144 research outputs found
Raman signatures of classical and quantum phases in coupled dots: A theoretical prediction
We study electron molecules in realistic vertically coupled quantum dots in a
strong magnetic field. Computing the energy spectrum, pair correlation
functions, and dynamical form factor as a function of inter-dot coupling via
diagonalization of the many-body Hamiltonian, we identify structural
transitions between different phases, some of which do not have a classical
counterpart. The calculated Raman cross section shows how such phases can be
experimentally singled out.Comment: 9 pages, 2 postscript figures, 1 colour postscript figure, Latex 2e,
Europhysics Letters style and epsfig macros. Submitted to Europhysics Letter
Enhancing single-molecule photostability by optical feedback from quantum-jump detection
We report an optical technique that yields an enhancement of single-molecule
photostability, by greatly suppressing photobleaching pathways which involve
photoexcitation from the triplet state. This is accomplished by dynamically
switching off the excitation laser when a quantum-jump of the molecule to the
triplet state is optically detected. This procedure leads to a lengthened
single-molecule observation time and an increased total number of detected
photons. The resulting improvement in photostability unambiguously confirms the
importance of photoexcitation from the triplet state in photobleaching
dynamics, and may allow the investigation of new phenomena at the
single-molecule level
Demonstration of an optical polarization magnifier with low birefringence
In any polarimetric measurement technique, enhancing the laser polarization
change of a laser beam before it reaches the analyzer can help in improving the
sensitivity. This can be performed using an optical component having a large
linear dichroism, the enhancement factor being equal to the square root of the
ratio of the two transmission factors. A pile of parallel plates at Brewster
incidence looks appropriate for realizing such a polarization magnifier. In
this paper, we address the problem raised by the interference in the plates and
between the plates, which affects the measurement by giving rise to
birefringence. We demonstrate that wedged plates provide a convenient and
efficient way to avoid this interference. We have implemented and characterized
devices with 4 and 6 wedged plates at Brewster incidence which have led to a
decisive improvement of the signal to noise ratio in our ongoing Parity
Violation measurement.Comment: 08 october 200
Illustration of quantum complementarity using single photons interfering on a grating
A recent experiment performed by S. S. Afshar et al. has been interpreted as
a violation of Bohr's complementarity principle between interference visibility
and which-path information in a two-path interferometer. We have reproduced
this experiment, using true single-photon pulses propagating in a two-path
wavefront- splitting interferometer realized with a Fresnel's biprism, and
followed by a grating with adjustable transmitting slits. The measured values
of interference visibility V and which-path information, characterized by the
distinguishability parameter D, are found to obey the complementarity relation
V^2+D^2=<1. This result demonstrates that the experiment can be perfectly
explained by the Copenhagen interpretation of quantum mechanics.Comment: 11 pages, 5 figure
Phosphoribulokinase abundance is not limiting the Calvin-Benson-Bassham cycle in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii
Improving photosynthetic efficiency in plants and microalgae is of utmost importance to support the growing world population and to enable the bioproduction of energy and chemicals. Limitations in photosynthetic light conversion efficiency can be directly attributed to kinetic bottlenecks within the Calvin-Benson-Bassham cycle (CBBC) responsible for carbon fixation. A better understanding of these bottlenecks in vivo is crucial to overcome these limiting factors through bio-engineering. The present study is focused on the analysis of phosphoribulokinase ( PRK) in the unicellular green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. We have characterized a PRK knock-out mutant strain and showed that in the absence of PRK, Chlamydomonas cannot grow photoautotrophically while functional complementation with a synthetic construct allowed restoration of photoautotrophy. Nevertheless, using standard genetic elements, the expression of PRK was limited to 40% of the reference level in complemented strains and could not restore normal growth in photoautotrophic conditions suggesting that the CBBC is limited. We were subsequently able to overcome this initial limitation by improving the design of the transcriptional unit expressing PRK using diverse combinations of DNA parts including PRK endogenous promoter and introns. This enabled us to obtain strains with PRK levels comparable to the reference strain and even overexpressing strains. A collection of strains with PRK levels between 16% and 250% of WT PRK levels was generated and characterized. Immunoblot and growth assays revealed that a PRK content of approximate to 86% is sufficient to fully restore photoautotrophic growth. This result suggests that PRK is present in moderate excess in Chlamydomonas. Consistently, the overexpression of PRK did not increase photosynthetic growth indicating that that the endogenous level of PRK in Chlamydomonas is not limiting the Calvin-Benson-Bassham cycle under optimal conditions
A new Manifestation of Atomic Parity Violation in Cesium: a Chiral Optical Gain induced by linearly polarized 6S-7S Excitation
We have detected, by using stimulated emission, an Atomic Parity Violation
(APV) in the form of a chiral optical gain of a cesium vapor on the 7S -
6P transition,consecutive to linearly polarized 6S-7S excitation. We
demonstrate the validity of this detection method of APV, by presenting a 9%
accurate measurement of expected sign and magnitude. We underline several
advantages of this entirely new approach in which the cylindrical symmetry of
the set-up can be fully exploited. Future measurements at the percent level
will provide an important cross-check of an existing more precise result
obtained by a different method.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figure
Fresnel laws at curved dielectric interfaces of microresonators
We discuss curvature corrections to Fresnel's laws for the reflection and
transmission of light at a non-planar refractive-index boundary. The reflection
coefficients are obtained from the resonances of a dielectric disk within a
sequential-reflection model. The Goos-H\"anchen effect for curved light fronts
at a planar interface can be adapted to provide a qualitative and quantitative
extension of the ray model which explains the observed deviations from
Fresnel's laws.Comment: submitted to Phys. Rev.
Search for Direct CP Violation in Non-Leptonic Decays of Charged and Hyperons
A search for direct CP violation in the non-leptonic decays of hyperons has
been performed. In comparing the product of the decay parameters,
, in terms of an asymmetry parameter,
, between hyperons and anti-hyperons in the charged and decay sequence, we found no evidence of
direct CP violations. The parameter was measured to be .Comment: Submitted for publication; RevTex, 13 pages, 4 figure
Neutral weak currents in pion electroproduction on the nucleon
Parity violating asymmetry in inclusive scattering of longitudinally
polarized electrons by unpolarized protons with or meson
production, is calculated as a function of the momentum transfer squared
and the total energy of the -system. This asymmetry, which is
induced by the interference of the one-photon exchange amplitude with the
parity-odd part of the -exchange amplitude, is calculated for the
processes ( is a virtual photon and
a virtual Z-boson) considering the -contribution in the channel,
the standard Born contributions and vector meson ( and )
exchanges in the channel. Taking into account the known isotopic properties
of the hadron electromagnetic and neutral currents, we show that the P-odd term
is the sum of two contributions. The main term is model independent and it can
be calculated exactly in terms of fundamental constants. It is found to be
linear in . The second term is a relatively small correction which is
determined by the isoscalar component of the electromagnetic current. Near
threshold and in the -region, this isoscalar part is much smaller (in
absolute value) than the isovector one: its contribution to the asymmetry
depend on the polarization state (longitudinal or transverse) of the virtual
photon.Comment: 30 pages 9 figure
Second-harmonic generation from coupled plasmon modes in a single dimer of gold nanospheres
We show that a dimer made of two gold nanospheres exhibits a remarkable
efficiency for second-harmonic generation under femtosecond optical excitation.
The detectable nonlinear emission for the given particle size and excitation
wavelength arises when the two nanoparticles are as close as possible to
contact, as in situ controlled and measured using the tip of an atomic force
microscope. The excitation wavelength dependence of the second-harmonic signal
supports a coupled plasmon resonance origin with radiation from the dimer gap.
This nanometer-size light source might be used for high-resolution near-field
optical microscopy.Comment: 6 pages, 5 figure
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