898 research outputs found
Theory of fishnet negative-index optical metamaterials
We theoretically study fishnet metamaterials at optical frequencies. In
contrast to earlier works, we provide a microscopic description by tracking the
transversal and longitudinal flows of energy through the fishnet mesh composed
of intersecting subwavelength plasmonic waveguides. The analysis is supported
by a semi-analytical model based on surface-plasmon coupled-mode equations,
which provides accurate formulas for the fishnet refractive index, including
the real-negative and imaginary parts. The model simply explains how the
surface plasmons couple at the waveguide intersections and it shines new light
on the fishnet negative-index paradigm at optical frequencies. Extension of the
theory for loss-compensated metamaterials with gain media is also presented.Comment: 4 figure
Decomposing the scattered field of two-dimensional metaatoms into multipole contributions
We introduce a technique to decompose the scattered near field of
two-dimensional arbitrary metaatoms into its multipole contributions. To this
end we expand the scattered field upon plane wave illumination into cylindrical
harmonics as known from Mie theory. By relating these cylin- drical harmonics
to the field radiated by Cartesian multipoles, the contribution of the lowest
order electric and magnetic multipoles can be identified. Revealing these
multipoles is essential for the design of metamaterials because they largely
determine the character of light propagation. In par- ticular, having this
information at hand it is straightforward to distinguish between effects that
result either from the arrangement of the metaatoms or from their particular
design
Slow-wave effect and mode-profile matching in Photonic Crystal microcavities
Physical mechanisms involved in the light confinement in photonic crystal
slab microcavities are investigated. We first present a full three-dimensional
numerical study of these microcavities. Then, to gain physical insight into the
confinement mechanisms, we develop a Fabry-Perot model. This model provides
accurate predictions and sheds new light on the physics of light confinement.
We clearly identify two mechanisms to enhance the Q factor of these
microcavities. The first one consists in improving the mode-profile matching at
the cavity terminations and the second one in using a slow wave in the cavity.Comment: accepted for publication in Phys. Rev. B, 8 pages, 4 figure
Museum DNA reveals the demographic history of the endangered Seychelles warbler
The importance of evolutionary conservation – how understanding evolutionary forces can help guide conservation decisions – is widely recognized. However, the historical demography of many endangered species is unknown, despite the fact that this can have important implications for contemporary ecological processes and for extinction risk. Here, we reconstruct the population history of the Seychelles warbler (Acrocephalus sechellensis) – an ecological model species. By the 1960s, this species was on the brink of extinction, but its previous history is unknown. We used DNA samples from contemporary and museum specimens spanning 140 years to reconstruct bottleneck history. We found a 25% reduction in genetic diversity between museum and contemporary populations, and strong genetic structure. Simulations indicate that the Seychelles warbler was bottlenecked from a large population, with an ancestral Ne of several thousands falling to <50 within the last century. Such a rapid decline, due to anthropogenic factors, has important implications for extinction risk in the Seychelles warbler, and our results will inform conservation practices. Reconstructing the population history of this species also allows us to better understand patterns of genetic diversity, inbreeding and promiscuity in the contemporary populations. Our approaches can be applied across species to test ecological hypotheses and inform conservation
Ac conductivity and dielectric properties of CuFe1−xCrxO2 : Mg delafossite
The electrical and dielectric properties of CuFe(1−x)Cr(x)O(2) (0 ≤ x ≤ 1) powders, doped with 3% of Mg and prepared by solid-state reaction, were studied by broadband dielectric spectroscopy in the temperature range from −100 to 150 °C. The frequency-dependent electrical and dielectric data have been discussed in the framework of a power law conductivity and complex impedance and dielectric modulus. At room temperature, the ac conductivity behaviour is characteristic of the charge transport in CuFe1−xCrxO2 powders. The substitution of Fe3+ by Cr3+ results in an increase in dc conductivity and a decrease in the Cu+–Cu+ distance. Dc conductivity, characteristic onset frequency and Havriliak–Negami characteristics relaxation times are thermally activated above −40 °C for x = 0.835. The associated activation energies obtained from dc and ac conductivity and from impedance and modulus losses are similar and show that CuFe1−xCrxO2 delafossite powders satisfy the BNN relation. Dc and ac conductivities have the same transport mechanism, namely thermally activated nearest neighbour hopping and tunnelling hopping above and below −40 °C, respectively
A microscopic view of the electromagnetic properties of sub-wavelength metallic surfaces
We review the properties of the surface waves that are scattered by
two-dimensional sub-wavelength indentations on metallic surfaces. We show that
two distinct waves are involved, a surface plasmon polariton (SPP) and a
quasi-cylindrical wave (quasi-CW). We discuss the main characteristics of these
waves, their damping characteristic lengths and their relative excitation
weights as a function of the separation distance from the indentation and as a
function of the metal conductivity. In particular we show that derive a
closed-form expression for the quasi-CW, which clarifies its physical origin
and its main properties. We further present an intuitive microscopic model,
which explains how the elementary SPPs and quasi-CWs exchange their energies by
multiple-scattering to build up a rich variety of near- and far-field optical
effects.Comment: Review article, 98 references. Sur. Sc. Rep. (in press
Charge oscillation-induced light transmission through subwavelength slits and holes
We present a concrete picture of spoof surface plasmons (SSPs) combined with
cavity resonance to clarify the basic mechanism underlying extraordinary light
transmission through metal films with subwavelength slits or holes. This
picture may indicate a general mechanism of metallic nanostructure optics: When
light is incident on a non-planar conducting surface, the free electrons cannot
move homogeneously in response to the incident electric field, i.e., their
movement can be impeded at the rough parts, forming inhomogeneous charge
distributions. The oscillating charges/dipoles then emit photons (similar to
Thomson scattering of x rays by oscillating electrons), and the interference
between the photons may give rise to anomalous transmission, reflection or
scattering.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, are "surface plasmons" true for conducting
structures? Answere is here. Also see the new arXiv:0903.3565v1, the
expansion of this pape
Gap maps and intrinsic diffraction losses in one-dimensional photonic crystal slabs
A theoretical study of photonic bands for one-dimensional (1D) lattices
embedded in planar waveguides with strong refractive index contrast is
presented. The approach relies on expanding the electromagnetic field on the
basis of guided modes of an effective waveguide, and on treating the coupling
to radiative modes by perturbation theory. Photonic mode dispersion, gap maps,
and intrinsic diffraction losses of quasi-guided modes are calculated for the
case of self-standing membranes as well as for Silicon-on-Insulator structures.
Photonic band gaps in a waveguide are found to depend strongly on the core
thickness and on polarization, so that the gaps for transverse electric and
transverse magnetic modes most often do not overlap. Radiative losses of
quasi-guided modes above the light line depend in a nontrivial way on structure
parameters, mode index and wavevector. The results of this study may be useful
for the design of integrated 1D photonic structures with low radiative losses.Comment: 9 pages, 8 figures, submitted to Physical Review
Search for proton decay in the Frejus experiment
The status of the Frejus experiment and the preliminary results obtained in the search for nucleon decay are discussed. A modular, fine grain tracking calorimeter was installed in the Frejus laboratory in the period extending from October 1983 to May 1985. The 3300 cubic meter underground laboratory, located in the center of the Frejus tunnel in the Alps, is covered in the vertical direction by 1600 m of rocks (4400 m w.e.). The average number of atmospheric muons in the lab is 4.2 square meters per day. The 912 ton detector is made of 114 modules, each one including eight flash chamber and one Geiger vertical planes of (6 x 6) square meters dimensions. The flash chamber (and Geiger) planes are alternatively crossed to provide a 90 deg. stereo reconstruction. No candidate for the nucleon decay into charged lepton is found in the first sample of events
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