Phase asymmetry effect in longitudinal offset coupled resonator optical waveguides

We show that the implementation of the longitudinal displacement technique for adjusting the coupling coefficients in microring waveguides is subject to a phase asymmetry effect. This issue is shown to substantially alter the system response in apodized filters and cannot be ignored in the design stage

Environmental sensitivity of n-i-n and undoped single GaN nanowire photodetectors

In this work, we compare the photodetector performance of single defect-free undoped and n-in GaN nanowires (NWs). In vacuum, undoped NWs present a responsivity increment, nonlinearities and persistent photoconductivity effects (~ 100 s). Their unpinned Fermi level at the m-plane NW sidewalls enhances the surface states role in the photodetection dynamics. Air adsorbed oxygen accelerates the carrier dynamics at the price of reducing the photoresponse. In contrast, in n-i-n NWs, the Fermi level pinning at the contact regions limits the photoinduced sweep of the surface band bending, and hence reduces the environment sensitivity and prevents persistent effects even in vacuum

Density operator of a system pumped with polaritons: A Jaynes-Cummings like approach

We investigate the effects of considering two different incoherent pumpings over a microcavity-quantum dot system modelled using the Jaynes-Cummings Hamiltonian. When the system is incoherently pumped with polaritons it is able to sustain a large number of photons inside the cavity with Poisson-like statistics in the stationary limit, and also leads to a separable exciton-photon state. We also investigate the effects of both types of pumpings (Excitonic and Polaritonic) in the emission spectrum of the cavity. We show that the polaritonic pumping as considered here is unable to modify the dynamical regimes of the system as the excitonics pumping does. Finally, we obtain a closed form expression for the negativity of the density matrices that the quantum master equation considered here generates.Comment: 16 pages, 4 figure

Fast and slow light in zig-zag microring resonator chains

We analyze fast and slow light transmission in a zig-zag microring resonator chain. This novel device permits the operation in both regimes. In the superluminal case, a new ubiquitous light transmission effect is found whereby the input optical pulse is reproduced in an almost simultaneous manner at the various system outputs. When the input carrier is tuned to a different frequency, the system permits to slow down the propagating optical signal. Between these two extreme cases, the relative delay can be tuned within a broad range

Africa’s neglected area of human resources for health research – the way forward

Building the skills for doing, managing and delivering healthresearch is essential for every country’s development. Yet humanresources for health research (HRHR) are seldom considered inAfrica and elsewhere. Africa’s health research capacity has grownconsiderably, with potential to increase this growth. However, asystemic way of defining, co-ordinating and growing the HRHRneeded to support health systems development is missing.Reviewing the status of HRHR in Africa, we assert that it consistsof unco-ordinated, small-scale activities, primarily driven fromoutside Africa. We present examples of ongoing HRHR capacitybuilding initiatives in Africa. There is no overarching framework, strategy or body for African countries to optimise research support and capacity in HRHR. A simple model is presented to help countries plan and strategisefor a comprehensive approach to research capacity strengthening.Everyone engaged with global, regional and national researchfor health enterprises must proactively address human resourceplanning for health research in Africa. Unless this is made explicitin global and national agendas, Africa will remain only an interestedspectator in the decisions, prioritisation, funding allocations,conduct and interpretation, and in the institutional, economic andsocial benefits of health research, rather than owning and drivingits own health research agendas

Wave envelopes with second-order spatiotemporal dispersion : I. Bright Kerr solitons and cnoidal waves

We propose a simple scalar model for describing pulse phenomena beyond the conventional slowly-varying envelope approximation. The generic governing equation has a cubic nonlinearity and we focus here mainly on contexts involving anomalous group-velocity dispersion. Pulse propagation turns out to be a problem firmly rooted in frames-of-reference considerations. The transformation properties of the new model and its space-time structure are explored in detail. Two distinct representations of exact analytical solitons and their associated conservation laws (in both integral and algebraic forms) are presented, and a range of new predictions is made. We also report cnoidal waves of the governing nonlinear equation. Crucially, conventional pulse theory is shown to emerge as a limit of the more general formulation. Extensive simulations examine the role of the new solitons as robust attractors