Enhanced photosensitivity in germanosilicate fibres exposed to CO₂ laser radiation

We report a novel method to increase the UV photosensitivity of GeO2:SiO2 optical fibers based on exposure to CO2 laser irradiation before grating writing. Fibers treated with a CO2 laser can produce gratings with refractive-index modulation two times greater and a Bragg wavelength that can be 2 nm longer than those of untreated fibers. Experiments on GeO2:SiO2 preform samples treated with a CO2 laser in a way similar to the fibers showed a marked increase of the 242 nm absorption band, which is associated with an increase of germanium oxygen-deficient centers and is believed to be responsible for the higher photorefractive response

New Consequences of Induced Transparency in a Double-Lambda scheme: Destructive Interference In Four-wave Mixing

We investigate a four-state system interacting with long and short laser pulses in a weak probe beam approximation. We show that when all lasers are tuned to the exact unperturbed resonances, part of the four-wave mixing (FWM) field is strongly absorbed. The part which is not absorbed has the exact intensity required to destructively interfere with the excitation pathway involved in producing the FWM state. We show that with this three-photon destructive interference, the conversion efficiency can still be as high as 25%. Contrary to common belief,our calculation shows that this process, where an ideal one-photon electromagnetically induced transparency is established, is not most suitable for high efficiency conversion. With appropriate phase-matching and propagation distance, and when the three-photon destructive interference does not occur, we show that the photon flux conversion efficiency is independent of probe intensity and can be close to 100%. In addition, we show clearly that the conversion efficiency is not determined by the maximum atomic coherence between two lower excited states, as commonly believed. It is the combination of phase-matching and constructive interference involving the two terms arising in producing the mixing wave that is the key element for the optimized FWM generation. Indeed, in this scheme no appreciable excited state is produced, so that the atomic coherence between states |0> and |2> is always very small.Comment: Submitted to Phys. Rev. A, 7 pages, 4 figure

Dislocation constriction and cross-slip in Al and Ag: an ab initio study

A novel model based on the Peierls framework of dislocations is developed. The new theory can deal with a dislocation spreading at more than one slip planes. As an example, we study dislocation cross-slip and constriction process of two fcc metals, Al and Ag. The energetic parameters entering the model are determined from ab initio calculations. We find that the screw dislocation in Al can cross-slip spontaneously in contrast with that in Ag, which splits into partials and cannot cross-slip without first being constricted. The dislocation response to an external stress is examined in detail. We determine dislocation constriction energy and critical stress for cross-slip, and from the latter, we estimate the cross-slip energy barrier for the straight screw dislocations

Shell-model calculations for the three-nucleon system

We use Faddeev's decomposition to solve the shell-model problem for three nucleons. The dependence on harmonic-oscillator excitations allowed in the model space, up to $32 \hbar\Omega$ in the present calculations, and on the harmonic-oscillator frequency is studied. Effective interactions derived from Nijmegen II and Reid93 potentials are used in the calculations. The binding energies obtained are close to those calculated by other methods. The structure of the Faddeev equations is discussed and a simple formula for matrix elements of the permutation operators in a harmonic-oscillator basis is given. The Pauli principle is properly treated in the calculations.Comment: 11 pages. REVTEX. 6 PostScript figure

Backward asymmetry of the Compton scattering by an isotropic distribution of relativistic electrons: astrophysical implications

The angular distribution of low-frequency radiation after single scattering by an isotropic distribution of relativistic electrons considerably differs from the Rayleigh angular function. In particular, the scattering by an ensemble of ultra-relativistic electrons obeys the law p=1-cos(alpha), where alpha is the scattering angle; hence photons are preferentially scattered backwards. We discuss some consequences of this fact for astrophysical problems. We show that a hot electron-scattering atmosphere is more reflective than a cold one: the fraction of incident photons which become reflected having suffered a single scattering event can be larger by up to 50 per cent in the former case. This should affect the photon exchange between cold accretion disks and hot coronae or ADAF flows in the vicinity of relativistic compact objects; as well as the rate of cooling (through multiple inverse-Compton scattering of seed photons supplied from outside) of optically thick clouds of relativistic electrons in compact radiosources. The forward-backward scattering asymmetry also causes spatial diffusion of photons to proceed slower in hot plasma than in cold one, which is important for the shapes of Comptonization spectra and the time delays between soft and hard radiations coming from variable X-ray sources.Comment: 20 pages, 3 figures, to appear in Astronomy Letters, added reference

In Defence of Modest Doxasticism About Delusions

Here I reply to the main points raised by the commentators on the arguments put forward in my Delusions and Other Irrational Beliefs (OUP, 2009). My response is aimed at defending a modest doxastic account of clinical delusions, and is articulated in three sections. First, I consider the view that delusions are in-between perceptual and doxastic states, defended by Jacob Hohwy and Vivek Rajan, and the view that delusions are failed attempts at believing or not-quite-beliefs, proposed by Eric Schwitzgebel and Maura Tumulty. Then, I address the relationship between the doxastic account of delusions and the role, nature, and prospects of folk psychology, which is discussed by Dominic Murphy, Keith Frankish, and Maura Tumulty in their contributions. In the final remarks, I turn to the continuity thesis and suggest that, although there are important differences between clinical delusions and non-pathological beliefs, these differences cannot be characterised satisfactorily in epistemic terms. \u

Theoretical investigations of a highly mismatched interface: the case of SiC/Si(001)

Using first principles, classical potentials, and elasticity theory, we investigated the structure of a semiconductor/semiconductor interface with a high lattice mismatch, SiC/Si(001). Among several tested possible configurations, a heterostructure with (i) a misfit dislocation network pinned at the interface and (ii) reconstructed dislocation cores with a carbon substoichiometry is found to be the most stable one. The importance of the slab approximation in first-principles calculations is discussed and estimated by combining classical potential techniques and elasticity theory. For the most stable configuration, an estimate of the interface energy is given. Finally, the electronic structure is investigated and discussed in relation with the dislocation array structure. Interface states, localized in the heterostructure gap and located on dislocation cores, are identified

Fast Field-Cycling MRI : Demonstration of New Technology for T1-Dispersion Contrast

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Adaptive mesh refinement versus subgrid friction interpolation in simulations of Antarctic ice dynamics

Geophysical Research Letters

A Multiscale Approach to Determination of Thermal Properties and Changes in Free Energy: Application to Reconstruction of Dislocations in Silicon

We introduce an approach to exploit the existence of multiple levels of description of a physical system to radically accelerate the determination of thermodynamic quantities. We first give a proof of principle of the method using two empirical interatomic potential functions. We then apply the technique to feed information from an interatomic potential into otherwise inaccessible quantum mechanical tight-binding calculations of the reconstruction of partial dislocations in silicon at finite temperature. With this approach, comprehensive ab initio studies at finite temperature will now be possible.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figure