277 research outputs found
Theoretical study of dark resonances in micro-metric thin cells
We investigate theoretically dark resonance spectroscopy for a dilute atomic
vapor confined in a thin (micro-metric) cell. We identify the physical
parameters characterizing the spectra and study their influence. We focus on a
Hanle-type situation, with an optical irradiation under normal incidence and
resonant with the atomic transition. The dark resonance spectrum is predicted
to combine broad wings with a sharp maximum at line-center, that can be singled
out when detecting a derivative of the dark resonance spectrum. This narrow
signal derivative, shown to broaden only sub-linearly with the cell length, is
a signature of the contribution of atoms slow enough to fly between the cell
windows in a time as long as the characteristic ground state optical pumping
time. We suggest that this dark resonance spectroscopy in micro-metric thin
cells could be a suitable tool for probing the effective velocity distribution
in the thin cell arising from the atomic desorption processes, and notably to
identify the limiting factors affecting desorption under a grazing incidence.Comment: 12 pages, 11 figures theoretical articl
Multipole interaction between atoms and their photonic environment
Macroscopic field quantization is presented for a nondispersive photonic
dielectric environment, both in the absence and presence of guest atoms.
Starting with a minimal-coupling Lagrangian, a careful look at functional
derivatives shows how to obtain Maxwell's equations before and after choosing a
suitable gauge. A Hamiltonian is derived with a multipolar interaction between
the guest atoms and the electromagnetic field. Canonical variables and fields
are determined and in particular the field canonically conjugate to the vector
potential is identified by functional differentiation as minus the full
displacement field. An important result is that inside the dielectric a dipole
couples to a field that is neither the (transverse) electric nor the
macroscopic displacement field. The dielectric function is different from the
bulk dielectric function at the position of the dipole, so that local-field
effects must be taken into account.Comment: 17 pages, to be published in Physical Review
Spontaneous decay of an excited atom in an absorbing dielectric
Starting from the quantized version of Maxwell's equations for the
electromagnetic field in an arbitrary linear Kramers-Kronig dielectric,
spontaneous decay of the excited state of a two-level atom embedded in a
dispersive and absorbing medium is studied and the decay rate is calculated.
The calculations are performed for both the (Clausius-Mosotti) virtual cavity
model and the (Glauber-Lewenstein) real cavity model. It is shown that owing to
nonradiative decay associated with absorption the rate of spontaneous decay
sensitively depends on the cavity radius when the atomic transition frequency
approaches an absorption band of the medium. Only when the effect of absorption
is fully disregarded, then the familiar local-field correction factors are
recovered.Comment: 28 pages, 6 figures, typeset using RevTe
Random Resonators and Prelocalized Modes in Disordered Dielectric Films
Areal density of disorder-induced resonators with a high quality factor,
, in a film with fluctuating refraction index is calculated
theoretically. We demonstrate that for a given , where is the light
wave vector, and is the transport mean free path, when {\em on average} the
light propagation is diffusive, the likelihood for finding a random resonator
increases dramatically with increasing the correlation radius of the disorder.
Parameters of {\em most probable} resonators as functions of and are
found.Comment: 6 pages including 2 figure
General boundary conditions for the envelope function in multiband k.p model
We have derived general boundary conditions (BC) for the multiband envelope
functions (which do not contain spurious solutions) in semiconductor
heterostructures with abrupt heterointerfaces. These BC require the
conservation of the probability flux density normal to the interface and
guarantee that the multiband Hamiltonian be self--adjoint. The BC are energy
independent and are characteristic properties of the interface. Calculations
have been performed of the effect of the general BC on the electron energy
levels in a potential well with infinite potential barriers using a coupled two
band model. The connection with other approaches to determining BC for the
envelope function and to the spurious solution problem in the multiband k.p
model are discussed.Comment: 15 pages, 2 figures; to be published in Phys. Rev. B 65, March 15
issue 200
Mesoscopic Cooperative Emission From a Disordered System
We study theoretically the cooperative light emission from a system of classical oscillators confined within a volume with spatial scale, , much
smaller than the radiation wavelength, . We assume
that the oscillators frequencies are randomly distributed around a central
frequency, , with some characteristic width, . In
the absence of disorder, that is , the cooperative emission spectrum
is composed of a narrow subradiant peak superimposed on a wide superradiant
band. When , we demonstrate that if is large enough, the
subradiant peak is not simply broadened by the disorder but rather splits into
a system of random narrow peaks. We estimate the spectral width of these peaks
as a function of , and . We also estimate the
amplitude of this mesoscopic structure in the emission spectrum.Comment: 25 pages including 6 figure
Resonant nonlinear magneto-optical effects in atoms
In this article, we review the history, current status, physical mechanisms,
experimental methods, and applications of nonlinear magneto-optical effects in
atomic vapors. We begin by describing the pioneering work of Macaluso and
Corbino over a century ago on linear magneto-optical effects (in which the
properties of the medium do not depend on the light power) in the vicinity of
atomic resonances, and contrast these effects with various nonlinear
magneto-optical phenomena that have been studied both theoretically and
experimentally since the late 1960s. In recent years, the field of nonlinear
magneto-optics has experienced a revival of interest that has led to a number
of developments, including the observation of ultra-narrow (1-Hz)
magneto-optical resonances, applications in sensitive magnetometry, nonlinear
magneto-optical tomography, and the possibility of a search for parity- and
time-reversal-invariance violation in atoms.Comment: 51 pages, 23 figures, to appear in Rev. Mod. Phys. in Oct. 2002,
Figure added, typos corrected, text edited for clarit
Monitoring, management, and outcome of hypotension in Intensive Care Unit patients, an international survey of the European Society of Intensive Care Medicine
INTRODUCTION: Hypotension in the ICU is common, yet management is challenging and variable. Insight in management by ICU physicians and nurses may improve patient care and guide future hypotension treatment trials and guidelines. METHODS: We conducted an international survey among ICU personnel to provide insight in monitoring, management, and perceived consequences of hypotension. RESULTS: Out of 1464 respondents, 1197 (81.7%) were included (928 physicians (77.5%) and 269 nurses (22.5%)). The majority indicated that hypotension is underdiagnosed (55.4%) and largely preventable (58.8%). Nurses are primarily in charge of monitoring changes in blood pressure, physicians are in charge of hypotension treatment. Balanced crystalloids, dobutamine, norepinephrine, and Trendelenburg position were the most frequently reported fluid, inotrope, vasopressor, and positional maneuver used to treat hypotension. Reported complications believed to be related to hypotension were AKI and myocardial injury. Most ICUs do not have a specific hypotension treatment guideline or protocol (70.6%), but the majority would like to have one in the future (58.1%). CONCLUSIONS: Both physicians and nurses report that hypotension in ICU patients is underdiagnosed, preventable, and believe that hypotension influences morbidity. Hypotension management is generally not protocolized, but the majority of respondents would like to have a specific hypotension management protocol
Definition and incidence of hypotension in intensive care unit patients, an international survey of the European Society of Intensive Care Medicine
Introduction: Although hypotension in ICU patients is associated with adverse outcome, currently used definitions are unknown and no universally accepted definition exists. Methods: We conducted an international, peer-reviewed survey among ICU physicians and nurses to provide insight in currently used definitions, estimations of incidence, and duration of hypotension. Results: Out of 1394 respondents (1055 physicians (76%) and 339 nurses (24%)), 1207 (82%) completed the questionnaire. In all patient categories, hypotension definitions were predominantly based on an absolute MAP of 65 mmHg, except for the neuro(trauma) category (75 mmHg, p < 0.001), without differences between answers from physicians and nurses. Hypotension incidence was estimated at 55%, and time per day spent in hypotension at 15%, both with nurses reporting higher percentages than physicians (estimated mean difference 5%, p = 0.01; and 4%, p < 0.001). Conclusions: An absolute MAP threshold of 65 mmHg is most frequently used to define hypotension in ICU patients. In neuro(trauma) patients a higher threshold was reported. The majority of ICU patients are estimated to endure hypotension during their ICU admission for a considerable amount of time, with nurses reporting a higher estimated incidence and time spent in hypotension than physicians.</p
Electromagnetic-field quantization and spontaneous decay in left-handed media
We present a quantization scheme for the electromagnetic field interacting
with atomic systems in the presence of dispersing and absorbing
magnetodielectric media, including left-handed material having negative real
part of the refractive index. The theory is applied to the spontaneous decay of
a two-level atom at the center of a spherical free-space cavity surrounded by
magnetodielectric matter of overlapping band-gap zones. Results for both big
and small cavities are presented, and the problem of local-field corrections
within the real-cavity model is addressed.Comment: 15 pages, 5 figures, RevTe
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