Revisiting polymer statistical physics to account for the presence of long-range-correlated structural disorder in 2D DNA chains

We elaborate on a generalization of the 2D wormlike chain (WLC) model that accounts for the presence of long-range correlations (LRC) in the intrinsic curvature distribution of eukaryotic DNA. This model predicts some decrease of the DNA persistence length resulting from some large-scale intrinsic curvature induced by sequence-dependent persistent random distribution of local bending sites. When assisting exact analytical calculations by numerical DNA simulations, we show that the conjugated contributions of i) the thermal curvature fluctuations characterized by the “dynamic” persistence length ℓ _p ^d = 2A , where A is the elastic bending modulus, and ii) the intrinsic LRC curvature disorder of amplitude σ _o and Hurst exponent H > 1/2 , characterized by a “static” persistence length ℓ _p ^H = A ^1/2H σ _o ^−1/H Γ(1/2H + 1), can be described by a continuum of generalized WLC (GWLC) models parametrized by the LRC exponent H. We use perturbation analysis to investigate the two limiting cases of weak static disorder (w _H ≪ 1 and weak dynamical fluctuations (1/w _H ≪ 1 , where w _H = l _p ^d /l _p ^H is a dimensionless parameter. From a quantitative point of view, our study demonstrates that even for a small value of the LRC (H ≃ 0.6–0.8) static disorder amplitude σ _o ∼ 10⁻², as previously reported for genomic DNA, the decrease of the persistence length from the WLC prediction l _p ^d can be very significant, up to twofold. The implications of these results on the first steps of compaction of DNA in eukaryotic cells are discussed.     

High-resolution laser spectroscopy of ultracold ytterbium atoms using spin-forbidden electric quadrupole transition

We have successfully observed high-resolution spectra of spin-forbidden electric quadrupole transition (¹ S ₀→³ D ₂) in ytterbium (¹⁷⁴Yb) atoms. The differential light shifts between the ¹ S ₀ and the ³ D ₂ states in a far-off resonant trap at 532 nm are also measured. For the spectroscopy, we developed simple, narrow-linewidth, and long-term frequency stabilized violet diode laser systems. Long-term drifts of the excitation laser (404 nm) is suppressed by locking the laser to a length stabilized optical cavity. The optical path length of the cavity is stabilized to another diode laser whose frequency is locked to a strong ¹ S ₀→¹ P ₁ transition (399 nm) of Yb. Both lasers are standard extended-cavity diode lasers (ECDLs) in the Littrow configuration. Since the linewidth of a violet ECDL (～10 MHz) is broader than a typical value of a red or near infra-red ECDL (<1 MHz), we employ optical feedback from a narrow-band Fabry–Perot cavity to reduce the linewidth. The linewidth is expected to be <20 kHz for 1 ms averaging time, and the long-term frequency stability is estimated to be ～200 kHz/h.     

Protein-modified shear mode film bulk acoustic resonator for bio-sensing applications

In this paper, we present a shear mode film bulk acoustic biosensor based on micro-electromechanical technology. The film bulk acoustic biosensor is a diaphragmatic structure consisting of a lateral field excited ZnO piezoelectric film piezoelectric stack built on an Si₃N₄ membrane. The device works at near 1.6 GHz with Q factors of 579 in water and 428 in glycerol. A frequency shift of 5.4 MHz and a small decline in the amplitude are found for the measurements in glycerol compared with those in water because of the viscous damping derived from the adjacent glycerol. For bio-sensing demonstration, the resonator was modified with biotin molecule to detect protein–ligand interactions in real-time and in situ. The resonant frequency of the biotin-modified device drops rapidly and gradually reaches equilibrium when exposed to the streptavidin solution due to the biotin–streptavidin interaction. The proposed film bulk acoustic biosensor shows promising applications for disease diagnostics, prognosis, and drug discovery.     

Field-free molecular orientation with chirped laser pulse

We demonstrate theoretically that an efficient field-free molecular orientation driven by the positively chirped laser pulse whose frequency is in the terahertz regime can be achieved, taking the LiH molecule for example. Exact numerical calculations are performed by solving the time-dependent Schrödinger equation including the vibrational and rotational degrees of freedom. The maximal orientation degree of the LiH molecule  |  ? cosθ ?  |  _max  = 0.85 under the action of chirped laser pulse with the peak intensity of 4.78 × 10⁸ W/cm² at T = 0 K, which is larger than  |  ? cosθ ?  |  _max =0.75 driven by the half-cycle laser pulse with the same intensity. The molecular orientation degree decreases with the increase of temperature.     

石英微透镜阵列的制作研究

叙述了采用氩离子束刻蚀的方法制作线列长方形拱面石英微透镜阵列.所制单元石英微透镜底部的外形尺寸为(300×106)um²,平均冠高7.07μm,平均曲率半径202.19μm,平均焦距404.38μm,平均F₂数为3.82,平均光焦度2.47×10³屈光度,扫描电子显微镜和表面探针测试表明,所制线列石英微透镜阵列的图形整齐均匀,单元长方形拱面石英微透镜的轮廓清晰,表面光滑平整.所制微透镜阵列用于高T_c超导红外探测器阵列的实验证实,微透镜的引入可以显著改善超导探测器的光响应特性.     

A compact resonant Π-shaped photoacoustic cell with low window background for gas sensing

A resonant photoacoustic cell capable of detecting the traces of gases at an amplitude-modulation regime is represented. The cell is designed so as to minimize the window background for the cell operation at a selected acoustic resonance. A compact prototype cell (the volume of acoustic cavity of ~0.2 cm³, total cell weight of 3.5 g) adapted to the narrow diffraction-limited beam of near-infrared laser is produced and examined experimentally. The noise-associated measurement error and laser-initiated signals are studied as functions of modulation frequency. The background signal and useful response to light absorption by the gas are analyzed in measurements of absorption for ammonia traces in nitrogen flow with the help of a pigtailed DFB laser diode operated near a wavelength of 1.53 µm. The performance of absorption detection and gas-leak sensing for the prototype operated at the second longitudinal acoustic resonance (the resonance frequency of ~4.38 kHz, Q-factor of ~13.9) is estimated. The noise-equivalent absorption normalized to laser-beam power, and detection bandwidth is ~1.44 × 10^?9 cm^?1 W Hz^?1/2. The amplitude of the window-background signal is equivalent to an absorption coefficient of ~2.82 × 10^?7 cm^?1.     

Anomalous H/D isotope effect on 35Cl NQR frequencies in piperidinium p-chlorobenzoate

Anomalous isotope effects were detected in the ³⁵Cl nuclear quadrupole resonance (NQR) frequency of piperidinium p-chlrobenzoate (C₅H₁₀NH· ClC₆H₄COOH) by deuteration of hydrogen atoms. The atoms were determined to form two kinds of N–H···O type H-bonds in the crystal structure. Large frequency shifts of the ³⁵Cl resonance lines reaching 288 kHz at 77 K and 278 kHz at room temperature were caused upon deuteration, in spite of the fact that the Cl atoms in the molecule do not form hydrogen bonds in the crystal. Results of single crystal X-ray diffraction measurements and density-functional-theorem calculations suggest that a dihedral-angle change of 1.8° between benzene and the piperidine ring contributes to ³⁵Cl NQR anomalous frequency shifts.     

Electron Paramagnetic Resonance and Electron Spin Echo Studies of Co2+ Coordination by Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide (NAD+) in Water Solution

Co²⁺ binding to the nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD⁺) molecule in water solution was studied by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) and electron spin echo at low temperatures. Cobalt is coordinated by NAD⁺ when the metal is in excess only, but even in such conditions, the Co/NAD⁺ complexes coexist with Co(H₂O)₆ complexes. EPR spin-Hamiltonian parameters of the Co/NAD⁺ complex at 6 K are g _z  = 2.01, g _x  = 2.38, g _y  = 3.06, A _z  = 94 × 10^?4 cm^?1, A _x  = 33 × 10^?4 cm^?1 and A _y  = 71 × 10^?4 cm^?1. They indicate the low-spin Co²⁺ configuration with S = 1/2. Electron spin echo envelope modulation spectroscopy with Fourier transform of the modulated spin echo decay shows a strong coordination by nitrogen atoms and excludes the coordination by phosphate and/or amide groups. Thus, Co²⁺ ion is coordinated in pseudo-tetrahedral geometry by four nitrogen atoms of adenine rings of two NAD⁺ molecules.     

Electric field gradients at 151Eu sites in GaN

The electric field gradients at Eu sites in GaN have been investigated in conversion electron Mössbauer spectroscopy (CEMS) in which ¹⁵¹Eu probe ions were implanted into an undoped GaN layer grown on a sapphire substrate. The sample was implanted with 120 keV ¹⁵¹Eu ions to a fluence of 1 × 10¹⁵, and annealed at 1,200 K. CEMS spectra of the ¹⁵¹Eu 21.6 keV transition were collected, of the GaN sample as well as of a Si sample implanted with overlapping profiles of ¹⁵¹Eu and O. The GaN spectra were fitted with two symmetric doublets, D1 and D2, with isomer shifts and quadrupole splittings of δ?=??0.27 mm/s (relative to Eu₂O₃), ΔE _Q?= 0.85 (3) mm/s; and δ?=?? 0.22 mm/s, ΔE _Q?= 2.90 (5) mm/s, respectively. D1 is attributed to Eu at substitutional Ga lattice sites; D2 to Eu at or near substitutional sites but with extensive lattice damage. The splittings of D1 and D2 correspond to quadrupole coupling frequency of 15 (2) and 50 (4) MHz, consistent with measurements of ⁶⁹Ga, ⁷¹Ga and ¹¹¹In in GaN.     

Performance enhancement of the power penalty in DWDM FSO communication using DPPM and OOK modulation

This paper presents the design and performance enhancement of the power penalty (PP) in a dense wavelength division multiplexing based on free space optical communication (FSOC) link using digital pulse position modulation (DPPM) and on–off keying (OOK) modulation. Such a system has a high performance, low cost, robust and power efficient, reliable, excessive flexibility, and higher data rate for access networks. The system performance is evaluated for an 8-channel wavelength-division-multiplexing for hybrid fiber FSOC system at 2.5 Gbps on widely accepted modulation schemes under various atmospheric turbulence (AT) regimes conditions. The performance of system is introduced in terms of PP, bit-error rate (BER), transmission distance and the average received optical power. The numerical results shows that the improvement of the PP using DPPM modulation of 0.2–3.0 dB for weak turbulence (WT) regimes for BER of 10^?6 and above 20, 25 dB for strong turbulence (ST) regimes are reported for BER of 10^?6 and 10^?9, as respectively (depending on the AT level). Further, we develop of improvement the PP caused by multiple-access interference about 6.686 dB which is predicted for target BER of 10^?9 in WT and 1 dB at target BER of 10^?6 in ST when the 8 user are active on the system of optical network units. Additionally, the optical power budget and margin losses of a system are calculated with different link length. The proposed approach of DPPM merges superiority with higher enhancement of PP about 0.8 dB for BER equal 10^?9 at FSO link length l_fso?=?2000 m compared to OOK at 1 dB for WT. An improvement of 2 dB is observed using the DPPM scheme over an OOK due to capability of detect pulses under background noise conditions with increased receiver sensitivity.     

Electrical conductivity and dielectric relaxation studies of a polymeric hybrid compound: ([C2H10N2]CdCl2(SCN)2)n

Electrical conductivity and dielectric measurements of ([C₂H₁₀N₂]CdCl₂(SCN)₂)_n were carried out from 200 Hz–5 MHz over a temperature range of 307–352 K. The frequency dependence of electrical data have been analyzed in two frameworks: the electrical modulus formalism with the Kohlrausch-Williams-Watts (KWW) stretched exponential function and the electrical conductivity by using the Jonscher’s power law σ′_Tot(ω,T) = σ_DC(T) + A(T)ω^s(T) in the frequency domain. The conduction mechanism is attributed to the nonoverlapping small polaron tunneling (NSPT) model. Furthermore, the dielectric data have also been analyzed in modulus and polarizability formalisms. The close values of activation energies obtained from the conductivity, the relaxation process, the electric modulus, and the complex polarizability data confirm that the transport is through ion-hopping mechanism.     

Development of the 10 TW ‘ATTILA’ Nd laser system

A high power laser system called ‘ATTILA’ (Almost-Table Top Terawatt Intense Laser) (10 TW) is under development at the University of Milano, Bicocca. Once fully functional ATTILA will produce 10 J, 1 picosecond pulses, reaching the power of 10 TW. The system is based on the chirped pulsed amplification technique and uses Nd:glass single-pass amplification.

The amplifier chain can be injected with two different oscillators: a Nd:YLF oscillator by Quantronix, stretched by an optical fiber, and a Nd:glass femtosecond oscillator by TimeBandwidth (Zurich), stretched by diffraction gratings, both delivering nanojoules pulses. A regenerative amplifier increasing the energy up to 1 mJ follows these.

Recently, we have implemented an automatic control system for the stabilization of mode-locking in the Quantronix oscillator. This is based on the active control of cavity length and on accurate stabilization of mode-locker temperature. A PC using LabView software drives the system. We are now beginning the installation of an adaptive optics system with a deformable mirror in order to optimize the optical quality and focusability of the beam.

Our final goal is to obtain an intensity of 10¹⁸ W/cm² on target. This will allow the production of relativistic electrons and energetic protons, and the study of relativistic plasma physics and of matter in extreme conditions.     

Sum and difference frequency generation of white light continuum with the ps pulses of Nd:YAG laser in a thick BBO crystal

The white light continuum (WLC) generated in water/D₂O mixture by pumping with the fundamental of ps Nd⁺³:YAG laser has been used as a variable frequency source for the sum frequency generation as well as for its amplification. 35 ps long pulses with 8 mJ energy at 1064 nm were mixed collinearly with the WLC generated by the same laser beam in a 20 mm thick BBO crystal. The obtained tunable output has been identified as the sum frequency between the fundamental and a portion of the WLC with the required phase matching. Theoretical simulations are also given along with a few initial experiments to use this combination for the difference frequency generation (optical parametric amplification) under non-collinear geometry.     

Concentration dependence of the intermediate frequency bandwidth of submillimeter heterodyne AlGaAs/GaAs nanostructures

The concentration dependence of the intermediate frequency bandwidth of heterodyne AlGaAs/GaAs detectors with 2D electron gas is measured using submillimeter spectroscopy with high time resolution at T= 4.2 K. The intermediate frequency bandwidth f_3dBfalls from 245 to 145 MHz with increasing concentration of 2D electrons n _s = (1.6-6.6) × 10[su11] cm^-2. The dependence f_3dB ≈ n _s ^- 0.04±is observed in the studied concentration range; this dependence is determined by electron scattering by the deformation potential of acoustic phonons and piezoelectric scattering.     

AC and DC conductivity study of LiH<Subscript>2</Subscript>PO<Subscript>4</Subscript> compound using impedance spectroscopy

The lithium dihydrogen phosphate LiH₂PO₄ has been investigated by X-ray powder diffraction, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and electrical impedance spectroscopy. The Rietveld refinements based on the XRD patterns show that the compound is crystallized in the orthorhombic system with Pna2₁ space group, and the refined unit cell parameters are a = 6.2428 Å, b = 7.6445 Å, and c = 6.873 Å. The electrical properties were studied using complex impedance spectroscopy as a function of frequency (10⁴–10⁷ Hz) at various temperatures (300–400 K). The Nyquist plots are well fitted to an equivalent circuit consisting of a series of combination of grains and inhomogeneous electrode surface effect. The frequency dependence of the conductivity is interpreted in terms of Jonscher’s law. Moreover, the near value of the activation energies obtained from the equivalent circuit and analysis of M″ confirms that the transport is through ion hopping mechanism dominated by the motion of the proton in the structure of the investigated material.     

Grain size effects on dynamics of Li-ions in Li<Subscript>3</Subscript>V<Subscript>2</Subscript>(PO<Subscript>4</Subscript>)<Subscript>3</Subscript> glass-ceramic nanocomposites

Li₃V₂(PO₄)₃ glass-ceramic nanocomposites, based on 37.5Li₂O-25V₂O₅-37.5P₂O₅ mol% glass, were successfully prepared via heat treatment (HT) process. The structure and morphology were investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscope (SEM). XRD patterns exhibit the formation of Li₃V₂(PO₄)₃ NASICON type with monoclinic structure. The grain sizes were found to be in the range 32–56 nm. The effect of grain size on the dynamics of Li⁺ ions in these glass-ceramic nanocomposites has been studied in the frequency range of 20 Hz–1 MHz and in the temperature range of 333–373 K and analyzed by using both the conductivity and modulus formalisms. The frequency exponent obtained from the power law decreases with the increase of temperature, suggesting a weaker correlation among the Li⁺ ions. Scaling of the conductivity spectra has also been performed in order to obtain insight into the relaxation mechanisms. The imaginary modulus spectra are broader than the Debye peak-width, but are asymmetric and distorted toward the high frequency region of the maxima. The electric modulus data have been fitted to the non-exponential Kohlrausch–Williams–Watts (KWW) function and the value of the stretched exponent β is fairly low, suggesting a higher ionic conductivity in the glass and its glass-ceramic nanocomposites. The advantages of these glass-ceramic nanocomposites as cathode materials in Li-ion batteries are shortened diffusion paths for Li⁺ ions/electrons and higher surface area of contact between cathode and electrolyte.     

Millimeter- and submillimeter-wave length spectrum of the partially deuterated ammonias; A study of inversion,centrifugal distortion,and rotation-inversion interactions

Eighty-two new rotation-inversion transitions of the light asymmetric rotors NH₂D and ND₂H have been measured in the 80–600 GHz region by means of high resolution microwave techniques. Included among these transitions are several submillimeter R-branch transitions which make possible a calculation of both the rotational and distortion parameters which characterize the molecule. An accurate inversion Hamiltonian is developed and used as a preliminary step to a rotation-distortion treatment of the molecule. The spectrum of ND₂H reveals the existence of a rotation-vibration interaction which significantly alters the energy of a number of ground vibrational state levels. The results of an analysis technique which incorporates the effects of this perturbation as well as the inversion effects are presented. This procedure makes possible the analysis of all observed transitions to within experimental uncertainties as well as the accurate prediction of unobserved transitions. The rotational constants which result from this work are (MHz): For NH₂D, O⁺ vibrational state,a= 290 286.53 ± 0.21,B= 192 240.15 ± 0.42,C= 140 602.50 ± 0.42; for NH₂D, O^? vibrational state,a= 290 192.14 ± 0.21,B= 192 176.27 ± 0.42,C= 140 625.64 ± 0.42; for ND₂H, O⁺ vibrational state,a= 223 222.92 ± 0.18,B= 160 433.96 ± 0.17,C= 112 305.40 ± 0.17; for ND₂H, O^? vibrational state,a= 223 147.21 ± 0.14,B= 160 423.37 ± 0.13,C= 112 313.72 ± 0.13.     

Stages of melting of graphene model in two-dimensional space

Spontaneous melting of a perfect crystalline graphene model in 2D space is studied via molecular dynamics simulation. Model containing 10⁴ atoms interacted via long-range bond-order potential (LCBOP) is heated up from 50 to 8,450 K in order to see evolution of various thermodynamic quantities, structural characteristics and occurrence of various structural defects. We find that spontaneous melting of our graphene model in 2D space exhibits a first-order behaviour of the transition from solid 2D graphene sheet into a ring-like structure 2D liquid. Occurrence and clustering of Stone–Wales defects are the first step of melting process followed by breaking of C–C bonds, occurrence/growth of various types of vacancies and multi-membered rings. Unlike that found for melting of a 2D crystal with an isotropic bonding, these defects do not occur homogeneously throughout the system, they have a tendency to aggregate into a region and liquid phase initiates/grows from this region via tearing-like or crack-propagation-like mechanism. Spontaneous melting point of our graphene model occurs at T_m = 7,750 K. The validity of classical nucleation theory and Berezinsky–Kosterlitz–Thouless–Nelson–Halperin–Young (BKTNHY) one for the spontaneous melting of our graphene model in strictly 2D space is discussed.     

Phase transition and electrical investigation in lithium copper pyrophosphate compound Li<Subscript>2</Subscript>CuP<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>7</Subscript> using impedance spectroscopy

Lithium pyrophosphate compound Li₂CuP₂O₇ has been synthesized through solid state reaction method. FTIR and XRD results, realized at room temperature, indicate respectively the dominant feature of pyrophosphate anion (P₂O₇)^4? and a pure monoclinic phase with I2/a space group. Electrical and dielectric properties have been studied using impedance spectroscopy complex over a wide temperature (576–710 K) and frequency (209 Hz–1 MHz) range. From the direct and alternative conductivities (DC and AC), electrical conduction is found to be thermally activated process. The frequency-dependent AC conductivity obeys Jonscher’s universal power law σ_AC~Aω^s. The differential scanning calorimetry spectrum discloses phase transition at 622 K.     

Monolithic integration technique for microlens arrays with infrared focal plane arrays

Based on scalar diffraction theory, 8-phase-level 256×290 element diffractive microlens arrays with lenslet dimension of 50×33 μm² have been fabricated on the back side of PtSi infrared focal plane arrays. The design and fabrication process are discussed. The measurement results indicate that the imaging quality has been greatly improved and the ratio of the signal-to-noise of the infrared focal plane array integration with microlens array is increased by a factor of 2.5.