Exploiting long-range disorder in slow-light photonic crystal waveguides

The interplay between order and disorder in photonic lattices opens up a wide range of novel optical scattering mechanisms, resonances, and applications that can be obscured by typical ordered design approaches to photonics. Striking examples include Anderson localization, random lasers, and visible light scattering in biophotonic structures such as butterfly wings. In this work, we present a profound example of light localization in photonic crystal waveguides by introducing long-range correlated disorder. Using a rigorous three-dimensional Bloch mode expansion technique, we demonstrate how inter-hole correlations have a negative contribution to the total out-of-plane radiative losses, leading to a pronounced enhancement of the quality factor, $Q$, and $Q/V$ cavity figures of merit in the long-range correlation regime. Subsequently, the intensity fluctuations of the system are shown to globally increase with the correlation length, highlighting the non-trivial role of long-range disorder on the underlying scattering mechanisms. We also explore the possibility of creating ultra-high quality cavity modes via inter-hole correlations, which have various functionalities in chip-based nonlinear optics and waveguide cavity-quantum electrodynamics.Comment: Updated version with DO

Japan's new security agenda

New Japanese Prime Minister Shinzō Abe has only been in office since late September, but already the outlines of his administration are becoming clearer, both in expected and unexpected directions. Abe’s administration is proving to be conservative and revisionist, and even more so than that of his predecessor Junichirō Koizumi. Abe has certainly moved to improve ties with China and South Korea—Beijing and Seoul the October destinations for his first overseas visits within two weeks of taking power—and thereby to limit the damage wrought by Koizumi’s visits to Yasukuni Shrine and bilateral wrangling over Japan’s colonial history. However, the general thrust of Abe’s diplomacy is built upon much of the legacy left by Koizumi, and is attempting to shift it on to a yet more pro-active and assertive path

Orbital evolution of a test particle around a black hole: higher-order corrections

We study the orbital evolution of a radiation-damped binary in the extreme mass ratio limit, and the resulting waveforms, to one order beyond what can be obtained using the conservation laws approach. The equations of motion are solved perturbatively in the mass ratio (or the corresponding parameter in the scalar field toy model), using the self force, for quasi-circular orbits around a Schwarzschild black hole. This approach is applied for the scalar model. Higher-order corrections yield a phase shift which, if included, may make gravitational-wave astronomy potentially highly accurate.Comment: 4 pages, 3 Encapsulated PostScript figure

THE SS-AAEA QUIZBOWL: SUCCESS IN AND OUT OF THE CLASSROOM A THREE YEAR STUDY

A three year study of the Quizbowl participants and advisers reveals perceptions on how beneficial preparation for and participation in the SS-AAEA Quizbowl are in successfully completing related course work in eight areas of economics at their universities and how funding impacts performance. Additionally responses indicate overall satisfaction with Quizbowl event.Teaching/Communication/Extension/Profession,

IMPACTS OF UNIVERSITY FINANCIAL AND ACADEMIC SUPPORT ON STUDENT PERFORMANCE AT THE SS-AAEA QUIZBOWL COMPETITION AND IN THE CLASSROOM

A 2001 survey of SS-AAEA Quizbowl participants suggested potential benefits of the SS-AAEA Quizbowl Competition to students' academic performance. A new survey of quizbowl advisers is used with the previous data to determine the impact of a university's academic and/or financial support of participants on students' performances at the competition.Teaching/Communication/Extension/Profession,