Alkaline-Earth Metal Complexes with Pivaloylacetone

Pivaloylacetonates of alkaline-earth elements with composition M(Pa)₂ · nH₂O (n = 1, M = Sr, Ca; n = 0, 2, M = Ba) were synthesized and studied by IR and thermal analysis; their solubilities and volatility were estimated. It was found that the volatility changes regularly in the series M(Acac)₂–M(Pa)₂–M(Thd)₂ (HAcac is acetylacetone, HThd is dipivaloylmethane). The replacement of one methyl radical by the tert-butyl radical when going from acetylacetonates to pivaloylacetonates was shown to noticeably increase the volatility only for Sr(Pa)₂ · H₂O. Complexes of barium pivaloylacetonate with tetraglyme and -phenanthroline were synthesized and characterized.     

Electrophilic aromatic nitration using perfluorinated rare earth metal salts in fluorous phase

In this paper, we describe a practical, useful electrophilic aromatic nitration process in fluorous phase by using perfluorodecalin (C10F18, cis- and trans-mixture) as a fluorous solvent and perfluorinated rare earth metal salt [Yb(OSO2C8F17)3] as a catalyst for the electrophilic aromatic nitration.     

Efficient soluble polymer-supported sharpless alkene epoxidation catalysts

High chemical yields and good enantiomeric excesses are obtained by using soluble polymer-supported tartrate ester in the epoxidation of trans-hex-2-en-1-ol using Ti(OPri)4/tert-butyl hydroperoxide.     

Can the minimal supersymmetric standard model with light bottom squark and light gluino survive Z-peak constraints?

In the framework of the minimal supersymmetric model we examine the Z-peak constraints on the scenario of one light bottom squark (sbottom) ( approximately 2-5.5 GeV) and light gluino (approximately 12-16 GeV), which has been successfully used to explain the excess of bottom quark production in hadron collisions. Such a scenario is found to be severely constrained by the CERN LEP Z-peak observables, especially by R(b), due to the large effect of gluino-sbottom loops. To account for the R(b) data in this scenario, the other mass eigenstate of sbottom, i.e., the heavier one, must be lighter than 125 (195) GeV at 2sigma(3sigma) level, which, however, is disfavored by CERN LEP II experiments.     

Dependence of enhanced Kerr nonlinearity on coupling power in a three-level atomic system

We study the enhanced Kerr-nonlinear coefficient in a three-level A-type atomic system for various coupling-beam powers. The Kerr-nonlinear coefficient behaves very differently in the strong and the weak coupling power regions and changes sign when the coupling or probe frequency detuning changes sign. Comparisons of Kerr-nonlinear coefficients as functions of probe frequency detuning, coupling power, and coupling frequency detuning are presented.     

Compact two-photon fluorescence microscope based on a single-mode fiber coupler

We present a two-photon fluorescence microscope based on a three-port single-mode optical fiber coupler. It is found that the coupler behaves as a low-pass filter that can deliver an ultrashort-pulsed laser beam of as much as 150 mW of power in the wavelength range from 770 to 870 nm as well as collect a two-photon fluorescence signal in the visible range. As a result of using the fiber coupler, the new two-photon imaging system exhibts a number of advantages, including a compact arrangement, freedom from vibration from lasers and electronic devices, self-alignment, reduction of multiple scattering, and an enhanced optical sectioning effect. The effectiveness of the new instrument is demonstrated with a set of three-dimensional images of biological samples. This instrument may make two-photon fluorescence endoscopy possible for in vivo medical applications.     

Modification of spontaneous emission from CdSe/CdS quantum dots in the presence of a semiconductor interface

The spontaneous-emission lifetime of CdSe/CdS core-shell quantum dots was studied as a function of the distance between the dots and a polished Si surface. The experimental results reveal a significant modification of the spontaneous-emission rate of the quantum dots by the Si surface.     

Near-infrared photonic crystals with higher-order bandgaps generated by two-photon photopolymerization

Three-dimensional photonic crystals with bandgaps of 1.5-2.3 mum in wavelength and with gap/midgap ratios of as much as 18% were generated efficiently by two-photon photopolymerization in a liquid resin. From 0.5-1.1-mW femtosecond-pulsed 540-nm light, woodpile structures consisting of 40 layers of elliptically shaped rods spaced at 350-500 nm were fabricated by focusing with a 1.3-N.A. objective. The high degree of correlation in these structures allowed the suppression of infrared transmission by as much as 50% as well as the observation of higher-order bandgaps. We also investigated the decrease in the gap wavelength on reduction of layer spacing, in-plane rod spacing, and rod size.     

Spatial trapping of short pulses in Ti-indiffused LiNbO(3) waveguides

We show numerically and experimentally that spatial trapping can be induced in quadratic media even if the pump pulse's duration is shorter than the group-delay mismatch between fundamental wave and second-harmonic components. The influence of phase mismatch and pulse power on the trapping effect is discussed. Spatial, temporal, and spectral behaviors that accompany self-trapped propagation are highlighted.