Slow Dynamics in Glasses

Minimalist theories of complex systems are broadly of two kinds: mean-field and axiomatic. So far all theories of complex properties absent from simple systems and intrinsic to glasses are axiomatic. Stretched Exponential Relaxation (SER) is the prototypical complex temporal property of glasses, discovered by Kohlrausch 150 years ago, and now observed almost universally in microscopically homogeneous, complex non-equilibrium materials, including luminescent electronic (Coulomb) glasses. Critical comparison of alternative axiomatic theories with both numerical simulations and experiments strongly favors dynamical trap models over static percolative or energy landscape models. PACS: 61.20.Lc; 67.40.F

Technical Report: Final project report for Terahertz Spectroscopy of Complex Matter

This project designed characterization techniques for thin films of complex matter and other materials in the terahertz spectral region extending from approximately 100 GHz to 4000 GHz (4 THz) midway between radio waves and light. THz has traditionally been a difficult region of the spectrum in which to conduct spectroscopic measurements. The “THz gap” arises from the nature of the sources and detectors used in spectroscopy both at the optical (high frequency) side and electronic (low frequency) side of the gap. To deal with the extremely rapid oscillations of the electric field in this frequency region this research project adapted techniques from both the electronics and optics technologies by fabricating microscopic antennas and driving them with short optical pulses. This research technique creates nearly single cycle pulses with extremely broad spectral bandwidth that are able to cover the THz spectral range with a single measurement. The technique of THz time domain spectroscopy (THz-TDS) has seen increasing use and acceptance in laboratories over the past fifteen years. However significant technical challenges remain in order to allow THz-TDS to be applied to measurement of solid materials, particularly thin films and complex matter. This project focused on the development and adaptation of time domain THz measurement techniques to investigate the electronic properties of complex matter in the terahertz frequency region from 25 GHz to beyond 5 THz (165 inv. cm). This project pursued multiple tracks in adapting THz Time Domain Spectroscopy (THz-TDS) to measurement of complex matter. The first, and most important, is development of a reliable methods to characterize the complex dielectric constant of thin films with high accuracy when the wavelength of the THz radiation is much longer than the thickness of the film. We have pursued several techniques for measurement of thin films. The most promising of these are waveguide spectroscopy and THz interferometry. Since THz spectroscopy measures the changes of the transmitted spectra, any noise on the THz signal contributes to measurement errors. The dynamic range—defined as the RMS noise of the THz detector compared to the peak THz signal—of THz spectroscopy using photoconductive antennas is extremely high, typically over 10,000. However the precision with which spectroscopic data can be measured is limited by the noise on the laser source which is typically 0.1% to 1%. For low values of the sample absorbance and for values of optical thickness less than approximately 0.01, the change in transmission approaches the measurement accuracy. The sample refractive index can be measured with better accuracy since the index causes a temporal shift of the THz pulse by an amount time shift of nd/c where n is the refractive index, d the sample thickness, and c the speed of light. Time shifts of tens of femtoseconds can generally be resolved so that index-thickness values of nd > ten microns can be accurately measured. Waveguide spectroscopy is a way to increase the path length in thin film by several orders of magnitude, and thus have a large interaction length even when the film is much less than a wavelength in thickness. Film thicknesses of 10’s of nm have been measured. THz interferometry cancels out many of the noise sources of THz spectroscopy and can thus result in measurements of films of several hundred nm in thickness and is additionally suitable for optical pump, THz probe spectroscopic techniques. A large amount of additional work was performed in support of the main project direction or to explore promising alternative avenues for research. This report discussed work on the the confinement of low density species for measurement of nanogram or picogram quantities of material. Whispering gallery mode resonators to achieve long path lengths were also investigated as were imaging techniques for sub-wavelength imaging of thin films. The report concludes with a report on investigations of fundamental issues in THz beam propagation and coupling that impact THz spectroscopy and the other spectroscopic techniques developed during this project

Measurement and noise characterization of optically induced index changes using THz interferometry

A Michelson interferometer designed for broadband single-cycle THz pulses is used to characterize optically induced index changes in semiconductors which result in submicron changes in optical path length. The interferometric measurements are compared both to standard THz time-domain spectroscopy (THz-TDS) and differential THz-TDS based on modulation of the sample. By analyzing noise contributions in THz spectroscopy systems, it is shown that the destructive interference achieved in THz interferometry reduces both some sources of random errors as well as errors due to system drift.Peer reviewedElectrical and Computer Engineerin

Part-per-million gas detection from long-baseline THz spectroscopy

We report a long-baseline THz time domain spectrometer based on a White cell design capable of detecting gas species in the low part-per-million range in near real time. Coherent transients from methyl chloride vapor are observed directly in the time domain using a 5.0 m path length at pressures down to 1 Pa. Both phase sensitive (lock-in) detection and direct signal averaging using a rapid-scanning delay line are used for data acquisition.Peer reviewedElectrical and Computer Engineerin

Direct observation of the Gouy phase shift in THz impulse ranging

Here we present a direct observation of the Gouy effect through THz impulse scattering from cylindrical and spherical targets. A pi/2 Gouy phase shift through a one-axis focus compared to the more common pi phase shift of the two-axis focus is required to interpret the scattering results using a physical optics model.Peer reviewedElectrical and Computer Engineerin

Properties of surface waves determined via bistatic terahertz impulse ranging

A bistatic terahertz impulse ranging system has permitted the full isolation and direct measurements of the surface wave loss and dispersion for terahertz frequencies on a dielectric cylinder. This system permits ranging investigations with variable bistatic angles between the source and detector. Direct, frequency dependent comparisons of surface wave loss and propagation velocity are compared to Mie theory and previous measurements of surface wave propagation over a 1 THz bandwidth. The observed radiation from the surface waves is seen to depend on the path of the radiation in and along the scatterer.Peer reviewedElectrical and Computer Engineerin

Characterization of thin polymer films using terahertz time-domain interferometry

An interferometer for broadband single-cycle THz pulses is developed based on the Michelson configuration. Total internal reflection of THz pulses in high-resistivity silicon prisms provides a nearly 180° phase shift of one arm relative to the other to achieve destructive interference. We show that due to automatic compensation for laser fluctuations by the interferometer, it is possible to measure the index and absorption of thin-film samples with more accuracy than is achievable with standard THz time-domain spectroscopy. We demonstrate characterization of the complex index of refraction of 2 μm thick Mylar (polyester) films. By measuring the signal amplitude directly in the time domain, the interferometer can be used for rapid measurements of film thickness with a resolution of better than 1 μm.Peer reviewedElectrical and Computer Engineerin

Retroperitoneal lymph node dissection (RPLND) for malignant phenotype Leydig cell tumours of the testis: a 10-year experience.

Retroperitoneal lymph node dissection (RPLND) is a prognostic, palliative, and potentially therapeutic procedure for patients with malignant phenotype Leydig cell tumours of the testis. We reviewed the records of patients diagnosed with malignant phenotype Leydig cell tumours of the testis treated by RPLND. Modified template dissection was performed in all cases with extra-template excision of tumour mass in Stage II disease. Routine clinico-radiological follow-up was performed. Six open RPLNDs (1 re-do procedure) were performed on 5 patients diagnosed with Stage I (n = 3) and Stage II (n = 2) malignant phenotype Leydig cell tumour of the testis. Median age = 63 years (range = 55-72). Median peri-operative blood loss = 1500 ml (range = 500-1500 ml). Median operating time = 6 h (range = 4.5-6.5). Two patients with Stage II disease developed post-operative complications of acute kidney injury (n = 1) and pneumonia (n = 1). Median length of stay was 8 days (range = 6-11). RPLND specimens from patients with Stage I were tumour-free, whilst patients with Stage II disease had evidence of metastatic tumour. At latest follow-up (median = 13 months, range = 7-22), no patient with Stage I disease had radiological evidence of recurrence, however the two patients with Stage II disease had died due to tumour recurrence at 13 months and 36 months. RPLND for malignant phenotype Leydig cell testicular tumours appears to be well tolerated. Despite surgery, overall outcomes for Stage II appear to be poor due to the disease phenotype. Larger prospective multi-centre studies are required to determine the definitive criteria for surgery in Stage I disease

An Integrated TCGA Pan-Cancer Clinical Data Resource to Drive High-Quality Survival Outcome Analytics

For a decade, The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) program collected clinicopathologic annotation data along with multi-platform molecular profiles of more than 11,000 human tumors across 33 different cancer types. TCGA clinical data contain key features representing the democratized nature of the data collection process. To ensure proper use of this large clinical dataset associated with genomic features, we developed a standardized dataset named the TCGA Pan-Cancer Clinical Data Resource (TCGA-CDR), which includes four major clinical outcome endpoints. In addition to detailing major challenges and statistical limitations encountered during the effort of integrating the acquired clinical data, we present a summary that includes endpoint usage recommendations for each cancer type. These TCGA-CDR findings appear to be consistent with cancer genomics studies independent of the TCGA effort and provide opportunities for investigating cancer biology using clinical correlates at an unprecedented scale. Analysis of clinicopathologic annotations for over 11,000 cancer patients in the TCGA program leads to the generation of TCGA Clinical Data Resource, which provides recommendations of clinical outcome endpoint usage for 33 cancer types