272 research outputs found
CONSUMERS' WILLINGNESS TO PURCHASE LOCALLY PRODUCED AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS: AN ANALYSIS OF AN INDIANA SURVEY
Using a survey of over 320 consumers from across the state of Indiana, we estimate an ordered probit model to determine the demographic and attitudinal factors which are most important in predicting the likelihood of consumers to purchase products that are produced within the state. Our results indicate that the willingness to purchase locally produced agricultural products increases with time of residency in the state, and we find a greater tendency for female consumers to purchase such products. We also find that quality perceptions play a critical role in these food purchase-decisions. We underscore the importance of maintaining minimum quality standards to maximize the effectiveness of state level agricultural promotion programs.Consumer/Household Economics,
Three-Wave Modulational Stability and Dark Solitons in a Quadratic Nonlinear Waveguide with Grating
We consider continuous-wave (CW) states and dark solitons (DSs) in a system
of two fundamental-frequency (FF) and one second-harmonic (SH) waves in a
planar waveguide with the quadratic nonlinearity, the FF components being
linearly coupled by resonant reflections on the Bragg grating. We demonstrate
that, in contrast with the usual situation in quadratic spatial-domain models,
CW states with the phase shift between the FF and SH components are
modulationally stable in a broad parameter region in this system, provided that
the CW wavenumber does not belong to the system's spectral gap. Stationary
fundamental DSs are found numerically, and are also constructed by means of a
specially devised analytical approximation. Bound states of two and three DSs
are found too. The fundamental DSs and two-solitons bound states are stable in
all the cases when the CW background is stable, which is shown by dint of
calculation of the corresponding eigenvalues, and verified in direct
simulations. Tilted DSs are found too. They attain a maximum contrast at a
finite value of the tilt, that does not depend on the phase mismatch. At a
maximum value of the tilt, which grows with the mismatch, the DS merges into
the CW background. Interactions between the tilted solitons are shown to be
completely elastic.Comment: 10 pages, 12 figures; Journal of Optics A, in pres
All-optical switching in lithium niobate directional couplers with cascaded nonlinearity
We report on intensity-dependent switching in lithium niobate directional couplers. Large nonlinear phase shifts that are due to cascading detune the coupling between the coupler branches, which makes all-optical switching possible. Depending on the input intensity, the output could be switched between the cross and the bar coupler branches with a switching ratio of 1:5 and a throughput of 80%
All-Optical Integrated Mach-Zehnder Switching Due To Cascaded Nonlinearities
We demonstrate all-optical switching using the cascaded second order nonlinearity in a fully integrated, asymmetric Mach Zehnder interferometer implemented in lithium niobate channel waveguides. We obtained an 8:1 switching ratio
Semiflexible polymer conformation, distribution and migration in microcapillary flows
The flow behavior of a semiflexible polymer in microchannels is studied using
Multiparticle Collision Dynamics (MPC), a particle-based hydrodynamic
simulation technique. Conformations, distributions, and radial cross-streamline
migration are investigated for various bending rigidities, with persistence
lengths Lp in the range 0.5 < Lp/Lr < 30. The flow behavior is governed by the
competition between a hydrodynamic lift force and steric wall-repulsion, which
lead to migration away from the wall, and a locally varying flow-induced
orientation, which drives polymer away from the channel center and towards the
wall. The different dependencies of these effects on the polymer bending
rigidity and the flow velocity results in a complex dynamical behavior.
However, a generic effect is the appearance of a maximum in the monomer and the
center-of-mass distributions, which occurs in the channel center for small flow
velocities, but moves off-center at higher velocities.Comment: in press at J. Phys. Condens. Matte
Polychromatic solitons in a quadratic medium
We introduce the simplest model to describe parametric interactions in a
quadratically nonlinear optical medium with the fundamental harmonic containing
two components with (slightly) different carrier frequencies [which is a direct
analog of wavelength-division multiplexed (WDM) models, well known in media
with cubic nonlinearity]. The model takes a closed form with three different
second-harmonic components, and it is formulated in the spatial domain. We
demonstrate that the model supports both polychromatic solitons (PCSs), with
all the components present in them, and two types of mutually orthogonal simple
solitons, both types being stable in a broad parametric region. An essential
peculiarity of PCS is that its power is much smaller than that of a simple
(usual) soliton (taken at the same values of control parameters), which may be
an advantage for experimental generation of PCSs. Collisions between the
orthogonal simple solitons are simulated in detail, leading to the conclusion
that the collisions are strongly inelastic, converting the simple solitons into
polychromatic ones, and generating one or two additional PCSs. A collision
velocity at which the inelastic effects are strongest is identified, and it is
demonstrated that the collision may be used as a basis to design a simple
all-optical XOR logic gate.Comment: 9 pages, 8 figures, accepted to Phys. Rev.
Investment scenarios for rice R&D in LAC welfare and food security implications
Increasing annual investments from 225 to 260 million USD by 2050 is needed to sustain the yield growth implied by SSP2 (0.6% annually). If we want to reach 10t/ha (1.5% annual increase) investments must increase to 275 million USD annually by 2050. Targeting higher yields will mainly generate economic benefits for producers, but very limited benefits for consumers and for food security in LAC. These economic benefits in LAC can be attained if international trade is possible. When prioritizing R&D investments we need to identify broader impacts: who wins, who losses, and where
Unique properties of quadratic solitons
Quadratic spatial solitons exist in media with second order nonlinearities near the phase-matching condition for frequency mixing processes involving two or three waves of different frequency. Discussed here are a number of properties of these special solitons which are different from those of other spatial solitons which rely on optically induced index changes for guiding. First, the self-guiding properties of quadratic solitons are shown to have completely different origins than solitons which rely on index changes. Second, it is shown that there exists a large variety of quadratic solitons which contain two or three distinct spectral components with relative amplitudes depending on the phase mismatch, dimensionality of the propagation geometry, the soliton power and the launching conditions. Third, under appropriate conditions, solitons can be formed even when the group velocity directions for the spectral components lead to walk-off under normal circumstances. Fourth, for type II phase-matching in bulk crystals, seeded interactions lead to saturating amplifier characteristics
Tunable entangled photon states from a nonlinear directional coupler
Integrated optical platforms enable the realization of complex quantum photonic circuits for a variety of applications including quantum simulations, computations, and communications. The development of on-chip integrated photon sources, providing photon quantum states with on-demand tunability, is currently an important
research area. A flexible approach for on-chip generation of entangled photons is based on spontaneous nonlinear
frequency conversion, with possibilities to integrate several photon-pair sources [1] and realize subsequent post
processing using thermo-optically or electro-optically controlled interference [2, 3]. However, deterministic postprocessing can only provide a limited set of output states, whereas quantum gates with probabilistic operation are
needed to generate arbitrary two-photon states [4]
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