Role of shape and localized resonances in extraordinary transmission through periodic arrays of subwavelength holes: Experiment and theory

The effect of the aspect ratio of rectangular holes on the transmissivity of periodic arrays of subwavelength holes in optically thick metal films is investigated. The transmissivity is found to be highly dependent on the aspect ratio of the holes. Moreover, the wavelengths of maximum transmissivity show a monotonous shift as a function of the aspect ratio of the holes. We attribute the enhanced transmission of the periodic arrays to an interplay of surface plasmons at the surface of the metal and shape resonances (also known as localized modes) inside the holes. The importance of the shape resonances was confirmed by a comparison of transmission through periodic hole arrays and through randomly distributed holes. Dispersion curves of periodic and random hole arrays confirmed the existence of shape resonance as well. We suggest that the localized modes effectively act as waveguides and increase the coupling efficiency of surface plasmons between both sides of the film, which results in a higher transmissivity. The shift of the maxima of the transmissivity may in part be explained by the spectral position of the localized modes in the individual holes. Finally measurements on similar patterns in Ni and Ag revealed that the occurrence of shape resonances is independent of the material of the film

Shape resonances in extraordinary transmission

The paper focuses on the extraordinary transmission phenomenon, an example of plasmonics. In a periodic arrangement of sub-wavelength holes in a metal film the transmitted fraction of the incident light exceeds the open air fraction of the film for certain colours. This enhanced transmission has been attributed to a resonant excitation of surface plasmons set up by the periodicity of the array. But by merely changing the shape of the sub-wavelength holes from circular to rectangular can affect the extraordinary transmission

The health and wellbeing of offshore workers: a narrative review of the published literature.

Recent developments within the offshore industry have highlighted the role that health and wellbeing plays in ensuring the safety and longevity of the offshore workforce. Developing an understanding of the overall health and wellbeing of offshore workers could aid future developments. This narrative review aims to identify and synthesise the relevant published literature on offshore health and wellbeing. The Cochrane Library, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online, PsycArticles, and Web of Science databases were searched with publication search dates limited from January 1994 to November 2014. Twenty-six studies were identified and covered aspects of occupational stress; mental wellbeing; body mass index; diet; physical activity; musculoskeletal disorder; smoking; alcohol and drug use; shift work amongst offshore workers. This narrative review has highlighted a lack of high quality and relevant research. There is a particular need to research workers' participation in self care activities and the resultant influence of domains on health and well being. NOTE: publisher link is not currently working (last checked 2019-01-25

A large sample study of spin relaxation and magnetometric sensitivity of paraffin-coated Cs vapor cells

We have manufactured more than 250 nominally identical paraffin-coated Cs vapor cells (30 mm diameter bulbs) for multi-channel atomic magnetometer applications. We describe our dedicated cell characterization apparatus. For each cell we have determined the intrinsic longitudinal, \sGamma{01}, and transverse, \sGamma{02}, relaxation rates. Our best cell shows \sGamma{01}/2\pi\approx 0.5 Hz, and \sGamma{02}/2\pi\approx 2 Hz. We find a strong correlation of both relaxation rates which we explain in terms of reservoir and spin exchange relaxation. For each cell we have determined the optimal combination of rf and laser powers which yield the highest sensitivity to magnetic field changes. Out of all produced cells, 90% are found to have magnetometric sensitivities in the range of 9 to 30 fTHz. Noise analysis shows that the magnetometers operated with such cells have a sensitivity close to the fundamental photon shot noise limit

Calculations on the Size Effects of Raman Intensities of Silicon Quantum Dots

Raman intensities of Si quantum dots (QDs) with up to 11,489 atoms (about 7.6 nm in diameter) for different scattering configurations are calculated. First, phonon modes in these QDs, including all vibration frequencies and vibration amplitudes, are calculated directly from the lattice dynamic matrix by using a microscopic valence force field model combined with the group theory. Then the Raman intensities of these quantum dots are calculated by using a bond-polarizability approximation. The size effects of the Raman intensity in these QDs are discussed in detail based on these calculations. The calculations are compared with the available experimental observation. We are expecting that our calculations can further stimulate more experimental measurements.Comment: 21 pages, 7 figure

The large longitudinal spread of solar energetic particles during the January 17, 2010 solar event

We investigate multi-spacecraft observations of the January 17, 2010 solar energetic particle event. Energetic electrons and protons have been observed over a remarkable large longitudinal range at the two STEREO spacecraft and SOHO suggesting a longitudinal spread of nearly 360 degrees at 1AU. The flaring active region, which was on the backside of the Sun as seen from Earth, was separated by more than 100 degrees in longitude from the magnetic footpoints of each of the three spacecraft. The event is characterized by strongly delayed energetic particle onsets with respect to the flare and only small or no anisotropies in the intensity measurements at all three locations. The presence of a coronal shock is evidenced by the observation of a type II radio burst from the Earth and STEREO B. In order to describe the observations in terms of particle transport in the interplanetary medium, including perpendicular diffusion, a 1D model describing the propagation along a magnetic field line (model 1) (Dr\"oge, 2003) and the 3D propagation model (model 2) by (Dr\"oge et al., 2010) including perpendicular diffusion in the interplanetary medium have been applied, respectively. While both models are capable of reproducing the observations, model 1 requires injection functions at the Sun of several hours. Model 2, which includes lateral transport in the solar wind, reveals high values for the ratio of perpendicular to parallel diffusion. Because we do not find evidence for unusual long injection functions at the Sun we favor a scenario with strong perpendicular transport in the interplanetary medium as explanation for the observations.Comment: The final publication is available at http://www.springerlink.co

Sub-terahertz, microwaves and high energy emissions during the December 6, 2006 flare, at 18:40 UT

The presence of a solar burst spectral component with flux density increasing with frequency in the sub-terahertz range, spectrally separated from the well-known microwave spectral component, bring new possibilities to explore the flaring physical processes, both observational and theoretical. The solar event of 6 December 2006, starting at about 18:30 UT, exhibited a particularly well-defined double spectral structure, with the sub-THz spectral component detected at 212 and 405 GHz by SST and microwaves (1-18 GHz) observed by the Owens Valley Solar Array (OVSA). Emissions obtained by instruments in satellites are discussed with emphasis to ultra-violet (UV) obtained by the Transition Region And Coronal Explorer (TRACE), soft X-rays from the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites (GOES) and X- and gamma-rays from the Ramaty High Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager (RHESSI). The sub-THz impulsive component had its closer temporal counterpart only in the higher energy X- and gamma-rays ranges. The spatial positions of the centers of emission at 212 GHz for the first flux enhancement were clearly displaced by more than one arc-minute from positions at the following phases. The observed sub-THz fluxes and burst source plasma parameters were found difficult to be reconciled to a purely thermal emission component. We discuss possible mechanisms to explain the double spectral components at microwaves and in the THz ranges.Comment: Accepted version for publication in Solar Physic

A Nearly Linear-Time PTAS for Explicit Fractional Packing and Covering Linear Programs

We give an approximation algorithm for packing and covering linear programs (linear programs with non-negative coefficients). Given a constraint matrix with n non-zeros, r rows, and c columns, the algorithm computes feasible primal and dual solutions whose costs are within a factor of 1+eps of the optimal cost in time O((r+c)log(n)/eps^2 + n).Comment: corrected version of FOCS 2007 paper: 10.1109/FOCS.2007.62. Accepted to Algorithmica, 201

Acceleration of Relativistic Protons during the 20 January 2005 Flare and CME

The origin of relativistic solar protons during large flare/CME events has not been uniquely identified so far.We perform a detailed comparative analysis of the time profiles of relativistic protons detected by the worldwide network of neutron monitors at Earth with electromagnetic signatures of particle acceleration in the solar corona during the large particle event of 20 January 2005. The intensity-time profile of the relativistic protons derived from the neutron monitor data indicates two successive peaks. We show that microwave, hard X-ray and gamma-ray emissions display several episodes of particle acceleration within the impulsive flare phase. The first relativistic protons detected at Earth are accelerated together with relativistic electrons and with protons that produce pion decay gamma-rays during the second episode. The second peak in the relativistic proton profile at Earth is accompanied by new signatures of particle acceleration in the corona within approximatively 1 solar radius above the photosphere, revealed by hard X-ray and microwave emissions of low intensity, and by the renewed radio emission of electron beams and of a coronal shock wave. We discuss the observations in terms of different scenarios of particle acceleration in the corona.Comment: 22 pages, 5 figure

Quantification of Myocardial Blood Flow in Absolute Terms Using (82)Rb PET Imaging: The RUBY-10 Study.

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to compare myocardial blood flow (MBF) and myocardial flow reserve (MFR) estimates from rubidium-82 positron emission tomography ((82)Rb PET) data using 10 software packages (SPs) based on 8 tracer kinetic models. BACKGROUND: It is unknown how MBF and MFR values from existing SPs agree for (82)Rb PET. METHODS: Rest and stress (82)Rb PET scans of 48 patients with suspected or known coronary artery disease were analyzed in 10 centers. Each center used 1 of 10 SPs to analyze global and regional MBF using the different kinetic models implemented. Values were considered to agree if they simultaneously had an intraclass correlation coefficient >0.75 and a difference <20% of the median across all programs. RESULTS: The most common model evaluated was the Ottawa Heart Institute 1-tissue compartment model (OHI-1-TCM). MBF values from 7 of 8 SPs implementing this model agreed best. Values from 2 other models (alternative 1-TCM and Axially distributed) also agreed well, with occasional differences. The MBF results from other models (e.g., 2-TCM and retention) were less in agreement with values from OHI-1-TCM. CONCLUSIONS: SPs using the most common kinetic model-OHI-1-TCM-provided consistent results in measuring global and regional MBF values, suggesting that they may be used interchangeably to process data acquired with a common imaging protocol