Raman and Photoluminescence Spectroscopy with a Variable Spectral Resolution

Raman and photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy are important analytic tools in materials science that yield information on molecules’ and crystals’ vibrational and electronic properties. Here, we show results of a novel approach for Raman and PL spectroscopy to exploit variable spectral resolution by using zoom optics in a monochromator in the front of the detector. Our results show that the spectral intervals of interest can be recorded with different zoom factors, significantly reducing the acquisition time and changing the spectral resolution for different zoom factors. The smallest spectral intervals recorded at the maximum zoom factor yield higher spectral resolution suitable for Raman spectra. In contrast, larger spectral intervals recorded at the minimum zoom factor yield the lowest spectral resolution suitable for luminescence spectra. We have demonstrated the change in spectral resolution by zoom objective with a zoom factor of 6, but the perspective of such an approach is up to a zoom factor of 20. We have compared such an approach on the prototype Raman spectrometer with the high quality commercial one. The comparison was made on ZrO2 and TiO2 nanocrystals for Raman scattering and Al2O3 for PL emission recording. Beside demonstrating that Raman spectrometer can be used for PL and Raman spectroscopy without changing of grating, our results show that such a spectrometer could be an efficient and fast tool in searching for Raman and PL bands of unknown materials and, thereafter, spectral recording of the spectral interval of interest at an appropriate spectral resolution.

On Rational Krylov and Reduced Basis Methods for Fractional Diffusion

We establish an equivalence between two classes of methods for solving fractional diffusion problems, namely, Reduced Basis Methods (RBM) and Rational Krylov Methods (RKM). In particular, we demonstrate that several recently proposed RBMs for fractional diffusion can be interpreted as RKMs. This changed point of view allows us to give convergence proofs for some methods where none were previously available. We also propose a new RKM for fractional diffusion problems with poles chosen using the best rational approximation of the function 𝑧 −𝑠 with 𝑧 ranging over the spectral interval of the spatial discretization matrix. We prove convergence rates for this method and demonstrate numerically that it is competitive with or superior to many methods from the reduced basis, rational Krylov, and direct rational approximation classes. We provide numerical tests for some elliptic fractional diffusion model problems.

Radiometric spectral fusion of VNIR and SWIR hyperspectral cameras

When two hyperspectral cameras are sensitive to complementary portions of the electromagnetic spectrum it is fundamental that the calibration processes conducted independently lead to comparable radiance values, especially if the cameras show a shared spectral interval. However, in practice, a perfect matching is hard to obtain, and radiance values that are expected to be similar might differ significantly. In the present study we propose to introduce an ulterior linear correcting factor in the radiometric calibration pipeline of two hyperspectral cameras, operating in the visible near infrared (VNIR) and short wave infrared (SWIR) intervals. The linearity properties of both cameras are preliminarily assessed, conducting acquisitions on five standardized targets, and highlighting noise at the sensors level and different illumination fields as the main causes of radiance mismatch. The correction step that we propose allows the retrieval of accurate and smoothly connected VNIR-SWIR reflectance factor curves.

Estimation of Aerosol Columnar Size Distribution from Spectral Extinction Data in Coastal and Maritime Environment

Aerosol columnar size distributions (SDs) are commonly provided by aerosol inversions based on measurements of both spectral extinction and sky radiance. These inversions developed for a fully clear sky offer few SDs for areas with abundant clouds. Here, we estimate SDs from spectral extinction data alone for cloudy coastal and maritime regions using aerosol refractive index (RI) obtained from chemical composition data. Our estimation involves finding volume and mean radius of lognormally distributed modes of an assumed bimodal size distribution through fitting of the spectral extinction data. We demonstrate that vertically integrated SDs obtained from aircraft measurements over a coastal site have distinct seasonal changes, and these changes are captured reasonably well by the estimated columnar SDs. We also demonstrate that similar seasonal changes occur at a maritime site, and columnar SDs retrieved from the combined extinction and sky radiance measurements are approximated quite well by their extinction only counterparts (correlation exceeds 0.9) during a 7-year period (2013–2019). The level of agreement between the estimated and retrieved SDs depends weakly on wavelength selection within a given spectral interval (roughly 0.4–1 µm). Since the extinction-based estimations can be performed frequently for partly cloudy skies, the number of periods where SDs can be found is greatly increased.

New constraints on the physical properties and dynamical history of Centaur 174P/Echeclus

ABSTRACT Since 2005 December, recurrent outbursts have been observed for Centaur 174/P Echeclus, confirming it is an active object. Thanks to a large number of photometric data obtained between 2001 April and 2019 December, we were able to compute a shape model of this object. We obtain a sidereal rotation period P = 26.785178 ± 10−6 h and six equally probable pole solutions, each with a large obliquity of the rotational axis (50° or more). We also find the object significantly elongated, with a semi-major axial ratio a/b = 1.32 (and b/c ∼ 1.1 but this second ratio is poorly constrained by the photometric data). Additionally, we present a detailed analysis of the dust emission from the 2016 outburst. Different colour maps are presented that reveal a change in dust colour, which becomes bluer with increasing cometocentric distance. A blue ring-like structure around the nucleus clearly visible in the images obtained on October 4 in the V-R spectral interval points out that the innermost near nucleus region is considerably redder than the surrounding coma. Different jets are also apparent, the main one being oriented southward. A detailed dynamical study is done to investigate past and future orbital elements. These elements appear stable in the period ≈1200 CE to ≈2900 CE. For a period of 12 000 yr the main conclusion is that Echeclus’ perihelion distance was greater than about 4 au, preventing it from following a typical cometary activity like a short-period comet. Close encounters with giant planets nevertheless prevent any study of orbital elements on longer timescale.

Impact of Modeling Abstractions When Estimating Leaf Mass per Area and Equivalent Water Thickness Over Sparse Forests Using a Hybrid Method

Equivalent water thickness (EWT) and leaf mass per area (LMA) are important indicators of plant processes, such as photosynthetic and potential growth rates and health status, and are also important variables for fire risk assessment. Retrieving these traits through remote sensing is challenging and often requires calibration with in situ measurements to provide acceptable results. However, calibration data cannot be expected to be available at the operational level when estimating EWT and LMA over large regions. In this study, we assessed the ability of a hybrid retrieval method, consisting of training a random forest regressor (RFR) over the outputs of the discrete anisotropic radiative transfer (DART) model, to yield accurate EWT and LMA estimates depending on the scene modeling within DART and the spectral interval considered. We show that canopy abstractions mostly affect crown reflectance over the 0.75–1.3 μm range. It was observed that excluding these wavelengths when training the RFR resulted in the abstraction level having no effect on the subsequent LMA estimates (RMSE of 0.0019 g/cm2 for both the detailed and abstract models), and EWT estimates were not affected by the level of abstraction. Over AVIRIS-Next Generation images, we showed that the hybrid method trained with a simplified scene obtained accuracies (RMSE of 0.0029 and 0.0028 g/cm2 for LMA and EWT) consistent with what had been obtained from the test dataset of the calibration phase (RMSE of 0.0031 and 0.0032 g/cm2 for LMA and EWT), and the result yielded spatially coherent maps. The results demonstrate that, provided an appropriate spectral domain is used, the uncertainties inherent to the abstract modeling of tree crowns within an RTM do not significantly affect EWT and LMA accuracy estimates when tree crowns can be identified in the images.

High-Temperature Monitoring in Central Receiver Concentrating Solar Power Plants with Femtosecond-Laser Inscribed FBG

This work deals with the application of femtosecond-laser-inscribed fiber Bragg gratings (FsFBGs) for monitoring the internal high-temperature surface distribution (HTSD) in solar receivers of concentrating solar power (CSP) plants. The fiber-optic sensor system is composed of 12 FsFBGs measuring points distributed on an area of 0.4 m2, which leads to obtain the temperature map at the receiver by means of two-dimensional interpolation. An analysis of the FsFBG performance in harsh environment was also conducted. It describes the influence of calibration functions in high-temperature measurements, determines a required 10 nm spectral interval for measuring temperatures in the range from 0 to 700 °C, and reveals wavelength peak tolerances in the FsFBG fabrication process. Results demonstrate the viability and reliability of this measuring technique, with temperature measurements up to 566 °C.

An Approach for Designing Mixed Light-Emitting Diodes to Match Greenhouse Plant Absorption Spectra

We report a methodological approach for simulating luminary output radiation, which is achieved by mixing light-emitting diodes (LEDs) in order to match any plant absorption spectrum. Various recorded narrow-band LED spectra of different colors were first characterized and then fitted with a multi-Gaussian model. An optimizing procedure computed the optimal weighting of the relevant parameters so as to minimize the discrepancy between the combined spectrum and the reference target curve. The particle swarm optimization (PSO) method was applied because it is the most suitable technique for mono-objective situations. Within the useful spectral interval, the worst relative standard deviation between the optimized curve and recorded LED spectral power distribution (SPD) was 3.4%. When combining different LED types, the simulated light output showed that we could limit ourselves to selecting only five colored sources. This work will help us to design an optimized 200W laboratory luminaire with a pulse-width switched-mode power supply.

Cadmium Telluride Nanocomposite Films Formation from Thermal Decomposition of Cadmium Carboxylate Precursor and Their Photoluminescence Shift from Green to Red

This study focuses on the investigation of a CdTe quantum dots (QDs) formation from a cadmium-carboxylate precursor, such as cadmium isostearate (Cd(ISA)2), to produce CdTe QDs with tunable photoluminescent (PL) properties. The CdTe QDs are obtained by the thermal decomposition of precursors directly in the polymer matrix (in situ method) or in solution and then encapsulated in the polymer matrix (ex situ method). In both approaches, the time course of the CdTe QDs formation is followed by means of optical absorption and PL spectroscopies focusing on viable emission in the spectral interval between 520 and 630 nm. In the polymeric matrix, the QDs formation is slower than in solution and the PL bands have a higher full width at half maximum (FWHM). These results can be explained on the basis of the limited mobility of atoms and QDs in a solid matrix with respect to the solution, inducing an inhomogeneous growth and the presence of surface defects. These achievements open the way to the exploitation of Cd(ISA)2 as suitable precursor for direct laser patterning (DPL) for the manufacturing of optoelectronic devices.