Polarization dynamics and low-frequency fluctuations in vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers subjected to optical feedback

The dynamics of vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers with isotropic optical feedback from a distant reflector is studied experimentally and numerically. Low-frequency fluctuations with sudden drop-outs of power are found to be qualitatively independent of the amount of excitation of the second polarization component. The latter is shown to be controlled to a great extent by the intrinsic dichroism of the solitary laser. The experimental findings are in very good qualitative agreement with simulations. The characteristic features of a doublet in the radio-frequency spectra around the external-cavity round-trip frequency are discussed. PACS 42.55.Px; 42.60.Mi; 42.65.Sf     

Rovibrational analysis of the absorption spectrum of H2O around 1.02 μm by ICLAS-VECSEL

The very weak water vapor absorption spectrum has been investigated between 9520 and 10 010 cm⁻¹ by intracavity laser absorption spectroscopy based on a vertical external cavity surface emitting laser. The rovibrational assignment performed on the basis of the ab initio calculations of Schwenke and Partridge has allowed for determining 156 new energy levels belonging to a total of 13 vibrational states. The assignment process is detailed. The results are compared with the available databases and discussed in regard of recent investigations by Fourier transform spectroscopy.     

High sensitivity CW-cavity ring down spectroscopy of water in the region of the 1.5 μm atmospheric window

The absorption spectrum of natural water vapour around 1.5 μm has been recorded with a typical sensitivity of 5 × 10⁻¹⁰ cm⁻¹ by using a CW-cavity ring down spectroscopy set up based on fibred DFB lasers. A series of 31 DFB lasers has allowed a full coverage of the 6130.8-6748.5 cm⁻¹ (1.63-1.48 μm) region corresponding to the H transparency band of the atmosphere. The line parameters (wavenumber and intensity) of a total of 5190 lines, including 4247 lines of water vapor, were derived by a one by one fit of the lines to a Voigt profile. Different isotopologues of water (H₂¹⁶O, H₂¹⁸O, H₂¹⁷O, and HD¹⁶O) present in natural abundance in the sample contribute to the spectrum. For the main isotopologue, H₂¹⁶O, 2130 lines were measured with line intensities as weak as 10⁻²⁹ cm/molecule while only 926 lines (including a proportion of 30% inaccurate calculated lines) with a minimum intensity of 3 × 10⁻²⁷ cm/molecule are provided by the HITRAN and GEISA databases. Our comparison in the whole 5750-7965 cm⁻¹ region, has also evidenced that an error in the process of conversion of the intensity units from cm⁻²/atm to cm⁻¹/(molecule × cm⁻²) at 296 K, has led to H₂¹⁶O line intensities values listed in the HITRAN-2000 database, systematically 8 % below the original FTS values. The rovibrational assignment was performed on the basis of the ab initio calculations by Schwenke and Partridge with a subsequent refinement and validation using the Ritz combination principle together with all previously measured water transitions relevant to this study. This procedure allowed determining 172, 139, 71, and 115 new energy levels for the H₂¹⁶O, H₂¹⁸O, H₂¹⁷O, and HD¹⁶O isotopologues, respectively. The results are compared with the available databases and discussed in regard of previous investigations by Fourier transform spectroscopy. The spectrum analysis has showed that most of the transitions which cannot be assigned to water are very weak and are due to impurities such as carbon dioxide and ammonia, leaving only about 3% of the observed transitions unassigned. The interest of a detailed knowledge of water absorption for trace detectors developed in the 1.5 μm range is underlined: for instance HDO contributes significantly to the considered spectrum while no HDO line parameters are provided by the HITRAN database.     

The absorption spectrum of water near 750 nm by CW-CRDS: contribution to the search of water dimer absorption

The absorption spectrum of natural water vapour around 750 nm has been recorded with a typical sensitivity of 3 x 10(-10) cm(-1) using a cw cavity ring down spectroscopy set up based on a Ti:sapphire laser. The 13 312.4-13 377.7 cm(-1) spectral interval was chosen as it corresponds to the region where water dimer absorption was recently measured (K. Pfeisticker et al., Science, 2003, 300, 2078-2080). The line parameters (wavenumber and intensity) of a total of 286 lines of water vapor were measured by a one by one fit of the lines to a Voigt profile. For the main water isotopologue, 276 lines were measured with line intensities as weak as 5 x 10(-29) cm molecule(-1)i.e. about 50 times smaller than the weakest H(2)16O line intensities included in the 2004 edition of the HITRAN database. On the basis of the predictions of Schwenke and Partridge, all but 16 lines could be assigned to different isotopologues of water (H(2)16O, H(2)18O, and HD16O) present in natural abundance in the sample. A total of 272 energy levels of H(2)16O were determined and rovibrationally assigned to 18 upper vibrational states. Half of them had not been reported previously. The importance of the additional absorbance resulting from the observation of many new weak lines is discussed in relation to the detection of water dimer absorption and compared to the absorbance predicted by Schwenke and Partridge. The quality of the line parameters of water monomer is shown to be of crucial importance to identify the absorbance of the water dimer in the considered region.     

Estimation of the σR-constants of the tetrazolyl groups on the basis of13C NMR spectra of vinyltetrazoles

On the basis of¹³C NMR spectra of tetrazole-containing vinyl monomers, the resonance _R constants of a series of tetrazolyl groups have been estimated.Translated from Khimiya Geterotsiklicheskikh Soedinenii, No. 2, pp. 236–237, February, 1987.The authors thank E. V. Borisov for his help in taking the NMR spectra.     

Investigation of the spectral and angular distribution of gamma radiation of ultrarelativistic electrons in crystals

A technique and experimental apparatus are described for measuring the properties of radiation from relativistic electrons in crystals as a function of frequency and angle. The results of these measurements are compared with calculations and with the results obtained by other workers.Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Fizika, No. 6, pp. 54–62, June, 1991.     

Order-Unity 13C Nuclear Polarization of [1-13C]Pyruvate in Seconds and the Interplay of Water and SABRE Enhancement

Signal Amplification By Reversible Exchange in SHield Enabled Alignment Transfer (SABRE-SHEATH) is investigated to achieve rapid hyperpolarization of ¹³C₁ spins of [1-¹³C]pyruvate, using parahydrogen as the source of nuclear spin order. Pyruvate exchange with an iridium polarization transfer complex can be modulated via a sensitive interplay between temperature and co-ligation of DMSO and H₂O. Order-unity ¹³C (>50 %) polarization of catalyst-bound [1-¹³C]pyruvate is achieved in less than 30 s by restricting the chemical exchange of [1-¹³C]pyruvate at lower temperatures. On the catalyst bound pyruvate, 39 % polarization is measured using a 1.4 T NMR spectrometer, and extrapolated to >50 % at the end of build-up in situ. The highest measured polarization of a 30-mM pyruvate sample, including free and bound pyruvate is 13 % when using 20 mM DMSO and 0.5 M water in CD₃OD. Efficient ¹³C polarization is also enabled by favorable relaxation dynamics in sub-microtesla magnetic fields, as indicated by fast polarization buildup rates compared to the T₁ spin-relaxation rates (e. g., ∼0.2 s⁻¹ versus ∼0.1 s⁻¹, respectively, for a 6 mM catalyst-[1-¹³C]pyruvate sample). Finally, the catalyst-bound hyperpolarized [1-¹³C]pyruvate can be released rapidly by cycling the temperature and/or by optimizing the amount of water, paving the way to future biomedical applications of hyperpolarized [1-¹³C]pyruvate produced via comparatively fast and simple SABRE-SHEATH-based approaches.     

A Molecular Photosensitizer in a Porous Block Copolymer Matrix-Implications for the Design of Photocatalytically Active Membranes

Recently, porous photocatalytically active block copolymer membranes were introduced, based on heterogenized molecular catalysts. Here, we report the integration of the photosensitizer, i. e., the light absorbing unit in an intermolecular photocatalytic system into block copolymer membranes in a covalent manner. We study the resulting structure and evaluate the orientational mobility of the photosensitizer as integral part of the photocatalytic system in such membranes. To this end we utilize transient absorption anisotropy, highlighting the temporal reorientation of the transition dipole moment probed in a femtosecond pump-probe experiment. Our findings indicate that the photosensitizer is rigidly bound to the polymer membrane and shows a large heterogeneity of absolute anisotropy values as a function of location probed within the matrix. This reflects the sample inhomogeneity arising from different protonation states of the photosensitizer and different intermolecular interactions of the photosensitizers within the block copolymer membrane scaffold.     

Extremely low vertical-emittance beam in the accelerator test facility at KEK

Electron beams with the lowest, normalized transverse emittance recorded so far were produced and confirmed in single-bunch-mode operation of the Accelerator Test Facility at KEK. We established a tuning method of the damping ring which achieves a small vertical dispersion and small x-y orbit coupling. The vertical emittance was less than 1% of the horizontal emittance. At the zero-intensity limit, the vertical normalized emittance was less than 2.8 x 10(-8) rad m at beam energy 1.3 GeV. At high intensity, strong effects of intrabeam scattering were observed, which had been expected in view of the extremely high particle density due to the small transverse emittance.