Yields of Br* (4P1/2) as a function of wavelength in the photodissociation of Br2 and IBr

A flashlamp-pumped tunable dye laser has been used to study the photochemical production of Br* (4²P_1/2) atoms from Br₂ and IBr exc     

Defect structures of ion-implanted α-tin

Single crystalline and polycrystalline -tin has been implanted at room temperature with 80-keV ions of radioactive^119m Sn,¹¹⁹Sb, and^119m Te. The radioactive nuclei decay to the Mössbauer level of¹¹⁹Sn. Mössbauer spectra of the emitted 24-keV radiation have been measured for different source temperatures by resonance counting techniques. Five individual lines in the spectra are characterized mainly by their isomer shifts and Debye temperatures. From these parameters the radiogenic¹¹⁹Sn atoms are concluded to be located in regular substitutional and interstitial lattice sites and in defect complexes. Simple models for the defects are proposed: A Sn-vacancy pair consists of Sn atoms on (nearly) substitutional sites with a dangling bond into an adjacent vacancy. In a complex oxygen-containing defect the Sn atoms have approximately a 5s ² configuration withp-bonds to two nearest neighbour atoms. Sn atoms, having an atomic 5s ² 5p ² configuration and large vibrational amplitudes, are concluded to be in non-bonding regular interstitial sites. For special implantation conditions minor fractions of SnO₂ molecules are formed in the bulk. The interstitial¹¹⁹Sn and the¹¹⁹Sn-vacancy pairs are proposed to represent elementary point defects in -tin. Conclusions are also drawn concerning the lattice location and the defects created in the implantation process of the implanted parent isotopes.     

Classification of wheat varieties: use of two-dimensional gel electrophoresis for varieties that can not be classified by matrix assisted laser desorpiton/ionization-time of flight-mass spectrometry and an artificial neural network

Analyzing a gliadin extract by matrix assisted laser desorption/ionization-time of flight-mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS) combined with an artificial neural network (ANN) is a suitable method for identification of wheat varieties. However, the ANN can not distinguish between all different wheat varieties. Two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (2-D PAGE) was applied to three pairs of wheat varieties, which can not be classified correctly by ANN. By 2-D PAGE the varieties in the three pairs can be discriminated and these six wheat varieties can be separated from each other, which could not be separated by MALDI-TOF-MS and NN.     

Probing the QCD critical point with relativistic heavy-ion collisions

We utilize an event-by-event relativistic hydrodynamic calculation performed at a number of different incident beam energies to investigate the creation of hot and dense QCD matter near the critical point. Using state-of-the-art analysis and visualization tools we demonstrate that each collision event probes QCD matter characterized by a wide range of temperatures and baryo-chemical potentials, making a dynamical response of the system to the vicinity of the critical point very difficult to isolate above the background.     

Using light to bioactivate surfaces: A new way of creating oriented, active immunobiosensors

Ultraviolet light can be used to immobilize biomolecules onto thiol reactive surfaces in order to, e.g., make biosensors. The mechanism involves light-induced formation of free, reactive thiol groups in disulphide containing molecules. This technology allows for the creation of arrays of biomolecules with a high degree of reproducibility, circumventing the need for often expensive nano/micro-dispensing technologies. The ultimate size of the immobilized spots is defined by the focal area of the UV beam. Light-induced immobilization has the added benefit that the immobilized molecules will be spatially oriented and covalently bound to the surface. In this paper, we demonstrate the utility of a sensor array created with the new sensor technology when integrated into a microfluidic system. Protein arrays made using light-induced immobilization showed successful antigen/antibody binding in a flow cell allowing the visualisation of real time binding and enzyme activity. This new technology is ideal for the creation of protein/DNA microarrays, can replace present micro-dispensing arraying technologies and is ideal as a molecular imprinting technology.     

Second-harmonic generation of 405-nm light using periodically poled KTiOPO4 pumped by external-cavity laser diode with double grating feedback

A frequency-doubled laser diode system for generation of blue–UV light is described. The system is based on an external-cavity high-power laser diode with double feedback from the zeroth and the first orders of a diffraction grating. Light at 405 nm is generated in a single-pass configuration using periodically poled KTiOPO₄. We show that the double grating feedback improves the second harmonic conversion efficiency by several orders of magnitude as compared to the freely running laser. The conversion efficiency may be improved further such that higher second-harmonic powers may be generated.     

Entanglement generated by dissipation and steady state entanglement of two macroscopic objects

Entanglement is a striking feature of quantum mechanics and an essential ingredient in most applications in quantum information. Typically, coupling of a system to an environment inhibits entanglement, particularly in macroscopic systems. Here we report on an experiment where dissipation continuously generates entanglement between two macroscopic objects. This is achieved by engineering the dissipation using laser and magnetic fields, and leads to robust event-ready entanglement maintained for 0.04 s at room temperature. Our system consists of two ensembles containing about 10(12) atoms and separated by 0.5 m coupled to the environment composed of the vacuum modes of the electromagnetic field. By combining the dissipative mechanism with a continuous measurement, steady state entanglement is continuously generated and observed for up to 1 h.     

An ultra-stable referenced interrogation system in the deep ultraviolet for a mercury optical lattice clock

We have developed an ultra-stable source in the deep ultraviolet, suitable to fulfil the interrogation requirements of a future fully-operational lattice clock based on neutral mercury. At the core of the system is a Fabry–Pérot cavity which is highly impervious to temperature and vibrational perturbations. The mirror substrate is made of fused silica in order to exploit the comparatively low thermal noise limits associated with this material. By stabilizing the frequency of a 1062.6 nm Yb-doped fiber laser to the cavity, and including an additional link to LNE-SYRTE’s fountain primary frequency standards via an optical frequency comb, we produce a signal which is both stable at the 10^?15 level in fractional terms and referenced to primary frequency standards. The signal is subsequently amplified and frequency-doubled twice to produce several milliwatts of interrogation signal at 265.6 nm in the deep ultraviolet.