Subwavelength probing of surface plasmons in magnetoplasmonic crystals

In this work, we report on near-field studying of propagating surface plasmons (SPs) in one-dimensional magnetoplasmonic crystals (MPCs) by aperture type scanning near-field optical microscopy (SNOM). Optical near-field around the aperture probe is used to drive SPs in the MPC locally. The SNOM signal represents the scattered intensity caused by the interaction of the SNOM probe near-field with the MPC. Scanning the MPC surface with polarization resolving of the scattered radiation shows decreasing of the intensity due to the SP excitation. The observed polarization dependence of the scattered SNOM signal is associated with the selective coupling of the near-field components of the SNOM probe with SPs. Finite-difference time-domain simulations reproduce the experimental SNOM signal. It is shown the excitation of SPs with symmetric (even parity) field distribution, which is forbidden for plane wave source at normal incidence.

Review of the direct derivation method: quantitative phase analysis with observed intensities and chemical composition data

The direct derivation (DD) method is a technique for quantitative phase analysis (QPA). It can be characterized by the use of the total sums of scattered/diffracted intensities from individual components as the observed data. The crystal structure parameters are required when we calculate the intensities of reflections or diffraction patterns. Intensity can, however, be calculated only with the chemical composition data if it is not of individual reflections but of a total sum of diffracted/scattered intensities for that material. Furthermore, it can be given in a form of the scattered intensity per unit weight. Therefore, we can calculate the weight proportion of a component material by dividing the total sum of observed scattered/diffracted intensities by the scattered intensity per unit weight. The chemical composition data of samples under investigation are known in almost all cases at the stage of QPA. Thus, a technical problem is how to separate the observed diffraction pattern of a mixture into individual component patterns. Various pattern decomposition techniques currently available can be used for separating the pattern of a mixture. In this report, the theoretical background of the DD method and various techniques for pattern decompositions are reviewed along with the examples of applications.

X-ray microbeam diffraction in a crystal

Using the formalism of dynamical scattering of spatially restricted X-ray fields, the diffraction of a microbeam in a crystal with boundary functions for the incident and reflected amplitudes was studied in the case of geometrical optics and the Fresnel approximation (FA). It is shown that, for a wide front of the X-ray field, the angular distributions of the scattered intensity in the geometrical optics approximation (GOA) and the FA are approximately the same. On the other hand, it is established that, for a narrow exit slit in the diffraction scheme, it is always necessary to take into account the X-ray diffraction at the slit edges. Reciprocal-space maps and the distribution of the diffraction intensity of the microbeam inside the crystal were calculated.

Anomalous X-ray diffraction from ω nanoparticles in β-Ti(Mo) single crystals

Anomalous X-ray diffraction (AXRD) is a technique which makes use of effects occurring near the energy of an absorption edge of an element present in the studied sample. The intensity of the diffracted radiation exhibits an anomalous decrease when the primary beam energy matches the energy needed to excite an electron from an atomic orbital. The characteristics of this step are sensitive to the concentration of the `anomalous' element and its spatial distribution in the sample. In the present investigation, AXRD was employed to study ω particles in a metastable β titanium alloy Ti–15Mo (in wt%). The experiments were done in an energy range around the Mo K edge at 20.0 keV, allowing investigation of the distribution of Mo in the material, which is rejected from the volume of ω particles during their diffusion-driven growth. This paper deals with diffuse scattering patterns around the (006)β diffraction maximum. It was observed that different regions of the diffuse scattering exhibited different variations of diffracted intensity with the incident photon energy near the absorption edge. Numerical simulations of diffuse scattering patterns as well as of energy dependences of the scattered intensity were performed. It was found that the observed patterns and their dependence on the primary beam energy can be explained by taking into account (a) elastic deformation of the β matrix arising from the presence of slightly misfitting ω particles and (b) the presence of a `cloud' of a higher Mo concentration around ω particles.

H2O/D2O Contrast Variation for Ultra-Small-Angle Neutron Scattering to Minimize Multiple Scattering Effects of Colloidal Particle Suspensions

This study investigated the use of solvent contrast (H2O/D2O ratio) as a means to optimize the ultra-small-angle neutron scattering (USANS) signal. By optimizing the signal, it was possible to reduce the undesirable effects of coherent multiple scattering while still maintaining a measurable scattered intensity. This result will further enable the use of USANS as a probe of the interactions between colloidal particles and their structures within concentrated suspensions as well as particle dispersion/aggregation. As a model system, we prepared silica colloidal particle suspensions at different solid concentrations. USANS curves were measured using the classical Bonse–Hart double crystal diffractometer while varying the scattering length density of the aqueous phase, thus varying the contrast to the silica particles. As a means of assessing the impact of multiple scattering effects on different q-values, we analyzed the scattered intensity at different contrasts at three different q values. The data were then used to determine the match point of the silica particle suspensions from the expected square root dependence of the scattered intensity with solvent composition, to analyze any differences associated with the solid concentration change, and to determine the optimum H2O/D2O ratio in terms of high transmission (TSAS > 80%) and high enough scattering intensity associated with the contrast of the system. Through this investigation series, we confirmed that adjusting the contrast of the solvent (H2O/D2O) is a good methodology to reduce multiple scattering while maintaining a strong enough scattering signal from a concentrated suspension of silica particles for both USANS and rheometric USANS (rheo-USANS) experiments.

Grazing incidence scattering

Reflectometry experiments probe the scattering length density along the normal of interfaces by analysing the specularly scattered intensity. Lateral fluctuations result in intensity scattered away from the specular condition. In this paper the principles and peculiarities of grazing incidence scattering experiments are explained. One specific example, the self assembly of polymer micelles close to interfaces, is taken as a show case in order to introduce the scattering geometry and accessible length scales. The basic idea of the distorted wave Born approximation is lined out and some scientific examples are summarized.

Laser-Induced Bubble Formation on a Micro Gold Particle Levitated Under Ultrasound

It is well known that a high-power laser could breakdown liquid [1, 2]. Laser-induced breakdown of liquids is characterized by fast plasma formation after evaporation of liquid and subsequent vapor expansion accompanied by shock wave emission [2]. The bubble wall velocity after the shock departure has been found to be sufficiently high to produce emission of light at the collapse point [3]. Recently, bubble formation on the surface of gold nanoparticles irradiated by a high-power laser in water [4, 5] has been studied for medical applications such as cancer diagnosis and possible therapy [5]. However, it is very hard to perform these experiments and to obtain good data from the bubble formation on the surface of laser-irradiated nano-particles because the nanoparticles dispersed in liquid cannot be controlled properly. In this study, laser-induced bubble formation on a micro gold particle levitated at the center of a spherical flask under ultrasound was investigated experimentally. The obtained results are compared with the results for laser cavitation without the gold particle, i.e., typical laser-induced cavitation. Figure 1 shows a schematic of the experimental setup used to investigate the laser-induced bubble formation on a micro gold particle. Two disk-type lead zirconate titanate (PZT) transducers (Channel Industries Inc.; 15 mm in diameter and 5.0 mm in thickness) attached to the side of the wall of the cell produced a velocity stagnation point near the center of the flask. The driving frequency of the PZT transducers was approximately 27.0 kHz which was close to the resonance frequency of the LRC circuit (Its capacitor unis is PZT.) and the acoustic resonance frequency of the water-filled flask. A drop of water containing gold particles with an average diameter of 10 μm are dispersed was injected into a 100-ml pyrex spherical flask filled with degassed water. When the body force of a gold particle in liquid is slightly lower than the Bjerknes force [6] induced by ultrasound, the particle will stay near the pressure antinode, i.e., the center of the flask. A Q-switched Nd:Yag laser delivered a single pulse of 0.5 ns in width with an energy of 7.5 mJ at a wavelength of 1064 nm to the gold particle or liquid at the center of the cell. The laser light was focused at the center of the flask using a lens with an effective focal length of 36.3 mm. Bubble formation and subsequent growth and collapse were visuallized by a high-speed camera (V2511, Phantom, USA) with 0.45 Mfps (million frames per second). The time-dependent radius was also obtained by the light scattering method. The scattering angle chosen was 80 degree where one-to-one relationship exists between the scattered intensity and the bubble radius [7]. The scattered intensity from a bubble illuminated by a 5-mW He-Ne laser was received by a photomultiplier tube (PMT: Hamamatsu, R2027) and was recorded in an oscilloscope. The scattering data were calibrated using the maximum radius for different bubble, which was obtained by high-speed camera. The shock strength during the expansion stage of bubbles was measured by a calibrated needle hydrophone (HPM1, Precision Acoustics, UK) at various distances from the center of the cell for different bubbles. The hydrophone can measure acoustic signals ranging from 1 kPa to 20 MPa. The hydrophone was attached to a three-dimensional micro stage so that fine control of the positioning of the hydrophone was possible.