Optical pulse propagation in a switched-on photonic lattice: Rabi effect with the roles of light and matter interchanged

A light pulse propagating in a suddenly switched on photonic lattice, when the central frequency lies in the photonic band gap, is an analog of the Rabi model where the two-level system is the two resonant (i.e. Bragg-coupled) Fourier modes of the pulse, while the photonic lattice serves as a monochromatic external field. A simple theory of these Rabi oscillations is given and confirmed by the numerical solution of the corresponding Maxwell equations. This is a direct, i.e. temporal, analog of the Rabi effect, additionally to the spatial analog in optical beam propagation described in Opt. Lett. 32, 1920 (2007). An additional high-frequency modulation of the Rabi oscillations reflects the lattice-induced energy transfer between the electric and magnetic fields of the pulse.Comment: 3 pages, 5 figure

Discrete optics in inhomogeneous waveguide arrays

Die vorliegende Arbeit befasst sich mit der Ausbreitung optischer Wellen in inhomogenen Wellenleiterarrays. Im ersten Teil der Arbeit werden Defektmoden an Defektwellenleitern und Grenzflächen in Wellenleiterarrays theoretisch und experimentell untersucht. Des Weiteren werden die Reflexions- und Transmissionskoeffizienten für Blochwellen an solchen Inhomogenitäten berechnet. Im zweiten Teil der Arbeit wird gezeigt, dass Zener-Tunneln, ein aus der Festkörperphysik bekannter Effekt, auch in Wellenleiterarrays unter dem Einfluss eines transversalen Brechnungsindexgradienten beobachtet werden kann. Die dargestellten Ergebnisse stellen den ersten direkten Nachweis von Zener-Tunneln dar. Im dritten Teil der Arbeit werden Bloch-Oszillationen und Zener-Tunneln in zwei-dimensionalen Wellenleiterarrays untersucht. Es gelang erstmals Zener-Tunneln in einem 2D-System zu beobachten und die zu Bloch-Oszillationen und Zener-Tunneln korrespondierende Bewegung im Foureierraum zu messen

Victorian medical men and their understanding of the female condition, 1859-1900

Gender relations, particularly in the second half of the nineteenth century, were negotiated against the backdrop of a separate spheres ideology. The doctrine assumed a sexual identity for women based on their natural and distinctive biology. These so-called laws of nature asserted a specific female destiny making them peculiarly suited to a reproductive and domestic existence. This thesis sets out to explore why there were good reasons for medical men to welcome the idea of sexual difference, and by what means a number of them sought to frustrate the ambitions of many middle-class women who were questioning their allotted role and actively challenging the legal obstacles blocking their path in achieving equal status with men. Although many women subscribed to the idea of exclusion from the public arena, being quite content to run the domestic sphere, there were significant numbers who were openly demanding changes to their subordinate position. The passage of the Matrimonial Causes Act of 1857, the Married Women's Property Acts of 1870, 1882 and 1884 and the repeal of the Contagious Diseases Acts in 1886 confirmed that many feminists and their supporters were making steady inroads onto male territory. As the lot of middle-class women improved, albeit very slowly, accounting for their distinctive physiology became increasingly difficult to sustain on a rational level. To forestall further any ideas women entertained about moving from their dedicated sphere, some normal female functions were medicalized and many women found themselves directly implicated in the production of pathology. The thesis focuses on the scientific theories and discursive practices that lent support to the notion that women were naturally governed by their reproductive faculty. Their reproductive aptitude became the manifestation of developmental failure, explaining why they had been unable to keep pace with men on their evolutionary journey and achieve equal standing

The management of segmental tibial shaft fractures: A systematic review.

INTRODUCTION: Segmental tibial fractures are complex injuries associated with significant soft tissue damage that are difficult to treat. This study aimed to identify the most effective method of treating segmental tibial fractures. METHOD: A PRISMA compliant systematic review was conducted. Studies investigating the management of segmental tibial fractures with intramedullary nail fixation (IMN), open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF) or circular external fixation (CEF) were included for review. The primary outcome measure was time to fracture union. Secondary outcomes were complications and functional outcome. A narrative analysis was undertaken as meta-analysis was inappropriate due to heterogeneity of the data. RESULTS: Thirteen studies were eligible and included. No randomised controlled trials were identified. Fixation with an intramedullary nail provided the fastest time to union, followed by open reduction and internal fixation and then CEF. The rate of deep infection was highest after IMN (5/162 [3%]), followed by open reduction and internal fixation (2/78 [2.5%]) and CEF (1/54 [2%]). However, some studies reported particularly high rates of infection following IMN for open segmental tibial fractures. There was limited reporting of postoperative deformities. From the studies that did include such data, there was a higher rate of deformity following ORIF (8/53 [15%]), compared to IMN (13/138 [9%]), and CEF (4/44 [9%]). Three studies, not including IMN, described patient reported outcome measures with results ranging from 'excellent' to 'fair'. DISCUSSION: The available evidence was of poor quality, dominated by retrospective case series. This prevented statistical analysis, and precludes firm conclusions being drawn from the results available. CONCLUSION: IMN has the fastest time to fracture union, however there are concerns regarding an increased deep infection rate in open segmental tibial fractures. In this subgroup, the data suggests CEF provides the most satisfactory results. However, the available literature does not provide sufficient detail to make this statement with certainty. We recommend a randomised controlled study to further investigate this challenging problem