A low-cost and versatile system for projecting wide-field visual stimuli within fMRI scanners.

We have constructed and tested a custom-made magnetic-imaging-compatible visual projection system designed to project on a very wide visual field (~80°). A standard projector was modified with a coupling lens, projecting images into the termination of an image fiber. The other termination of the fiber was placed in the 3-T scanner room with a projection lens, which projected the images relayed by the fiber onto a screen over the head coil, viewed by a participant wearing magnifying goggles. To validate the system, wide-field stimuli were presented in order to identify retinotopic visual areas. The results showed that this low-cost and versatile optical system may be a valuable tool to map visual areas in the brain that process peripheral receptive fields.

Complex refractive index variation in proton-damaged diamond.

An accurate control of the optical properties of single crystal diamond during microfabrication processes such as ion implantation plays a crucial role in the engineering of integrated photonic devices. In this work we present a systematic study of the variation of both real and imaginary parts of the refractive index of single crystal diamond, when damaged with 2 and 3 MeV protons at low-medium fluences (range: 10(15) - 10(17) cm(-2)). After implanting in 125 × 125 µm(2) areas with a scanning ion microbeam, the variation of optical pathlength of the implanted regions was measured with laser interferometric microscopy, while their optical transmission was studied using a spectrometric set-up with micrometric spatial resolution. On the basis of a model taking into account the strongly non-uniform damage profile in the bulk sample, the variation of the complex refractive index as a function of damage density was evaluated.

Relaxation time and viscosity of fused silica glass at room temperature.

Cases of long-term deformation of fused silica glass at room temperature attributed to the action of gravity have been reported. Further experimental investigations now provide evidence of time-dependent viscous behavior, with a time constant of the order of 10 years. Data relating to a pair of fused silica reference plates are presented, showing the overall deformation occurred over the years; considerations on the pertaining viscosity with aging are also given. An account of the observed relaxation process in terms of the Kelvin-Voigt model for linear viscoelasticity is provided.

Refractive index variation in a free-standing diamond thin film induced by irradiation with fully transmitted high-energy protons.

Ion irradiation is a widely employed tool to fabricate diamond micro- and nano-structures for applications in integrated photonics and quantum optics. In this context, it is essential to accurately assess the effect of ion-induced damage on the variation of the refractive index of the material, both to control the side effects in the fabrication process and possibly finely tune such variations. Several partially contradictory accounts have been provided on the effect of the ion irradiation on the refractive index of single crystal diamond. These discrepancies may be attributable to the fact that in all cases the ions are implanted in the bulk of the material, thus inducing a series of concurrent effects (volume expansion, stress, doping, etc.). Here we report the systematic characterization of the refractive index variations occurring in a 38 µm thin artificial diamond sample upon irradiation with high-energy (3 MeV and 5 MeV) protons. In this configuration the ions are fully transmitted through the sample, while inducing an almost uniform damage profile with depth. Therefore, our findings conclusively identify and accurately quantify the change in the material polarizability as a function of ion beam damage as the primary cause for the modification of its refractive index.