Focal volume

FIGURE 6.9a An experimental arrangement for observing the real-time flow of microscopic particle through the focal volume of the incident laser beam. 

FIGURE 6.9b The power of the TH as a function of time (each individual peak of the TH signal corresponds to a particle, passing through the focal volume). 

II. Coherent Signals from Tight Focal Volumes.216... 

II. COHERENT SIGNALS FROM TIGHT FOCAL VOLUMES... 

FIGURE 9.2 Sketch of far-field detection of CARS waves generated in the focal volume. The figure shows the yz cross-section of the excitation volume. O is the origin of the coordinate system and also the center of the focal volume and O is a far-field point on the optical axis. The coordinates of the points in the near-field are represented by (x,y,z) and those of the points in the far-field by (X,Y,Z) in cartesian coordinate system. The outgoing arrows around the near-field points represent the CARS waves generated in the focal volume. The incoming arrows at the far-field points represent the contributions from the individual points in the focal volume. 

The interference process in this collinear approach is, however, different from the interference realized by mixing the local oscillator and the CARS field on a beam splitter. Interference takes place in the sample, which, in the presence of multiple frequencies, mediates the transfer of energy between the beams that participate in the nonlinear process. The local oscillator mixes with the anti-Stokes polarization in the focal volume, and is thus coherently coupled with the pump and Stokes beams in the sample through the third-order polarization of the material. In other words, the material s polarization, and its ability to radiate, is directly controlled in this collinear interferometric scheme. Under these conditions, energy from the local oscillator may flow to the pump and Stokes fields, and vice versa. For instance, when the local oscillator field is rout of phase with the pump/Stokes-induced anti-Stokes polarization in the focal interaction volume, complete depletion of the local oscillator may occur. The energy of the local oscillator field is not redistributed in terms... 

The ionization of focal volume, or formation of plasma, is expected to alter the usual photochemical material modihcation pathway, as has been recently demonstrated in photopolymerization of SU-8 resist by femtosecond pulses [57]. In addition, nanometric-sized plasma regions created by the ionization, e.g., at defect sites, have spatio-temporal dynamics of their own. Recently, a model of nanosheet formation from plasma nanospheres in glass has been proposed [60]. Similar conditions are expected in polymers as well. Let us discuss here held enhancement by a metalhc nanoparticle (similar arguments are also valid for surfaces containing nanometric features). 

In rat liver, 1,2-dimethylhydrazine had no consistent effect on the relative focal volume of y-glutamyltranspeptidase-positive preneoplastic foci (Denda et al., 1988). Locniskar et al. (1985) treated Brown-Norway and Fischer rats with 150 mg/kg bw 1,2-dimethylhydrazine by gavage five times over a three-week period. Five months after the final treatment, isolated splenic, colonic intraperithelial lymphocytes and lamina propria lymphocytes from the Brown-Norway strain exhibited low natural killer cell activity and reduced splenic T-lymphocyte proliferation in response to autologous non-T lymphocytes. Furthermore, colonic lamina propria lymphocyte proliferation was low, and Brown-Norway rats had a low incidence of 1,2-dimethylhydrazine-induced colonic neoplasms (7%) in comparison with Fischer rats, which had more effective splenic and colonic intraperithelial lymphocyte natural killer cell activity, enhanced splenic autologous mixed lymphocyte response, enhanced colonic lamina propria lymphocyte proliferation and a higher incidence of colon tumours (20%). 

Other approaches have been taken for on-line analysis of individual aerosol particles as well. Laser spark spectroscopy (33) vaporizes individual particles in the breakdown plasma created by a pulsed laser. Atomic emission spectra can then be used to deduce the elemental composition of the particle that was vaporized. The timing of the laser pulse is critical because the particle must be caught in the focal volume of the pulsed laser, so a second laser is used to detect the particle and trigger the pulsed laser. To date the technique has been applied to large particles, that is, coal particles on the order of 60 to 70 xm in diameter in combustion studies. The use of inductively coupled plasma would eliminate the complex triggering and might allow on-line analysis of smaller particles spectroscopically. 

Third, the reference method results should be compared with measurements on an equivalent amount of material, particularly if the sample is not homogeneous. In many instruments, Raman spectra are collected only from the sample located in a small focal volume. If that material is not representative of the bulk, then the Raman results will appear to be biased or erroneous. To avoid this problem, multiple sequential spectra are added together to represent an effectively larger composite sample. Alternatively, a larger area could be sampled if the instrument design permits it. If it were desired to study within-sample inhomogeneity, short acquisition times could be used. 

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