A phase-locked frequency divide-by-3 optical parametric oscillator

Accurate phase-locked 3:1 division of an optical frequency was achieved, by using a continuous-wave (cw) doubly resonant optical parametric oscillator. A fractional frequency stability of 2*10^(-17) of the division process has been achieved for 100s integration time. The technique developed in this work can be generalized to the accurate phase and frequency control of any cw optical parametric oscillator.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figures in a postscript file. To appear in a special issue of IEEE Trans. Instr. & Meas., paper FRIA-2 presented at CPEM'2000 conference, Sydney, May 200

Comparison of multiphase SPH and LBM approaches for the simulation of intermittent flows

Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH) and Lattice Boltzmann Method (LBM) are increasingly popular and attractive methods that propose efficient multiphase formulations, each one with its own strengths and weaknesses. In this context, when it comes to study a given multi-fluid problem, it is helpful to rely on a quantitative comparison to decide which approach should be used and in which context. In particular, the simulation of intermittent two-phase flows in pipes such as slug flows is a complex problem involving moving and intersecting interfaces for which both SPH and LBM could be considered. It is a problem of interest in petroleum applications since the formation of slug flows that can occur in submarine pipelines connecting the wells to the production facility can cause undesired behaviors with hazardous consequences. In this work, we compare SPH and LBM multiphase formulations where surface tension effects are modeled respectively using the continuum surface force and the color gradient approaches on a collection of standard test cases, and on the simulation of intermittent flows in 2D. This paper aims to highlight the contributions and limitations of SPH and LBM when applied to these problems. First, we compare our implementations on static bubble problems with different density and viscosity ratios. Then, we focus on gravity driven simulations of slug flows in pipes for several Reynolds numbers. Finally, we conclude with simulations of slug flows with inlet/outlet boundary conditions. According to the results presented in this study, we confirm that the SPH approach is more robust and versatile whereas the LBM formulation is more accurate and faster

Hˉ+\bar{\textrm{H}}^{+} Sympathetic Cooling Simulations with a Variable Time Step

In this paper we present a new variable time step criterion for the velocity-Verlet algorithm allowing to correctly simulate the dynamics of charged particles exchanging energy via Coulomb collisions while minimising simulation time. We present physical arguments supporting the use of the criterion along with numerical results proving its validity. We numerically show that $\bar{\textrm{H}}^{+}$ ions with 18 meV initial energy can be captured and sympathetically cooled by a Coulomb crystal of $\textrm{Be}^{+}$ and $\textrm{HD}^{+}$ in less than 10 ms, an important result for the GBAR project.Comment: LEAP 2016 proceedin

Faraday optical isolator in the 9.2 μ\mum range for QCL applications

We have fabricated and characterized a n-doped InSb Faraday isolator in the mid-IR range (9.2 $\mu$m). A high isolation ratio of $\approx$30 dB with a transmission over 80% (polarizer losses not included) is obtained at room temperature. Further possible improvements are discussed. A similar design can be used to cover a wide wavelength range (lambda ~ 7.5-30 $\mu$m)

Two-photon spectroscopy of trapped HD+^+ ions in the Lamb-Dicke regime

We study the feasibility of nearly-degenerate two-photon rovibrational spectroscopy in ensembles of trapped, sympathetically cooled hydrogen molecular ions using a resonance-enhanced multiphoton dissociation (REMPD) scheme. Taking advantage of quasi-coincidences in the rovibrational spectrum, the excitation lasers are tuned close to an intermediate level to resonantly enhance two-photon absorption. Realistic simulations of the REMPD signal are obtained using a four-level model that takes into account saturation effects, ion trajectories, laser frequency noise and redistribution of population by blackbody radiation. We show that the use of counterpropagating laser beams enables optical excitation in an effective Lamb-Dicke regime. Sub-Doppler lines having widths in the 100 Hz range can be observed with good signal-to-noise ratio for an optimal choice of laser detunings. Our results indicate the feasibility of molecular spectroscopy at the $10^{-14}$ accuracy level for improved tests of molecular QED, a new determination of the proton-to-electron mass ratio, and studies of the time (in)dependence of the latter.Comment: 16 pages, 17 figure

Cooling antihydrogen ions for the free-fall experiment GBAR

We discuss an experimental approach allowing to prepare antihydrogen atoms for the GBAR experiment. We study the feasibility of all necessary experimental steps: The capture of incoming $\bar{\rm H}^+$ ions at keV energies in a deep linear RF trap, sympathetic cooling by laser cooled Be$^+$ ions, transfer to a miniaturized trap and Raman sideband cooling of an ion pair to the motional ground state, and further reducing the momentum of the wavepacket by adiabatic opening of the trap. For each step, we point out the experimental challenges and discuss the efficiency and characteristic times, showing that capture and cooling are possible within a few seconds.Comment: 10 pages, 5 figure

Trade policies and agricultural exports of Sub-Saharan African countries: Some stylized facts and perspectives

It has long been consensual that limited market demand within poor African countries have hampered economic development of Sub-Saharan Africa and that countries therefore needed to rely on exports markets to spur economic growth. But despite benefiting from preferential agreements, Sub-Saharan African countries have been marginalized from global trade. Indicators of the exports of Sub-Saharan African countries are constructed to reflect their characteristics. Existing trade negotiating options are examined in the current context of agricultural markets. It appears that prospects at the regional level arise as well as at the global level, especially when looking at the opportunities from a policy coherence for development perspective. Regional prospects are even more acute in light of the global economic crisis affecting traditional trade partners

Two-photon absorption in potassium niobate

We report measurements of thermal self-locking of a Fabry-Perot cavity containing a potassium niobate (KNbO3) crystal. We develop a method to determine linear and nonlinear optical absorption coefficients in intracavity crystals by detailed analysis of the transmission lineshapes. These lineshapes are typical of optical bistability in thermally loaded cavities. For our crystal, we determine the one-photon absorption coefficient at 846 nm to be (0.0034 \pm 0.0022) per m and the two-photon absorption coefficient at 846 nm to be (3.2 \pm 0.5) \times 10^{-11} m/W and the one-photon absorption coefficient at 423 nm to be (13 \pm 2) per m. We also address the issue of blue-light-induced-infrared-absorption (BLIIRA), and determine a coefficient for this excited state absorption process. Our method is particularly well suited to bulk absorption measurements where absorption is small compared to scattering. We also report new measurements of the temperature dependence of the index of refraction at 846 nm, and compare to values in the literature.Comment: 8 pages. To appear in J. Opt. Soc. Am.