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Measurement of the nonlinear optical coefficients is not an easy task since it requires complicated experimental setup and analysis. We suggest an easy way to estimate the relative nonlinear optical tensor components by direct measurement of the output powers of the second harmonic generation and spontaneous parametric down conversion experiments. The experiments were done in quasi-phase-matched type-0 as well as type-1 interactions at similar pump wavelengths in a 5% MgO-doped periodically poled LiNbO_3 crystal to obtain the ratio of the nonlinear optical tensor components d_33/d_31 in each experiment. The obtained ratios were then compared with the previously ascertained values [J. Opt. Soc. Am. B, 14, 2268-2294 (1997)].

When a diverging laser beam passed through a plane parallel glass plate, interference fringes were observed; analysis of these fringes provided accurate estimation of the source wavelength. The fringes had a unique angular range of uniform fringe density. Fourier transform of the fringes in this range directly provided wavelength information. Reference lasers were used to establish a calibration between the fringe density and wavenumber, with which we estimated the wavelength of a test laser. An accuracy of 4.5×10^−5 was obtained, which is better than that of conventional grating spectrometers, while providing a much broader free spectral range. Our method has unique features, such as extreme simplicity of the setup, fast analysis, and low cost, which are great advantages in practical wavelength meter applications.

We report what we believe is a novel method for measuring the thickness profiles of plane parallel plates by analyzing their Haidinger fringes. When an extended monochromatic source is viewed through a ∼1-mm-thick plate, concentric transmission-type Haidinger fringes can easily be observed. Small variations in the plate thickness result in changes in the radii of the ring fringes. In this study, we scanned 20-mm-diameter fused silica and BK7 plates while tracing a specific ring in each fringe pattern to measure the thickness profiles of the plates, achieving an uncertainty of 2 nm in the measurements of the thickness differences between two locations on each plate.

Owing to strict radiation safety management in Korean nuclear power plants (NPPs), most radiation workers receive very low radiation doses, even lower than the annual dose limit for the general public. However, the occupational dose distribution indicates that some Korean NPP workers receive a relatively higher dose than the average dose. This inequity in radiation exposure could be reduced by providing customized radiation protection measures, such as dose constraints, to workers receiving relatively higher doses. In this study, dose normalization was performed to identify the highest radiation exposure work in Korean pressurized water reactors (PWRs). The results show that most of the occupational exposure in Korean PWRs occurs during the planned maintenance period. Finally, the three highest radiation exposure tasks in Korean PWRs were identified: nozzle dam installation and removal, eddy current testing, and man-way opening and closing.