A scheme comparison of Autler-Townes based slow light in inhomogeneously broadened quantum dot media

We propose a method to achieve significant optical signal delays exploiting the effect of Autler-Townes splitting in an inhomogeneously broadened quantum dot medium. The absorption and slow-down effects are compared for three schemes i.e. $\Xi$, V and $\Lambda$, corresponding to different excitation configurations. Qualitative differences of the V-scheme compared to the $\Xi$- and $\Lambda$-scheme are found, which show that features of Autler-Townes splitting are only revealed in the V-scheme. The underlying physical mechanisms causing this discrepancy are analyzed and discussed. Finally we compare field propagation calculations of the schemes showing significantly larger achievable signal delays for the V-scheme despite finite absorption of the coupling field. This opens the possibility for using waveguide structures for both coupling and probe fields, thus significantly increasing the achievable signal delays

Gender Bias in Nobel Prizes

Strikingly few Nobel laureates within medicine, natural and social sciences are women. Although it is obvious that there are fewer women researchers within these fields, does this gender ratio still fully account for the low number of female Nobel laureates? We examine whether women are awarded the Nobel Prizes less often than the gender ratio suggests. Based on historical data across four scientific fields and a Bayesian hierarchical model, we quantify any possible bias. The model reveals, with exceedingly large confidence, that indeed women are strongly under-represented among Nobel laureates across all disciplines examined

Gender bias in Nobel prizes

Abstract Strikingly few Nobel laureates within medicine, natural and social sciences are women. It is obvious that there are fewer women researchers within these fields, but does this still fully account for the low number of female Nobel laureates? We examine whether women are awarded the Nobel Prizes less often than the gender ratio suggests. Based on historical data across four scientific fields and a Bayesian hierarchical model, we quantify any possible bias. The model reveals, with exceedingly large confidence, that indeed women are strongly under-represented among Nobel laureates across all disciplines examined

Dispersion of guided modes in two-dimensional split ring lattices

We present a semi-analytical point-dipole method that uses Ewald lattice summation to find the dispersion relation of guided plasmonic and bianisotropic modes in metasurfaces composed of 2D periodic lattices of arbitrarily strongly scattering magneto-electric dipole scatterers. This method takes into account all retarded electrodynamic interactions as well as radiation damping selfconsistently. As illustration we analyze the dispersion of plasmon nanorod lattices, and of 2D split ring resonator lattices. Plasmon nanorod lattices support transverse and longitudinal in-plane electric modes. Scatterers that have an in-plane electric and out-of-plane magnetic polarizability, but without intrinsic magnetoelectric coupling, result in two bands that are mixtures of the bands of electric-only and magnetic-only lattices. Thereby bianisotropy through mutual coupling, in absence of building-block bianisotropy, is evident. Once strong bi-anisotropy is included in each building block, the Bloch modes become even more strongly magnetoelectric. Our results are important to understand spatial dispersion and bianisotropy of metasurface and metamaterial designs

Nonlinear carrier dynamics in a quantum dash optical amplifier

Results of experimental pump-probe spectroscopy of a quantum dash optical amplifier biased at transparency are presented. Using strong pump pulses we observe a competition between free carrier absorption and two-photon induced stimulated emission that can have drastic effects on the transmission dynamics. Thus, both enhancement as well as suppression of the transmission can be observed even when the amplifier is biased at transparency. A simple theoretical model taking into account two-photon absorption and free carrier absorption is presented that shows good agreement with the measurements