52,183 research outputs found
Single-cycle gap soliton in a subwavelength structure
We demonstrate that a single sub-cycle optical pulse can be generated when a
pulse with a few optical cycles penetrates through resonant two-level dense
media with a subwavelength structure. The single-cycle gap soliton phenomenon
in the full Maxwell-Bloch equations without the frame of slowly varying
envelope and rotating wave approximations is observed. Our study shows that the
subwavelength structure can be used to suppress the frequency shift caused by
intrapulse four-wave mixing in continuous media and supports the formation of
single-cycle gap solitons even in the case when the structure period breaks the
Bragg condition. This suggests a way toward shortening high-intensity laser
fields to few- and even single-cycle pulse durations.Comment: 4 pages, 6 figure
Mechanically-Induced Transport Switching Effect in Graphene-based Nanojunctions
We report a theoretical study suggesting a novel type of electronic switching
effect, driven by the geometrical reconstruction of nanoscale graphene-based
junctions. We considered junction struc- tures which have alternative
metastable configurations transformed by rotations of local carbon dimers. The
use of external mechanical strain allows a control of the energy barrier
heights of the potential profiles and also changes the reaction character from
endothermic to exothermic or vice-versa. The reshaping of the atomic details of
the junction encode binary electronic ON or OFF states, with ON/OFF
transmission ratio that can reach up to 10^4-10^5. Our results suggest the
possibility to design modern logical switching devices or mechanophore sensors,
monitored by mechanical strain and structural rearrangements.Comment: 10 pages, 4 figure
Modeling Pressure-Ionization of Hydrogen in the Context of Astrophysics
The recent development of techniques for laser-driven shock compression of
hydrogen has opened the door to the experimental determination of its behavior
under conditions characteristic of stellar and planetary interiors. The new
data probe the equation of state (EOS) of dense hydrogen in the complex regime
of pressure ionization. The structure and evolution of dense astrophysical
bodies depend on whether the pressure ionization of hydrogen occurs
continuously or through a ``plasma phase transition'' (PPT) between a molecular
state and a plasma state. For the first time, the new experiments constrain
predictions for the PPT. We show here that the EOS model developed by Saumon
and Chabrier can successfully account for the data, and we propose an
experiment that should provide a definitive test of the predicted PPT of
hydrogen. The usefulness of the chemical picture for computing astrophysical
EOS and in modeling pressure ionization is discussed.Comment: 16 pages + 4 figures, to appear in High Pressure Researc
A statistical model approximation for perovskite solid-solutions: a Raman study of lead-zirconate-titanate single crystal
Lead titanate (PbTiO3) is a classical example of a ferroelectric perovskite
oxide illustrating a displacive phase transition accompanied by a softening of
a symmetry-breaking mode. The underlying assumption justifying the soft-mode
theory is that the crystal is macroscopically sufficiently uniform so that a
meaningful free energy function can be formed. In contrast to PbTiO3,
experimental studies show that the phase transition behaviour of
lead-zirconate-titanate solid solution (PZT) is far more subtle. Most of the
studies on the PZT system have been dedicated to ceramic or powder samples, in
which case an unambiguous soft-mode study is not possible, as modes with
different symmetries appear together. Our Raman scattering study on
titanium-rich PZT single crystal shows that the phase transitions in PZT cannot
be described by a simple soft-mode theory. In strong contrast to PbTiO3,
splitting of transverse E-symmetry modes reveals that there are different
locally-ordered regions. The role of crystal defects, random distribution of Ti
and Zr at the B-cation site and Pb ions shifted away from their ideal
positions, dictates the phase transition mechanism. A statistical model
explaining the observed peak splitting and phase transformation to a complex
state with spatially varying local order in the vicinity of the morphotropic
phase boundary is given.Comment: Article contains four black-and-white figures, one colour figure and
one Table. Symmetry analysis and details of the model are given in Appendices
I and II, respectivel
Historic Light Curve and Long-term Optical Variation of BL Lacertae 2200+420
In this paper, historical optical(UBVRI) data and newly observed data from
the Yunnan Observatory of China(about100 years) are presented for BL Lacertae.
Maximum variations in UBVRI: 5.12, 5.31, 4.73, 2.59, and 2.54 and color indices
of U-B = -0.11 +/- 0.20, B-V= 1.0 +/- 0.11, V-R= 0.73 +/- 0.19, V-I= 1.42 +/-
0.25, R-I= 0.82 +/- 0.11, and B-I= 2.44 +/- 0.29 have been obtained from the
literature; The Jurkevich method is used to investigate the existence of
periods in the B band light curve, and a long-term period of 14 years is found.
The 0.6 and 0.88 year periods reported by Webb et al.(1988) are confirmed. In
addition, a close relation between B-I and B is found, suggesting that the
spectra flattens when the source brightens.Comment: 21 pages, 6 figures, 2 table, aasms4.sty, to be published in ApJ,
Vol. 507, 199
The First Ground Level Enhancement Event of Solar Cycle 24: Direct Observation of Shock Formation and Particle Release Heights
We report on the 2012 May 17 Ground Level Enhancement (GLE) event, which is
the first of its kind in Solar Cycle 24. This is the first GLE event to be
fully observed close to the surface by the Solar Terrestrial Relations
Observatory (STEREO) mission. We determine the coronal mass ejection (CME)
height at the start of the associated metric type II radio burst (i.e., shock
formation height) as 1.38 Rs (from the Sun center). The CME height at the time
of GLE particle release was directly measured from a STEREO image as 2.32 Rs,
which agrees well with the estimation from CME kinematics. These heights are
consistent with those obtained for cycle-23 GLEs using back-extrapolation. By
contrasting the 2012 May 17 GLE with six other non-GLE eruptions from
well-connected regions with similar or larger flare size and CME speed, we find
that the latitudinal distance from the ecliptic is rather large for the non-GLE
events due to a combination of non-radial CME motion and unfavorable solar B0
angle, making the connectivity to Earth poorer. We also find that the coronal
environment may play a role in deciding the shock strength.Comment: 16 pages, 4 figures, 1 tabl
Surface-wave interferometry on single subwavelength slit-groove structures fabricated on gold films
We apply the technique of far-field interferometry to measure the properties
of surface waves generated by two-dimensional (2D) single subwavelength
slit-groove structures on gold films. The effective surface index of refraction
measured for the surface wave propagating over a distance of more than 12
microns is determined to be 1.016 with a measurement uncertainty of 0.004, to
within experimental uncertainty of the expected bound surface plasmon-polariton
(SPP) value for a Au/Air interface of 1.018. We compare these measurements to
finite-difference-time-domain (FDTD) numerical simulations of the optical field
transmission through these devices. We find excellent agreement between the
measurements and the simulations for the surface index of refraction. The
measurements also show that the surface wave propagation parameter exhibits
transient behavior close to the slit, evolving smoothly from greater values
asymptotically toward the value expected for the SPP over the first 2-3 microns
of slit-groove distance. This behavior is confirmed by the FDTD simulations
Variability of Soft X-ray Spectral Shape in Blazars Observed by ROSAT
In paper 1 (Cheng et al. 2001) we have shown that the soft X-ray spectra of
two types of Seyfert 1 galaxies statistically vary differently with increasing
intensity. In order to understand how the spectrum of blazars changes, the
spectral shape variability of 18 blazars observed by ROSAT/PSPC mode are
studied by presenting the correlation of Hardness Ratio 1 versus Count Rates
(HR1-CTs). According to our criteria, 10 blazars show a positive HR1-CTs
relation, and only 2 blazars display an anti-correlation of HR1 versus CTs. The
rest 6 blazars do not indicate any clear correlation. From these we can see
that most blazars of our sample statistically show a hardening spectrum during
overall flux increase, though some vary randomly. By investigating the photon
index of these objects and different radiation theories, we argue that the
dominance of the synchrotron or inverse Compton emission in the soft X-ray band
may interpret the dichotomy of spectral variability well, and that different
spectral variations might represent a sequence of synchrotron peaked frequency.Comment: 11 pages, 3 figures, CJA
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