Theoretical aspects of intense field harmonic generation

We present theoretical studies of high-order harmonic generation in a rare-gas medium. The experimental results obtained at Saclay with a 1064 nm Nd-YAG laser in the 1013 W cm-2 intensity range are summarized. The harmonic emission strengths first decrease rather steeply for the first orders, then form a long plateau up to the 21st harmonic in xenon, or up to the 33rd harmonic in argon, before decreasing again rather abruptly. The theoretical description of these experiments consists first in the calculation of the photoemission spectra emitted by a single atom. The spectra are obtained by numerically integrating a time-dependent Schrôdinger equation for the laser-excited rare-gas atom. Second, one must account for collective effects in the medium, described by Maxwell’s equations. A theoretical framework for describing the generation and propagation of harmonics in strong laser fields is developed. A numerical solution of the propagation equations for the harmonic fields in xenon at 1064 nm provides results which agree well with experimental data. We discuss the role of phase matching in the high-order harmonic generation experiments. The main conclusion is that phase matching is determined not only by the variation of the phases of the interfering fields in the non-linear medium, but also by the variation of the amplitudes throughout the medium. We find orders of magnitude improvement in phase matching in a strong-field regime compared with the perturbative limit. © 1991 IOP Publishing Ltd

Ponderomotive shearing for spectral interferometry of extreme-ultraviolet pulses

We propose a novel method for completely characterizing ultrashort pulses at extreme-ultraviolet (XUV) wavelengths by adapting the technique of spectral phase interferometry for direct electric-field reconstruction to this spectral region. Two-electron wave packets are coherently produced by photoionizing atoms with two time-delayed replicas of the XUV pulse. For one of the XUV pulses, photoionization occurs in the presence of a strong infrared pulse that ponderomotively shifts the binding energy, thereby providing the spectral shear needed for reconstruction of the spectral phase of the XUV pulse. © 2003 Optical Society of America

Pathophysiology of acute experimental pancreatitis: Lessons from genetically engineered animal models and new molecular approaches

The incidence of acute pancreatitis is growing and worldwide population-based studies report a doubling or tripling since the 1970s. 25% of acute pancreatitis are severe and associated with histological changes of necrotizing pancreatitis. There is still no specific medical treatment for acute pancreatitis. The average mortality resides around 10%. In order to develop new specific medical treatment strategies for acute pancreatitis, a better understanding of the pathophysiology during the onset of acute pancreatitis is necessary. Since it is difficult to study the early acinar events in human pancreatitis, several animal models of acute pancreatitis have been developed. By this, it is hoped that clues into human pathophysiology become possible. In the last decade, while employing molecular biology techniques, a major progress has been made. The genome of the mouse was recently sequenced. Various strategies are possible to prove a causal effect of a single gene or protein, using either gain-of-function (i.e., overexpression of the protein of interest) or loss-of-function studies (i.e., genetic deletion of the gene of interest). The availability of transgenic mouse models and gene deletion studies has clearly increased our knowledge about the pathophysiology of acute pancreatitis and enables us to study and confirm in vitro findings in animal models. In addition, transgenic models with specific genetic deletion or overexpression of genes help in understanding the role of one specific protein in a cascade of inflammatory processes such as pancreatitis where different proteins interact and co-react. This review summarizes the recent progress in this field. Copyright (c) 2005 S. Karger AG, Basel

Amplitude and phase control of attosecond light pulses

We report the generation, compression, and delivery on target of ultrashort extreme-ultraviolet light pulses using external amplitude and phase control. Broadband harmonic radiation is first generated by focusing an infrared laser with a carefully chosen intensity into a gas cell containing argon atoms. The emitted light then goes through a hard aperture and a thin aluminum filter that selects a 30-eV bandwidth around a 30-eV photon energy and synchronizes all of the components, thereby enabling the formation of a train of almost Fourier-transform-limited single-cycle 170 attosecond pulses. Our experiment demonstrates a practical method for synthesizing and controlling attosecond waveforms. © 2005 The American Physical Society

Collision, Collusion and Coincidence: Pop Art’s Fairground Parallel

This article looks at parallel methods, motivations and modes of consumption between formative British pop art and British fairground art. I focus on two strands, the emergent critical work of the Independent Group and the school of artists based at the Royal College of Art under the nominal leadership of Peter Blake. I use iconographical and iconological methods to compare the content of the art, and then examine how pop art tried to create both a critical and playful distancing from established rules and practices of the artistic canon. I focus on non-institutional cultural groupings and diffuse production and consumption models

COUP-TFII Controls Mouse Pancreatic β-Cell Mass through GLP-1-β-Catenin Signaling Pathways

Background: The control of the functional pancreatic beta-cell mass serves the key homeostatic function of releasing the right amount of insulin to keep blood sugar in the normal range. It is not fully understood though how beta-cell mass is determined

The RHO-1 RhoGTPase Modulates Fertility and Multiple Behaviors in Adult C. elegans

The Rho family of small GTPases are essential during early embryonic development making it difficult to study their functions in adult animals. Using inducible transgenes expressing either a constitutively active version of the single C. elegans Rho ortholog, RHO-1, or an inhibitor of endogenous Rho (C3 transferase), we demonstrate multiple defects caused by altering Rho signaling in adult C. elegans. Changes in RHO-1 signaling in cholinergic neurons affected locomotion, pharyngeal pumping and fecundity. Changes in RHO-1 signaling outside the cholinergic neurons resulted in defective defecation, ovulation, and changes in C. elegans body morphology. Finally both increased and decreased RHO-1 signaling in adults resulted in death within hours. The multiple post-developmental roles for Rho in C. elegans demonstrate that RhoA signaling pathways continue to be used post-developmentally and the resulting phenotypes provide an opportunity to further study post-developmental Rho signaling pathways using genetic screens