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Ion irradiation is a widely employed tool to fabricate diamond micro- and nano-structures for applications in integrated photonics and quantum optics. In this context, it is essential to accurately assess the effect of ion-induced damage on the variation of the refractive index of the material, both to control the side effects in the fabrication process and possibly finely tune such variations. Several partially contradictory accounts have been provided on the effect of the ion irradiation on the refractive index of single crystal diamond. These discrepancies may be attributable to the fact that in all cases the ions are implanted in the bulk of the material, thus inducing a series of concurrent effects (volume expansion, stress, doping, etc.). Here we report the systematic characterization of the refractive index variations occurring in a 38 µm thin artificial diamond sample upon irradiation with high-energy (3 MeV and 5 MeV) protons. In this configuration the ions are fully transmitted through the sample, while inducing an almost uniform damage profile with depth. Therefore, our findings conclusively identify and accurately quantify the change in the material polarizability as a function of ion beam damage as the primary cause for the modification of its refractive index.

G. García et al., This paper presents experimental data and analysis of the structural damage caused by swift-heavy ion irradiation of single-crystal diamond. The patterned buried structural damage is shown to generate, via swelling, a mirror-pattern on the sample surface, which remains largely damage-free. While extensive results are available for light ion implantations, this effect is reported here for the first time in the heavy ion regime, where a completely different range of input parameters (in terms of ion species, energy, stopping power, etc.) is available for customized irradiation. The chosen ion species are Au and Br, in the energy range 10-40 MeV. The observed patterns, as characterized by profilometry and atomic force microscopy, are reported in a series of model experiments, which show swelling patterns ranging from a few nm to above 200 nm. Moreover, a systematic phenomenological modelling is presented, in which surface swelling measurements are correlated to buried crystal damage. A comparison is made with data for light ion implantations, showing good compatibility with the proposed models. The modelling presented in this work can be useful for the design and realization of micropatterned surfaces in single crystal diamond, allowing to generate highly customized structures by combining appropriately chosen irradiation parameters and masks., GG acknowledges support from the ALBA synchrotron, W. Schildkamp for inspiring discussions on the behavior of diamond and J. Ferrer for his help in experiment preparation. GG, MD-H, VT-M, OP-R and JO acknowledge the projects MAT-2011-28379-C03-02 of the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, TECHNOFUSION(II)¬CM (S2013/MAE¬2745) of the Community of Madrid, and Moncloa Campus of International Excellence (UCM-UPM) foundation for offering a PICATA postdoctoral fellowship (OP-R). FP is supported by the “DiNaMo” project n° 157660 funded by National Institute of Nuclear Physics. PO is supported by the FIRB “Futuro in Ricerca 2010” project (CUP code: D11J11000450001) funded by MIUR and by the “A.Di.N-Tech.” project (CUP code: D15E13000130003) funded by the University of Torino and “Compagnia di San Paolo”. The MeV ion beam implantations performed at the INFN Legnaro National Laboratories was supported by the “Dia.Fab.” experiment, and those at the INFN LABEC Laboratory by the “FARE” and “CICAS” experiments. NMP is supported by the European Research Council (ERC StG Ideas 2011 BIHSNAM n. 279985, ERC PoC 2013-2 KNOTOUGH n. 632277 and ERC PoC 2015 SILKENE no. 693670), by the European Commission under the Graphene Flagship ("Nanocomposites", n. 604391). FB acknowledges support from BIHSNAM. LL-M and CO acknowledge the Spanish MINECO through the Severo Ochoa Program (SEV-2015-0496) and MAT2013-47869-C4-1-P. CO acknowledges the specific agreement between ICMAB-CSIC and the Synchrotron Light Facility ALBA.

An accurate control of the optical properties of single crystal diamond during microfabrication processes such as ion implantation plays a crucial role in the engineering of integrated photonic devices. In this work we present a systematic study of the variation of both real and imaginary parts of the refractive index of single crystal diamond, when damaged with 2 and 3 MeV protons at low-medium fluences (range: 10^15 - 10^17 cm^-2). After implanting in 125x125 um^2 areas with a scanning ion microbeam, the variation of optical pathlength of the implanted regions was measured with laser interferometric microscopy, while their optical transmission was studied using a spectrometric set-up with micrometric spatial resolution. On the basis of a model taking into account the strongly non-uniform damage profile in the bulk sample, the variation of the complex refractive index as a function of damage density was evaluated., 13 pages, 7 figures. arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:1608.07122

We present experimental results and numerical simulations to investigate the modification of structural-mechanical properties of ion-implanted single-crystal diamond. A phenomenological model is used to derive an analytical expression for the variation of mass density and elastic properties as a function of damage density in the crystal. These relations are applied together with SRIM Monte Carlo simulations to set up Finite Element simulations for the determination of internal strains and surface deformation of MeV-ion-implanted diamond samples. The results are validated through comparison with high resolution X-ray diffraction and white-light interferometric profilometry experiments. The former are carried out on 180 keV B implanted diamond samples, to determine the induced structural variation, in terms of lattice spacing and disorder, whilst the latter are performed on 1.8 MeV He implanted diamond samples to measure surface swelling. The effect of thermal processing on the evolution of the structural-mechanical properties of damaged diamond is also evaluated by performing the same profilometric measurements after annealing at 1000 {\deg}C, and modeling the obtained trends with a suitably modified analytical model. The results allow the development of a coherent model describing the effects of MeV-ion-induced damage on the structural-mechanical properties of single-crystal diamond. In particular, we suggest a more reliable method to determine the so-called diamond "graphitization threshold" for the considered implantation type., Comment: 19 pages, 4 figures

The use of wavelength-shifting interferometry with a He–Ne laser source is presented. The approach is based on the thermal expansion of the laser cavity during the warm-up time, in conjunction with an unequal path interferometric configuration. The optics principles are reviewed, and a demonstrative measurement is presented. The technique extends the capability of phase-shift acquisition and processing to cases where conventional methods with piezoelectric transducers cannot be used, and particularly to external measurement cavities of large diameter.

Measurements of the refractive index of two different Lithosil samples and a sample of Suprasil 312 at cryogenic temperature and at 293 K are reported for the spectral range from 480 nm to 894 nm. Such data are useful for the design of fused silica optical components and systems destined for space missions.

Micro-fabrication in diamond is involved in a wide set of emerging technologies, exploiting the exceptional characteristics of diamond for application in bio-physics, photonics, radiation detection. Micro ion-beam irradiation and pulsed laser irradiation are complementary techniques, which permit the implementation of complex geometries, by modification and functionalization of surface and/or bulk material, modifying the optical, electrical and mechanical characteristics of the material. In this article we summarize the work done in Florence (Italy) concerning ion beam and pulsed laser beam micro-fabrication in diamond., 14 pages, 5 figures

We report the first optical and control performances of the Tor Vergata Fabry-P´erot interferometer prototype designed and realized in the framework of the ADvanced Astronomy for HELIophysics (ADAHELI) solar mission project. The characterization of the the coated surfaces of the two plates defining the optical cavity has been carried out with a Zygo interferometer able to measure the microroughness and global curvature of the cavity. The peak-to-valley errors are compliant with the manufacturer specifications and correspond to λ/70 and λ/80 @632.8 nm respectively. In addition, we present a first estimate of the interferometer spectral stability in stable open-air condition. A spectral uncertainty equal to 0.95 pm is found as the typical RMS over one hour of the passband central wavelength position.

An interferometric method to monitor the thinning process of vertical soap films from a water solution of surfactant materials is reported. Raw data maps of optical path difference introduced by the film are obtained by conventional phase shift interferometry. Off-line re-processing of such raw data taking into account the layered structure of soap films leads to an accurate measurement of the geometrical thickness. As an example of data acquisition and processing, the measuring chain is demonstrated on perfluoropolyether surfactants; the section profile of vertical films is monitored from drawing to black film state, and quantitative data on the dynamics of the thinning process are presented. The interferometric method proves effective to the task, and lends itself to further investigate the physical properties of soap films.

A model for the optical path difference introduced by a soap bubble in transmission is described. The model is then used with interferometric data to solve for the fringe order, and to define a procedure to extract the global film thickness in presence of turbulence flows occurring during the drainage process due to gravity. Experimental results on soap bubbles examined in single-pass phase-shift interferometry are presented. (C) 2013 Optical Society of America

The Shack interferometer is a simple and effective device to test optical surfaces in reflection and optical systems in transmission. An essential setup on a reduced scale with a minimum number of components is presented, suited to gain familiarity and practice with optical testing in a laboratory course for undergraduate students. The basic layout and the optics principles are discussed, fringe processing is detailed and the calculation of the point spread function in the presence of typical aberrations is demonstrated.

Algorithms for phase retrieval in spatial phase-shifting interferometry are examined. It is noticed that the classical Carre technique based on four neighbor pixels may introduce shaped phase residuals that affect the accuracy of the reconstruction. A variant of the technique is proposed, taking into consideration five pixels and steering the phase retrieval algorithm to the appropriate subset so that residuals are free of underlying errors. Computational results are presented illustrating the approach and demonstrating the accuracy improvement in a case study. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V

Absolute planarity measurement with interferometric data and iterative surface recovering approaches is briefly reviewed. Extension to the case of multiple measurements is outlined, and demonstration with synthetic data is provided. A generalized approach is finally presented, making use of operators representing the manipulations occurred with the surfaces taking part in the generation of the interferograms. The potential advantages of the new interferogram processing technique are pointed out. (C) 2012 Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE).

The time stability of fused silica is investigated, reporting new data on two flats that were purchased in 1981. It is found that their present shape is no more plane, exhibiting instead a concavity that is compatible with a very slow laminar flow under the action of gravity. The data are examined altogether with those of prior observations, confirming the occurrence of a relaxation process whose time constant is estimated in the order of 10 years; during such a time period, viscosity approximately increases by a factor of three. Starting from the experimental data so far collected, the computations accounting for the estimates above are given in detail.

Cases of long-term deformation of fused silica flats are reported. The phenomenon is detected at the scale of the nanometer, and exhibits a time constant of the order of 9 years. The observed deformation appears related to gravity and constraints, but a change of physical properties locally resulting in non-homothetic behavior is also hypothesized.

The recent celebration of the discoveries made by Galileo four centuries ago has attracted new attention to the refracting telescope and to its use as an instrument for the observation of the night sky.1 This has offered the opportunity for addressing in the classroom the basic principles explaining the operation of the telescope. When doing so, a key concept that is faced is magnification. In geometrical optics, the treatment of magnification is generally given in terms of light rays and first‐order (Gaussian or paraxial) ray tracing. Computer programs are available with which the light path through the lenses and the whole telescope can be simulated.

Diode pumped zig-zag slab lasers are widely adopted for continuous-wave high power or pulsed high energy applications. Recently [J. Eur. Opt. Soc.-Rapid 6, 11041 (2011)] we started to investigate a new thin slab format in which pumping radiation input is obtained through the thin lateral faces (edge pumping) and the beam propagation takes place bouncing on these same lateral faces ("edge zig-zag"). We report on the optimized operation of a ceramic Nd:YAG laser, based on this geometry, extracting 230 W at a 43% output power to diode power conversion efficiency. Thorough investigation of the thermal lens effect allows us to analyze the optical cavity and thus to define the main aspects limiting the present laser configuration. (C) 2012 Optical Society of America

Researchers are once again interested in using non-diffracting beams of light because of the possibility