Refractive index and temperature dual parameter sensor based on twin-core photonic crystal fiber

A twin-core photonic crystal fiber sensor is proposed for measuring liquid refractive index (RI) and temperature simultaneously. The air holes of the sensor are arranged in a hexagonal pattern, and two planes are introduced by polishing in the cladding. On one side of the plane, the gold film is deposited for RI measurement, and on the other side, the gold film and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) are deposited for temperature measurement. We analyzed its sensing characteristics by using finite element method. The numerical results show that the two channels for measuring RI and temperature have no mutual interference. It reduces the complexity of the sensing measurement. The maximum spectral sensitivity of the sensor is 20000 nm/RIU and 9.2 nm/℃, respectively, when the liquid RI is in the range of 1.36-1.42 and the temperature is in the range of 0-50 ℃. The results also show the sensing accuracy was not very sensitive to the change of structural parameters. It hence makes the sensor be easy to fabricate. Our work is very helpful for implementation of a high sensitivity, easy fabrication and real-time multi-parameter SPR sensor.

Planar narrowband Tamm plasmon-based hot-electron photodetectors with double distributed Bragg reflectors

Hot-electron photodetectors (HE PDs) are attracting a great deal of attention from plasmonic community. Many efficient HE PDs with various plasmonic nanostructures have been demonstrated, but their preparations usually rely on complicated and costly fabrication techniques. Planar HE PDs are viewed as potential candidates of cost-effective and large-area applications, but they likely fail in the simultaneous achievement of outstanding optical absorption and hot-electron collection. To reconcile the contradiction between optical and electrical requirements, herein, we propose a planar HE PD based on optical Tamm plasmons (TPs) consisted of an ultrathin gold film (10 nm) sandwiched between two distributed Bragg reflectors (DBRs). Simulated results show that strong optical absorption (>0.95) in the ultrathin Au film is realized. Electrical calculations show that the predicted peak photo-responsivity of proposed HE PD with double DBRs is over two times larger than that of conventional single-DBR HE PD. Moreover, the planar dual-DBR HE PDs exhibit a narrowband photodetection functionality and sustained performance under oblique incidences. The optical nature associated with TP resonance is elaborated.

Scientific insights of electrochemical replacement approach to describe the origin of Pre-Columbian Peruvian gilded copper-based objects

Pre-Columbian Peruvian goldsmiths developed gilded copper-based objects by ancient techniques that require identification to propose conservation strategies. Lechtman H, conducted experiments to suggest that the electrochemical replacement was the gilding technique used by the Moche and Vicus cultural groups. Despite her remarkable achievement, the quantitative data provided by her is still open to discussion. This work focused on obtaining experimental data to recreate her protocol by introducing less gold precursor. Polished copper pieces were plated with an adherent gold film of up to 7.5 µm after immersing them into an electrolytic solution for 3 min and 6 min at 80 °C. Our results demonstrated that the electrochemical replacement technique gives rise to anodic regions in the plated objects. Further studies around the corrosion process that undergoes these heritage objects in burial and environmental conditions are suggested to determine their deterioration rate. Moreover, electroless and galvanic techniques should be explored in order to improve current approaches.

A Broadband Gold-Coated Photonic Crystal Fiber Polarization Filter with a High Loss Ratio of Both Polarizations at 1550 and 1310 nm

A new kind of gold-coated hexagonal photonic crystal fiber polarization filter is designed in this paper. The filtering properties can be adjusted through varying the structural parameters. With the 25.60 nm gold film thickness, the losses of the respective modes of Y and X-polarized core mode at 1550 nm are 1024.84 and 0.12 dB/cm with the loss ratio of 8540.33 between two polarizations. However, the losses of Y and X-polarized core mode at 1310 nm are 682.14 and 0.03 dB/cm, and the loss ratio is 22,738 with the gold film thickness of 55.30 nm. That indicates that the proposed filter has a higher loss ratio. Moreover, the crosstalk value with the fiber length of 200 μm at 1550 and 1310 nm are 178.01 and 118.49 dB, respectively. The bandwidths with crosstalk value greater than 20 dB are 640 and 180 nm. The designed polarization filter represents good filtering characteristics and allows great fabrication tolerances. Therefore, the designed hexagonal filter can be well applied in the domain of optical fiber communication.

Sensitivity Optimization of Plain Silver Surface Plasmon Resonance Imaging Sensor

Plain silver surface plasmon resonance imaging (SPRi) sensor has been studied extensively due to its high sensitivity and desirable stability in liquid environments. To further enhance sensitivity performance of the sensor, angular sensitivity, angular slope and depth-width ratio (DWR) of SPR curve, and imaging sensitivity are evaluated at different thickness combinations of the gold and silver films respectively. In this work, the angular slope of SPR curve is found to be the critical factor to the optimized imaging sensitivity of plain silver SPRi sensor. In the comparative study, the above parameters of the plain silver SPR sensor, single gold film and bimetallic SPRi sensors are compared. Plain silver SPRi sensor is proved to be of the highest imaging sensitivity, which is 4.08 and 1.18 times imaging sensitivity of the single gold film and bimetallic SPRi sensors separately.

Optimization Based on the Surface Plasmon Optical Properties of Adjustable Metal Nano-Microcavity System for Biosensing

This paper mainly studies the plasma optical properties of the silver nanorod and gold film system with gap structure. During the experiment, the finite element analysis method and COMSOL Multiphysics are used for modeling and simulation. The study changes the thickness of the PE spacer layer between the silver nanorod and the gold film, the conditions of the incident light and the surrounding environment medium. Due to the anisotropic characteristics of silver nanorod, the microcavity system is extremely sensitive to the changes of internal and external conditions, and the system exhibits strong performance along the long axis of the nanorod. By analyzing the extinction spectrum of the nanoparticle and the electric field section diagrams at resonance peak, it is found that the plasma optical properties of the system greatly depend on the gap distance, and the surrounding electric field of the silver nanorod is confined in the gap. Both ends of the nanorod and the gap are distributed with high concentrations of hot spots, which reflects the strong hybridization of multiple resonance modes. Under certain excitation conditions, the plasma hybridization behavior will produce a multi-pole mode, and the surface electric field distribution of the nanorod reflects the spatial directionality. In addition, the system is also highly sensitive to the environmental media, which will cause significant changes in its optical properties. The plasma microcavity system with silver nanorod and gold film studied in this paper can be used to develop high-sensitivity biosensors, which has great value in the field of biomedical detection.