42 research outputs found
Nanodiamonds carrying quantum emitters with almost lifetime-limited linewidths
Nanodiamonds (NDs) hosting optically active defects are an important
technical material for applications in quantum sensing, biological imaging, and
quantum optics. The negatively charged silicon vacancy (SiV) defect is known to
fluoresce in molecular sized NDs (1 to 6 nm) and its spectral properties depend
on the quality of the surrounding host lattice. This defect is therefore a good
probe to investigate the material properties of small NDs. Here we report
unprecedented narrow optical transitions for SiV colour centers hosted in
nanodiamonds produced using a novel high-pressure high-temperature (HPHT)
technique. The SiV zero-phonon lines were measured to have an inhomogeneous
distribution of 1.05 nm at 5 K across a sample of numerous NDs. Individual
spectral lines as narrow as 354 MHz were measured for SiV centres in
nanodiamonds smaller than 200 nm, which is four times narrower than the best
SiV line previously reported for nanodiamonds. Correcting for apparent spectral
diffusion yielded a homogeneous linewith of about 200 MHz, which is close to
the width limit imposed by the radiative lifetime. These results demonstrate
that the direct HPHT synthesis technique is capable of producing nanodiamonds
with high crystal lattice quality, which are therefore a valuable technical
material
Twisted Nanotubes of Transition Metal Dichalcogenides with Split Optical Modes for Tunable Radiated Light Resonators
Synthesized micro- and nanotubes composed of transition metal dichalcogenides
(TMDCs) such as MoS are promising for many applications in nanophotonics,
because they combine the abilities to emit strong exciton luminescence and to
act as whispering gallery microcavities even at room temperature. In addition
to tubes in the form of hollow cylinders, there is an insufficiently-studied
class of twisted tubes, the flattened cross section of which rotates along the
tube axis. As shown by theoretical analysis, in such nanotubes the interaction
of electromagnetic waves excited at opposite sides of the cross section can
cause splitting of the whispering gallery modes. By studying
micro-photoluminescence spectra measured along individual MoS tubes, it has
been established that the splitting value, which controls the energies of the
split modes, depends exponentially on the aspect ratio of the cross section,
which varies in "breathing" tubes, while the relative intensity of the modes in
a pair is determined by the angle of rotation of the cross section. These
results open up the possibility of creating multifunctional tubular TMDC
nanodevices that provide resonant amplification of self-emitting light at
adjustable frequencies
Phenological shifts of abiotic events, producers and consumers across a continent
Ongoing climate change can shift organism phenology in ways that vary depending on species, habitats and climate factors studied. To probe for large-scale patterns in associated phenological change, we use 70,709 observations from six decades of systematic monitoring across the former Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. Among 110 phenological events related to plants, birds, insects, amphibians and fungi, we find a mosaic of change, defying simple predictions of earlier springs, later autumns and stronger changes at higher latitudes and elevations. Site mean temperature emerged as a strong predictor of local phenology, but the magnitude and direction of change varied with trophic level and the relative timing of an event. Beyond temperature-associated variation, we uncover high variation among both sites and years, with some sites being characterized by disproportionately long seasons and others by short ones. Our findings emphasize concerns regarding ecosystem integrity and highlight the difficulty of predicting climate change outcomes. The authors use systematic monitoring across the former USSR to investigate phenological changes across taxa. The long-term mean temperature of a site emerged as a strong predictor of phenological change, with further imprints of trophic level, event timing, site, year and biotic interactions.Peer reviewe
Chronicles of nature calendar, a long-term and large-scale multitaxon database on phenology
We present an extensive, large-scale, long-term and multitaxon database on phenological and climatic variation, involving 506,186 observation dates acquired in 471 localities in Russian Federation, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Belarus and Kyrgyzstan. The data cover the period 1890-2018, with 96% of the data being from 1960 onwards. The database is rich in plants, birds and climatic events, but also includes insects, amphibians, reptiles and fungi. The database includes multiple events per species, such as the onset days of leaf unfolding and leaf fall for plants, and the days for first spring and last autumn occurrences for birds. The data were acquired using standardized methods by permanent staff of national parks and nature reserves (87% of the data) and members of a phenological observation network (13% of the data). The database is valuable for exploring how species respond in their phenology to climate change. Large-scale analyses of spatial variation in phenological response can help to better predict the consequences of species and community responses to climate change.Peer reviewe
Comparative Study of Condensation Routes for Formation of Nano- and Microsized Carbon Forms in Hydrocarbon, Fluorocarbon, and Fluoro-Hydrocarbon Systems at High Pressures and Temperatures
International audienc
On-chip excitation of single germanium vacancies in nanodiamonds embedded in plasmonic waveguides
Quantum emitters: plasmonic connections The field of integrated quantum plasmonics has taken a step forward with the demonstration of on-chip coupling between a single photon source and a plasmonic waveguide. In the approach, a nanodiamond featuring a germanium vacancy (GeV) centre that emits single photons is embedded inside a plasmonic waveguide composed of a ridge of the dielectric hydrogen silsesquioxane atop a layer of silver. Green (532 nm) laser light is coupled to one end of the waveguide via a grating and propagates to the nanodiamond where it excites the GeV centre which emits a single photon that couples into the plasmon mode of the waveguide. The researchers from Denmark, Russia and France behind the work say that the long waveguide transmission lengths (33 µm) and efficient coupling (56%) achieved open new avenues for the development of chip-based quantum circuitry