539 research outputs found
Nanoscale quantum dot infrared sensors with photonic crystal cavity
We report high performance infrared sensors that are based on intersubband transitions in nanoscale self-assembled quantum dots combined with a microcavity resonator made with a high-index-contrast two-dimensional photonic crystal. The addition of the photonic crystal cavity increases the photocurrent, conversion efficiency, and the signal to noise ratio (represented by the specific detectivity D*) by more than an order of magnitude. The conversion efficiency of the detector at Vb=–2.6 V increased from 7.5% for the control sample to 95% in the PhC detector. In principle, these photonic crystal resonators are technology agnostic and can be directly integrated into the manufacturing of present day infrared sensors using existing lithographic tools in the fabrication facility
What did we learn from the extraction experiments with bent crystals at the CERN SPS?
The feasibility and properties of particle extraction from an accelerator by means of a bent crystal were studied extensively at the CERN SPS. The main results of the experiments are presented. This includes the evidence for multipass extraction of heavy ions. These results are compared with theoretical expectations and computer simulations
Optical absorption and activated transport in polaronic systems
We present exact results for the optical response in the one-dimensional
Holstein model. In particular, by means of a refined kernel polynomial method,
we calculate the ac and dc electrical conductivities at finite temperatures for
a wide parameter range of electron phonon interaction. We analyze the
deviations from the results of standard small polaron theory in the
intermediate coupling regime and discuss non-adiabaticity effects in detail.Comment: 7 pages, 8 figure
On the energy dependence of proton beam extraction with a bent crystal
Proton beam extraction from the CERN SPS by means of a bent silicon crystal is reported at three different energies, 14 GeV, 120 GeV and 270 GeV. The experimental results are compared to computer simulations which contain a sound model of the SPS accelerator as well as the channeling phenomena in bent crystals. The overall energy dependence of crystal assisted proton beam extraction is understood and provides the basis to discuss such a scheme for future accelerators
Extraction of 22 TeV/c lead ions from the CERN SPS using a bent silicon crystal
The extraction of protons from the halo of a circulating beam has been repeatedly demonstrated at the SPS. In a recent experiment a coasting lead ion beam was available at a momentum of 270 GeV/c per charge corresponding to a total momentum of 22 TeV/c per ion and the possibility to extract ultrarelativistic lead ions with a bent crystal could be demonstrated for the first time. We present the experimental challenges, the measurements performed during this experiment and the first results
Pareto Optimization of a Laser Wakefield Accelerator
Optimization of accelerator performance parameters is limited by numerous
trade-offs and finding the appropriate balance between optimization goals for
an unknown system is challenging to achieve. Here we show that multi-objective
Bayesian optimization can map the solution space of a laser wakefield
accelerator in a very sample-efficient way. Using a Gaussian mixture model, we
isolate contributions related to an electron bunch at a certain energy and we
observe that there exists a wide range of Pareto-optimal solutions that trade
beam energy versus charge at similar laser-to-beam efficiency. However, many
applications such as light sources require particle beams at a certain target
energy. Once such a constraint is introduced we observe a direct trade-off
between energy spread and accelerator efficiency. We furthermore demonstrate
how specific solutions can be exploited using \emph{a posteriori} scalarization
of the objectives, thereby efficiently splitting the exploration and
exploitation phases
Phase diagram and optical conductivity of the one-dimensional spinless Holstein model
The effects of quantum lattice fluctuations on the Peierls transition and the
optical conductivity in the one-dimensional Holstein model of spinless fermions
have been studied by developing an analytical approach, based on the unitary
transformation method. We show that when the electron-phonon coupling constant
decreases to a finite critical value the Peierls dimerization is destroyed by
the quantum lattice fluctuations. The dimerization gap is much more reduced by
the quantum lattice fluctuations than the phonon order parameter. The
calculated optical conductivity does not have the inverse-square-root
singularity but have a peak above the gap edge and there exists a significant
tail below the peak. The peak of optical-conductivity spectrum is not directly
corresponding to the dimerized gap. Our results of the phase diagram and the
spectral-weight function agree with those of the density matrix renormalization
group and the exact diagonalization methods.Comment: 9 pages, 4 figures include
Informing antimicrobial management in the context of COVID-19:Understanding the longitudinal dynamics of C-reactive protein and procalcitonin
Background: To characterise the longitudinal dynamics of C-reactive protein (CRP) and Procalcitonin (PCT) in a cohort of hospitalised patients with COVID-19 and support antimicrobial decision-making. Methods: Longitudinal CRP and PCT concentrations and trajectories of 237 hospitalised patients with COVID-19 were modelled. The dataset comprised of 2,021 data points for CRP and 284 points for PCT. Pairwise comparisons were performed between: (i) those with or without significant bacterial growth from cultures, and (ii) those who survived or died in hospital. Results: CRP concentrations were higher over time in COVID-19 patients with positive microbiology (day 9: 236 vs 123 mg/L, p < 0.0001) and in those who died (day 8: 226 vs 152 mg/L, p < 0.0001) but only after day 7 of COVID-related symptom onset. Failure for CRP to reduce in the first week of hospital admission was associated with significantly higher odds of death. PCT concentrations were higher in patients with COVID-19 and positive microbiology or in those who died, although these differences were not statistically significant. Conclusions: Both the absolute CRP concentration and the trajectory during the first week of hospital admission are important factors predicting microbiology culture positivity and outcome in patients hospitalised with COVID-19. Further work is needed to describe the role of PCT for co-infection. Understanding relationships of these biomarkers can support development of risk models and inform optimal antimicrobial strategies
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