1,630 research outputs found
Interaction of matter-wave gap solitons in optical lattices
We study mobility and interaction of gap solitons in a Bose-Einstein
condensate (BEC) confined by an optical lattice potential. Such localized
wavepackets can exist only in the gaps of the matter-wave band-gap spectrum and
their interaction properties are shown to serve as a measure of discreteness
imposed onto a BEC by the lattice potential. We show that inelastic collisions
of two weakly localized near-the-band-edge gap solitons provide simple and
effective means for generating strongly localized in-gap solitons through
soliton fusion.Comment: 12 pages, 7 figure
Two-dimensional loosely and tightly bound solitons in optical lattices and inverted traps
We study the dynamics of nonlinear localized excitations (solitons) in
two-dimensional (2D) Bose-Einstein condensates (BECs) with repulsive
interactions, loaded into an optical lattice (OL), which is combined with an
external parabolic potential. First, we demonstrate analytically that a broad
(loosely bound, LB) soliton state, based on a 2D Bloch function near the edge
of the Brillouin zone (BZ), has a negative effective mass (while the mass of a
localized state is positive near the BZ center). The negative-mass soliton
cannot be held by the usual trap, but it is safely confined by an inverted
parabolic potential (anti-trap). Direct simulations demonstrate that the LB
solitons (including the ones with intrinsic vorticity) are stable and can
freely move on top of the OL. The frequency of elliptic motion of the
LB-soliton's center in the anti-trapping potential is very close to the
analytical prediction which treats the solition as a quasi-particle. In
addition, the LB soliton of the vortex type features real rotation around its
center. We also find an abrupt transition, which occurs with the increase of
the number of atoms, from the negative-mass LB states to tightly bound (TB)
solitons. An estimate demonstrates that, for the zero-vorticity states, the
transition occurs when the number of atoms attains a critical number N=10^3,
while for the vortex the transition takes place at N=5x10^3 atoms. The
positive-mass LB states constructed near the BZ center (including vortices) can
move freely too. The effects predicted for BECs also apply to optical spatial
solitons in bulk photonic crystals.Comment: 17 pages, 12 figure
MORPHOLOGICAL PHYLOGENY OF ALPHEID SHRIMPS: PARALLEL PREADAPTATION AND THE ORIGIN OF A KEY MORPHOLOGICAL INNOVATION, THE SNAPPING CLAW
Room temperature plasmon laser by total internal reflection
Plasmon lasers create and sustain intense and coherent optical fields below
light's diffraction limit with the unique ability to drastically enhance
light-matter interactions bringing fundamentally new capabilities to
bio-sensing, data storage, photolithography and optical communications.
However, these important applications require room temperature operation, which
remains a major hurdle. Here, we report a room temperature semiconductor
plasmon laser with both strong cavity feedback and optical confinement to
1/20th of the wavelength. The strong feedback arises from total internal
reflection of surface plasmons, while the confinement enhances the spontaneous
emission rate by up to 20 times.Comment: 8 Page, 2 Figure
A framework to evaluate land degradation and restoration responses for improved planning and decision-making.
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Measuring Coverage in MNCH:A Validation Study Linking Population Survey Derived Coverage to Maternal, Newborn, and Child Health Care Records in Rural China
Accurate data on coverage of key maternal, newborn, and child health (MNCH) interventions are crucial for monitoring progress toward the Millennium Development Goals 4 and 5. Coverage estimates are primarily obtained from routine population surveys through self-reporting, the validity of which is not well understood. We aimed to examine the validity of the coverage of selected MNCH interventions in Gongcheng County, China.We conducted a validation study by comparing women's self-reported coverage of MNCH interventions relating to antenatal and postnatal care, mode of delivery, and child vaccinations in a community survey with their paper- and electronic-based health care records, treating the health care records as the reference standard. Of 936 women recruited, 914 (97.6%) completed the survey. Results show that self-reported coverage of these interventions had moderate to high sensitivity (0.57 [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.50-0.63] to 0.99 [95% CI: 0.98-1.00]) and low to high specificity (0 to 0.83 [95% CI: 0.80-0.86]). Despite varying overall validity, with the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) ranging between 0.49 [95% CI: 0.39-0.57] and 0.90 [95% CI: 0.88-0.92], bias in the coverage estimates at the population level was small to moderate, with the test to actual positive (TAP) ratio ranging between 0.8 and 1.5 for 24 of the 28 indicators examined. Our ability to accurately estimate validity was affected by several caveats associated with the reference standard. Caution should be exercised when generalizing the results to other settings.The overall validity of self-reported coverage was moderate across selected MNCH indicators. However, at the population level, self-reported coverage appears to have small to moderate degree of bias. Accuracy of the coverage was particularly high for indicators with high recorded coverage or low recorded coverage but high specificity. The study provides insights into the accuracy of self-reports based on a population survey in low- and middle-income countries. Similar studies applying an improved reference standard are warranted in the future
Dynamics of positive- and negative-mass solitons in optical lattices and inverted traps
We study the dynamics of one-dimensional solitons in the attractive and
repulsive Bose-Einstein condensates (BECs) loaded into an optical lattice (OL),
which is combined with an external parabolic potential. First, we demonstrate
analytically that, in the repulsive BEC, where the soliton is of the gap type,
its effective mass is \emph{negative}. This gives rise to a prediction for the
experiment: such a soliton cannot be not held by the usual parabolic trap, but
it can be captured (performing harmonic oscillations) by an anti-trapping
inverted parabolic potential. We also study the motion of the soliton a in long
system, concluding that, in the cases of both the positive and negative mass,
it moves freely, provided that its amplitude is below a certain critical value;
above it, the soliton's velocity decreases due to the interaction with the OL.
At a late stage, the damped motion becomes chaotic. We also investigate the
evolution of a two-soliton pulse in the attractive model. The pulse generates a
persistent breather, if its amplitude is not too large; otherwise, fusion into
a single fundamental soliton takes place. Collisions between two solitons
captured in the parabolic trap or anti-trap are considered too. Depending on
their amplitudes and phase difference, the solitons either perform stable
oscillations, colliding indefinitely many times, or merge into a single
soliton. Effects reported in this work for BECs can also be formulated for
optical solitons in nonlinear photonic crystals. In particular, the capture of
the negative-mass soliton in the anti-trap implies that a bright optical
soliton in a self-defocusing medium with a periodic structure of the refractive
index may be stable in an anti-waveguide.Comment: 22pages, 9 figures, submitted to Journal of Physics
Mesenchymal Stromal Cells from Neonatal Tracheal Aspirates Demonstrate a Pattern of Lung-Specific Gene Expression
We have previously isolated mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) from the tracheal aspirates of premature neonates with respiratory distress. Although isolation of MSCs correlates with the development of bronchopulmonary dysplasia, the physiologic role of these cells remains unclear. To address this, we further characterized the cells, focusing on the issues of gene expression, origin, and cytokine expression. Microarray comparison of early passage neonatal lung MSC gene expression to cord blood MSCs and human fetal and neonatal lung fibroblast lines demonstrated that the neonatal lung MSCs differentially expressed 971 gene probes compared with cord blood MSCs, including the transcription factors Tbx2, Tbx3, Wnt5a, FoxF1, and Gli2, each of which has been associated with lung development. Compared with lung fibroblasts, 710 gene probe transcripts were differentially expressed by the lung MSCs, including IL-6 and IL-8/CXCL8. Differential chemokine expression was confirmed by protein analysis. Further, neonatal lung MSCs exhibited a pattern of Hox gene expression distinct from cord blood MSCs but similar to human fetal lung fibroblasts, consistent with a lung origin. On the other hand, limiting dilution analysis showed that fetal lung fibroblasts form colonies at a significantly lower rate than MSCs, and fibroblasts failed to undergo differentiation along adipogenic, osteogenic, and chondrogenic lineages. In conclusion, MSCs isolated from neonatal tracheal aspirates demonstrate a pattern of lung-specific gene expression, are distinct from lung fibroblasts, and secrete pro-inflammatory cytokines.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/90487/1/scd-2E2010-2E0494.pd
Optical Excitations and Field Enhancement in Short Graphene Nanoribbons
The optical excitations of elongated graphene nanoflakes of finite length are
investigated theoretically through quantum chemistry semi-empirical approaches.
The spectra and the resulting dipole fields are analyzed, accounting in full
atomistic details for quantum confinement effects, which are crucial in the
nanoscale regime. We find that the optical spectra of these nanostructures are
dominated at low energy by excitations with strong intensity, comprised of
characteristic coherent combinations of a few single-particle transitions with
comparable weight. They give rise to stationary collective oscillations of the
photoexcited carrier density extending throughout the flake, and to a strong
dipole and field enhancement. This behavior is robust with respect to width and
length variations, thus ensuring tunability in a large frequency range. The
implications for nanoantennas and other nanoplasmonic applications are
discussed for realistic geometries
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