Fabrication and characterization of erbium-doped toroidal microcavity lasers

Erbium-doped SiO2 toroidal microcavity lasers are fabricated on a Si substrate using a combination of optical lithography, etching, Er ion implantation, and CO2 laser reflow. Erbium is either preimplanted in the SiO2 base material or postimplanted into a fully fabricated microtoroid. Three-dimensional infrared confocal photoluminescence spectroscopy imaging is used to determine the spatial distribution of optically active Er ions in the two types of microtoroids, and distinct differences are found. Microprobe Rutherford backscattering spectrometry indicates that no macroscopic Er diffusion occurs during the laser reflow for preimplanted microtoroids. From the measured Er doping profiles and calculated optical mode distributions the overlap factor between the Er distribution and mode profile is calculated: Gamma=0.066 and Gamma=0.02 for postimplanted and preimplanted microtoroids, respectively. Single and multimode lasing around 1.5 µm is observed for both types of microtoroids, with the lowest lasing threshold (4.5 µW) observed for the preimplanted microtoroids, which possess the smallest mode volume. When excited in the proper geometry, a clear mode spectrum is observed superimposed on the Er spontaneous emission spectrum. This result indicates the coupling of Er ions to cavity modes

Implicit Density Functional Theory

A fermion ground state energy functional is set up in terms of particle density, relative pair density, and kinetic energy tensor density. It satisfies a minimum principle if constrained by a complete set of compatibility conditions. A partial set, which thereby results in a lower bound energy under minimization, is obtained from the solution of model systems, as well as a small number of exact sum rules. Prototypical application is made to several one-dimensional spinless non-interacting models. The effectiveness of "atomic" constraints on model "molecules" is observed, as well as the structure of systems with only finitely many bound states.Comment: 9 pages, 4 figure

Viscosity calculated in simulations of strongly-coupled dusty plasmas with gas friction

A two-dimensional strongly-coupled dusty plasma is modeled using Langevin and frictionless molecular dynamical simulations. The static viscosity $\eta$ and the wave-number-dependent viscosity $\eta(k)$ are calculated from the microscopic shear in the random motion of particles. A recently developed method of calculating the wave-number-dependent viscosity $\eta(k)$ is validated by comparing the results of $\eta(k)$ from the two simulations. It is also verified that the Green-Kubo relation can still yield an accurate measure of the static viscosity $\eta$ in the presence of a modest level of friction as in dusty plasma experiments.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figures, Physics of Plasmas invited pape

The Holographic dark energy reexamined

We have reexamined the holographic dark energy model by considering the spatial curvature. We have refined the model parameter and observed that the holographic dark energy model does not behave as phantom model. Comparing the holographic dark energy model to the supernova observation alone, we found that the closed universe is favored. Combining with the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP) data, we obtained the reasonable value of the spatial curvature of our universe.Comment: divided into sections, add one figure, some typos corrected, references added, Accepted for publication in PRD; v3: some typos corrected, title change

Transverse optical mode in a one-dimensional Yukawa chain

A transverse optical mode was observed in a one-dimensional Yukawa chain. Charged particles, suspended in a strongly coupled dusty plasma, were arranged in a 1D periodic structure. Particle displacement in the direction perpendicular to the chain was restored by the confining potential. The dispersion relation of phonons was measured, verifying that the optical mode has negative dispersion, with phase and group velocities that are oppositely directed. A theoretical dispersion relation is presented and compared to the experiment and a molecular dynamics simulation

Introducing the Fission-Fusion Reaction Process: Using a Laser-Accelerated Th Beam to produce Neutron-Rich Nuclei towards the N=126 Waiting Point of the r Process

We propose to produce neutron-rich nuclei in the range of the astrophysical r-process around the waiting point N=126 by fissioning a dense laser-accelerated thorium ion bunch in a thorium target (covered by a CH2 layer), where the light fission fragments of the beam fuse with the light fission fragments of the target. Via the 'hole-boring' mode of laser Radiation Pressure Acceleration using a high-intensity, short pulse laser, very efficiently bunches of 232Th with solid-state density can be generated from a Th layer, placed beneath a deuterated polyethylene foil, both forming the production target. Th ions laser-accelerated to about 7 MeV/u will pass through a thin CH2 layer placed in front of a thicker second Th foil closely behind the production target and disintegrate into light and heavy fission fragments. In addition, light ions (d,C) from the CD2 production target will be accelerated as well to about 7 MeV/u, inducing the fission process of 232Th also in the second Th layer. The laser-accelerated ion bunches with solid-state density, which are about 10^14 times more dense than classically accelerated ion bunches, allow for a high probability that generated fission products can fuse again. In contrast to classical radioactive beam facilities, where intense but low-density radioactive beams are merged with stable targets, the novel fission-fusion process draws on the fusion between neutron-rich, short-lived, light fission fragments both from beam and target. The high ion beam density may lead to a strong collective modification of the stopping power in the target, leading to significant range enhancement. Using a high-intensity laser as envisaged for the ELI-Nuclear Physics project in Bucharest (ELI-NP), estimates promise a fusion yield of about 10^3 ions per laser pulse in the mass range of A=180-190, thus enabling to approach the r-process waiting point at N=126.Comment: 13 pages, 6 figure

Visualization of defect-induced excitonic properties of the edges and grain boundaries in synthesized monolayer molybdenum disulfide

Atomically thin two-dimensional (2D) transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs) are attractive materials for next generation nanoscale optoelectronic applications. Understanding nanoscale optical behavior of the edges and grain boundaries of synthetically grown TMDCs is vital for optimizing their optoelectronic properties. Elucidating the nanoscale optical properties of 2D materials through far-field optical microscopy requires a diffraction-limited optical beam diameter sub-micron in size. Here we present our experimental work on spatial photoluminescence (PL) scanning of large size ( $\geq 50$ microns) monolayer MoS$_2$ grown by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) using a diffraction limited blue laser beam spot (wavelength 405 nm) with a beam diameter as small as 200 nm allowing us to probe nanoscale excitonic phenomena which was not observed before. We have found several important features: (i) there exists a sub-micron width strip ($\sim 500$ nm) along the edges that fluoresces $\sim 1000 \%$ brighter than the region far inside; (ii) there is another brighter wide region consisting of parallel fluorescing lines ending at the corners of the zig-zag peripheral edges; (iii) there is a giant blue shifted A-excitonic peak, as large as $\sim 120$ meV, in the PL spectra from the edges. Using density functional theory calculations, we attribute this giant blue shift to the adsorption of oxygen dimers at the edges, which reduces the excitonic binding energy. Our results not only shed light on defect-induced excitonic properties, but also offer an attractive route to tailor optical properties at the TMDC edges through defect engineering.Comment: 10 pages, 4 figures in Journal of Physical Chemistry C, 201

Mott-Hubbard Transition of Bosons in Optical Lattices with Three-body Interactions

In this paper, the quantum phase transition between superfluid state and Mott-insulator state is studied based on an extended Bose-Hubbard model with two- and three-body on-site interactions. By employing the mean-field approximation we find the extension of the insulating 'lobes' and the existence of a fixed point in three dimensional phase space. We investigate the link between experimental parameters and theoretical variables. The possibility to obverse our results through some experimental effects in optically trapped Bose-Einstein Condensates(BEC) is also discussed.Comment: 7 pages, 4 figures; to be appear in Phys. Rev.

Role of Particle Interactions in the Feshbach Conversion of Fermion Atoms to Bosonic Molecules

We investigate the Feshbach conversion of fermion atomic pairs to condensed boson molecules with a microscopic model that accounts the repulsive interactions among all the particles involved. We find that the conversion efficiency is enhanced by the interaction between boson molecules while suppressed by the interactions between fermion atoms and between atom and molecule. In certain cases, the combined effect of these interactions leads to a ceiling of less than 100% on the conversion efficiency even in the adiabatic limit. Our model predicts a non-monotonic dependence of the efficiency on mean atomic density. Our theory agrees well with recent experiments on $^6$Li and $^{40}$K.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure