Photonic crystal polarizers and polarizing beam splitters

We have experimentally demonstrated polarizers and polarizing beam splitters based on microwave-scale two-dimensional photonic crystals. Using polarized microwaves within certain frequency bands, we have observed a squared-sinusoid (Malus) transmission law when using the photonic crystal as a polarizer. The photonic crystal also functions as a polarizing beamsplitter; in this configuration it can be engineered to split incident polarizations in either order, making it more versatile than conventional, Brewster-angle beamsplitters.Comment: 7 pages, 3 figures, published Journal Applied Physics 93, 9429 (2003

Faster-than-light effects and negative group delays in optics and electronics, and their applications

Recent manifestations of apparently faster-than-light effects confirmed our predictions that the group velocity in transparent optical media can exceed c. Special relativity is not violated by these phenomena. Moreover, in the electronic domain, the causality principle does not forbid negative group delays of analytic signals in electronic circuits, in which the peak of an output pulse leaves the exit port of a circuit before the peak of the input pulse enters the input port. Furthermore, pulse distortion for these superluminal analytic signals can be negligible in both the optical and electronic domains. Here we suggest an extension of these ideas to the microelectronic domain. The underlying principle is that negative feedback can be used to produce negative group delays. Such negative group delays can be used to cancel out the positive group delays due to transistor latency (e.g., the finite RC rise time of MOSFETS caused by their intrinsic gate capacitance), as well as the propagation delays due to the interconnects between transistors. Using this principle, it is possible to speed up computer systems.Comment: 13 pages, 5 figures, 2001 Photonic West Plenary Tal

Weak-wave advancement in nearly collinear four-wave mixing

We identify a new four-wave mixing process in which two nearly collinear pump beams produce phase-dependent gain into a weak bisector signal beam in a self-defocusing Kerr medium. Phase matching is achieved by weak-wave advancement caused by cross-phase modulation between the pump and signal beams. We relate this process to the inverse of spatial modulational instability and suggest a time-domain analog.Comment: 7 pages, 3 figure

Microwave measurements of the photonic bandgap in a two-dimensional photonic crystal slab

We have measured the photonic bandgap in the transmission of microwaves through a two-dimensional photonic crystal slab. The structure was constructed by cementing acrylic rods in a hexagonal closed-packed array to form rectangular stacks. We find a bandgap centered at approximately 11 GHz, whose depth, width and center frequency vary with the number of layers in the slab, angle of incidence and microwave polarization.Comment: 8 pages, 3 figures, submitted to Journal of Applied Physic

Zener tunneling in two-dimensional photonic lattices

We discuss the interband light tunneling in a two-dimensional periodic photonic structure, as was studied recently in experiments for optically-induced photonic lattices [H. Trompeter et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. \textbf{96}, 053903 (2006)]. We identify the Zener tunneling regime at the crossing of two Bloch bands, which occurs in a generic case of the Bragg reflection when the Bloch index crosses the edge of the irreducible Brillouin zone. Similarly, the higher-order Zener tunneling involves four Bloch bands when the Bloch index passes through a high-symmetry point on the edge of the Brillouin zone. We derive simple analytical models that describe the tunneling effect, and calculate the corresponding tunneling probabilities.Comment: 6 pages, 6 figures, submitted to Phys Rev E; changes: band structure added (fig1) and the error estimates for the Landau-Zener model (fig 6

Atributos físicos e químicos de um argissolo vermelho-amarelo submetido a diferentes manejos de um experimento de longa duração.

Neste trabalho objetivou-se avaliar a alteração de algumas propriedades físicas e químicas do solo sob diferentes sistemas de preparo, num experimento de longa duração, após 23 anos de instalação. Foram coletadas amostras de solo para avaliar os atributos químicos e físicos do solo. Os tratamentos foram: plantio direto, arado de disco, arado de disco + grade pesada, grade pesada e mata secundária, como referência. Com os dados obtidos, foi possível observar que a mata secundária apresentou os maiores teores de carbono total e acidez. Já os teores de nutrientes P, K+, Ca2+ e Mg2+, foram mais elevados nos sistemas de preparo do solo, destacando o P na camada superficial do sistema Plantio direto. A densidade de solo também foi maior na camada superficial neste tratamento, diminuindo em profundidade, enquanto se verificou o inverso nos preparos convencionais. Concluiu-se que o maior conteúdo de carbono total na mata secundária se deve ao acúmulo de resíduos vegetais na superfície, aportados pela vegetação natural. Já os maiores teores de P, K, Ca2+ e Mg2+ nos solos agricultáveis deve-se a aplicação de fertilizantes e corretivos e, o aumento da densidade de solo na superfície é devido ao tráfego de máquinas e implementos agrícolas durante o manejo

Reinforcement learning with variational quantum algorithms for trajectory planning

Das Ziel dieser Arbeit ist es, Reinforcement Learning (RL) mit Variational Quantum Circuits (VQCs) mit Fokus auf seine Anwendbarkeit auf verschiedene Standard-RL-Probleme und Spurwechselmanöver zu untersuchen. Die untersuchten Hauptaspekte umfassten Machbarkeit, Einschränkungen und mögliche Vorteile beim Vergleich quantenerweiterter Systeme mit klassischen Systemen in RL. Wir konnten zeigen, dass VQCs mehrere einfache RL-Umgebungen lösen können und ähnliche oder sogar bessere Ergebnisse erzielen als ein klassischer Agent. Für das komplexere Spurwechselmanöver erzielten wir suboptimale Ergebnisse für das aktuelle Setup mit eingeschränkter Hyperparametersuche. Wir haben ferner gezeigt, dass Umgebungen mit einer doppelt so großen Beobachtungsvektorgröße wie zuvor veröffentlicht gelöst werden können. Wir fanden auch Hinweise auf mögliche Quantenvorteile in der Konvergenzrate und Stabilität für diskrete Zustandsraumumgebungen. Darüber hinaus haben wir auch gezeigt, dass der mit einem VQC implementierte Q-Learning-Algorithmus stark rauschanfällig ist, was zu Problemen bei der Verwendung von Noisy Intermediate-Scale Quantum (NISQ)-Hardware führt

Fast light, slow light, and phase singularities: a connection to generalized weak values

We demonstrate that Aharonov-Albert-Vaidman (AAV) weak values have a direct relationship with the response function of a system, and have a much wider range of applicability in both the classical and quantum domains than previously thought. Using this idea, we have built an optical system, based on a birefringent photonic crystal, with an infinite number of weak values. In this system, the propagation speed of a polarized light pulse displays both superluminal and slow light behavior with a sharp transition between the two regimes. We show that this system's response possesses two-dimensional, vortex-antivortex phase singularities. Important consequences for optical signal processing are discussed.Comment: 9 pages, 4 figures, accepted in Physical Review Letters (2003