Localization of a Three-Level Cascade Atom via Resonant Absorption

We show that it is possible to localize a three-level cascade atom under the resonance condition when it passes through a standing-wave field. The localization peaks appear at the nodes of the standing-wave field, the detecting probability is 50% in the subwavelength domain, and the peaks are narrower on the resonance than the off- resonance. The absorption is the same as that in the usual two-level medium at the nodes and is greatly suppressed outside the nodes due to the Autler-Townes splitting. This is in sharp contrast to the lambda scheme, in which the localization is impossible under the same resonance condition due to the depletion of population of the initial state by the probe field at the nodes and the electromagnetically induced transparency outside the nodes.     

Measurement of the πmeson polarizabilities via the γp → γπ+n reaction

An experiment on the radiative ^{+}-meson photoproduction from the proton ( p ^{+}n) was carried out at the Mainz Microtron MAMI in the kinematic region 537MeV < E < 817MeV, 140^° 180^°. The ^{+}-meson polarizabilities have been determined from a comparison of the data with the predictions of two different theoretical models, the first one being based on an effective pole model with pseudoscalar coupling while the second one is based on diagrams describing both resonant and nonresonant contributions. The validity of the models has been verified by comparing the predictions with the present experimental data in the kinematic region where the pion polarizability contribution is negligible ( s₁ < 5m²) and where the difference between the predictions of the two models does not exceed 3%. In the region, where the pion polarizability contribution is substantial ( 5 < s₁/m² < 15, -12 < t/m² < - 2), the difference of the electric () and the magnetic () polarizabilities has been determined. As a result we find . This result is at variance with recent calculations in the framework of chiral perturbation theory.     

Rheology of nanosized hairy grain suspensions

Suspensions of nanosized hairy grains have been prepared by grafting long polydimethylsiloxane chains (molecular weight ) onto silica particles (radius ), dispersed into a good solvent of PDMS. Depending on the particle volume fraction, different rheological behaviors are observed. In the very dilute regime, the suspensions are perfectly stable and the particles behave almost as hard spheres: flow penetration inside the corona is then very weak. When the particle volume fraction goes to the close packing volume fraction, the suspension viscosity does not diverge as for hard spheres due to the increase of flow penetration inside the corona and to corona entanglements. The particles have then the same behavior as polymer stars having an intermediate number of arms (). Finally, in the concentrated regime (), the suspensions form irreversible gels. We shown that this unexpected gelation phenomenon is related to the presence of the silica cores: grafted PDMS chains can adsorb onto different particles and form irreversible bonds between the cores. The viscosity and elastic modulus evolutions during gelation are well described by the scalar percolation model of sol-gel transition. Received 23 March 1998     

Implementation of single-qubit quantum gates by adiabatic passage and static laser phases

We propose and analyse experimentally feasible implementations of single-qubit quantum gates based on stimulated Raman adiabatic passage (STIRAP) between magnetic sublevels in atoms coupled by elliptically polarized pulsed laser fields, in part based on a proposal by Kis and Renzoni [Z. Kis, F. Renzoni, Phys. Rev. A 65 (2002) 032318]. These techniques require only the control of the relative phase of the driving fields but do not involve any dynamical or geometric phases, which makes it independent of the other interaction details: detuning, pulse shapes, pulse areas and pulse durations. The suggested techniques are immune to spontaneous emission since the qubit manipulation proceeds through non-absorbing dark states. We also propose an alternative technique using compensation of dynamical Stark shifts by two consecutive non-resonant fractional-STIRAP processes.     

Femtosecond laser ablation of carbon reinforced polymers

Interaction of intense ultrashort laser pulses (120 fs at 795 nm) with polymer based composites has been investigated. We have found that carbon filled polymers exhibit different ultrafast ablation behaviour depending on whether the filling material is carbon black or carbon fiber and on the polymer matrix itself. The shape and dimensions of the filling material are responsible for some geometrical bad quality effects in the entrance and inner surfaces of drilled microholes. We give an explanation for these non-quality effects in terms of fundamentals of ultrafast ablation process, specifically threshold laser fluences and material removal paths. Since carbon fiber reinforced polymers seemed particularly concerned, this could prevent the use of ultrafast ablation for microprocessing purposes of some of these materials.     

Design and interpretation of laser pulses for the control of quantum systems

An extended theory of optimal control strategies for the design of feasible laser pulses is presented. The theoretical framework includes the control of population-transfer and expectation values. Selected studies for two-dimensional model systems providing aspects of uni- and bimolecular reactions are presented. Subsequent analysis of the obtained laser fields is performed to gain insight into the underlying reaction mechanisms. The effect of non-uniform spatial laser profiles and the orientation of the molecules versus the laser beam on controlling quantum dynamics is investigated with the main interest focussed on the achievable quantum yield and information on variable pathways stored in the laser field. Received: 10 November 1999 / Published online: 5 July 2000     

Quantum interference effects in a multi-driven transition Fg = 3 ↔ Fe = 2

We calculated and studied the quantum coherence effects of a degenerate transition F_g = 3 ↔ F_e = 2 system interacting with a weak linearly polarized (with σ_± components) probe light and a strong linearly polarized (with σ_± components) coupling field. Due to the competition between the drive Rabi frequency and the Zeeman splitting, electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) and electromagnetically induced absorption (EIA) are appeared at the different values of applied magnetic field in both cases that the Zeeman splitting of excited state Δe is smaller than the Zeeman splitting of ground state Δg (i.e., Δe < Δg) and Δe > Δg. It is shown that the resonance is broader and contrasts are higher for Δe < Δg than that for Δe > Δg at the same Rabi frequencies of probe and coupling fields.     

Electron transport in semiconducting nanoparticle and nanocluster carbon-polymer composites

The electron transport properties of two types of carbon-polyimide (C-PI) nanocomposite thin films have been evaluated. Conductive nanocomposites formed by incorporation of 30 nm carbon particles prior to polymer cross linking (ex situ formation) has been compared to high energy ion beam irradiation in situ formation of nanoscale carbon clusters within the polymer composite. Addition of carbon nanoparticles were able to reduce the resistivity by 13 orders of magnitude for 8 vol% carbon content. The irradiated in situ formed film showed a comparable resistivity to this 8% C-PI film. All the films exhibited negative temperature coefficient of resistance (NTCR) behaviour. While in the ex situ films the NTCR decreased progressively with increasing temperature above 350 K, the in situ film exhibited a constant NTCR value at ambient as well as elevated temperatures indicating that films formed by ion beam irradiation eliminate possible clustering of nanoparticles prior to crosslinking seen in the ex situ films. The optimum hop energies for the ex situ films ranged from 23.1 to 8.05 meV when carbon content increased from 1 to 8 vol% and the corresponding value for the in situ formed film was 34.94 meV. These films had appreciable NTCR values, and were evaluated for their thermistor behaviour as a class of material with potential for temperature sensing devices.