19 research outputs found
Direct programming of confined Surface Phonon Polariton Resonators using the plasmonic Phase-Change Material InSbTe
Tailoring light-matter interaction is essential to realize nanophotonic
components. It can be achieved with surface phonon polaritons (SPhPs), an
excitation of photons coupled with phonons of polar crystals, which also occur
in 2d materials such as hexagonal boron nitride or anisotropic crystals.
Ultra-confined resonances are observed by restricting the SPhPs to cavities.
Phase-change materials (PCMs) enable non-volatile programming of these cavities
based on a change in the refractive index. Recently, the new plasmonic PCM
InSbTe (IST) was introduced which can be reversibly switched from an
amorphous dielectric state to a crystalline metallic one in the entire infrared
to realize numerous nanoantenna geometries. However, reconfiguring SPhP
resonators to modify the confined polaritons modes remains elusive. Here, we
demonstrate direct programming of confined SPhP resonators by phase-switching
IST on top of a polar silicon carbide crystal and investigate the strongly
confined resonance modes with scanning near-field optical microscopy.
Reconfiguring the size of the resonators themselves result in enhanced mode
confinements up to a value of . Finally, unconventional cavity
shapes with complex field patterns are explored as well. This study is a first
step towards rapid prototyping of reconfigurable SPhP resonators that can be
easily transferred to hyperbolic and anisotropic 2d materials.Comment: Main Manuscript 16 pages, 5 figures, SI 15 page
Mid infrared near-field fingerprint spectroscopy of the 2D electron gas in LaAlO/SrTiO at low temperatures
Confined electron systems, such as 2D electron gases (2DEGs), 2D materials,
or topological insulators show great technological promise but their
susceptibility to defects often results in nanoscale inhomogeneities with
unclear origins. Scattering-type scanning near-field optical microscopy
(s-SNOM) is useful to investigate buried confined electron systems
non-destructively with nanoscale resolution, however, a clear separation of
carrier concentration and mobility was often impossible in s-SNOM. Here, we
predict a previously inaccessible characteristic "fingerprint" response of the
prototypical LaAlO/SrTiO 2DEG, and verify this using a state-of-the-art
tunable narrow-band laser in mid-infrared cryo-s-SNOM at 8 K. Our modelling
allows us to separate the influence of carrier concentration and mobility on
fingerprint spectra and to characterize 2DEG inhomogeneities on the nanoscale.
This spatially resolved information about the local electronic properties can
be used to identify the origin of inhomogeneities in confined electron systems,
making the s-SNOM fingerprint response a valuable tool for nanoelectronics and
quantum technology
Physiology of stretch-mediated hypertrophy and strength increases: A narrative review
Increasing muscle strength and cross-sectional area is of crucial importance to improve or maintain physical function in musculoskeletal rehabilitation and sports performance. Decreases in muscular performance are experienced in phases of reduced physical activity or immobilization. These decrements highlight the need for alternative, easily accessible training regimens for a sedentary population to improve rehabilitation and injury prevention routines. Commonly, muscle hypertrophy and strength increases are associated with resistance training, typically performed in a training facility. Mechanical tension, which is usually induced with resistance machines and devices, is known to be an important factor that stimulates the underlying signaling pathways to enhance protein synthesis. Findings from animal studies suggest an alternative means to induce mechanical tension to enhance protein synthesis, and therefore muscle hypertrophy by inducing high-volume stretching. Thus, this narrative review discusses mechanical tension-induced physiological adaptations and their impact on muscle hypertrophy and strength gains. Furthermore, research addressing stretch-induced hypertrophy is critically analyzed. Derived from animal research, the stretching literature exploring the impact of static stretching on morphological and functional adaptations was reviewed and critically discussed. No studies have investigated the underlying physiological mechanisms in humans yet, and thus the underlying mechanisms remain speculative and must be discussed in the light of animal research. However, studies that reported functional and morphological increases in humans commonly used stretching durations of \u3e 30 min per session of the plantar flexors, indicating the importance of high stretching volume, if the aim is to increase muscle mass and maximum strength. Therefore, the practical applicability seems limited to settings without access to resistance training (e.g., in an immobilized state at the start of rehabilitation), as resistance training seems to be more time efficient. Nevertheless, further research is needed to generate evidence in different human populations (athletes, sedentary individuals, and rehabilitation patients) and to quantify stretching intensity
Tunable s-SNOM for Nanoscale Infrared Optical Measurement of Electronic Properties of Bilayer Graphene
Light-induced blockage of cell division with a chromatin-targeted phototoxic fluorescent protein
Cost-Effectiveness of Li-Ion Battery Storage with a Special Focus on Photovoltaic Systems in Private Households
Many Labs 3: Evaluating participant pool quality across the academic semester via replication
Many Labs 3 is a crowdsourced project that systematically evaluated time-of-semester effects across many participant pools. See the Wiki for a table of contents of files and to download the manuscript