135 research outputs found
Band structure and optical properties of opal photonic crystals
A theoretical approach for the interpretation of reflectance spectra of opal
photonic crystals with fcc structure and (111) surface orientation is
presented. It is based on the calculation of photonic bands and density of
states corresponding to a specified angle of incidence in air. The results
yield a clear distinction between diffraction in the direction of light
propagation by (111) family planes (leading to the formation of a stop band)
and diffraction in other directions by higher-order planes (corresponding to
the excitation of photonic modes in the crystal). Reflectance measurements on
artificial opals made of self-assembled polystyrene spheres are analyzed
according to the theoretical scheme and give evidence of diffraction by
higher-order crystalline planes in the photonic structure.Comment: to appear in PR
Porous silicon bragg reflector and 2D gold-polymer nanograting: a route towards a hybrid optoplasmonic platform
Photonic and plasmonic systems have been intensively studied as an effective means to modify and enhance the electromagnetic field. In recent years hybrid plasmonic–photonic systems have been investigated as a promising solution for enhancing light-matter interaction. In the present work we present a hybrid structure obtained by growing a plasmonic 2D nanograting on top of a porous silicon distributed Bragg reflector. Particular attention has been devoted to the morphological characterization of these systems. Electron microscopy images allowed us to determine the geometrical parameters of the structure. The matching of the optical response of both components has been studied. Results indicate an interaction between the plasmonic and the photonic parts of the system, which results in a localization of the electric field profile
Inhibition of the prokaryotic pentameric ligand-gated ion channel ELIC by divalent cations.
The modulation of pentameric ligand-gated ion channels (pLGICs) by divalent cations is believed to play an important role in their regulation in a physiological context. Ions such as calcium or zinc influence the activity of pLGIC neurotransmitter receptors by binding to their extracellular domain and either potentiate or inhibit channel activation. Here we have investigated by electrophysiology and X-ray crystallography the effect of divalent ions on ELIC, a close prokaryotic pLGIC homologue of known structure. We found that divalent cations inhibit the activation of ELIC by the agonist cysteamine, reducing both its potency and, at higher concentrations, its maximum response. Crystal structures of the channel in complex with barium reveal the presence of several distinct binding sites. By mutagenesis we confirmed that the site responsible for divalent inhibition is located at the outer rim of the extracellular domain, at the interface between adjacent subunits but at some distance from the agonist binding region. Here, divalent cations interact with the protein via carboxylate side-chains, and the site is similar in structure to calcium binding sites described in other proteins. There is evidence that other pLGICs may be regulated by divalent ions binding to a similar region, even though the interacting residues are not conserved within the family. Our study provides structural and functional insight into the allosteric regulation of ELIC and is of potential relevance for the entire family
Existence of Heavy Fermions in the Antiferromagnetic Phase of CeIn3
We report the pressure-dependent optical conductivity spectra of a heavy
fermion (HF) compound CeIn3 below the Neel temperature of 10 K to investigate
the existence of the HF state in the antiferromagnetic (AFM) phase. The peak
due to the interband transition in the hybridization gap between the conduction
band and nearly localized 4f states (c-f hybridization) appears at the photon
energy of about 20 meV not only in the HF regime but also in the AFM regime.
Both the energy and intensity of the c-f hybridization peak continuously
increase with the application of pressure from the AFM to the HF regime. This
result suggests that the c-f hybridization, as well as the heavy fermions,
exists even in the AFM phase of CeIn3.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figure
Prevalence of Salmonella enterica and Listeria monocytogenes contamination in foods of animal origin in Italy.
The present survey collected and analyzed the results of routine testing for Salmonella enterica and Listeria monocytogenes on foods of animal origin submitted for official controls in Italy during 2001 to 2002. Salmonella was detected in 2.2% of 71,643 food samples examined, and the isolation rates ranged from 9.9% for raw poultry meat to less than 0.1% for dairy products. Isolation rates were also high in raw pork (4.9%) and processed meats (5.3%), which often involved pork. Low rates were observed in seafood (0.5%) and in ready-to-eat foods, such as grocery products (0.7%) and ice creams (0.1%). Serotyping showed that approximately 50% of the isolates belonged to the serotypes most commonly isolated from humans in Italy, thus confirming that most cases of human salmonellosis have a foodborne origin. Levels of L. monocytogenes were higher than what is accepted by the current regulation in 2.4% of 42,300 food samples. The positivity rates ranged from 10.3% in raw pork to none in eggs and egg products. Contamination rates were higher in other meat products (between 2 and 5%) and fish (6.5%) than in cheeses (1.1%) and other dairy products (0.6%). Routine control activities on the microbial contamination of foods can generate data with statistical and epidemiological value. Such data can be used as a basis for estimating the exposure of consumers to foodborne pathogens, following the trends of contamination over time, and evaluating the effects of control measures on the contamination of food
Synergic combination of the sol-gel method with dip coating for plasmonic devices
Biosensing technologies based on plasmonic nanostructures have recently attracted significant attention due to their small dimensions, low-cost and high sensitivity but are often limited in terms of affinity, selectivity and stability. Consequently, several methods have been employed to functionalize plasmonic surfaces used for detection in order to increase their stability. Herein, a plasmonic surface was modified through a controlled, silica platform, which enables the improvement of the plasmonic-based sensor functionality. The key processing parameters that allow for the fine-tuning of the silica layer thickness on the plasmonic structure were studied. Control of the silica coating thickness was achieved through a combined approach involving sol-gel and dip-coating techniques. The silica films were characterized using spectroscopic ellipsometry, contact angle measurements, atomic force microscopy and dispersive spectroscopy. The effect of the use of silica layers on the optical properties of the plasmonic structures was evaluated. The obtained results show that the silica coating enables surface protection of the plasmonic structures, preserving their stability for an extended time and inducing a suitable reduction of the regeneration time of the chip
Optical study of the electronic phase transition of strongly correlated YbInCu_4
Infrared, visible and near-UV reflectivity measurements are used to obtain
conductivity as a function of temperature and frequency in YbInCu_4, which
exhibits an isostructural phase-transition into a mixed-valent phase below
T_v=42 K. In addition to a gradual loss of spectral weight with decreasing
temperature extending up to 1.5 eV, a sharp resonance appears at 0.25 eV in the
mixed-valent phase. This feature can be described in terms of excitations into
the Kondo (Abrikosov-Suhl) resonance, and, like the sudden reduction of
resistivity, provides a direct reflection of the onset of coherence in this
strongly correlated electron system.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures (to appear in Phys. Rev. B
Correlation gap in the heavy-fermion antiferromagnet UPd_2Al_3
The optical properties of the heavy-fermion compound UPdAl have been
measured in the frequency range from 0.04 meV to 5 meV (0.3 to 40 cm) at
temperatures K. Below the coherence temperature K, the hybridization gap opens around 10 meV. As the temperature decreases
further ( K), a well pronounced pseudogap of approximately 0.2 meV
develops in the optical response; we relate this to the antiferromagnetic
ordering which occurs below K. The frequency dependent mass and
scattering rate give evidence that the enhancement of the effective mass mainly
occurs below the energy which is associated to the magnetic correlations
between the itinerant and localized 5f electrons. In addition to this
correlation gap, we observe a narrow zero-frequency conductivity peak which at
2 K is less than 0.1 meV wide, and which contains only a fraction of the
delocalized carriers. The analysis of the spectral weight infers a loss of
kinetic energy associated with the superconducting transition.Comment: RevTex, 15 pages, 7 figure
Universal scaling in the dynamical conductivity of heavy fermion Ce and Yb compounds
Dynamical conductivity spectra s(w) have been measured for a diverse range of
heavy-fermion (HF) Ce and Yb compounds. A characteristic excitation peak has
been observed in the mid-infrared region of s(w) for all the compounds, and has
been analyzed in terms of a simple model based on conduction (c)-f electron
hybridized band. A universal scaling is found between the observed peak
energies and the estimated c-f hybridization strengths of these HF compounds.
This scaling demonstrates that the model of c-f hybridized band can generally
and quantitatively describe the charge excitation spectra of a wide range of HF
compounds.Comment: 5 pages, 1 table, 3 figures, to appear in J. Phys. Soc. Jpn. 76
(2007
Synthesis and characterization of CuO nanowires by a simple wet chemical method
We report a successful synthesis of copper oxide nanowires with an average diameter of 90 nm and lengths of several micrometers by using a simple and inexpensive wet chemical method. The CuO nanowires prepared via this method are advantageous for industrial applications which require mass production and low thermal budget technique. It is found that the concentration and the quantity of precursors are the critical factors for obtaining the desired one-dimensional morphology. Field emission scanning electron microscopy images indicate the influence of thioglycerol on the dispersity of the prepared CuO nanowires possibly due to the stabilization effect of the surface caused by the organic molecule thioglycerol. The Fourier transform infrared spectrum analysis, energy dispersive X-ray analysis, X-ray diffraction analysis, and X-ray photoemission spectrum analysis confirm clearly the formation of a pure phase high-quality CuO with monoclinic crystal structure
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