The majority of the layers of a multilayer optical coating typically have optical thicknesses equal to one quarter of the appropriate wavelength of radiation. Replacing this constraint with the stipulation that a pair of adjacent layers should have a total optical thickness of one half of a wavelength introduces a significant new component of design flexibility while having a minimal impact upon the desired optical properties of the film. Taking a matrix approach, we derive a general expression for the reflectance of a periodic thin-film structure that is based on layers of two different materials of arbitrary thickness. This result is applied to highly reflective coatings at normal incidence and to off-normal polarizing coatings. Specific results involving HfO(2)/SiO(2) films and TiO(2)/SiO(2) films are displayed. We discuss how the thickness of the high-index layers may be reduced to increase damage thresholds. We also show a mirror design that is effective not only at lambda = 1.06 mum but also at the frequency-doubled wavelength.
Management of the research data is an extremely important responsibility of the Principal Investigator (PI) and other members of the research team. Without accurate data, no worthwhile conclusions can be drawn from the research study. Integrity in data management is critical to the success of the research group and to public trust in the research outcomes. One of the primary responsibilities of the PI is to provide proper training to the junior members of the lab. This effort can be buttressed by institutional data policies that are implemented at the group level. Extensive and frequent guidance in good research practices by the PI and other senior research staff is critical to the proper training of new scientists.
As of this writing, there are few ethics courses available purely for physics students. The authors know of only two-the one taught by Marshall Thomsen at Eastern Michigan University, and one taught at Evergreen State College in Washington. Other courses are in development, as the idea/necessity is catching on, and many other more focused courses exist (e.g. on specific societal issues). One barrier to the development of such courses that has come to the authors' attention (and to the attention of others considering such a course) is the lack of a suitable textbook. The aforementioned grant was written, in part, to begin development of a textbook by holding an ethics workshop, the proceedings from which would become the basis of a text.
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