Standoff Detection of Solid Traces by Single-Beam Nonlinear Raman Spectroscopy Using Shaped Femtosecond Pulses

We demonstrate a single-beam, standoff (>10m) coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering spectroscopy (CARS) of various materials, including trace amounts of explosives and nitrate samples, under ambient light conditions. The multiplex measurement of characteristic molecular vibrations with <20cm-1 spectral resolution is carried out using a single broadband (>550cm-1) phase-shaped femtosecond laser pulse. We exploit the strong nonresonant background signal for amplification of the weak backscattered resonant CARS signal by using a homodyne detection scheme. This facilitates a simple, highly sensitive single-beam spectroscopic technique, with a potential for hazardous materials standoff detection applications

Grassmann-Gaussian integrals and generalized star products

In quantum scattering on networks there is a non-linear composition rule for on-shell scattering matrices which serves as a replacement for the multiplicative rule of transfer matrices valid in other physical contexts. In this article, we show how this composition rule is obtained using Berezin integration theory with Grassmann variables.Comment: 14 pages, 2 figures. In memory of Al.B. Zamolodichiko

Natural Toxins for Use in Pest Management

Natural toxins are a source of new chemical classes of pesticides, as well as environmentally and toxicologically safer molecules than many of the currently used pesticides. Furthermore, they often have molecular target sites that are not exploited by currently marketed pesticides. There are highly successful products based on natural compounds in the major pesticide classes. These include the herbicide glufosinate (synthetic phosphinothricin), the spinosad insecticides, and the strobilurin fungicides. These and other examples of currently marketed natural product-based pesticides, as well as natural toxins that show promise as pesticides from our own research are discussed

Description, characteristics and testing of the NASA airborne radar

Presented here is a description of a coherent radar scattermeter and its associated signal processing hardware, which have been specifically designed to detect microbursts and record their radar characteristics. Radar parameters, signal processing techniques and detection algorithms, all under computer control, combine to sense and process reflectivity, clutter, and microburst data. Also presented is the system's high density, high data rate recording system. This digital system is capable of recording many minutes of the in-phase and quadrature components and corresponding receiver gains of the scattered returns for selected spatial regions, as well as other aircraft and hardware related parameters of interest for post-flight analysis. Information is given in viewgraph form

Safety Checkpoints

partially_open9sìopenKazemipour, Alireza; Kleine-Ostmann, Thomas; Schrader, Thorsten; Allal, Djamel; Charles, Michael; Zilberti, Luca; Borsero, Michele; Bottauscio, Oriano; Chiampi, MarioKazemipour, Alireza; Kleine Ostmann, Thomas; Schrader, Thorsten; Allal, Djamel; Charles, Michael; Zilberti, Luca; Borsero, Michele; Bottauscio, Oriano; Chiampi, Mari

The Generalized Star Product and the Factorization of Scattering Matrices on Graphs

In this article we continue our analysis of Schr\"odinger operators on arbitrary graphs given as certain Laplace operators. In the present paper we give the proof of the composition rule for the scattering matrices. This composition rule gives the scattering matrix of a graph as a generalized star product of the scattering matrices corresponding to its subgraphs. We perform a detailed analysis of the generalized star product for arbitrary unitary matrices. The relation to the theory of transfer matrices is also discussed

Quantum ergodicity of C* dynamical systems

This paper contains a very simple and general proof that eigenfunctions of quantizations of classically ergodic systems become uniformly distributed in phase space. This ergodicity property of eigenfunctions f is shown to follow from a convexity inequality for the invariant states (Af,f). This proof of ergodicity of eigenfunctions simplifies previous proofs (due to A.I. Shnirelman, Colin de Verdiere and the author) and extends the result to the much more general framework of C* dynamical systems.Comment: Only very minor differences with the published versio

The DNA Glycosylases Ogg1 and Nth1 Do Not Contribute to Ig Class Switching in Activated Mouse Splenic B Cells

During activation of B cells to undergo class switching, B cell metabolism is increased, and levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) are increased. ROS can oxidize DNA bases resulting in substrates for the DNA glycosylases Ogg1 and Nth1. Ogg1 and Nth1 excise oxidized bases, and nick the resulting abasic sites, forming single-strand DNA breaks (SSBs) as intermediates during the repair process. In this study, we asked whether splenic B cells from mice deficient in these two enzymes would show altered class switching and decreased DNA breaks in comparison with wild-type mice. As the c-myc gene frequently recombines with the IgH S region in B cells induced to undergo class switching, we also analyzed the effect of deletion of these two glycosylases on DSBs in the c-myc gene. We did not detect a reduction in S region or c-myc DSBs or in class switching in splenic B cells from Ogg1- or Nth1-deficient mice or from mice deficient in both enzymes