Atomic Landau-Zener tunneling in Fourier-synthesized optical lattices

We report on an experimental study of quantum transport of atoms in variable periodic optical potentials. The band structure of both ratchet-type asymmetric and symmetric lattice potentials is explored. The variable atom potential is realized by superimposing a conventional standing wave potential of lambda/2 spatial periodicity with a fourth-order multiphoton potential of lambda/4 periodicity. We find that the Landau-Zener tunneling rate between the first and the second excited Bloch band depends critically on the relative phase between the two spatial lattice harmonics.     

All-fiber mode-locked fiber laser

An environmentally stable mode-locked fiber laser based on nonlinear polarization rotation is experimentally demonstrated. The laser is based on a novel laser configuration that has negligible low-power steady-state reflectivity from one side and, consequently, no CW gain. The laser is self starting and the configuration is implementable as an all-fiber laser with standard polarization-maintaining fiber-pigtailed components. A pulse duration of 5.6 ps is obtained at a repetition rate of 5.96 MHz and at an average power of 8 mW. As an application of the proposed laser configuration, 213 mW of supercontinuum (600-1750 nm) was demonstrated from a fiber laser system with no sections of free-space optics.     

Sensing and compensation of femtosecond waveform distortion induced by all-order polarization mode dispersion at selected polarization states

We demonstrate full characterization of femtosecond pulse distortion induced by all-order polarization mode dispersion (PMD) at selected polarization states via second-harmonic generation (SHG) frequency-resolved optical gating (FROG) measurements at an average power of under 28 nW. By applying the inverse of the measured spectral phase via a programmable pulse shaper, we compress the distorted pulses from more than 3 ps to nearly bandwidth-limited durations of less than 500 fs. Our results show that SHG FROG measurements performed by using fiber-pigtailed aperiodically poled lithium niobate waveguides can serve as a robust and sensitive tool for characterization of PMD-induced spectral phase.     

Biology‐Oriented Synthesis of a Withanolide‐Inspired Compound Collection Reveals Novel Modulators of Hedgehog Signaling

Biology‐oriented synthesis employs the structural information encoded in complex natural products to guide the synthesis of compound collections enriched in bioactivity. The trans‐hydrindane dehydro‐δ‐lactone motif defines the characteristic scaffold of the steroid‐like withanolides, a plant‐derived natural product class with a diverse pattern of bioactivity. A withanolide‐inspired compound collection was synthesized by making use of three key intermediates that contain this characteristic framework derivatized with different reactive functional groups. Biological evaluation of the compound collection in cell‐based assays that monitored biological signal‐transduction processes revealed a novel class of Hedgehog signaling inhibitors that target the protein Smoothened.     

Pinensins: The First Antifungal Lantibiotics

Lantibiotics (lanthionine‐containing antibiotics) from Gram‐positive bacteria typically exhibit activity against Gram‐positive bacteria. The activity and structure of pinensin A ( 1 ) and B ( 2 ), lantibiotics isolated from a native Gram‐negative producer Chitinophaga pinensis are described. Surprisingly, the pinensins were found to be highly active against many filamentous fungi and yeasts but show only weak antibacterial activity. To the best of our knowledge, lantibiotic fungicides have not been described before. An in‐depth bioinformatic analysis of the biosynthetic gene cluster established the ribosomal origin of these compounds and identified candidate genes encoding all of the enzymes required for post‐translational modification. Additional encoded functions enabled us to build up a hypothesis for the biosynthesis, export, sensing, and import of this intriguing lantibiotic.     

Controlled Light‐Mediated Preparation of Gold Nanoparticles by a Norrish Type I Reaction of Photoactive Polymers

Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) are subjects of broad interest in scientific community due to their promising physicochemical properties. Herein we report the facile and controlled light‐mediated preparation of gold nanoparticles through a Norrish type I reaction of photoactive polymers. These carefully designed polymers act as reagents for the photochemical reduction of gold ions, as well as stabilizers for the in situ generated AuNPs. Manipulating the length and composition of the photoactive polymers allows for control of AuNP size. Nanoparticle diameter can be controlled from 1.5 nm to 9.6 nm.     

Ruthenium‐Catalyzed C?C Bond Cleavage in Lignin Model Substrates

Ruthenium–triphos complexes exhibited unprecedented catalytic activity and selectivity in the redox‐neutral C C bond cleavage of the β‐O‐4 lignin linkage of 1,3‐dilignol model compounds. A mechanistic pathway involving a dehydrogenation‐initiated retro‐aldol reaction for the C C bond cleavage was proposed in line with experimental data and DFT calculations.     

Calculation of the stability of nonperiodic solids using classical force fields and the method of increments: N2o as an example

Combining classical force fields for the Hartree–Fock (HF) part and the method of increments for post‐HF contributions, we calculate the cohesive energy of the ordered and randomly disordered nitrous oxide (N₂O) solid. At 0 K, ordered N₂O is most favorable with a cohesive energy of ?27.7 kJ/mol. At temperatures above 60 K, more disordered structures become compatible and a phase transition to completely disordered N₂O is predicted. Comparison with experiment in literature suggests that experimentally prepared N₂O crystals are mainly disordered due to a prohibitively high activation energy of ordering processes. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.