Compact silicon photonic waveguide modulator based on the vanadium dioxide metal-insulator phase transition

We have integrated lithographically patterned VO2 thin films grown by pulsed laser deposition with silicon-on-insulator photonic waveguides to demonstrate a compact in-line absorption modulator for use in photonic circuits. Using single-mode waveguides at λ = 1550 nm, we show optical modulation of the guided transverse-electric mode of more than 6.5 dB with 2 dB insertion loss over a 2-µm active device length. Loss is determined for devices fabricated on waveguide ring resonators by measuring the resonator spectral response, and a sharp decrease in resonator quality factor is observed above 70 °C, consistent with switching of VO_2 to its metallic phase. A computational study of device geometry is also presented, and we show that it is possible to more than double the modulation depth with modified device structures

The Luminosity Function and Surface Brightness Distribution of HI Selected Galaxies

We measure the z=0 B-band optical luminosity function (LF) for galaxies selected in a blind HI survey. The total LF of the HI selected sample is flat, with Schechter parameters M*=-19.38_{-0.62}^{+1.02} + 5 log h mag and alpha=-1.03_{-0.15}^{+0.25}, in good agreement with LFs of optically selected late-type galaxies. Bivariate distribution functions of several galaxy parameters show that the HI density in the local Universe is more widely spread over galaxies of different size, central surface brightness, and luminosity than is the optical luminosity density. The number density of very low surface brightness (>24.0 mag/arcsec^2) gas-rich galaxies is considerably lower than that found in optical surveys designed to detect dim galaxies. This suggests that only a part of the population of LSB galaxies is gas rich and that the rest must be gas poor. However, we show that this gas-poor population must be cosmologically insignificant in baryon content. The contribution of gas-rich LSB galaxies (>23.0 mag/arcsec^2) to the local cosmological gas and luminosity density is modest (18_{-5}^{+6} and 5_{-2}^{+2} per cent respectively); their contribution to Omega_matter is not well-determined, but probably < 11 per cent. These values are in excellent agreement with the low redshift results from the Hubble Deep Field.Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRAS, 12 pages 6 figure

Road blocks on paleogenomes - polymerase extension profiling reveals the frequency of blocking lesions in ancient DNA

Although the last few years have seen great progress in DNA sequence retrieval from fossil specimens, some of the characteristics of ancient DNA remain poorly understood. This is particularly true for blocking lesions, i.e. chemical alterations that cannot be bypassed by DNA polymerases and thus prevent amplification and subsequent sequencing of affected molecules. Some studies have concluded that the vast majority of ancient DNA molecules carry blocking lesions, suggesting that the removal, repair or bypass of blocking lesions might dramatically increase both the time depth and geographical range of specimens available for ancient DNA analysis. However, previous studies used very indirect detection methods that did not provide conclusive estimates on the frequency of blocking lesions in endogenous ancient DNA. We developed a new method, polymerase extension profiling (PEP), that directly reveals occurrences of polymerase stalling on DNA templates. By sequencing thousands of single primer extension products using PEP methodology, we have for the first time directly identified blocking lesions in ancient DNA on a single molecule level. Although we found clear evidence for blocking lesions in three out of four ancient samples, no more than 40% of the molecules were affected in any of the samples, indicating that such modifications are far less frequent in ancient DNA than previously thought

Highly Strained Compliant Optical Metamaterials with Large Frequency Tunability

Metamaterial designs are typically limited to operation over a narrow bandwidth dictated by the resonant line width. Here we report a compliant metamaterial with tunability of Δλ ~ 400 nm, greater than the resonant line width at optical frequencies, using high-strain mechanical deformation of an elastomeric substrate to controllably modify the distance between the resonant elements. Using this compliant platform, we demonstrate dynamic surface-enhanced infrared absorption by tuning the metamaterial resonant frequency through a CH stretch vibrational mode, enhancing the reflection signal by a factor of 180. Manipulation of resonator components is also used to tune and modulate the Fano resonance of a coupled system

Wafer-bonded single-crystal silicon slot waveguides and ring resonators

We fabricated horizontal Si slot waveguides with a 25 nm SiO2 slot layer by bonding thin Si-on-insulator wafers. After removing the Si substrate and buried oxide from one side of the bonded structure, grating-coupled waveguides and ring resonators were partially etched into the Si/SiO2/Si device layers. The gratings exhibit efficiencies of up to 23% at 1550 nm and the ring resonators were measured to have loaded quality factors near 42 000 for the lowest-order transverse-electric mode, corresponding to a propagation loss of 15 dB/cm. The leaky lowest-order transverse-magnetic mode was also observed with a propagation loss of 44 dB/cm

Future NASA solar system exploration activities: A framework for international cooperation

The goals and approaches for planetary exploration as defined for the NASA Solar System Exploration Program are discussed. The evolution of the program since the formation of the Solar System Exploration Committee (SSEC) in 1980 is reviewed and the primary missions comprising the program are described

Cosmological Simulations of Normal-Branch Braneworld Gravity

We introduce a cosmological model based on the normal branch of DGP braneworld gravity with a smooth dark energy component on the brane. The expansion history in this model is identical to LambdaCDM, thus evading all geometric constraints on the DGP cross-over scale r_c. This model can serve as a first approximation to more general braneworld models whose cosmological solutions have not been obtained yet. We study the formation of large scale structure in this model in the linear and non-linear regime using N-body simulations for different values of r_c. The simulations use the code presented in (F.S., arXiv:0905.0858) and solve the full non-linear equation for the brane-bending mode in conjunction with the usual gravitational dynamics. The brane-bending mode is attractive rather than repulsive in the DGP normal branch, hence the sign of the modified gravity effects is reversed compared to those presented in arXiv:0905.0858. We compare the simulation results with those of ordinary LambdaCDM simulations run using the same code and initial conditions. We find that the matter power spectrum in this model shows a characteristic enhancement peaking at k ~ 0.7 h/Mpc. We also find that the abundance of massive halos is significantly enhanced. Other results presented here include the density profiles of dark matter halos, and signatures of the brane-bending mode self-interactions (Vainshtein mechanism) in the simulations. Independently of the expansion history, these results can be used to place constraints on the DGP model and future generalizations through their effects on the growth of cosmological structure.Comment: 17 pages, 10 figures; v2: minor changes; v3: references added; v4: added appendix on comparison with previous results; matches published version; v5: corrected Eqs. (2.4-2.5) and Fig. 1 following Ref. [28]; all following results unchange