6,893 research outputs found
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
Data acquisition system for NASA LaRC impact dynamics research facility
A data system is designed to permit the simultaneous recording of 90 data channels on one 28 track magnetic tape recorder using a constant bandwidth FM multiplexing technique. Dynamic signals from transducers located in the test aircraft are amplified and fed to voltage controlled oscillators where they are converted to discrete FM signals. The signals from each group of five VCO's are fed to a mixer/distribution amplifier where they are combined into one composite signal and recorded, using direct recording techniques, on one magnetic tape recorder track. Millivolt signals from the recorders reproduce heads are amplified to one volt and then electronically switched to an FM demultiplexing system where appropriate frequency discrimination and signal filtering recover the original analog information
Modulated infrared radiant source
A modulated, infrared radiant energy source was developed to calibrate an airborne nadir-viewing pressure modulated radiometer to be used to detect from Earth orbit trace gases in the troposphere. The technique used an 8 cm long, 0.005 cm diameter platinum-iridium wire as an isothermal, thin line radiant energy source maintained at 1200 K. A + or - 20 K signal, oscillating at controllable frequencies from dc to 20 Hz, was superimposed on it. This periodic variation of the line source energy was used to verify the pressure modulated radiometer's capability to distinguish between the signal variations caused by the Earth's background surface and the signal from the atmospheric gases of interest
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
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
Comparison of in situ aerosol measurements with SAGE 2 and SAM 2 aerosol measurements during the airborne Antarctic ozone experiment
Models indicate that stratospheric aerosols play a major role in the destruction of ozone during the Austral winter. Although many in situ measurements of stratospheric aerosols were made during the Airborne Antarctic Ozone Experiment, changes of aerosol concentration and size distributions across the polar vortex are important to understanding changes of chemical species taking place during this time. Therefore comparing the in situ measurements with measurements made by satellites scanning wider areas will give a clearer picture of the possible role played by aerosols during this period. The wire impactor size distributions are compared to those from the aerosol spectrometers and a best fit size distribution determined. Aerosol extinctions are calculated from the in situ measurements and compared to the extinctions measured by the satellites. Five comparisons are made with SAGE 2 and four with SAM 2. Extinctions agree as close as a factor of two
Adaptive multigrid algorithm for the lattice Wilson-Dirac operator
We present an adaptive multigrid solver for application to the non-Hermitian
Wilson-Dirac system of QCD. The key components leading to the success of our
proposed algorithm are the use of an adaptive projection onto coarse grids that
preserves the near null space of the system matrix together with a simplified
form of the correction based on the so-called gamma_5-Hermitian symmetry of the
Dirac operator. We demonstrate that the algorithm nearly eliminates critical
slowing down in the chiral limit and that it has weak dependence on the lattice
volume
Demonstration of superluminal effects in an absorptionless, non-reflective system
We present an experimental and theoretical study of a simple, passive system
consisting of a birefringent, two-dimensional photonic crystal and a polarizer
in series, and show that superluminal dispersive effects can arise even though
no incident radiation is absorbed or reflected. We demonstrate that a vector
formulation of the Kramers-Kronig dispersion relations facilitates an
understanding of these counter-intuitive effects.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figures, accepted on Physical Review Letter
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
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