347 research outputs found
Characterization of gasoline/ethanol blends by infrared and excess infrared spectroscopy
This work was supported by the Northern Research Partnership (NRP) in Scotland and the Scottish Sensor Systems Centre (SSSC) funded by the Scottish Funding Council (SFC).Peer reviewedPostprin
Bully-proofing
This study was designed to determine if the existing Bully-Proofing Program at the Reeds Road Elementary School is working effectively. Utilizing an action research design, fifth and sixth graders completed a bully-proofing survey during the 2002-2003 academic year. This survey elicited student observations and actions of bullying within the school. Forty surveys were randomly chosen for analysis with the final research population being twenty fifth graders and twenty sixth graders (20 female/20 male). In analyzing the results, verbal bullying was responded to the most, outweighing all other forms. Another statistic is that boys were identified as bullies, more so than girls. The survey not only gave insight on bullying as an observer, as a victim, or as a bully themselves, but gives the indication that bullying is still very apparent within the school. Unfortunately, with so many bullying incidents reported it becomes rather difficult to deem the Bully-Proofing Program a complete success
Dye lasing in optically manipulated liquid aerosols
We report lasing in airborne, rhodamine B-doped glycerol-water droplets with diameters ranging between 7.7 and 11.0 mu m, which were localized using optical tweezers. While being trapped near the focal point of an infrared laser, the droplets were pumped with a Q-switched green laser. Our experiments revealed nonlinear dependence of the intensity of the droplet whispering gallery modes (WGMs) on the pump laser fluence, indicating dye lasing. The average wavelength of the lasing WGMs could be tuned between 600 and 630 nm by changing the droplet size. These results may lead to new ways of probing airborne particles, exploiting the high sensitivity of stimulated emission to small perturbations in the droplet laser cavity and the gain medium
Pinning and transport of cyclotron/Landau orbits by electromagnetic vortices
Electromagnetic waves with phase defects in the form of vortex lines combined
with a constant magnetic field are shown to pin down cyclotron orbits (Landau
orbits in the quantum mechanical setting) of charged particles at the location
of the vortex. This effect manifests itself in classical theory as a trapping
of trajectories and in quantum theory as a Gaussian shape of the localized wave
functions. Analytic solutions of the Lorentz equation in the classical case and
of the Schr\"odinger or Dirac equations in the quantum case are exhibited that
give precise criteria for the localization of the orbits. There is a range of
parameters where the localization is destroyed by the parametric resonance.
Pinning of orbits allows for their controlled positioning -- they can be
transported by the motion of the vortex lines.Comment: This version differs from the printed paper in having the full titles
of all referenced pape
Optical binding mechanisms: a conceptual model for Gaussian beam traps
Optical binding interactions between laser-trapped spherical microparticles
are familiar in a wide range of trapping configurations. Recently it has been
demonstrated that these experiments can be accurately modeled using Mie
scattering or coupled dipole models. This can help confirm the physical
phenomena underlying the inter-particle interactions, but does not necessarily
develop a conceptual understanding of the effects that can lead to future
predictions. Here we interpret results from a Mie scattering model to obtain a
physical description which predict the behavior and trends for chains of
trapped particles in Gaussian beam traps. In particular, it describes the
non-uniform particle spacing and how it changes with the number of particles.
We go further than simply \emph{demonstrating} agreement, by showing that the
mechanisms ``hidden'' within a mathematically and computationally demanding Mie
scattering description can be explained in easily-understood terms.Comment: Preprint of manuscript submitted to Optics Expres
Topological dragging of solitons
We put forward properties of solitons supported by optical lattices featuring
topological dislocations, and show that solitons experience attractive and
repulsive forces around the dislocations. Suitable arrangements of dislocations
are even found to form soliton traps, and the properties of such solitons are
shown to crucially depend on the trap topology. The uncovered phenomenon opens
a new concept for soliton control and manipulation, e.g., in disk-shaped
Bose-Einstein condensates.Comment: 15 pages, 5 figures, to appear in Physical Review Letter
Soliton topology versus discrete symmetry in optical lattices
We address the existence of vortex solitons supported by azimuthally
modulated lattices and reveal how the global lattice discrete symmetry has
fundamental implications on the possible topological charges of solitons. We
set a general ``charge rule'' using group-theory techniques, which holds for
all lattices belonging to a given symmetry group. Focusing in the case of
Bessel lattices allows us to derive also a overall stability rule for the
allowed vortex solitons.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures. To appear in Phys. Rev. Let
Effective magnetic fields in degenerate atomic gases induced by light beams with orbital angular momenta
We investigate the influence of two resonant laser beams on the mechanical
properties of degenerate atomic gases. The control and probe beams of light are
considered to have Orbital Angular Momenta (OAM) and act on the three-level
atoms in the Electromagnetically Induced Transparency (EIT) configuration. The
theory is based on the explicit analysis of the quantum dynamics of cold atoms
coupled with two laser beams. Using the adiabatic approximation, we obtain an
effective equation of motion for the atoms driven to the dark state. The
equation contains a vector potential type interaction as well as an effective
trapping potential. The effective magnetic field is shown to be oriented along
the propagation direction of the control and probe beams containing OAM. Its
spatial profile can be controlled by choosing proper laser beams. We
demonstrate how to generate a constant effective magnetic field, as well as a
field exhibiting a radial distance dependence. The resulting effective magnetic
field can be concentrated within a region where the effective trapping
potential holds the atoms. The estimated magnetic length can be considerably
smaller than the size of the atomic cloud.Comment: 11 pages, 5 figures Corrected some mistakes in equation
Stable Mode Sorting by Two-Dimensional Parity of Photonic Transverse Spatial States
We describe a mode sorter for two-dimensional parity of transverse spatial
states of light based on an out-of-plane Sagnac interferometer. Both
Hermite-Gauss (HG) and Laguerre-Gauss (LG) modes can be guided into one of two
output ports according to the two-dimensional parity of the mode in question.
Our interferometer sorts HG_nm input modes depending upon whether they have
even or odd order n+m; it equivalently sorts LG modes depending upon whether
they have an even or odd value of their orbital angular momentum. It functions
efficiently at the single-photon level, and therefore can be used to sort
single-photon states. Due to the inherent phase stability of this type of
interferometer as compared to those of the Mach-Zehnder type, it provides a
promising tool for the manipulation and filtering of higher order transverse
spatial modes for the purposes of quantum information processing. For example,
several similar Sagnacs cascaded together may allow, for the first time, a
stable measurement of the orbital angular momentum of a true single-photon
state. Furthermore, as an alternative to well-known holographic techniques, one
can use the Sagnac in conjunction with a multi-mode fiber as a spatial mode
filter, which can be used to produce spatial-mode entangled Bell states and
heralded single photons in arbitrary first-order (n+m=1) spatial states,
covering the entire Poincare sphere of first-order transverse modes.Comment: 11 pages, 12 figures, 2 appendice
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