Abstract: A mass spectrometer includes: an accelerator for receiving ions travelling in a drift direction and accelerating the ions in an acceleration direction orthogonal to the drift direction; a detector downstream of the accelerator with respect to the drift direction; and an ion mirror assembly intermediate the accelerator and the detector. The ion mirror assembly includes at least a first ion mirror and a second ion mirror spaced apart from each other in the acceleration direction. The accelerator, detector, and ion mirror assembly provide a folded ion path between the accelerator and the detector for separating the ions according to their mass-to-charge ratio so that a flight time of the ions is substantially independent of ion energy. The first and second ion mirrors each apply an electrostatic potential to the ions that is curved in both the drift direction and a lateral direction orthogonal to both the drift and acceleration directions.

Abstract: A whispering gallery mode dielectric resonator includes a conductive enclosure comprising a top, a bottom and walls. The resonator also includes a dielectric element disposed in the enclosure and operative to support a desired resonant mode that is dependent on a shape and dimensions of the dielectric resonator; and a mode selective coupling structure disposed over the enclosure and configured to selectively couple electromagnetic energy of the desired mode and configured not to substantially couple electromagnetic energy of a spurious mode supported in a region between the enclosure and the dielectric element.

Abstract: A whispering gallery mode dielectric resonator includes a conductive enclosure comprising a top, a bottom and walls. The resonator also includes a dielectric element disposed in the enclosure and operative to support a desired resonant mode that is dependent on a shape and dimensions of the dielectric resonator; and a mode selective coupling structure disposed over the enclosure and configured to selectively couple electromagnetic energy of the desired mode and configured not to substantially couple electromagnetic energy of a spurious mode supported in a region between the enclosure and the dielectric element.

Abstract: A linear ion trap traps a plurality of charged particles in a charged particle trap including first and second electrode mirrors arranged along an axis at opposite ends of the particle trap, the electrode mirrors being capable, when voltage is applied thereto, of creating respective electric fields configured to reflect charged particles causing oscillation of the particles between the mirrors. The method includes: (a) introducing into the charged particle trap the plurality of charged particles, the particles having a spread in the oscillation time of the particles per oscillation; (b) applying voltage to the electrode mirrors during step (a) to induce a relatively weak self-bunching of the charged particles; and (c) after the plurality of charged particles has been introduced into the charged particle trap, waiting for a time period ?T and then changing the voltage so as to induce a relatively stronger self-bunching among the charged particles.

Abstract: A linear ion trap traps a plurality of charged particles in a charged particle trap including first and second electrode mirrors arranged along an axis at opposite ends of the particle trap, the electrode mirrors being capable, when voltage is applied thereto, of creating respective electric fields configured to reflect charged particles causing oscillation of the particles between the mirrors. The method includes: (a) introducing into the charged particle trap the plurality of charged particles, the particles having a spread in the oscillation time of the particles per oscillation; (b) applying voltage to the electrode mirrors during step (a) to induce a relatively weak self-bunching of the charged particles; and (c) after the plurality of charged particles has been introduced into the charged particle trap, waiting for a time period ?T and then changing the voltage so as to induce a relatively stronger self-bunching among the charged particles.

Abstract: An optical structure is formed on a surface of the optically resonant system to modify a characteristic of the emitted resonant signal. The optical structure may be configured to impart a phase-shift on a portion of the resonant signal. Because the resonant signal consists of a single resonant mode with an axially symmetric radiation pattern, a phase-shift can be used to, for example, collimate, disperse, direct, and generally shape output characteristics of the emitted resonant signal. The optical structure can also be used to tune the quality factor (Q) of the optically resonant system.

Abstract: A photonic crystal drop filter apparatus and a method for tuning a photonic crystal drop filter. The photonic crystal drop filter has a photonic crystal having first waveguide for transmitting light having a frequency within a bandgap of the photonic crystal, and a second waveguide. The second waveguide is connected to the first waveguide by a resonant cavity for extracting at least one wavelength of the light transmitted by the first waveguide and redirecting the extracted light to the second waveguide. A tuning device is included in the apparatus to tune the wavelength of the extracted light over a full range of wavelengths. The apparatus is particularly suitable as an extraction device for optical communications systems such as a WDM communications system wherein it is necessary to extract one or more carrier signals from a plurality of carrier signals.

Abstract: A photonic crystal drop filter apparatus and a method for tuning a photonic crystal drop filter. The photonic crystal drop filter has a photonic crystal having first waveguide for transmitting light having a frequency within a bandgap of the photonic crystal, and a second waveguide. The second waveguide is connected to the first waveguide by a resonant cavity for extracting at least one wavelength of the light transmitted by the first waveguide and redirecting the extracted light to the second waveguide. A tuning device is included in the apparatus to tune the wavelength of the extracted light over a full range of wavelengths. The apparatus is particularly suitable as an extraction device for optical communications systems such as a WDM communications system wherein it is necessary to extract one or more carrier signals from a plurality of carrier signals.

Abstract: A whispering gallery resonator constructed from a ring of dielectric material that is enclosed in a conducting cylindrical enclosure having a top and bottom. The dimensions of the dielectric ring and the enclosure are chosen such that any additional resonant frequencies of the resonator are at frequencies sufficiently different from the first resonant frequency to allow the resonator to be used in a free-running oscillator. In one embodiment of the present invention, material is removed from the dielectric ring at locations spaced equally around the ring to move the frequency of one of two degenerate modes. In a second embodiment of the present invention, the dimensions are chosen such that the resonator has a second resonant frequency which is also far from any spurious modes. In this embodiment, the dielectric ring is constructed from a material having first and second dielectric constants depending on the direction of polarization of electromagnetic waves in the material.