68 research outputs found
Engineering spin-orbit coupling for photons and polaritons in microstructures
One of the most fundamental properties of electromagnetism and special
relativity is the coupling between the spin of an electron and its orbital
motion. This is at the origin of the fine structure in atoms, the spin Hall
effect in semiconductors, and underlies many intriguing properties of
topological insulators, in particular their chiral edge states. Configurations
where neutral particles experience an effective spin-orbit coupling have been
recently proposed and realized using ultracold atoms and photons. Here we use
coupled micropillars etched out of a semiconductor microcavity to engineer a
spin-orbit Hamiltonian for photons and polaritons in a microstructure. The
coupling between the spin and orbital momentum arises from the polarisation
dependent confinement and tunnelling of photons between micropillars arranged
in the form of a hexagonal photonic molecule. Dramatic consequences of the
spin-orbit coupling are experimentally observed in these structures in the
wavefunction of polariton condensates, whose helical shape is directly visible
in the spatially resolved polarisation patterns of the emitted light. The
strong optical nonlinearity of polariton systems suggests exciting perspectives
for using quantum fluids of polaritons11 for quantum simulation of the
interplay between interactions and spin-orbit coupling.Comment: main text: pages 1-11 (4 figures); supplementary material: pages
12-28 (9 figures
âMedusa head ataxiaâ: the expanding spectrum of Purkinje cell antibodies in autoimmune cerebellar ataxia. Part 3: Anti-Yo/CDR2, anti-Nb/AP3B2, PCA-2, anti-Tr/DNER, other antibodies, diagnostic pitfalls, summary and outlook
Serological testing for anti-neural autoantibodies is important in patients presenting with idiopathic cerebellar ataxia, since these autoantibodies may indicate cancer, determine treatment and predict prognosis. While some of them target nuclear antigens present in all or most CNS neurons (e.g. anti-Hu, anti-Ri), others more specifically target antigens present in the cytoplasm or plasma membrane of Purkinje cells (PC). In this series of articles, we provide a detailed review of the clinical and paraclinical features, oncological, therapeutic and prognostic implications, pathogenetic relevance, and differential laboratory diagnosis of the 12 most common PC autoantibodies (often referred to as âMedusa head antibodiesâ due to their characteristic somatodendritic binding pattern when tested by immunohistochemistry). To assist immunologists and neurologists in diagnosing these disorders, typical high-resolution immunohistochemical images of all 12 reactivities are presented, diagnostic pitfalls discussed and all currently available assays reviewed. Of note, most of these antibodies target antigens involved in the mGluR1/calcium pathway essential for PC function and survival. Many of the antigens also play a role in spinocerebellar ataxia. Part 1 focuses on anti-metabotropic glutamate receptor 1-, anti-Homer protein homolog 3-, anti-Sj/inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptor- and anti-carbonic anhydrase-related protein VIII-associated autoimmune cerebellar ataxia (ACA); part 2 covers anti-protein kinase C gamma-, anti-glutamate receptor delta-2-, anti-Ca/RhoGTPase-activating protein 26- and anti-voltage-gated calcium channel-associated ACA; and part 3 reviews the current knowledge on anti-Tr/delta notch-like epidermal growth factor-related receptor-, anti-Nb/AP3B2-, anti-Yo/cerebellar degeneration-related protein 2- and Purkinje cell antibody 2-associated ACA, discusses differential diagnostic aspects and provides a summary and outlook
Effects of thickness layer on the photoluminescence properties of InAlAs/GaAlAs quantum dots
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