Light beats the spread: “non‐diffracting” beams

“Non‐diffracting” beams do not spread as they propagate. This property is useful in many areas. Here, the theory, generation, properties, and applications of various “non‐diffracting” beams, including the Bessel beam, Mathieu beam, and Airy beam is reviewed. Applications include imaging, micromanipulation, nonlinear optics, and optical transfection.     

Efficiency Improvement in Polymer Light‐Emitting Diodes by “Far‐Field” Effect of Gold Nanoparticles

The “far‐field” effect of metal nanoparticles (NPs), when chromophores localized nearby metal NPs (typically the distance >λ/10), is an important optical effect to enhance emission in photoluminescence. The far‐field effect originates mainly from the interaction between origin emission and mirror‐reflected emission, resulting in the increased irradiative rate of chromophores on the mirror‐type substrate. Here, the far‐field effect is used to improve emission efficiency of polymer light‐emitting diodes (PLEDs). A universal performance improvement is achieved for the full visible light (red, green, blue) PLEDs, utilizing gold (Au) NPs to modify the indium tin oxide (ITO) substrates; this is shown by experimental and theoretical simulation to mainly come from the far‐field effect. The optimized distance, between the NPs and chromophores with visible light emission ranging from 400 to 700 nm, is 80–120 nm. Thus the scope of the far‐field may overlap the light‐emitting profile very well to enhance the efficiency of optoelectronic devices. The 30–40% enhancement is obtained for different color‐emitting materials through distance optimization. The far‐field effect is demonstrated to enhance device performance for materials in the full‐visible spectral range, which extends the optoelectric applications of Au NPs.     

Scattering of ultrashort laser pulses on “ion‐sphere” in dense plasmas

Scattering of ultrashort electromagnetic pulses on the dense strongly coupled plasma is under consideration in the frame of hard ion sphere model. The electron distribution inside the ion sphere is obtained from self‐consistent solution of the Shrodinger equation for bound electrons and the Poisson equation for free electrons. The electron density distribution is determined by plasma electron temperatures. The ion density of Al plasmas under consideration is of the order of 10²⁰–10²² cm^?3, the electron temperature changes between 54 and 816 eV. Dynamical polarizability of the hard sphere determining the scattering cross sections is calculated using the modified local plasma frequency approximation. The spectrum of scattering cross section has maxima in the vicinity of the mean plasma frequency. Dependencies of scattering probability on carrier frequency and pulse duration are analysed in detail. The transition of the total scattering probabilities from nonlinear time dependence at small times to standard linear ones with the increase of pulse duration is demonstrated.     

Size and Shape Effect of Gold Nanoparticles in “Far‐Field” Surface Plasmon Resonance

The “far‐field” surface plasmon resonance (FSPR) of metal nanoparticles, which have built a facile way to emission enhancement of red, green, blue, and white with nice reproducibility, has big potential application in solution‐processed organic light‐emitting diodes (OLEDs). According to the theory of the “far‐field” effect, the reflectivity of the metal surface and the phase shift at the reflection play an important role in enhancing ratio, which strongly relate to the size and shape of nanoparticles. In this work, gold nanospheres with different sizes and nanorods are synthesized in order to determine the size and shape effect of FSPR. The results demonstrate that the one with higher reflectivity in a certain range induces a better emission enhancement in the luminous efficiency and the maximum brightness. The nanoparticles with bigger sizes and shape of rods have higher reflectivity, which is consistent with the simulation based on FSPR effect. The phase shifts of different nanoparticles are optimized by the distance between gold nanoparticles and emitters. The metal NPs with a high reflectivity and the applicable phase shift will have big potential for the emission enhancement in OLEDs.     

Radiation Emission of Fast Electrons in Collisions with “Ion‐Sphere” in Dense Plasmas

Radiative emission of fast electrons in collision with an “ion‐sphere” electron distribution in dense plasmas is under consideration. The electron structure of the ion sphere is calculated ab initio using self‐consistent solution of both bound and free electron distribution inside the sphere. Two radiation channels are included: emission of the colliding electron itself in static potential (conventional or static Bremsstrahlung) and the emission of “ion sphere” medium due to its polarization by the colliding electron (polarization Bremsstrahlung). The last one is calculated in the frame of local plasma density approximation. Interference between conventional and polarization Bremsstrahlung is taken into account. It is shown that spectral cross section of the process has characteristic features depending on plasma density and ionization stage of plasma ions. (© 2013 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

“Almost direct” photons

Quantum chromodynamics has intensified the interest and enhanced the importance of measuring the production of direct photons in hadron collisions. We point out that lepton pairs of low invariant mass (m² < m²_ψ) provide an equally good probe for testing Q.C.D. Their experimental observation is not only easier, the relevant data may already exist.     

“Loop the loop”

The applicability of the collective coordinate method (saddle-point approximation) for large-N planar models is discussed. Some unstated assumptions are clarified. Statements that Wilson loops form a complete set of gauge invariant operators are also examined and a set of generalized algebraic Mandelstam relations among Wilson loops is presented. The inclusion of loops that wind around themselves and cross many times, as independent variables, is stressed.     

In Vivo Targeted Cancer Theranostics by Core/Shell‐Structured Multifunctional Prussian Blue/PLGA “Nanococktails”

The construction of high‐performance nanotheranostic agent with Food and Drug Administration (FDA)‐approved materials for efficient treatment of breast cancer is still of great challenge. This work reports, for the first time, on the elaborate integration of two FDA‐approved materials together to construct a multifunctional core/shell‐structured “nanococktail” for cancer theranostics. The biocompatible Prussian blue nanoparticles with high photothermal‐conversion performance are coated by poly(lactic‐co‐glycolic acid) followed by further surface targeting engineering (folic acid conjugation). The anticancer drug paclitaxel is concurrently encapsulated into the nanocarrier with high efficiency and capacity. Especially, these “nanococktails” act as the desirable contrast agents for photoacoustic/magnetic resonance imaging dual‐mode diagnostic imaging, providing the potential for guidance and monitoring during the therapeutic process, which has been systematically demonstrated both in vitro and in vivo. Importantly, these “nanococktails” have demonstrated their high performance in synergistic in vivo photothermal therapy and chemotherapy against breast cancer tumor xenograft. This work not only provides a high‐performance theranostic “nanococktail” platform for efficient theranostic treatment of cancer but also paves a new way for the integration of various functional moieties together for realizing the specific diagnostic imaging‐guided and synergistic cancer therapy.     

Assembly of Gold Nanoparticles on Gold Nanorods Using Functionalized Poly(N‐isopropylacrylamide) as Polymeric “Glue”

A telechelic thermoresponsive polymer, α‐amino‐ω‐thiol‐poly(N‐isopropylacrylamide) (H₂N‐PNiPAM‐SH), is used as the polymeric glue to assemble gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) around gold nanorods (AuNRs) into a satellite structure. Prepared by reversible addition‐fragmentation chain transfer polymerization followed by hydrazinolysis, H₂N‐PNiPAM‐SH is able to interlink the two types of the gold building blocks with the thiol‐end grafting on AuNRs and the amine‐end coordinating on the AuNP surface. The density of the grafted AuNPs on AuNRs can be tuned by adjusting the molar ratio between AuNPs and AuNRs in the feed. The resulted satellite‐like assembly exhibits unique optical property that was responsive to temperature change.