Inter-American Materials Collaboration (CIAM): Nonlinear Spectroscopy of Optical Ceramics

非技术描述：长期以来，陶瓷材料一直被认为具有电、热或物理性能，在科学和技术中具有独特的应用。然而，直到最近才有研究表明，经过特殊处理的陶瓷可以获得足够的透明度，以满足医学成像、新的激光技术和其他高强度光源的要求。透明陶瓷已经在X射线CAT扫描探测器、消费类节能金属卤素灯和高平均功率固体激光器方面取得了前所未有的性能。在这个项目中，透明陶瓷用先进的光学技术进行研究，以确定通过在被加工材料中保持超细颗粒结构的美国专利技术制备是否产生与纳米结构相关的优势或独特的应用。技术细节：本项目利用透明纳米结构陶瓷中基于二阶和三阶光学非线性的光谱学，为理解新兴的光学陶瓷技术提供坚实的科学基础。它的设计目的是寻找和检查(I)出人意料的大非线性响应，(Ii)量子尺寸效应，以及(Iii)玻璃和单晶材料特性之间的“可调性”，这预计完全来自陶瓷本身的纳米结构。该实验计划依靠尖端技术为研究生提供极好的培训场所，以及国际合作，这是在全球科学合作以及美国科学多样化的方向上亟需的一步。这项工作由国际科学与工程办公室和材料研究部联合支持。

NON-TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION: Ceramic materials have long been recognized as having electronic, thermal or physical properties with unique applications in science and technology. Only recently however has it been shown that specially processed ceramics can acquire adequate transparency to meet the requirements for medical imaging, novel laser technology and other high intensity illumination sources. Transparent ceramics have already achieved unprecedented performance in x-ray CAT scan detectors, energy-conserving metal-halogen lamps for consumer applications, and high average power solid-state lasers. In this project, transparent ceramics are studied with sophisticated optical techniques to determine whether preparation by an American-patented technique that maintains ultra-fine grain structure in the processed material yields advantages or unique applications associated with the nano-structure.TECHNICAL DETAILS: This project utilizes spectroscopy based on second- and third-order optical nonlinearities in transparent nano-structured ceramics to provide a firm scientific foundation for understanding emergent optical ceramic technology. It is designed to search for and examine (i) unexpectedly large nonlinear response, (ii) quantum size effects, and (iii) "tunability" between glass and single crystal material properties, that is expected to derive solely from the nano-structure of the ceramics themselves. The experimental program relies on cutting edge techniques that provide excellent training ground for graduate students, and an international collaboration that is a much-needed step in the direction of worldwide cooperation in science as well as the diversification of American science.This work is jointed supported by the Office of International Science and Engineering and the Division of Materials Research.