12,283 research outputs found
Room temperature photonic crystal defect lasers at near-infrared wavelengths in InGaAsP
Room temperature lasing from optically pumped single defects in a two-dimensional (2-D) photonic bandgap (PBG) crystal is demonstrated. The high-Q optical microcavities are formed by etching a triangular array of air holes into a half-wavelength thick multiquantum-well waveguide. Defects in the 2-D photonic crystal are used to support highly localized optical modes with volumes ranging from 2 to 3 (lambda/2n)(3). Lithographic tuning of the air hole radius and the lattice spacing are used to match the cavity wavelength to the quantum-well gain peak, as well as to increase the cavity Q. The defect lasers were pumped with 10-30 ns pulses of 0.4-1% duty cycle. The threshold pump power was 1.5 mW (approximate to 500 μW absorbed)
Giant optical Faraday rotation induced by a single electron spin in a quantum dot: Applications to entangling remote spins via a single photon
We propose a quantum non-demolition method - giant Faraday rotation - to
detect a single electron spin in a quantum dot inside a microcavity where
negatively-charged exciton strongly couples to the cavity mode. Left- and
right-circularly polarized light reflected from the cavity feels different
phase shifts due to cavity quantum electrodynamics and the optical spin
selection rule. This yields giant and tunable Faraday rotation which can be
easily detected experimentally. Based on this spin-detection technique, a
scalable scheme to create an arbitrary amount of entanglement between two or
more remote spins via a single photon is proposed.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figure
Spectral Properties From Lyman-alpha to H-alpha For An Essentially Complete Sample of Quasars I: Data
We have obtained quasi-simultaneous ultraviolet-optical spectra for 22 out of
23 quasars in the complete PG-X-ray sample with redshift, z<0.4, and M_B<-23.
The spectra cover rest-frame wavelengths from at least Lyman-alpha to H-alpha.
Here we provide a detailed description of the data, including careful
spectrophotometry and redshift determination. We also present direct
measurements of the continua, strong emission lines and features, including
Lyman-alpha, SiIV+OIV], CIV, CIII], SiIII], MgII, H-beta, [OIII],
He5876+NaI5890,5896, H-alpha, and blended iron emission in the UV and optical.
The widths, asymmetries and velocity shifts of profiles of strong emission
lines show that CIV and Lyman-alpha are very different from H-beta and H-alpha.
This suggests that the motion of the broad line region is related to the
ionization structure, but the data appears not agree with the radially
stratified ionization structure supported by reverberation mapping studies, and
therefore suggest that outflows contribute additional velocity components to
the broad emission line profiles.Comment: 42 pages, 10 figures, 13 tables. Accepted by AJ. Supplemental figures
not included. Full version available at
http://physics.uwyo.edu/~shang/pgxpaper/ShangPaper.pd
Measuring a photonic qubit without destroying it
Measuring the polarisation of a single photon typically results in its
destruction. We propose, demonstrate, and completely characterise a
\emph{quantum non-demolition} (QND) scheme for realising such a measurement
non-destructively. This scheme uses only linear optics and photo-detection of
ancillary modes to induce a strong non-linearity at the single photon level,
non-deterministically. We vary this QND measurement continuously into the weak
regime, and use it to perform a non-destructive test of complementarity in
quantum mechanics. Our scheme realises the most advanced general measurement of
a qubit: it is non-destructive, can be made in any basis, and with arbitrary
strength.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure
Water Scarcity and Water Markets: A Comparison of Institutions and Practices in the Murray-Darling Basin of Australia and the Western US
Water markets in Australia’s Murray-Darling Basin (MDB) and the US west are compared in terms of their ability to allocate scarce water resources among competing uses. Both locations have been in the forefront of the development of water markets with defined water rights and conveyance structures to assist in the reallocation of water across competing demands. They also share the challenge of managing water with climate variability and climate change. As these two markets occur in developed, wealthy countries, their experiences in water markets with different water rights (appropriative, riparian and statutory rights) provide ‘best-case’ scenarios of what institutional arrangements work best, indicate which are less effective, and demonstrate what might be possible for greater use of water markets elsewhere in the world. The paper finds that the gains from trade in the MDB is worth hundreds of millions of dollars in per year, total turnover in water rights exceeds 4.3 billion (2008 $) spent or committed by urban buyers between 1987 and 2008. Despite the clear benefits of water markets in both locations, there are on-going restrictions to trade that limit the potential gains and also third-party effects from use that require resolution.
Swift observations of the 2006 outburst of the recurrent nova RS Ophiuchi: I. Early X-ray emission from the shocked ejecta and red giant wind
RS Ophiuchi began its latest outburst on 2006 February 12. Previous outbursts
have indicated that high velocity ejecta interact with a pre-existing red giant
wind, setting up shock systems analogous to those seen in Supernova Remnants.
However, in the previous outburst in 1985, X-ray observations did not commence
until 55 days after the initial explosion. Here we report on Swift observations
covering the first month of the 2006 outburst with the Burst Alert (BAT) and
X-ray Telescope (XRT) instruments. RS Oph was clearly detected in the BAT 14-25
keV band from t=0 to days. XRT observationsfrom 0.3-10 keV, started at
3.17 days after outburst. The rapidly evolving XRT spectra clearly show the
presence of both line and continuum emission which can be fitted by thermal
emission from hot gas whose characteristic temperature, overlying absorbing
column, , and resulting unabsorbed total flux decline monotonically
after the first few days. Derived shock velocities are in good agreement with
those found from observations at other wavelengths. Similarly, is in
accord with that expected from the red giant wind ahead of the forward shock.
We confirm the basic models of the 1985 outburst and conclude that standard
Phase I remnant evolution terminated by days and the remnant then
rapidly evolved to display behaviour characteristic of Phase III. Around t=26
days however, a new, luminous and highly variable soft X-ray source began to
appear whose origin will be explored in a subsequent paper.Comment: 20 pages, 4 figures (2 updated), accepted by Ap
Molecular Line Observations of Infrared Dark Clouds: Seeking the Precursors to Intermediate and Massive Star Formation
We have identified 41 infrared dark clouds from the 8 micron maps of the
Midcourse Space Experiment (MSX), selected to be found within one square degree
areas centered on known ultracompact HII regions. We have mapped these infrared
dark clouds in N2H+(1-0), CS(2-1) and C18O(1-0) emission using the Five College
Radio Astronomy Observatory. The maps of the different species often show
striking differences in morphologies, indicating differences in evolutionary
state and/or the presence of undetected, deeply embedded protostars. We derive
an average mass for these clouds using N2H+ column densities of ~2500 solar
masses, a value comparable to that found in previous studies of high mass star
forming cores using other mass tracers. The linewidths of these clouds are
typically ~2.0 - 2.9 km/s. Based on the fact that they are dark at 8 micron,
compact, massive, and have large velocity dispersions, we suggest that these
clouds may be the precursor sites of intermediate and high mass star formation.Comment: Accepted to ApJS, 22 pages, 10 pages of figures. For full-resolution
images, see http://www.astro.lsa.umich.edu/~seragan/pubs/fcrao/figures.tar.g
Habitat requirements and conservation needs of peripheral populations : the case of the great crested newt (Triturus cristatus) in the Scottish Highlands
Edge populations are of conservation importance because of their roles as reservoirs of evolutionary potential and in understanding a given species’ ecological needs. Mainly due to loss of aquatic breeding sites, the great crested newt Triturus cristatus is amongst the fastest declining amphibian species in Europe. Focusing on the north-westerly limit of the T. cristatus range, in the Scottish Highlands, we aimed to characterise habitat requirements and conservation needs of an isolated set of edge populations. We recorded 129 breeding-pond related environmental parameters, and used a variable-selection procedure followed by random forest analysis to build a predictive model for the species’ present occurrence, as well as for population persistence incorporating data on population losses. The most important variables predicting T. cristatus occurrence and persistence were associated with pond quality, pond shore and surrounding terrestrial habitat (especially mixed Pinus sylvestris - Betula woodland), and differed from those identified in the species’ core range. We propose that habitat management and pond creation should focus on the locally most favourable habitat characteristics to improve the conservation status and resilience of populations. This collaborative work, between conservation agencies and scientific researchers, is presented as an illustrative example of linking research, management and conservation
Optimal search strategies for hidden targets
What is the fastest way of finding a randomly hidden target? This question of
general relevance is of vital importance for foraging animals. Experimental
observations reveal that the search behaviour of foragers is generally
intermittent: active search phases randomly alternate with phases of fast
ballistic motion. In this letter, we study the efficiency of this type of two
states search strategies, by calculating analytically the mean first passage
time at the target. We model the perception mecanism involved in the active
search phase by a diffusive process. In this framework, we show that the search
strategy is optimal when the average duration of "motion phases" varies like
the power either 3/5 or 2/3 of the average duration of "search phases",
depending on the regime. This scaling accounts for experimental data over a
wide range of species, which suggests that the kinetics of search trajectories
is a determining factor optimized by foragers and that the perception activity
is adequately described by a diffusion process.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figures. to appear in Phys. Rev. Let
Near-field interaction between domain walls in adjacent Permalloy nanowires
The magnetostatic interaction between two oppositely charged transverse
domain walls (DWs)in adjacent Permalloy nanowires is experimentally
demonstrated. The dependence of the pinning strength on wire separation is
investigated for distances between 13 and 125 nm, and depinning fields up to 93
Oe are measured. The results can be described fully by considering the
interaction between the full complex distribution of magnetic charge within
rigid, isolated DWs. This suggests the DW internal structure is not appreciably
disturbed by the pinning potential, and that they remain rigid although the
pinning strength is significant. This work demonstrates the possibility of
non-contact DW trapping without DW perturbation and full continuous flexibility
of the pinning potential type and strength. The consequence of the interaction
on DW based data storage schemes is evaluated.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, 1 page supplimentary material (supporting.ps
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