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The mechanism of ferromagnetic ordering in ZrOx film is investigated by both experimental observation and theoretical calculation. Magnetic measurements reveal that the magnetic properties can be adjusted from diamagnetism to ferromagnetism by varying the oxygen stoichiometry. We find that oxygen-rich defects can be responsible for the observed magnetic properties by taking the measurements of x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and room temperature photoluminescence spectra. Density functional theory calculations further confirm that the ferromagnetic order is mainly driven by the exchange interaction between the oxygen antisites and the neighboring anion atoms.

Potash–lime silicate (K2O–CaO–SiO2) glass dated to the Warring States Periods is one of the earliest glass types that have been found in China, but scientific research about this type of glass is scarce at home and abroad. In the present study, a total of 23 potash–lime silicate glass samples of the Warring States Period, excavated from different areas of China, were analyzed noninvasively using a portable X-ray fluorescence spectrometer (pXRF). The chemical composition of these K2O–CaO–SiO2 glasses was analyzed and compared with that of the potash silicate (K2O-SiO2) glasses of the Han Dynasties. The possible raw materials used to make the ancient K2O–CaO–SiO2 glasses were discussed. It appears that the ancient K2O–CaO–SiO2 glasses were produced in China and the potash glasses were of versatile origins. This research provides useful clues to trace the technical development of ancient Chinese glass.

A total of 46 stratified glass eye beads in Hubei Provincial Museum, Wuhan, China were analyzed in situ by means of portable X-ray fluorescence and Raman spectrometers. These beads were excavated from the famous tomb of Marquis Yi of the Zeng State, which was dated back to the early Warring States Period (433 bc or little late), in Hubei Province. It is determined that most of these elegant glass beads belong to the typical soda-lime-silicate glasses with low contents of MgO and K2O. The colorants used within these beads are attributed to two types: antimony-based compound opacifiers/colorants and the transition metals in their oxidized state such as Co, Cu, and Fe ions. According to their characteristics of typology, chemical composition, and micro-crystals within samples, we classified them into three subtypes and evaluated the possible relations among them. In addition, through comparing with the similar contemporary samples unearthed from Xu Jialing Tomb (5th–4th century bc) in Henan Province, we discussed the provenance of these stratified glass eye beads and relative issues briefly. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

In the present study, laser ablation inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (LA-ICP-AES) was successfully used to classify 26 ancient potash glass beads. These samples, mainly dated from the Han Dynasty to the Jin Dynasty, were from several provinces of both China and Vietnam. Quantitative analyses were done with both weathered and polished samples in order to consider the effects of surface weathering. Based on the characteristics of major, minor, and trace elements, we divided the samples into three subgroups (the percentage for each subgroup was 50%, 42%, and 8%, respectively) and also determined their main colorants. The results obtained provide new clues to trace the possible producing centers of ancient potash glasses in Asia. This study also reveals a complex network related to the trade of ancient potash glasses.

Confocal Raman microspectroscopy and portable X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy were used nondestructively to characterise 18 intact jade artifacts from the Cemetery of the Ying State in Pingdingshan, Henan Province, China. These jade artifacts date from the early to the middle of the Western Zhou Period (the mid-11th to the mid-9th century BC). Thirteen jade artifacts made of tremolite and two jade artifacts made of actinolite were discriminated from each other by their hydroxyl stretching modes, and a malachite pendant, a muscovite dagger-axe, and a crystal pendant were also identified. Black graphite was analysed in three jade artifacts composed of tremolite, and the mineralization temperatures were estimated and compared. A red powder was found on the surface of all of the jade artifacts, and this was found to be cinnabar (HgS), which is thought to have been added to the tomb environments during burial ceremonies. The chemical compositions and the possible provenances of the jade artifacts are briefly discussed. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Maskless laser direct writing lithography has been applied in the fabrication of optical elements and electric-optical devices. With the development of technology, the feature size of the elements and devices is required to reduce down to nanoscale. Increasing the numerical aperture of converging lens and shortening the laser wavelength are good methods to obtain the small spot and reduce the feature size to nanoscale, while this will cause the reduction of the depth of focus. The reduction of depth of focus will lead to some difficulties in the focusing and tracking servo controlling during the high speed laser direct writing lithography. In this work, the combination of the diffractive optical elements and the nonlinear absorption inorganic resist thin films cannot only extend the depth of focus, but also reduce the feature size of the lithographic marks down to nanoscale. By using the five-zone annular phase-only binary pupil filter as the diffractive optical elements and AgInSbTe as the nonlinear absorption inorganic resist thin film, the depth of focus cannot only extend to 7.39 times that of the focused spot, but also reduce the lithographic feature size down to 54.6 nm. The ill-effect of sidelobe on the lithography is also eliminated by the nonlinear reverse saturable absorption and the phase change threshold lithographic characteristics.

Laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometry (LA-ICP-AES) and laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) were applied to analyze ancient Chinese potash glass. The surfaces of glasses were polished over 100 μm, then pre-ablation was performed to avoid surface weathering effect, and laser ablation was performed in the designed route to eliminate influence of heterogeneity. The glasses were classified into three subgroups by their lime and alumina concentrations, and they may have different recipe and production center. There are various colorants in these glass including metallic copper, and ions of manganese, copper and cobalt. The characteristics of rare earth elements of Chinese potash glass were studied for the first time and it was successfully used to separate the potash glass of Fengmenling and Jiuzhiling. The features of two methods in the studies of ancient glass were discussed.

Thirty-seven glass beads excavated from the Han Dynasty tombs in Hepu county, Guangxi, China, were analyzed using a portable X-ray fluorescence (PXRF) spectrometer. Reference sample Corning glass D is used to check precision and accuracy of the equipment for major and minor components. The results of inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy and PXRF are compared to evaluate the quality of equipment for trace elements. Combined with the contents of Al2O3 and CaO, a new criterion of subgroup division for potash glass based on the levels of trace elements (Rb and Sr) is proposed. The correlations of Rb and K, Rb and Al, and Sr and Ca are discussed. It is thought that saltpeter was the main flux used to produce potash glasses of different groups. The positive correlation between Rb and Al, and Rb and K indicates that potassium aluminosilicate minerals may be used as raw minerals for potash glasses of group II. The results indicate that the levels of Rb and Sr can be very helpful in subgroup definition and provide useful clues to the raw materials used for glassmaking and provenance study of the potash glass found in Guangxi, China. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

This work aims to determine the formation mechanism as well as the major mineral and inclusions of black-green serpentine jade by Raman spectroscopy. Scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive spectrometry was used to analyze the chemical composition of the inclusions and major mineral. The major mineral of black-green serpentine jade was antigorite, and the inclusions were actinolite, chlorite, calcite, quartz, magnetite, and goethite. Jade quality was preliminarily evaluated based on the area ratio of antigorite to the inclusions by optical microscopy. Formation mechanism of black-green serpentine jade was inferred based on the analysis of the inclusions, which demonstrated a new application of Raman spectroscopy in mineralogy.

With the continuous development of the field of information technology, there has been a demand for recording mark size of optical data storage, optical imaging resolving power, and characteristic linewidth of photolithography to reach nanoscale. However, it is very difficult to realize the goal due to the optical diffraction limit restrictions. Much interest has focused on the study of optical far-field super-resolution spot by using pupil filters. However, common concerns have continued to plague super-resolving pupil filters based on either scalar diffraction theory or vector diffraction theory. These concerns include the fact that the side lobe becomes non-negligible when the central lobe is squeezed to a certain extent. Moreover, it is difficult to reduce the super-resolving spot to nanoscale. In this work, we proposed a novel method to combine the super-resolving pupil filters with nonlinear saturable absorption thin films to reduce the central spot size to nanoscale, lower the intensity ratio of side lobe to central lobe, and elongate the depth of focus or tunable tolerance distance between the superresolving spot and sample. The simulated results indicate that by using the three-zone annular binary phase filter as the super-resolving pupil filter and Sb 2 Te3 as the nonlinear saturable absorption thin films, the central spot size can be reduced to nanoscale, the side lobe intensity is squeezed to about 10% of the central lobe intensity, and the tunable tolerance distance between the super-resolving spot and the sample is about two times that of the depth of focus of the diffraction limited spot at the incident laser wavelength of 405 nm and the numerical aperture of focusing lens of 0.95. The combination of the super-resolving pupil filters with the nonlinear saturable absorption thin films is very useful for nanooptical data storage, maskless nanolithography, and nano-optical imaging. It is also easy to use in actual applications because of the operation in the far-field range.

A total of 33 ancient glass beads unearthed from the Kizil reservoir cemetery and Wanquan cemetery in Xinjiang are studied using Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive spectrometry (SEM–EDS) and other methods. The detailed study of the glassy matrices, the crystalline inclusions and the microstructural heterogeneities for these glass beads has revealed some valuable information to help in the understanding of their possible manufacturing technology and provenance. At least two different types of glass were present in the two cemeteries. For the first time, antimony-based colourant/opacifier—for example, Pb2Sb2O7 or CaSb2O6—was systematically identified in some beads of plant-ash type soda–lime glass dated to about 1000–500 bc. The limited number of potash glass beads from the Kizil reservoir cemetery, which were dated to about 500–300 bc, used tin oxide as an opacifier. The diverse resources of the soda–lime and potash glasses indicate the existence of a complex trade network between China and the West much earlier than the Western Han Dynasty.

A total of ten ancient colored glass beads were analyzed by confocal Raman microspectroscopy for the non-destructive identification of microcrystals within them. These beads were excavated from different regions of China, including Xinjiang, Henan, Hubei and Guangxi Provinces, and were dated mainly from the 10th century BC to the 9th century AD. For the first time, either tin or antimony-based opacifiers/colorants including calcium antimonate (CaSb2O6, Ca2Sb2O7), bindheimite (Pb2Sb2O7), lead tin yellow type II (PbSn1-xSixO3) and cassiterite (SnO2) were identified in nine samples. In addition, other crystalline phases such as cuprite (Cu2O), α-wollastonite (CaSiO3), diopside (CaMgSi2O6), feldspar (KAlSi3O8), calcite (CaCO3) and quartz (SiO2) were also detected. Another interesting phenomenon first observed in this study was the coexistence of Sn- and Sb-based opacifiers/colorants in one mosaic bead from Guangxi. The possibility to use Sb- and Sn-based opacifiers/colorants for dating and provenance study of ancient glass found in China is discussed briefly. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

In order to obtain a super-resolution non-difiraction beam, we propose a fast searching method to design a ternary optical element combined with the circularly polarized light. The optimized results show that a beam with a spot size of 0:356‚ and depth of focus of 8:28‚ can be achieved by focusing with an oil lens of numerical aperture NA = 1:4 and refractive index of oil n = 1:5. The analysis reveals that the spot size of transverse component is 0:273‚, indicating that the super-resolution efiect mainly comes from the transverse component. The spot size inside the media can theoretically reach down to 0:273‚ because the spot size inside the media is mainly determined by the transverse component.

We present a concealing method in which an anti-point spread function (APSF) is generated using binary optics, which produces a large-scale dark area in the focal region that can hide any object located within it. This result is achieved by generating two identical PSFs of opposite signs, one consisting of positive electromagnetic waves from the zero-phase region of the binary optical element and the other consisting of negative electromagnetic waves from the pi-phase region of the binary optical element.