We have used the techniques of optical diffraction and optical filtering to study electron micro­ graphs of myofibrils and of paracrystals of myofibrillar proteins. The optical diffraction patterns provide information about periodic structure in the micrographs, and sometimes may reveal periodicities not apparent to the eye. We compare the optical diffraction patterns with the X-ray diffraction...

Results for the effects of on materials for a new laser-driven accelerator are presented. Various optical and laser materials are compared. While Si and fused c-SiO appear ideal for sub-bandgap laser wavelengths, other interesting candidates include certain fluorides and compound semiconductors.

In observations of four binary millisecond pulsars with the Palomar 200-inch telescope , we have detected white dwarf companions to PSRs J1640+2224 and J2145?0750 and placed upper limits of m r = 24 and m r = 25 on companions to PSRs J0751+1807 and J2229+2643. The temperature inferred for the companion to PSR J1640+2224 is T = (3700 300) K. The luminosity inferred for a star at a distance of 1....

Results of a self-consistent ultrafast study of nonlinear optical properties of silicon nanowaveguides using heterodyne pump-probe technique are reported. The two-photon absorption coefficient and free-carrier absorption effective cross-section were determined to be 0.68cm/GW, and 1.9x10(-17) cm2, respectively and the Kerr coefficient and free-carrier-induced refractive index change 0.32x10(-13...

Optical observations of the companions of pulsars can help determine the properties of the binaries, as well as those of their components, and give clues to the preceding evolution. In this review, we first describe the different classes of binary pulsars, and we present a table with a summary of what is known about their optical counterparts. Next, we focus on the class of pulsars that have lo...

This thesis presents optical characterizations of interfaces in ferromagnetic heterostructures and thin films used for spin polarized electronic devices. In these experiments, femtosecond laser spectroscopies are exploited to investigate the interface magnetization reversal, spin precession, and band offset, which are crucial in determining the performances of spintronic devices. First, magneti...