An all-optical trap for a gram-scale mirror

We report on a stable optical trap suitable for a macroscopic mirror, wherein the dynamics of the mirror are fully dominated by radiation pressure. The technique employs two frequency-offset laser fields to simultaneously create a stiff optical restoring force and a viscous optical damping force. We show how these forces may be used to optically trap a free mass without introducing thermal noise, and we demonstrate the technique experimentally with a 1 g mirror. The observed optical spring has an inferred Young's modulus of 1.2 TPa, 20% stiffer than diamond. The trap is intrinsically cold and reaches an effective temperature of 0.8 K, limited by technical noise in our apparatus.     

Hard-x-ray lensless imaging of extended objects

We demonstrate a hard-x-ray microscope that does not use a lens and is not limited to a small field of view or an object of finite size. The method does not suffer any of the physical constraints, convergence problems, or defocus ambiguities that often arise in conventional phase-retrieval diffractive imaging techniques. Calculation times are about a thousand times shorter than in current iterative algorithms. We need no a priori knowledge about the object, which can be a transmission function with both modulus and phase components. The technique has revolutionary implications for x-ray imaging of all classes of specimen.     

Impact of spin-orbit coupling on quantum Hall nematic phases

Anisotropic charge transport is observed in a two-dimensional (2D) hole system in a perpendicular magnetic field at filling factors nu=7/2, nu=11/2, and nu=13/2 at low temperature. In stark contrast, the transport at nu=9/2 is isotropic for all temperatures. Isotropic hole transport at nu=7/2 is restored for sufficiently low 2D densities or an asymmetric confining potential. The density and symmetry dependences of the observed anisotropies suggest that strong spin-orbit coupling in the hole system contributes to the unusual transport behavior.     

Single-step triplet-triplet annihilation: an intrinsic limit for the high brightness efficiency of phosphorescent organic light emitting diodes

We investigate triplet-triplet annihilation in molecular host-guest systems where triplets are localized on spatially separated guest molecules. Our results indicate that the dominant mechanism of annihilation is single-step long-range (F?rster-type) energy transfer between two excited guests. This mechanism leads to a fundamental limit for the efficiency of phosphorescent organic light emitting diodes at high luminance. Our model is confirmed by photoluminescence decay experiments on 2,3,7,8,12,13,17,18-octaethylporphine platinum as guest in a host matrix of 4,4'-N,N'-dicarbazole-biphenyl.     

Density and well width dependences of the effective mass of two-dimensional holes in (100) GaAs quantum wells measured using cyclotron resonance at microwave frequencies

Cyclotron resonance at microwave frequencies is used to measure the band mass (m_b) of the two-dimensional holes (2DHs) in carbon-doped (100) GaAs/ Al_xGa_1−xAs heterostructures. The measured m_b shows strong dependences on both the 2DH density (p) and the GaAs quantum well width (W). For a fixed W, in the density range (0.4×10¹¹ to 1.1×10¹¹ cm⁻²) studied here, m_b increases with p, consistently with previous studies of the 2DHs on the (311)A surface. For a fixed , m_b increases from 0.22m_e at to 0.50m_e at , and saturates around 0.51m_e for .     

Joining the rings: the preparation of 2- and 3-indenyl-triptycenes, and curious related processes

The indenyltriptycenes, and , where the 3- or 2-indenyl, respectively, is attached at the 9-position of the triptycene, are attractive prototypes of molecular gearing systems that can also incorporate a brake. These molecules have been prepared from their respective indenylanthracenes, and , by the [4 + 2] cycloaddition of benzyne to the anthracene fragment, and the rotational barriers about the indenyl-triptycenyl single bonds in (12 kcal mol(-1)) and (<9 kcal mol(-1)) have been measured. The precursor anthracenes, and , were prepared by using palladium-catalysed coupling reactions. Unexpectedly, the Heck-type reaction of 9-bromoanthracene, , with indene leads to the formation of 3-indenylanthracene ; moreover, this process is accompanied by a novel palladium-catalysed carbocyclisation reaction leading to the indenophenanthrylene . The addition of benzyne to 9-(3-indenyl)anthracene, , yields the corresponding indenyltriptycene, , and, surprisingly, the anthracenyl methano-bridged phenanthrene . It has been demonstrated that 2-arylindenes can act as 1,3-dienes in the [4 + 2] cycloadditions of benzyne. The products , , and have been characterised by X-ray crystallography.     

Trifluoromethylboranes and -borates: new synthetic strategies and applications

The synthesis of salts with the [B(CF₃)₄]⁻ anion has been the starting point for new developments in the field of trifluoromethylboron chemistry. In contrast to the previous syntheses of (CF₃)_nB derivatives (n=1–3), achieved exclusively by CF₃ transfer, the synthesis of the [B(CF₃)₄]⁻ anion was accomplished by fluorination of the [B(CN)₄]⁻ anion with ClF or ClF₃ in anhydrous HF. Owing to its thermal and chemical stability, [B(CF₃)₄]⁻ is an attractive weakly coordinating anion. However, in concentrated sulfuric acid one of the four CF₃ groups is solvolyzed to a CO ligand to yield the neutral borane carbonyl (CF₃)₃BCO. It has been shown that the borane carbonyl compound is a versatile synthetic building block, and numerous reactions have been investigated. The addition of nucleophiles to the C atom of the CO ligand is favored, and examples for new derivatives are the anions [(CF₃)₃BCPnic]⁻ (Pnic=N, P, As). Under certain conditions, ligand-exchange reactions are also observed, for example, the formation of (CF₃)₃BNCH. Finally, the borane carbonyl compound is a component of the conjugated Brønsted–Lewis superacid HF/(CF₃)₃BCO.     

The Carbonyl Chlorine(I) Cation [ClCO]+

The first carbonyl halogen cation in the condensed phase , the superelectrophilic [ClCO]⁺ ion, has been clearly and unambiguously established by its complete, fully assigned vibrational spectrum. The cation is obtained by the reaction of COCl₂ with SbF₅ at room temperature in the form of a suspension, in which it is stabilized by oligomeric fluoroantimonate ions.     

The copolymer route to new luminescent materials for LEDs

The synthesis of the highly fluorescent mono‐ and bis‐silylated poly(1,4‐phenylene vinylene) derivatives 1 and 2 is reported. The Gilch dehydrohalogenation polycondensation and the Horner synthesis of strictly alternating copolymers have been used to prepare the copolymers 8‐11 and 14, 16‐18 , respectively, in which the tunability of various optoelectonic properties may be examined systematically.