Optical amplifier "erbium-doped waveguide amplifier" ("EDWA") is an optical amplifier that uses a waveguide to boost an optical signal. Amplification is achieved by stimulated emission of photons from dopant ions in the doped fiber. The pump laser excites ions into a higher energy from where they can decay via stimulated emission of a photon at the signal wavelength back to a lower energy level. The excited ions can also decay spontaneously (spontaneous emission) or even through nonradiative processes involving interactions with phonons of the glass matrix. These last two decay mechanisms compete with stimulated emission reducing the efficiency of light amplification. The
Neutron stimulated emission computed tomography Neutron stimulated emission computed tomography Neutron stimulated emission computed tomography (NSECT) uses induced gamma emission through neutron inelastic scattering to generate images of the spatial distribution of elements in a sample. NSECT has been shown to be effective in detecting liver iron overload disorders and breast cancer. Due to its sensitivity in measuring elemental concentrations, NSECT is currently being developed for cancer staging, among other medical applications. A given atomic nucleus, defined by its proton and neutron numbers, is a quantized system with a set of characteristic higher energy levels that it can occupy as a nuclear isomer. When the