1,249 research outputs found
Scaling laws for soliton pulse compression by cascaded quadratic nonlinearities
We present a detailed study of soliton compression of ultra-short pulses
based on phase-mismatched second-harmonic generation (\textit{i.e.}, the
cascaded quadratic nonlinearity) in bulk quadratic nonlinear media. The
single-cycle propagation equations in the temporal domain including
higher-order nonlinear terms are presented. The balance between the quadratic
(SHG) and the cubic (Kerr) nonlinearity plays a crucial role: we define an
effective soliton number -- related to the difference between the SHG and the
Kerr soliton numbers -- and show that it has to be larger than unity for
successful pulse compression to take place. This requires that the phase
mismatch be below a critical level, which is high in a material where the
quadratic nonlinearity dominates over the cubic Kerr nonlinearity. Through
extensive numerical simulations we find dimensionless scaling laws, expressed
through the effective soliton number, which control the behaviour of the
compressed pulses. These laws hold in the stationary regime, in which
group-velocity mismatch effects are small, and they are similar to the ones
observed for fiber soliton compressors. The numerical simulations indicate that
clean compressed pulses below two optical cycles can be achieved in a
-barium borate crystal at appropriate wavelengths, even for picosecond
input pulses.Comment: 11 pages, 8 figures, resubmitted version, to appear in October issue
of J. Opt. Soc. Am. B. Substantially revised, updated mode
Ultralong-Range Rydberg Molecules in a Divalent-Atomic System
We report the creation of ultralong-range Sr molecules comprising one
ground-state atom and one atom in a Rydberg state
for ranging from 29 to 36. Molecules are created in a trapped ultracold
atomic gas using two-photon excitation near resonant with the
intermediate state, and their formation is detected through ground-state atom
loss from the trap. The observed molecular binding energies are fit with the
aid of first-order perturbation theory that utilizes a Fermi pseudopotential
with effective -wave and -wave scattering lengths to describe the
interaction between an excited Rydberg electron and a ground-state Sr atom.Comment: 5 pages, 2 figure
Characterization of the seismic environment at the Sanford Underground Laboratory, South Dakota
An array of seismometers is being developed at the Sanford Underground
Laboratory, the former Homestake mine, in South Dakota to study the properties
of underground seismic fields and Newtonian noise, and to investigate the
possible advantages of constructing a third-generation gravitational-wave
detector underground. Seismic data were analyzed to characterize seismic noise
and disturbances. External databases were used to identify sources of seismic
waves: ocean-wave data to identify sources of oceanic microseisms, and surface
wind-speed data to investigate correlations with seismic motion as a function
of depth. In addition, sources of events contributing to the spectrum at higher
frequencies are characterized by studying the variation of event rates over the
course of a day. Long-term observations of spectral variations provide further
insight into the nature of seismic sources. Seismic spectra at three different
depths are compared, establishing the 4100-ft level as a world-class low
seismic-noise environment.Comment: 29 pages, 16 figure
Runaway evaporation for optically dressed atoms
Forced evaporative cooling in a far-off-resonance optical dipole trap is
proved to be an efficient method to produce fermionic- or bosonic-degenerated
gases. However in most of the experiences, the reduction of the potential
height occurs with a diminution of the collision elastic rate. Taking advantage
of a long-living excited state, like in two-electron atoms, I propose a new
scheme, based on an optical knife, where the forced evaporation can be driven
independently of the trap confinement. In this context, the runaway regime
might be achieved leading to a substantial improvement of the cooling
efficiency. The comparison with the different methods for forced evaporation is
discussed in the presence or not of three-body recombination losses
Subclinical and asymptomatic atrial fibrillation: Current evidence and unsolved questions in clinical practice
Resonant Rydberg Dressing of Alkaline-Earth Atoms via Electromagnetically Induced Transparency
Improving the sensitivity of future GW observatories in the 1-10 Hz band: Newtonian and seismic noise
The next generation gravitational wave interferometric detectors will likely be underground detectors to extend the GW detection frequency band to frequencies below the Newtonian noise limit. Newtonian noise originates from the continuous motion of the Earth’s crust driven by human activity, tidal stresses and seismic motion, and from mass density fluctuations in the atmosphere. It is calculated that on Earth’s surface, on a typical day, it will exceed the expected GW signals at frequencies below 10 Hz. The noise will decrease underground by an unknown amount. It is
important to investigate and to quantify this expected reduction and its effect on the sensitivity of future detectors, to plan for further improvement strategies. We report about some of these aspects. Analytical models can be used in the simplest scenarios to get a better qualitative and semi-quantitative understanding. As more complete modeling can be done numerically, we will discuss also some results obtained with a finite-element-based modeling tool. The method is verified by comparing its results with the results of analytic calculations for surface detectors. A key point about noise models is their initial parameters and conditions, which require detailed information about seismic motion in a real scenario. We will describe an effort to characterize the seismic activity at the Homestake mine which is currently in progress. This activity is specifically aimed to provide informations and to explore the site as a possible candidate for an underground observatory. Although the only compelling reason to put the interferometer underground is to reduce the Newtonian noise, we expect that the more stable underground environment will have a more general positive impact on the sensitivity.We will end this report with some considerations about seismic and suspension noise
Search for gravitational waves associated with the August 2006 timing glitch of the Vela pulsar
The physical mechanisms responsible for pulsar timing glitches are thought to excite quasinormal mode oscillations in their parent neutron star that couple to gravitational-wave emission. In August 2006, a timing glitch was observed in the radio emission of PSR B0833-45, the Vela pulsar. At the time of the glitch, the two colocated Hanford gravitational-wave detectors of the Laser Interferometer Gravitational wave observatory (LIGO) were operational and taking data as part of the fifth LIGO science run (S5). We present the first direct search for the gravitational-wave emission associated with oscillations of the fundamental quadrupole mode excited by a pulsar timing glitch. No gravitational-wave detection
candidate was found. We place Bayesian 90% confidence upper limits of 6.3 x 10^(-21) to 1.4 x 10^(-20) on the peak intrinsic strain amplitude of gravitational-wave ring-down signals, depending on which spherical harmonic mode is excited. The corresponding range of energy upper limits is 5.0 x 10^(-44) to 1.3 x 10^(-45) erg
Feasibility of measuring the Shapiro time delay over meter-scale distances
The time delay of light as it passes by a massive object, first calculated by
Shapiro in 1964, is a hallmark of the curvature of space-time. To date, all
measurements of the Shapiro time delay have been made over solar-system
distance scales. We show that the new generation of kilometer-scale laser
interferometers being constructed as gravitational wave detectors, in
particular Advanced LIGO, will in principle be sensitive enough to measure
variations in the Shapiro time delay produced by a suitably designed rotating
object placed near the laser beam. We show that such an apparatus is feasible
(though not easy) to construct, present an example design, and calculate the
signal that would be detectable by Advanced LIGO. This offers the first
opportunity to measure space-time curvature effects on a laboratory distance
scale.Comment: 13 pages, 6 figures; v3 has updated instrumental noise curves plus a
few text edits; resubmitted to Classical and Quantum Gravit
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