Distributed optical fibre sensing at 1.65µm using a Q-switched fibre laser

It is becoming increasingly vital to monitor telecommunication links during operation and installation process. By using a high peak power source and the optical time domain reflectometry (OTDR) technique operating at the wavelength region of 1.6µm, it is possible to monitor conventional C-band Erbium-doped fibre amplifier (EDFA) systems whilst transmitting data, and to characterise losses at the higher wavelengths of extended bandwidth systems designed around the L-band EDFA systems. We describe a compact design based on Raman shifting the output of an Erbium-doped Q-switched fibre laser operating at 1.5µm for obtaining a pulsed source at 1.6µm. This source was used for an OTDR measurement and also as a source for a 1.65µm Raman-based distributed temperature sensor, in contrast to distributed temperature sensors normally operating at 1.5µm. OTDR measurements at 1.65µm provide more accurate determination of macro and micro-bend losses than at 1.5µm as such losses increase with wavelength. The temperature measurement extracted from the anti-Stokes Raman signal at 1.5µm was made over a sensing range of 10.1km, with a spatial resolution of 10m and temperature resolution of 4°C

1.65µm long range distributed testing of optical fibres using a compact Q-switched fibre laser

A simple Q-switched Erbium-doped fibre laser operating at 1.5µm forms the basis of a high peak power pulsed source at 1.65µm. Applications include monitoring of active telecommunication links, loss measurement at 1.65µm and distributed temperature sensing

A novel method of increasing the range of 1.65µm OTDR using a Q-switched erbium fibre laser

This paper demonstrates a novel method of increasing the range of a 1.65µm optical time domain reflectometer system (OTDR). OTDR measurements at 1.65µm are more sensitive to fibre macro and micro bending losses than those produced at wavelengths 1.3 and 1.55µm. This enables problems to be identified in their early stages reducing the risk of total system failure. However, the dynamic range of current 1.65µm OTDR systems

Raman Spectra of Triplet Superconductor in Sr2_2RuO4_4

We study the Raman spectra of spin-triplet superconductors in Sr$_2$RuO$_4$. The p-wave and f-wave symmetries are considered. We show that there is the clapping mode with frequency of $\sqrt{2} \Delta(T)$ and $1.02 \Delta(T)$ for p-wave and f-wave superconductors, respectively. This mode is visible as a huge resonance in the B1g and B2g modes of Raman spectra. We discuss the details of the Raman spectra in these superconducting states.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figure

An ARPES view on the high-Tc problem: phonons vs spin-fluctuations

We review the search for a mediator of high-Tc superconductivity focusing on ARPES experiment. In case of HTSC cuprates, we summarize and discuss a consistent view of electronic interactions that provides natural explanation of both the origin of the pseudogap state and the mechanism for high temperature superconductivity. Within this scenario, the spin-fluctuations play a decisive role in formation of the fermionic excitation spectrum in the normal state and are sufficient to explain the high transition temperatures to the superconducting state while the pseudogap phenomenon is a consequence of a Peierls-type intrinsic instability of electronic system to formation of an incommensurate density wave. On the other hand, a similar analysis being applied to the iron pnictides reveals especially strong electron-phonon coupling that suggests important role of phonons for high-Tc superconductivity in pnictides.Comment: A summary of the ARPES part of the Research Unit FOR538, http://for538.wmi.badw.d

Search for displaced vertices arising from decays of new heavy particles in 7 TeV pp collisions at ATLAS

We present the results of a search for new, heavy particles that decay at a significant distance from their production point into a final state containing charged hadrons in association with a high-momentum muon. The search is conducted in a pp-collision data sample with a center-of-mass energy of 7 TeV and an integrated luminosity of 33 pb^-1 collected in 2010 by the ATLAS detector operating at the Large Hadron Collider. Production of such particles is expected in various scenarios of physics beyond the standard model. We observe no signal and place limits on the production cross-section of supersymmetric particles in an R-parity-violating scenario as a function of the neutralino lifetime. Limits are presented for different squark and neutralino masses, enabling extension of the limits to a variety of other models.Comment: 8 pages plus author list (20 pages total), 8 figures, 1 table, final version to appear in Physics Letters

Measurement of the polarisation of W bosons produced with large transverse momentum in pp collisions at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV with the ATLAS experiment

This paper describes an analysis of the angular distribution of W->enu and W->munu decays, using data from pp collisions at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV recorded with the ATLAS detector at the LHC in 2010, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of about 35 pb^-1. Using the decay lepton transverse momentum and the missing transverse energy, the W decay angular distribution projected onto the transverse plane is obtained and analysed in terms of helicity fractions f0, fL and fR over two ranges of W transverse momentum (ptw): 35 < ptw < 50 GeV and ptw > 50 GeV. Good agreement is found with theoretical predictions. For ptw > 50 GeV, the values of f0 and fL-fR, averaged over charge and lepton flavour, are measured to be : f0 = 0.127 +/- 0.030 +/- 0.108 and fL-fR = 0.252 +/- 0.017 +/- 0.030, where the first uncertainties are statistical, and the second include all systematic effects.Comment: 19 pages plus author list (34 pages total), 9 figures, 11 tables, revised author list, matches European Journal of Physics C versio

Observation of a new chi_b state in radiative transitions to Upsilon(1S) and Upsilon(2S) at ATLAS

The chi_b(nP) quarkonium states are produced in proton-proton collisions at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV and recorded by the ATLAS detector. Using a data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 4.4 fb^-1, these states are reconstructed through their radiative decays to Upsilon(1S,2S) with Upsilon->mu+mu-. In addition to the mass peaks corresponding to the decay modes chi_b(1P,2P)->Upsilon(1S)gamma, a new structure centered at a mass of 10.530+/-0.005 (stat.)+/-0.009 (syst.) GeV is also observed, in both the Upsilon(1S)gamma and Upsilon(2S)gamma decay modes. This is interpreted as the chi_b(3P) system.Comment: 5 pages plus author list (18 pages total), 2 figures, 1 table, corrected author list, matches final version in Physical Review Letter

Measurement of the inclusive isolated prompt photon cross-section in pp collisions at sqrt(s)= 7 TeV using 35 pb-1 of ATLAS data

A measurement of the differential cross-section for the inclusive production of isolated prompt photons in pp collisions at a center-of-mass energy sqrt(s) = 7 TeV is presented. The measurement covers the pseudorapidity ranges |eta|<1.37 and 1.52<=|eta|<2.37 in the transverse energy range 45<=E_T<400GeV. The results are based on an integrated luminosity of 35 pb-1, collected with the ATLAS detector at the LHC. The yields of the signal photons are measured using a data-driven technique, based on the observed distribution of the hadronic energy in a narrow cone around the photon candidate and the photon selection criteria. The results are compared with next-to-leading order perturbative QCD calculations and found to be in good agreement over four orders of magnitude in cross-section.Comment: 7 pages plus author list (18 pages total), 2 figures, 4 tables, final version published in Physics Letters

Reducing heterotic M-theory to five dimensional supergravity on a manifold with boundary

This paper constructs the reduction of heterotic $M$-theory in eleven dimensions to a supergravity model on a manifold with boundary in five dimensions using a Calabi-Yau three-fold. New results are presented for the boundary terms in the action and for the boundary conditions on the bulk fields. Some general features of dualisation on a manifold with boundary are used to explain the origin of some topological terms in the action. The effect of gaugino condensation on the fermion boundary conditions leads to a `twist' in the chirality of the gravitino which can provide an uplifting mechanism in the vacuum energy to cancel the cosmological constant after moduli stabilisation.Comment: 16 pages, RevTe