Realization of a semiconductor-based cavity soliton laser

The realization of a cavity soliton laser using a vertical-cavity surface-emitting semiconductor gain structure coupled to an external cavity with a frequency-selective element is reported. All-optical control of bistable solitonic emission states representing small microlasers is demonstrated by injection of an external beam. The control scheme is phase-insensitive and hence expected to be robust for all-optical processing applications. The motility of these structures is also demonstrated

Application of stochastic differential geometry to the term structure of interst rates in developed markets

This paper deals with further developments of the new theory that applies stochastic differential geometry (SDG) to dynamics of interest rates. We examine mathematical constraints on the evolution of interest rate volatilities that arise from stochastic differential calculus under assumptions of an arbitrage free evolution of zero coupon bonds and developed markets (i.e., none of the party/factor can drive the whole market). The resulting new theory incorporates the Heath-Jarrow-Morton (HJM) model of interest rates and provides new equations for volatilities which makes the system of equations for interest rates and volatilities complete and self consistent. It results in much smaller amount of volatility data that should be guessed for the SDG model as compared to the HJM model. Limited analysis of the market volatility data suggests that the assumption of the developed market is violated around maturity of two years. Such maturities where the assumptions of the SDG model are violated are suggested to serve as boundaries at which volatilities should be specified independently from the model. Our numerical example with two boundaries (two years and five years) qualitatively resembles the market behavior. Under some conditions solutions of the SDG model become singular that may indicate market crashes. More detail comparison with the data is needed before the theory can be established or refuted

Generation of elves by sprites and jets

Recent years of observations of the upper atmosphere and the lower ionosphere brought a fascinating collection of new phenomena including optical, radio, and gamma-ray emissions originating in the 20 to 90 km altitude range. Up to now, the most diverse phenomenology has emerged from the optical observations which have led to the identification of red sprites, blue jets, blue starts, and elves. Most of the studies have concentrated on relating such phenomena in the upper atmosphere to regular lightning discharges in the troposphere. The sprite/jet discharge itself can be caused by the runaway air breakdown, or regular air breakdown. The standard theory for optical airglow transients in the lower ionosphere above the thunderstorms also known as elves suggests that they are produced during interaction of electromagnetic pulses (EMP) from lightning with the lower ionosphere. Heating of the ambient electrons by the EMP in the D region can result in excitation of optical emissions once the optical excitation thresholds are reached. In this paper the authors suggest that in addition to this mechanism elves can be caused by an EMP generated by sprites and jets

High altitude atmospheric discharges according to the runaway air breakdown mechanism

High altitude optical transients - red sprites, blue jets, and elves - are modeled in the context of the relativistic electron runaway air breakdown mechanism. These emissions are usually associated with large mesoscale convective systems (hereafter MCS). In thunderstorms cloud electrification proceeds over a time scale long enough to permit the conducting atmosphere above the cloud to polarize and short out the thunderstorm electric field. When a lightning strike rapidly neutralizes a cloud charge layer runaway driving fields can develop in the stratosphere and mesosphere. According to present simulations of the full runaway process the variety of observed optical emissions are due to the nature of the normal lightning event in the MCS that kick starts the runaway avalanche. In this paper the authors describe some details of the model, present the results of the evolution of the primary electron population, and summarize the initial conditions necessary for different types of discharges. Two companion papers present (a) the predicted optical, gamma ray, and radio emissions caused by these electrical discharges, and (b) the time evolution of the secondary electron population and its implications in terms of observables

РІВЕНЬ ЗНАНЬ МЕДИЧНОГО ПЕРСОНАЛУ ЩОДО ПРОБЛЕМ ПРОФІЛАКТИКИ ГОСПІТАЛЬНИХ ПНЕВМОНІЙ

In the article was found that despite adequate knowledge of medical personnel according to the results of questionnaires, some questions nurses know very badly. These data suggest the need for educational interventions to improve nurses' knowledge of the therapeutic profile in the study of pathology.У статті з’ясовано, що незважаючи на достатній рівень знань медичного персоналу згідно результатів анкетування, ряд запитань медичні сестри знають вкрай погано. Отримані дані свідчать  про необхідність проведення освітніх заходів для покращення рівня знань медичних сестер терапевтичного профілю у досліджуваній патології

Optical, radio and x-ray radiation of red sprites produced by runaway air breakdown

The authors use the runaway air breakdown model of upward discharges to calculate optical, radio, and X-ray radiation generated by red sprites. Red sprites are high altitude (up to 90 km) lightning discharges. Aircraft based observations show that sprites are predominantly red in color at altitudes above {approximately}55 km with faint blue tendrils, which extend downward to an altitude of 40 km; the duration of a single sprite is less than 17 ms, their maximum brightness is about 600 kR, and estimated total optical energy is about 1--5 kJ per event. The ground based observations show similar results, and provide some additional information on spatial and temporal structure of sprites, and on sprite locations. One difference between aircraft and ground-based observations is that blue tendrils are rarely observed from the ground. Sprites usually occur above the anvils of large mesoscale convective systems and correlate with strong positive cloud to ground discharge. Upward discharges are the most probable source of X-ray emission observed above large thunderstorm complexes by the Compton Gamma-ray Observatory. To escape the atmosphere these {gamma}-rays must originate above 25 km altitude. Red sprites are usually observed at altitudes higher than 50 km, and are therefore a likely source of this x-ray emission

Collective properties of nucleus-nucleus collisions from AGS to LHC energies

The azimuthal anisotropies of the collective transverse flow of charged hadrons are investigated in a wide range of heavy-ion collision energies within the microscopic Parton-Hadron-String Dynamics (PHSD) transport approach which incorporates explicit partonic degrees-of-freedom in terms of strongly interacting quasiparticles (quarks and gluons) in line with an equation-of-state from lattice QCD as well as the dynamical hadronization and hadronic collision dynamics in the final reaction phase. The experimentally observed increase of the elliptic flow $v_2$ of charged hadrons with collision energy is successfully described in terms of the PHSD approach. The analysis of higher-order harmonics $v_3$ and $v_4$ in the azimuthal angular distribution shows a similar tendency of growing deviations between partonic and purely hadronic models with increasing collision energy. This demonstrates that the excitation functions of azimuthal anisotropies reflect the increasing role of quark-gluon degrees of freedom in the early phase of relativistic heavy-ion collisions. Furthermore, the specific variation of the ratio $v_4/(v_2)^2$ with respect to bombarding energy, centrality and transverse momentum is found to provide valuable information on the underlying partonic dynamics.Comment: Proceedings of 28th Winter Workshop on Nuclear Dynamics in Dorado del Mar, Puerto Rico, 7-14 April, 2012. 9 pages, 4 figure

Hard photon and neutral pion production in cold nuclear matter

The production of hard photons and neutral pions in 190 MeV proton induced reactions on C, Ca, Ni, and W targets has been for the first time concurrently studied. Angular distributions and energy spectra up to the kinematical limit are discussed and the production cross-sections are presented. From the target mass dependence of the cross-sections the propagation of pions through nuclear matter is analyzed and the production mechanisms of hard photons and primordial pions are derived. It is found that the production of subthreshold particles proceeds mainly through first chance nucleon-nucleon collisions. For the most energetic particles the mass scaling evidences the effect of multiple collisions.Comment: submitted to Phys. Lett.

Analysis of anisotropic flow with Lee-Yang zeroes

We present a new method to extract anisotropic flow in heavy ion collisions from the genuine correlation among a large number of particles. Anisotropic flow is obtained from the zeroes in the complex plane of a generating function of azimuthal correlations, in close analogy with the theory of phase transitions by Lee and Yang. Flow is first estimated globally, i.e., averaged over the phase space covered by the detector, and then differentially, as a function of transverse momentum and rapidity for identified particles. The corresponding estimates are less biased by nonflow correlations than with any other method. The practical implementation of the method is rather straightforward. Furthermore, it automatically takes into account most corrections due to azimuthal anisotropies in the detector acceptance. The main limitation of the method is statistical errors, which can be significantly larger than with the ``standard'' method of flow analysis if the flow and/or the event multiplicities are too small. In practice, we expect this to be the most accurate method to analyze directed and elliptic flow in fixed-target heavy-ion collisions between 100 MeV and 10 GeV per nucleon (at the Darmstadt SIS synchrotron and the Brookhaven Alternating Gradient Synchrotron), and elliptic flow at ultrarelativistic energies (at the Brookhaven Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider, and the forthcoming Large Hadron Collider at CERN).Comment: 32 pages, 7 eps figures, RevTe