15,613 research outputs found
Mode mixing in asymmetric double trench photonic crystal waveguides
e investigate both experimentally and theoretically the waveguiding
properties of a novel double trench waveguide where a conventional single-mode
strip waveguide is embedded in a two dimensional photonic crystal (PhC) slab
formed in silicon on insulator (SOI) wafers. We demonstrate that the bandwidth
for relatively low-loss (50dB/cm) waveguiding is significantly expanded to
250nm covering almost all the photonic band gap owing to nearly linear
dispersion of the TE-like waveguiding mode. The flat transmission spectrum
however is interrupted by numerous narrow stop bands. We found that these stop
bands can be attributed to anti-crossing between TE-like (positive parity) and
TM-like (negative parity) modes. This effect is a direct result of the strong
asymmetry of the waveguides that have an upper cladding of air and lower
cladding of oxide. To our knowledge this is the first demonstration of the
effects of cladding asymmetry on the transmission characteristics of the PhC
slab waveguides.Comment: 7 pages, 6 figure
Nutritional status and nutritional treatment are related to outcomes and mortality in older adults with hip fracture
Malnutrition is very prevalent in geriatric patients with hip fracture. Nevertheless, its importance is not fully recognized. The objective of this paper is to review the impact of malnutrition and of nutritional treatment upon outcomes and mortality in older people with hip fracture. We searched the PubMed database for studies evaluating nutritional aspects in people aged 70 years and over with hip fracture. The total number of studies included in the review was 44, which analyzed 26,281 subjects (73.5% women, 83.6 ± 7.2 years old). Older people with hip fracture presented an inadequate nutrient intake for their requirements, which caused deterioration in their already compromised nutritional status. The prevalence of malnutrition was approximately 18.7% using the Mini-Nutritional Assessment (MNA) (large or short form) as a diagnostic tool, but the prevalence was greater (45.7%) if different criteria were used (such as Body Mass Index (BMI), weight loss, or albumin concentration). Low scores in anthropometric indices were associated with a higher prevalence of complications during hospitalization and with a worse functional recovery. Despite improvements in the treatment of geriatric patients with hip fracture, mortality was still unacceptably high (30% within 1 year and up to 40% within 3 years). Malnutrition was associated with an increase in mortality. Nutritional intervention was cost effective and was associated with an improvement in nutritional status and a greater functional recovery. To conclude, in older people, the prevention of malnutrition and an early nutritional intervention can improve recovery following a hip fracture
Stability of Monitoring Weak Changes in Multiply Scattering Media with Ambient Noise Correlation: Laboratory Experiments
Previous studies have shown that small changes can be monitored in a
scattering medium by observing phase shifts in the coda. Passive monitoring of
weak changes through ambient noise correlation has already been applied to
seismology, acoustics and engineering. Usually, this is done under the
assumption that a properly reconstructed Green function as well as stable
background noise sources are necessary. In order to further develop this
monitoring technique, a laboratory experiment was performed in the 2.5MHz range
in a gel with scattering inclusions, comparing an active (pulse-echo) form of
monitoring to a passive (correlation) one. Present results show that
temperature changes in the medium can be observed even if the Green function
(GF) of the medium is not reconstructed. Moreover, this article establishes
that the GF reconstruction in the correlations is not a necessary condition:
the only condition to monitoring with correlation (passive experiment) is the
relative stability of the background noise structure
Contrasted role of disorder for magnetic properties in an original mixed valency iron Phosphate
We have measured the magnetic properties of a mixed valency iron phosphate.
It presents an original structure with crossed chains containing Fe II and
orthogonal to the longest direction of the crystallites. Microstructural
investigations using electron microscopy show the presence of random
nano-twinning. The ac susceptibility measurements demonstrate similarities with
the kinetics of a disordered magnetic, spin-glass like, state but are shown to
be essentially due to this peculiar disorder. Scaling properties are
characteristics of 3D second order transition implying that this disorder at a
small scale does not influence significantly long range magnetic ordering. At
low temperature, a decrease of the spontaneous magnetization and an
irreversible metamagnetic transition is observed, and is attributed to a
canting of the spins in the iron chain.Comment: accepted for publication in PR
Factorization of finite temperature graphs in thermal QED
We extend our previous analysis of gauge and Dirac fields in the presence of
a chemical potential. We consider an alternate thermal operator which relates
in a simple way the Feynman graphs in QED at finite temperature and charge
density to those at zero temperature but non-zero chemical potential. Several
interesting features of such a factorization are discussed in the context of
the thermal photon and fermion self-energies.Comment: 4 page
Spin noise and Bell inequalities in a realistic superconductor-quantum dot entangler
Charge and spin current correlations are analyzed in a source of
spin-entangled electrons built from a superconductor and two quantum dots in
parallel. In addition to the ideal (crossed Andreev) channel, parasitic
channels (direct Andreev and cotunneling) and spin flip processes are fully
described in a density matrix framework. The way they reduce both the
efficiency and the fidelity of the entangler is quantitatively described by
analyzing the zero-frequency noise correlations of charge current as well as
spin current in the two output branches. Spin current noise is characterized by
a spin Fano factor, equal to 0 (total current noise) and -1 (crossed
correlations) for an ideal entangler. The violation of the Bell inequalities,
as a test of non-locality (entanglement) of split pairs, is formulated in terms
of the correlations of electron charge and spin numbers counted in a specific
time window . The efficiency of the test is analyzed, comparing to
the various time scales in the entangler operation.Comment: 8 pages, 5 figures, references added, to appear in Phys. Rev.
Decoherence suppression via environment preparation
To protect a quantum system from decoherence due to interaction with its
environment, we investigate the existence of initial states of the environment
allowing for decoherence-free evolution of the system. For models in which a
two-state system interacts with a dynamical environment, we prove that such
states exist if and only if the interaction and self-evolution Hamiltonians
share an eigenstate. If decoherence by state preparation is not possible, we
show that initial states minimizing decoherence result from a delicate
compromise between the environment and interaction dynamics.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figure
Will spin-relaxation times in molecular magnets permit quantum information processing?
Using X-band pulsed electron spin resonance, we report the intrinsic
spin-lattice () and phase coherence () relaxation times in molecular
nanomagnets for the first time. In Cr heterometallic wheels, with = Ni
and Mn, phase coherence relaxation is dominated by the coupling of the electron
spin to protons within the molecule. In deuterated samples reaches 3
s at low temperatures, which is several orders of magnitude longer than
the duration of spin manipulations, satisfying a prerequisite for the
deployment of molecular nanomagnets in quantum information applications.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, in press at Physical Review Letter
Thermal Operator and Cutting Rules at Finite Temperature and Chemical Potential
In the context of scalar field theories, both real and complex, we derive the
cutting description at finite temperature (with zero/finite chemical potential)
from the cutting rules at zero temperature through the action of a simple
thermal operator. We give an alternative algebraic proof of the largest time
equation which brings out the underlying physics of such a relation. As an
application of the cutting description, we calculate the imaginary part of the
one loop retarded self-energy at zero/finite temperature and finite chemical
potential and show how this description can be used to calculate the dispersion
relation as well as the full physical self-energy of thermal particles.Comment: 17 pages, 13 figures. Added references, version to appear in Physical
Review
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