Characterization of spectral response of a quantum dots-in-a-well infrared focal plane array

Spectral characterization of a novel single bump, two-color InAs/InGaAs quantum dots-in-a-well (DWELL) infrared focal plane array (FPA) was undertaken and reported here. The hypothesis of the study is that the FPA will exhibit bias-tunable spectral response. Broadband and two-color performance measures of the DWELL FPA are discussed and presented. The DWELL structure is a hybrid of a quantum dot (QD) photodetector consisting of an active region composed of InAs quantum dots embedded in InGaAs quantum wells. The DWELL FPA demonstrates mid-wave infrared (MWIR) and long-wave infrared (LWIR) performance believed to be attributed to transitions from bound states in the dot to higher and lower lying energy states in the quantum well, respectively. The DWELL samples were grown by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) and fabricated into 320 x 256 focal plane arrays with indium bumps via standard lithography at the University of New Mexico (UNM). The samples were hybridized to Indigo Systems Corporation ISC9705 read out integrated circuits and investigated with a SE-IR Corporation CamIRa\u2122 test system. The DWELL FPA exhibited temporal noise equivalent difference in temperature (NEDT) values of 43mK and 63mK (MWIR and LWIR respectively) at 77K

QCD and strongly coupled gauge theories : challenges and perspectives

We highlight the progress, current status, and open challenges of QCD-driven physics, in theory and in experiment. We discuss how the strong interaction is intimately connected to a broad sweep of physical problems, in settings ranging from astrophysics and cosmology to strongly coupled, complex systems in particle and condensed-matter physics, as well as to searches for physics beyond the Standard Model. We also discuss how success in describing the strong interaction impacts other fields, and, in turn, how such subjects can impact studies of the strong interaction. In the course of the work we offer a perspective on the many research streams which flow into and out of QCD, as well as a vision for future developments.Peer reviewe

Guidelines for the use and interpretation of assays for monitoring autophagy (4th edition)

In 2008, we published the first set of guidelines for standardizing research in autophagy. Since then, this topic has received increasing attention, and many scientists have entered the field. Our knowledge base and relevant new technologies have also been expanding. Thus, it is important to formulate on a regular basis updated guidelines for monitoring autophagy in different organisms. Despite numerous reviews, there continues to be confusion regarding acceptable methods to evaluate autophagy, especially in multicellular eukaryotes. Here, we present a set of guidelines for investigators to select and interpret methods to examine autophagy and related processes, and for reviewers to provide realistic and reasonable critiques of reports that are focused on these processes. These guidelines are not meant to be a dogmatic set of rules, because the appropriateness of any assay largely depends on the question being asked and the system being used. Moreover, no individual assay is perfect for every situation, calling for the use of multiple techniques to properly monitor autophagy in each experimental setting. Finally, several core components of the autophagy machinery have been implicated in distinct autophagic processes (canonical and noncanonical autophagy), implying that genetic approaches to block autophagy should rely on targeting two or more autophagy-related genes that ideally participate in distinct steps of the pathway. Along similar lines, because multiple proteins involved in autophagy also regulate other cellular pathways including apoptosis, not all of them can be used as a specific marker for bona fide autophagic responses. Here, we critically discuss current methods of assessing autophagy and the information they can, or cannot, provide. Our ultimate goal is to encourage intellectual and technical innovation in the field