Electromagnetically-induced transparency,slow light,and negative group velocities in a room temperature vapor of 4He1

⁴He¹ at room temperature is a particularly interesting system as velocity changing collisions (VCCs) are necessary to observe ultra-narrow (less than 10 kHz) EIT windows for purely electronic spins in the presence of Doppler broadening. Such narrow resonances are known to be linked to a dramatic reduction of the group velocity of a probe pulse, although the medium is transparent. The evolution of the delay is recorded with respect to the coupling beam intensity and to small Raman detunings. We also demonstrate that it is possible to use optically detuned resonances (Fano-like profiles) to see a transition from slow light to negative group velocity. All these measurements are found to be in good agreement with a simple model based on an effective homogeneous linewidth. To cite this article: F. Goldfarb et al., C. R. Physique 10 (2009).     

Aspects of frequency redistribution for non-coherent scattering in a turbulent medium

The scattering of line photons in a turbulent medium is reexamined. We take into account the fact that a photon absorbed in a turbulent element having some velocity will be reemitted by the same element and keeps in that way a certain “memory” of its absorption. Adding the contributions of all turbulent elements at a given point, we construct new redistribution functions describing this correlation. They give the probability that a photon with frequency x in the direction n is absorbed and reemitted at frequency x^′ in the direction n^′. A preliminary discussion of the problem is given in an astrophysical context.     

Spin waves in γ-MnCu

A neutron diffraction “mis-setting” experiment has been used to examine the possible inelasticity of the scattering around the 001 position in a stress-aligned f.c.t. antiferromagnetic 90 at.% MnCu alloy. This investigation has confirmed that the 001 reflection is due to spin wave scattering and the spin wave velocity was calculated to be ～ 50 km s^?1, consistent with a theoretical value for γ-Mnof ～ 47 km s^?1.     

Magnetic-field and temperature effects on the optical properties of dicyano-2,2′-bipyridyl-platinum(II) single crystals

Studies of the polarized emission of [Pt(CN)₂(bipy)] single crystals as function of temperature (1.9 K ⩽ T ⩽ 295 K) and homogeneous magnetic fields (0 ⩽ H ⩽ 6 T), and the temperature dependence of the polarized absorption spectrum are reported. Raising the temperature from 1.9 to 7 K or increasing the magnetic field from 0 to 1 T results in a blue shift of ≈175 cm^-1 in the E ⊥ a polarized emission (E: electric field vector, a: crystallographic a axis). Between 1.9 and 295 K at H = 0) and between 0 and 6 T (at T = 1.9 K), the emission lifetime decreases by factors of ≈10³ and ≈10², respectively. The results are explained within the C'_2v symmetry of the single complex assuming a coupling between neighboring central ions.     

Some estimates for magnetic fluctuations in a turbulent medium

A new integral relationship between the fluctuations b(r, t) of a magnetic field and its mean B ₀(r, t) is derived for the steady-state magnetic field in a turbulent medium. This formula provides the estimate 〈b?curlb〉=?B ₀?curlB ₀. Simultaneously, the coefficient of amplification of the mean magnetic field α effect) is obtained: α=(η+β)B ₀? curlB ₀/B ₀ ² . The formula for α allows for a decrease in this coefficient owing to the back action of the magnetic field on the turbulent velocity field. It is shown that the Zel’dovich’s estimate 〈 b ²〉?β/η B ₀ ² for two-dimensional turbulence holds for magnetic fields at the instant the fluctuations 〈a ²〉 of the vector potential, rather than 〈b ²〉, reach a maximum. Here, η and β are the ohmic (molecular) and turbulent diffusion coefficients, respectively. This estimate is refined with allowance made for the fact that the condition for diffusion approximation itself relates the β, b, and B ₀ quantities to each other.     

Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Diffusion in the Presence of Background Gradients and Imaging of Background Gradients

The measurement of the self-diffusion coefficient D by an NMR technique that uses an applied gradient G_A can be corrupted by systems that have a background magnetic field gradient G₀ and also by imaging gradients G₁, when used in an imaging mode. In a nonimaging mode, the corrupting cross term G_A · G₀can be eliminated in the diffusion measurement by use of an alternating-pulse-field-gradient (APFG) sequence that allows an accurate and uncorrupted measurement of D. A Carr-Purcell echo train enables the measurement of the expectation value, 〈DG²₀〉; assuming D and G₀ to be uncorrelated will allow 〈G²₀〉 to be determined. An image of D or of 〈DG²₀〉 may be obtained without the corrupting G_A · G₀ and G_A · G_I terms by appending a standard imaging sequence to an APFG sequence or a Carr-Purcell sequence, respectively; assuming D and G₀ to be uncorrelated will allow (〈G²₀〉 to be determined within each pixel. Measurements of D and 〈G²₀〉 and their images are made in apple flesh in which minute air bubbles are shown to produce the large 〈G²₀〉. Their values in an 81 g Golden Delicious apple at a measuring frequency of 100 MHz were D = 1.42 × 10⁻⁵ cm²/s and [formula] = 8.9 G/cm.     

Effects of additional Higgses in supersymmetric grand unified theories

We consider modifications of the minimal supersymmetric SU(5) grand unified model. With the additional Higgses 10 +$\text{10}$, the theory may be modified so that the proton decays dominantly via the conventional mode p→e⁺π with the lifetime π_p=(0.04-710)×10³⁰yr, and sin²θ_W=0.222±0.003.     

Flow distribution and pressure of air due to ionic wind in pin-to-plate corona discharge system

An electrohydrodynamic investigation has been carried out in a pin-to-plate gas discharge system to clarify the mechanism of repulsive force generation between a pin and plate electrode at corona discharge. Numerical calculations have been conducted in two steps. First, the axi-cylindrical static corona discharge field was calculated with the finite-element method to deduce the Coulombic body force ρ E applied to the air, where ρ is the charge density and E is the electric field, and then the induced ionic wind was calculated with the finite differential method. The calculated pressure distribution on the plate electrode was on the order of 10 Pa which was in good agreement with the measured pressure distribution. The calculated air velocity at the center was several m/s and was confirmed by a time-of-flight experiment and the velocity distribution near the pin electrode also agreed with measurements using a laser Doppler velocimeter. Pressure and wind velocity were increased at high-applied voltage. These results confirm that the ionic wind is the cause of the repulsive force to the pin electrode at the corona discharge.     

Bloch electron dynamics

New equations of motion for a Bloch electron [momentum p=h k,energy ε _n(p),zone number n, charge -e]: $$m_j \frac{{dv_j }}{{dt}} = - e(E + v \times B)_j $$ are proposed, where v≡?ε_n(p)/?p is the velocity, and {m_j}are the principal masses m _j ^? 1=?²ε_n/?p _j ² along the normal and the two principal axes of curvatures at each point of the constant-energy surface represented by ε=ε_n(p).Their advantages over the prevalent equations of motion where the left-hand-side is replaced by hk _j are demonstrated by examining de Haas-van Alphen oscillations and orientation-dependent cyclotron resonance peaks.     

New acceleration mechanism of electrons by an electromagnetic wave in a weakly magnetized plasma

Acceleration of electrons by an electromagnetic wave has been observed in a weakly magnetized (ω_ce/ω₀ ? 10^?2) inhomogeneous plasma. This acceleration is interpreted as a V_p × B₀ acceleration, which is a new concept for heating or accelerating electrons very efficiently to high energy.     

Pyroelectric properties of a ferroelectric single crystal [NH2(CH3)2]3Sb2Cl9 (DMACA)

The pyroelectric properties of DMACA single crystals have been measured in the range 135–293 K, revealing the existence of ferroelectric second order phase transition at T_c = 243 K. The saturation value of spontaneous polarization P_s along a-axis amounts to 6.8 × 10⁻³ Cm⁻² at about 203 K. Critical exponent β = 0.5 has been found in the region 0.5–10 K away from T_c.     

Decay of helicity in homogeneous turbulence

The self-similar relaxation of helicity in homogeneous turbulence has been considered taking into account integral invariants ∫ ₀ ^∞ r ^m 〈u(x)ω(x + r)〉 dr = I _m ^h (where ω = curlu and r = |r|). It has been shown that integral invariants with m = 3 for both helicity and energy are possible in addition to helical analogs of Loitsyanskii (m = 4) and Birkhoff-Saffman (m = 2) invariants associated with the conservation laws of momentum and angular momentum, respectively. Helicity always relaxes more rapidly than the energy. Its decay exponent is in the interval from ?3/2 to ?5/2 versus the interval from ?6/5 to ?10/7 for the energy.     

Supramolecular selectivity of [60]-fullerene among equivalently photoactive porphyrins

The photophysical investigation of different para-substituted tetraphenylporphyrins (TP), viz., meso-tetra(4′-hydroxyphenyl)-21H-23H-porphyrin(1),meso-tetrakis(4′-hex-5-enyloxyphenyl)-21H-23H-porphyrin(2), meso-tetrakis(4′-oct-7-enyloxyphenyl)-21H-23H-porphyrin(3) and meso-tetrakis(4′-undecyloxyphenyl)-21H-23H-porphyrin (4) revealed that except for quantum yield (φ) the para-substitution has little effect on any other photophysical properties like lifetime, excitation, emission wavelength, etc. The host-guest type interactions of these tetraarylporphyrins (TP 1-4), with [60]-fullerene (F) have been studied with ¹H NMR and fluorescence spectrometric techniques in carbon tetrachloride medium. Fluorescence studies revealed that the Q band of the TPs was sufficiently quenched upon addition of F. All the fullerene/porphyrin systems were found to produce stable complexes with 1:1 stoichiometry. Binding constants (K) of all the fullerene/porphyrin complexes have been determined by fluorescence quenching method. The association constant values for 1/F have been determined from plots of the Stern-Volmer equation (103.713×10⁴) and the Benesi-Hildebrand equation (110.440×10⁴). It has been observed that the insertion of long chain oxo-alkenyl/alkyl group in the para position of TPs in 2, 3 and 4 diminished the K values for F by two, four and even ten times with respect to that of 1. The observed trend in variation of the binding constants was supported by a gradual variation in the shift of ¹H NMR signal when measurements were carried out in CDCl₃.     

Analysis of the spin splitting of maxima of quantum oscillations of the resistivity of n-Bi-Sb semiconductor alloys in a magnetic field parallel to the bisector axis

In samples of semiconductor alloys n-Bi_0.93Sb_0.07 with different electron concentrations (n ₁ = 8 × 10¹⁵ cm^?3, n ₂ = 1.2 × 10¹⁷ cm^?3, and n ₃ = 1.9 × 10¹⁸ cm^?3), dependences of the electrical resistivity on magnetic fields up to 45 T parallel to the current and the bisector axis (H ‖ C ₁ ‖ j) have been measured at temperatures of 1.5, 4.5, and 10 K. The obtained dependences ρ₂₂(H) demonstrate quantum oscillations of the resistivity (Shubnikov-de Haas effect), and, in high magnetic fields, there is a resistivity maximum far away from other maxima. On assumption that this maximum is related to the spin-split Landau level N = 0^? for electrons of the main ellipsoid, the spin-splitting parameters are calculated for electrons of the main ellipsoid: γ₁ = 0.87, γ₂ = 0.8, and γ₃ = 0.73. Using these values, the oscillation maxima can be reliably related to the numbers of split Landau levels for electrons of the main and secondary ellipsoids. The dependences of the resistivity ρ₁₁ and the Hall coefficient R _31.2 on magnetic field have been measured in a transverse magnetic field at H ‖ C ₁ and j ‖ C ₂ on the sample with the electron concentration n ₄ = 1.4 × 10¹⁷ cm^?3. Using similar analysis, the spin-splitting parameter is found to be γ₄ = 0.85, which is close to the value of γ₂ = 0.8 obtained for the sample with close electron concentration (n ₂ = 1.2 × 10¹⁷ cm^?3) during the measurements in a longitudinal magnetic field. The quantum oscillation maxima of Hall coefficient R _31.2 are shifted to the range of high magnetic fields as compared to the quantum oscillation maxima of resistivity ρ₁₁.     

Effect of an intense laser field on the magnon damping in free carrier magnetic semiconductors

The influence of an intense radiation fieldE₀ on the magnon damping in free carrier magnetic semiconductors is discussed. It is shown that the effect of the intense field is to give a drift velocity v₀ = eE₀/mΩ to the carriers such that when v₀ exceeds the phase velocity of the spin waves the electrons are more able to emit magnons than they absorb and as a consequence the magnon population grows with time.     

Study on the luminescence behavior of lanthanide ions using luminol as probe

Using luminol as the probe, the luminescence behavior of trivalent lanthanide ions (Ln³⁺=La³⁺, Ce³⁺, Pr³⁺, Nd³⁺, Sm³⁺, Eu³⁺, Gd³⁺, Tb³⁺, Dy³⁺, Ho³⁺, Er³⁺, Tm³⁺, Yb³⁺ and Lu³⁺) in aqueous solution was first investigated by fluorescence, and the sensitivity enhanced by 3–5 orders of magnitude compared with the Ln³⁺ intrinsic fluorescence. It was found that Ln³⁺ with luminol could form a 1:1 association complex which remarkably enhanced the fluorescence signal of luminol. The increment of fluorescence intensity was proportional to the concentration of Ln³⁺ in the range of 1.0–70.0 nmol L^?1, and the linear correlation equation, ΔI_F=AC_Ln+B, was given. The relationships of A (defined as sensitivity factor) with some physical parameters (atomic number Z, ionic radius γ_±, standard redox potential E^o and hydration enthalpy ΔH_hyd) were discussed. The good symmetry of A vs. Z plot for light lanthanides (LLG) and the heavy lanthanides (HLG) and linear relations of A with Z, γ_±, E^o and ΔH_hyd should originate in the special features of Ln³⁺ electronic configurations [Xe]4fⁿ (n=0–14). Using the proposed model of Ln³⁺–luminol interaction, lg[ΔI_F/(I_Fo–ΔI_F)]=rlg[Ln]+lg k, the association constant k was obtained over the range of 1.95×10⁶–2.63×10⁷ L mol^?1.     

Study of two-phonon excitations in superfluid 4He

We explain the second branch of excitations in superfluid ⁴He observed by Cowley and Woods, by accounting for two-phonon contributions to the dynamic structure function, S(k, ω). Our theory gives a good fit with the experimental data in the high energy region for several values of momentum transfer. It is observed that the contribution to S(k, ω) due to two-phonon excitations is of the order of k² as against its k⁴ dependence reported in earlier theories.     

Extended line positions,intensities, empirical lower state energies and quantum assignments of NH3 from 6300 to 7000 cm−1

Nearly 4800 features of ammonia between 6300 and 7000 cm^?1 with intensities ≥4×10^?24 cm^?1/(molecule·cm^?2) at 296 K were measured using 16 pure NH₃ spectra recorded at various temperatures (296–185 K) with the McMath–Pierce Fourier Transform Spectrometer at Kitt Peak National Observatory, AZ. The line positions and intensities were retrieved by fitting individual spectra based on a Voigt line shape profile and then averaging the values to form the experimental linelist. The integrated intensity of the region was 4.68×10^?19 cm^?1/(molecule·cm^?2) at 296 K. Empirical lower state energies were also estimated for 3567 absorption line features using line intensities retrieved from 10 spectra recorded at gas temperature between 185 and 233 K. Finally, using Ground State Combination Differences (GSCDs) and the empirical lower state energy estimates, the quantum assignments were determined for 1096 transitions in the room temperature linelist, along with empirical upper state energies for 434 levels. The assignments correspond to seven vibrational states, as confirmed from recent ab initio calculations. The resulting composite database of ¹⁴NH₃ line parameters will provide experimental constraints to ab initio calculations and support remote sensing of gaseous bodies including the atmospheres of Earth, (exo)planets, brown dwarfs, and other astrophysical environments.     

Slowing down the light for delay lines implementation: Design and performance

Optical delay lines are key building blocks for all-optical signal processing. Photonic crystal structures can demonstrate efficient group velocity reduction, together with a wide-bandwidth and reduced high-order group velocity dispersion. Theses structures also offer the ability for 2D integration within photonic integrated circuits. This paper presents the performances of photonic crystal structures engineered for slowing down the light, and discuss the actual limitation encountered due to fabrication imperfections. To cite this article: A. Talneau, C. R. Physique 10 (2009).