Imaging the Near Field

In an earlier paper we introduced the concept of the perfect lens which focuses both near and far electromagnetic fields, hence attaining perfect resolution. Here we consider refinements of the original prescription designed to overcome the limitations of imperfect materials. In particular we show that a multi-layer stack of positive and negative refractive media is less sensitive to imperfections. It has the novel property of behaving like a fibre-optic bundle but one that acts on the near field, not just the radiative component. The effects of retardation are included and minimized by making the slabs thinner. Absorption then dominates image resolution in the near-field. The deleterious effects of absorption in the metal are reduced for thinner layers.Comment: RevTeX, (9 pages, 8 figures

Spectral fingerprinting for specific algal groups on sediments in situ: a new sensor

Currently it is still extremely difficult to adequately sample populations of microalgae on sediments for large-scale biomass determination. We have now devised a prototype of a new benthic sensor (BenthoFluor) for the quantitative and qualitative assessment of microphytobenthos populations in situ. This sensor enables a high spatial and temporal resolution and a rapid evaluation of the community structure and distribution. These determinations are based on the concept that five spectral excitation ranges can be used to differentiate groups of microalgae, in situ, within a few seconds. In addition, because sediments contain a lot of yellow substances, which can affect the fluorescence and optical differentiation of the algae, the device was equipped with a UV-LED for yellow substances correction. The device was calibrated against HPLC with cultures and tested in the field. Our real-time approach can be used to monitor algal assemblage composition on sediments and is an ideal tool for investigations on the large-scale spatial and temporal variation of algal populations in sediments. Apart from the differentiation of algal populations, the BenthoFluor allows instantaneous monitoring of the chlorophyll concentrations and determination of which algae are responsible for this on the uppermost surface of sediments in the field and in experimental set-ups

Noise performance of magneto-inductive cables

Magneto-inductive (MI) waveguides are metamaterial structures based on periodic arrangements of inductively coupled resonant magnetic elements. They are of interest for power transfer, communications and sensing, and can be realised in a flexible cable format. Signal-to-noise ratio is extremely important in applications involving signals. Here, we present the first experimental measurements of the noise performance of metamaterial cables. We focus on an application involving radiofrequency signal transmission in internal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), where the subdivision of the metamaterial cable provides intrinsic patient safety. We consider MI cables suitable for use at 300 MHz during 1H MRI at 7 T, and find noise figures of 2.3–2.8 dB/m, together with losses of 3.0–3.9 dB/m, in good agreement with model calculations. These values are high compared to conventional cables, but become acceptable when (as here) the environment precludes the use of continuous conductors. To understand this behaviour, we present arguments for the fundamental performance limitations of these cables

A DC magnetic metamaterial

Electromagnetic metamaterials are a class of materials which have been artificially structured on a subwavelength scale. They are currently the focus of a great deal of interest because they allow access to previously unrealisable properties like a negative refractive index. Most metamaterial designs have so far been based on resonant elements, like split rings, and research has concentrated on microwave frequencies and above. In this work, we present the first experimental realisation of a non-resonant metamaterial designed to operate at zero frequency. Our samples are based on a recently-proposed template for an anisotropic magnetic metamaterial consisting of an array of superconducting plates. Magnetometry experiments show a strong, adjustable diamagnetic response when a field is applied perpendicular to the plates. We have calculated the corresponding effective permeability, which agrees well with theoretical predictions. Applications for this metamaterial may include non-intrusive screening of weak DC magnetic fields.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figure

Composite metamaterials with dual-band magnetic resonances in the terahertz frequency regime

Composite metamaterials(CMMs) combining a subwavelength metallic hole array (i.e. one-layer fishnet structure) and an array of split-ring resonators(SRRs) on the same board are fabricated with gold films on silicon wafer. Transmission measurements of the CMMs in the terahertz range have been performed. Dual-band magnetic resonances, namely, a LC resonance at 4.40 THz and an additional magnetic resonance at 8.64 THz originating from the antiparallel current in wire pairs in the CMMs are observed when the electrical field polarization of the incident light is parallel to the gap of the component SRR. The numerical simulations agree well with the experimental results and further clarify the nature of the dual-band magnetic resonances.Comment: 4 figures, 14 page

Thin-shell wormholes in Einstein-Maxwell theory with a Gauss-Bonnet term

We study five dimensional thin-shell wormholes in Einstein-Maxwell theory with a Gauss-Bonnet term. The linearized stability under radial perturbations and the amount of exotic matter are analyzed as a function of the parameters of the model. We find that the inclusion of the quadratic correction substantially widens the range of possible stable configurations, and besides it allows for a reduction of the exotic matter required to construct the wormholes.Comment: 13 pages, 6 figures; v2: minor changes and new references added. Accepted for publication in General Relativity and Gravitatio

How strong is the evidence for accelerated expansion?

We test the present expansion of the universe using supernova type Ia data without making any assumptions about the matter and energy content of the universe or about the parameterization of the deceleration parameter. We assume the cosmological principle to apply in a strict sense. The result strongly depends on the data set, the light-curve fitting method and the calibration of the absolute magnitude used for the test, indicating strong systematic errors. Nevertheless, in a spatially flat universe there is at least a 5 sigma evidence for acceleration which drops to 1.8 sigma in an open universe.Comment: 16 pages, 3 figure

Evolution of a periodic eight-black-hole lattice in numerical relativity

The idea of black-hole lattices as models for the large-scale structure of the universe has been under scrutiny for several decades, and some of the properties of these systems have been elucidated recently in the context of the problem of cosmological backreaction. The complete, three-dimensional and fully relativistic evolution of these system has, however, never been tackled. We explicitly construct the first of these solutions by numerically integrating Einstein's equation in the case of an eight-black-hole lattice with the topology of S3.Comment: 21 pages, 13 figures. Corrected and clarified discussio

An inhomogeneous universe with thick shells and without cosmological constant

We build an exact inhomogeneous universe composed of a central flat Friedmann zone up to a small redshift $z_1$, a thick shell made of anisotropic matter, an hyperbolic Friedmann metric up to the scale where dimming galaxies are observed ($z\simeq 1.7$) that can be matched to a hyperbolic Lema\^{i}tre-Tolman-Bondi spacetime to best fit the WMAP data at early epochs. We construct a general framework which permits us to consider a non-uniform clock rate for the universe. As a result, both for a uniform time and a uniform Hubble flow, the deceleration parameter extrapolated by the central observer is always positive. Nevertheless, by taking a non-uniform Hubble flow, it is possible to obtain a negative central deceleration parameter, that, with certain parameter choices, can be made the one observed currently. Finally, it is conjectured a possible physical mechanism to justify a non-uniform time flow.Comment: Version published in Class. Quantum gra