We performed a study of the nonlinear optical properties of chemically purified chitin and insect cuticle using two-photon excited autofluorescence (TPEF) and second-harmonic generation (SHG) microscopy. Excitation spectrum, fluorescence time, polarization sensitivity, and bleaching speed were measured. We have found that the maximum autofluorescence signal requires an excitation wavelength below 850 nm. At longer wavelengths, we were able to penetrate more than $150-μm$ deep into the sample through the chitinous structures. The excitation power was kept below 10 mW (at the sample) in order to diminish bleaching. The SHG from the purified chitin was confirmed by spectral- and time-resolved measurements. Two cave-dwelling, depigmented, insect species were analyzed and three-dimensional images of the cuticular structures were obtained.

The open-cell photoacoustic signal measured in the transmission configuration for aluminum thin plates with thicknesses of 280 μm, 197 μm, and 112 μm is experimentally and theoretically analyzed, in the 20 Hz–7 kHz modulation frequency range. It is shown that the observed differences between the predictions of the standard thermoelastic model and the experiment data of both the amplitude and phase of the photoacoustic signal can be overcome by considering the aluminum samples coated with a thin layer of black paint as volume-absorber materials. This new approach provides a quite good agreement with the obtained experimental data, in the whole frequency range, and yields an effective absorption coefficient of (16 ± 2) mm⁻¹, for a 280 μm-thick sample. The introduction of the finite absorption coefficient led to the correct ratio between the thermal diffusion and thermoelastic components of the photoacoustic signal. Furthermore, it is found that the “volume-absorber” approach accurately describes the behavior of the amplitude, but not that of the phase recorded for a 112 μm-thick sample, due to its relatively strong thermoelastic bending, which is not considered by this theory. Within the approximation of the small bending, the proposed “volume-absorber” model provides a reliable description of the photoacoustic signal for Al samples thicker than 112 μm, and extends the applicability of the classical “opaque” approach.

The THz beamline at FLASH, DESY, provides both tunable (1–300 THz) narrow-bandwidth (∼10%) and broad-bandwidth intense (up to 150 uJ) THz pulses delivered in 1 MHz bursts and naturally synchronized with free-electron laser X-ray pulses. Combination of these pulses, along with the auxiliary NIR and VIS ultrashort lasers, supports a plethora of dynamic investigations in physics, material science and biology. The unique features of the FLASH THz pulses and the accelerator source, however, bring along a set of challenges in the diagnostics of their key parameters: pulse energy, spectral, temporal and spatial profiles. Here, these challenges are discussed and the pulse diagnostic tools developed at FLASH are presented. In particular, a radiometric power measurement is presented that enables the derivation of the average pulse energy within a pulse burst across the spectral range, jitter-corrected electro-optical sampling for the full spectro-temporal pulse characterization, spatial beam profiling along the beam transport line and at the sample, and a lamellar grating based Fourier transform infrared spectrometer for the on-line assessment of the average THz pulse spectra. Corresponding measurement results provide a comprehensive insight into the THz beamline capabilities.

Methods for photoacoustic signal measurement, rectification, and analysis for 85 μm thin Si samples in the 20-20 000 Hz modulation frequency range are presented. Methods for frequency-dependent amplitude and phase signal rectification in the presence of coherent and incoherent noise as well as distortion due to microphone characteristics are presented. Signal correction is accomplished using inverse system response functions deduced by comparing real to ideal signals for a sample with well-known bulk parameters and dimensions. The system response is a piece-wise construction, each component being due to a particular effect of the measurement system. Heat transfer and elastic effects are modeled using standard Rosencweig-Gersho and elastic-bending theories. Thermal diffusion, thermoelastic, and plasmaelastic signal components are calculated and compared to measurements. The differences between theory and experiment are used to detect and correct signal distortion and to determine detector and sound-card characteristics. Corrected signal analysis is found to faithfully reflect known sample parameters.