Ultrafast and octave-spanning optical nonlinearities from strongly phase-mismatched cascaded interactions

Cascaded nonlinearities have attracted much interest, but ultrafast applications have been seriously hampered by the simultaneous requirements of being near phase-matching and having ultrafast femtosecond response times. Here we show that in strongly phase-mismatched nonlinear frequency conversion crystals the pump pulse can experience a large and extremely broadband self-defocusing cascaded Kerr-like nonlinearity. The large cascaded nonlinearity is ensured through interaction with the largest quadratic tensor element in the crystal, and the strong phase-mismatch ensures an ultrafast nonlinear response with an octave-spanning bandwidth. We verify this experimentally by showing few-cycle soliton compression with noncritical cascaded second-harmonic generation: Energetic 47 fs infrared pulses are compressed in a just 1-mm long bulk lithium niobate crystal to 17 fs (under 4 optical cycles) with 80% efficiency, and upon further propagation an octave-spanning supercontinuum is observed. Such ultrafast cascading is expected to occur for a broad range of pump wavelengths spanning the near- and mid-IR using standard nonlinear crystals.Comment: resubmitted, revised version, accepted for Phys. Rev. Let

Electrolysis-based Parylene Balloon Actuators for Movable Neural Probes

In order to track a specific neuron and keep good sampling neural signals during chronic implantation, the neural probes are highly desired to have moving capability. This paper presents a novel electrolysis-based parylene balloon actuator fabricated with MEMS technology. The actuator is integrated with silicon probe to make it movable. A new fabrication technology has been developed to build a parylene balloon structure with silicon spring structure, electrolysis electrodes and electrolyte inside. By applying little current to electrolysis electrodes, high pressure is generated inside the parylene balloon by electrolysis. The spring structure is stretched with the parylene balloon expansion. Therefore the neural probe is moved by the actuation. The electrolysis actuator can generate large stain and pressure, requires modest electrical power and produces minimal heat. Due to the large volume expansion obtained via electrolysis, the small actuator can create a large force. The new electrolysis actuators for movable neural probes have been fabricated and validated

Structural relaxation in a system of dumbbell molecules

The interaction-site-density-fluctuation correlators, the dipole-relaxation functions, and the mean-squared displacements of a system of symmetric dumbbells of fused hard spheres are calculated for two representative elongations of the molecules within the mode-coupling theory for the evolution of glassy dynamics. For large elongations, universal relaxation laws for states near the glass transition are valid for parameters and time intervals similar to the ones found for the hard-sphere system. Rotation-translation coupling leads to an enlarged crossover interval for the mean-squared displacement of the constituent atoms between the end of the von Schweidler regime and the beginning of the diffusion process. For small elongations, the superposition principle for the reorientational $\alpha$-process is violated for parameters and time intervals of interest for data analysis, and there is a strong breaking of the coupling of the $\alpha$-relaxation scale for the diffusion process with that for representative density fluctuations and for dipole reorientations.Comment: 15 pages, 14 figures, Phys. Rev. E in pres

Non-local Matching Condition and Scale-invariant Spectrum in Bouncing Cosmology

In cosmological scenarios such as the pre-big bang scenario or the ekpyrotic scenario, a matching condition between the metric perturbations in the pre-big bang phase and those in the post big-bang phase is often assumed. Various matching conditions have been considered in the literature. Nevertheless obtaining a scale invariant CMB spectrum via a concrete mechanism remains impossible. In this paper, we examine this problem from the point of view of local causality. We begin with introducing the notion of local causality and explain how it constrains the form of the matching condition. We then prove a no-go theorem: independent of the details of the matching condition, a scale invariant spectrum is impossible as long as the local causality condition is satisfied. In our framework, it is easy to show that a violation of local causality around the bounce is needed in order to give a scale invariant spectrum. We study a specific scenario of this possibility by considering a nonlocal effective theory inspired by noncommutative geometry around the bounce and show that a scale invariant spectrum is possible. Moreover we demonstrate that the magnitude of the spectrum is compatible with observations if the bounce is assumed to occur at an energy scale which is a few orders of magnitude below the Planckian energy scale.Comment: 15 pages, 2 figures; v3: clarifications added, changes in references, version to appear in PR

Pulse generation without gain-bandwidth limitation in a laser with self-similar evolution

With existing techniques for mode-locking, the bandwidth of ultrashort pulses from a laser is determined primarily by the spectrum of the gain medium. Lasers with self-similar evolution of the pulse in the gain medium can tolerate strong spectral breathing, which is stabilized by nonlinear attraction to the parabolic self-similar pulse. Here we show that this property can be exploited in a fiber laser to eliminate the gain-bandwidth limitation to the pulse duration. Broad (̃200 nm) spectra are generated through passive nonlinear propagation in a normal-dispersion laser, and these can be dechirped to ̃20-fs duration

SUSY-QCD Corrections to W±H∓W^{\pm}H^{\mp} Associated Production at the CERN Large Hadron Collider

We calculate the SUSY-QCD corrections to the inclusive total cross sections of the associated production processes $pp\to W^{\pm}H^{\mp}+X$ in the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model(MSSM) at the CERN Large Hadron Collider(LHC). The SUSY-QCD corrections can increase and decrease the total cross sections depending on the choice of the SUSY parameters. When $\mu<0$ the SUSY-QCD corrections increase the leading-order (LO) total cross sections significantly for large tan$\beta$ ($\sim 40$), which can exceed 10% and have the opposite sign with respect to the QCD and the SUSY-EW corrections, and thus cancel with them to some extent. Moreover, we also investigate the effects of the SUSY-QCD on the differential distribution of cross sections in transverse momentum $p_T$ and rapidity Y of W-boson, and the invariant mass $M_{W^+H^-}$.Comment: 24 pages, 10 figures; minor changes in references; two figures and the corresponding disccusions added; a version to appear in PR

Multiscale Technicolor and the Zbb-bar Vertex

We estimate the correction to the Zbb-bar vertex arising from the exchanges of the sideways extended technicolor (ETC) boson and the flavor-diagonal ETC boson in the multiscale walking technicolor model. The obtained result is too large to explain the present data. However, if we introduce a new self- interaction for the top quark to induce the top quark condensate serving as the origin of the large top quark mass, the corrected R_b=Gamma_b/Gamma_h can be consistent with the recent LEP data. The corresponding correction to R_c=Gamma_c/Gamma_h is shown to be negligibly small.Comment: 9-page LaTex fil

Urine Specimens from Pregnant and Nonpregnant Women Inhibitory to Amplification of \u3cem\u3eChlamydia trachomatis\u3c/em\u3e Nucleic Acid by PCR, Ligase Chain Reaction, and Transcription-Mediated Amplification: Identification of Urinary Substances Associated with Inhibition and Removal of Inhibitory Activity

The presence of endogenous amplification inhibitors in urine may produce false-negative results for the detection of Chlamydia trachomatis nucleic acids by tests such as PCR, ligase chain reaction (LCR), and transcription-mediated amplification (TMA). Consecutive urine specimens from 101 pregnant women and 287 nonpregnant women submitted for urinalysis were processed for C. trachomatis detection. Aliquots were spiked with the equivalent of one C. trachomatis elementary body and were tested by three commercial assays: AMPLICOR CT/NG, Chlamydia LCX, and Chlamydia TMA. The prevalence of inhibitors resulting in complete inhibition of amplification was 4.9% for PCR, 2.6% for LCR, and 7.5% for TMA. In addition, all three assays were partially inhibited by additional urine specimens. Only PCR was more often inhibited by urine from pregnant women than by urine from nonpregnant women (9.9 versus 3.1%; P = 0.011). A complete urinalysis including dipstick and a microscopic examination was performed. Logistic regression analysis revealed that the following substances were associated with amplification inhibition: beta-human chorionic gonadotropin (odd ratio [OR], 3.3) and crystals (OR, 3.3) for PCR, nitrites for LCR (OR, 14.4), and hemoglobin (OR, 3.3), nitrites (OR, 3.3), and crystals (OR, 3.3) for TMA. Aliquots of each inhibitory urine specimen were stored at 4 and -70°C and a dilution of 1:10 (84% for PCR, 100% for LCR, and 92% for TMA). Five urine specimens (three for PCR and two for TMA) required phenol-chloroform extraction to remove inhibitors. The results indicate that the prevalence of nucleic acid amplification inhibitors in female urine is different for each technology, that this prevalence may be predicted by the presence of urinary factors, and that storage and dilution remove most of the inhibitors

Integrin α2β1 Expression Regulates Matrix Metalloproteinase-1-Dependent Bronchial Epithelial Repair in Pulmonary Tuberculosis.

Pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) is caused by inhalation of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, which damages the bronchial epithelial barrier to establish local infection. Matrix metalloproteinase-1 plays a crucial role in the immunopathology of TB, causing breakdown of type I collagen and cavitation, but this collagenase is also potentially involved in bronchial epithelial repair. We hypothesized that the extracellular matrix (ECM) modulates M. tuberculosis-driven matrix metalloproteinase-1 expression by human bronchial epithelial cells (HBECs), regulating respiratory epithelial cell migration and repair. Medium from monocytes stimulated with M. tuberculosis induced collagenase activity in bronchial epithelial cells, which was reduced by ~87% when cells were cultured on a type I collagen matrix. Matrix metalloproteinase-1 had a focal localization, which is consistent with cell migration, and overall secretion decreased by 32% on type I collagen. There were no associated changes in the specific tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases. Decreased matrix metalloproteinase-1 secretion was due to ligand-binding to the α2β1 integrin and was dependent on the actin cytoskeleton. In lung biopsies, samples from patients with pulmonary TB, integrin α2β1 is highly expressed on the bronchial epithelium. Areas of lung with disrupted collagen matrix showed an increase in matrix metalloproteinases-1 expression compared with areas where collagen was comparable to control lung. Type I collagen matrix increased respiratory epithelial cell migration in a wound-healing assay, and this too was matrix metalloproteinase-dependent, since it was blocked by the matrix metalloproteinase inhibitor GM6001. In summary, we report a novel mechanism by which α2β1-mediated signals from the ECM modulate matrix metalloproteinase-1 secretion by HBECs, regulating their migration and epithelial repair in TB

Operational approach to the Uhlmann holonomy

We suggest a physical interpretation of the Uhlmann amplitude of a density operator. Given this interpretation we propose an operational approach to obtain the Uhlmann condition for parallelity. This allows us to realize parallel transport along a sequence of density operators by an iterative preparation procedure. At the final step the resulting Uhlmann holonomy can be determined via interferometric measurements.Comment: Added material, references, and journal reference