Single-mode hollow optical fibres for atom guiding

We present a novel design for a single-mode, hollow optical fibre, which is suitable for use as a waveguide for atomic de Broglie waves. The design, development and characterisation of such a fibre are discussed, as well as an optimised method for coupling light into the fibre. Received: 22 May 2001 / Revised version: 5 September 2001 / Published online: 29 November 2001     

One-loop electron vertex in Yennie gauge

We derive a compact Yennie gauge representation for the off-shell one-loop electron-photon vertex, and discuss it properties. This expression is explicitly infrared finite, and it has proved to be extremely useful in multiloop calculations in the QED bound state problem. Received: 23 April 2001 / Revised version: 25 June 2001 / Published online: 17 August 2001     

Infiltration of colloidal crystal with nanoparticles using capillary forces: a simple technique for the fabrication of films with an ordered porous structure

A dipping method has been developed for the infiltration of nanoparticles into an opal template to fabricate high quality inverse opal. Titania and silica inverse opal films, with a uniform color over centimeter dimensions were derived. As there is no need for special substrates or equipment, a widespread application of this method is anticipated. Received: 23 August 2001 / Accepted: 27 August 2001 / Published online: 30 October 2001     

M-waveguide structures for direct phase matching in AlGaAs

In this paper the potential of M-waveguide structures for direct phase matching in AlGaAs is investigated by numerical simulations. Principal waveguiding characteristics are discussed. The impact of the optical layer thicknesses is analyzed with respect to phase matching and conversion efficiency for second harmonic generation (SHG). An optimization of the M-waveguide parameters yields a normalized conversion efficiency of 153 or 214 %/W respectively. Received: 16 May 2001 / Revised version: 2 August 2001 / Published online: 23 October 2001     

Island dissolution during capping layer growth interruption

A possible scenario for the dissolution of partially capped quantum dots was investigated. This model is based on the consideration of the total free energy being a sum of elastic and surface energies as the quantum-dot material redistributes itself as a second wetting layer on top of the capping layer. Quantitative results were obtained for the case of InAs/GaAs quantum dots that are partially capped by GaAs. We compare our results with supporting experimental evidence. Received: 29 January 2001 / Accepted: 30 January 2001 / Published online: 3 April 2001     

A measurement of $K^{*\pm}$ production in the hyperon beam experiment at CERN

We report on a measurement of the differential cross sections of inclusive production in and neutron beams. A strong leading particle effect was observed for production by . The measured –distributions are compared with calculations based on the Lund model (PYTHIA) and the quark-gluon string model. Received: 6 August 2001 / Revised version: 3 September 2001 / Published online: 5 October 2001     

Associative recall in a volume holographic storage system based on phase-code multiplexing

We present two different techniques on how to realize a content-addressed holographic memory when using phase-code multiplexing, relying on simple intensity measurements rather than phase distributions. Theoretical and experimental results of associative recall in a phase-coded system designed for digital data storage will be presented and compared to the corresponding method when using angular multiplexing. Received: 2 August 2001 / Revised version: 20 September 2001 / Published online: 23 November 2001     

Estimates of threshold cross section for stoponium production at e^+e^- colliders

We estimate the total cross section near threshold for a Coulombic potential and compare it to the Born approximation. The effect of the beam energy spread for present and future colliders is discussed. Received: 27 September 2000 / Revised version: 22 February 2001 / Published online: 23 March 2001     

Oxygen-distribution imaging with a novel two-tracer laser-induced fluorescence technique

We introduce a new technique for imaging oxygen concentrations in fuel/air mixtures that takes advantage of the different responses of toluene and 3-pentanone to collisional quenching by molecular oxygen. Since laser-induced fluorescence signals from both tracers upon excitation at 248 nm are spectrally well separated, simultaneous detection is possible. The technique is first applied to instantaneous imaging in turbulent mixing processes of interacting seeded air and nitrogen flows. Received: 1 August 2001 / Revised version: 29 October 2001 / Published online: 29 November 2001     

Determination of the dielectric function of porous silicon by high-order laser-harmonic radiation

Porous-silicon reflectance has been determined over a large energy range, from 1 eV to 16 eV, by combining a NIR/visible/UV spectrometer with a new VUV light source as laser-harmonic radiation. The porous-silicon dielectric function was deduced from reflectance measurements by Kramers–Kronig analysis. We point out that, for the first time, laser harmonics have been applied in the optical characterization of materials as a new and suitable alternative to synchrotron radiation. Received: 9 January 2001 / Accepted: 28 April 2001 / Published online: 20 June 2001     

Flexible all-plastic mirrors for the THz range

We present a simple and cheap approach to fabricate large-area stop-band filters and mirrors for the THz range. This approach extends the well-known concept of dielectric mirrors to the far infrared. We use alternating layers of different polymer materials with a typical thickness of several tens of micrometers to build a flexible all-plastic mirror. The structures are characterized by THz time-domain spectroscopy. The experimental results are in good agreement with transfer-matrix simulations. Received: 28 September 2001 / Accepted: 4 October 2001 / Published online: 20 December 2001     

Berry phase for spin-1/2 particles moving in a space-time with torsion

Berry phase for a spin-1/2 particle moving in a flat space-time with torsion is investigated in the context of the Einstein–Cartan–Dirac model. It is shown that if the torsion is due to a dense polarized background, then there is a Berry phase only if the fermion is massless and its momentum is perpendicular to the direction of the background polarization. The order of magnitude of this Berry phase is discussed in other theoretical frameworks. Received: 12 February 2001 / Revised version: 2 May 2001 / Published online: 29 June 2001     

A superspace embedding of the Wess–Zumino model

We embed the Wess–Zumino (WZ) model in a wider superspace than the one described by chiral and anti-chiral superfields. Received: 19 June 2001 / Revised version: 19 September 2001 / Published online: 21 November 2001     

Multimode to single-mode conversion of a Yb-doped fiber amplifier with a photorefractive Rh:BaTiO3 crystal

We present a technique to convert a multimode-transverse beam obtained from a multimode large core fiber amplifier into a single-mode beam by means of two-wave mixing in an infrared-sensitive Rh:BaTiO₃ crystal. Received: 26 March 2001 / Revised version: 27 March 2001 / Published online: 27 April 2001     

Reflection-type photorefractive gratings in tin hypotiodiphosphate

Reflection photorefractive gratings recorded by nearly counterpropagating light waves in the near infrared are studied in tin hypothiodiphosphate. The ratios are established for certain electrooptic tensor components responsible for reflection grating recording, and the Debye screening length is evaluated. Reflection holograms of binary objects are recorded. Received: 26 June 2001 / Revised version: 3 September 2001 / Published online: 29 November 2001     

The role of sample rotation and oblique ion incidence on quantum-dot formation by ion sputtering

Starting from a theory recently proposed by Kahng et al. that explains the formation of ordered dots by ion sputtering under normal ion incidence, it was demonstrated that extending this theory to ion sputtering under oblique ion incidence with simultaneous sample rotation offers the self-organized formation of dots by ion sputtering for a large variety of different ion/material combinations. While for sputtering under normal incidence the shape of the collision cascade must be anisotropic, where the lateral straggling exceeds the longitudinal straggling, this constraint is not necessary under oblique incidence. Received: 16 May 2001 / Accepted: 10 September 2001 / Published online: 17 October 2001     

Formation of hydrogenated amorphous carbon films from polymer pyrolysis

Free-standing and supported hydrogenated amorphous carbon films (a:C–H) were prepared upon pyrolysis of the polymer formed by ethanolamine (EA) and citric acid (CA), under an ambient atmosphere at 300 °C. EA facilitates the formation of the macroscopic films, while CA is essential for obtaining the a:C–H microstructure, which comprises a mixture of sp² and sp³ carbon. Received: 29 May 2001 / Accepted: 17 August 2001 / Published online: 20 December 2001     

Quark–antiquark potentials from a scalar field in SU(2) YM

A generalized Dick model with a potential term is discussed. The solution originating from a static, point-like, color source is found to have a confining part. A comparison with a wide spectrum of phenomenological quark–antiquark potentials is presented. Received: 17 September 2001 / Revised version: 12 November 2001 / Published online: 20 December 2001     

Twist-4 photon helicity-flip amplitude in DVCS on a nucleon in the Wandzura-Wilczek approximation

We computed the twist-4 part of the photon spin-flip amplitude in deeply virtual Compton scattering on a nucleon in the Wandzura–Wilczek approximation. We found a factorizable contribution, which arises from photon scattering on quarks with non-zero angular momentum along the collision axis. As the genuine twist-2 amplitude arises at the NLO, for moderate virtualities of the hard photon, GeV, a kinematical twist-4 correction can give a numerically important contribution to the photon helicity-flip amplitude. Received: 2 July 2001 / Revised version: 17 July 2001 / Published online: 31 August 2001     

Manifestation of Curie–Weiss law for optical phase transition

Considerable slowing down is observed for both the temporal development of the coherent oscillation slightly above the threshold and the refractive index grating decay slightly below the threshold for a semilinear photorefractive oscillator with two counter-propagating pump waves. It is shown that in the vicinity of the threshold the reciprocal characteristic time is a linear function of deviation from the threshold coupling strength. This behaviour is similar to an empirical Curie–Weiss law and points to the analogy of the oscillation threshold to a second-order phase transition. Received: 2 April 2001 / Revised version: 23 August 2001 / Published online: 7 November 2001