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Special Issue "Women’s Special Issue Series: Photonics"

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A special issue of Photonics (ISSN 2304-6732).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 October 2023 | Viewed by 10748

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Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Frauke Alves

E-Mail Website1 Website2 Website3
Guest Editor

1. Institute of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Clinic of Hematology and Medical Oncology, University Medical Center Goettingen (UMG), 37075 Göttingen, Germany
2. Max-Planck-Institute for Experimental Medicine, 37075 Göttingen, Germany
Interests: multiphoton microscopy; X-ray based imaging; light sheet microscopy; virtual histology, translational imaging; oncology; inflammation; lung disease

Dr. Hongping Zhao

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering & Department of Materials Science and Engineering, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
Interests: synthesis and physics of wide bandgap (WBG) and ultra-wide bandgap (UWBG) semiconductor materials and devices, as well as low-dimensional semiconductor nano-materials and devices. Metalorganic chemical vapor deposition of a wide range of semiconductor materials including III-nitrides, II-IV-nitrides and (Al-, Ga-, In-)₂O₃, as well as the low pressure chemical vapor deposition of Gallium Oxide (Ga₂O₃) and Indium Oxide (In₂O₃)

Dr. Zhaoran (Rena) Huang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Department of Electrical, Computer and Systems Engineering (ECSE), Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY 12180, USA
Interests: optoelectronic devices; integrated slow wave structures; electro-optic modulators; optical reservoir computing; optical machine learning

Dr. Irina Yanina

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Research-Educational Institute of Optics and Biophotonics, Science Medical Center, Saratov National Research State University, Saratov 410012, Russia
Interests: optics of biological tissues; biomedical optics; optical control parameters of biological tissues; the study of transport of drugs in biological tissues; spectroscopy and imaging in biomedicine, physics, optical and laser measurements; optical coherency and multiphoton tomography; fluorescence; nanobiophotonics

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue has been proposed to encourage the participation of women in the enhancement and proliferation of the topical subjects of Photonics, in their respective and specific research fields. In particular, we cordially invite women scientists to contribute comprehensive interdisciplinary research, based on new and innovative perspectives, wherein Photonics can play its relevant key role in scientific dissemination. Original theoretical and experimental research papers, such as surveys in all areas related to Photonics, are welcome. The following are some potential subjects and application areas:

Biophotonics, biomedical optics, and medical optics;
Semiconductor photonics and optoelectronics;
Nanotechnology and nanostructures in optics;
Quantum optics, quantum computing, and applications;
Photonic materials and technology;
Metamaterials, plasmonics, and nanophotonics;
Integrated optoelectronics and integrated optics;
Photonics device and technologies;
Optical communications and systems;
Nonlinear and ultrafast optics;
Imaging systems and holography;
Computational photonics and nanostructures;
Photonics for energy and green technologies;
Fundamentals and applications of photonics/optics
Photon–electron–phonon interaction in nanostructures;
Physics and simulation: material properties, device technologies, and integrated systems.

Articles where the lead authors are women, or that are completely authored by women, are encouraged. However, we welcome submissions from all authors irrespective of gender.

Prof. Dr. Frauke Alves
Dr. Hongping Zhao
Dr. Zhaoran (Rena) Huang
Dr. Irina Yanina
Guest Editors

Women’s Special Issue Series

This Special Issue is part of Photonics's Women’s Special Issue Series, hosted by women editors for women researchers. The Series advocates the advancement of women in science. We invite contributions to the Special Issue whose lead authors identify as women. The submission of articles with all-women authorship is especially encouraged. However, we do welcome articles from all authors, irrespective of gender.

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Photonics is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

tissue optics
multiple scattering
quasi-elastic scattering
doppler effect
absorption
index of refraction
random phase screen
speckles
optical coherence tomography (OCT)
diffusion wave spectroscopy
polarized light
optical clearing

Published Papers (15 papers)

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Research

Open AccessCommunication

Advances of the Cubic Symmetry Crystalline Systems to Create Complex, Bright Luminescent Ceramics

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Photonics 2023, 10(5), 603; https://doi.org/10.3390/photonics10050603 - 22 May 2023

Viewed by 328

Abstract

A method to create compositionally disordered compounds with a high number of cations in the matrices, that utilize the cubic spatial symmetry of the garnet-type crystalline systems is demonstrated. Mixtures of the garnet-type powdered materials solely doped with Ce were used to create atomic compositions of high complexity. Several mixed systems, namely Gd₃Al₂Ga₃O₁₂/(Gd,Y)₃Al₂Ga₃O₁₂, Y₃Al₅O₁₂/Gd₃Al₂Ga₃O₁₂, and Y₃Al₅O₁₂/Y₃Al₂Ga₃O₁₂ were annealed, compacted and sintered in air. The materials were evaluated for structural, luminescence, and scintillation properties. It was demonstrated that the properties of the resulting ceramics are a little dependent on the granularity of powders when the median particle size is below ~5 μm. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Women’s Special Issue Series: Photonics)

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Open AccessArticle

Numerical Simulation of a Light Field Structure in an Integrating Sphere via the Monte Carlo Method

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Photonics 2023, 10(5), 593; https://doi.org/10.3390/photonics10050593 - 19 May 2023

Viewed by 300

Abstract

The integrated cavity absorption meter is designed to measure the seawater absorption coefficient spectra which are necessary for studying ocean productivity and heat balance. The performed numerical simulations of a light field structure made it possible to improve the measurement technique. Its results showed that the use of the Lambertian model allows to reduce the calculation time by two orders of magnitude with an acceptable loss of accuracy for these calculations. It is shown that in the case of an integrating sphere made of fluorilon, the use of different volume scattering functions does not affect the calculation result, which is not true in the case of using a sphere with a mirror coating. The effect of an air layer between quartz and fluorilon is considered, and the applicability of the diffusion approximation is verified. Examples of field measurements of the seawater absorption coefficient and its components performed in different water areas of the World Ocean in 2020–2022 are presented. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Women’s Special Issue Series: Photonics)

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Open AccessCommunication

Dimensional Analysis of Double-Track Microstructures in a Lithium Niobate Crystal Induced by Ultrashort Laser Pulses

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Photonics 2023, 10(5), 582; https://doi.org/10.3390/photonics10050582 - 17 May 2023

Viewed by 457

Abstract

Double-track microstructures were induced in the bulk of a z-cut lithium niobate crystal by 1030 nm 240 fs ultrashort laser pulses with a repetition rate of 100 kHz at variable pulse energies exceeding the critical Kerr self-focusing power. The microstructure topography was characterized by atomic force microscopy in piezoelectric response mode. The spatial positions of laser-induced modification regions inside lithium niobate in the case of laser beam propagation along the crystal optical axis can be directly predicted by simple analytical expressions under the paraxial approximation. A dimensional analysis of the morphology of the double-track structures revealed that both their length and width exhibit a monotonous increase with the pulse energy. The presented results have important implications for direct laser writing technology in crystalline dielectric birefringent materials, paving the way to control the high spatial resolution by means of effective energy deposition in modified regions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Women’s Special Issue Series: Photonics)

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Open AccessArticle

Quantitative Detection of Microplastics in Water through Fluorescence Signal Analysis

Roberto Pizzoferrato

Yuliu Li

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Eleonora Nicolai

Photonics 2023, 10(5), 508; https://doi.org/10.3390/photonics10050508 - 27 Apr 2023

Viewed by 367

Abstract

Microplastics (MPs) have recently been acknowledged as a new major and ubiquitous environmental pollutant with still unclear, yet potentially high, risks for different ecosystems and human health. Nevertheless, quantitative identification protocols rely on long and subjective visual counting necessarily performed on microscopes by well-trained operators. In this study, an automatic, fast, portable, and inexpensive method for the quantitative detection of MPs in water is proposed. The system is based on the typical optical setup of a fluorescence confocal microscope specifically adapted to automatically count dye-stained MPs in flowing liquids using a low-power laser beam. The fluorescence pulses emitted by flowing MPs are revealed and processed by a specific software using a pattern recognition algorithm to discriminate and count real fluorescence pulses out of noise fluctuations. The system was calibrated with commercial orange fluorescent 10 µm and 1 µm polystyrene microspheres, and remarkable agreement with theoretical predictions was obtained regarding different parameters. Tests were also performed with laboratory-prepared MPs dispersed in different types of real water samples. In this case, the agreement with theory was slightly worse and differences found in the quantitative results require further investigation. However, the present study demonstrated the proof of concept of a method for quick automated MP counting in water. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Women’s Special Issue Series: Photonics)

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Open AccessCommunication

GaAs Linear Polarizer with a High Extinction Ratio for Extended Short-Wave Infrared Detection

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Photonics 2023, 10(5), 489; https://doi.org/10.3390/photonics10050489 - 24 Apr 2023

Viewed by 457

Abstract

Metasurfaces have shown an unprecedented ability to modulate electromagnetic waves at subwavelength scales, especially polarized optical metasurfaces, applied for imaging, navigation and detection. In this work, a kind of efficient all-dielectric diatomic metasurface for polarization and phase changing, consisting of a pair of GaAs nanopillar and nanocube, is proposed. By adjusting the unit cell structural parameters, the polarization state can be controlled and adjusted at the short-wave infrared (SWIR) band (1~3 μm). At the wavelength of 2125 nm, the maximum transmission efficiency, the extinction ratio and the linear polarization degree can reach 93.76%, 40.99 dB and 0.99, respectively. Overall, this all-dielectric diatomic metasurface has broad application potential in extended SWIR polarization detection. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Women’s Special Issue Series: Photonics)

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Open AccessArticle

Classification of Healthy and Cancer Colon Cells Grown on Glass Coverslip by Means of Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy and Multivariate Methods

Giuseppe Perna

Vito Capozzi

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Maria Lasalvia

Photonics 2023, 10(4), 481; https://doi.org/10.3390/photonics10040481 - 21 Apr 2023

Viewed by 421

Abstract

For several years, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) microspectroscopy has been proving to be very promising for use in cytological diagnostics because of its capability of providing rapid and label-free biochemical information about cell samples. The adoption of FTIR as a clinical tool has been slowed because of the poor compatibility with cells deposited on glass slides, commonly used in clinical practice, because of the absorption of IR radiation by glassy materials in the 1000–1800 cm⁻¹ spectral range. However, the possibility of also obtaining diagnostic information from the IR absorption spectra in the 2700–3700 cm⁻¹ range (including few peaks related to vibrational modes in cell lipids and proteins) has recently emerged. In this work, we investigate the use of the FTIR technique in the 2700–3700 cm⁻¹ range for diagnostic purposes about human colon cells grown on glass coverslips. In fact, using the principal components analysis (PCA) technique, we are able to discriminate FTIR spectra of healthy cells from those of cancerous ones, mainly due to the larger relative lipid content in the former compared to the latter. In addition, principal component analysis-linear discriminate analysis (PCA-LDA) and partial least square-discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) were used to build classification models for unknown FTIR spectra with optimal accuracy. These results support the promotion of the translation of the FTIR technique as a complementary diagnostic tool in cytological routine practice. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Women’s Special Issue Series: Photonics)

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Open AccessArticle

Spectra of a Bragg Microresonator Filled with a Graphene-Containing Medium

Irina V. Fedorova

Svetlana V. Eliseeva

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Dmitrij I. Sementsov

Photonics 2023, 10(4), 449; https://doi.org/10.3390/photonics10040449 - 13 Apr 2023

Viewed by 387

Abstract

Transmission spectra of a symmetric microresonator structure, with dielectric Bragg mirrors, are obtained. The working cavity of the structure is partially filled by a layer of a quarter-wave thickness of finely layered “graphene–semiconductor” medium, with material parameters controlled by external electric and magnetic fields. It is shown, that the transformation of the spectra is achieved both by changing the energy state of the graphene layers and by changing the external magnetic field. The spectral characteristics for the inverted and doped states of graphene layers are established. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Women’s Special Issue Series: Photonics)

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Open AccessCommunication

Directivity Control of Terahertz Radiation from Single-Color Filament Plasma with Polypropylene Pipe

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Photonics 2023, 10(4), 443; https://doi.org/10.3390/photonics10040443 - 13 Apr 2023

Viewed by 476

Abstract

Two-dimensional angular distribution of terahertz emission from single-color filamentation of laser pulses is experimentally studied. The use of a polypropylene pipe makes it possible to transform the angular pattern of terahertz radiation from the original hollow-cone one to a more preferable unimodal structure within the terahertz frequency range. It has been shown that propagation in a dielectric pipe can significantly (up to several orders of magnitude) increase the terahertz radiation amplitude at a required distance. We have also experimentally demonstrated that bending the pipe allows us to control the direction of the terahertz radiation propagation. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Women’s Special Issue Series: Photonics)

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Open AccessCommunication

Study on Temperature and Water Turbulence Impact on Saline Water-Based Wireless Optical Communication

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Photonics 2023, 10(4), 383; https://doi.org/10.3390/photonics10040383 - 30 Mar 2023

Viewed by 494

Abstract

Underwater wireless optical communication (UWOC) is a promising solution for Gb/s rate and long-distance underwater communication. However, random changes in the local temperature and salinity of seawater have caused different refractive indices of ocean water. This study investigated the UWOC system in different saline water while simultaneously changing the temperature and water flow. A maximum bit error rate (BER) of 4.851 × 10⁻⁶ was measured at −7.41 dBm in 3 m of 45.56 g/L saline water. By changing the temperature to 30 °C, the bit error rate (BER) value reached 5.12 × 10⁻⁶ in the saline water. On the other hand, water flow was generated in various types of water salinity to compare simultaneous environmental effects in the UWOC system. In 45.56 g/L of saline water with water flow, the UWOC system was still capable of reaching a BER value of 4 × 10⁻⁴. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Women’s Special Issue Series: Photonics)

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Open AccessCommunication

Movable Optical Frequency Ruler with Optical Activity

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Photonics 2023, 10(2), 206; https://doi.org/10.3390/photonics10020206 - 14 Feb 2023

Viewed by 444

Abstract

Optical frequency rulers (OFR) are suggested for use as optical wavelength or frequency references for spectra manipulation or unknown wavelength measurement. In the past, complicated mechanisms that are not easy to utilize were used to make OFR, such as a double-slits with a high-speed fluid or an external circuit to control the liquid crystal birefringence. This work introduces a simple structure to produce an OFR, which should be easier to implement. It utilizes quartz block optical activity and two polarizers. Because of the strong wavelength dependence of the rotatory power, each wavelength component in the spectrum experiences a different amount of polarization angle rotation. Some components whose angles are perpendicular to that of the analyzer are filtered out and naturally form the OFR’s ticks. The numerical results show that those spectral ticks can be moved to higher or lower wavelengths by rotating the analyzer’s angle. This scheme provides another possibility for creating movable OFR with the merit of easy usage. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Women’s Special Issue Series: Photonics)

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Open AccessArticle

Comprehensive Analysis of Copper Plasma: A Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopic Approach

Asokan Ajith

Mohanachandran Nair Sindhu Swapna

Humberto Cabrera

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Sankaranarayana Iyer Sankararaman

Photonics 2023, 10(2), 199; https://doi.org/10.3390/photonics10020199 - 12 Feb 2023

Viewed by 1176

Abstract

The emergence of diversified applications of laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy in the biomedical field, electronics, space physics, and material processing necessitates a comprehensive understanding of plasma parameters. The present work delineates the structure and evolution of copper plasma under different ambient pressures (0.01 mbar to 100 mbar) along with other plasma parameters. The study reveals the role of ambient pressure in the increase of plasma temperature (T_e), electron density (N_e), number of particles in the Debye sphere, plasma frequency, inverse bremsstrahlung absorption coefficient, electron thermal velocity, electron–ion collision frequency and in the decrease of Debye length (λ_D) and plasma skin depth (PSD). The experimental techniques and the theoretical explanations for the variation of plasma parameters and their applications are also detailed. As the ambient pressure increases, the motion of plasma species becomes restricted, resulting in the increase of T_e, calculated using the Boltzmann plot. From the values of λ_D, PSD, and N_e, it is understood that the copper plasma under investigation is thermally non-relativistic and satisfies McWhirter’s criterion, thus, revealing the local thermodynamic equilibrium condition of plasma. The effects of Debye shielding and stark broadening on the spectral lines are also investigated. Thus, the study helps bring newfangled dimensions to the application of plasma by exploring the possibility of tailoring plasma parameters. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Women’s Special Issue Series: Photonics)

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Open AccessArticle

Interactions of Atomistic Nitrogen Optical Centers during Bulk Femtosecond Laser Micromarking of Natural Diamond

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Photonics 2023, 10(2), 135; https://doi.org/10.3390/photonics10020135 - 29 Jan 2023

Viewed by 680

Abstract

Micromarks were formed in bulk natural IaAB-type diamond laser-inscribed by 515 nm 0.3 ps femtosecond laser pulses focused by a 0.25 NA micro-objective at variable pulse energies in sub-picosecond visible-range laser regimes. These micromarks were characterized at room temperature (25 °C) by stationary 3D confocal photoluminescence (PL) microspectroscopy at 405 nm and 532 nm excitation wavelengths. The acquired PL spectra exhibit the increasing pulse-energy-dependent yield in the range of 550–750 nm (NV⁰, NV⁻ centers) at the expense of the simultaneous reciprocal reduction in the blue–green (490–570 nm, H-band centers) PL yield. The detailed analysis indicates low-energy intensity rise for H-band centers as an intermediate product of vacancy-mediated dissociation of B1 and B2 centers, with H4 centers converting to H3 and NV centers at higher pulse energies, while the laser exposure effect demonstrates the same trend. These results will help solve the problem of direct laser writing technology, which is associated with the writing of micromarks in bulk natural diamond, and promising three-dimensional micro-electrooptical and photonic devices in physics and electronics. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Women’s Special Issue Series: Photonics)

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Open AccessArticle

On the Possibility of Intense Unipolar THz Pulses Formation in Nonhomogeneous Nonequilibrium Nitrogen Plasma Channels

Anna V. Bogatskaya

Ekaterina A. Volkova

and

Alexander M. Popov

Photonics 2023, 10(2), 113; https://doi.org/10.3390/photonics10020113 - 21 Jan 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 691

Abstract

We developed a 3D, fully self-consistent model for analysis of the ultrashort THz unipolar pulse formation accompanied by its amplification in a nonequilibrium plasma channel induced in nitrogen by a femtosecond UV laser pulse. The model is based on a self-consistent numerical solution of the second-order wave equation in cylindrical geometry and the kinetic Boltzmann equation for the electron velocity distribution function (EVDF) at different points of the spatially inhomogeneous nonequilibrium plasma channel. Rapid relaxation of the electron velocity distribution function in the plasma channel results in the amplification of the leading front of the THz pulse only, while its trailing edge is not amplified or even absorbed, which gives rise to the possibility of the formation of pulses with a high degree of unipolarity. The evolution of the unipolar pulse after its transfer from the channel to open free space is analyzed in detail. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Women’s Special Issue Series: Photonics)

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Open AccessArticle

Polarization-Sensitive Nonlinear Optical Interaction of Ultrashort Laser Pulses with HPHT Diamond

George K. Krasin

Yulia S. Gulina

Evgeny V. Kuzmin

Victor P. Martovitskii

and

Sergey I. Kudryashov

Photonics 2023, 10(2), 106; https://doi.org/10.3390/photonics10020106 - 19 Jan 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 787

Abstract

The filamentation of focused 300 fs laser pulses with variable polarization azimuth in bulk of synthetic HPHT diamond demonstrates the possibility of polarization-dependent bandgap control for crystal dielectric photoexcitation. This directly affects the value of the filamentation threshold power, which exhibits the distinct dependence on the polarization azimuth angle. The nonlinear photoluminescence yield, when focusing ultrashort laser pulses with variable polarization in bulk of the synthetic diamond, indicates different polarization-dependent regimes in the dynamics of electron-hole plasma formation, arising due to different processes of photoexcitation and recombination of free carriers during the filamentation process. Thus, at the onset of the filamentation process, at relatively low intensities, the photoluminescence yield rate depends on polarization azimuth controlling bandgap, while at high intensities the resulting dense absorbing plasma exhibits isotropy with respect to laser radiation polarization, and photoluminescence yield weakly depends on polarization azimuth. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Women’s Special Issue Series: Photonics)

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Open AccessCommunication

Reduction in Crosstalk between Integrated Anisotropic Optical Waveguides

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Photonics 2023, 10(1), 59; https://doi.org/10.3390/photonics10010059 - 05 Jan 2023

Viewed by 883

Abstract

The minimization of waveguide crosstalk is a long-standing challenge for optical engineers. Nowadays, the most popular technique to suppress crosstalk is anisotropic nanostructures, realized as subwavelength stripes between waveguides. However, the influence of material anisotropy on the efficiency of such structures remains unknown. In this work, we consider MoS₂ waveguides separated by MoS₂ stripes because this material has the record value of optical anisotropy. We discover that the use of MoS₂ instead of Si results in a several-orders-of-magnitude-larger crosstalk distance. Therefore, we envision that by combining the extraordinary material properties with the known crosstalk-suppression methods, one can make the integration density of photonic devices close to electronics. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Women’s Special Issue Series: Photonics)

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