20GHz picosecond pulse generation by 1300nm mode-locked quantum dot master oscillator power amplifier

An integrated 1300 nm QD mode-locked narrow stripe MOPA is shown to generate 10.5 ps Fourier transform limited pulses at 20 GHz. The pulse train has an average power of 46.4 mW and peak powers exceeding 0.31 W

Metal-peptidic cages—Helical oligoprolines generate highly anisotropic nanospaces with emergent isomer control

The self-assembly of metal-organic cages enables the rapid creation of atomically defined, three-dimensional, nanoscale architectures reminiscent of proteins. However, existing metal-organic cages are almost exclusively built from rigid and flat aromatic panels, limiting binding selectivity and, often, water solubility. Herein, we disclose a new class of cages—metal-peptidic cages—which utilize water-soluble, chiral, and helical oligoproline strands of varying lengths to generate highly anisotropic nanospaces. Further, we find that the formation of the cis isomer of the cage is strongly favored and is an emergent property of using complex and chiral building blocks in the formation of defined nanospaces. We demonstrate that the use of peptidic building blocks allows us to rapidly tune the size of the nanospace formed, from c. 1 to 4 nm, and that the use of biologically relevant components enables targeted binding of therapeutic molecules, highlighting the potential of these systems for selective drug delivery.</p

Wandering globular clusters: the first dwarf galaxies in the universe?

In the last decade we witness an advent of new types of dwarf stellar systems in cluding ultra-compact dwarfs, ultra-faint dwarf spheroidals, and exotic globular clusters, breaking the old simple paradigm for dwarf galaxies and globular clusters. These objects become more intriguing, and understanding of these new findings be comes more challenging. Recently we discovered a new type of large scale structure in the Virgo cluster of galaxies: it is composed of globular clusters. Globular clusters in Virgo are found wandering between galaxies (intracluster globular clusters) as well as in galaxies. These intracluster globular clusters fill a significant fraction in the area of the Virgo cluster and they are dominated by blue globular clusters. These intracluster globular clusters may be closely related with the first dwarf galaxies in the universe.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figures, Conference Proceedings: "A Universe of Dwarf Galaxies", 14-18 June 2010, Lyon, Franc

Monitoring acoustic emission (AE) energy in slurry impingement using a new model for particle impact.

A series of systematic impact tests have been carried out to investigate the influence of particle size, free stream velocity, particle impact angle, and nominal particle concentration on the amount of energy dissipated in a carbon steel target using a slurry impingement erosion test rig, as indicated by the acoustic emission (AE) recorded by a sensor mounted on the back of the target. Silica sand particles of mean particle size 152.5, 231, and 362.5 μm were used for impingement on the target at angles varying between 30° and 90°while the free stream velocity was changed between 4.2 and 12.7 m/s. In previous work by the authors, it was demonstrated that the AE time series associated with particle-laden air striking a carbon steel target could be described as the cumulation of individual particle arrival events each drawn from a statistical distribution model. The high arrival rate involved in a slurry jet poses challenges in resolving individual particle impact signatures in the AE record, and so the model has been extended in this paper to account for different particle carrier-fluids and to situations where arrivals cannot necessarily be resolved

Cross-Correlation Studies with CMB Polarization Maps

The free-electron population during the reionized epoch rescatters CMB temperature quadrupole and generates a now well-known polarization signal at large angular scales. While this contribution has been detected in the temperature-polarization cross power spectrum measured with WMAP data, due to the large cosmic variance associated with anisotropy measurements at tens of degree angular scales only limited information related to reionization, such as the optical depth to electron scattering, can be extracted. The inhomogeneities in the free-electron population lead to an additional secondary polarization anisotropy contribution at arcminute scales. While the fluctuation amplitude, relative to dominant primordial fluctuations, is small, we suggest that a cross-correlation between arcminute scale CMB polarization data and a tracer field of the high redshift universe, such as through fluctuations captured by the 21 cm neutral Hydrogen background or those in the infrared background related to first proto-galaxies, may allow one to study additional details related to reionization. For this purpose, we discuss an optimized higher order correlation measurement, in the form of a three-point function, including information from large angular scale CMB temperature anisotropies in addition to arcminute scale polarization signal related to inhomogeneous reionization. We suggest that the proposed bispectrum can be measured with a substantial signal-to-noise ratio and does not require all-sky maps of CMB polarization or that of the tracer field. A measurement such as the one proposed may allow one to establish the epoch when CMB polarization related to reionization is generated and to address if the universe was reionized once or twice.Comment: 13 pages, 7 figures; Version in press with Phys. Rev.

Partially filled stripes in the two dimensional Hubbard model: statics and dynamics

The internal structure of stripes in the two dimensional Hubbard model is studied by going beyond the Hartree-Fock approximation. Partially filled stripes, consistent with experimental observations, are stabilized by quantum fluctuations, included through the Configuration Interaction method. Hopping of short regions of the stripes in the transverse direction is comparable to the bare hopping element. The integrated value of $n_{\bf \vec{k}}$ compares well with experimental results.Comment: 4 page

The sol-gel method for preparation of polysiloxane xerogels containing carboxylic functionality

A procedure has been developed for synthesis of new polysiloxane xerogels with propionic and butyric acid-type groups. The procedure is based on the sol-gel method and involves the conversion of 2-cyanoethyltriethoxysilane (or 4-(triethoxysilyl)butyronitrile) to an ester with its subsequent hydrolytic polycondensation reaction.Розроблена методика синтезу нових полісилоксанових ксерогелів, що містять залишки пропіонової і масляної кислот.Разработана методика синтеза новых полисилоксановых ксерогелей, содержащих остатки пропионовой и масляной кислот

Nonlinear excitations in CsNiF3 in magnetic fields perpendicular to the easy plane

Experimental and numerical studies of the magnetic field dependence of the specific heat and magnetization of single crystals of CsNiF3 have been performed at 2.4 K, 2.9 K, and 4.2 K in magnetic fields up to 9 T oriented perpendicular to the easy plane. The experimental results confirm the presence of the theoretically predicted double peak structure in the specific heat arising from the formation of nonlinear spin modes. The demagnetizing effects are found to be negligible, and the overall agreement between the data and numerical predictions is better than reported for the case when the magnetic field was oriented in the easy plane. Demagnetizing effects might play a role in generating the difference observed between theory and experiment in previous work analyzing the excess specific heat using the sine-Gordon model.Comment: 6 pages, 5 figures, submitted to Phys. Rev.

Stability of metallic stripes in the extended one-band Hubbard model

Based on an unrestricted Gutzwiller approximation (GA) we investigate the stripe orientation and periodicity in an extended one-band Hubbard model. A negative ratio between next-nearest and nearest neighbor hopping t'/t, as appropriate for cuprates, favors partially filled (metallic) stripes for both vertical and diagonal configurations. At around optimal doping diagonal stripes, site centered (SC) and bond centered (BC) vertical stripes become degenerate suggesting strong lateral and orientational fluctuations. We find that within the GA the resulting phase diagram is in agreement with experiment whereas it is not in the Hartree-Fock approximation due to a strong overestimation of the stripe filling. Results are in agreement with previous calculations within the three-band Hubbard model but with the role of SC and BC stripes interchanged.Comment: 10 pages, 8 figure

Non-Equilibrium Electron Transport in Two-Dimensional Nano-Structures Modeled by Green's Functions and the Finite-Element Method

We use the effective-mass approximation and the density-functional theory with the local-density approximation for modeling two-dimensional nano-structures connected phase-coherently to two infinite leads. Using the non-equilibrium Green's function method the electron density and the current are calculated under a bias voltage. The problem of solving for the Green's functions numerically is formulated using the finite-element method (FEM). The Green's functions have non-reflecting open boundary conditions to take care of the infinite size of the system. We show how these boundary conditions are formulated in the FEM. The scheme is tested by calculating transmission probabilities for simple model potentials. The potential of the scheme is demonstrated by determining non-linear current-voltage behaviors of resonant tunneling structures.Comment: 13 pages,15 figure