Abstract: A fluid delivery system is described which provides stable flow rates over a range of different flow rates and while multiple fluids are being concurrently delivered. The delivery system includes one or more reservoirs each containing a respective fluid to be transferred. The reservoir(s) are positioned within a secondary fluid selected such that the reservoir(s) and their contents, i.e. the fluids to be transferred, float within the secondary fluid. One end of a flow conduit is submerged in each fluid to be transferred. A pressure differential is then induced in the flow conduit whereby fluid flow therein occurs.

Abstract: A microassembly method and system utilizing multiple probes. Multiple manipulation actuators can be utilized for maintaining/holding one or more probes and an assembly substrate. Multiple microscope cameras can be configured to provide three distinct workspace configurations. At the center of each manipulation actuator is a die stage, which supports the assembly substrate upon which parts are assembled. A glue dispenser can also provide glue to a part prior to placement.

Abstract: A spinning cell device is described for fast and convenient standardization and analysis of constituents and isotopes in solid samples by laser ablation inductively coupled plasma (LA-ICP) spectrometry. The method and apparatus for performing the method require the sample under test and a standard to be spun during ablation allowing the quasi-simultaneous ablation of both materials. The aerosols resulting from the ablation of sample and standard are mixed in the ablation cell allowing quantification of the ablated metals by the method of standard addition or isotope dilution. The relative proportion of standard verses sample ablated can be changed by altering the trajectory of the laser beam. The ablated aerosol is swept into an inductively coupled plasma by a carrier gas and analyzed by mass spectrometry.

Abstract: An apparatus to create a homogenous liposome population without post-processing using laminar flow/diffusive mixing, and for reducing waste discharge of the therapeutic or compound to be encapsulated and delivered by the liposomes.

Abstract: A method of simplifying a combinational circuit establishes an initial combinational circuit operable to calculate a set of target signals. A quantity of multiplication operations performed in a first portion of the initial combinational circuit is reduced to create a first, simplified combinational circuit. The first portion includes only multiplication operations and addition operations. A quantity of addition operations performed in a second portion of the first, simplified combinational circuit is reduced to create a second, simplified combinational circuit. The second portion includes only addition operations. Also, the second, simplified combinational circuit is operable to calculate the target signals using fewer operations than the initial combinational circuit.

Abstract: An apparatus and technique are used to fabricate optical microresonators. A fabrication chamber contains all fabrication materials and devices. The microresonators are fabricated from a glass preform mounted on a motorized spindle. A laser is focused onto the preform to partly or fully impinge on the preform. The laser's focus position is controlled by changing the positioning of a lens mounted on a translation stage. Piezoelectric control elements may be mounted to finished microresonators to control of nonlinear parametric oscillation and four-wave mixing effects of the microresonator, control of nonlinear optical stimulated Brillouin scattering and Raman effects of said microresonator and wideband tuning of the frequency spacing between the output modes of a nonlinear-Kerr-effect optical frequency comb generated with said microresonator.

Abstract: This invention relates to the field of molecular layer-by-layer deposition processes and more specifically to the synthesis of a polymer layer relevant to a separation membrane using molecular layer-by-layer deposition of highly cross-linked polyamide films to promote consistent layer growth consistent for the formation of membrane layers having a uniform chemical composition and thickness.

Abstract: A superconducting nanowire single photon detector (SN-SPD) microelectronic circuit is described which has higher quantum efficiency and signal-to-noise than any SN-SPD's known in the art. The material and configuration of the microelectronic circuit eliminates the polarization dependence and shows improved signal-to-noise over SN-SPD microelectronic circuits known in the art. The higher efficiency, polarization independence, and high signal-to-noise is achieved by vertically stacking two tungsten-silicide (TS) SN-SPDs and electrically connecting them in parallel. This structure forms a multilayer superconducting nanowire avalanche photo-detector (SNAP). A single photon detection device employing the multilayer (SNAP) microelectronic circuit demonstrates a peak system detection efficiency of 87.7% and a polarization dependence of less than 2%. This represents nearly an order of magnitude improvement in both system detection efficiency and reduction of polarization dependence compared to conventional SNSPDs.

Abstract: A method for aligning the axis of an atom beam with the orientation of an electric field at a particular location within an enclosure for use in creating a charged particle source by photoionizing a cold atom beam. The method includes providing an atom beam in the enclosure, providing a plurality of electrically conductive devices in said enclosure, evacuating the enclosure to a pressure below about 10?6 millibar, and aligning the axis of the atom beam with the orientation of the electric field, relative to each other, within less than about two degrees. Alignment may be facilitated by applying at least one voltage to the electrically conductive devices, mechanically tilting the atom beam's axis orientation of the electric field relative to each other and/or causing a deflection of the atom beam.

Abstract: A multilayered optical tissue phantom fabrication approach and inherently produced test target structure which address the issues of optical conformity known in the art by controlling the formation of micrometer scale monolayers embedded with light-scattering microspheres.

Abstract: A one-step process for synthesizing gold-copper bimetallic nanocubes. The process comprises the step of simultaneously reducing a copper II salt and a gold halide by 1,2-hexadecanediol in diphenyl ether, and 1-dodecanethiol as well as surfactants 1-adamantanecarboxylic acid and 1-hexadecylamine. The copper II salt may be copper (II) acetylacetonate, copper chloride, copper sulfate, or copper phosphate. The gold halide may be chloroauric acid, gold chloride, gold bromide, or tetrabromoauric acid. The reduction may occur at a temperature between about 160 and 180 degrees Celsius. The copper II salt may be copper (II) acetylacetonate and the gold halide may be chloroauric acid.

Abstract: A terahertz generation system that emits pulsed THz radiation and incorporates a rapidly oscillating, high voltage bias across electrodes insulated from a photoconductive material. The system includes an ultrafast optical pulse source configured to generate an optical pulse having a duration between about ten picoseconds and ten femtoseconds, the pulse further having a repetition rate of about one megahertz or higher. The system further includes a photoconductor configured to receive the optical pulse from the ultrafast optical pulse source and to generate a terahertz frequency pulse, the photoconductor having insulated electrodes. The system still further includes a radio frequency generator configured to apply an electric field to the photoconductor via the insulated electrodes.

Abstract: A fast switching arbitrary frequency light source for broadband spectroscopic applications. The light source may operate near 1.6 um based on sideband tuning using an electro-optic modulator driven by an arbitrary waveform generator. A Fabry-Perot filter cavity selects a single sideband of the light source. The finesse (FSR/??FWHM) of the filter cavity may be chosen to enable rapid frequency switching at rates up to 5 MHz over a frequency range of 40 GHz (1.3 cm?1). The bandwidth, speed and spectral purity are high enough for spectroscopic applications where rapid and discrete frequency scans are needed. Significant signal-to-noise advantages may be realized using the rapid and broadband scanning features of this system in many areas of spectroscopy, e.g., process monitoring and control, reaction dynamics, and remote sensing (e.g., greenhouse gas monitoring, biological/chemical agent screening).

Abstract: A method for aligning the axis of an atom beam with the orientation of an electric field at a particular location within an enclosure for use in creating a charged particle source by photoionizing a cold atom beam. The method includes providing an atom beam in the enclosure, providing a plurality of electrically conductive devices in said enclosure, evacuating the enclosure to a pressure below about 10?6 millibar, and aligning the axis of the atom beam with the orientation of the electric field, relative to each other, within less than about two degrees. Alignment may be facilitated by applying at least one voltage to the electrically conductive devices, mechanically tilting the atom beam's axis orientation of the electric field relative to each other and/or causing a deflection of the atom beam.

Abstract: A method of comb-based spectroscopy with synchronous sampling for real-time averaging includes measuring the full complex response of a sample in a configuration analogous to a dispersive Fourier transform spectrometer, infrared time domain spectrometer, or a multiheterodyne laser spectrometer. An alternate configuration of a comb-based spectrometer for rapid, high resolution, high accuracy measurements of an arbitrary cw waveform.

Abstract: A coherent laser radar that uses two coherent femtosecond fiber lasers to perform absolute ranging at long distance. One coherent femtosecond fiber lasers acts as a source and the other as a local oscillator for heterodyne detection of the return signal from a cooperative target. The system simultaneously returns a time-of-flight range measurement for coarse ranging and an interferometric range measurement for fine ranging which is insensitive to spurious reflections that can cause systematic errors. The range is measured with at least 3 ?m precision in 200 ?s and 5 nm precision in 60 ms over a 1.5 m ambiguity range. This ambiguity range can be extended to 30 km through reversal of signal and LO source roles.

Abstract: A simple matrix method and computer program product for stray-light correction in imaging instruments is provided. The stray-light correction method includes receiving raw signals from an imaging instrument and characterizing the imaging instrument for a set of point spread functions. For high resolution imaging instruments, the raw signals may be compressed to reduce the size of the correction matrix. Based on stray-light distribution functions derived from the point spread functions, a correction matrix is derived. This fast correction is performed by a matrix multiplication to the measured raw signals, and may reduce stray-light errors by more than one order of magnitude. Using the stray-light corrected instrument, significant reductions may be made in overall measurement uncertainties in radiometry, colorimetry, photometry and other applications. Because the PSFs may include other types of undesired responses, the stray-light correction also eliminates other types of errors, e.g.

Abstract: This invention relates to measuring the light that is scattered from particulates (aerosols) in a gas or liquid. The sample typically flows into the instrument and the particulates are measured in-situ. The intensity of the scattered light is measured at many different angles, which determines both the amount of particulates in the sample, and detailed information about the particles such as average size, shape and composition. The measurement can be applied to climate and air pollution research, and clean room monitoring.

Abstract: A system for producing a charged particle beam from a photoionized cold atom beam. A vapor of neutral atoms is generated. From these atoms, an atom beam having axial and transverse velocity distributions controlled by the application of laser light is produced. The produced atom beam is spatially compressed along each transverse axis, thus reducing the cross-sectional area of the produced beam and reducing a velocity spread of the produced beam along directions transverse to the beam's direction of propagation. Laser light is directed onto at least a portion of the neutral atoms in the atom beam, thereby producing ions and electrons. An electric field is generated at the location of the produced ions and electrons, thereby producing a beam of ions traveling in a first direction and electrons traveling in substantially the opposite direction. A vacuum chamber contains the atom beam, the ion beam and the electron beam.

Abstract: A scanning probe microscopy instrument includes a cantilevered tip that has a nanowire light emitting diode (LED).