319 research outputs found
Topological quantization of energy transport in micro- and nano-mechanical lattices
Topological effects typically discussed in the context of quantum physics are
emerging as one of the central paradigms of physics. Here, we demonstrate the
role of topology in energy transport through dimerized micro- and
nano-mechanical lattices in the classical regime, i.e., essentially "masses and
springs". We show that the thermal conductance factorizes into topological and
non-topological components. The former takes on three discrete values and
arises due to the appearance of edge modes that prevent good contact between
the heat reservoirs and the bulk, giving a length-independent reduction of the
conductance. In essence, energy input at the boundary mostly stays there, an
effect robust against disorder and nonlinearity. These results bridge two
seemingly disconnected disciplines of physics, namely topology and thermal
transport, and suggest ways to engineer thermal contacts, opening a direction
to explore the ramifications of topological properties on nanoscale technology.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figures; Supplemental information included as an ancillary
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Acousto-optic and opto-acoustic modulation in piezo-optomechanical circuits
Acoustic wave devices provide a promising chip-scale platform for efficiently
coupling radio frequency (RF) and optical fields. Here, we use an integrated
piezo-optomechanical circuit platform that exploits both the piezoelectric and
photoelastic coupling mechanisms to link 2.4 GHz RF waves to 194 THz (1550 nm)
optical waves, through coupling to propagating and localized 2.4 GHz acoustic
waves. We demonstrate acousto-optic modulation, resonant in both the optical
and mechanical domains, in which waveforms encoded on the RF carrier are mapped
to the optical field. We also show opto-acoustic modulation, in which the
application of optical pulses gates the transmission of propagating acoustic
waves. The time-domain characteristics of this system under both pulsed RF and
pulsed optical excitation are considered in the context of the different
physical pathways involved in driving the acoustic waves, and modeled through
the coupled mode equations of cavity optomechanics.Comment: 8 pages, 6 figure
Stably accessing octave-spanning microresonator frequency combs in the soliton regime
Microresonator frequency combs can be an enabling technology for optical
frequency synthesis and timekeeping in low size, weight, and power
architectures. Such systems require comb operation in low-noise, phase-coherent
states such as solitons, with broad spectral bandwidths (e.g., octave-spanning)
for self-referencing to detect the carrier-envelope offset frequency. However,
stably accessing such states is complicated by thermo-optic dispersion. For
example, in the Si3N4 platform, precisely dispersion-engineered structures can
support broadband operation, but microsecond thermal time constants have
necessitated fast pump power or frequency control to stabilize the solitons. In
contrast, here we consider how broadband soliton states can be accessed with
simple pump laser frequency tuning, at a rate much slower than the thermal
dynamics. We demonstrate octave-spanning soliton frequency combs in Si3N4
microresonators, including the generation of a multi-soliton state with a pump
power near 40 mW and a single-soliton state with a pump power near 120 mW. We
also develop a simplified two-step analysis to explain how these states are
accessed in a thermally stable way without fast control of the pump laser, and
outline the required thermal properties for such operation. Our model agrees
with experimental results as well as numerical simulations based on a
Lugiato-Lefever equation that incorporates thermo-optic dispersion. Moreover,
it also explains an experimental observation that a member of an adjacent mode
family on the red-detuned side of the pump mode can mitigate the thermal
requirements for accessing soliton states
Single-molecule fluorescence measurement of local polymer properties
The composite interphase is a vital region whose properties are notoriously difficult to measure. Fluorescent molecules can act as uniquely sensitive probes of their local environment, displaying changes in fluorescence lifetime, polarization anisotropy, and spectral shifts, all of which could provide useful information about this region. A prerequisite to making use of this information is the ability to determine the positions and orientations of single molecules accurately and precisely so that molecular behavior can be correlated with material structure. Here, we show the ability to determine the position and orientation of single molecules with an uncertainty of approximately 9 nm and a few degrees, respectively, allowing us to resolve features as small as 20 nm. Another challenge is to introduce probe fluorophores with a sufficient density to capture local material property variations in detail, but without perturbing the property of interest. We solve this problem by means of lithographically-fabricated test structures. These enable us to produce thousands of essentially identical replicas of a feature, the image data from which can be overlaid and integrated. In this way, a sparse fluorophore distribution can still yield a spatially-dense data set. Additional complications involve the interaction of fluorophore emission with variations in the local refractive index of the sample. We address these by fabricating and measuring nanoscale test structures that vary fluorophore environments in a precisely-controlled fashion. In this talk, I will describe our unique, wide-field, single-molecule fluorescence microscope, that allows us to measure the position, orientation, lifetime, and spectrum of fluorescent probes distributed within lithographically-fabricated analogs of real composite structures, and our progress in correlating single-molecule behavior with local material properties
Please click Additional Files below to see the full abstract
Subnanometer traceability of localization microscopy
In localization microscopy, subnanometer precision is possible but supporting
accuracy is challenging, and no study has demonstrated reliable traceability to
the International System of Units (SI). To do so, we measure the positions of
nanoscale apertures in a reference array by traceable atomic-force microscopy,
creating a master standard. We perform correlative measurements of this
standard by optical microscopy, correcting position errors from optical
aberrations by a Zernike calibration. We establish an uncertainty field due to
localization errors and scale uncertainty, with regions of position
traceability to within a 68 % coverage interval of +/- 1.0 nm. These results
enable localization metrology with high throughput, which we apply to measure
working standards, validating the subnanometer accuracy of lithographic pitch
A lateral nanoflow assay reveals nanoplastic fluorescence heterogeneity
Colloidal nanoplastics present technological opportunities, environmental
concerns, and measurement challenges. To meet these challenges, we develop a
lateral nanoflow assay from sample-in to answer-out. Our measurement system
integrates complex nanofluidic replicas, super-resolution optical microscopy,
and comprehensive statistical analyses to measure polystyrene nanoparticles
that sorb and carry hydrophobic fluorophores. An elegant scaling of surface
forces within our silicone devices hydrodynamically automates the advection and
dominates the diffusion of the nanoparticles. Through steric interaction with
the replica structure, the particle size distribution reciprocally probes the
unknown limits of replica function. Multiple innovations in the integration and
calibration of device and microscope improve the accuracy of identifying single
nanoparticles and quantifying their diameters and fluorescence intensities. A
statistical model of the measurement approaches the information limit of the
system, discriminates size exclusion from surface adsorption, and reduces
nonideal data to return the particle size distribution with nanometer
resolution. A Bayesian statistical analysis of the dimensional and optical
properties of single nanoparticles reveals their fundamental structure-property
relationship. Fluorescence intensity shows a super-volumetric dependence,
scaling with nanoparticle diameter to nearly the fourth power and confounding
basic concepts of chemical sorption. Distributions of fluorescivity - the
product of the number density, absorption cross section, and quantum yield of
an ensemble of fluorophores - are ultrabroad and asymmetric, limiting ensemble
analysis and dimensional or chemical inference from fluorescence intensity.
These results reset expectations for optimizing nanoplastic products,
understanding nanoplastic byproducts, and applying nanoplastic standards
Author Correction:Charge disproportionate molecular redox for discrete memristive and memcapacitive switching (Nature Nanotechnology, (2020), 15, 5, (380-389), 10.1038/s41565-020-0653-1)
Correction to: Nature Nanotechnology. Published online 23 March 2020. In the version of this article initially published, there were presentation errors in the range of y-axis values displayed in Extended Data Figure 4a,b, and Extended Data Figure 5b. The errors have been corrected in the HTML and PDF versions of the article.</p
An Integrated-Photonics Optical-Frequency Synthesizer
Integrated-photonics microchips now enable a range of advanced
functionalities for high-coherence applications such as data transmission,
highly optimized physical sensors, and harnessing quantum states, but with
cost, efficiency, and portability much beyond tabletop experiments. Through
high-volume semiconductor processing built around advanced materials there
exists an opportunity for integrated devices to impact applications cutting
across disciplines of basic science and technology. Here we show how to
synthesize the absolute frequency of a lightwave signal, using integrated
photonics to implement lasers, system interconnects, and nonlinear frequency
comb generation. The laser frequency output of our synthesizer is programmed by
a microwave clock across 4 THz near 1550 nm with 1 Hz resolution and
traceability to the SI second. This is accomplished with a heterogeneously
integrated III/V-Si tunable laser, which is guided by dual
dissipative-Kerr-soliton frequency combs fabricated on silicon chips. Through
out-of-loop measurements of the phase-coherent, microwave-to-optical link, we
verify that the fractional-frequency instability of the integrated photonics
synthesizer matches the reference-clock instability for a 1
second acquisition, and constrain any synthesis error to while
stepping the synthesizer across the telecommunication C band. Any application
of an optical frequency source would be enabled by the precision optical
synthesis presented here. Building on the ubiquitous capability in the
microwave domain, our results demonstrate a first path to synthesis with
integrated photonics, leveraging low-cost, low-power, and compact features that
will be critical for its widespread use.Comment: 10 pages, 6 figure
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