten have been investigated experimentally. It was discovered that the two investigated sensor metals behave quite differently during the annealing process, but for both types annealing may improve long-term stability considerably. Measured drift of sensors both without and with prior annealing is presented. Suggestions for suitable annealing temperatures and times are given.

Description: Interface undercooling is one of the most significant parameters in the solidification of colloidal suspensions. However, quantitative measurement of interface undercooling of colloidal suspensions is still a challenge. Here, a new experimental facility and gauging method are designed to directly reveal the interface undercooling on both static and dynamic cases. The interface undercooling is visualized through the discrepancy of solid/liquid interface positions between the suspensions and its solvent in a thermal gradient apparatus. The resolutions of the experimental facility and gauging method are proved to be 0.01 K. The high precision of the method comes from the principle of converting temperature measurement into distance measurement in the thermal gradient platform. Moreover, both static and dynamic interface undercoolings can be quantitatively measured.

Description: In the application of oil-air lubrication system, electrical capacitance tomography (ECT) provides a promising way for monitoring oil film in the pipelines by reconstructing cross sectional oil distributions in real time. While in the case of small diameter pipe and thin oil film, the thickness of the oil film is hard to be observed visually since the interface of oil and air is not obvious in the reconstructed images. And the existence of artifacts in the reconstructions has seriously influenced the effectiveness of image segmentation techniques such as level set method. Besides, level set method is also unavailable for online monitoring due to its low computation speed. To address these problems, a modified level set method is developed: a distance regularized level set evolution formulation is extended to image two-phase flow online using an ECT system, a narrowband image filter is defined to eliminate the influence of artifacts, and considering the continuity of the oil distribution variation, the detected oil-air interface of a former image can be used as the initial contour for the detection of the subsequent frame; thus, the propagation from the initial contour to the boundary can be greatly accelerated, making it possible for real time tracking. To testify the feasibility of the proposed method, an oil-air lubrication facility with 4 mm inner diameter pipe is measured in normal operation using an 8-electrode ECT system. Both simulation and experiment results indicate that the modified level set method is capable of visualizing the oil-air interface accurately online.

Description: A novel analysis method named peak-to-charge ratio (V p /Q total ) discrimination, aiming at background rejection especially for alpha decay self-activity in LaBr 3 : Ce scintillators has been developed. This method is based on a waveform analysis using the peak-to-charge ratio in the output waveform of a photomultiplier tube. The discrimination of alpha-induced events was achieved by using a threshold function based on the error propagation of the V p /Q total value. The accidental rejection ratio of gamma-induced events was evaluated to be 0.17%. Furthermore, a total absorption peak spectrum processed with the V p /Q total discrimination method for 68 Ga 1.883 MeV gamma rays, where the energy was overlapped with background alpha events, reproduced exactly the same result as that of the background subtraction method. The difference in measured peak counts of both methods was 0.716%, and the statistical error in the V p /Q total discrimination method and background subtraction was 4.81% and 8.70%, respectively. Thus a higher-accuracy measurement could be achieved using the V p /Q total discrimination method. The present study demonstrates that the V p /Q total discrimination method is a promising method for background rejection of the spontaneous alpha decay in LaBr 3 : Ce scintillators.

Description: A comparison study between Y + 36° and 0° X-cut lithium niobate (LiNbO 3 ) was performed to evaluate the influence of crystal cut on the acoustic propagation to realize a piezoelectric high-voltage sensor. The acoustic time-of-flight for each crystal cut was measured when applying direct current (DC), alternating current (AC), and pulsed voltages. Results show that the voltage-induced shift in the acoustic wave propagation time scaled quadratically with voltage for DC and AC voltages applied to X-cut crystals. For the Y + 36° crystal, the voltage-induced shift scales linearly with DC voltages and quadratically with AC voltages. When applying 5 μ s voltage pulses to both crystals, the voltage-induced shift scaled linearly with voltage. For the Y + 36° cut, the voltage-induced shift from applying DC voltages ranged from 10 to 54 ps and 35 to 778 ps for AC voltages at 640 V over the frequency range of 100 Hz–100 kHz. Using the same conditions as the Y + 36° cut, the 0° X-cut crystal sensed a shift of 10–273 ps for DC voltages and 189–813 ps for AC voltage application. For 5 μ s voltage pulses, the 0° X-cut crystal sensed a voltage induced shift of 0.250–2 ns and the Y + 36°-cut crystal sensed a time shift of 0.115–1.6 ns. This suggests a frequency sensitive response to voltage where the influence of the crystal cut was not a significant contributor under DC, AC, or pulsed voltage conditions. The measured DC data were compared to a 1-D impedance matrix model where the predicted incremental length changed as a function of voltage. When the voltage source error was eliminated through physical modeling from the uncertainty budget, the combined uncertainty of the sensor (within a 95% confidence interval) decreased to 0.0033% using a Y + 36°-cut crystal and 0.0032% using an X-cut crystal for all the voltage conditions used in this experiment.

Description: Magnetoactive elastomers (MAEs) are a class of smart materials whose mechanical properties can be rapidly and reversibly changed by an external magnetic field. Due to this tunability, they are useable for actuators or in active vibration control applications. An extensive magnetomechanical characterization is necessary for MAE material development and requires experiments under cyclic loading in uniform but variable magnetic fields. MAE testing apparatus typically rely on fields of adjustable strength, but fixed (transverse) direction, often provided by electromagnets. In this work, two permanent magnet flux sources were developed as an add-on for a modular test stand, to allow for mechanical testing in uniform fields of variable direction. MAE specimens, based on a silicone matrix with isotropic and anisotropic carbonyl iron particle distributions, were subjected to dynamic mechanical analysis under different field and loading configurations. The magneto-induced increase of stiffness and energy dissipation was determined by the change of the hysteresis loop area and dynamic modulus values. A distinct influence of the composite microstructure and the loading state was observed. Due to the very soft and flexible matrix used for preparing the MAE samples, the material stiffness and damping behavior could be varied over a wide range via the applied field direction and intensity.

Description: This paper presents results of cooperative efforts on development of a continuous wave Cs diode pumped alkali laser with moderate output power, which can be considered as a prototype of the commercial device. The developed system operates at 895 nm with output power about 4 W and slope efficiency 28%. Measured turn on time of this system from the standby mode is about a minute.

Description: A novel method for the precision measurement of refractive index of air ( n air ) based on the combining of the laser synthetic wavelength interferometry with the Edlén equation estimation is proposed. First, a n air_e is calculated from the modified Edlén equation according to environmental parameters measured by low precision sensors with an uncertainty of 10 −6 . Second, a unique integral fringe number N corresponding to n air is determined based on the calculated n air_e . Then, a fractional fringe ε corresponding to n air with high accuracy can be obtained according to the principle of fringe subdivision of laser synthetic wavelength interferometry. Finally, high accurate measurement of n air is achieved according to the determined fringes N and ε. The merit of the proposed method is that it not only solves the problem of the measurement accuracy of n air being limited by the accuracies of environmental sensors, but also avoids adopting complicated vacuum pumping to measure the integral fringe N in the method of conventional laser interferometry. To verify the feasibility of the proposed method, comparison experiments with Edlén equations in short time and in long time were performed. Experimental results show that the measurement accuracy of n air is better than 2.5 × 10 −8 in short time tests and 6.2 × 10 −8 in long time tests.

Description: An experimental apparatus was developed to synthesize natural gas hydrates and measure the thermal conductivity of hydrate-bearing sediments in situ . The apparatus works over a temperature range varying from −20 °C to 50 °C and up to a maximum pressure of 20 MPa. This apparatus is mainly composed of a thermal conductivity test system and a reaction cell, into which a lab-fabricated thermistor probe is inserted. This thermistor has excellent temperature sensitivity and can work at high pressures. The basic principles of this apparatus are discussed, and a series of experiments were performed to verify that the apparatus can be practically applied in chemical engineering. The thermistor-based measuring method was applied successfully in a high-pressure environment both with and without porous media.

Description: We report here the newly developed deformation setup offered by the 20MN (2000T) multi-anvil press newly installed at sector 7 of the European synchrotron radiation facility, on the ID06 beamline. The press is a Deformation-DIA (D-DIA) type apparatus, and different sets of primary anvils can be used for deformation experiments, from 6 mm to 3 mm truncations, according to the target pressure needed. Pressure and temperature calibrations and gradients show that the central zone of the assemblies is stable. Positions of differential RAMs are controlled with a sub-micron precision allowing strain rate from 10 −4 to 10 −6 s −1 . Moreover, changing differential RAM velocity is immediately visible on sample, making faster reaching of steady state. Lattice stresses are determined by the shifting of diffraction peak with azimuth angle using a linear detector covering typically a 10° solid-angle in 2θ mounted on rotation perpendicular to the beam. Acquisition of diffraction pattern, at a typical energy of 55 keV, is less than a minute to cover the whole azimuth-2θ space. Azimuth and d -spacing resolution are respectively better than 1° and 10 −3 Å making it possible to quantify lattice stresses with a precision of ±20 MPa (for silicates, which have typically high values of elastic properties), in pure or simple shear deformation measurements. These mechanical data are used to build fully constrained flow laws by varying P-T- σ − ε ̇ conditions with the aim to better understanding the rheology of Earth’s mantle. Finally, through texture analysis, it is also possible to determine lattice preferred orientation during deformation by quantifying diffraction peak intensity variation with azimuth angle. This press is therefore included as one of the few apparatus that can perform such experiments combining with synchrotron radiation.

Description: High sensitivity, high data rates, fast pulses, and accurate synchronization all represent challenges for modern nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometers, which make any expansion or adaptation of these devices to new techniques and experiments difficult. Here, we present a Peripheral Component Interconnect Express (PCIe)-based highly integrated distributed digital architecture pulsed spectrometer that is implemented with electron and nucleus double resonances and is scalable specifically for broad dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP) enhancement applications, including DNP-magnetic resonance spectroscopy/imaging (DNP-MRS/MRI). The distributed modularized architecture can implement more transceiver channels flexibly to meet a variety of MRS/MRI instrumentation needs. The proposed PCIe bus with high data rates can significantly improve data transmission efficiency and communication reliability and allow precise control of pulse sequences. An external high speed double data rate memory chip is used to store acquired data and pulse sequence elements, which greatly accelerates the execution of the pulse sequence, reduces the TR (time of repetition) interval, and improves the accuracy of TR in imaging sequences. Using clock phase-shift technology, we can produce digital pulses accurately with high timing resolution of 1 ns and narrow widths of 4 ns to control the microwave pulses required by pulsed DNP and ensure overall system synchronization. The proposed spectrometer is proved to be both feasible and reliable by observation of a maximum signal enhancement factor of approximately −170 for 1 H, and a high quality water image was successfully obtained by DNP-enhanced spin-echo 1 H MRI at 0.35 T.

Description: In this paper, time-of-flight elastic recoil detection analysis spectrometer with a newly constructed gas ionization detector for energy detection is presented. The detector is designed in the axial (Bragg) geometry with a 3 × 3 array of 50 nm thick Si 3 N 4 membranes as an entrance window. 40 mbar isobutane gas was sufficient to stop a 30 MeV primary iodine beam as well as all recoils in the detector volume. Spectrometer and detector performances were determined showing significant improvement in the mass and energy resolution, respectively, comparing to the spectrometer with a standard silicon particle detector for an energy measurement.

Description: A method for achieving good position resolution of low-intensity electron signals using a microchannel plate resistive anode detector is demonstrated. Electron events at a rate of 7 counts s −1 are detected using a Z-stack microchannel plate. The dependence of position resolution on both the distance and the potential difference between the microchannel plate and resistive anode is investigated. Using standard commercial electronics, a measured position resolution of 170 μm (FWHM) is obtained, which corresponds to an intrinsic resolution of 157 μm (FWHM).

Description: This study reports on the performance of Avalanche Photodiodes (APDs) as a timing detector for ion Time-of-Flight (TOF) mass spectroscopy. We found that the fast signal carrier speed in a reach-through type APD enables an extremely short timescale response with a mass or energy independent

Description: Bandpass photon detectors are widely used in inverse photoemission in the isochromat mode at energies in the vacuum-ultraviolet spectral range. The energy bandpass of gas-filled counters is usually formed by the ionization threshold of the counting gas as high-pass filter and the transmission cutoff of an alkaline earth fluoride window as low-pass filter. The transmission characteristics of the window have, therefore, a crucial impact on the detector performance. We present transmission measurements in the vacuum-ultraviolet spectral range for alkaline earth fluoride window crystals in the vicinity of the transmission cutoff as a function of crystal purity, surface finish, surface contamination, temperature, and thickness. Our findings reveal that the transmission characteristics of the window crystal and, thus, the detector performance depend critically on these window parameters.

Description: A spectroelectrochemical cell has been designed to combine electrochemistry and ultrafast two-dimensional infrared (2D-IR) spectroscopy, which is a powerful tool to extract structure and dynamics information on the femtosecond to picosecond time scale. Our design is based on a gold mirror with the dual role of performing electrochemistry and reflecting IR light. To provide the high optical surface quality required for laser spectroscopy, the gold surface is made by electron beam evaporation on a glass substrate. Electrochemical cycling facilitates in situ collection of ultrafast dynamics of redox-active molecules by means of 2D-IR. The IR beams are operated in reflection mode so that they travel twice through the sample, i.e., the signal size is doubled. This methodology is optimal for small sample volumes and successfully tested with the ferricyanide/ferrocyanide redox system of which the corresponding electrochemically induced 2D-IR difference spectrum is reported.

Description: With high-speed imaging, it is possible to directly observe the time-evolution of the macroscopic behavior of the discharge plasma in a magnetoplasmadynamic thruster (MPDT). By utilizing direct high-speed imaging capable of capturing many images over the course of a single discharge, the velocity of the cathode erosion particles can be measured, opening the possibility of a novel, noninvasive technique for discharge plasma flow field velocimetry. In this work, an 8 kA argon MPDT discharge is imaged at 26 173 fps utilizing a 0.9 neutral density filter. The camera is aligned with thruster centerline 4 m downstream of the thruster exit plane. By tracking visible particles appearing in the multiple images, the particle motion in the radial and azimuthal directions is directly imaged. Through the use of traditional techniques in digital particle image velocimetry, the cathode particles emanating from the discharge are measured to have a mean radial velocity of 44.6 ± 6.0 m/s with a 95% confidence interval and a statistically insignificant azimuthal velocity. The setup and analysis employed permits measurement of the particle velocity in orthogonal direction to the image sensor plane using a single camera. By combining a background removal subtraction technique and knowledge of the optical focal plane, the estimated mean axial velocity of the particles is 1.59 km/s. This investigation ends with a discussion of important factors to consider for future MPDT high-speed imaging particle velocimetry, such as frame-rate, image size, spatial resolution, optics, and data handling selections.

Description: An X-mode polarized V band (50 GHz–75 GHz) radial and poloidal correlation reflectometry is designed and installed on Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST). Two frequency synthesizers (12 GHz–19 GHz) are used as sources. Signals from the sources are up-converted to V band using active quadruplers and then coupled together for launching through one single pyramidal antenna. Two poloidally separated antennae are installed to receive the reflected waves from plasma. This reflectometry system can be used for radial and poloidal correlation measurement of the electron density fluctuation. In ohmically heated plasma, the radial correlation length is about 1.5 cm measured by the system. The poloidal correlation analysis provides a means to estimate the fluctuation velocity perpendicular to the main magnetic field. In the present paper, the distance between two poloidal probing points is calculated with ray-tracing code and the propagation time is deduced from cross-phase spectrum. Fluctuation velocity perpendicular to the main magnetic field in the core of ohmically heated plasma is about from −1 km/s to −3 km/s.

Description: A new ion source region has been constructed and attached to a variable temperature selected ion flow tube. The source features the capabilities of electron impact, chemical ionization, a solids probe, and electrospray ionization. The performance of the instrument is demonstrated through a series of reactions from ions created in each of the new source regions. The chemical ionization source is able to create H 3 O + , but not as efficiently as similar sources with larger apertures. The ability of this source to support a solids probe, however, greatly expands our capabilities. A variety of rhenium cations and dications are created from the solids probe in sufficient abundance to study in the flow tube. The reaction of Re + with O 2 proceeds with a rate constant that agrees with the literature measurements, while the reaction of Re 2 2+ is found to charge transfer with O 2 at about 60% of the collision rate; we have also performed calculations that support the charge transfer pathway. The electrospray source is used to create Ba + , which is reacted with N 2 O to create BaO + , and we find a rate constant that agrees with the literature.

Description: A suitable charge-collector has been designed and developed to estimate charge-content of electron plasmas in a Small Aspect Ratio Toroidal Experiment in a C-shaped trap (SMARTEX-C). The electrons are periodically injected and held in the trap with the aid of electrostatic end-fields and a toroidal magnetic field. After a preset “hold” time, the trapped charges are dumped onto a grounded collector (by gating it). As the charges flow along the magnetic field lines onto the collector, the integrated current gives the charge-content of the plasma at the instant of dump. In designing such a charge collector, several challenges peculiar to the geometry of the trap and the nature of the plasma had to be addressed. Instantaneous charge measurements synchronised with the E × B drift of the plasma, along with fast transit times of electrons to the collector (few 100 ns or less) (due to the low aspect ratio of the trap) essentially require fast gating of the collector. The resulting large capacitive transients alongside low charge content (few nC) of such plasmas further lead to increasing demands on response and sensitivity of the collector. Complete cancellation of such transients is shown to be possible, in principle, by including the return path in our measurement circuit but the “non-neutrality” of the plasma acts as a further impediment. Ultimately, appropriate shielding and measurement circuits allow us to (re)distribute the capacitance and delineate the paths of these currents, leading to effective cancellation of transients and marked improvement in sensitivity. Improved charge-collector has thus been used to successfully estimate the time evolution of total charge of the confined electron plasma in SMARTEX-C.

Description: Quartz Crystal Microbalance (QCM) is a widely used technique to characterize adsorption/desorption phenomena at the solid/liquid interface. However, the obtained adsorption/desorption kinetics curves are often not reproducible and present some noise and long term fluctuations. In this work, the accuracy of a commercial QCM to measure the adsorbed amount of polyelectrolytes and biological molecules was evaluated in terms of experimental QCM configurations with respect to quality, stability, and reproducibility of the measured data. Evaluation consisted in comparing the adsorption kinetics curves of the cationic polyelectrolyte poly(ethyleneimine) and the anionic 1,2-dipalmitoyl- sn -glycero-3-phospho-(1′- rac -glycerol) (sodium salt) liposomes, when setting the quartz crystal surface in stationary horizontal open, stationary horizontal closed, stationary vertical open, continuous vertical closed, and stationary vertical closed measuring configuration. For this last configuration, a new cell was designed and implemented. The analysis of the kinetics curves revealed that horizontal modes are more unstable when subjected to fostering noise due to the mechanical vibrations and lead to resonance frequency shift. This shift is caused by the measurement of non-adsorbed molecules which are deposited on the quartz crystal due to gravity force. The vertical modes proved to be more reproducible and reliable.

Description: A shock tube is usually used to excite the dynamic characteristics of the pressure sensor used in an aircraft. This paper proposes a novel estimation method for determining the dynamic characteristic parameters of the pressure sensor. A preprocessing operation based on Grey Model [GM(1,1)] and bootstrap method (BM) is employed to analyze the output of a calibrated pressure sensor under step excitation. Three sequences, which include the estimated value sequence, upper boundary, and lower boundary, are obtained. The processing methods on filtering and modeling are used to explore the three sequences independently. The optimal estimated, upper boundary, and lower boundary models are then established. The three models are solved, and a group of dynamic characteristic parameters corresponding to the estimated intervals are obtained. A shock tube calibration test consisting of two experiments is performed to validate the performance of the proposed method. The results show that the relative errors of the dynamic characteristic parameters of time and frequency domains do not exceed 9% and 10%, respectively. Moreover, the nominal and estimated values of the parameters fall into the estimated intervals limited by the upper and lower values.

Description: This paper presents a new configuration of H-bridge cascaded static synchronous compensator (STATCOM) based on auto disturbance rejection control and modulation wave shifting control intended for installation in industrial and utility power distribution systems. It proposes an improved controller that devotes itself not only to satisfying the requirement of dynamic reactive power compensation but also to achieving the balance of DC capacitor voltage. The new configuration is prominent in having no restriction on the number of power module. Simulation results show the proposed controller exhibits better performance in terms of response time and transient stability compared with the proportion integration controller. Two actual H-bridge cascaded STATCOMs are constructed at 10 kV, 2 MVA and 380 V, 6.5 kVA, respectively, and a series of verifications test are executed in 380 V, 6.5 kVA STATCOM experimental system. The experiment results further prove that H-bridge cascaded STATCOM with the proposed controller has excellent dynamic performance and strong robustness.

Description: Non-radioactive electron sources are of great interest in any application requiring the emission of electrons at atmospheric pressure, as they offer better control over emission parameters than radioactive electron sources and are not subject to legal restrictions. Recently, we published a simple electron source consisting only of a vacuum housing, a filament, and a single control grid. In this paper, we present improved control electronics that utilize this control grid in order to focus and defocus the electron beam, thus pulsing the electron emission at atmospheric pressure. This allows short emission pulses and excellent stability of the emitted electron current due to continuous control, both during pulsed and continuous operations. As an application example, this electron source is coupled to an ion mobility spectrometer. Here, the pulsed electron source allows experiments on gas phase ion chemistry (e.g., ion generation and recombination kinetics) and can even remove the need for a traditional ion shutter.

Description: Inverse mirror plasma experimental device has been designed and fabricated for detailed experimental investigation of phase mixing and wave breaking of plasma oscillation/wave. The device produces quiescent magnetized plasma over a wide operating range using multifilamentary source with low filament spacing in cusp geometry along with a flexible transition magnetic field region between the plasma source chamber and the main chamber. Argon plasma has been produced in the device over a wide pressure range from 1.7 × 10 −5 mbar to 9 × 10 −4 mbar, achieving plasma densities in the range of ∼10 9 cm −3 –10 12 cm −3 and temperatures in the range of ∼1.7 eV–5 eV. To fulfill a desired prerequisite of having quiescent plasma ( δn / n ≤ 1%) for realizing phase mixing of nonlinear plasma oscillation and other wave experiments, a quiescent magnetized plasma is obtained: typical quiescence, δn / n ∼ 0.5% at 10 −4 mbar and B main ∼ 1 kG. The potential of the multifilamentary plasma source has been experimentally explored using a flexible transition magnetic field and the usual control features of a filament discharge. Probe measurements reveal that the plasma to be axially and radially uniform, an excellent scenario for wave launching and studying its propagating and phase mixing characteristics.

Description: We demonstrate a system for picking of mid-infrared and terahertz (THz) radiation pulses from the free-electron laser (FEL) FELBE operating at a repetition rate of 13 MHz. Single pulses are reflected by a dense electron-hole plasma in a Ge slab that is photoexcited by amplified near-infrared (NIR) laser systems operating at repetition rates of 1 kHz and 100 kHz, respectively. The peak intensity of picked pulses is up to 400 times larger than the peak intensity of residual pulses. The required NIR fluence for picking pulses at wavelengths in the range from 5 μ m to 30 μ m is discussed. In addition, we show that the reflectivity of the plasma decays on a time scale from 100 ps to 1 ns dependent on the wavelengths of the FEL and the NIR laser. The plasma switch enables experiments with the FEL that require high peak power but lower average power. Furthermore, the system is well suited to investigate processes with decay times in the μs to ms regime, i.e., much longer than the 77 ns long pulse repetition period of FELBE.

Description: We describe the development, launch into space, and initial results from a prototype wide field-of-view soft X-ray imager that employs lobster-eye optics and targets heliophysics, planetary, and astrophysics science. The sheath transport observer for the redistribution of mass is the first instrument using this type of optics launched into space and provides proof-of-concept for future flight instruments capable of imaging structures such as the terrestrial cusp, the entire dayside magnetosheath from outside the magnetosphere, comets, the Moon, and the solar wind interaction with planetary bodies like Venus and Mars [Kuntz et al. , Astrophys. J. (in press)].

Description: We developed a robust and low-cost array of virtual Frisch-grid CdZnTe detectors coupled to a front-end readout application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) for spectroscopy and imaging of gamma rays. The array operates as a self-reliant detector module. It is comprised of 36 close-packed 6 × 6 × 15 mm 3 detectors grouped into 3 × 3 sub-arrays of 2 × 2 detectors with the common cathodes. The front-end analog ASIC accommodates up to 36 anode and 9 cathode inputs. Several detector modules can be integrated into a single- or multi-layer unit operating as a Compton or a coded-aperture camera. We present the results from testing two fully assembled modules and readout electronics. The further enhancement of the arrays’ performance and reduction of their cost are possible by using position-sensitive virtual Frisch-grid detectors, which allow for accurate corrections of the response of material non-uniformities caused by crystal defects.

Description: We demonstrate a novel high speed and multi-bit optical quantum random number generator by continuously measuring arrival time of photons with a common starting point. To obtain the unbiased and post-processing free random bits, the measured photon arrival time is converted into the sum of integral multiple of a fixed period and a phase time. Theoretical and experimental results show that the phase time is an independent and uniform random variable. A random bit extraction method by encoding the phase time is proposed. An experimental setup has been built and the unbiased random bit generation rate could reach 128 Mb/s, with random bit generation efficiency of 8 bits per detected photon. The random numbers passed all tests in the statistical test suite.

Description: This paper presents a method to reduce the vapor cell temperature error of the spin-exchange-relaxation-free (SERF) magnetometer. The fluctuation of cell temperature can induce variations of the optical rotation angle, resulting in a scale factor error of the SERF magnetometer. In order to suppress this error, we employ the variation of the probe beam absorption to offset the variation of the optical rotation angle. The theoretical discussion of our method indicates that the scale factor error introduced by the fluctuation of the cell temperature could be suppressed by setting the optical depth close to one. In our experiment, we adjust the probe frequency to obtain various optical depths and then measure the variation of scale factor with respect to the corresponding cell temperature changes. Our experimental results show a good agreement with our theoretical analysis. Under our experimental condition, the error has been reduced significantly compared with those when the probe wavelength is adjusted to maximize the probe signal. The cost of this method is the reduction of the scale factor of the magnetometer. However, according to our analysis, it only has minor effect on the sensitivity under proper operating parameters.

Description: Implementing nonlinear transmission line (NLTL) technology in the design of a high power microwave source has the benefits of producing a comparatively small and lightweight solid-state system where the emission frequency is easily tuned. Usually, smaller in physical size, single NLTLs may produce significantly less power than its vacuum based counterparts. However, combining individual NLTL outputs electrically or in free-space is an attractive solution to achieve greater output power. This paper discusses a method for aligning a four element NLTL antenna array with coaxial geometry using easily adjustable temporal delay lines. These delay lines, sometimes referred to as pulse shock lines or pulse sharpening lines, are placed serially in front of the main NLTL line. The propagation velocity in each delay line is set by the voltage amplitude of an incident pulse as well as the magnetic field bias. Each is adjustable although for the system described in this paper, the voltage is held constant while the bias is changed through applying an external DC magnetic field of varying magnitude. Three different ferrimagnetic materials are placed in the temporal delay line to evaluate which yields the greatest range of electrical delay with the least amount of variability from consecutive shots.

Description: The ASACUSA Micromegas Tracker (AMT; ASACUSA: Atomic Spectroscopy and Collisions Using Slow Antiprotons) was designed to be able to reconstruct antiproton-nucleon annihilation vertices in three dimensions. The goal of this device is to study antihydrogen formation processes in the ASACUSA cusp trap, which was designed to synthesise a spin-polarised antihydrogen beam for precise tests of Charge, Parity, and Time (CPT) symmetry invariance. This paper discusses the structure and technical details of an AMT detector built into such an environment, its data acquisition system and the first performance with cosmic rays.

Description: In this note, the effectiveness of voltage tap clipping technique was assessed in evaluating the electromechanical properties of high temperature superconductor (HTS) tapes in the aspect of practical device applications. In the four-probe transport I c measurement, instead of directly soldering the voltage lead wires onto the HTS samples, they were tapped to the sample by either just clipping or soldering them to the clips. This technique facilitated the simultaneous and repeated retained I c measurement test for multiple samples. Finally, the critical double bending diameter of HTS tapes and the electrical properties of jointed and striated coated conductor tapes could be easily determined.

Description: Obtaining accurate collector to emitter voltage measurements when characterizing high voltage silicon carbide (SiC) devices requires the ability to measure voltages in the range of zero to 10 V while the device is in the on-state and the ability to withstand ultra-high voltages while the device is in the off-state. This paper presents a specialized voltage probe capable of accurately measuring the aforementioned range. A comparison is made between the proposed probe and other commonly used high voltage probe alternatives in relation to high voltage SiC device testing. Testing of the probe was performed to ensure linearity, high accuracy, and high bandwidth.

Description: We developed a compact and light displacement sensor applicable to systems that require wide range motions of its sensing device. The proposed sensor utilized the optical pickup unit of the optical disk drive, which has been used applied to atomic force microscopy (AFM) because of its compactness and lightness as well as its high performance. We modified the structure of optical pickup unit and made the compact sensor driver attachable to a probe head of AFM to make large rotation. The feasibilities of the developed sensor for a general probe-moving measurement device and for probe-rotating AFM were verified. Moreover, a simple and precise measurement of alignment between centers of rotator and probe tip in probe-rotation AFM was experimentally demonstrated using the developed sensor.

Description: A novel method based on logarithmic derivative is introduced to analyze multi-lifetime decay. As the discharge voltage signal of a RC circuit is a special kind of multi-lifetime exponential decay, the logarithmic derivative method can be used to measure single capacitance and multiple capacitances. With the logarithmic derivative method, a log( t ) curve strongly peaked at precisely log( τ ) is obtained, where the lifetime τ equals to RC . In a measurement system, if the resistance R is known, then the capacitance under test can be calculated. A logarithmic derivative curve fitting method is also presented, which has better anti-noise capability than the method that simply finds the maximum data on the peak. The curve fitting method can also be used for multiple capacitors measurement. To measure small capacitances, a large enough time window of the measuring instrument is required. Based on a field programmable gate array and a high speed analog-to-digital converter, a measurement system is developed. This system can provide the 16-bit resolution with sampling rate up to 250 MHz, which has a large enough time window for measuring lifetime shorter than 10 −8 s. To reduce the amount of data needed to be stored and the noise due to the derivative treatment of transient data, the interpolation and noise-filter algorithms are employed. Experiments indicate that the logarithmic derivative method and system are suitable for the measurement of capacitances discharge and other exponential decay processes.

Description: High resolution electron energy loss spectroscopy (HREELS) is a powerful technique to probe vibrational and electronic excitations at surfaces. The dispersion relation of surface excitations, i.e., energy as a function of momentum, has in the past, been obtained by measuring the energy loss at a fixed angle (momentum) and then rotating sample, monochromator, or analyzer. Here, we introduce a new strategy for HREELS, utilizing a specially designed lens system with a double-cylindrical Ibach-type monochromator combined with a commercial VG Scienta hemispherical electron energy analyzer, which can simultaneously measure the energy and momentum of the scattered electrons. The new system possesses high angular resolution (

Description: Ambient pressure X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (APXPS) is a powerful spectroscopy tool that is inherently surface sensitive, elemental, and chemical specific, with the ability to probe sample surfaces under Torr level pressures. Herein, we describe the design of a new lab-based APXPS system with the ability to swap small volume analysis chambers. Ag 3d(5/2) analyses of a silver foil were carried out at room temperature to determine the optimal sample-to-aperture distance, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis spot size, relative peak intensities, and peak full width at half maximum of three different electrostatic lens modes: acceleration, transmission, and angular. Ag 3d(5/2) peak areas, differential pumping pressures, and pump performance were assessed under varying N 2 (g) analysis chamber pressures up to 20 Torr. The commissioning of this instrument allows for the investigation of molecular level interfacial processes under ambient vapor conditions in energy and environmental research.

Description: The synthetic aperture focusing technique (SAFT) with significant improvements in lateral resolution has been adapted for ultrasound imaging of multilayer objects. To apply SAFT to imaging of cylindrical objects such as solid axles or pipes with small diameter, exterior cylindrical scan is much preferred. In this paper, a frequency-domain algorithm is proposed for such cylindrical scan performed with an exterior rotating transducer. The algorithm is derived from Fourier-domain solutions to the waveequation in cylindrical coordinates, and then extended to the multilayer case. A simulation model for multilayer structure is established, and the algorithm is demonstrated for both simulated and experimental data. Compared with the raw images, the reconstructed images with proposed algorithm attain better lateral resolution for multilayer objects. It is shown that the attainable angular resolution for each layer is approximately consistent with that achieved in the single-layer case, as long as the transmission factors are approximately uniform within the divergence angle of the transducer. The performance of proposed algorithm is verified with experimental C-scan image and demonstrates that it is capable of improving the lateral resolution in both scanning directions.

Description: The extension of the detectable elemental range with Total Reflection X-ray Fluorescence (TXRF) analysis is a challenging task. In this paper, it is demonstrated how a TXRF spectrometer is modified to analyze elements from carbon to uranium. Based on the existing design of a vacuum TXRF spectrometer with a 12 specimen sample changer, the following components were renewed: the silicon drift detector with 20 mm 2 active area and having a special ultra-thin polymer window allowing the detection of elements from carbon upwards. Two exchangeable X-ray sources guarantee the efficient excitation of both low and high Z elements. These X-ray sources were two light-weighted easily mountable 35 W air-cooled low-power tubes with Cr and Rh anodes, respectively. The air cooled tubes and the Peltier-cooled detector allowed to construct a transportable tabletop spectrometer with compact dimensions, as neither liquid nitrogen cooling for the detector nor a water cooling circuit and a bulky high voltage generator for the X-ray tubes are required. Due to the excellent background conditions as a result of the TXRF geometry, detection limits of 150 ng for C, 12 ng for F, and 3.3 ng for Na have been obtained using Cr excitation in vacuum. For Rh excitation, the detection limits of 90 pg could be achieved for Sr. Taking 10 to 20 μl of sample volume, extrapolated detection limits in the ng/g (ppb) range are resulting in terms of concentration.

Description: The head positioning servo system in hard disk drive is implemented nowadays using a dual-stage actuator—the primary stage consisting of a voice coil motor actuator providing long range motion and the secondary stage controlling the position of the read/write head with fine resolution. Piezoelectric micro-actuator made of lead zirconate titanate (PZT) has been a popular choice for the secondary stage. However, PZT micro-actuator exhibits hysteresis—an inherent nonlinear characteristic of piezoelectric material. The advantage expected from using the secondary micro-actuator is somewhat lost by the hysteresis of the micro-actuator that contributes to tracking error. Hysteresis nonlinearity adversely affects the performance and, if not compensated, may cause inaccuracy and oscillation in the response. Compensation of hysteresis is therefore an important aspect for designing head-positioning servo system. This paper presents a new rate dependent model of hysteresis along with rigorous analysis and identification of the model. Parameters of the model are found using particle swarm optimization. Direct inverse of the proposed rate-dependent generalized Prandtl-Ishlinskii model is used as the hysteresis compensator. Effectiveness of the overall solution is underscored through experimental results.

Description: We present two facile time-of-flight (TOF) methods of detecting superfluid helium droplets and droplets with neutral dopants. Without an electron gun and with only a heated filament and pulsed electrodes, the electron impact ionization TOF mass spectrometer can resolve ionized helium clusters such as He 2 + and He 4 + , which are signatures of superfluid helium droplets. Without ionizing any helium atoms, multiphoton non-resonant laser ionization of CCl 4 doped in superfluid helium droplets at 266 nm generates complex cluster ions of dopant fragments with helium atoms, including (He) n C + , (He) n Cl + , and (He) n CCl + . Using both methods, we have characterized our cryogenic pulsed valve—the Even-Lavie valve. We have observed a primary pulse with larger helium droplets traveling at a slower speed and a rebound pulse with smaller droplets at a faster speed. In addition, the pickup efficiency of dopant is higher for the primary pulse when the nozzle temperature is higher than 13 K, and the total time duration of the doped droplet pulse is only on the order of 20 μ s. These results stress the importance of fast and easy characterization of the droplet beam for sensitive measurements such as electron diffraction of doped droplets.

Description: An analysis method for unfolding the spatially resolved wave-number spectrum and phase velocity from the 2D CO 2 laser phase contrast imaging system on the large helical device is described. This is based on the magnetic shear technique which identifies propagation direction from 2D spatial Fourier analysis of images detected by a 6 × 8 detector array. Because the strongest modes have wave-number at the lower end of the instrumental k range, high resolution spectral techniques are necessary to clearly resolve the propagation direction and hence the spatial distribution of fluctuations along the probing laser beam. Multiple-spatial point cross-correlation averaging is applied before calculating the spatial power spectrum. Different methods are compared, and it is found that the maximum entropy method (MEM) gives best results. The possible generation of artifacts from the over-narrowing of spectra are investigated and found not to be a significant problem. The spatial resolution Δ ρ (normalized radius) around the peak wave-number, for conventional Fourier analysis, is ∼0.5, making physical interpretation difficult, while for MEM, Δ ρ ∼ 0.1.

Description: Glare, glistenings, optical defects, dysphotopsia, and poor image quality are a few of the known deficiencies of intraocular lenses (IOLs). All of these optical phenomena are related to light scatter. However, the specific direction that light scatters makes a critical difference between debilitating glare and a slightly noticeable decrease in image quality. Consequently, quantifying the magnitude and direction of scattered light is essential to appropriately evaluate the safety and efficacy of IOLs. In this study, we introduce a full-angle scanning light scattering profiler (SLSP) as a novel approach capable of quantitatively evaluating the light scattering from IOLs with a nearly 360° view. The SLSP method can simulate in situ conditions by controlling the parameters of the light source including angle of incidence. This testing strategy will provide a more effective nonclinical approach for the evaluation of IOL light scatter.

Description: Streak cameras are now reaching sub-picosecond temporal resolution. In cumulative acquisition mode, this resolution does not entirely rely on the electronic or the vacuum tube performances but also on the light source characteristics. The light source, usually an actively mode-locked laser, is affected by phase and amplitude noises. In this paper, the theoretical effects of such noises on the synchronization of the streak system are studied in synchroscan and triggered modes. More precisely, the contribution of band-pass filters, delays, and time walk is ascertained. Methods to compute the resulting synchronization jitter are depicted. The results are verified by measurement with a streak camera combined with a Ti:Al 2 O 3 solid state laser oscillator and also a fiber oscillator.

Description: We present a scanning transmission x-ray microscopy setup combined with a novel microwave synchronization scheme for studying high frequency magnetization dynamics at synchrotron light sources. The sensitivity necessary to detect small changes in the magnetization on short time scales and nanometer spatial dimensions is achieved by combining the excitation mechanism with single photon counting electronics that is locked to the synchrotron operation frequency. Our instrument is capable of creating direct images of dynamical phenomena in the 5-10 GHz range, with high spatial resolution. When used together with circularly polarized x-rays, the above capabilities can be combined to study magnetic phenomena at microwave frequencies, such as ferromagnetic resonance (FMR) and spin waves. We demonstrate the capabilities of our technique by presenting phase resolved images of a ∼6 GHz nanoscale spin wave generated by a spin torque oscillator, as well as the uniform ferromagnetic precession with ∼0.1° amplitude at ∼9 GHz in a micrometer-sized cobalt strip.

Description: Non-contact imaging techniques are preferred in ophthalmology. Corneal disease is one of the leading causes of blindness worldwide, and a possible way of detection is by analyzing the shape and optical quality of the cornea. Here, a simple and cost-effective, non-contact optical probe system is proposed and illustrated. The probe possesses high spatial resolutions and is non-dependent on coupling medium, which are significant for a clinician and patient friendly investigation. These parameters are crucial, when considering an imaging system for the objective diagnosis and management of corneal diseases. The imaging of the cornea is performed on ex vivo porcine samples and subsequently on small laboratory animals, in vivo . The clinical significance of the proposed study is validated by performing imaging of the New Zealand white rabbit’s cornea infected with Pseudomonas .

Description: A new and accurate method for the thermal characterization of thermoelectric liquids is proposed. The experiment is based on a self-generated voltage due to the Seebeck effect. This voltage is provided by the sample when one of its two faces is thermally excited using a modulated laser. The sample used is tetradodecylammonium nitrate salt/1-octanol mixture, with high Seebeck coefficient. The thermal properties of the used sample (thermal diffusivity, effusivity, and conductivity) are found and compared to those obtained by other photothermal techniques. In addition to this, a study of the electrolyte thermal parameters with the variation of tetradodecylammonium nitrate concentration was also carried out. This new method is promising due to its accuracy and its simplicity.

Description: For thermogravimetric analysis, it has been shown that, depending on the type of sample container, different kinetic results could be obtained despite regarding the same reaction under constant conditions. This is due to limiting macrokinetic effects which are strongly dependant on the type of sample carrying system. This prompted the need for sample containers which deliver results minimally limited by diffusive mass transport. In this way, two container systems were developed, both characterized by a forced flow stream through a solid, porous bed: one from bottom to top (counter-current flow) and one from top to bottom (co-current flow). Optical test measurements were performed, the results indicating that reaction proceedings are almost fully independent of the geometrical shape of the sample containers. The Boudouard reaction was investigated with a standard crucible and the new developed systems; the reaction rates determined differed significantly, up to a factor of 6.2 at 1373 K.

Description: A robust, compact optical measurement unit for motion measurement in micro-cantilever arrays enables development of portable micro-cantilever sensors. This paper reports on an optical beam deflection-based system to measure the deflection of micro-cantilevers in an array that employs a single laser source, a single detector, and a resonating reflector to scan the measurement laser across the array. A strategy is also proposed to extract the deflection of individual cantilevers from the acquired data. The proposed system and measurement strategy are experimentally evaluated and demonstrated to measure motion of multiple cantilevers in an array.

Description: Measuring spontaneous polarization and permanent dipoles on surfaces and interfaces on the nanoscale is difficult because the induced electrostatic fields and potentials are often influenced by other phenomena such as the existence of monopole fixed charges, screening charges, and contact potential differences. A method based on tip-sample capacitance detection and bias feedback is proposed which is only sensitive to polarization- or dipole-induced potentials, unlike Kelvin probe force microscopy. The feasibility of this method was demonstrated by simultaneously measuring topography and polarization-induced potentials on a reconstructed Si(111)-(7 × 7) surface with atomic resolution.

Description: Tri-methyl-indium (TMI) is used as an indium transport molecule to introduce indium atoms to reactive hot gas flows/combustion environments for spectroscopic diagnostics. A seeding system was constructed to allow the addition of an inert TMI laden carrier gas into an air/fuel mixture burning consequently on a burner. The amount of the seeded TMI in the carrier gas can be readily varied by controlling the vapor pressure through the temperature of the container. The seeding process was calibrated using the fluorescent emission intensity from the indium 6 2 S 1/2 → 5 2 P 1/2 and 6 2 S 1/2 → 5 2 P 3/2 transitions as a function of the calculated TMI seeding concentration over a range of 2–45 ppm. The response was found to be linear over the range 3–22.5 ppm; at concentrations above 25 ppm there is a loss of linearity attributable to self-absorption or loss of saturation of TMI vapor pressure in the carrier gas flow. When TMI was introduced into a post-combustion environment via an inert carrier gas, molecular transition from InH and InOH radicals were observed in the flame emission spectrum. Combined laser-induced fluorescence and absorption spectroscopy were applied to detect indium atoms in the TMI seeded flame and the measured atomic indium concentration was found to be at the ppm level. This method of seeding organometallic vapor like TMI to a reactive gas flow demonstrates the feasibility for quantitative spectroscopic investigations that may be applicable in various fields, e.g., chemical vapor deposition applications or temperature measurement in flames with two-line atomic fluorescence.

Description: An improved analogue front-end for measuring the high state of trapezoidal voltage pulses with transition duration of 3 μ s is presented. A new measurement system, composed by a front-end and the state-of-the-art acquisition board NI PXI-5922, has been realized with improved Common Mode Rejection Ratio ( CMRR ) of more than 87 dB at DC and 3-sigma stability of ±0.65 ppm over 1 day. After highlighting the main design enhancements with respect to state-of-the-art solutions, the CMRR measurement is reported. The output drift due to temperature and humidity is assessed to be negligible. Finally, the worst-case repeatability is measured both with shorted-to-ground inputs and with an applied common-mode voltage of 10 V, which represents the nominal working condition.

Description: A photodetection system with an optical-feedback circuit accompanied by current amplification was fabricated to minimize the drawbacks associated with a transimpedance amplifier (TIA) with a very high resistance feedback resistor. Current amplification was implemented by extracting an output light from the same light source that emitted the feedback light. The current gain corresponds to the ratio of the photocurrent created by the output light to that created by the feedback light because the feedback current value is identical to the input photocurrent value generated by an input light to be measured. The current gain has no theoretical limit. The output light was detected by a photodiode with a TIA having a small feedback resistance. The expression for the input-referred noise current of the optical-feedback photodetection system was derived, and the trade-off between sensitivity and response, which is a characteristic of TIA, was found to considerably improve. An optical-feedback photodetection system with an InGaAs pin photodiode was fabricated. The measured noise equivalent power of the system was 1.7 fW/Hz 1/2 at 10 Hz and 1.3 μ m, which is consistent with the derived expression. The time response of the system was found to deteriorate with decreasing photocurrent. The 50% rise time for a light pulse input increased from 3.1 μ s at a photocurrent of 10 nA to 15 μ s at photocurrents below 10 pA. The bandwidth of the input-referred noise current was 7 kHz, which is consistent with rise times below 10 pA.

Description: We present a newly designed compact grating spectrometer for the energy range from 210 eV to 1250 eV, which would include the Kα 1,2 emission lines of vital elements like C, N, and O. The spectrometer is based on a grazing incidence spherical varied line spacing grating with 2400 l/mm at its center and a radius of curvature of 58 542 mm. First, results show a resolving power of around 1000 at an energy of 550 eV and a working spectrometer for high vacuum (10 −4 mbar) environment without losing photon intensity.

Description: An Adaptable Multiple Power Source (AMPS) system has been designed and constructed. The AMPS system can provide up to 16 direct current (DC) (±400 V; 5 mA), 4 radio frequency (RF) (two 500 V PP sinusoidal signals each, 0.5-5 MHz) channels, 2 high voltage sources (±6 kV), and one ∼40 W, 250 °C temperature-regulated heater. The system is controlled by a microcontroller, capable of communicating with its front panel or a computer. It can assign not only pre-saved fixed DC and RF signals but also profiled DC voltages. The AMPS system is capable of driving many mass spectrometry components and ancillary devices and can be adapted to other instrumentation/engineering projects.

Description: This paper investigates the stiffness modeling of compliant parallel mechanism (CPM) based on the matrix method. First, the general compliance matrix of a serial flexure chain is derived. The stiffness modeling of CPMs is next discussed in detail, considering the relative positions of the applied load and the selected displacement output point. The derived stiffness models have simple and explicit forms, and the input, output, and coupling stiffness matrices of the CPM can easily be obtained. The proposed analytical model is applied to the stiffness modeling and performance analysis of an XY parallel compliant stage with input and output decoupling characteristics. Then, the key geometrical parameters of the stage are optimized to obtain the minimum input decoupling degree. Finally, a prototype of the compliant stage is developed and its input axial stiffness, coupling characteristics, positioning resolution, and circular contouring performance are tested. The results demonstrate the excellent performance of the compliant stage and verify the effectiveness of the proposed theoretical model. The general stiffness models provided in this paper will be helpful for performance analysis, especially in determining coupling characteristics, and the structure optimization of the CPM.

Description: We describe the design and testing of a point contact tunneling spectroscopy device that can measure material surface superconducting properties (i.e., the superconducting gap Δ and the critical temperature T C ) and density of states over large surface areas with size up to mm 2 . The tip lateral (X,Y) motion, mounted on a (X,Y,Z) piezo-stage, was calibrated on a patterned substrate consisting of Nb lines sputtered on a gold film using both normal (Al) and superconducting (PbSn) tips at 1.5 K. The tip vertical (Z) motion control enables some adjustment of the tip-sample junction resistance that can be measured over 7 orders of magnitudes from a quasi-ohmic regime (few hundred Ω) to the tunnel regime (from tens of kΩ up to few GΩ). The low noise electronic and LabVIEW program interface are also presented. The point contact regime and the large-scale motion capabilities are of particular interest for mapping and testing the superconducting properties of macroscopic scale superconductor-based devices.

Description: We present a simple and versatile polarimeter for x rays in the energy range of 10–30 keV. It uses Compton scattering in low-Z materials such as beryllium or boron carbide. The azimuthal distribution of the scattered x rays is sampled by an array of 12 silicon PIN diodes operated at room temperature. We evaluated the polarimetry performance using Monte-Carlo simulations and show experimental results.

Description: The precision of melting curve measurements using laser-heated diamond anvil cell (LHDAC) is largely limited by the correct and reliable determination of the onset of melting. We present a novel image analysis of speckle interference patterns in the LHDAC as a way to define quantitative measures which enable an objective determination of the melting transition. Combined with our low-temperature customized IR pyrometer, designed for measurements down to 500 K, our setup allows studying the melting curve of materials with low melting temperatures, with relatively high precision. As an application, the melting curve of Te was measured up to 35 GPa. The results are found to be in good agreement with previous data obtained at pressures up to 10 GPa.

Description: The microdefects of structure frequently act as the source to generate initial cracks and lead to the fracture failure. Study on the deformation behaviors of embedded defects would be conducive to better understand the failure mechanisms of structural materials. Micro-indentation technique was applied to prepare the initial indentations as embedded surface defects at the gauge length section and central section of a cross-shaped AZ31B magnesium alloy specimen. A novel in situ biaxial tensile device was developed to apply the synchronous biaxial loads. Via the observation by an optical microscope with three-dimensional imaging and measurement functions, the changing laws of the indentation topographies under uniaxial and biaxial tensile loads were discussed. Compared with the gauge length section, the increasing trend of the indentation length of the central section was relatively flat, and the decreasing trend of the indentation depth was more significant. The changes of indentation topographies were explained by the Poisson effect, and the significant plastic tensile stress has led to the releasing of the residual stress around the indentation location and also promoted the planarization of the pileup.

Description: To study the dissemination stability and phase noise characteristics of the cascaded fiber-based RF dissemination, we perform an experiment using three sets of RF modulated frequency dissemination systems. The experimental results show that the total transfer stability of the cascaded system can be given by σ T 2 = ∑ i = 1 N σ i 2 ( σ i is the frequency dissemination stability of the i th segment and N is the quantity of segments). Furthermore, for each segment, the phase noise of recovered frequency signal is also measured. The results show that for an N -segment, cascaded dissemination system, its stability degrades only by a factor of N . This sub-linear relation makes the cascaded, RF-dissemination method a very attractive one for long-haul, time and frequency dissemination network.

Description: We present an industry-relevant, large-scale, ultra-high vacuum (UHV) magnetron sputtering and cathodic arc deposition system purposefully designed for time-resolved in situ thin film deposition/annealing studies using high-energy (〉50 keV), high photon flux (〉10 12 ph/s) synchrotron radiation. The high photon flux, combined with a fast-acquisition-time (

Description: An apparatus which enables the simultaneous combination of three complementary imaging techniques, optical imaging, fluorescence imaging, and neutron radiography, is presented. While each individual technique can provide information on certain aspects of the sample and their time evolution, a combination of the three techniques in one setup provides a more complete and consistent data set. The setup can be used in transmission and reflection modes and thus with optically transparent as well as opaque samples. Its capabilities are illustrated with two examples. A polymer hydrogel represents a transparent sample and the diffusion of fluorescent particles into and through this polymer matrix is followed. In reflection mode, the absorption of solvent by a nile red-functionalized mesoporous silica powder and the corresponding change in fluorescent signal are studied.

Description: This paper develops a simple miniature magnetoelectric (ME) laminate FeCuNbSiB/PZT-stack made up of magnetostrictive Fe 73.5 Cu 1 Nb 3 Si 13.5 B 9 (FeCuNbSiB) foils and piezoelectric Pb(Zr, Ti)O 3 (PZT) multilayer stack vibrator. Resonant ME interactions of FeCuNbSiB/PZT-stack with different layers of FeCuNbSiB foil (L) are investigated in detail. The experimental results show that the ME voltage coefficient reaches maximum value of 141.5 (V/cm Oe) for FeCuNbSiB/PZT-stack with L = 6. The AC-magnetic sensitivities can reach 524.29 mV/Oe and 1.8 mV/Oe under resonance 91.6 kHz and off-resonance 1 kHz, respectively. The FeCuNbSiB/PZT-stack can distinguish small dc-magnetic field of ∼9 nT. The results indicate that the proposed ME composites are very promising for the cheap room-temperature magnetic field sensing technology.

Description: Electron cyclotron resonance ion source (ECRIS) plasmas are prone to kinetic instabilities due to anisotropic electron velocity distribution. The instabilities are associated with strong microwave emission and periodic bursts of energetic electrons escaping the magnetic confinement. The instabilities explain the periodic ms-scale oscillation of the extracted beam current observed with several high performance ECRISs and restrict the parameter space available for the optimization of extracted beam currents of highly charged ions. Experiments with the JYFL 14 GHz ECRIS have demonstrated that due to the instabilities the optimum B min -field is less than 0.8 B ECR , which is the value suggested by the semiempirical scaling laws guiding the design of ECRISs.

Description: We present the original approach to use plasma accelerators with closed electron drift (Hall-type ion sources), which, unlike traditional accelerators with metal and dielectric walls, have open walls and can be applied for creation cost effective low maintenance plasma devices based on plasma lens configuration for production of converging towards axis accelerated ion beams. The paper describes pilot sample of Hall-type plasma accelerator, the first experimental results, one-dimensional theoretical model, and exact analytical solutions following from it.

Description: To demonstrate a Mixed Axial and Radial field System (MARS) as the best magnet scheme for future ECRISs, MARS-D, a demonstrative ECRIS using a NbTi MARS magnet is progressing at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. An optimized MARS design can use either NbTi or Nb 3 Sn coils with reduced engineering complexities to construct the needed high-field magnets. The optimized magnet design could enhance MARS-D to a next generation ECRIS by producing minimum-B field maxima of 5.6 T axially and 3.2 T radially for operating frequencies up to 45 GHz. In-progress test winding has achieved a milestone demonstrating the fabrication feasibility of a MARS closed-loop coil.

Description: Multi-slit triode ion-optical systems with spherical electrodes are of interest for formation of intense focused neutral beams for plasma heating. At present, two versions of focusing multi-slit triode ion optical system are developed. The first ion optical system forms the proton beam with 15 keV energy, 140 A current, and 30 ms duration. The second ion optical system is intended for heating neutral beam injector of Tokamak Configuration Variable (TCV). The injector produces focused deuterium neutral beam with 35 keV energy, 1 MW power, and 2 s duration. In the later case, the angular beam divergence of the neutral beam is 20-22 mrad in the direction across the slits of the ion optical system and 12 mrad in the direction along the slits.

Description: A radio frequency (RF) ion source was designed and developed for neutral beam injector. A RF driver test bed was used with a RF generator with maximum power of 25 kW with 1 MHz frequency and a matching box. In order to study the characteristic of RF plasma generation, the capacitance in the matching box was adjusted with different cases. The results show that lower capacitance will better the stability of the plasma with higher RF power. In the future, new RF coils and matching box will be developed for plasma generators with higher RF power of 50 kW.

Description: The positive ion based source with a hot cathode based arc chamber and a tetrode accelerator was employed for a neutral beam injector on the experimental advanced superconducting tokamak (EAST). Four ion sources were developed and each ion source has produced 4 MW @ 80 keV hydrogen beam on the test bed. 100 s long pulse operation with modulated beam has also been tested on the test bed. The accelerator was upgraded from circular shaped to diamond shaped in the latest two ion sources. In the latest campaign of EAST experiment, four ion sources injected more than 4 MW deuterium beam with beam energy of 60 keV into EAST.

Description: Dynamic tunneling force microscopy (DTFM) is a scanning probe technique for real space mapping and characterization of individual electronic trap states in non-conductive films with atomic scale spatial resolution. The method is based upon the quantum mechanical tunneling of a single electron back and forth between a metallic atomic force microscopy tip and individual trap states in completely non-conducting surface. This single electron shuttling is measured by detecting the electrostatic force induced on the probe tip at the shuttling frequency. In this paper, the physical basis for the DTFM method is unfolded through a physical model and a derivation of the dynamic tunneling signal as a function of several experimental parameters is shown. Experimental data are compared with the theoretical simulations, showing quantitative consistency and verifying the physical model used. The experimental system is described and representative imaging results are shown.

Description: A method of tomographic reconstruction of the neutron emissivity in the poloidal cross section of the Joint European Torus (JET, Culham, UK) tokamak was developed. Due to very limited data set (two projection angles, 19 lines of sight only) provided by the neutron emission profile monitor (KN3 neutron camera), the reconstruction is an ill-posed inverse problem. The aim of this work consists in making a contribution to the development of reliable plasma tomography reconstruction methods that could be routinely used at JET tokamak. The proposed method is based on Phillips-Tikhonov regularization and incorporates a priori knowledge of the shape of normalized neutron emissivity profile. For the purpose of the optimal selection of the regularization parameters, the shape of normalized neutron emissivity profile is approximated by the shape of normalized electron density profile measured by LIDAR or high resolution Thomson scattering JET diagnostics. In contrast with some previously developed methods of ill-posed plasma tomography reconstruction problem, the developed algorithms do not include any post-processing of the obtained solution and the physical constrains on the solution are imposed during the regularization process. The accuracy of the method is at first evaluated by several tests with synthetic data based on various plasma neutron emissivity models (phantoms). Then, the method is applied to the neutron emissivity reconstruction for JET D plasma discharge #85100. It is demonstrated that this method shows good performance and reliability and it can be routinely used for plasma neutron emissivity reconstruction on JET.

Description: In many applications, especially those involving scientific instrumentation data with a large experimental error, it is often necessary to carry out linear regression in the presence of severe outliers which may adversely affect the results. Robust regression methods do exist, but they are much more computationally intensive, making it difficult to apply them in real-time scenarios. In this work, we resort to graphics processing unit (GPU)-based computing to carry out robust regression in a time-sensitive application. We illustrate the results and the performance gains obtained by parallelizing one of the most common robust regression methods, namely, least median of squares. Although the method has a complexity of O ( n 3 log n ), with GPU computing, it is possible to accelerate it to the point that it becomes usable within the required time frame. In our experiments, the input data come from a plasma diagnostic system installed at Joint European Torus, the largest fusion experiment in Europe, but the approach can be easily transferred to other applications.

Description: Fiber-based interferometers provide the means to sense very small displacements over long baselines, and have the advantage of being nearly completely passive in their operation, making them particularly well suited for geophysical applications. A new 250 m, interferometric vertical borehole strainmeter has been developed based completely on passive optical components. Details of the design and deployment at the Piñon Flat Observatory are presented. Power spectra show an intertidal noise level of −130 dB (re. 1 ϵ 2 /Hz), consistent within 1–3 dB between redundant components. Examination of its response to Earth tides and earthquakes relative to the areal strain recorded by an orthogonal pair of collocated, 730 m horizontal laser strainmeters yield a Poisson’s ratio for local near surface material of 0.25 that is consistent with previous results.

Description: A metrology and data analysis protocol is described for high throughput determination of thermochromic metal-insulator phase diagrams for lightly substituted VO 2 thin films. The technique exploits the abrupt change in near infrared optical properties, measured in reflection, as an indicator of the temperature- or impurity-driven metal-insulator transition. Transition metal impurities were introduced in a complementary combinatorial synthesis process for producing thin film libraries with the general composition space V 1−x−y M x M ′ y O 2 , with M and M′ being transition metals and x and y varying continuously across the library. The measurement apparatus acquires reflectance spectra in the visible or near infrared at arbitrarily many library locations, each with a unique film composition, at temperatures of 1 °C–85 °C. Data collection is rapid and automated; the measurement protocol is computer controlled to automate the collection of thousands of reflectance spectra, representing hundreds of film compositions at tens of different temperatures. A straightforward analysis algorithm is implemented to extract key information from the thousands of spectra such as near infrared thermochromic transition temperatures and regions of no thermochromic transition; similarly, reflectance to the visible spectrum generates key information for materials selection of smart window materials. The thermochromic transition for 160 unique compositions on a thin film library with the general formula V 1−x−y M x M ′ y O 2 can be measured and described in a single 20 h experiment. The resulting impurity composition–temperature phase diagrams will contribute to the understanding of metal-insulator transitions in doped VO 2 systems and to the development of thermochromic smart windows.

Description: At iThemba Laboratory for Accelerator Based Sciences (iThemba LABS) an electron cyclotron ion source was installed and commissioned. This source is a copy of the Grenoble Test Source (GTS) for the production of highly charged ions. The source is similar to the GTS-LHC at CERN and named GTS2. A collaboration between the Accelerators and Beam Physics Group of CERN and the Accelerator and Engineering Department of iThemba LABS was proposed in which the development of high intensity argon and xenon beams is envisaged. In this paper, we present beam experiments with the GTS2 at iThemba LABS, in which the results of continuous wave and afterglow operation of xenon ion beams with oxygen as supporting gases are presented.

Description: We demonstrate a novel approach for the extension of self-referenced spectral interferometry to the temporal characterization of few-optical cycle pulses. The new experimental setup is characterized by low dispersion and a collinear geometry. 4-fs pulses have been characterized by performing single-shot measurements, with high dynamic range on a broad temporal region. An independent measurement of the pulse duration, obtained by using attosecond streaking, allowed us to cross-check the experimental technique.

Description: Indus-2 storage ring is a 2.5 GeV third generation synchrotron radiation source. This source was commissioned using a moderate optics. Beam injection was accomplished using an off momentum electron beam to avoid difficulties faced in storage of beam at 550 MeV. The injection procedure and relevant beam dynamical studies are discussed. The switch over from the moderate optics to low emittance optics is done at 2.5 GeV after storing the electron beam. The procedure evolved to reduce the beam emittance and its implementation during the operation is discussed.

Description: Imaging plates (IPs) are commonly used as passive detectors in laser-plasma experiments. We calibrated at the ELSA electron beam facility (CEA DIF) the five different available types of IPs (namely, MS-SR-TR-MP-ND) to electrons from 5 to 18 MeV. In the context of diagnostic development for the PETawatt Aquitaine Laser (PETAL), we investigated the use of stacks of IP in order to increase the detection efficiency and get detection response independent from the neighboring materials such as X-ray shielding and detector supports. We also measured fading functions in the time range from a few minutes up to a few days. Finally, our results are systematically compared to GEANT4 simulations in order to provide a complete study of the IP response to electrons over the energy range relevant for PETAL experiments.