Angular distribution of photoluminescence as a probe of Bose Condensation of trapped excitons

Recent experiments on two-dimensional exciton systems have shown the excitons collect in shallow in-plane traps. We find that Bose condensation in a trap results in a dramatic change of the exciton photoluminescence (PL) angular distribution. The long-range coherence of the condensed state gives rise to a sharply focussed peak of radiation in the direction normal to the plane. By comparing the PL profile with and without Bose Condensation we provide a simple diagnostic for the existence of a Bose condensate. The PL peak has strong temperature dependence due to the thermal order parameter phase fluctuations across the system. The angular PL distribution can also be used for imaging vortices in the trapped condensate. Vortex phase spatial variation leads to destructive interference of PL radiation in certain directions, creating nodes in the PL distribution that imprint the vortex configuration.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure

Evolutionary social and biogeophysical changes in the Amazon, Ganges–Brahmaputra–Meghna and Mekong deltas

Policy-making in social-ecological systems increasingly looks to iterative, evolutionary approaches that can address the inherent complexity of interactions between human wellbeing, provision of goods, and the maintenance of ecosystem services. Here, we show how the analysis of available time-series in tropical delta regions over past decades can provide important insight into the social-ecological system dynamics in deltaic regions. The paper provides an exploratory analysis of the recent changes that have occurred in the major elements of three tropical deltaic social-ecological systems, such as demography, economy, health, climate, food, and water. Time-series data from official statistics, monitoring programmes, and Earth observation data are analysed to explore possible trends, slow and fast variables, and observed drivers of change in the Amazon, Ganges–Brahmaputra–Meghna and Mekong deltas. In the Ganges–Brahmaputra–Meghna delta zone, increasing gross domestic product and per capita income levels since the 1980s mirror rising levels of food and inland fish production. In contrast, non-food ecosystem services, such as water availability, water quality, and land stability appear to be deteriorating. In the Amazon delta, natural and anthropogenic perturbations are continuously degrading key ecosystem services, such as carbon storage in biomass and soils, the regulation of water balance, and the modulation of regional climate patterns. In the Mekong delta, rapid economic development, changing land-use practices, and salinity intrusion are progressively putting more pressure on the delivery of important provisioning services, such as rice and inland aquaculture production, which are key sources of staple food, farm incomes, and export revenue. Observed changes in many key indicators of ecosystem services point to a changing dynamic state and increased probability of systemic threshold transformations in the near future