Observation of confined propagation in Bragg waveguides

A new type of waveguiding in a slab dielectric bounded on one side by air and on the other by a periodic layered medium (grown by molecular beam epitaxy) has been demonstrated

Optical surface waves in periodic layered medium grown by liquid phase epitaxy

Optical surface waves propagating along the surface of a multilayer stack have been observed. The multilayer stack is grown by liquid phase epitaxy. The transverse intensity distribution measured is found to agree with our theoretical calculation

Transverse Bragg-reflector injection lasers

A GaAs-GaAlAs injection laser has been tested that confines light in the lateral dimension (normal to junction plane) by a multilayer Bragg reflector. In the past, light has been confined as a result of the higher-index guiding region and resulting evanescent fields

Coherent control of microwave pulse storage in superconducting circuits

Coherent pulse control for quantum memory is viable in the optical domain but nascent in microwave quantum circuits. We show how to realize coherent storage and on-demand pulse retrieval entirely within a superconducting circuit by exploiting and extending existing electromagnetically induced transparency technology in superconducting quantum circuits. Our scheme employs a linear array of superconducting artificial atoms coupled to a microwave transmission line.Comment: 13 pages, 4 figures and some supplementary materia

Current-driven vortex dynamics in untwinned superconducting single crystals

Current-driven vortex dynamics of type-II superconductors in the weak-pinning limit is investigated by quantitatively studying the current-dependent vortex dissipation of an untwinned YBa2Cu3O7 single crystal. For applied current densities (J) substantially larger than the critical current density (Jc), non-linear resistive peaks appear below the thermodynamic first-order vortex-lattice melting transition temperature (Tm), in contrast to the resistive hysteresis in the low-current limit (J < Jc). These resistive peaks are quantitatively analysed in terms of the current-driven coherent and plastic motion of vortex bundles in the vortex-solid phase, and the non-linear current - voltage characteristics are found to be consistent with the collective flux-creep model. The effects of high-density random point defects on the vortex dynamics are also investigated via proton irradiation of the same single crystal. Neither resistive hysteresis at low currents nor peak effects at high currents are found after the irradiation. Furthermore, the current-voltage characteristics within the instrumental resolution become completely ohmic over a wide range of currents and temperatures, despite theoretical predictions of much larger Jc-values for the given experimental variables. This finding suggests that the vortex-glass phase, a theoretically proposed low-temperature vortex state which is stabilized by point disorder and has a vanishing resistivity, may become unstable under applied currents significantly smaller than the theoretically predicted Jc. More investigation appears necessary in order to resolve this puzzling issue

Power system applications of fiber optic sensors

This document is a progress report of work done in 1985 on the Communications and Control for Electric Power Systems Project at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. These topics are covered: Electric Field Measurement, Fiber Optic Temperature Sensing, and Optical Power transfer. Work was done on the measurement of ac and dc electric fields. A prototype sensor for measuring alternating fields was made using a very simple electroscope approach. An electronic field mill sensor for dc fields was made using a fiber optic readout, so that the entire probe could be operated isolated from ground. There are several instances in which more precise knowledge of the temperature of electrical power apparatus would be useful. This report describes a number of methods whereby the distributed temperature profile can be obtained using a fiber optic sensor. The ability to energize electronics by means of an optical fiber has the advantage that electrical isolation is maintained at low cost. In order to accomplish this, it is necessary to convert the light energy into electrical form by means of photovoltaic cells. JPL has developed an array of PV cells in gallium arsenide specifically for this purpose. This work is described

Complete bandgaps in one-dimensional left-handed periodic structures

Artificially fabricated structures with periodically modulated parameters such as photonic crystals offer novel ways of controlling the flow of light due to the existence of a range of forbidden frequencies associated with a photonic bandgap. It is believed that modulation of the refractive index in all three spatial dimensions is required to open a complete bandgap and prevent the propagation of electromagnetic waves in all directions. Here we reveal that, in a sharp contrast to what was known before and contrary to the accepted physical intuition, a one-dimensional periodic structure containing the layers of transparent left-handed (or negative-index) metamaterial can trap light in three-dimensional space due to the existence of a complete bandgap.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figure

Heterostructure solar cells

The performance of gallium arsenide solar cells grown on Ge substrates is discussed. In some cases the substrate was thinned to reduce overall cell weight with good ruggedness. The conversion efficiency of 2 by 2 cm cells under AMO reached 17.1 percent with a cell thickness of 6 mils. The work described forms the basis for future cascade cell structures, where similar interconnecting problems between the top cell and the bottom cell must be solved. Applications of the GaAs/Ge solar cell in space and the expected payoffs are discussed

Effects of lattice distortion and Jahn–Teller coupling on the magnetoresistance of La0.7Ca0.3MnO3 and La0.5Ca0.5CoO3 epitaxial films

Studies of La0.7Ca0.3MnO3 epitaxial films on substrates with a range of lattice constants reveal two dominant contributions to the occurrence of colossal negative magnetoresistance (CMR) in these manganites: at high temperatures (T → TC, TC being the Curie temperature), the magnetotransport properties are predominantly determined by the conduction of lattice polarons, while at low temperatures (T ≪ TC/, the residual negative magnetoresistance is correlated with the substrate-induced lattice distortion which incurs excess magnetic domain wall scattering. The importance of lattice polaron conduction associated with the presence of Jahn–Teller coupling in the manganites is further verified by comparing the manganites with epitaxial films of another ferromagnetic perovskite, La0.5Ca0.5CoO3. Regardless of the differences in the substrate-induced lattice distortion, the cobaltite films exhibit much smaller negative magnetoresistance, which may be attributed to the absence of Jahn–Teller coupling and the high electron mobility that prevents the formation of lattice polarons. We therefore suggest that lattice polaron conduction associated with the Jahn–Teller coupling is essential for the occurrence of CMR, and that lattice distortion further enhances the CMR effects in the manganites

Design of an intelligent spinal artificial disk prosthesis for the investigation of in-vivo loading on the spine

The knowledge of the in-vivo loading on the spinal disk is of paramount importance in the understanding of low back pain. In this study an artificial spinal disk is used as a base for making an in-body intelligent implantable load-cell which can measure the in-vivo loading on the spinal disk. A commercially available spinal disc was utilized and was loaded with eight strain gauges and two piezoresistive sensors placed at different locations on the disc in order to enable the complete local mapping on the disk. With the aid of a cadaveric animal spine the artificial disc with all sensor was loaded in a laboratory environment. The in-vitro loading produced reliable and repeatable results and therefore suggesting that such approach might aid in the development of an artificial intelligent disc which will aid in the better understanding of the in-vivo loading of the human spine