No abstract

Composite glasses containing different metal nanoclusters were obtained by implanting copper, nickel, or copper+nickel ions in SiO2 glass. The nonlinear refractive index of the composites was determined by the Z-scan method at a wavelength of 770 nm and with a laser pulse duration of 130 fs. Values of n(2) up to 0.68 cm(2) gW(-1) were measured in the case of the Cu+Ni implanted sample

Fused silica plates were implanted with Co ions at room temperature at the energy of 50 keV and to the fluence of 4×1016 ions cm−2. The formation of metal nanoclusters was observed by transmission electron microscopy. The cluster size distribution is narrow with a mean-diameter value of about 3 nm. Atomic in-depth distribution was determined by Rutherford backscattering spectrometry, whereas the cobalt chemical state was characterized by electron spectroscopies. Nonlinear refractive index n2 is of the order of 0.2 cm2 G W−1, as determined by the Z-scan technique at a wavelength of 770 nm for 130 fs long pulses at a 76 MHz repetition rate. Zero-field-cooled and field-cooled magnetization curves at the liquid-helium temperature exhibit features of superparamagnetic behavior that are characteristic of assemblies of single-domain nanoparticles.

The results of an experimental study of ultraviolet photoionization produced by a corona discharge in CO2 laser gases are reported. The influence of corona discharge physical and electrical parameters on the produced photoelectron density is investigated so that an optimized design of these types of photoionization sources can be achieved.

A generalized study has been done of the transmission characteristics of a Fabry-Perot interferometer (FPI) illuminated by a Gaussian light beam impinging on it at normal and non-normal incidence. The theoretical approach is based on a plane-wave, angular-spectrum representation of both the incident Gaussian beam and the transmitted beam. Expressions are obtained for the FPI instrumental function and for the spatial distribution of the transmitted beam. Numerical results are presented for the FPI maximum transmission, effective finesse, and spectral displacement of the interference maximum.