Stochastic phenomena in a fiber Raman amplifier

The interplay of such cornerstones of modern nonlinear fiber optics as a nonlinearity, stochasticity and polarization leads to variety of the noise induced instabilities including polarization attraction and escape phenomena harnessing of which is a key to unlocking the fiber optic systems specifications required in high resolution spectroscopy, metrology, biomedicine and telecommunications. Here, by using direct stochastic modeling, the mapping of interplay of the Raman scattering‐based nonlinearity, the random birefringence of a fiber, and the pump‐to‐signal intensity noise transfer has been done in terms of the fiber Raman amplifier parameters, namely polarization mode dispersion, the relative intensity noise of the pump laser, fiber length, and the signal power. The obtained results reveal conditions for emergence of the random birefringence‐induced resonance‐like enhancement of the gain fluctuations (stochastic anti‐resonance) accompanied by pulse broadening and rare events in the form of low power output signals having probability heavily deviated from the Gaussian distribution.

     

Shrimp-shape domains in a dissipative kicked rotator

Some dynamical properties for a dissipative kicked rotator are studied. Our results show that when dissipation is taken into account a drastic change happens in the structure of the phase space in the sense that the mixed structure is modified and attracting fixed points and chaotic attractors are observed. A detailed numerical investigation in a two-dimensional parameter space based on the behavior of the Lyapunov exponent is considered. Our results show the existence of infinite self-similar shrimp-shaped structures corresponding to periodic attractors, embedded in a large region corresponding to the chaotic regime.     

A liquid chromatography coupled to quadrupole–time-of-flight–mass spectrometry (LC–QTOF–MS) method for identification analysis of saponins from Quillaja saponaria bark extracts in foot-and-mouth disease vaccines: Development,validation and applicability

Saponins from Quillaja saponaria have been commonly used as immunomodulatory adjuvants in foot-and-mouth disease vaccines (FMDVs). However, due to the lack of consensus over the possible exacerbation of local inflammatory responses in cattle and its economic impacts, their use has been discouraged by Brazilian authorities. A qualitative method intended to determine the presence of saponins from Q. saponaria bark extracts in FMDVs was developed and validated. Instrumental analysis was performed using an liquid chromatography (LC) coupled to a quadrupole–time-of-flight–mass spectrometry (TOF-MS) system. The method was validated according to the International Conference on Harmonization Harmonized Tripartite Guideline Q2 (R1) and Brazilian Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Food Supply Analytical Quality Assurance Guidelines. Validation parameters were determined and considered suitable to the established criteria. The validated method has been applied in routine analysis in the National Agricultural Laboratory at Rio Grande do Sul (LANAGRO-RS). All results obtained were in agreement with the vaccine's composition described by the manufacturer. The method is easy and adequate for analysis in routine laboratories. To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first report of a method which intends to investigate the presence of saponins from Q. saponaria bark extracts in veterinary vaccines.     

Collimating Montel mirror as part of a multi‐crystal analyzer system for resonant inelastic X‐ray scattering

Advances in resonant inelastic X‐ray scattering (RIXS) have come in lockstep with improvements in energy resolution. Currently, the best energy resolution at the Ir L₃‐edge stands at ～25 meV, which is achieved using a diced Si(844) spherical crystal analyzer. However, spherical analyzers are limited by their intrinsic reflection width. A novel analyzer system using multiple flat crystals provides a promising way to overcome this limitation. For the present design, an energy resolution at or below 10 meV was selected. Recognizing that the angular acceptance of flat crystals is severely limited, a collimating element is essential to achieve the necessary solid‐angle acceptance. For this purpose, a laterally graded, parabolic, multilayer Montel mirror was designed for use at the Ir L₃‐absorption edge. It provides an acceptance larger than 10 mrad, collimating the reflected X‐ray beam to smaller than 100 µrad, in both vertical and horizontal directions. The performance of this mirror was studied at beamline 27‐ID at the Advanced Photon Source. X‐rays from a diamond (111) monochromator illuminated a scattering source of diameter 5 µm, generating an incident beam on the mirror with a well determined divergence of 40 mrad. A flat Si(111) crystal after the mirror served as the divergence analyzer. From X‐ray measurements, ray‐tracing simulations and optical metrology results, it was established that the Montel mirror satisfied the specifications of angular acceptance and collimation quality necessary for a high‐resolution RIXS multi‐crystal analyzer system.     

Substituent effects on the photophysical properties of amino-aurone-derivatives

ABSTRACT

Aurones are potential candidates to be employed as fluorescent probes or as pharmacophores for biological applications. This work describes a density functional theory (DFT) and time-dependent -DFT study at the PBE0/6-31?+?G(d) level of theory to analyse the structural, electronic and photophysical properties of a series of new proposed 4′-amine-aurone derivatives in its E and Z isomeric conformations. The maximum absorption wavelength of the proposed aurones appears in the range 390???514?nm, while the most allowed emission pathways were computed in the range 493–530?nm. The bathochromic shift of these compounds with respect to the non-substituted aurone is modulated by the acceptor strength of the added 4-substituents, in addition to the ability of the substituents to localise the frontier molecular orbitals over the acceptor benzofuranone moiety without losing the tricyclic planarity, which favours the push–pull nature of these molecules. The influence of the 4-substituent is also evidenced in the Stokes shifts for the whole series; as the electron-withdrawing character of the 4-substituents enhances, higher is the polarisation of the structure resulting in higher Stokes shifts. As a result, -CF₃ and -NO₂ substituents were responsible of larger Stokes shifts, then compounds containing these substituents are proposed as potential fluorescence probes for useful applications in biological systems.