Femtosecond Covariance Spectroscopy

The success of non-linear optics relies largely on pulse-to-pulse consistency. In contrast, covariance based techniques used in photoionization electron spectroscopy and mass spectrometry have shown that wealth of information can be extracted from noise that is lost when averaging multiple measurements. Here, we apply covariance based detection to nonlinear optical spectroscopy, and show that noise in a femtosecond laser is not necessarily a liability to be mitigated, but can act as a unique and powerful asset. As a proof of principle we apply this approach to the process of stimulated Raman scattering in alpha-quartz. Our results demonstrate how nonlinear processes in the sample can encode correlations between the spectral components of ultrashort pulses with uncorrelated stochastic fluctuations. This in turn provides richer information compared to the standard non-linear optics techniques that are based on averages over many repetitions with well-behaved laser pulses. These proof-of-principle results suggest that covariance based nonlinear spectroscopy will improve the applicability of fs non-linear spectroscopy in wavelength ranges where stable, transform limited pulses are not available such as, for example, x-ray free electron lasers which naturally have spectrally noisy pulses ideally suited for this approach

Fatigue fracture morphology of AISI H13 steel obtained by additive manufacturing

DEC-10/2021/IDUB/IV.2/EUROPIUM 030/RID/2018/19The paper focuses on researching the effect of fatigue loading on metallic structure, lifetime, and fracture surface topographies in AISI H13 steel specimens obtained by selective laser melting (SLM). The topography of the fracture surfaces was measured over their entire area, according to the entire total area method, with an optical three-dimensional surface measurement system. The fatigue results of the SLM 3D printed steel specimens were compared with those reported for conventionally manufactured 13H steel. The investigation also considers the roughness of the specimens’ side surface. Moreover, the fractographic evaluation conducted using scanning electron microscopy confirms that the predominant fracture mechanism is transgranular fracture. Microtomography done after mechanical loading also showed the influence of the stress level on the porosity distribution. Both fractographic and Micro-CT investigations confirm that higher stresses result in coarser and much more uniform porosity observed in fractured samples. These comprehensive quantitative and qualitative fracture analyses are beneficial to predict the failure conditions of SLM steel parts, especially in the case of fatigue damage. From the quantitative analysis of the H13 SLM-manufactured fracture surface topography, it was possible to conclude that the larger the loadings acting on the specimen, the rougher the fracture surface because the ductile fracture mode dominates. It has also been proven that the porosity degree changes along the length of the sample for the most stressed specimens.publishersversionepub_ahead_of_prin

Active-illumination Extension to the Priest and Meier pBRDF

This paper develops a 3D vector solution for the scattering of partially coherent laser-beam illumination from statistically rough surfaces. Such a solution enables a rigorous comparison to the well-known Priest and Meier polarimetric bidirectional reflectance distribution function (pBRDF) [Opt Eng 41(5),988 (2002).]. Overall, the comparison shows excellent agreement for the normalized spectral density and the degree of polarization. Based on this agreement, the 3D vector solution also enables an extension to the Priest and Meier pBRDF that accounts for the effects of active illumination. In particular, the 3D vector solution enables the development of a closed-form expression for the spectral degree of coherence. This expression provides a gauge for the average speckle size based on the spatial-coherence properties of the laser source. Such an extension is of broad interest to long-range applications that deal with speckle phenomena

On the use of the cumulative strain energy density for fatigue life assessment in advanced high-strength steels

Publisher Copyright: © 2022 Elsevier LtdIn this paper, the applicability of the cumulative strain energy density is explored as a fatigue indicator parameter for advanced high-strength steels subjected to strain-controlled conditions. Firstly, the cyclic stress–strain responses of nine steels, selected from three multiphase families, encompassing different elemental compositions and different heat treatment routes, were studied. Then, the predictive capabilities of the proposed model were compared with those of other strain-based and energy-based approaches. It was found that the cumulative strain energy density decreases as the strain amplitude increaes. It was also found that the cumulative strain energy density and the fatigue life can be related via a power function. In addition, the relationship between the cumulative strain energy and the fatigue life was not significantly affected by the elemental composition or the heat treatment route. Finally, the fatigue lives computed through the cumulative strain energy density concept were close to those of the other models but were slightly more conservative.publishersversionpublishe

Transient measurement of phononic states with covariance-based stochastic spectroscopy

We present a novel approach to transient Raman spectroscopy, which combines stochastic probe pulses and a covariance-based detection to measure stimulated Raman signals in alpha-quartz. A coherent broadband pump is used to simultaneously impulsively excite a range of different phonon modes, and the phase, amplitude, and energy of each mode are independently recovered as a function of the pump–probe delay by a noisy-probe and covariance-based analysis. Our experimental results and the associated theoretical description demonstrate the feasibility of 2D-Raman experiments based on the stochastic-probe schemes, with new capabilities not available in equivalent mean-value-based 2D-Raman techniques. This work unlocks the gate for nonlinear spectroscopies to capitalize on the information hidden within the noise and overlooked by a mean-value analysis

Exercise mode in heart failure: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Optimising exercise prescription in heart failure (HF) with a preserved (HFpEF) or reduced (HFrEF) ejection fraction is clinically important. As such, the aim of this meta-analysis was to compare traditional moderate intensity training (MIT) against combined aerobic and resistance training (CT) and high intensity interval training (HIIT) for improving aerobic capacity (VO2), as well as other clinically relevant parameters. Methods: A comprehensive systematic search was performed to identify randomised controlled trials published between 1990 and May 2021. Research trials reporting the effects of MIT against CT or HIIT on peak VO2 in HFpEF or HFrEF were considered. Left-ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) and various markers of diastolic function were also analysed. Results: 17 studies were included in the final analysis, 4 of which compared MIT against CT and 13 compared MIT against HIIT. There were no significant differences between MIT and CT for peak VO2 (WMD:0.521ml·min-1·kg-1, [95% CI] =-0.7-1.8, Pfixed=0.412) or LVEF (WMD:-1.129 %, [95%CI] =-3.8-1.5,Pfixed=0.408). However, HIIT was significantly more effective than MIT at improving peak VO2 (WMD:1.62 ml·min-1·kg-1, [95%CI] =0.6-2.6,Prandom=0.002) and LVEF (WMD:3.24 %, [95%CI] =1.7-4.8,Prandom<0.001) in HF patients. When dichotomized by HF phenotype, HIIT remained significantly more effective than MIT in all analyses except for peak VO2 in HFpEF. Conclusions: HIIT is significantly more effective than MIT for improving peak VO2 and LVEF in HF patients. With the exception of peak VO2 in HFpEF, these findings remain consistent in both phenotypes. Separately, there is no difference in peak VO2 and LVEF change following MIT or CT, suggesting the addition of resistance exercise does not inhibit aerobic adaptations in HF

A class of Poisson-Nijenhuis structures on a tangent bundle

Equipping the tangent bundle TQ of a manifold with a symplectic form coming from a regular Lagrangian L, we explore how to obtain a Poisson-Nijenhuis structure from a given type (1,1) tensor field J on Q. It is argued that the complete lift of J is not the natural candidate for a Nijenhuis tensor on TQ, but plays a crucial role in the construction of a different tensor R, which appears to be the pullback under the Legendre transform of the lift of J to co-tangent manifold of Q. We show how this tangent bundle view brings new insights and is capable also of producing all important results which are known from previous studies on the cotangent bundle, in the case that Q is equipped with a Riemannian metric. The present approach further paves the way for future generalizations.Comment: 22 page