Scattering differentiates Alzheimer disease in vitro

The molecular bases of Alzheimer disease and related neurodegenerative disorders are becoming better understood, but the means for definitive diagnosis and monitoring in vivo remain lacking. Near-infrared optical spectroscopy offers a potential solution. We acquired transmission and reflectance spectra of thin brain tissue slabs, from which we calculated wavelength-dependent absorption and reduced scattering coefficients from 470-1000 nm. The reduced scattering coefficients in the near infrared clearly differentiated Alzheimer from control specimens. Diffuse reflectance spectra of gross brain tissue in vitro confirmed this observation. These results suggest a means for diagnosing and monitoring Alzheimer disease in vivo, using near-infrared optical spectroscopy.     

Morse theory for periodic solutions of hamiltonian systems and the maslov index

In this paper we prove Morse type inequalities for the contractible 1-periodic solutions of time dependent Hamiltonian differential equations on those compact symplectic manifolds M for which the symplectic form and the first Chern class of the tangent bundle vanish over π₂ (M). The proof is based on a version of infinite dimensional Morse theory which is due to Floer. The key point is an index theorem for the Fredholm operator which plays a central role in Floer homology. The index formula involves the Maslov index of nondegenerate contractible periodic solutions. This Maslov index plays the same role as the Morse index of a nondegenerate critical point does in finite dimensional Morse theory. We shall use this connection between Floer homology and Maslov index to establish the existence of infinitely many periodic solutions having integer periods provided that every 1-periodic solution has at least one Floquet multiplier which is not equal to 1.     

Temperature effect on photolytic deposition of platinum ohmic contacts and schottky diodes

An argon laser is used to induce Laser Chemical Vapor Deposition (LCVD) of platinum using platinum bihexafluoroacetyl-acetonate as precursor. The process can be photolytic or pyrolytic depending on the laser power used. These processes are studied by recording the laser light transmitted through of deposit and substrate. Photolytic deposition takes place either in the adsorbed phase or in the gaseous phase depending on the temperature induced by radiation absorption. The induced-temperature calculation using a model developed by us confirms the experimental results obtained. The influence of the substrate base temperature and the precursor product vapour pressure confirms photolytic deposition from the adsorbed phase for low powers and from the vapour phase onwards for high powers. The deposits obtained present a typical 96% Pt composition and its use in Schottky diode manufacture permit obtaining devices with good characteristics in spite of experimental limitations.     

Geometro-stochastic locality in quantum spacetime and quantum diffusions

The issue of the intrinsic nonlocality of quantum mechanics raised by J. S. Bell is examined from the point of view of the recently developed method of geometro-stochastic quantization and its applications to general relativistic quantum theory. This analysis reveals that a distinction should be made between the topological concept of locality used in formulating relativistic causality and a type of geometric locality based on the concept of fiber bundle, which can be used in extending the strong equivalence principle to the quantum domain. Both play an essential role in formulating a notion of geometro-stochastic propagation based on quantum diffusions, which throws new light on the EPR paradox, on the origin of the arrow of time, and on other fundamental issues in quantum cosmology and the theory of measurement.     

Summing the derivative expansion of the effective action

The derivative expansion of the effective action is a perturbative development in derivatives of the fields. The expansion breaks down when some of the derivatives are too large. We show how to sum exactly the first and second derivatives and treat perturbatively derivatives higher than second.     

On the general covariance and strong equivalence principles in quantum general relativity

The various physical aspects of the general relativistic principles of covariance and strong equivalence are discussed, and their mathematical formulations are analyzed. All these aspects are shown to be present in classical general relativity, although no contemporary formulation of canonical or covariant quantum gravity has succeeded to incorporate them all. This has, in part, motivated the recent introduction of a geometro-stochastic framework for quantum general relativity, in which the classical frame bundles that underlie the formulation of parallel transport in classical general relativity are replaced by quantum frame bundles. It is shown that quantum frames can take over the role played by complete sets of observables in conventional quantum theory, so that they can mediate the natural transference of the general covariance and the strong equivalence principles from the classical to the quantum general relativistic regime. This results in a geometrostochastic mode of quantum propagation in general relativistic quantum bundles, which is mathematically implemented by path integration methods based on parallel transport along horizontal lifts of geodesics for the vacuum expectation values of a quantum gravitational field in a quantum spacetime supermanifold. The covariance features of this field are embedded in a quantum gravitational supergroup, which incorporates Poincaré as well as diffeomorphism invariance, and resolves the issue of time in quantum gravity.     

Impurity optical absorption in parabolic quantum well

Optical absorption in GaAs parabolic quantum well in the presence of hydrogenic impurity is considered. The absorption coefficient associated with the transitions between the upper valence subband and donor ground state is calculated. The impurity ground state wave function and energy are obtained using the variational method. Dependence of the absorption spectra on impurity position in quantum well was investigated. It is shown, that along with quantum well width decrease the absorption threshold shifts to higher frequencies. Results obtained within frames of parabolic approximation are compared with results for rectangular infinite-barrier quantum well case. The acceptor state → conduction band transitions considered as well.     

Light scalars coupled to photons and non-newtonian forces

A particle phi coupling to two photons couples also radiatively to charged particles, like protons. If the particle is a light scalar, this induced coupling leads to spin-independent non-Newtonian forces. We show that the experimental constraints on exotic, fifth-type forces lead to stringent constraints on the phigammagamma coupling. We discuss the impact on the recent PVLAS results and the role of paraphoton models introduced to solve the PVLAS-CAST puzzle.     

Enhancement of the emission yield of silicon nanocrystals in silica due to surface passivation

The ability of surface passivation to enhance the photoluminescence (PL) emission of Si nanocrystals in SiO₂ has been investigated. Silicon precipitation in implanted samples takes place in a time scale of few minutes at 1100°C. For longer annealing at the same temperature, the PL intensity of the Si nanocrystals increases and eventually reaches saturation, while it correlates inversely with the amount of Si dangling bonds at the Si–SiO₂ interface (P_b centers), as measured by electron spin resonance. This combined behavior is independent on the silica matrix properties, implantation profiles and annealing atmosphere and duration. The observation that the light emission enhancement is directly related to the annealing of P_b centers is confirmed by treatment in forming gas. This mild hydrogenation at much lower temperature (450°C) leads to a complete passivation of the P_b defects, increasing at the same time the PL yield and the lifetime.