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Frequency modulation spectroscopy with a THz quantum-cascade laser
We report on a terahertz spectrometer for high-resolution molecular spectroscopy based on a quantum-cascade laser. High-frequency modulation (up to 50 MHz) of the laser driving current produces a simultaneous modulation of the frequency and amplitude of the laser output. The modulation generates sidebands, which are symmetrically positioned with respect to the laser carrier frequency. The molecular transition is probed by scanning the sidebands across it. In this way, the absorption and the dispersion caused by the molecular transition are measured. The signals are modeled by taking into account the simultaneous modulation of the frequency and amplitude of the laser emission. This allows for the determination of the strength of the frequency as well as amplitude modulation of the laser and of molecular parameters such as pressure broadening
Proton stopping in C+C, d+C, C+Ta and d+Ta collisions at 4.2A GeV/c
The shape of proton rapidity distributions is analysed in terms of their
Gaussian components, and the average rapidity loss is determined in order to
estimate the amount of stopping in C+C, d+C, C+Ta and d+Ta collisions at 4.2A
GeV/c. Three Gaussians correspond to the nuclear transparency and describe well
all peripheral and also C+C central collisions. Two-component shape is obtained
in case of d+C and C+Ta central collisions. Finally one Gaussian, found in d+Ta
central collisions, corresponds to the full stopping. The calculated values of
the average rapidity loss support the qualitative relationship between the
number of Gaussian components and the corresponding stopping power. It is also
observed, in central collisions, that the average rapidity loss increases with
the ratio of the number of target and the number of projectile participants.Comment: 9 pages REVTeX, 1 PS figure replaced, to be published in Phys.Rev.
Soft transverse expansion in Pb(158 AGeV) on Pb collisions: preequilibrium motion or 1st order phase transition?
Transverse expansion of centrally produced matter in Pb on Pb collisions at
beam energies around 158 AGeV appears to be rather `soft'. Two possible reasons
-- an extended preequilibrium stage and a first order phase transition from a
quark-gluon-plasma into hadronic matter -- are discussed. The softening of
transverse expansion caused by preequilibrium dynamics is estimated with the
aid of the transport model RQMD which does not contain a first order phase
transition. It is found that the anisotropy of transverse flow in non-central
reactions is very different in the preequilibrium and hydrodynamic scenarios
even if the latter are based on a strong 1st order transition.Comment: 14 pages LaTeX including 3 postscript figure
Elliptical flow -- a signature for early pressure in ultrarelativistic nucleus-nucleus collisions
Elliptical energy flow patterns in non-central Au(11.7AGeV) on Au reactions
have been studied employing the RQMD model. The strength of these azimuthal
asymmetries is calculated comparing the results in two different modes of RQMD
(mean field and cascade). It is found that the elliptical flow which is readily
observable with current experimental detectors may help to distinguish
different reasonable expansion scenarios for baryon-dense matter. The final
asymmetries are very sensitive to the pressure at maximum compression, because
they involve a partial cancelation between early squeeze-out and subsequent
flow in the reaction plane. This cancelation can be expected to occur in a
broad energy region covered by the current heavy ion fixed-target programs at
BNL and at CERN.Comment: 14 pages LaTeX including 3 postscript figure
Size of Fireballs Created in High Energy Lead-Lead Collisions as Inferred from Coulomb Distortions of Pion Spectra
We compute the Coulomb effects produced by an expanding, highly charged
fireball on the momentum distribution of pions. We compare our results to data
on Au+Au at 11.6 A GeV from E866 at the BNL AGS and to data on Pb+Pb at 158 A
GeV from NA44 at the CERN SPS. We conclude that the distortion of the spectra
at low transverse momentum and mid-rapidity can be explained in both
experiments by the effect of the large amount of participating charge in the
central rapidity region. By adjusting the fireball expansion velocity to match
the average transverse momentum of protons, we find a best fit when the
fireball radius is about 10 fm, as determined by the moment when the pions
undergo their last scattering. This value is common to both the AGS and CERN
experiments.Comment: Enlarged discussion, new references added, includes new analysis of
pi-/pi+ at AGS energies. 12 pages 5 figures, uses LaTex and epsfi
Bremsstrahlung from a Microscopic Model of Relativistic Heavy Ion Collisions
We compute bremsstrahlung arising from the acceleration of individual charged
baryons and mesons during the time evolution of high-energy Au+Au collisions at
the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider using a microscopic transport model. We
elucidate the connection between bremsstrahlung and charge stopping by
colliding artificial pure proton on pure neutron nuclei. From the intensity of
low energy bremsstrahlung, the time scale and the degree of stopping could be
accurately extracted without measuring any hadronic observables.Comment: 25 pages using revtex with 9 embedded EPS figures, modified somewhat
the discussion on the method in sect. II B, to appear in Phys. Rev.
The energy dependence of flow in Ni induced collisions from 400 to 1970A MeV
We study the energy dependence of collective (hydrodynamic-like) nuclear
matter flow in 400-1970 A MeV Ni+Au and 1000-1970 A MeV Ni+Cu reactions. The
flow increases with energy, reaches a maximum, and then gradually decreases at
higher energies. A way of comparing the energy dependence of flow values for
different projectile-target mass combinations is introduced, which demonstrates
a common scaling behaviour among flow values from different systems.Comment: 12 pages, 3 figures. Submitted to Physical Review Letter
Optomechanical response with nanometer resolution in the self-mixing signal of a terahertz quantum cascade laser
Owing to their intrinsic stability against optical feedback (OF), quantum cascade lasers (QCLs) represent a uniquely versatile source to further improve self-mixing interferometry at mid-infrared and terahertz (THz) frequencies. Here, we show the feasibility of detecting with nanometer precision, the deeply subwavelength (<λ/6000) mechanical vibrations of a suspended Si3N4 membrane used as the external element of a THz QCL feedback interferometer. Besides representing an extension of the applicability of vibrometric characterization at THz frequencies, our system can be exploited for the realization of optomechanical applications, such as dynamical switching between different OF regimes and a still-lacking THz master-slave configuration
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