Aqueous mineral carbonation of three different industrial steel slags: Absorption capacities and product characterization.

Heavy carbon industries produce solid side stream materials that contain inorganic chemicals like Ca, Na, or Mg, and other metals such as Fe or Al. These inorganic compounds usually react efficiently with CO2 to form stable carbonates. Therefore, using these side streams instead of virgin chemicals to capture CO2 is an appealing approach to reduce CO2 emissions. Herein, we performed an experimental study of the mineral carbonation potential of three industrial steel slags via aqueous, direct carbonation. To this end, we studied the absorption capacities, reaction yields, and physicochemical characteristics of the carbonated samples. The absorption capacities and the reaction yields were analyzed through experiments carried out in a reactor specifically designed to work without external stirring. As for the physicochemical characterization, we used solid-state Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and scanning electron microscope (SEM). Using this reactor, the absorption capacities were between 5.8 and 35.3 g/L and reaction yields were in the range of 81-211 kg CO2/ton of slag. The physicochemical characterization of the solid products with solid FTIR, XRD and SEM indicated the presence of CaCO3. This suggests that there is potential to use the carbonated products in commercial applications.

Phase-quadrature quantum imaging with undetected photons.

Sensing with undetected photons allows access to spectral regions with simultaneous detection of photons of another region and is based on nonlinear interferometry. To obtain the full information of a sample, the corresponding interferogram has to be analyzed in terms of amplitude and phase, which has been realized so far by multiple measurements followed by phase variation. Here, we present a polarization-optics-based phase-quadrature implementation in a nonlinear interferometer for imaging with undetected photons in the infrared region. This allows us to obtain phase and visibility with a single image acquisition without the need of varying optical paths or phases, thus enabling the detection of dynamic processes. We demonstrate the usefulness of our method on a static phase mask opaque to the detected photons as well as on dynamic measurement tasks as the drying of an isopropanol film and the stretching of an adhesive tape.

Spontaneous parametric down-conversion of photons at 660 nm to the terahertz and sub-terahertz frequency range: erratum.

In this erratum, we correct two typing errors from our previously published manuscript [Opt. Express27, 7458 (2019)10.1364/OE.27.007458]. In the original manuscript, the two errors were limited to the theoretical derivation and did not touch the numerical calculations such that the results and conclusions remain unchanged.

Terahertz detection by upconversion to the near-infrared using picosecond pulses.

The detection of terahertz photons by using silicon-based devices enabled by visible photons is one of the fundamental ideas of quantum optics. Here, we present a classical detection principle using optical upconversion of terahertz photons to the near-infrared spectral range in the picosecond pulse regime, which finally enables the detection with a conventional sCMOS camera. By superimposing terahertz and optical pump pulses in a periodically poled lithium-niobate crystal, terahertz photons at 0.87 THz are converted to optical photons with wavelengths close to the central pump wavelength of 776 nm. A tunable delay between the pulses helps overlap the pulses and enables time-of-flight measurements. Using a sCMOS camera, we achieve a dynamic range of 47.8 dB with a signal to noise ratio of 23.5 dB at a measurement time of one second, in our current setup.

Terahertz quantum sensing.

Quantum sensing is highly attractive for accessing spectral regions in which the detection of photons is technically challenging: Sample information is gained in the spectral region of interest and transferred via biphoton correlations into another spectral range, for which highly sensitive detectors are available. This is especially beneficial for terahertz radiation, where no semiconductor detectors are available and coherent detection schemes or cryogenically cooled bolometers have to be used. Here, we report on the first demonstration of quantum sensing in the terahertz frequency range in which the terahertz photons interact with a sample in free space and information about the sample thickness is obtained by the detection of visible photons. As a first demonstration, we show layer thickness measurements with terahertz photons based on biphoton interference. As nondestructive layer thickness measurements are of high industrial relevance, our experiments might be seen as a first step toward industrial quantum sensing applications.

Spontaneous parametric down-conversion of photons at 660 nm to the terahertz and sub-terahertz frequency range.

We report on spontaneous parametric down-conversion (SPDC) in periodically poled lithium niobate (PPLN) using 660 nm pump wavelength and the type 0 phase-matching condition to the terahertz and even sub-terahertz frequency range. Detection of the frequency-shifted signal photons is achieved by using highly efficient and narrowband volume Bragg gratings and an uncooled sCMOS camera. The acquired frequency-angular spectrum shows backward and forward generation of terahertz and sub-terahertz photons by SPDC, as well as up-conversion and higher order quasi phase-matching (QPM). The frequency-angular spectrum is theoretically calculated using a Monte-Carlo integration scheme showing a high agreement with the measurement. This work is one important step toward quantum sensing and imaging in the terahertz and sub-terahertz frequency range.