Room temperature mid-infrared fiber lasing beyond 5 µm in chalcogenide glass small-core step index fiber.

This Letter, to the best of our knowledge, reports mid-infrared fiber lasing beyond 5 µm at room temperature for the first time, Ce3+-doped, chalcogenide glass, step index fiber employed in-band pumping with a 4.15 µm quantum cascade laser. The lasing fiber is was 64 mm long, with a calculated numerical aperture of 0.48 at the lasing wavelengths. The core glass was Ge15As21Ga1Se63 atomic % (at. %), doped with 500 parts-per-million-by-weight Ce, with a 9 µm core diameter. The cladding glass was Ge21Sb10Se69 at. % with a 190 µm outer diameter. As pump power increases continuous wave lasing corresponding to the 2F7/2→2F5/2, transition in the Ce3+ ion occurs at 5.14 µm, 5.17 µm, and 5.28 µm.

Modeling of resonantly pumped mid-infrared Pr3+-doped chalcogenide fiber amplifier with different pumping schemes.

We propose a model for resonantly pumped Pr3+-doped chalcogenide fiber amplifiers, which includes excited state absorption and the full spectral amplified spontaneous emission spanning from 2 µm to 6 µm. Based on this model, the observed near- and mid-infrared photoluminescence generated from Pr3+-doped chalcogenide fiber is explained. Then the output properties of a 4.1 µm resonantly pumped Pr3+-doped chalcogenide fiber amplifier are simulated in both co- and counter-pumping schemes. Results show that the 4.1 µm counter-pumped fiber amplifier can achieve a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of over 62.8% for signal wavelengths ranging from 4.5 µm to 5.3 µm. This is, to our best knowledge, the highest simulated PCE for a Pr3+-doped chalcogenide fiber amplifier.

Superior photoluminescence (PL) of Pr³âº-In, compared to Pr³âº-Ga, selenide-chalcogenide bulk glasses and PL of optically-clad fiber.

The photoluminescent-(PL)-properties of Pr³âº-ions in indium-containing selenide-chalcogenide bulk-glasses are found to be superior when compared with gallium-containing analogues. We observe circa doubling of mid-infrared (MIR) PL intensity from 3.5 to 6 µm for bulk glasses, pumped at 1.55 µm wavelength, and an increased excited state lifetime at 4.7 µm. PL is reported in optically-clad fiber. Ga addition is well known to enhance RE³âº solubility and PL behavior, and is believed to form ([RE³âº]-Se-[Ga(III)]) in the glasses. Indium has the same outer electronic-structure as gallium for solvating the RE-ions. Moreover, indium is heavier and promotes lower phonon energy locally around the RE-ion, thereby enhancing the RE-ion PL behavior, as observed here.

Thresholdless discrete surface solitons and stability switchings in periodically curved waveguides.

We study numerically a parametrically driven discrete nonlinear Schrödinger equation modeling periodically curved waveguide arrays. We show that discrete surface solitons persist, but their threshold power is altered by the drive. There are critical drives at which the threshold values vanish. We also show that parametric drives can create resonance with a phonon making a barrier for discrete solitons. By calculating the corresponding Floquet multipliers, we find that the stability of symmetric and antisymmetric off-side discrete surface solitons switches approximately at the critical drives for thresholdless solitons.

Exploiting dispersion of higher-order-modes using M-type fiber for application in mid-infrared supercontinuum generation.

M-type fibers have the exceptional property that the higher-order LP0n modes are core-confined and easily excited, while the LP01 and other modes are confined to a high-index ring surrounding the core, so they are not easily excited. This has profound consequences for mid-infrared supercontinuum sources, where the high zero-dispersion wavelength of chalcogenide and ZBLAN fibers means that exotic pump sources have so far been necessary. We show here that in chalcogenide and ZBLAN M-type fibers the lower ZDW of the core-confined higher-order LP02 mode can be in the range of 2 to 3 µm (around 1.55 µm), while the fiber still has a large core diameter and thus supports high average power. This will allow established pump laser technology to be used in future high-power mid-infrared supercontinuum sources.

Three-dimensional focus of attention for iterative cone-beam micro-CT reconstruction.

Three-dimensional iterative reconstruction of high-resolution, circular orbit cone-beam x-ray CT data is often considered impractical due to the demand for vast amounts of computer cycles and associated memory. In this paper, we show that the computational burden can be reduced by limiting the reconstruction to a small, well-defined portion of the image volume. We first discuss using the support region defined by the set of voxels covered by all of the projection views. We then present a data-driven preprocessing technique called focus of attention that heuristically separates both image and projection data into object and background before reconstruction, thereby further reducing the reconstruction region of interest. We present experimental results for both methods based on mouse data and a parallelized implementation of the SIRT algorithm. The computational savings associated with the support region are substantial. However, the results for focus of attention are even more impressive in that only about one quarter of the computer cycles and memory are needed compared with reconstruction of the entire image volume. The image quality is not compromised by either method.

Theoretical study of population inversion in active doped MIR chalcogenide glass fibre lasers (invited).

We study the mechanism of the population inversion in mid-infrared fibre lasers based on a chalcogenide glass host doped with active lanthanide ions. Three lanthanide dopant ions are considered: terbium, dysprosium and praseodymium. We predict the relevant trivalent ion level populations and gain. The simulation parameters were obtained by fabricating and optically characterising a series of trivalent ion doped chalcogenide glass samples. We also provide simple analytical expressions that aid the design of the cascade lasing process.

Enhanced antiopiate activity in peptidomimetics of FMRFamide containing Z-2,3-methanomethionine.

FMRFa is a molluscan peptide that has shown antiopiate activity in a number of mammalian test systems. The current study determined the antiopiate potency of FMRFa and two conformationally constrained peptidomimetics of FMRFa containing stereoisomers of Z-2,3-methanomethionine. Morphine abstinence signs were observed after varying doses (0.25-25.0 micrograms) of these substances were injected into the third ventricle of morphine-dependent rats. Although both peptidomimetics were far more potent than FMRFa itself, they bound with lower affinity than FMRFa to rat spinal cord receptors for the mammalian FMRFa-like peptide, NPFF.

Enhanced antiopiate activity and enzyme resistance in peptidomimetics of FMRFamide containing (E)-2,3-methanomethionine.

FMRFamide is a molluscan peptide that has shown antiopiate activity in a number of mammalian test systems. The current study determined the antiopiate potency of FMRFamide and two conformationally constrained peptidomimetics of FMRFamide containing stereoisomers of (E)-2,3-methanomethionine. Morphine abstinence signs were observed after varying doses (0.25-25.0 microgram) of these substances were injected into the third ventricle of morphine-dependent rats. Both peptidomimetics were far more potent than FMRFamide itself. In addition, although both peptidomimetics bound with lower affinity than FMRFamide to rat spinal cord receptors for NPFF (the mammalian FMRFamide-like peptide), they were far more resistant than FMRFamide to enzymatic degradation by leucine aminopeptidase.

Tyr-MIF-1 precipitates abstinence syndrome in morphine-dependent rats.

The endogenous neuropeptide Tyr-MIF-1 (Tyr-Pro-Leu-Gly-amide) has been shown to counteract various opiate actions. In the current study, third ventricular injection of 35 micrograms Tyr-MIF-1 protected by the enzyme inhibitor bestatin precipitated an abstinence syndrome in morphine-dependent rats, but not in opiate-naive rats. The results raise the possibility that Tyr-MIF-1 might participate in opiate dependence and opiate abstinence syndrome.

A dynamic vector model of microstrip RF resonators for high-field MR imaging.

This paper describes a dynamic vector model for modelling the electromagnetic characteristics of microstrip radio-frequency (RF) resonators for high field magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). A biological tissue-equivalent load having a circular cross section is assumed in the analysis. The dynamic model uses the well-known Green's function for cylindrically stratified media to characterize all six components of the electromagnetic field excited by the microstrip lines. The accuracy of the method as a function of its parameters is assessed and the results compared with those obtained from the quasi-static method often used at low frequencies. The limits of the quasi-static assumption are investigated by comparing values for the modal propagation constant and the terminating capacitances required to tune the cavity resonance over a frequency range of 100 MHz-1 GHz. The dynamic method is further used to analyse the modal content of a microstrip head resonator. Finally, a variational approach is used to assess the impact of the intermodal coupling for the case of small perturbations in the shape and the position of the cylindrical phantom.