Evaluating the Response Time of an Optical Gas Sensor Based on Gasochromic Nanostructures.

We propose a method for determining complex dielectric permittivity dynamics in the gasochromic oxides in the course of their interaction with a gas as well as for estimating the diffusion coefficient into a gasochromic oxide layer. The method is based on analysis of a time evolution of reflection spectra measured in the Kretschmann configuration. The method is demonstrated with a hydrogen-sensitive trilayer including an Au plasmonic film, WO3 gasochromic oxide layer, and Pt catalyst. Angular dependences of the reflectance as well as transmission spectra of the trilayer were measured in series at a constant flow of gas mixtures with hydrogen concentrations in a range of 0-0.36%, and a detection limit below 40 ppm (0.004%) of H2 was demonstrated. Response times to hydrogen were found in different ways. We show that the dielectric permittivity dynamics of WO3 must be retrieved in order to correctly evaluate the response time, whereas a direct evaluation from intensity changes for chosen wavelengths may have a high discrepancy. The proposed method gives insight into the optical properties dynamics for sensing elements based on gasochromic nanostructures.

Optical properties of tungsten trioxide, palladium, and platinum thin films for functional nanostructures engineering.

In recent years, we have been witnessing the intensive development of optical gas sensors. Thin palladium and platinum films as well as tungsten trioxide films with palladium or platinum catalysts are widely used for hydrogen detection, and the optical constants of these materials are required for sensor development. We report the optical parameters retrieved from a set of ellipsometric and transmission spectra for electron-beam evaporated palladium, platinum, and tungsten trioxide films. The tungsten trioxide films were 81 nm, 162 nm, and 515 nm thick and the metal films were as thin as 5-7 nm. Ultrathin palladium and platinum films were shown to be successfully described by local and isotropic permittivity, which is quite different from known bulk values. However, this permittivity showed a strong dependence on adjacent materials, thus illustrating that the ultrathin metallic films can be considered composites characterized by effective permittivity. With the obtained refractive indices and permittivities, the optical spectra of fabricated WO3/Pd and WO3/Pt nanostructures incorporating 1D grating of Al2O3 were in an excellent agreement with the calculated ones without requiring any additional fitting procedures or inclusion of surface roughness layers in numerical models.

Optical properties of tungsten trioxide, palladium and platinum thin films for functional nanostructures engineering: erratum.

In our recent paper [D. P. Kulikova Opt. Express28(21), 32049 (2020).10.1364/OE.405403], an early version of Fig. 1 was published. This erratum corrects that error.

Optogenetic regulation of transcription.

Optogenetics has become widely recognized for its success in real-time control of brain neurons by utilizing non-mammalian photosensitive proteins to open or close membrane channels. Here we review a less well known type of optogenetic constructs that employs photosensitive proteins to transduce the signal to regulate gene transcription, and its possible use in medicine. One of the problems with existing gene therapies is that they could remain active indefinitely while not allowing regulated transgene production on demand. Optogenetic regulation of transcription (ORT) could potentially be used to regulate the production of a biological drug in situ, by repeatedly applying light to the tissue, and inducing expression of therapeutic transgenes when needed. Red and near infrared wavelengths, which are capable of penetration into tissues, have potential for therapeutic applications. Existing ORT systems are reviewed herein with these considerations in mind.

Terahertz continuous wave nonlinear-optical detection without phase-locking between a source and the detector.

We demonstrate the possibility of nonlinear-optical detection of terahertz (THz) wave radiation without phase-locking between a source and a detector. Spectrally resolved room-temperature incoherent nonlinear-optical detection is demonstrated for 0.22-THz continuous wave (CW) radiation by upconversion using a 100-mW CW laser in a 15-mm-long Mg:LiNbO3 crystal.

Thermal Boundary Conductance of Direct Bonded Aluminum Nitride to Silicon Interfaces.

Heat accumulation and self-heating have become key issues in microelectronics owing to the ever-decreasing size of components and the move toward three-dimensional structures. A significant challenge for solving these issues is thermally isolating materials, such as silicon dioxide (SiO2), which are commonly used in microelectronics. The silicon-on-insulator (SOI) structure is a great demonstrator of the limitations of SiO2 as the low thermal conductivity insulator prevents heat dissipation through the bottom of a device built on a SOI wafer. Replacing SiO2 with a more thermally conductive material could yield immediate results for improved heat dissipation of SOI structures. However, the introduction of alternate materials creates unknown interfaces, which can have a large impact on the overall thermal conductivity of the structure. In this work, we studied a direct bonded AlN-to-SOI wafer (AlN-SOI) by measuring the thermal conductivity of AlN and the thermal boundary conductance (TBC) of silicon (Si)/AlN and Si/SiO2/aluminum-oxygen-nitrogen (AlON)/AlN interfaces, the latter of which were formed during plasma-activated bonding. The results show that the AlN-SOI possesses superior thermal properties to those of a traditional SOI wafer, with the thermal conductivity of AlN measured at roughly 40 W m-1 K-1 and the TBC of both interfaces at roughly 100 MW m-2 K-1. These results show that AlN-SOI is a very promising structure for improving heat dissipation in future microelectronics.

Characteristics of relativistic electron mirrors generated by an ultrashort nonadiabatic laser pulse from a nanofilm.

For controllable generation of an isolated attosecond relativistic electron bunch [relativistic electron mirror (REM)] with nearly solid-state density, we proposed [V. V. Kulagin, Phys. Rev. Lett. 99, 124801 (2007)] to use a solid nanofilm illuminated normally by an ultraintense femtosecond laser pulse having a sharp rising edge (nonadiabatic laser pulse). In this paper, the REM characteristics are investigated in a regular way for a wide range of parameters. With the help of two-dimensional (2D) particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations, it is shown that, in spite of Coulomb forces, all of the electrons in the laser spot can be synchronously accelerated to ultrarelativistic velocities by the first half-cycle of the field, which has large enough amplitude. For the process of the REM generation, we also verify a self-consistent one-dimensional theory, which we developed earlier (cited above) and which takes into account Coulomb forces, radiation of the electrons, and laser amplitude depletion. This theory shows a good agreement with the results of the 2D PIC simulations. Finally, the scaling of the REM dynamical parameters with the field amplitude and the nanofilm thickness is analyzed.

Three-dimensional EIT imaging of breast tissues: system design and clinical testing.

Results of development and testing of the new medical imaging system are described. The system uses a planar array consisting of 256 electrodes and enables obtaining images of the three-dimensional conductivity distribution in regions below the skin's surface up to several centimeters deep. The developed measuring system and image reconstruction algorithm can be used for breast tissue imaging and diagnostics, in particular for malignant tumor detection. Examples of tomographic images obtained in vivo during clinical tests are presented. The mammary gland, being an organ-target, alters at the background with such physiological events as menstrual cycle, pregnancy, lactation, and postmenopause. The objectives of this paper include estimation of the possibilities of electrical impedance mammography for investigation of mammary glands' state among women with different hormonal status. We found that electrical impedance mammograms from different groups had clear visual distinctions and statistically significant differences in mammary glands' conductivity. Our data on conductivity distribution in the mammary gland during different physiological periods will allow us to use it as normal values in the future, to continue this research on mammary glands with different pathology.