Polariton quantum boxes in semiconductor microcavities

We report on the realization of polariton quantum boxes in a semiconductor microcavity under strong coupling regime. The quantum boxes consist of mesas that confine the cavity photon, etched on top of the spacer of a microcavity. For mesas with sizes of the order of a few micron in width and nm in depth, we observe quantization, caused by the lateral confinement, of the polariton modes in several peaks. We evidence the strong exciton-photon coupling regime through a typical/clear anticrossing curve for each quantized level. Moreover the growth technique is of high quality, which opens the way for the conception of new optoelectronic devices

Experimental and Finite Element Analysis of the Tensile Behavior of Architectured Cu-Al Composite Wires

The present study investigates, experimentally and numerically, the tensile behavior of copper-clad aluminum composite wires. Two fiber-matrix configurations, the conventional Alcore/ Cu-case and a so-called architectured wire with a continuous copper network across the crosssection, were considered. Two different fiber arrangements with 61 or 22 aluminum fibers were employed for the architectured samples. Experimentally, tensile tests on the two types of composites show that the flow stress of architectured configurations is markedly higher than that of the linear rule of mixtures’ prediction. Transverse stress components and processing-induced residual stresses are then studied via numerical simulations to assess their potential effect on this enhanced strength. A set of elastic-domain and elastoplastic simulations were performed to account for the influence of Young’s modulus and volume fraction of each phase on the magnitude of transverse stresses and how theses stresses contribute to the axial stress-strain behavior. Besides, residual stress fields of different magnitude with literature-based distributions expected for cold-drawn wires were defined. The findings suggest that the improved yield strength of architectured Cu-Al wires cannot be attributed to the weak transverse stresses developed during tensile testing, while there are compelling implications regarding the strengthening effect originating from the residual stress profile. Finally, the results are discussed and concluded with a focus on the role of architecture and residual stresses

Nonlinear relaxation of zero-dimension-trapped microcavity polaritons

We study the emission properties of confined polariton states in shallow zero-dimensional traps under nonresonant excitation. We evidence several relaxation regimes. For slightly negative photon-exciton detuning, we observe a nonlinear increase of the emission intensity, characteristic of carrier-carrier scattering assisted relaxation under strong-coupling regime. This demonstrates the efficient relaxation toward a confined state of the system. For slightly positive detuning, we observe the transition from strong to weak coupling regime and then to single-mode lasing

Zero dimensional exciton-polaritons

We present a novel semiconductor structure in which 0D polaritons coexist with 2D microcavity polaritons. Spatial trapping of the 2D microcavity polaritons results from the confinement of their photonic part in a potential well, consisting of an adjustable thickness variation of the spacer layer. This original technique allows to create polaritonic boxes of any size and shape. Strong coupling regime is evidenced by the typical energy level anticrossing, in real space and in momentum space, and supported by a theoretical model

Planck intermediate results. XXIX. All-sky dust modelling with Planck, IRAS, and WISE observations

We present all-sky modelling of the high resolution Planck, IRAS, and WISE infrared (IR) observations using the physical dust model presented by Draine and Li in 2007 (DL). We study the performance and results of this model, and discuss implications for future dust modelling. The present work extends the DL dust modelling carried out on nearby galaxies using Herschel and Spitzer data to Galactic dust emission. We employ the DL dust model to generate maps of the dust mass surface density, the optical extinction Av, and the starlight intensity parametrized by Umin. The DL model reproduces the observed spectral energy distribution (SED) satisfactorily over most of the sky, with small deviations in the inner Galactic disk and in low ecliptic latitude areas. We compare the DL optical extinction Av for the diffuse interstellar medium with optical estimates for 2 10^5 quasi-stellar objects (QSOs) observed in the Sloan digital sky survey. The DL Av estimates are larger than those determined towards QSOs by a factor of about 2, which depends on Umin. The DL fitting parameter Umin, effectively determined by the wavelength where the SED peaks, appears to trace variations in the far-IR opacity of the dust grains per unit Av, and not only in the starlight intensity. To circumvent the model deficiency, we propose an empirical renormalization of the DL Av estimate, dependent of Umin, which compensates for the systematic differences found with QSO observations. This renormalization also brings into agreement the DL Av estimates with those derived for molecular clouds from the near-IR colours of stars in the 2 micron all sky survey. The DL model and the QSOs data are used to compress the spectral information in the Planck and IRAS observations for the diffuse ISM to a family of 20 SEDs normalized per Av, parameterized by Umin, which may be used to test and empirically calibrate dust models.Comment: Final version that has appeared in A&

Structural activation of the transcriptional repressor EthR from Mycobacterium tuberculosis by single amino acid change mimicking natural and synthetic ligands

Ethionamide is an antituberculous drug for the treatment of multidrug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis. This antibiotic requires activation by the monooxygenase EthA to exert its activity. Production of EthA is controlled by the transcriptional repressor EthR, a member of the TetR family. The sensitivity of M. tuberculosis to ethionamide can be artificially enhanced using synthetic ligands of EthR that allosterically inactivate its DNA-binding activity. Comparison of several structures of EthR co-crystallized with various ligands suggested that the structural reorganization of EthR resulting in its inactivation is controlled by a limited portion of the ligand-binding-pocket. In silico simulation predicted that mutation G106W may mimic ligands. X-ray crystallography of variant G106W indeed revealed a protein structurally similar to ligand-bound EthR. Surface plasmon resonance experiments established that this variant is unable to bind DNA, while thermal shift studies demonstrated that mutation G106W stabilizes EthR as strongly as ligands. Proton NMR of the methyl regions showed a lesser contribution of exchange broadening upon ligand binding, and the same quenched dynamics was observed in apo-variant G106W. Altogether, we here show that the area surrounding Gly106 constitutes the molecular switch involved in the conformational reorganization of EthR. These results also shed light on the mechanistic of ligand-induced allosterism controlling the DNA binding properties of TetR family repressors

Planck intermediate results. XXII. Frequency dependence of thermal emission from Galactic dust in intensity and polarization

Planck has mapped the intensity and polarization of the sky at microwave frequencies with unprecedented sensitivity. We use these data to characterize the frequency dependence of dust emission. We make use of the Planck 353 GHz I, Q, and U Stokes maps as dust templates, and cross-correlate them with the Planck and WMAP data at 12 frequencies from 23 to 353 GHz, over circular patches with 10 degrees radius. The cross-correlation analysis is performed for both intensity and polarization data in a consistent manner. The results are corrected for the chance correlation between the templates and the anisotropies of the cosmic microwave background. We use a mask that focuses our analysis on the diffuse interstellar medium at intermediate Galactic latitudes. We determine the spectral indices of dust emission in intensity and polarization between 100 and 353 GHz, for each sky patch. Both indices are found to be remarkably constant over the sky. The mean values, 1.59 +/- 0.02 for polarization and 1.51 +/- 0.01 for intensity, for a mean dust temperature of 19.6 K, are close, but significantly different (3.6 sigma). We determine the mean spectral energy distribution (SED) of the microwave emission, correlated with the 353 GHz dust templates, by averaging the results of the correlation over all sky patches. We find that the mean SED increases for decreasing frequencies at v <60 GHz for both intensity and polarization. The rise of the polarization SED towards low frequencies may be accounted for by a synchrotron component correlated with dust, with no need for any polarization of the anomalous microwave emission. We use a spectral model to separate the synchrotron and dust polarization and to characterize the spectral dependence of the dust polarization fraction. The polarization fraction (p) of the dust emission decreases by (21 +/- 6)% from 353 to 70 GHz. We discuss this result within the context of existing dust models. The decrease in p could indicate differences in polarization efficiency among components of interstellar dust (e.g., carbon versus silicate grains). Our observational results provide inputs to quantify and optimize the separation between Galactic and cosmological polarization.Peer reviewe

Planck intermediate results. XIX. An overview of the polarized thermal emission from Galactic dust

This paper presents an overview of the polarized sky as seen by Planck HFI at 353 GHz, which is the most sensitive Planck channel for dust polarization. We construct and analyse maps of dust polarization fraction and polarization angle at 1° resolution, taking into account noise bias and possible systematic effects. The sensitivity of the Planck HFI polarization measurements allows for the first time a mapping of Galactic dust polarized emission on large scales, including low column density regions. We find that the maximum observed dust polarization fraction is high (pmax = 19.8%), in particular in some regions of moderate hydrogen column density (NH < 2 × 1021 cm-2). The polarization fraction displays a large scatter at NH below a few 1021 cm-2. There is a general decrease in the dust polarization fraction with increasing column density above NH ≃ 1 × 1021 cm-2 and in particular a sharp drop above NH ≃ 1.5 × 1022 cm-2. We characterize the spatial structure of the polarization angle using the angle dispersion function. We find that the polarization angle is ordered over extended areas of several square degrees, separated by filamentary structures of high angle dispersion function. These appear as interfaces where the sky projection of the magnetic field changes abruptly without variations in the column density. The polarization fraction is found to be anti-correlated with the dispersion of polarization angles. These results suggest that, at the resolution of 1°, depolarization is due mainly to fluctuations in the magnetic field orientation along the line of sight, rather than to the loss of grain alignment in shielded regions. We also compare the polarization of thermal dust emission with that of synchrotron measured with Planck, low-frequency radio data, and Faraday rotation measurements toward extragalactic sources. These components bear resemblance along the Galactic plane and in some regions such as the Fan and North Polar Spur regions. The poor match observed in other regions shows, however, that dust, cosmic-ray electrons, and thermal electrons generally sample different parts of the line of sight. Reproduced with permission, © ESO, 201