Evolution of the correlation between orthogonal polarization patterns in broad-area lasers

We measure polarization-resolved instantaneous patterns in a large-aspect ratio quasi-isotropic Nd:YAG laser. High correlation between the instantaneous orthogonal polarization patterns recorded at the earlier stages of the laser pulse has been found due to the strong cross saturation between both polarization modes.     

The effect of visual and auditory cues on seat preference in an opera theater

Opera performance conveys both visual and auditory information to an audience, and so opera theaters should be evaluated in both domains. This study investigates the effect of static visual and auditory cues on seat preference in an opera theater. Acoustical parameters were measured and visibility was analyzed for nine seats. Subjective assessments for visual-only, auditory-only, and auditory-visual preferences for these seat positions were made through paired-comparison tests. In the cases of visual-only and auditory-only subjective evaluations, preference judgment tests on a rating scale were also employed. Visual stimuli were based on still photographs, and auditory stimuli were based on binaural impulse responses convolved with a solo tenor recording. For the visual-only experiment, preference is predicted well by measurements taken related to the angle of seats from the theater midline at the center of the stage, the size of the photographed stage view, the visual obstruction, and the distance from the stage. Sound pressure level was the dominant predictor of auditory preference in the auditory-only experiment. In the cross-modal experiments, both auditory and visual preferences were shown to contribute to overall impression, but auditory cues were more influential than the static visual cues. The results show that both a positive visual-only or a positive auditory-only evaluations positively contribute to the assessments of seat quality.     

Superlinear photovoltaic currents in LiNbO<Subscript>3</Subscript>: analyses under the two-center model

Superlinear photovoltaic currents in LiNbO₃ are theoretically studied by using a two active center model, with Fe²⁺/Fe³⁺ as primary center and Nb_Li⁴⁺/Nb_Li⁵⁺ as secondary center. Analytical instead of numerical results are provided, including close-form expressions for most common experimental situations. Recent photovoltaic parameters obtained for -phase proton-exchanged LiNbO₃ waveguides (very similar to the substrate) are used for applying the model and comparing with published experimental results. Thoroughly studied aspects are: the redistribution of donor/acceptor states for each species as a function of the light intensity, their contribution to the photovoltaic current density, the effect of the temperature, and the role of the center concentrations and their reduction state. This provides a detailed understanding of the photovoltaic current function shapes versus light intensity, predicts new features of interest for experimentalists and suggests further experiments to better determine the material parameters. Photovoltaic measurements and modeling appear a simpler and safer way of understanding the role of the two-center photovoltaic effect in photorefractive phenomena as well as for determining important photorefractive parameters. PACS 42.70.Nq; 72.40.+w.     

Observation of muon neutrino disappearance with the MINOS detectors in the NuMI neutrino beam

This Letter reports results from the MINOS experiment based on its initial exposure to neutrinos from the Fermilab NuMI beam. The rates and energy spectra of charged current nu(mu) interactions are compared in two detectors located along the beam axis at distances of 1 and 735 km. With 1.27 x 10(20) 120 GeV protons incident on the NuMI target, 215 events with energies below 30 GeV are observed at the Far Detector, compared to an expectation of 336+/-14 events. The data are consistent with nu(mu) disappearance via oscillations with |Delta(m)2/32|=2.74 +0.44/-0.26 x10(-3)eV(2) and sin(2)(2theta(23))>0.87 (68% C.L.).     

Non-auditory factors affecting urban soundscape evaluation

The aim of this study is to characterize urban spaces, which combine landscape, acoustics, and lighting, and to investigate people's perceptions of urban soundscapes through quantitative and qualitative analyses. A general questionnaire survey and soundwalk were performed to investigate soundscape perception in urban spaces. Non-auditory factors (visual image, day lighting, and olfactory perceptions), as well as acoustic comfort, were selected as the main contexts that affect soundscape perception, and context preferences and overall impressions were evaluated using an 11-point numerical scale. For qualitative analysis, a semantic differential test was performed in the form of a social survey, and subjects were also asked to describe their impressions during a soundwalk. The results showed that urban soundscapes can be characterized by soundmarks, and soundscape perceptions are dominated by acoustic comfort, visual images, and day lighting, whereas reverberance in urban spaces does not yield consistent preference judgments. It is posited that the subjective evaluation of reverberance can be replaced by physical measurements. The categories extracted from the qualitative analysis revealed that spatial impressions such as openness and density emerged as some of the contexts of soundscape perception.     

Influence of fundamental frequency and source elevation on the vertical localization of complex tones and complex tone pairs

This study investigates the vertical localization of single complex tones (monads) and simultaneous complex tone pairs (dyads), especially as it is affected by their fundamental frequency and source elevation. Two complex tone timbres are considered: one consisting of five low-order harmonics, and the other of all odd harmonics (a square wave). Sound sources were at -15, 0, 15, and 30 deg from the horizontal plane at ear height. For eight subjects, this source array was in the median plane, and for a further nine subjects, it was directly to the subject's left (lateral plane). The subjects localized the angle of the auditory image(s) of one or two complex tones around the vertical plane containing the sound sources. Mean responses for the five-harmonic complex tones show a systematic effect (referred to as Pratt's effect) of fundamental frequency on vertical localization--whereby high-frequency complex tones are localized to positions higher than low-frequency complex tones for equivalent source positions. For the square wave, the sound-source position dominates localization, although some effect of fundamental frequency is evident for median plane sources.     

Investigation of the influence of silver and tin on the luminescence of trivalent europium ions in glass

Europium-doped aluminophosphate glasses prepared by the melt-quenching technique have been studied by photoluminescence (PL) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The effects of silver and tin doping, and of further thermal processing on Eu³⁺ ions luminescence have been assessed. For the glass system containing only europium, Eu³⁺ PL observed under UV excitation is suggested to occur through energy transfer from the excited glass host. After silver and tin doping, an enhanced UV excited Eu³⁺ PL has been indicated to occur essentially due to radiative energy transfer from isolated Ag⁺ ions and/or two fold-coordinated Sn centers. Since thermal processing of the material leads to a quenching effect on Eu³⁺ PL and Ag nanoparticles (NPs) formation due to reduction of silver ions by tin, XPS was employed in order to investigate the possibility for Eu³⁺→Eu²⁺ reduction during HT as a potential source of the PL decrease. The data points towards Ag NPs as main responsible for the observed weakening of Eu³⁺ PL.     

Concentration of iodine traces in solution by filtering through activated carbon

The retention of iodine traces (ppb) was investigated in small activated carbon filters (50 mg) from solution at a yielding rate exclusively determined by pH. Retention is approximately 100% at pH values of 4–6, while no retention of iodine traces occurs after filtering them through an activated carbon filter from very acidic and basic solutions (pH values of 1 and 11, respectively) with 0% yielding rate. Since activated carbon is a very pure material, this procedure may be an alternative method of the activation analysis of iodine traces in foodstuffs, because the half-life of ¹²⁸I, formed by (n,g) reaction, is only 25 minutes. It does not allow either the sample to be placed readily in solution or the radioisotope to be separated after irradiation with the purpose of attaining maximal accuracy and sensitivity in this type of analysis.