367 results about "Second-harmonic generation" patented technology

A capacitive microfabricated ultrasonic transducer (cMUT) is operated to improve its performance during harmonic imaging in non-linear media, such as in contrast agents or in human tissue. The cMUT is operated by inverting the transmit waveform to adjacently spaced azimuth elements, and combining at least two additional firings without adjacent inversion, for each transmit vector, thereby canceling the second harmonic generation of the cMUT; and thus, the performance of harmonic imaging using the cMUTs can achieve improvement.

Entanglement-based QKD systems and methods with active phase tracking and stabilization are disclosed. The method includes generating in an initial state-preparation stage (Charlie) pairs of coherent photons (P1) at a first wavelength. Second harmonic generation and spontaneous parametric downconversion are used to generate entangled pairs of photons (P5) having the first wavelength—State detection stages (Alice and Bob) optically coupled to Charlie receive respective entangled photons from Charlie. The relative phase delays of the entangled photons are tracked using reference optical signals (P3) generated by Charlie and having the same wavelength as the entangled photons. Classical detectors (132A, 132B) detect the reference signals while single-photon detectors (130A, 130B) and a control unit (control unit C) generates an phase-correction signal that maintains the relative phases of the three phase delay loops (40, 100A,100B ) via adjustable phase-delay elements (MA, MB).

The present invention relates to an apparatus and methods for achieving phase-matching between various waves and/or modes by operation of a waveguide. Phase-matching between interacting waves is achieved by total internal reflection and transverse Bragg reflection waveguides. Using second harmonic generation in GaAs/AlGaAs as an example, properties are investigated and quantified such as nonlinear coupling efficiency, bandwidth, tunability, and limitations due to dispersion. The technique is advantageous when compared to alternate technologies, where it is particularly attractive as a material independent means to obtain ultra-low-loss nonlinear optical elements for monolithic integration with coherent light source and other active devices.

The present invention relates to methods for modulating a semiconductor laser and wavelength matching to a wavelength converter using monolithic micro-heaters integrated in the semiconductor laser. The present invention also relates to wavelength matching and stabilization in laser sources in general, without regard to whether the laser is modulated or whether second harmonic generation is utilized in the laser source. According to one embodiment of the present invention, a method of compensating for thermally induced patterning effects in a semiconductor laser is provided where the laser's heating element driving current I_H is set to a relatively high magnitude when the laser's driving current I_D is at a relatively low magnitude. Additional embodiments are disclosed and claimed.

A composition is disclosed which is capable of being used for detection, comprising an encapsulated noble metal nanocluster. Methods for preparing the encapsulated noble metal nanoclusters, and methods of using the encapsulated noble metal nanoclusters are also disclosed. In certain embodiments, the noble metal nanoclusters are encapsulated by a dendrimer, a peptide, a small organic or inorganic molecule, or an oligonucleotide. The encapsulated noble metal nanoclusters have a characteristic spectral emission, wherein said spectral emission is varied by controlling the nature of the encapsulating material, such as by controlling the size of the nanocluster, the generation of a dendrimer, the incorporation of a functional group, and wherein said emission is used to provide information about a biological state. The emission is selected from the group consisting of nanocluster fluorescence, multiphoton excited nanocluster fluorescence, Stokes or Anti-Stokes Raman emission from the encapsulating material, and second harmonic generation.

A system for diagnostically evaluating the health of tissue within the fundus of an eye includes a f s laser source, an adaptive optical assembly, an imaging unit, and a computer. The adaptive optical assembly focuses a laser beam to a focal point in the fundus of the eye, and scans the fundus tissue according to a predetermined scanning pattern. Illumination of anisotropic tissue within the fundus, such as the photoreceptors and the Henle-fiber layer, induces a Second Harmonic Generation (SHG) response. Red photons, with a wavelength (λ) of about 880 nm, are converted to blue photons, with a wavelength of λ/2, through the process of photon conversion. An imaging unit senses the blue photon return light, and uses the return light to generate an image of the fundus. The computer processes the image, and compares it to a template of healthy tissue to evaluate the health of the imaged tissue.

A harmonic generation/beam shaping system to generate a shaped beam having a harmonic relationship with a beam generated by a laser, including a first harmonic generation element and a second harmonic generation element arranged sequentially along an axial beam path extending between an input from the laser and an output of the harmonic generation/beam shaping system and at least two beam shaping elements located along the axial beam path. At least one of the least two beam shaping elements is located between the second harmonic generation element and the laser to transform the beam energy profile into a preferred profile to distribute the beam energy across a larger cross sectional area of at least one harmonic generation element or to reduce peaks in the energy distribution profile of the beam, or both, wherein the preferred profile may be a flat-top profile or a Bessel function profile.

A method and apparatus for determining the progressive potential of a disease is disclosed. The forward to backward propagating second harmonic generation signal derived from a second harmonic generation instrument is used to assess the collagen microstructure of imaged body tissue by way of numerical values that are in turn used to determine the progressive or metastatic potential of the disease. The disease may, for example, be a cancer such as breast cancer, lung fibrosis, colorectal adenocarcinoma, or the like. The apparatus may include in vivo instruments or laboratory diagnostic instruments with methods disclosed herein.

The invention relates to a multi-mode non-linear optical microscopy imaging method and device. The multi-mode non-linear optical microscopy imaging device mainly comprises a laser system, an optical scanning microscope and a non-linear optical signal detecting and acquiring system. The multi-mode non-linear optical microscopy imaging device can work in a single-laser-beam mode and a dual-laser-beam mode and can realize multi-mode non-linear optical microscopy imaging such as two-photon excited Fluorescence (TPEF) imaging, multiphoton high-order harmonic (such as second harmonic generation SHG, and third harmonic generation THG) scattering imaging, coherent Raman scattering (such as anti-Stokes CARS) microscopy imaging) on isolated biological tissues and living cells, so that various non-linear specific optical signals of biological tissue samples can be obtained in situ, so that the important basis is provided for the optical diagnosis and deep analysis of the samples. Besides, a reflection measurement manner disclosed by the invention can be further directly applied to the acquiring of various non-linear specific optical signals of live animals and the microscopy imaging.

The invention discloses a preparation method of a composite ZnO-mesoporous silica nanomaterial, namely a solvothermal in situ substitution method. The preparation method comprises the following steps of: uniformly mixing silicon-based molecular sieve powder, a ZnO precursor, a doping element and an organic solvent, adding the mixture into a high-pressure reaction kettle, and introducing a shielding gas to the reaction kettle for reaction; filtering the reaction mixture, washing, and drying to obtain dry powder; and heating and calcining the dry powder to obtain the composite ZnO-mesoporous silica nanomaterial. The composite ZnO-mesoporous silica nanomaterial prepared by the preparation method disclosed by the invention has the advantages of uniform ZnO loading, stable properties, excellent optical properties and catalytic properties and strong SHG (second harmonic generation) and TPL (two-photon luminescence) optical properties when used as an excellent catalyst for organic ester synthesis or as a laser nonlinear optical material, and is suitable for being prepared into a purple light-emitting material or a functional polymer additive. The preparation method disclosed by the invention has the advantages of wide and available raw materials, simplicity of operation and advantageous production cost.

A vertical external cavity surface emitting laser (VECSEL) in which the full-width at half maximum (FWHM) of laser light is reduced by two etalon filter layers to improve the efficiency of second harmonic (SHG) crystal is provided. The VECSEL includes: a laser chip for generating laser light; a first etalon filter layer formed on the laser chip; a second etalon filter layer that is formed on the first etalon filter layer and has a different refractive index than the first etalon filter layer; a first mirror separated from and disposed obliquely to the laser chip; a second mirror for reflecting the laser light reflected from the first mirror back to the first mirror to form a cavity with the laser chip; and an SHG crystal disposed along an optical path between the first and second mirrors and doubles the frequency of the laser light generated in the laser chip.

A pre-ionized medium created by a capillary discharge results in more efficient use of laser energy in high-order harmonic generation (HHG) from ions. It extends the cutoff photon energy, and reduces the distortion of the laser pulse as it propagates down the waveguide. The observed enhancements result from a combination of reduced ionization energy loss and reduced ionization-induced defocusing of the driving laser as well as waveguiding of the driving laser pulse. The discharge plasma also provides a means to spectrally tune the harmonics by tailoring the initial level of ionization of the medium.

A periodically poled second harmonic generating crystal having a long axis, said crystal comprising Magnesium Oxide doped Congruent Lithium Niobate, Magnesium Oxide doped Stoichiometric Lithium Niobate, Stoichiometric Lithium Tantalate or Potassium Titanyl Phosphate wherein the poling planes of said periodically poled crystal are canted relative to said axis and a doubled, external cavity laser utilizing said crystal, comprising an external cavity pump laser section and an extra-cavity frequency doubling section.

A method for non-invasively probing at least one interface property in a layered structure having at least one interface. In one embodiment, the method includes the steps of exposing the layered structure to an incident photon beam at an incident angle to produce a reflection beam, measuring intensities of the second harmonic generation signals from the reflection beam, and identifying an initial second harmonic generation intensity and a time evolution of second harmonic generation intensity from the measured second harmonic generation intensities so as to determine the at least one interface property of the layered structure.

The invention discloses a general loop current control method for a modular multi-level converter considering low frequency oscillation. The general loop current control method is mainly used for restraining a low frequency oscillation loop current and a second harmonic generation loop current in a bridge arm loop current of the modular multi-level converter. The relation between a bridge arm voltage and the bridge arm loop current is analyzed to obtain the oscillation frequency of the low frequency oscillation loop current of the converter so as to provide beneficial evidence for the design of a control system; the cut-off frequency of a low pass filter is set according to the calculated value of the oscillation frequency; the bridge arm loop current passes through the low pass filter to obtain a direct current component, and then the direct current component is subtracted by the bridge arm loop current to obtain an alternating component of the bridge arm loop current; the alternating component contains a harmonic component of the low frequency oscillation loop current and a harmonic component of the second harmonic generation loop current; the alternating component passes through a regulator to obtain a control reference voltage of the bridge arm loop current, and the control reference voltage is added to a modulating signal. By means of the general loop current control method, a low frequency oscillation component and a second harmonic generation component in the bridge arm loop current are simultaneously restrained, the loop current control system is simplified, split-phase control over the loop currents is realized, loss of the converter is lowered, and the dynamic stability of the system is enhanced.

A laser system provides harmonic generation in a laser beam pulse. In another aspect of the present invention, a laser operably remits a laser pulse, a gaseous optical medium operably creates third or greater harmonic generation in the pulse, and a controller characterizes and compensates for distortions in the pulse. A further aspect of the present invention employs multiple optical media arranged to cause cascading harmonic generations in a laser pulse.