Using slow light to enhance acousto-optical effects: application to squeezed light

We propose a technique for achieving phase matching in Brillouin scattering in a dielectric fiber doped by three-level Lambda-type ions. This can lead to a dramatic increase of efficiency of ponderomotive nonlinear interaction between the electromagnetic waves and holds promise for applications in quantum optics such as squeezing and quantum nondemolition measurements.     

Improved aging performance of vapor phase deposited hydrophobic self-assembled monolayers

A hydrophobic self-assembled monolayer (SAM) of fluoro-octyl-trichloro-silane (FOTS) was deposited on silicon using a vapor phase technique. The aging of the hydrophobic layer was examined using water contact angle measurements. It has been found that while such monolayer films suffer from a loss of hydrophobicity with time, pre-immersion nitrogen annealing can significantly improve the aging characteristics of these monolayers. The effect of nitrogen annealing on the improved aging properties of SAM coatings has been investigated by atomic force microscopy (AFM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The hydrolytic stability and the effect of nitrogen annealing were studied by morphological evolution during immersion. A spontaneous formation of silane mounds on the surface of the monolayers was found by AFM. These mounds have been irreversibly transformed from initially uniform hydrophobic surface layers. It is highly probable that the compliance of these mounds can reasonably allow hydrophilic sites to be located around the mounds. Interestingly, the density of these mounds formation is very less on the annealed samples. XPS reveals a higher level of coverage by the N₂-annealed film due to agglomeration. A relative abundance of CF₃ and CF₂ moieties in the annealed film may explain the enhancement of the hydrophobicity as revealed by higher level of water contact angle. This hydrophobicity was found to be significantly stable in water. This novel finding explains the improved hydrophobic stability of FOTS monolayers as primarily a morpho-chemical effect that originates from the densification of the monolayers upon annealing.     

Surface Modification of Absorbable Magnesium Stents by Reactive Ion Etching

The surface texture and chemistry of WE43 absorbable magnesium stents (AMS) and tube specimens processed by chemical and reactive ion etching (RIE) were investigated. Tube specimens were produced in three different conditions, namely as-received, chemically etched and plasma etched. The results of scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy studies showed that plasma etching and cleaning reduced surface roughness by 10 % compared to chemical etching alone, and completely removed surface deposits remaining from the chemical etch process. The same combination of chemical and plasma etching processes was employed to produce AMS. Expansion tests demonstrated uniform stent expansion characteristics and confirmed the viability of the device. The results of this study show that RIE is an effective surface modification technique for absorbable magnesium devices.     

Solving the spectroscopic phase: imaging excited wave packets and extracting excited state potentials from fluorescence data

We develop an inversion scheme for obtaining the signs of transition-dipole amplitudes from fluorescence line intensities. Using the amplitudes thus obtained we show how to extract highly accurate excited state potential(s) and the transition-dipole(s) as a function of inter-nuclear displacements. The same dipole amplitudes can also be used to extract the phase and amplitude of unknown time-evolving wave packets, in essentially a quantum non-demolition manner. The procedure, which is demonstrated for the A((1)∑) and B((1)Π(u)) states of the Na(2) molecule, is shown to yield reliable results even when we are given incomplete or uncertain data. We also demonstrate the success of our approach in extracting double minimum potentials. The inversion scheme is in principle applicable to any polyatomic molecule.     

Argon ion laser-induced BaS BΣ-AΣ, A′Π, aΠ, and XΣ fluorescence spectra: Analysis of A A′, A a, and A′ a perturbations

The 333.6-, 351.1-, and 363.8-nm lines of a cw argon ion laser are found to coincide with the BaS B¹Σ⁺-X¹Σ⁺ (12, 0) R(17), (6, 0) P(35), and (3, 0) R(125) transitions, respectively. Fluorescence transitions from the laser-prepared upper levels terminating in X¹Σ⁺ V = 0–28, A¹Σ⁺ V = 1–3, A′¹Π V = 1–13, and a³Π₁ V = 3–12 are assigned. These results are combined with a previous analysis of the extensively perturbed BaS A¹Σ⁺-X¹Σ⁺ system [R. F. Barrow, W. G. Burton, and P. A. Jones, Trans. Farad. Soc.67, 902–906 (1971)]. Every observed perturbation of the BaS A¹Σ⁺ state is electronically and vibrationally assigned. The levels a³Π₀ V = 10–13, a³Π₁ V = 12–14, a³Π₂ V = 15, and A′¹Π V = 10–13 are sampled via their perturbations of A¹Σ⁺ V = 0–2. Although the mutual interactions of the a³Π, A′¹Π, and A¹Σ⁺ states approach Hund's case (c) limit, a complete deperturbation is performed from a case (a) starting point. Of the five lowest energy electronic states of BaS, only b³Σ⁺ remains uncharacterized. Principal deperturbed molecular constants are (in cm⁻¹, 1σ uncertainties in parentheses):

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Functionalisation of Graphene Sensor Surfaces for the Specific Detection of Biomarkers

We report on a controllable and specific functionalisation route for graphene field-effect transistors (GFETs) for the recognition of small physiologically active molecules. Key element is the noncovalent functionalisation of the graphene surface with perylene bisimide (PBI) molecules directly on the growth substrate. This Functional Layer Transfer enables the homogeneous self-assembly of PBI molecules on graphene, onto which antibodies are subsequently immobilised. The sensor surface was characterised by atomic force microscopy, Raman spectroscopy and electrical measurements, showing superior performance over conventional functionalisation after transfer. Specific sensing of small molecules was realised by monitoring the electrical property changes of functionalised GFET devices upon the application of methamphetamine and cortisol. The concentration dependent electrical response of our sensors was determined down to a concentration of 300 ng ml⁻¹ for methamphetamine.     

Using distributed contacts in DEM

Granular flows in shear cells have been extensively studied using the Discrete Element Method (DEM) over the last two decades. These studies have typically been performed using the soft-sphere approach where deformation is assumed elastic and small relative to the characteristic grain scale. Consequently internal stresses and strains are not able to be modelled. As a first step towards addressing these limitations, we introduce a variant of DEM, the Distributed Contact DEM (DCDEM). This method models distributed normal and frictional contacts. In this initial implementation plastic deformation is not simulated and elastic deformation is simulated by permitting overlap as in traditional DEM. The method is compared against traditional DEM for a normal and oblique impact and a granular shear cell in the small deformation limit.     

Experimental pool boiling investigations of FC-72 on silicon with artificial cavities and integrated temperature microsensors

In this experimental study, fluorinert FC-72 is boiled on a silicon chip with artificial cavities and integrated microsensors. The horizontal silicon chip with dimensions of 39.5 × 19 × 0.38 mm is completely immersed in FC-72. The integrated nickel–titanium temperature microsensors on the back of the chip are calibrated individually and exhibit a near-linear increase of electrical resistance with temperature. The applied heat fluxes and the resulting wall superheat at the boiling surface are varied by means of an integral thin-film resistance heater (95% Al, 4% Cu and 1% Si), also on the back of the silicon chip. Artificial cylindrical cavities with a mouth diameter of 10 μm and depths of 40, 80 or 100 μm situated above the microthermometers serve as artificial nucleation sites, due to trapped vapour. Bubble growth rates, frequencies, departure diameters of bubbles and waiting times between bubbles from an isolated cavity for different wall superheats and pressures were obtained by analysing high-speed video images and the simultaneously measured temperature below the artificial cavity.