Soliton squeezing in microstructure fiber

We demonstrate, for the first time to our knowledge, the generation of squeezed light by means of soliton self-phase modulation in microstructure fiber. We observe and characterize the formation of solitons in the microstructure fiber at 1550 nm. A maximum squeezing of 2.7 dB is observed, corresponding to 4.0 dB after correcting for detection losses. The dependence of this quantum-noise reduction on various system parameters is studied in detail. Features of the microstructure fiber can be exploited for generation of low-energy continuous-variable entangled pulses for use in all-fiber teleportation experiments.     

Optical-fiber source of polarization-entangled photons in the 1550 nm telecom band

We present a fiber-based source of polarization-entangled photons that is well suited for quantum communication applications in the 1550 nm band of standard fiber-optic telecommunications. Polarization entanglement is created by pumping a nonlinear-fiber Sagnac interferometer with two time-delayed orthogonally polarized pump pulses and subsequently removing the time distinguishability by passing the parametrically scattered signal and idler photon pairs through a piece of birefringent fiber. Coincidence detection of the signal and idler photons yields biphoton interference with visibility greater than 90%, while no interference is observed in direct detection of either signal or idler photons. All four Bell states can be prepared with our setup and we demonstrate violations of the Clauser-Horne-Shimony-Holt form of Bell's inequality by up to 10 standard deviations of measurement uncertainty.     

Nanocluster formation in electron-irradiated Li2O crystals observed by elastic diffuse neutron scattering

Previous work performed on electron-irradiated Li2O crystals has demonstrated the simultaneous formation of two populations of colloids of metallic lithium, one is associated with oxygen bubbles and a typical size of >10 microm, while the other one consists of nanoclusters in the range of <10 nm. In the present neutron scattering investigation these small colloids are characterized in detail based on a thorough analysis of distortion scattering around Bragg peaks. It is shown that the small lithium colloids are slightly elongated precipitates with typical dimensions of around approximately 5 nm. For the large lithium colloids a well-defined orientation relation with respect to the Li2O matrix has been determined.     

Secure communication using mesoscopic coherent states

We demonstrate theoretically and experimentally that secure communication using intermediate-energy (mesoscopic) coherent states is possible. Our scheme is different from previous quantum cryptographic schemes in that a short secret key is explicitly used and in which quantum noise hides both the bit and the key. This encryption scheme allows optical amplification. New avenues are open to secure communications at high speeds in fiber-optic or free-space channels.     

Variable-frequency EPR study of Mn(2+)-doped NH(4)Cl(0.9)I(0.1) single crystal at 9.6, 36, and 249.9 GHz: structural phase transition

Multifrequency electron paramagnetic resonance studies on the Mn(2+) impurity ion in a mixed single crystal NH(4)Cl(0.9)I(0.1) were carried out at 9.62 (X-band) in the range 120-295 K, at 35.87 (Q-band) at 77 and 295 K, and at 249.9 GHz (far-infrared band) at 253 K. The high-field EPR spectra at 249.9 GHz are well into the high-field limit leading to a considerable simplification of the spectra and their interpretation. Three magnetically inequivalent, but physically equivalent, Mn(2+) ions with their respective magnetic Z-axes oriented along the crystallographic [100], [010], [001] axes were observed. Simultaneous fitting of EPR line positions observed at X-, Q-, and far infra-red bands was performed using a least-squares procedure and matrix diagonalization to estimate accurately the Mn(2+) spin-Hamiltonian parameters. The temperature variation of the linewidth and peak-to-peak intensities of the EPR lines indicate the presence of lambda-transitions in the mixed NH(4)Cl(0.9)I(0.1) crystal at 242 and 228 K consistent with those observed in the pure NH(4)Cl and NH(4)I crystals, respectively. A superposition-model analysis of the spin-Hamiltonian parameters reveals that the local environment of the Mn(2+) ion is considerably reorganized to produce axially symmetric crystal fields about the respective Z-axes of the three magnetically inequivalent ions as a consequence of the vacancy created due to charge-compensation when the divalent Mn(2+) ion substitutes for a monovalent NH(4)(+) ion in the NH(4)Cl(0.9)I(0.1) crystal. This reorganization is almost the same as that observed in NH(4)Cl and NH(4)I single crystals, although the latter two are characterized by different, simple cubic and face-centered cubic, structures.     

Applications of Fruit Polyphenols and Their Functionalized Nanoparticles Against Foodborne Bacteria: A Mini Review

The ingestion of contaminated water and food is known to cause food illness. Moreover, on assessing the patients suffering from foodborne disease has revealed the role of microbes in such diseases. Concerning which different methods have been developed for protecting food from microbes, the treatment of food with chemicals has been reported to exhibit an unwanted organoleptic effect while also affecting the nutritional value of food. Owing to these challenges, the demand for natural food preservatives has substantially increased. Therefore, the interest of researchers and food industries has shifted towards fruit polyphenols as potent inhibitors of foodborne bacteria. Recently, numerous fruit polyphenols have been acclaimed for their ability to avert toxin production and biofilm formation. Furthermore, various studies have recommended using fruit polyphenols solely or in combination with chemical disinfectants and food preservatives. Currently, different nanoparticles have been synthesized using fruit polyphenols to curb the growth of pathogenic microbes. Hence, this review intends to summarize the current knowledge about fruit polyphenols as antibacterial agents against foodborne pathogens. Additionally, the application of different fruit extracts in synthesizing functionalized nanoparticles has also been discussed.     

Optical nonlinearity of organic dyes as studied by Z-scan and transient grating techniques

The excited state absorption cross-section of 5,5′-dichloro-11-diphenyl-amino-3,3′-diethyl-10, 12-ethylinethiatricarbocyanine perchlorate (IR140) have been measured by using a single beam transmission technique. Z-scan experiments have been used to find out a few nonlinear parameters. The excited state relaxation times have also been measured by using laser induced transient grating (LITG) technique.     

A blue luminescent binuclear cadmium-orotate coordination polymer: synthesis,crystal structure,and thermogravimetric analysis

Assembly of orotic acid (H₃Or, 1,2,3,6-tetrahydro-2,6-dioxo-4-pyrimidinecarboxylic) and Cd(NO₃)·6H₂O yielded a coordination polymer, [(Cd(Hor)·2.5H₂O)₂]_n (1), which has been characterized by X-ray single-crystal diffraction, TGA, and ?uorescence spectra. Single-crystal X-ray structural analyses reveal that 1 is a hydrogen-bonded binuclear Cd-orotate coordination polymer in which both Cd²⁺ ions have different coordination environments with identical distorted octahedral geometry. Crystal data for 1: monoclinic, space group P2₁/n, a = 7.0209(10) Å, b = 13.974(2) Å, c = 17.541(3) Å, β = 98.842(2)°, V = 1700.5(4) Å, Z = 4, R1 = 0.0269, wR2 = 0.0612, θ_max = 25.960. The emission spectrum of the Cd-complex recorded with 265 nm excitation wavelength reveals the complex has strong blue luminescence with the peak maximum 420 nm (2.95 eV) as a result of the n–π* and π–π* transitions on the H₃Or ligand.     

Use of quartz crystal nanobalance to study the binding and stabilization of albumin and doxycycline on a thin layer of hydroxyapatite

This study reports the use of quartz crystal nanobalance (QCN) to study the adsorption of two model molecules namely albumin and doxycycline by hydroxyapatite (HA). The work focuses on the deposition of a stable coating of HA on the quartz crystal, modification of the coating using doxycycline and its subsequent effects on albumin adsorption. The uniformity and thickness of the HA coating has been studied using atomic force microscopy (AFM). The functional groups to ascertain the presence of the selected moieties have been characterized by Raman spectroscopy. The results indicate that the mass of albumin deposited on the surface of the HA coated quartz crystal functionalized with doxycycline shows a substantial increase when compared to the standard HA coated quartz crystal. The adsorbed albumin has also been found to be retained for an enhanced period of time. This surface immobilization of doxycycline and subsequent albumin adsorption seem to be a promising approach to confer biomaterials with antithrombogenic and antibacterial surfaces.