What is a Paraconsistent Logic?

Paraconsistent logics are logical systems that reject the classical principle, usually dubbed Explosion, that a contradiction implies everything. However, the received view about paraconsistency focuses only the inferential version of Explosion, which is concerned with formulae, thereby overlooking other possible accounts. In this paper, we propose to focus, additionally, on a meta-inferential version of Explosion, i.e. which is concerned with inferences or sequents. In doing so, we will offer a new characterization of paraconsistency by means of which a logic is paraconsistent if it invalidates either the inferential or the meta-inferential notion of Explosion. We show the non-triviality of this criterion by discussing a number of logics. On the one hand, logics which validate and invalidate both versions of Explosion, such as classical logic and Asenjo–Priest’s 3-valued logic LP. On the other hand, logics which validate one version of Explosion but not the other, such as the substructural logics TS and ST, introduced by Malinowski and Cobreros, Egré, Ripley and van Rooij, which are obtained via Malinowski’s and Frankowski’s q- and p-matrices, respectively

Observation of the resonantly enhanced resolution of imaging of fluorescent nanospheres due to their coupling to the metallic nanoplasmonic arrays

International audienceVirtual imaging through dielectric microspheres is shown to possess the resolution beyond the classical diffraction limit, but the factors responsible for such resolution are debated in the literature. In this work, we experimentally demonstrated an important role of spectral overlap between the emission band of a fluorescent (FL) object and the spectral peak of localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) in the underlying metallic periodic nanostructure. As an object, we used green and blue FL nanospheres placed at the top of Au and Al arrays with different periods. It is shown that the maximal resolution beyond the diffraction limit can be achieved in confocal microscopy of green (blue) FL nanospheres at the top of Au(Al) arrays. Our results provide the first direct evidence for the critically important role of resonant coupling of emission of point-like objects to LSPRs in the underlying nanostructure for achieving the super-resolution

The Art of the Impossible: Sorting Dielectric Microspheres by using Light

International audienceUse of resonant light forces opens up a unique approach to high-volume sorting of microspherical resonators with 1/Q accuracy, where Q is the resonance quality factor. Based on a two-dimensional model, it is shown that the sorting can be realized by allowing spherical particles to traverse a focused beam. Under resonance with the whispering gallery modes (WGM), the particles acquire significant velocity along the laser beam which should allow sorting dielectric microspheres with almost identical positions of their WGM resonances. This is an enabling technology for developing super-low-loss coupled-cavity structures and devices

Enhancement of resolution in microspherical nanoscopy by coupling of fluorescent objects to plasmonic metasurfaces

International audienceThe resolution of microsphere-based nanoscopy is studied using fluorescently labeled nanospheres and F-actin protein filaments with the emission coupled to the localized surface plasmon resonances in the underlying Au nanodisk arrays. Virtual imaging is performed through high-index microspheres embedded in plastic coverslips placed in contact with the nanoscale objects. For 150 and 200 nm periods of nanoplasmonic arrays, the imaging has a solid immersion lens-limited resolution, whereas for shorter periods of 80 and 100 nm, the resolution was found to increase up to ∼λ/7, where λ is the emission wavelength. The results cannot be interpreted within a framework of a regular localized plasmonic structured illumination microscopy since the array period was significantly shorter than the wavelength and postimaging processing was not used. It is hypothesized that the observed super-resolution is based on coupling of the emission of nanoscale objects to strongly localized near-field maxima in the adjacent plasmonic metasurfaces followed by evanescent coupling to high-index microspheres

Roadmap on optical metamaterials

Optical metamaterials have redefined how we understand light in notable ways: from strong response to optical magnetic fields, negative refraction, fast and slow light propagation in zero index and trapping structures, to flat, thin and perfect lenses. Many rules of thumb regarding optics, such as μ = 1, now have an exception, and basic formulas, such as the Fresnel equations, have been expanded. The field of metamaterials has developed strongly over the past two decades. Leveraging structured materials systems to generate tailored response to a stimulus, it has grown to encompass research in optics, electromagnetics, acoustics and, increasingly, novel hybrid materials responses. This roadmap is an effort to present emerging fronts in areas of optical metamaterials that could contribute and apply to other research communities. By anchoring each contribution in current work and prospectively discussing future potential and directions, the authors are translating the work of the field in selected areas to a wider community and offering an incentive for outside researchers to engage our community where solid links do not already exist