1,160 research outputs found
Isotropic properties of the photonic band gap in quasicrystals with low-index contrast
We report on the formation and development of the photonic band gap in
two-dimensional 8-, 10- and 12-fold symmetry quasicrystalline lattices of low
index contrast. Finite size structures made of dielectric cylindrical rods were
studied and measured in the microwave region, and their properties compared
with a conventional hexagonal crystal. Band gap characteristics were
investigated by changing the direction of propagation of the incident beam
inside the crystal. Various angles of incidence from 0 \degree to 30\degree
were used in order to investigate the isotropic nature of the band gap. The
arbitrarily high rotational symmetry of aperiodically ordered structures could
be practically exploited to manufacture isotropic band gap materials, which are
perfectly suitable for hosting waveguides or cavities.Comment: 16 pages, 7 figures, submitted to PR
First critical field measurements of superconducting films by third harmonic analysis
The temperature behaviour of the first critical field () of
superconducting thin film samples can be determined with high accuracy using an
inductive and contactless method. Driving a sinusoidal current in a single coil
placed in front of the sample, a non zero third harmonic voltage is
induced in it when Abrikosov vortices enter the sample. Conditions to be
satisfied for the quantitative evaluation of using this technique are
detailed. As validation test, different type II superconductors (Nb, NbN,
MgB and YBaCuO under the form of thin films)
have been measured. The comparison between experimental results, data presented
in literature and theoretical predictions is presented and discussed.Comment: to be published in Journal of Applied Physic
Geometrical Dependence on the Onset of Surface Plasmon Polaritons in THz Grid Metasurfaces
Abstract The transmission response of metallo-dielectric grid metasurfaces is experimentally investigated through Terahertz Time Domain Spectroscopy and the corresponding effective dielectric function is retrieved. Using a lumped element model we can determine the dependence of the effective plasma frequency (the transition frequency) on the metasurface filling factor F. The change of the transition frequency vs. F spans over one order of magnitude and sets the threshold between the metamaterial (homogeneous) and the photonic crystal (diffraction-like) regime, ruling the onset of two different Surface Plasmon Polaritons, spoof and high order. Field symmetry and spatial extension of such excitations are investigated for the possible applications of THz grid metasurfaces in bio- and chemical sensing and sub-wavelength imaging
Encoded-enhancement of THZ metasurface figure of merit for label-free sensing
We describe an experimental strategy for the use of Terahertz (THz) metasurfaces as a platform for label-free wide range detection of the dielectric function in biological fluids. Specifically, we propose a metagrid (MG), opportunely infiltrated with a fluid and then capped, as the reference structure for sensing experiments with a high reproducibility character. By combining experiments and full-wave simulations of the transmission T of such a structure, we introduce a reliable set up where the volume of the involved analyte in each unit cell is precisely determined. The unavoidable decrease in the quality factor of the intrinsic resonances due to the lossy fluid and cap layer is circumvented using an appropriate transformation of T that amplifies the change in the MG intrinsic resonances, improving in such a way the sensor sensitivity to values close to the experimental limits. The transformed signal features delta-like peaks enabling an easy readout of frequency positions at resonances
Microwave intermodulation distortion of MgB2 thin films
The two tone intermodulation arising in MgB2 thin films deposited in-situ by
planar magnetron sputtering on sapphire substrates is studied. Samples are
characterised using an open-ended dielectric puck resonator operating at 8.8
GHz. The experimental results show that the third order products increase with
the two-tone input power with a slope ranging between 1.5 and 2.3. The
behaviour can be understood introducing a mechanism of vortex penetration in
grain boundaries as the most plausible source of non linearities in these
films. This assumption is confirmed by the analysis of the field dependence of
the surface resistance, that show a linear behaviour at all temperatures under
test.Comment: 13 pages, 3 figures; to be published in Appl. Phys. Let
Superconducting gap anisotropy of LuNi2B2C thin films from microwave surface impedance measurements
Surface impedance measurements of LuNi2B2C superconducting thin films as a
function of temperature have been performed down to 1.5 K and at 20 GHz using a
dielectric resonator technique. The magnetic penetration depth closely
reproduces the standard B.C.S. result, but with a reduced value of the energy
gap at low temperature. These data provide evidence for an anisotropic s-wave
character of the order parameter symmetry in LuNi2B2C. From the evaluation of
the real part of complex conductivity, we have observed constructive (type II)
coherence effects in the electromagnetic absorption below Tc.Comment: 15 pages, 4 figure
Treatments for hbv: A glimpse into the future
The hepatitis B virus is responsible for most of the chronic liver disease and liver cancer worldwide. As actual therapeutic strategies have had little success in eradicating the virus from hepatocytes, and as lifelong treatment is often required, new drugs targeting the various phases of the hepatitis B virus (HBV) lifecycle are currently under investigation. In this review, we provide an overview of potential future treatments for HBV
Comment: Superconducting transition in Nb nanowires fabricated using focused ion beam
In a recent paper Tettamanzi et al (2009 Nanotechnology \bf{20} 465302)
describe the fabrication of superconducting Nb nanowires using a focused ion
beam. They interpret their conductivity data in the framework of thermal and
quantum phase slips below . In the following we will argue that their
analysis is inappropriate and incomplete, leading to contradictory results.
Instead, we propose an interpretation of the data within a SN proximity model.Comment: 3 pages, 1 figure accepted in Nanotechnolog
Mode Confinement in Photonic Quasi-Crystal Point-Defect Cavities for Particle Accelerators
In this Letter, we present a study of the confinement properties of
point-defect resonators in finite-size photonic-bandgap structures composed of
aperiodic arrangements of dielectric rods, with special emphasis on their use
for the design of cavities for particle accelerators. Specifically, for
representative geometries, we study the properties of the fundamental mode (as
a function of the filling fraction, structure size, and losses) via 2-D and 3-D
full-wave numerical simulations, as well as microwave measurements at room
temperature. Results indicate that, for reduced-size structures, aperiodic
geometries exhibit superior confinement properties by comparison with periodic
ones.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, accepted for publication in Applied Physics
Letter
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