1,248 research outputs found
Spectral Polarization and Spectral Phase Control of Time and Energy Entangled Photons
We demonstrate a scheme to spectrally manipulate a collinear, continuous
stream of time and energy entangled photons to generate beamlike,
bandwidth-limited fuxes of polarization-entangled photons with
nearly-degenerate wavelengths. Utilizing an ultrashort-pulse shaper to control
the spectral phase and polarization of the photon pairs, we tailor the shape of
the Hong-Ou-Mandel interference pattern, demonstrating the rules that govern
the dependence of this interference pattern on the spectral phases of the
photons. We then use the pulse shaper to generate all four polarization Bell
states. The singlet state generated by this scheme forms a very robust
decoherence-free subspace, extremely suitable for long distance fiber-optics
based quantum communication.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figure
Mammalian models of extended healthy lifespan
Over the last two centuries, there has been a significant increase in average lifespan expectancy in the developed world. One unambiguous clinical implication of getting older is the risk of experiencing age-related diseases including various cancers, dementia, type-2 diabetes, cataracts and osteoporosis. Historically, the ageing process and its consequences were thought to be intractable. However, over the last two decades or so, a wealth of empirical data has been generated which demonstrates that longevity in model organisms can be extended through the manipulation of individual genes. In particular, many pathological conditions associated with the ageing process in model organisms, and importantly conserved from nematodes to humans, are attenuated in long-lived genetic mutants. For example, several long-lived genetic mouse models show attenuation in age-related cognitive decline, adiposity, cancer and glucose intolerance. Therefore, these long-lived mice enjoy a longer period without suffering the various sequelae of ageing. The greatest challenge in the biology of ageing is to now identify the mechanisms underlying increased healthy lifespan in these model organisms. Given that the elderly are making up an increasingly greater proportion of society, this focused approach in model organisms should help identify tractable interventions that can ultimately be translated to humans
Langerhans Cells as Macrophages in Skin and Lymhphoid Organs
Properties of epidermal Langerhans cell were compared with those of a number of other dendritic cells in lymphoid organs and of mononuclear phagocytes. Among the dendritic “reticulum” cells included were indetenninate dendritic cells from the epidermis, inter-digitating “reticulum” cells from T-dependent areas of lymphoid tissue and thymus, follicular dendritic cells of Nossal, and the dendritic cells described by Steinman and Cohn. Luterdigitating cells with typical Birbeck granules, in the thymus and in the paracortices of lymph nodes, which are morphologically indistinguishable from Langerhans cells and indeterminate dendritic cells in the epidermis, appear to belong to the same system and possibly represent a subpopulation of “macrophages.” On the basis of their similarity to these other dendritic cells, we believe Langerhans cells may function in antigen presentation, lymphokine production, provision of a microenvironment for T lymphocytes, and prostaglandin secretion
Spontaneously generated X-shaped light bullets
We observe the formation of an intense optical wavepacket fully localized in
all dimensions, i.e. both longitudinally (in time) and in the transverse plane,
with an extension of a few tens of fsec and microns, respectively. Our
measurements show that the self-trapped wave is a X-shaped light bullet
spontaneously generated from a standard laser wavepacket via the nonlinear
material response (i.e., second-harmonic generation), which extend the soliton
concept to a new realm, where the main hump coexists with conical tails which
reflect the symmetry of linear dispersion relationship.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures, submitted for publicatio
Parametric Self-Oscillation via Resonantly Enhanced Multiwave Mixing
We demonstrate an efficient nonlinear process in which Stokes and anti-Stokes
components are generated spontaneously in a Raman-like, near resonant media
driven by low power counter-propagating fields. Oscillation of this kind does
not require optical cavity and can be viewed as a spontaneous formation of
atomic coherence grating
Slow-light optical bullets in arrays of nonlinear Bragg-grating waveguides
We demonstrate how to control independently both spatial and temporal
dynamics of slow light. We reveal that specially designed nonlinear waveguide
arrays with phase-shifted Bragg gratings demonstrate the frequency-independent
spatial diffraction near the edge of the photonic bandgap, where the group
velocity of light can be strongly reduced. We show in numerical simulations
that such structures allow a great flexibility in designing and controlling
dispersion characteristics, and open a way for efficient spatiotemporal
self-trapping and the formation of slow-light optical bullets.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures; available from
http://link.aps.org/abstract/PRL/v97/e23390
Fragmentation cross sections of 158 A GeV Pb ions in various targets measured with CR39 nuclear track detectors
We report the measurement of the fragmentation cross sections in high-energy
nucleus-nucleus collisions using the 158 A GeV Pb beam from the CERN-SPS. The
fragments have charges changed from that of the incident projectile nucleus by
, with 8 <\Delta Z <75. The targets range from
polyethylene to lead. Charge identification is made with CR39 nuclear track
detectors, measured with an automatic image analyzer system. The measured
fragmentation cross sections are parameterized with an empirical relation in
terms of the atomic mass of the target, and of the charge of the final
fragment.Comment: 16 pages, 5 figure
Influence of damping on the vanishing of the electro-optic effect in chiral isotropic media
Using first principles, it is demonstrated that radiative damping alone
cannot lead to a nonvanishing electro-optic effect in a chiral isotropic
medium. This conclusion is in contrast with that obtained by a calculation in
which damping effects are included using the standard phenomenological model.
We show that these predictions differ because the phenomenological damping
equations are valid only in regions where the frequencies of the applied
electromagnetic fields are nearly resonant with the atomic transitions. We also
show that collisional damping can lead to a nonvanishing electrooptic effect,
but with a strength sufficiently weak that it is unlikely to be observable
under realistic laboratory conditions
Cavity Light Bullets: 3D Localized Structures in a Nonlinear Optical Resonator
We consider the paraxial model for a nonlinear resonator with a saturable
absorber beyond the mean-field limit and develop a method to study the
modulational instabilities leading to pattern formation in all three spatial
dimensions. For achievable parametric domains we observe total radiation
confinement and the formation of 3D localised bright structures. At difference
from freely propagating light bullets, here the self-organization proceeds from
the resonator feedback, combined with diffraction and nonlinearity. Such
"cavity" light bullets can be independently excited and erased by appropriate
pulses, and once created, they endlessly travel the cavity roundtrip. Also, the
pulses can shift in the transverse direction, following external field
gradients.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, simulations files available at
http://www.ba.infn.it/~maggipin/PRLmovies.htm, submitted to Physical Review
Letters on 24 March 200
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