MasterChem: Cooking 2D-polymers

2D-polymers are still dominated by graphene and closely related materials such as boron nitride, transition metal sulphides and oxides. However, the rational combination of molecules with suitable design is already showing the high potential of chemistry in this new research field. The aim of this feature article is to illustrate, and provide some perspectives, the current state-of-the-art in the field of synthetic 2D-polymers showing different alternatives to prepare this novel type of polymers based on the rational use of chemistry. This review comprises a brief revision of the essential concepts, the strategies of preparation following the two general approaches, bottom-up and top-down, and a revision of the promising seminal properties showed by some of these nanomaterials.Financial support from Spanish MINECO (MAT2013-46753-C2-1-P and MAT2013-46502-C2-2-P). D. R. thanks the Spanish MECD for a FPU gran

Emeralds from the Delbegetey deposit (Kazakhstan): mineralogical characteristics and fluid-inclusion study

The aim of this study is to provide the first detailed mineralogical and fluid-inc1usion description of emeralds from the Delbegetey deposit (Kazakhstan). The characteristic features of Delbegetey emeralds are established: they have dissolution figures on crystal faces, bluish colour and distinct colour zoning; the refractive indices are ro = 1.566-1.570, E = 1.558-1.562, and the specific gravity is 2.65±0.005, relatively low for natural emeralds; they have very small concentrations of the impurities (Fe, Mg, Na and others) typical of other emeralds, and contain Cr and V; there is a significant preponderance of vapour in fluid inc1usions of all types and there is liquid-to-vapour homogenization of primary fluid inc1usions (at 395-420°C). The lattice oxygen isotope composition data obtained (0180 SMOW value of 11.3%0) situate the deposit within the range characteristic of other granite-related emerald deposits. Emerald crystallization took place in low-density (0.40-0.55 g/cm3 ) aqueous fluid, with the following chemical composition (mol.%): 75.6-97.4 HzO, 0.0-18.4 caz, 0.0-0.9 C~, and 4.06-9.65 wt.% NaCI equiv. salinity. According to the calculated isochores, the pressure offormation ofthe Delbegetey emeralds can be estimated at 570-1240 bar

Observation of long-lived polariton states in semiconductor microcavities across the parametric threshold

The excitation spectrum around the pump-only stationary state of a polariton optical parametric oscillator (OPO) in semiconductor microcavities is investigated by time-resolved photoluminescence. The response to a weak pulsed perturbation in the vicinity of the idler mode is directly related to the lifetime of the elementary excitations. A dramatic increase of the lifetime is observed for a pump intensity approaching and exceeding the OPO threshold. The observations can be explained in terms of a critical slowing down of the dynamics upon approaching the threshold and the following onset of the soft Goldstone mode

Vertically coupled microring resonators using one epitaxial growth step and single-side lithography

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Spectral Fuzzy Classification: A Supervised Approach.

The goal of this paper is to present an algorithm for pattern recognition,leveraging on an existing fuzzy clustering algorithm developed by Del Amo et al. [3, 5], and modifying it to its supervised version, in order to apply the algorithm to different pattern recognition applications in Remote Sensing.The main goal is to recognize the object and stop the search depending on the precision of the application. The referred algorithm was the core of a classification system based on Fuzzy Sets Theory (see [14]), approaching remotely sensed classification problems as multicriteria decision making problems, solved by means of an outranking methodology (see [12] and also [11]). The referred algorithm was a unsupervised classification algorithm, but now in this paper will present a modification of the original algorithm into a supervised version

All-Optical Ultrafast Control and Read-Out of a Single Negatively Charged Self-Assembled InAs Quantum Dot

We demonstrate the all-optical ultrafast manipulation and read-out of optical transitions in a single negatively charged self-assembled InAs quantum dot, an important step towards ultrafast control of the resident spin. Experiments performed at zero magnetic field show the excitation and decay of the trion (negatively charged exciton) as well as Rabi oscillations between the electron and trion states. Application of a DC magnetic field perpendicular to the growth axis of the dot enables observation of a complex quantum beat structure produced by independent precession of the ground state electron and the excited state heavy hole spins

An acoustic black hole in a stationary hydrodynamic flow of microcavity polaritons

We report an experimental study of superfluid hydrodynamic effects in a one-dimensional polariton fluid flowing along a laterally patterned semiconductor microcavity and hitting a micron-sized engineered defect. At high excitation power, superfluid propagation effects are observed in the polariton dynamics, in particular, a sharp acoustic horizon is formed at the defect position, separating regions of sub- and super-sonic flow. Our experimental findings are quantitatively reproduced by theoretical calculations based on a generalized Gross-Pitaevskii equation. Promising perspectives to observe Hawking radiation via photon correlation measurements are illustrated.Comment: 5 pages Main + 5 pages Supplementary, 8 figure