Active mode locking of continuous-wave doubly and singly resonant optical parametric oscillators

We report on what we believe to be the first active mode locking of near-degenerate, doubly and singly resonant cw-pumped optical parametric oscillators (OPOs). We show experimentally that a steady-state regime of short pulses is reached in a few tens of microseconds under cw pumping. The oscillation buildup dynamics of both OPOs is also explored, evidencing an unusual transient behavior in the mode-locking process.     

Conservative numerical methods for the Full von Kármán plate equations

This article is concerned with the numerical solution of the full dynamical von Kármán plate equations for geometrically nonlinear (large‐amplitude) vibration in the simple case of a rectangular plate under periodic boundary conditions. This system is composed of three equations describing the time evolution of the transverse displacement field, as well as the two longitudinal displacements. Particular emphasis is put on developing a family of numerical schemes which, when losses are absent, are exactly energy conserving. The methodology thus extends previous work on the simple von Kármán system, for which longitudinal inertia effects are neglected, resulting in a set of two equations for the transverse displacement and an Airy stress function. Both the semidiscrete (in time) and fully discrete schemes are developed. From the numerical energy conservation property, it is possible to arrive at sufficient conditions for numerical stability, under strongly nonlinear conditions. Simulation results are presented, illustrating various features of plate vibration at high amplitudes, as well as the numerical energy conservation property, using both simple finite difference as well as Fourier spectral discretizations. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Numer Methods Partial Differential Eq 31: 1948–1970, 2015     

A Multifunctional Photoswitch: 6π Electrocyclization versus ESIPT and Metalation

A terthiazole‐based molecular switch associating 6π electrocyclization, excited state intramolecular proton transfer (ESIPT), and strong metal binding capability was prepared. The photochemical and photophysical properties of this molecule and of the corresponding nickel and copper complexes were thoroughly investigated by steady‐state and ultrafast absorption spectroscopy and rationalized by DFT/TDDFT calculations. The switch behaves as a biphotochrome with time‐dependent photochemical outcome and displays efficient ESIPT‐based fluorescence photoswitching. Both photochemical reactions are suppressed by nickel or copper metalation, and the main factors contributing to the quenching of the electrocyclization are discussed.     

TiCl3-Mediated Synthesis of 2,3,3-Trisubstituted Indolenines: Total Synthesis of (+)-1,2-Dehydroaspidospermidine, (+)-Condyfoline,and (−)-Tubifoline

2,3,3-Trisubstituted indolenine constitutes an integral part of many biologically important monoterpene indole alkaloids. We report herein an unprecedented access to this skeleton by a TiCl₃-mediated reductive cyclization of tetrasubstituted alkenes bearing a 2-nitrophenyl substituent. The proof of concept is demonstrated firstly by accomplishing a concise total synthesis of (+)-1,2-dehydroaspidospermidine featuring a late-stage application of this key transformation. A sequence of reduction of nitroarene to nitrosoarene followed by 6π-electron-5-atom electrocyclization and a 1,2-alkyl shift of the resulting nitrone intermediate was proposed to account for the reaction outcome. A subsequent total synthesis of (+)-condyfoline not only illustrates the generality of the reaction, but also provides a mechanistic insight into the nature of the 1,2-alkyl shift. The exclusive formation of (+)-condyfoline indicates that the 1,2-alkyl migration follows a concerted Wagner–Meerwein pathway, rather than a stepwise retro-Mannich/Mannich reaction sequence. Conditions for almost quantitative conversion of (+)-condyfoline to (−)-tubifoline by way of a retro-Mannich/1,3-prototropy/transannular cyclization cascade are also documented.     

Modulation of the Physicochemical Properties of Donor–Spiro–Acceptor Derivatives through Donor Unit Planarisation: Phenylacridine versus Indoloacridine—New Hosts for Green and Blue Phosphorescent Organic Light‐Emitting Diodes (PhOLEDs)

This work reports a detailed structure–property relationship study of a series of efficient host materials based on the donor–spiro–acceptor (D‐spiro‐A) design for green and sky‐blue phosphorescent organic light‐emitting diodes (PhOLEDs). The electronic and physical effects of the indoloacridine (IA) fragment connected through a spiro bridge to different acceptor units, namely, fluorene, dioxothioxanthene or diazafluorene moiety, have been investigated in depth. The resulting host materials have been easily synthesised through short, efficient, low‐cost, and highly adaptable synthetic routes by using common intermediates. The dyes possess a very high triplet energy (E_T) and tuneable HOMO/LUMO levels, depending on the strength of the donor/acceptor combination. The peculiar electrochemical and optical properties of the IA moiety have been investigated though a fine comparison with their phenylacridine counterparts to study the influence of planarisation. Finally, these molecules have been incorporated as hosts in green and sky‐blue PhOLEDs. For the derivative SIA‐TXO₂ as a host, external quantum efficiencies as high as 23 and 14 % have been obtained for green and sky‐blue PhOLEDs, respectively.