{"title":"Fast dynamics and imaging of intense laser-driven liquid-confined copper plasma for controlled ablation and processing applications","authors":"Jyotsna Patra, Subhankar Nanda, Poulami Das, Satyaranjan Satyajit, Amitava Adak","doi":"10.1016/j.optlastec.2025.113954","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.optlastec.2025.113954","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The study of intense pulsed laser-induced plasma (LIP) is a fascinating area of research fostering a wide range of applications in nanoparticle synthesis, ablation physics, spectroscopy, and material processing. Here we demonstrate the hitherto unobserved nanosecond laser-driven plasma emission dynamics from a liquid-confined dense copper plasma over a time delay of a few nanoseconds to 10 s of nanoseconds, observation of the structural instability in the confined plasma, and the plasma emission spectra by imaging and spectroscopy. We further highlight the possible applications in biocompatible nanoparticle synthesis and controlled pulsed laser ablation for texturing. The target is excited using a focused pulsed laser (7 ns, 1064 nm) inside different liquids: deionized water, isopropanol, methanol, and dimethyl sulfoxide. Plasma emission has a decay time in the range of 2.6–5.8 ns when produced inside liquids compared to a long double exponential decay (<span><math><mo>∼</mo></math></span>23 ns and <span><math><mo>∼</mo></math></span>181 ns) in air. This highlights the fast temporal evolution of bremsstrahlung and radiative electron–ion recombination in the evolving dense, liquid-confined plasma. Optical imaging illustrates the structural evolution of the plasma in confined conditions. The splitting of plasma plumes is observed inside alcohol media. The copper nanocolloids produced by the repeated laser-solid interactions show plasmonic peaks in the visible range of UV–vis absorption spectra. The 3D surface profiles and optical images of the craters show enhanced control of the ablation process within liquids rather than in air. Methanol offers the best ablation efficiency and crater quality. Overall, our work will contribute to understanding complex LIP processes and greatly impact liquid-assisted laser-processing applications.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":19511,"journal":{"name":"Optics and Laser Technology","volume":"192 ","pages":"Article 113954"},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2025-09-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145157105","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"物理与天体物理","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Beam power of ground-based coherently combined beams for the momentum coupling with space debris","authors":"Zhixiang Zhang, Yixuan Li, Jianing Cui, Yu Deng, Xiaoqing Li, Xiaoling Ji","doi":"10.1016/j.optlastec.2025.113974","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.optlastec.2025.113974","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The coherently combined beams (CCBs) have the potential to be applied in the application of the ground-based laser space debris removal because of the high output power and the good beam quality. The beam power of ground-based CCBs for the momentum coupling with space debris is studied, where the complex beam propagation effects in the turbulent atmosphere on the laser fluence at the target are all taken into account. The focal length expression of nonlinear self-focusing of ground-based CCBs is derived, which provides a very useful tool to investigate the momentum coupling of the ground-based CCBs with space debris. The transcendental equations of the threshold beam power and the optimal beam power of ground-based CCBs are derived, which are corresponding to the threshold and optimal momentum coupling of laser-debris interaction in space. Furthermore, the approaches beneficial to the space-debris removal by ground-based CCBs are also proposed.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":19511,"journal":{"name":"Optics and Laser Technology","volume":"192 ","pages":"Article 113974"},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2025-09-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145117674","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"物理与天体物理","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Femtosecond point-by-point fiber Bragg grating interrogation in multimode fibers using spatial mode demultiplexer","authors":"Jean-Baptiste Quélène, Guillaume Laffont","doi":"10.1016/j.optlastec.2025.113962","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.optlastec.2025.113962","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Fiber Bragg Grating sensors dedicated to harsh environments are increasingly inscribed in silica single-mode fiber with femtosecond lasers and the point-by-point technique. However, the recent advent of spatial mode multiplexers able to separate optical signals from the various modes propagating in multimode fibers, enables the interrogation of fiber optic sensors manufactured within them while discriminating between those different modes. This paper presents an investigation that was conducted in order to evaluate potential advantages of interrogating FBG sensors inscribed in multimode fiber by using spatial mode multiplexing. Different interrogation setups are used here in order to interrogate sensors with and without the spatial demultiplexer. Potential application for strain and temperature discrimination is studied and a curvature sensor with a novel principle of operation and based on Bragg Gratings formed by low-volume microvoids is presented as well.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":19511,"journal":{"name":"Optics and Laser Technology","volume":"192 ","pages":"Article 113962"},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2025-09-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145117675","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"物理与天体物理","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Wanying Ding , Shilong Xu , Congyuan Pan , Jiajie Fang , Shengjie Ma , Xin Wang , Yuhao Xia , Youlong Chen , Yihua Hu
{"title":"Synergistic nanoparticle enhancement LIBS and indirect ablation for ultrasensitive quantification of trace metals in μL oil samples","authors":"Wanying Ding , Shilong Xu , Congyuan Pan , Jiajie Fang , Shengjie Ma , Xin Wang , Yuhao Xia , Youlong Chen , Yihua Hu","doi":"10.1016/j.optlastec.2025.113941","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.optlastec.2025.113941","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Accurate monitoring of trace wear metals in lubricants is critical for predictive maintenance of mechanical systems, yet remains challenging due to the inadequate sensitivity of conventional techniques with microliter samples. We demonstrate a novel strategy combining nanoparticle-enhanced laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (NELIBS) with indirect ablation on metal substrates for ultrasensitive quantification of trace metals in engine oil. This approach overcomes fundamental limitations in viscous liquid analysis—including signal instability, matrix effects, and splashing—by leveraging laser ablation of conductive substrates coupled with localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) of gold nanoparticles. Crucially, metal substrates (Al) enable synergistic plasma enhancement where semiconductor substrates (Si) fail. Remarkably, the method achieves a 10-fold signal enhancement for target wear metals (Mg), with detection limits of 0.36 ppm (Mg), 0.19 ppm (Ca), and 0.47 ppm (Ba), and excellent linearity (R<sup>2</sup> > 0.99) validates quantification robustness. This non-contact technique provides a rapid, cost-effective solution for real-time engine health assessment, with significant implications for industrial oil monitoring and failure prediction.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":19511,"journal":{"name":"Optics and Laser Technology","volume":"192 ","pages":"Article 113941"},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2025-09-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145117676","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"物理与天体物理","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Jiali Jiang , Feng Li , Ziting Pan , Xu Yang , Xin Zhou , Chao Geng , Xinyang Li , Bincheng Li
{"title":"Efficient reception of spatial light into OPA via hierarchical optimization algorithm","authors":"Jiali Jiang , Feng Li , Ziting Pan , Xu Yang , Xin Zhou , Chao Geng , Xinyang Li , Bincheng Li","doi":"10.1016/j.optlastec.2025.113970","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.optlastec.2025.113970","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Integrated Optical Phased Array (OPA) provides low-cost, fast-response, and highly integrated chip-level solutions for many applications. However, its inherent phase errors reduce receiving efficiency and necessitate real-time calibration. Existing studies primarily focus on transmission, whereas relatively few have addressed reception calibration. This paper researches reception-for-transmission technology and investigates the performance of spatial beams coupling into a large-scale 1 × 256 OPA receiver based on thermal phase modulation technique. A mathematical model for coupling reception is derived for the first time, and factors influencing coupling efficiency are analyzed. An efficient hierarchical optimization algorithm (HOA) for phase calibration based on photoelectric detection is proposed. Simulation and experimental results demonstrate that the HOA enables high-efficiency light reception at normal incidence (0°) and large incident angles of ±20°. The light intensity voltage shows a near-100-fold improvement over the uncalibrated state. Compared with the conventional greedy and SPGD algorithms, the HOA enhances the average light intensity voltage to 2.9 × and 1.4 × that of the two algorithms, respectively. The HOA is well-suited for real-time efficient phase calibration in large-scale OPA systems with wide-angle reception capabilities.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":19511,"journal":{"name":"Optics and Laser Technology","volume":"192 ","pages":"Article 113970"},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2025-09-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145109263","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"物理与天体物理","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Ziyao Qin , Jian Yang , Jian Niu , Long Chen , Kaiqiang Cao , Tianqing Jia , Hongxing Xu
{"title":"Precision control of hole morphology by modulating femtosecond laser beam track with a four-wedge drilling system","authors":"Ziyao Qin , Jian Yang , Jian Niu , Long Chen , Kaiqiang Cao , Tianqing Jia , Hongxing Xu","doi":"10.1016/j.optlastec.2025.113972","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.optlastec.2025.113972","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Laser drilling has been widely applied across various industries, with increasingly stringent requirements for hole quality as precision devices continue to evolve. This study aims to develop a femtosecond laser drilling method based on a four-wedge system, enabling precise control over the spatial characteristics of the focused beam and resulting hole geometry. By adjusting the translation distances and rotation angles of the optical wedges, the inclination angle and rotation diameter of the beam can be flexibly tuned. Various tapered holes including positive, zero, and negative taper were successfully fabricated on 2 mm-thick cobalt-based superalloy. The correlation between wedge parameters and hole morphology was established, and the evolution process of each hole type was characterized. Additionally, the discrepancies between the theoretical beam path and the actual hole shape were analyzed, which may be attributed to nonlinear optical effects such as self-focusing and multiple reflections. This work provides a theoretical and experimental foundation for tailoring hole geometries in femtosecond laser micromachining.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":19511,"journal":{"name":"Optics and Laser Technology","volume":"192 ","pages":"Article 113972"},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2025-09-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145109059","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"物理与天体物理","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Can Yang , Fei Peng , Xiao-Hong Yin , Luo-Xi Zeng , Yang Shu , Hua Chen , Huan Yang
{"title":"Femtosecond-laser tailoring interfaces of injection molded metal-plastic hybrids: shear strengths and failure modes under pull-push loadings","authors":"Can Yang , Fei Peng , Xiao-Hong Yin , Luo-Xi Zeng , Yang Shu , Hua Chen , Huan Yang","doi":"10.1016/j.optlastec.2025.113948","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.optlastec.2025.113948","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Metal-plastic hybrids (MPHs) gain wide applications thanks to their high specific strength beneficial to lightweight design for industrial products. This work aims to tailor MPHs’ interface states in order to improve bonding strengths under pull-push loadings associated with various application scenarios. To systematically reveal the interface influencing factors such as micro-pattern size, distribution, morphology, and chemical bond, femtosecond-laser treated aluminum and titanium alloys were bonded to polyphenylene sulfide to form MPHs (Al/PPS and Ti/PPS) via injection molding, and both pull and push-loading shear strengths were investigated. Interesting cauliflower-like deep patterns with laser-induced periodic surface structures formed for the aluminum alloy resulting in higher shear strength, while shallow and smooth wave-like patterns appeared for the titanium alloy. However, with the same micro-pattern nominal size/distribution, Ti/PPS possessed significantly higher shear strength (Max. 10.5 MPa). Moreover, critical micro-pattern depths, <em>d</em><sub>c1</sub> of ∼40 μm, and <em>d</em><sub>c2</sub> of ∼300 μm were determined under the pull and push loadings, respectively. This study provides guidelines for designing and manufacturing lightweight MPHs for various applications.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":19511,"journal":{"name":"Optics and Laser Technology","volume":"192 ","pages":"Article 113948"},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2025-09-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145109063","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"物理与天体物理","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Kamil Pierściński , Dorota Pierścińska , Dominika Niewczas , Agata Krząstek , Artur Broda , Iwona Sankowska
{"title":"Quantum cascade lasers emitting in the 3.8-µm range","authors":"Kamil Pierściński , Dorota Pierścińska , Dominika Niewczas , Agata Krząstek , Artur Broda , Iwona Sankowska","doi":"10.1016/j.optlastec.2025.113931","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.optlastec.2025.113931","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Quantum cascade lasers (QCLs) emitting at a wavelength of 3.8 μm were designed, fabricated, and characterized to provide efficient and compact sources for various mid-infrared applications, including free-space optical communication, gas sensing, and infrared countermeasures. The devices are based on strain-balanced InGaAs/AlInAs heterostructures grown on InP substrates. High-resolution X-ray diffraction confirmed excellent crystalline quality and precise layer periodicity. Ridge waveguide devices with high-reflectivity (HR) facet coatings demonstrated low threshold current densities, high slope efficiencies, and stable emission near 3.8 μm under both pulsed and continuous-wave (CW) operation at room temperature. Devices with a ridge width of 5 μm and a cavity length of 4 mm, featuring HR coatings, delivered CW powers exceeding 0.45 W at 300 K, with a threshold current density of 2.2 kA/cm<sup>2</sup>. The combination of HR coatings and optimized epilayer-down mounting significantly improved thermal management, enabling robust performance and enhanced output power stability. These results confirm the viability of short-wavelength QCLs for mid-infrared photonic systems, particularly in applications requiring compactness, spectral selectivity, and thermal resilience.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":19511,"journal":{"name":"Optics and Laser Technology","volume":"192 ","pages":"Article 113931"},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2025-09-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145109064","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"物理与天体物理","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Huirong Zhang , Siqi Chen , Xiaoya Fan , Yanyan Liu , Xinpeng Tian , Yuefeng Qi , Ying Guo
{"title":"The fiber optic SPR cholesterol biosensor based on electroless silver plating film","authors":"Huirong Zhang , Siqi Chen , Xiaoya Fan , Yanyan Liu , Xinpeng Tian , Yuefeng Qi , Ying Guo","doi":"10.1016/j.optlastec.2025.113907","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.optlastec.2025.113907","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Cholesterol, as a crucial biomarker of human health, has been extensively studied; however, its low-concentration monitoring in sebum secretion and sweat remains largely unexplored. This study leverages the simple, low-cost, and easy-to-operate electroless silver plating method to maximize the advantages of a label-free, miniaturized biosensor based on surface plasmon resonance (SPR). This study employs a simple, low-cost, and user-friendly electroless silver plating method to enhance the performance of a label-free, miniaturized biosensor based on surface plasmon resonance (SPR). By optimizing the plating time, a high sensitivity of 3261.18 nm/RIU was achieved within the refractive index (RI) range of 1.333 to 1.390. The sensor utilizes the strong adhesion of polydopamine (PDA) to enable the rapid fabrication of functional layers. In the cholesterol concentration range of 0–1.00 <span><math><mtext>μ</mtext><mtext>M</mtext></math></span>, the sensor exhibited a high detection sensitivity of up to 133.83 nm/<span><math><mtext>μ</mtext><mtext>M</mtext></math></span>, with a detection limit as low as 0.0051 <span><math><mtext>μ</mtext><mtext>M</mtext></math></span>. Compared to the cholesterol biosensor modified with graphene oxide (GO), the sensor exhibited a larger average wavelength shift (45.29 nm) and a 2.01-fold improvement in detection sensitivity. This biosensor exhibits excellent selectivity for cholesterol and shows promise for clinical applications involving biomedical samples, particularly by addressing the lack of efficient cholesterol detection in sebum.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":19511,"journal":{"name":"Optics and Laser Technology","volume":"192 ","pages":"Article 113907"},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2025-09-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145109262","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"物理与天体物理","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Underwater light sheet hyperspectral microscopy and its applications in unicellular microalgae in-situ identification and counting","authors":"Fuzhou Shen, Yunfei Li, Hancheng Deng, Tianci Wang, Fuhong Cai, Qian Liu","doi":"10.1016/j.optlastec.2025.113967","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.optlastec.2025.113967","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Microalgae are a significant component of aquatic organisms and are instrumental in regulating aquatic ecosystems. But they are not always beneficial for the environment or other organisms, they can be toxic to aquatic life and humans when they produce harmful algal blooms (HABs) that release toxins and deplete oxygen in the water. A more accurate and quantitative understanding of aquatic environments can be obtained by detecting and counting microalgae. To overcome the challenges of underwater microscopic imaging, a platform integrating light sheet microscopy and a hyperspectral camera is developed to noninvasively spatially delineate and spectroscopically measure microalgae in situ at nearly unicellular resolution. It achieves a theoretical lateral resolution of 0.88 µm, providing higher signal-to-background ratio than conventional wide-field microscopy. To evaluate the performance of our instrument, individual fluorescence spectra of 15 species of microalgae cells and their paired mixtures are captured as datasets and analyzed using deep-learning algorithms for classification. The average accuracies for individual microalgae and paired mixtures are 95.67% and 78.53%, respectively. In addition, the system is applied with a single type of microalgae at different concentrations to verify the feasibility of microalgae counting. The experimental results confirm that the system allows optical measurement and can be used to assess the water quality for forecasting aquatic disasters.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":19511,"journal":{"name":"Optics and Laser Technology","volume":"192 ","pages":"Article 113967"},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2025-09-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145109056","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"物理与天体物理","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}