Abstract: A light source includes: a seed light source configured to output incoherent seed light having a predetermined bandwidth; and a booster amplifier that is a semiconductor optical amplifier configured to optically amplify the seed light entered through a first end facet and output the amplified light through a second end facet. The booster amplifier has nL being set, which is a product of a refractive index n and a chip length L, so as to simultaneously suppress relative intensity noise (RIN) and ripple in the amplified light.

Abstract: An electric power converter includes: a direct current electric power conversion unit connected to a direct current bus and configured to convert input electric power and output the converted electric power; a measurement unit configured to obtain a measured value of an electric characteristic value of the input electric power or the output electric power; a communication unit configured to perform communication with an external device and receive a reference function having a characteristic with a defined target value for an electric characteristic value according to an input value; a storage unit configured to store a standard reference function having a predetermined characteristic; and a control unit configured to control an electric power conversion characteristic of the electric power conversion unit based on a target value determined according to an input value, by voltage control corresponding to the characteristic, or by electric power control or electric current control.

Abstract: A method of welding a workpiece by using a laser is provided which includes disposing a workpiece in a region to be irradiated with laser light from a laser oscillator; and irradiating the workpiece with the laser light from the laser oscillator such that an irradiated portion of the workpiece is melted and welded while sweeping the laser light over the workpiece by relatively moving the laser light and the workpiece. The laser light is formed of a main beam and an auxiliary beam, at least part of the auxiliary beam being disposed anteriorly in a sweep direction, and the main beam has a power density equal to or greater than a power density of the auxiliary beam.

Abstract: An optical device includes: a first optical component configured to transmit light between a first end and a second end; a second optical component configured to either focus and couple the light to the first end or collimate the light emitted from the first end; and a transmissive component interposed between the first optical component and the second optical component and configured to transmit the light emitted from the first end or incident on the first end, and make a distance between the second optical component and the first end longer than in a case without the transmissive component.

Abstract: The vapor chamber includes a container having a cavity formed of one plate-shaped body to which a heating element is thermally connected and another plate-shaped body facing the one plate-shaped body, a working fluid enclosed in the cavity, and a wick structure that is enclosed in the cavity and separated from the container. The container includes a support part protruding from an inner surface of the other plate-shaped body toward the one plate-shaped body, the support part being formed of a recessed part provided to an outer surface of the other plate-shaped body. At the rising base portion of the support part from the inner surface of the other plate-shaped body, the defined angle between the support part and the inner surface of the other plate-shaped body is an obtuse angle.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for producing hydrocarbons including aromatic hydrocarbons and lower olefins including propylene from CH4 and CO2 through CO and H2 with high activity and high selectivity.

Abstract: An electrical contact material includes an electroconductive substrate, and a silver-containing layer including silver provided to at least part of a surface of the electroconductive substrate. An average GOS value of the silver-containing layer is 1.00° or less and a proportion of KAM value of 1.00° or more in the silver-containing layer is 20% or more in a cross section of the electrical contact material.

Abstract: A battery state detection device includes a sensor, communicator circuitry, and estimator circuitry. The sensor is configured to measure at least one of a voltage, a current, and a temperature of a rechargeable battery installed to a vehicle. The communicator circuitry is configured to obtain reference information relating to battery state detection from an external device. The estimator circuitry is configured to estimate a state of the rechargeable battery based on a measured value of the sensor. The estimator circuitry is configured to correct at least one of an estimation equation and a parameter based on the reference information.

Abstract: An optical fiber connection structure includes a first optical fiber and a second optical fiber each including plural cores and a cladding surrounding outer peripheries of the plural cores, the first optical fiber and the second optical fiber being connected to each other at end faces of the first optical fiber and the second optical fiber, arrangements of the plural cores of the first optical fiber and the second optical fiber matching each other at least partly.

Abstract: A blood glucose measurement device capable of measuring a blood glucose in the blood while suppressing the influence of light absorption by water in a living body. The blood glucose measurement device includes a light source that irradiates light having a wavelength selected from a wavelength band of 800 to 950 nm, and a sensor that receives light transmitted, reflected, or scattered in a living body and outputs information according to the amount of light received. A blood glucose acquisition unit acquires the blood glucose in the blood in the living body based on the information obtained by the sensor.

Abstract: An optical module includes: a substrate and a waveguide element having a mount face opposed to the substrate, the waveguide element having an interference waveguide portion having an optical interference function. Further, the mount face includes a projection region to which the interference waveguide portion is projected on the mount face and a non-projection region, and the waveguide element is joined to the substrate with a joint material in the non-projection region.

Abstract: An aluminum alloy disc blank for a magnetic disc made of an aluminum alloy containing Fe: 0.005 to 1.800 mass % with the balance being Al and inevitable impurities, wherein a flatness change of the aluminum alloy disc blank for a magnetic disc when the aluminum alloy disc blank for a magnetic disc is held in the atmosphere at 50° C. or lower for 336 hours is 2.0 ?m or less.

Abstract: A pressure sensor includes: a light source that outputs signal light; a sensor optical fiber where the signal light is input and the signal light is propagated with a loss of 0.3 dB/m or more; and an optical receiver that receives the signal light propagated through the sensor optical fiber. Further, pressure applied to the sensor optical fiber is detected on a basis of intensity of the signal light received by the optical receiver.

Abstract: The vapor chamber includes a container having a hollow cavity and formed of one plate-shaped member and another plate-shaped member facing the one plate-shaped member that are layered on each other, a working fluid enclosed in the cavity, and a wick structure provided in the cavity. The wick structure includes a first wick part extending from a heat receiving part to a heat discharge part and having a first wick member using a linear member, and a second wick part provided to the heat receiving part and having a second wick member using a linear member. An average diameter the linear member of the second wick member is smaller than an average diameter of the linear member of the first wick member or an aperture dimension of the second wick member is smaller than an aperture dimension of the first wick member.

Abstract: An optical semiconductor device outputting a predetermined wavelength of laser light includes a quantum well active layer positioned between a p-type cladding layer and an n-type cladding layer in thickness direction. The optical semiconductor device includes a separate confinement heterostructure layer positioned between the quantum well active layer and the n-type cladding layer. The optical semiconductor device further includes an electric-field-distribution-control layer positioned between the separate confinement heterostructure layer and the n-type cladding layer and configured by at least two semiconductor layers having band gap energy greater than band gap energy of a barrier layer constituting the quantum well active layer. The optical semiconductor device is applied to a ridge-stripe type laser.

Abstract: A multicore fiber includes: a plurality of first linear portions including a first core portion, and a first cladding portion having a refractive index lower than a maximum refractive index of the first core portion, the first cladding portion surrounding an outer periphery of the first core portion; and a first tubular portion. The first linear portions are respectively joined to an inner wall of the first tubular portion, and two of the first linear portions are not in contact with each other in at least a portion in a longitudinal direction on a first virtual line connecting centers of two of the first core portions included in the two of the first linear portions, on a cross-section perpendicular to the longitudinal direction.

Abstract: A catalyst structure that allows prevention of aggregation of fine particles of a functional substance, suppresses decrease of catalyst activity, and thus enables extension of the lifetime of the catalyst structure. A catalyst structure has a carrier that is formed from a zeolite-type compound and has a porous structure. The functional substance includes a first element that is at least one metallic element selected from the group consisting of cobalt (Co), nickel (Ni), iron (Fe), and ruthenium (Ru), and at least one second element selected from the group consisting of metallic elements in group 1, group 2, group 4, group 7, and group 12 on the periodic table. The carrier has paths connected to each other. The functional substance is present in at least the paths of the carrier.

Abstract: An optical fiber includes: a core portion made of glass; and a cladding portion made of glass, having a refractive index lower than the refractive index of the core portion, and positioned on an outer periphery of the core portion. Further, the cladding portion has an outer diameter smaller than 100 ?m, and the core portion has a relative refractive-index difference of 0.32% to 0.40% with respect to the cladding portion.

Abstract: A sensing cable includes a first optical fiber, a second optical fiber that extends along the first optical fiber and that is spaced from the first optical fiber, and a transmitting material that includes an intervention portion present between the first optical fiber and the second optical fiber, the transmitting material being configured to transmit light from the first optical fiber to the second optical fiber through the intervention portion.

Abstract: An optical fiber includes: a core portion; and a cladding portion that has a refractive index lower than a maximum refractive index of the core portion and that surrounds an outer periphery of the core portion. The core portion includes a center core doped with germanium, and a low refractive index layer that surrounds an outer periphery of the center core, and in which ??max that is a minimum value of a relative refractive-index difference with respect to an average refractive index of the cladding portion is a negative value. A residual compressive stress in the center core is equal to or larger than 40 MPa and equal to or less than 150 MPa, and ?1 that is an average maximum relative refractive-index difference of the center core with respect to the average refractive index of the cladding portion is equal to or less than 0.8%.