Polarization phase stepping with a savart element.

The imaging properties of a real-time shearing interferometer are presented. The use of Savart elements, both as a beam displacer and an analyzer in a polarization phase-stepping scheme, is demonstrated in a real-time, two-camera, four-bucket shearing interferometer. A simple calculation scheme for ray propagation through uniaxial, birefringent elements is presented, and the effects on the image formation through 6-cm-long Savart elements is discussed.

Testing aspheric surfaces: simple method with a circular stop.

As an extension of the knife-edge test, a noninterferometric method for inspecting circularly symmetric aspheres is proposed in which the test surface is illuminated by a spherical wave. When a small circular stop is placed around the curvature center of the best-fitting sphere, only rays characteristic for the deviation from a perfect sphere remain unobstructed. An image of the tested surface is thereby obtained, showing light and dark regions whose boundaries are correlated to the surface profile, the stop size, and the stop position along the symmetry axis. The experiment has been carried out with a paraboloid.

Fluid jet polishing of optical surfaces.

We present a new finishing process that is capable of locally shaping and polishing optical surfaces of complex shapes. A fluid jet system is used to guide a premixed slurry at pressures less than 6 bars to the optical surface. We used a slurry comprising water and 10% #800 SiC abrasives (21.8 mum) to reduce the surface roughness of a BK7 sample from 350 to 25 nm rms and to vary the shape of a polished sample BK7, maintaining its surface roughness of 1.6 nm rms, thereby proving both the shaping and polishing possibilities of the presented method.

Loose abrasive line-contact machining of aspherical optical surfaces of revolution.

A new fabrication technique for the generation of optical aspherical surfaces of revolution is presented. This fabrication technique combines the characteristics of conventional loose abrasive machining with features of high-precision machining tools. A prototype of the machine tool based on this fabrication technique is currently being developed. We describe the characteristics of this method. Fabrication of aspherical ultraprecise surfaces using a tube is a line-contact method for the generation of both on- and off-axis, convex and concave, aspherical surfaces of revolution. It employs a self-correcting process and enables the use of loose-abrasive ductile grinding [Appl. Opt. 30, 2761-2777 (1991)] and subsequent bowl-feed polishing [Appl. Opt. 26, 696-703 (1987); Opt. Eng. 31, 1086-1092 (1992); Appl. Opt. 33, 89-95 (1994)] for the generation of aspherical surfaces.

Generation of on-axis and off-axis conic surfaces of revolution by applying a tubular tool.

A new technique, fabrication of aspherical ultraprecise surfaces using a tube, is applied to the generation of conic surfaces of revolution, which also demonstrates that it is possible to generate different kinds of surfaces with the same tube. Surfaces are considered that are generated with the same tube with an elliptical edge but with different off-axis distances and different angles between the tube and the surface. Subsequently it is shown that the generated surface is always a radial section of a conic surface. In addition it is proven that the shape of the generated conic surface is independent of the off-axis distance. With each elliptical tube edge a range of different conic surfaces can be made depending on the angle between tube and surface. The more the tube edge resembles a circle, the larger will be the range of different surfaces. For each tube an angle between the tube and the surface exists at which it generates an on- or off-axis part of a semi-ellipsoid. Finally, an optimization technique is presented for the determination of the best combination of process-determining parameters for the generation of a certain conic surface.

Equivalent layers: another way to look at them.

We describe the behavior of the equivalent refractive index (or Herpin index) and equivalent phase thickness in relation to the phase thicknesses of the layers in a dielectric stack. This relation is visualized by a diagram that provides insight into the existing solutions for given combinations of the Herpin index and the equivalent phase thickness. Furthermore, it can be used for the explanation of the occurrence of stop bands and of the dispersion of equivalent layer stacks.

Real-time displacement measurement using a multicamera phase-stepping speckle interferometer.

Surface point displacements can be measured by using standard phase-stepping speckle interferometry, but the measured data are vulnerable to disturbances during the interferogram recordings. To overcome this an interferometer with a computational system has been developed to record three phase-stepped interferograms simultaneously and to calculate displacements. This system is evaluated by measurements of the out-of-plane rotation of a flat surface. The surface displacement is calculated at a rate of 25 times/s. If one reduces noise by filtering, hardware limitations decrease the speed to 12.5 displacement calculations/s. With this system displacements can be measured with an accuracy exceeding λ/55 if filtering is applied.

Linear approximation for measurement errors in phase shifting interferometry.

This paper shows how measurement errors in phase shifting interferometry (PSI) can be described to a high degree of accuracy in a linear approximation. System error sources considered here are light source instability, imperfect reference phase shifting, mechanical vibrations, nonlinearity of the detector, and quantization of the detector signal. The measurement inaccuracies resulting from these errors are calculated in linear approximation for several formulas commonly used for PSI. The results are presented in tables for easy calculation of the measurement error magnitudes for known system errors. In addition, this paper discusses the measurement error reduction which can be achieved by choosing an appropriate phase calculation formula.

Adaptation of the refractive indices of antireflection coatings to other surrounding media.

The design of various types of antireflection coating is extensively described in the literature. In practice, however, such designs must often be adapted to other surrounding media or angles of incidence. For such cases, a method is presented in which, starting from a known antireflection coating, a useful reflectance characteristic is obtained for changed situations.

Thickness matching in planar multilayer waveguides.

A theoretical method is described from which the thickness of an arbitrary layer in a dielectric multilayer stack is determined if all other thicknesses and all refractive indices are given, such that a prescribed effective index for a given mode of the stack is obtained. The same theory can determine the optimal cover thickness of such a stack for prism coupling. Experimental verification shows effective indices that are in agreement with the designed values.

Microheterogeneity of the growth-associated neuronal protein B-50 (GAP-43). Contribution of phosphorylation by protein kinase Ca.

The neuron-specific, growth-associated protein B-50, also known as GAP-43. F1 and neuromodulin, shows a striking heterogeneous behaviour in many chromatographic and electrophoretic systems. A modulatory function has been proposed for the protein in receptor-mediated processes in the presynaptic membrane. Fatty acid acylation, calmodulin binding and phosphorylation appear to be tools in this respect. At least three discrete isoforms were present in separations made by reversed-phase fast protein liquid chromatography (FPLC) of the phosphorylated protein. In anion-exchange FPLC chromatography a conglomerate of eight peaks was eluted, which migrated as eight parallel curves in electrophoretic mobility studies. After dephosphorylation of the protein this number was reduced to two. Under non-reducing conditions, the phosphoprotein was eluted from an FPLC gel filtration column at Mr = 270 kDa, i.e. 8-12 times the size of the monomer (m = 23.6 kDa.) In sodium dodecyl sulphate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis all isoforms showed only B-50 at Mr of 48 kDa and its breakdown product (Mr = 40 kDa) in a constant ratio. It was concluded that phosphorylation by protein kinase C of a single serine residue is only one factor in the microheterogeneity of B-50. Multimeric forms may also add to the heterogeneous behaviour of phosphorylated B-50.

Integrated optical interferometer with a stacked waveguide structure.

An integrated optical interferometer consisting of Al(2)O(3) waveguides placed upon an oxidized Si substrate is presented. The two waveguides forming the branches of the interferometer are stacked on top of each other with a SiO(2) buffer layer in between. The interferometer further contains two directional couplers which are realized by bending the upper waveguide toward the lower one. A masked evaporation technique is introduced to fabricate the directional couplers. The operation of the interferometer is confirmed in temperature-sensing experiments while the application of the interferometer to humidity measurement is discussed.

Thickness measurement using Young's interferometric experiment.

The paper describes an interferometer for use in the thickness determination of optical thin films. The standard deviation obtained by repeated measurements is of the order of 0.3 nm. In those measurements, the thickness is obtained as a fraction of the applied wavelength, which consequently acts as the unit of length. The method does not require a layer of known thickness for calibration.

Modulation of phosphorylation of a 30-kD polyribosomal protein (pp30) by ACTH and spermine: comparison with modulation of brain protein synthesis.

Gel electrophoretic separation of proteins phosphorylated in a postmitochondrial supernatant fraction of brain in the presence of spermine or adrenocorticotropin (ACTH) indicated modulation in only one region (30 kD) of the gel. The 30-kD (pp30) protein together with enzyme activity catalyzing its phosphorylation and sensitivity of the phosphorylation to spermine and ACTH were retained in a free polyribosomal fraction of this extract. ACTH(11-24) inhibited phosphorylation at all the spermine or Mg2+ concentrations tested. Structure-activity studies revealed that the inhibitory activity within ACTH(1-24) resides in the sequences ACTH(11-24), (5-18, 17Lys, 18Lys)-NH2, (15-24), (7-16)-NH2, and (1-16)-NH2 and can also be found in certain polylysine fragments. Phosphorylation under conditions suitable for measuring protein synthesis revealed only one phosphoprotein (pp30), sensitive to both ACTH(15-24) and spermine. The possibility of a relationship between modulation of pp30 phosphorylation and modulation of brain cell-free protein synthesis is discussed in relation to the effects of ACTH, spermine, and Mg2+.

Simultaneous determination of dimethadione and trimethadione by infrared-spectrometry: application for mean intracellular pH measurement.

A simple infrared-spectrometric method for the simultaneous determination of dimethadione and trimethadione in plasma is described. The method is based on the absorption band of the carbonyl group for trimethadione at the wavenumber of 1740 cm-1 and for dimethadione at the wavenumber of 1770 cm-1. The accuracy and precision of the method are excellent; at a dimethadione and trimethadione concentration of 0.5 mmol X 1(-1) the coefficient of variation for the determination of both compounds is less than 1%, which is better than that for the ultraviolet spectrometric or gas-liquid chromatographic methods. The method can be used for the determination of the ratio trimethadione/dimethadione in the clinical setting as a sensitive check of the patient's adherence to therapy. It can also be used for the determination of dimethadione as an indicator for the mean body intracellular pH.

Cyclic nucleotide- and calcium-independent phosphorylation of proteins in rat brain polyribosome: effects of ACTH, spermine, and hemin.

The incorporation of [gamma-32P]ATP into proteins of rat brain polyribosomes was studied in vitro. The effects of cyclic nucleotides, calcium, hemin, ACTH, GTP, and spermine were examined. The incorporation of phosphate into proteins increased with time and phosphatase activity was very low; thus, the extent of phosphorylation was predominantly a reflection of protein kinase activity. Phosphorylation of proteins was not sensitive to Ca2+ in the presence or absence of either calmodulin or phosphatidylserine. Phosphorylation was also unaffected by cyclic nucleotides in the absence of exogenous enzymes. However, addition of a cAMP-dependent protein kinase together with cAMP resulted in a stimulation of the incorporation of phosphate into 4 phosphoproteins (pp70, pp58, pp43, and pp32); phosphorylation of pp32 was completely dependent on the addition of the kinase. ACTH (1-24), (11-24), and spermine inhibited the endogenous phosphorylation of one protein band (pp30). The phosphorylation of this 30 kD band was also selectively increased by hemin (5 microM). Higher concentrations of hemin exerted an inhibitory effect on the majority of the phosphoproteins. Protein phosphatase activity was not influenced by ACTH or spermine. The specific inhibition of pp30 phosphorylation by ACTH or spermine is most probably explained by an interaction with a cyclic nucleotide- and Ca2+ -independent protein kinase.

Nonpolarizing beam splitter design.

A three-step design procedure is developed for dielectric stacks which are required to be nonpolarizing for a given wavelength lambdar and angle of incidence theta 0,r, at which the reflectance Rr is prescribed. The method leads to solutions in which only three layer materials occur and can be applied for a wide range of values of theta0,r and Rr. The media can be chosen from the available coating materials. Furthermore, the procedure offers the possibility of optimizing with respect to the behavior of the reflectance in the neighborhood of lambdar and theta0,r. An example is elaborated, and its results are compared with an actually produced coating.

Moire method to determine separate frequency contributions in vibration patterns.

Interference holography with a pulsed ruby laser is used as a tool for analyzing complex mechanical vibrations. With the aid of a moire technique, the combination of two interferograms taken in special, electronically controlled conditions yields the contribution to the vibration pattern corresponding to a single frequency. Quantitative analysis then follows the same lines as in ordinary holographic interferometry.