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Pulsed, visible and near-infrared laser light is coupled into an optical fiber, which is wound into a loop using a fiber splice connector. The light pulses traveling through the fiber-loop are detected using a photomultiplier detector. It is found that once the light is coupled into the fiber it experiences very little loss and the light pulses do a large number of round trips before their intensity is below the detection threshold. Measurements of the loss-per-pass and of the ring-down time allow for characterization of the different loss mechanisms of the light pulses in the fiber and splice connector. This method resembles “cavity ring-down absorption spectroscopy” and is well suited to characterize low-loss processes in fiber optic transmission independent from power fluctuations of the light source. It is demonstrated that by measuring the ring-down times one can accurately determine the absolute transmission of an optical fiber and of the fiber connector. In addition it is demonstrated that the technique is useful as an absorption spectroscopic technique of very small sample volumes. A solution of an organic dye was placed between the fiber ends instead of the usual index matching fluid, and an absorption spectrum of 7×10−15 mol of the dye 1,1′-diethyl-4,4′-dicarbocyanine iodide in 7×10−12 L of dimethylsulfoxide was recorded.

A simple refractive index sensor based on a Michelson interferometer in a single-mode fiber is constructed and demonstrated. The sensor consists of a single symmetrically abrupt taper region in a short piece of single-mode fiber that is terminated by approximately 500 nm thick gold coating. The sensitivity of the new sensor is similar to that of a long-period-grating-type sensor, and its ease of fabrication offers a low-cost alternative to current sensing applications.

Mach-Zehnder and Michelson interferometers using core-offset attenuators were demonstrated. As the relative offset direction of the two attenuators in the Mach-Zehnder interferometer can significantly affect the extinction ratio of the interference pattern, single core-offset attenuator-based sensors appear more robust and repeatable. A novel fiber Michelson interferometer refractive index (RI) sensor was subsequently realized by a single core-offset attenuator and a layer of 500-nm gold coating. The device had a minimum insertion loss of 0.01 dB and maximum extinction ratio over 9 dB. The sensitivity (0.333 nm) of the new sensor to its surrounding RI change (0.01) was found to be comparable to that (0.252 nm) of an identical long period gratings pair Mach-Zehnder interferometric sensor, and its ease of fabrication makes it a low-cost alternative to existing sensing applications.

The adiabatic ionization potentials of TiO, ZrO, NbO, and MoO have been measured using two-color photoionization efficiency (PIE) spectroscopy and mass-analyzed threshold ionization (MATI). From the sharp ionization thresholds in the PIE and MATI spectra the following ionization potentials were derived: IP(TiO)=6.8197(7) eV, IP(ZrO)=6.812(2) eV, IP(NbO)=7.154(1) eV, and IP(MoO)=7.4504(5) eV. These values have been combined with the ionization potentials of the metal atoms and the bond energies of the transition metal oxide cations, D0(MO+) [M. R. Sievers et al., J. Chem. Phys. 105, 6322 (1996)] to derive the bond energies, D0(MO), of the neutral metal monoxides; D0(TiO)=6.87(7) eV, D0(ZrO)=7.94(11) eV, D0(NbO)=7.53(11) eV, D0(MO)=5.44(4) eV. It is argued that these values are more accurate than the currently accepted values and hence are recommended for future work. Experimental evidence suggests that the ground state of MoO+ is the Σ−4 state arising from the δ2σ1 configuration.

Cavity ring-down spectroscopy has proven to be a very sensitive gas-phase spectroscopic technique, suitable to record either very weak transitions of abundant gases or stronger transitions of trace gases. Here, an adaptation of the ring-down measurement principle to optical waveguides is presented. Fiber-loop ring-down spectroscopy ͑FLRDS͒ allows for the measurement of absorption spectra of minute quantities of liquid solutions. An optical fiber is wound into a loop using a fiber splice connector. A nanosecond laser light pulse (ϳ810 nm) is coupled into the loop and the light pulses are detected using a photomultiplier detector. It is found that once the light is coupled into the fiber it experiences very little loss and the light pulses do a large number of round trips before their intensity is below the detection threshold. The characteristic ring-down time is obtained by exponential fitting of the envelope of the wave form. This method is well suited to characterize low-loss processes in fiber optic transmission independent from power fluctuations of the light source. The strengths of the technique are demonstrated by characterization of a variety of loss processes-in particular by the measurement of the absolute loss of the optical fiber and of the fiber connector, losses due to macrobending of a section of the fiber loop, as well as losses due to lateral and longitudinal displacement in the fiber-fiber connection. Furthermore, it is shown that FLRDS is useful as an absorption spectroscopic technique for very small sample volumes and may be applied as an absorption detection method in analytical chemistry devices. A crude 47 m channel in polydimethylsiloxane polymer was fabricated between the fiber end facets and the dye 1,1Ј-diethyl-4,4Ј-dicarbocyanine iodide ͑DDCI͒ was introduced into the channel. From the concentration dependence of ring-down time the sample volume was determined as 700 pL and the detection limit as about 10 Ϫ10 mol, or 7ϫ10 Ϫ8 g of DDCI.

Now you see it, now you don't: A specially designed reactor that heats only a small area of Pd foil during a Suzuki–Miyaura coupling permits observation of the surface changes during the reaction. Dissolution of Pd occurs only in the heated zone, and only in the presence of aryl iodide, whereas deposition of Pd occurs preferentially on the unheated zones adjacent to the reactive zone. SEM and XPS are employed to probe the surface before and after reaction.