This PDF file contains the front matter associated with SPIE Proceedings Volume 6536, including the Title Page, Copyright information, Table of Contents, Introduction (if any), and the Conference Committee listing.

We report on our theoretical and experimental investigations of 2D arrays of silica/gold nanoshells. To calculate the optical properties of surface aggregated nanoshells, we used the generalized multiparticle Mie solution and the T-matrix method were used. We found that the optical properties of colloidal and surface-aggregated silica/gold nanoshells differed enormously. Because of the coherent interaction among particles in the array, the dipole band of extinction disappeared and only the quadruple component of the spectra was observed. In the experimental section, silica gold nanoshells with a silica core diameter of 210 nm and a gold shell thickness of 28 nm were made. We studied the kinetics of formation of a self-assembled nanoshell monolayer on a chemically modified glass substrate. We observed agreement between the experimental and the theoretically calculated extinction spectra of the silica/gold monolayers.

The T-matrix formalism is used to investigate multipole resonances exited by electromagnetic plane waves in gold nanorods. Two basic models have been studied: the gold cylinders with semispherical ends (s-cylinders) and prolate gold spheroids with the particle diameters 20 and 40 nm and the aspect ratios ranging from 2 to 20. The extinction, absorption, and scattering spectra were calculated for TM and TE incident wave (the orientation angle was varied from 0 to 90o), as well as for randomly oriented particles. Dependent on the particle size and shape, we observed from 2 to 8 multipole resonances in calculated spectra. On the basis of these simulations, we have derived an explicit rule for partial multipole contributions to the plasmon resonances of gold nanorods at a fixed or random orientation. The parity of a given spectral resonance number n coincides with the parity of their multipole contributions l, where l is equal to or greater than n, and the total resonance magnitude is determined by the lowest multipole contribution. We also investigate the dependence of multipole plasmons on the orientation of nanorods with respect to polarized incident light, as well as on the particle size, shape, and dielectric environment. The relative shift of the low multipole resonances (n=2-5) is proportional to the relative increment of the medium refractive index. It is shown that the multipole resonance wavelengths as a function of the aspect ratio divided by the resonance number collapse onto one linear scaling curve. This scaling is explained by using the plasmon standing wave concept introduced by Schider et al. (Phys. Rev. B, 2003, 68, 155427). Although the multipole scaling reflects some universal qualitative properties of the standing wave physics, the quantitative scaling parameters depend on the particle size and morphology.

Iron oxide nanoparticle/polymer microcapsules containing different number of layers of iron oxide nanoparticles have been made using the layer-by-layer alternating absorption technique. Nanoparticles as well as composite microcapsules have been characterized by TEM and SEM. The electronic paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectra of water suspensions of iron oxide nanoparticles and microcapsules with iron oxide nanoparticles inside the capsule shell have been measured. Parameters of the EPR spectra are sensitivity to nanoparticle concentration in solution as well as to thermal and microwave microcapsules treatment. The shell permeability, as explored by confocal fluorescence microscopy, is decreased after temperature treatment of microcapsules but increased after microwave radiation. These results can find practical application in medicine and bioengineering for remote control over the permeability of microcapsule shells.

Laser radiation was used for permeability increase up to destroy of polyelectrolyte capsules. Silver and gold nanoparticles was synthesized and incorporated into capsule shells to attain the sensitivity of microcapsules to laser radiation. Lasers of different power and wavelength were used. The sensitivity of nanocomposite shell to laser radiation can be controlled by nanoparticle shape, content and distribution into the shell.

Aqueous suspension of iron oxide nanoparticles stabilized by citric acid has been synthesized. Nanoparticles were characterized by transmission electron microscopy. Nanoparticles size distribution was estimated by dynamic laser light scattering method. Absorption spectra of nanoparticles suspensions at different concentrations were recorded in visible part of optical band. Zeta-potential of nanoparticles was measured. Absorption and reflection spectra of aqueous suspension of nanoparticles in 7.8 - 11.2 GHz frequency range have been obtained. A frequency ranges with maximal sensitivity of microwave spectra parameters to nanoparticles concentration were found.

Iron oxide nanoparticles and polymer planar films with different number of layers of iron oxide nanoparticles have been fabricated by the layer-by-layer alternating adsorption technique. It was established that the thickness of the PAH/iron oxide film and its refractive index increases with the increase of the layer number. The microwave irradiation affects the thickness of the PAH/iron oxide film and their refractive index. The increase of refractive index and decrease of thickness of nanocomposite films were observed. The electronic paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectra of planar films were measured. It was found that parameters of the EPR spectra are sensitive to the number of nanoparticles layers.

New optical medium consists of CdS nano particles (NPs) in a matrix of a low density polyethylene (LDP). It is shown, that the structure and optical properties of NPs depend on both concentration and NPs size in a matrix. For CdS NPs the average size of particles has made from 4,5 to 7 nanometers for concentration from 10 wt. % to 40 wt. % correspondingly. The optical reflectance and absorption spectra of nanocomposite materials were measured at room temperature in the visible and near-infrared regions. It is shown that, with an increase in the NPs concentration in the dielectric matrix the absorption coefficient rises mainly. Whereas an increase in the NPs size only for fixed concentration has effect on the set of optical medium parameters such as spectral position of absorption maximum and so on.

The Langmuir-Blodgett technique has been applied to build optically homogeneous monolayer films of multi-wall carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) which possess good surface spreading properties at the air/water interface. Mono-layers of MWCNTs- arahidic acid were deposited on glass substrates with ITO contacts by vertical lifting. Prepared substrates used to make liquid crystals optical cells to detecting morphology of MWCNT mono-layers which play the aligning coveting role. We demonstrate that MWCNT aligned by one direction in the Langmuir-Blodgett film which was transferred on the substrate with keeping MWCNTs aligning.

The original microscopic system has been developed for the investigation of nanoparticles moving in the electromagnetic field of laser beam. In our scheme nanoparticles could be observed in the direction perpendicular to the incident laser beam in the dark-field mode. In this work a flow of nanoparticles, induced by light pressure forces in laser beam is investigated using the particle image velocimetry technique. Laser manipulation of nanoparticles with wide laser beam was experimentally demonstrated.

We describe applications of colloidal gold nanoparticles and silica/gold nanoshells to photothermal therapy and X-ray diagnostics of cancer exemplified by spontaneous tumor of cats and dog. It is shown that the contrast of X-ray images of a cat mammalian tumor can be increased significantly by injection of 3-5-nm gold nanoparticles. We also present preliminary results of a complex approach to treatment a dog mouth cavity melanoma by using immunotherapy together with laser photothermolysis enhanced with silica/gold nanoshells.

The study is aimed at evaluation of diagnostic potential of plasmon-resonant nanoparticles as contrast agents for various techniques based on backward diffuse light scattering from biotissues. We consider the theoretical spectra of diffuse backscattering from a plane layer of gold nanospheres embedded into a plane layer of scattering dielectric spheres that mimic a strongly scattering sample of a biotissue. It is shown that the backscattering spectra contain information about 35-nm gold spheres provided the location depth is less than 600 mkm. The simulated color characteristics resemble the measured characteristics of a rat skin. The measured diffuse reflection spectra of 35-nm gold colloid are close to the spectra of 70/15-nm silica/gold nanoshells although the plasmon resonance wavelengths (520 and 630 nm) differ significantly.

The conditions under which a linear homogeneous anisotropic medium orthogonalizes polarization states of the input polarized light are studied. The criterion for orthogonalization in the form of inequality for the medium's parameters is obtained. The polarization orthogonalization properties of the some types of anisotropic medium have been investigated. The parameters, under which the orthogonalization occurs, and the states that are orthogonalized are found. All results obtained are illustrated using the Poincaré sphere representation.

The generalized matrix model of homogeneous anisotropy medium has been derived in Mar'enko et al. (Optics and Spectroscopy, 76(1), 94-96, 1994). Generalized Mueller matrix of homogeneous anisotropy medium, according to Mar'enko et al., is a product of the four matrices of basic types of anisotropy (in terms of Jones - simple properties): linear amplitude and phase and circular amplitude and phase anisotropy. As a result of non-commutativity of basic matrices and taking into account the first Jones equivalence theorem (JOSA 31, 493-499, 1941), it was note in Mar'enko et al. that there exist six orders (polarization bases) of multiplications of the basic matrices. In this paper we study the bases, in which matrices of phase anisotropy (linear and circular) are located between matrices of amplitude anisotropy. We show that these bases are not general

The problem of analysis of anisotropic properties of objects with isotropic depolarization using their experimental Mueller matrices is examined. Isotropic depolarization implies that the object depolarizes the light with the same degree, independently on the polarizations of the incident light. Description is carried out in terms of the multiplicative model which is a product of the Mueller matrices of homogeneous anisotropic (deterministic) objects and of isotropic depolarizers. The regularization procedure of experimental Mueller matrices of deterministic objects (S.N. Savenkov, K.E. Yushtin, Ukr. Phys. Journ. 45(2), pp. 159-163, 2000) is applied. Experimental Mueller matrices of anisotropic object depolarizing isotropically the light are analyzed and discussed. It has been shown that regularization procedure has to be utilized to improve the analysis of anisotropic properties of depolarizing objects.

Equivalence theorems for combinations of circular amplitude and phase anisotropy and for linear amplitude and phase anisotropy (with special orientations) have been formulated. It has been shown that the order of product of Jones matrices can be changed for following couples of anisotropy types: linear amplitude and circular phase; circular amplitude and phase, linear amplitude and phase (with special orientations). We show that the values of anisotropy in above combinations are the invariant of permutation, at that, only orientations are changed but defined. Matrices of linear amplitude and general phase anisotropy can be represented by any order of their following for special conditions on their orientations, which has been derived.

Optical properties of liquid-crystal multi-domain layers in LC cells with random planar anchoring conditions are investigated. It is shown that such layers manifest spectral selectivity and, in the case of chiral domains, optical activity with a high dispersion of the optical rotation.

A simple polarization method for characterization of anisotropic scattering media is considered. Two sets of independent empirical characteristics entirely representing scattering properties of an examined specimen in the experimental geometry used are specified. Experimental examples showing the possibilities of the method are presented.

Time-sequential Mueller polarimeter, that allows measuring Mueller matrix elements images by using three- and four- input polarizations methods, is discussed. Mueller matrix measurement errors for different test anisotropic media are examined. The comparison between experimental and theoretical estimations of measurement error has been carried out for three and four input polarizations methods in 1D and 2D modes. It is shown that experimental results have a good agreement with theoretical estimations.

It is well known that the spectral properties of the light source relate explicitly to the correlation properties of the source field. Thus it is possible to have an action on the correlation function of the source affecting on emission spectrum. It is shown in this paper that correlation analysis of the light source field allows to perform control of the spectral properties of the source. Availability of Michelson interferometer for investigation of the thin structure of emission spectrum of superluminescent diodes (SLD) and appreciation of the use of its in low coherence interference schemes are discussed in this work.

Optical scheme for dual-wave optical heterodyne reflectometer operating at fundamental (1.25 &mgr;m) and second harmonic (0.625 &mgr;m) wavelengths of femtosecond Cr:forsterite laser is created. The study of paper as a strongly scattering media on 2 wavelengths using backscattered radiation is performed.

The working principle of optical coherence tomography (OCT) makes it possible to detect backscattered photons as a function of depth. The OCT signal includes single and least-scattered photons as well as multiple-scattered photons, and provides a logarithmic depth profile of coherently backscattered light in an OCT image. Single and least-scattered photons contribute to the information part of the OCT signal, while multiple-scattered photons mainly decrease the resolution. When the OCT signal is analyzed, rapid attenuation of the signal in a scattering medium is observed. Based on an exponential decay approximation that fits the OCT profile and the results of Monte Carlo simulations, it was possible to reconstruct the scattering coefficient &mgr;_s for some concentrations of Intralipid water suspension. The case of single scattering was considered for 0.5 %, 1 %, 1.5 % and 2 % Intralipid. The reconstruction led to results very close to the theoretical values of the &mgr;_s. For higher concentrations (9 % and 10 %), the reconstructed values were larger than the theoretical ones.

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a powerful tool for imaging tissue structure. The images provide information on a micrometer scale. By averaging depth scans, an intensity profile can be formed as a function of depth. The slope of a straight line fitted to the OCT signal depth profile contains information on light attenuation in the sample at different depths. This slope can be used to detect changes in the scattering properties of the sample, especially in a single scattering region. In this article, the effect of fitting the line at different depths on detection sensitivity was studied in Intralipid phantoms with different concentrations. Different glucose concentrations were also used with 5 % Intralipid samples. Different depths were studied because the depth of the dermis and the thicknesses of skin layers in human skin vary in different body locations. The results show that the sensitivity of detecting changes in the scattering properties of Intralipid is better at a depth corresponding to that of the dermis in the human arm (0.166 - 0.276 mm) than at a depth equaling the dermis in the forefinger (0.441 - 0.579 mm). For this reason, the applicability of the single scattering model for fitting the straight line to different depths of the OCT signal is limited, and a more comprehensive model for extracting changes in scattering is recommended at greater depths. This has to be kept in mind when determining the depth position for registering glucose-induced changes in vivo with an OCT-based glucose sensor.

This paper introduces optical non-contact paper surface characterization based on Low Coherence Interferometry (LCI). Using this technique, the roughness of two different types of fine paper series are measured and the obtained results are compared to those of two air leak methods, PPS and Bendtsen, which are used as reference methods.

In present work the capabilities of an optical coherence tomography (OCT) setup to visualize paper structure are analyzed by means of Monte Carlo-simulation of the OCT images. The OCT setup at 910 nm was considered. Efficiency of several different optical clearing agents (OCA) for increasing the quality of the obtained images was studied. A multilayer non-planar edged paper model was developed for the characterization of a paper sample and simple recovery of its parameters. The effect of the setup parameters on the obtained OCT-images was studied. It was shown by comparison with the experimental data that the developed model provides satisfactory resemblance of simulated and experimental images of papers sample structure.

A new technique of Low-Coherent Interferometry (LCI) is discussed. In this method partially coherent optical field reflected from the layered medium directs one's steps into longitudinal shear scanning interferometer for autocorrelation analysis of low-coherent object field. Subject of inquiry is outside of interferometer here and reference beam is not used. Theoretical model for discrete transparent phantom and experimental results for multilayered media are presented.

A neuronet algorithm of interferometer data processing has been developed aiming at detection of microoscillations of the object. Analysis of the algorithm parameters has been carried out and sensitivity of the technique has been evaluated on the basis of the nature experiment and simulation data.

Criteria for comparison of two diffraction models, the Kirchhoff and Fresnel-Fraunhofer approximations, have been proposed.

Possible method for improved displaying stereoscopic images captured with converged camera configuration is proposed. The essence of the method is presenting stereoscopic images with display geometry corresponding to that of converged camera configuration.

Internet Traffic has been growing multifold with time, as more and more people are getting online for communication, education, entertainment, etc. Expanding fiber optic networks through optical networking is seen as the key to fulfilling consumer demand for internet bandwidth. Optical networking is severely handicapped by the unavailability of high performance low cost optical components. Developing economical methods for fabricating optical switches, connectors and other networking components is the key to the realization of an all-optical network vision. Using silicon MEMS technology to produce optical components provides some compelling advantages of integration with electronic devices and packaging. Simple, low-cost fabrication of the integrated optical components such as waveguides, splitters, combiners, reflectors and lenses on silicon substrate is reviewed. Specially designed novel dispensing equipment is used to fabricate these optical components. An integrated optoelectronic switch is designed using silicon V-grooves with reflective taps and dispensed polymer waveguides. Propagation losses of 0.15 dB/cm at 633 nm and 0.45 dB/cm at 1300 nm are reported. Coupling losses of less than 1 dB can be achieved. The fabrication being economical and having lower propagation losses makes this technology very attractive for networking applications.

In present paper some methods of low-frequency acoustic defectoscopy are considered. The defectoscope, developed in our laboratory, was used for investigation of acoustical spectra. Preparations from graphite have been used as investigated objects. The following characteristics of materials of researched samples have been defined by methods of acoustic spectroscopy: sound speed and attenuation, modulus of elasticity, deficiency of researched sample.

Finding contact points of balls with a rim is relevant task for ball-bearings manufacturing. Service life of the bearing strongly depends on corresponding parameters. The majority of existing methods is based on measurement of geometrical parameters of balls and of rims rings and selection of the bearings with the best properties. But, practically there are no methods for finding contact points of balls with a rim in already collected bearing. In present paper such a method of ball - rim contact point finding with use of acoustic microscope is proposed. The described method is based on a difference between focused ultrasound reflection factors from free sites of a bearing rim and the points adjoining with balls.

In this study, we present two methods for estimation of &pbeta;-carotene content in flour with use of color analysis of the flour samples. One method is based on the fact that the color parameter "chroma" (the color saturation) in the CIE1976 (L*a*b*) - system can be used as the "yellowness index" of the flour that is proportional to &pbeta;-carotene content in the flour. Another method is based on comparison of the flour diffuse reflection coefficients at 460 nm (absorption band of &pbeta;-carotene) and 650 nm. The value of contrast of absorption band manifestation can be also used as the "yellowness index" of the flour.

We consider model of liquid capillary percolation dynamics in porous media (paper) by interface moving in paper strips. Validity of the considered simple model is verified by processing of the sequences of growing interface images.

The Kubelka-Munk (KM) two-flux light transport one-dimensional (1D) model is, evidently, the most widely used transport theory in biomedical optics because of its simplicity and existence of its clear analytical solution. Moreover, the KM approach is a good approximation of the general radiative transport equation in the case of 1D theoretical tasks. But it is well known that the KM model doesn't allow anyone to obtain an exact solution, especially in cases of highly-absorbing and weakly-scattering media. In the most of publication it is assumed that the light must be diffuse on a surface as well as within the medium for a correct application of the KM equations. However, in our opinion, there is no any reason to separate light radiation on diffuse and collimated components in a simple 1D theoretical model. So, the root of the problem of the model accuracy may be located in a far another field. As we reported in our previous publications more correct results with the use of KM basic approach in some special cases of turbid media can be yielded by means of some modification of original KM equations. In this work we propose a general improvement of 1D two-flux KM model for any cases of scattering and absorbing media to reach an exact analytical solution of any theoretical 1D light propagation and scattering problem in application to biomedical noninvasive reflectance spectroscopy.