Coherent light scattering from a two-dimensional Mott insulator

We experimentally demonstrate coherent light scattering from an atomic Mott insulator in a two-dimensional lattice. The far-field diffraction pattern of small clouds of a few hundred atoms was imaged while simultaneously laser cooling the atoms with the probe beams. We describe the position of the diffraction peaks and the scaling of the peak parameters by a simple analytic model. In contrast to Bragg scattering, scattering from a single plane yields diffraction peaks for any incidence angle. We demonstrate the feasibility of detecting spin correlations via light scattering by artificially creating a one-dimensional antiferromagnetic order as a density wave and observing the appearance of additional diffraction peaks.     

Coherent transmission and reflection of a two-dimensional planar photonic crystal

A method for modeling the radial distribution function for particles of a two-dimensional planar photonic crystal in the form of a monolayer of spatially ordered monodisperse spherical particles is proposed. The coherent transmission and reflection coefficients for layers under normal illumination are calculated in the quasi-crystalline approximation of the multiple wave scattering theory. The dependence of the coherent transmission and reflection of the layer on the degree of ordering of the spherical particles is investigated. The influence of the long-range order on the coherent transmission and reflection coefficients for layers with triangular, square, and hexagonal lattices is estimated. Monolayers of weakly absorbing dielectric and strongly absorbing metallic particles are considered.     

Chronic excitotoxicity in the guinea pig cochlea induces temporary functional deficits without disrupting otoacoustic emissions

Brief cochlear excitotoxicity produces temporary neural swelling and transient deficits in auditory sensitivity; however, the consequences of long-lasting excitotoxic insult have not been tested. Chronic intra-cochlear infusion of the glutamate agonist AMPA (a-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid) resulted in functional deficits in the sound-evoked auditory brainstem response, as well as in behavioral measures of hearing. The electrophysiological deficits were similar to those observed following acute infusion of AMPA into the cochlea; however, the concentration-response curve was significantly shifted as a consequence of the slower infusion rate used with chronic cochlear administration. As observed following acute excitotoxic insult, complete functional recovery was evident within 7 days of discontinuing the AMPA infusion. Distortion product otoacoustic emissions were not affected by chronic AMPA infusion, suggesting that trauma to outer hair cells did not contribute to AMPA-induced deficits in acoustic sensitivity. Results from the current experiment address the permanence of deficits induced by chronic (14 day) excitotoxic insult as well as deficits in psychophysical detection of longer duration acoustic signals.     

Transient-evoked otoacoustic emission generators in a nonlinear cochlea

This study focuses on the theoretical prediction and experimental evaluation of the latency of transient-evoked otoacoustic emissions. Response components with different delay have been identified in several studies. The main generator of the transient response is assumed to be coherent reflection from cochlear roughness near the resonant place. Additional components of different latency can be generated by different mechanisms. Experimental data are re-analyzed in this study to evaluate the dependence of the latency on stimulus level, for each component of the response, showing that previous estimates of the otoacoustic emission latency were affected by systematic errors. The latency of the emission from each generator changes very little with stimulus level, whereas their different growth rate causes sharp changes of the single-valued latency, estimated as the time of the absolute maximum of the bandpass filtered response. Results of passive linear models, in which gain and bandwidth of the cochlear amplifier are strictly related, are incompatible with the observations. Although active linear models including delayed stiffness terms do predict much slower dependence of latency on the stimulus level, a suitable nonlinear model should be designed, capable of decoupling more effectively the dependence on stimulus level of amplitude and phase of the otoacoustic response.     

Delays of stimulus-frequency otoacoustic emissions and cochlear vibrations contradict the theory of coherent reflection filtering

When stimulated by tones, the ear appears to emit tones of its own, stimulus-frequency otoacoustic emissions (SFOAEs). SFOAEs were measured in 17 chinchillas and their group delays were compared with a place map of basilar-membrane vibration group delays measured at the characteristic frequency. The map is based on Wiener-kernel analysis of responses to noise of auditory-nerve fibers corroborated by measurements of vibrations at several basilar-membrane sites. SFOAE group delays were similar to, or shorter than, basilar-membrane group delays for frequencies >4 kHz and <4 kHz, respectively. Such short delays contradict the generally accepted "theory of coherent reflection filtering" [Zweig and Shera, J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 98, 2018-2047 (1995)], which predicts that the group delays of SFOAEs evoked by low-level tones approximately equal twice the basilar-membrane group delays. The results for frequencies higher than 4 kHz are compatible with hypotheses of SFOAE propagation to the stapes via acoustic waves or fluid coupling, or via reverse basilar membrane traveling waves with speeds corresponding to the signal-front delays, rather than the group delays, of the forward waves. The results for frequencies lower than 4 kHz cannot be explained by hypotheses based on waves propagating to and from their characteristic places in the cochlea.     

Coherent versus incoherent Raman scattering: molecular coherence excitation and measurement

We present a comparative analysis of spontaneous and coherent Raman scattering on pyridine. The instantaneous excitation of the molecular coherence is done by a pair of ultrashort preparation pulses. Then, a long narrowband probe pulse is scattered off the molecular vibrations. The described hybrid technique allows for the single-shot acquisition of a background-free coherent Raman spectrum within the excitation band and its straightforward comparison with the spontaneous Raman measurements, performed in the same setup. We report a 10(5)-fold increase in the efficiency of the Raman scattering process due to the broadband pump-Stokes preparation. The coherence magnitude (approximately 0.5x10(-3)) is inferred experimentally, without a priori knowledge about the molecular structure.     

Coherent scattering in a small quantum dot

Ballistic transport in an open small (100 nm) three-terminal quantum dot has been analyzed. The dot is based on the high-mobility 2D electron gas of the AlGaAs/GaAs heterojunction. It has been shown that the gate oscillations of the resistance of such a dot arise due to the coherent scattering of electrons on its quasidiscrete levels and these oscillations are suppressed by a weak magnetic field.     

Prevalence of spontaneous otoacoustic emissions in neonates.

The prevalence of spontaneous otoacoustic emissions (SOAEs) was measured in a group of 100 neonates and in a group of 50 normal-hearing young adults. The prevalence of SOAEs in the adult group (0.62) is at the high end of the range of prevalences reported in other surveys of adult SOAEs based on measurements using similar microphones. The prevalence of SOAEs in neonates (0.64) is not significantly different from that in adults. The various tendencies that have been found to be significant in the pooled results of other surveys are also evident in our adult group: more SOAEs in right ears, a higher prevalence of SOAEs in females, and a dependence between ears for the occurrence of SOAEs. The above-mentioned tendencies are also significant in the infant data. The major differences between the infant and adult results are the predominant SOAE frequency range and the average levels of SOAEs. The majority of adult SOAEs are between 1.0 and 2.0 kHz, whereas the majority of neonatal SOAEs are between 2.5 and 5.0 kHz. The average SOAE level is -2.6 dB SPL for adults and 8.5 dB SPL for infants.     

Effects of aspirin on distortion product fine structure: interpreted by the two-source model for distortion product otoacoustic emissions generation

Distortion product otoacoustic emission (DPOAE) fine structure is due to the interaction of two major components coming from different places in the cochlea. One component is generated from the region of maximal overlap of the traveling waves generated by the two primaries and is attributed to nonlinear distortion (nonlinear component). The other component arises predominantly from the tonotopic region of the distortion product and is attributed to linear coherent reflection (reflection component). Aspirin (salicylate) ototoxicity can cause reversible hearing loss and reduces otoacoustic emission generation in the cochlea. The two components are expected to be affected differentially by cochlear health. Changes in DPOAE fine structure were recorded longitudinally in three subjects before, during, and after aspirin consumption. Full data sets were analyzed for two subjects, but only partial data could be analyzed from the third subject. Resulting changes in the two components of DPOAE fine structure revealed variability among subjects and differential effects on the two components. For low-intensity primaries, both components were reduced with the reflection component being more vulnerable. For high-intensity primaries, the nonlinear component showed little or no change, but the reflection component was always reduced.     

Suppression of distortion product otoacoustic emissions in the anuran ear

When a two-tone stimulus is presented to the ear, so-called distortion product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAEs) are evoked. Adding an interference tone (IT) to these two DPOAE-evoking primaries affects normal DPOAE generation. The "effectiveness" of interference depends on the frequency of the IT in relation to the primary frequencies and this provides clues about the locus of emission generation within the inner ear. Here results are presented on the effects of ITs on DPOAEs thought to originate from the basilar papilla (BP) of a frog species. It is found that the IT always resulted in a reduction of the recorded DPOAE amplitude: DPOAE enhancement was not observed. Furthermore, iso-suppression curves (ISCs) exhibited two relative minima suggesting that the DPOAEs arise at different loci in the inner ear. These minima occurred at fixed frequencies, which coincided with those primary frequencies that resulted in maxima in DPOAE audiograms. The occurrence of two minima suggests that DPOAEs, which are presumed to originate exclusively from the BP, partially arise from the amphibian papilla as well. Finally, the finding that the minima in the ISCs are independent of the primary or DPOAE frequencies provides support for the notion that the BP functions as a single auditory filter.     

Coherent motion of a hole in a two-dimensional quantum antiferromagnet

The dispersion relation for the coherent propagation of a hole moving in a two-dimensional quantum antiferromagnet is discussed. The system is described by two model Hamiltonians, thet-J model and thet-t-J model, which have been used frequently to discuss strong electron-correlation effects present in high-T _c superconductors. The calculations are based on the introduction of a new wave function which is constructed by use of equations derived by Shraiman and Siggia. The different mechanisms for the coherent propagation, which are due to the spin fluctuation and the hopping terms of the Hamiltonian, are treated on the same footing. As a result of the inclusion of an effective hopping mechanism along spiral paths-first discussed by Trugman-the minimum of the band is somewhat changed compared to results recently obtained in the literature. For large values of the ratiot/J an inversion of the whole dispersion relation occurs. The overall shapes of the dispersion within both models are found to agree quite well, though for small values oft/J the bandwidth within thet-J model becomes significantly smaller than that of thet-t-J model.     

On long-wave sound scattering by a Rankine vortex: Non-resonant and resonant cases

The well-known two-dimensional problem of sound scattering by a Rankine vortex at small Mach number M is considered. Despite its long history, the solutions obtained by many authors still are not free from serious objections. The common approach to the problem consists in the transformation of governing equations to the d’Alembert equation with right-hand part. It was recently shown [I.V. Belyaev, V.F. Kopiev, On the problem formulation of sound scattering by cylindrical vortex, Acoustical Physics 54(5) (2008) 603-614] that due to the slow decay of the mean velocity field at infinity the convective equation with nonuniform coefficients instead of the d’Alembert equation should be considered, and the incident wave should be excited by a point source placed at a large but finite distance from the vortex instead of specifying an incident plane wave (which is not a solution of the governing equations).Here we use the new formulation of Belyaev and Kopiev to obtain the correct solution for the problem of non-resonant sound scattering, to second order in Mach number M. The partial harmonic expansion approach and the method of matched asymptotic expansions are employed. The scattered field in the region far outside the vortex is determined as the solution of the convective wave equation, and van Dyke's matching principle is used to match the fields inside and outside the vortical region. Finally, resonant scattering is also considered; an O(M²) result is found that unifies earlier solutions in the literature. These problems are considered for the first time.     

Evaluation of a noise reduction system for the assessment of click-evoked otoacoustic emissions

A recently proposed noise reduction system intended to facilitate the assessment of click-evoked otoacoustic emission (CEOAE) in noisy environments [Comput. Biol. Med. 30, 341 (2000)] is evaluated using 13 normally hearing ears and 9 ears with a sensorineural hearing loss. The noise reduction system is based on an adaptive noise canceller design using an additional noise-only reference microphone and intended to reduce externally generated noise. The system is tested in quiet and at different levels of white noise. The three main design parameters of the noise reduction system (adaptation time constant, length of the adaptive filter, and position of the noise reference microphone) are varied systematically in different experiments. With the noise reduction system active, CEOAE can be assessed correctly at noise levels which are 5 to 9 dB higher than without the noise reduction system. For the range of adaptation time constants considered (65.6 to 656 ms), no statistically significant effect on the amount of noise reduction is observed. Noise reduction is highest when the reference microphone is positioned close to the ear probe. Using this reference microphone position and adaptive filters of 6.56 ms in length, average noise reductions of 7.17 to 8.50 dB are achieved.     

Frequency discrimination in the mammalian cochlea: theory versus experiment

A three-dimensional hydroelastic model for the motion in the cochlea is analyzed for the case of a pure-tone forcing. It is shown to agree well with experiment, including moderate intensity tuning curves and the frequency map, for a variety of mammals. In doing this, the parameters that are needed for each animal are geometric; thus the theory is easy to apply. The analysis also indicates that the fluid viscosity is the dominant dissipation mechanism, at least for moderate to high frequencies.     

Asymmetry reversal in the reflection from a two-dimensional photonic crystal

The measured, angle-dependent, reflection spectra of a two-dimensional GaAs photonic crystal consist of an asymmetric peak on top of an oscillating background. At large angles of incidence (>70 degrees), the asymmetry of the peak is observed to flip for p-polarized light. We explain the observed spectra with a Fano model that includes loss and interference between a resonant waveguide component and direct Fresnel reflection of the layered structure. We show that the reversal of the asymmetry of the line is due to a change in sign of the direct reflection at Brewster's angle.     

High-energy scattering in a two-dimensional gauge theory

We study high-energy scattering in two-dimensional quantum chromodynamics in the 1/N_colour expansion. To first order, high-energy forward scattering amplitudes are power-behaved with the factorization, signature and exchange degeneracy properties found in dual Regge models. Backward scattering has deviations from naive quark power-counting rules which are related to the form factor and “Regge” behaviours. In the second order of 1/N_colour vacuum exchange diagrams do not give a new Pomeron singularity, but do break exchange degeneracy.     

Group delays of distortion product otoacoustic emissions in the guinea pig.

This paper presents a comprehensive set of experimental data on group delays of distortion product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAEs) in the guinea pig. Group delays of the DPOAEs with frequencies 2f1-f2, 3f1-2f2, 4f1-3f2, and 2f2-f1 were measured with the phase gradient method. Both the f1- and the f2-sweep paradigm were used. Differences between the two sweep paradigms were investigated for the four DPOAEs, as well as the group delay differences between the DPOAEs. Analysis revealed larger group delays with the f2-sweep paradigm, but only for the lower sideband DPOAEs (with fdp < f1,f2). For the lower sideband cubic distortion product 2f1-f2, the f2-sweep delays were a factor of 1.17-1.54 larger than the f1-sweep delays, depending on frequency. The upper sideband DPOAE 2f2-f1 showed no significant difference between f1- and f2-sweep group delays, except for the highest and lowest f2 frequencies. Comparing the group delays of the DPOAEs for each sweep paradigm separately, equal group delays were found for all four DPOAEs measured with the f1-sweep. With the f2-sweep paradigm on the other hand, the group delays of the three lower sideband DPOAEs occurred to be larger than the group delays of the upper sideband DPOAE 2f2-f1. A tentative interpretation of the data in the context of proposed explanatory hypotheses on DPOAE group delays is given.     

Harmonic generation in a two-dimensional nonlinear quasi-crystal

Second-harmonic generation in a two-dimensional nonlinear quasi-crystal is demonstrated for the first time to our knowledge. Temperature and wavelength tuning of the crystal reveal the uniformity of the pattern while angle tuning reveals the dense nature of the crystal's Fourier spectrum. These results compare well with theoretical predictions showing the excellent uniformity of the crystal and suggest that more-complicated nonlinear holograms should be possible.     

Soliton-magnon scattering in a two-dimensional isotropic magnetic material

We use the generalized σ-model to analytically study the solution of the problem of magnon scattering in two-dimensional isotropic ferromagnets and antiferromagnets in the presence of a Belavin-Polyakov soliton. We obtain the exact analytical solution to this problem for the partial mode with the azimuthal quantum number m=1. The scattering amplitude for other values of m (i.e., values not equal to unity) are studied analytically in the long-and short-wavelength approximations and also numerically for an arbitrary value of the wave number. We establish the general laws governing the soliton-magnon interaction. For a magnetic material of finite dimensions we calculate the frequencies of the magnon modes. We also use the data on local modes to derive the equations of motion of the soliton. Finally, we calculate the low-temperature (long-wavelength) asymptotic behavior of the magnon density of states due to the soliton-magnon interaction. Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 116, 1091–1114 (September 1999)