Electromagnetically induced transparency in cesium vapor with probe pulses on the single-photon level

We perform electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) experiments in cesium vapor with pulses on the single-photon level for the first time. This was made possible by an extremely large total suppression of the EIT coupling beam by 118 dB mainly due to a newly developed triple-pass planar Fabry-Pérot etalon filter. Slowing and shaping of single-photon light pulses as well as the generation of pulses suitable for quantum key distribution applications and testing of approaches for single photon storage is demonstrated. Our results extend single-photon EIT to the particularly interesting wavelength of the Cs D1 line.     

Langmuir-Blodgett films of hydrophobins HFBI and HFBII

Hydrophobins are small fungal proteins, which have remarkable surface-chemical properties. They self-assemble at hydrophobic/hydrophilic interfaces and work as adhesive agents and coatings. Sixteen layer Langmuir-Blodgett films of hydrophobins HFBI and HFBII from the fungus Trichoderma reesei were prepared and studied using grazing-incidence X-ray diffraction and reflectivity techniques. Both kind of films contain hexagonally ordered crystallites on the substrate with unit cell parameters of a = b = 54 Å (HFBI) and a = b = 55 Å (HFBII). The structure is similar to the structure of monolayer Langmuir-Blodgett films.     

Lifetime measurements on excited states in100Rh

Lifetime measurements of three excited states in¹⁰⁰Rh populated by the decay of¹⁰⁰Pd have been carried out. A two parameter delayedγ-γ-coincidence experiment using an intrinsic Ge and a plastic scintillation detector resulted in the following values:T _1/2(32.72 keV,¹⁰⁰Rh)=(27.6 ±0.6) nsT _1/2(74.8keV,¹⁰⁰Rh)=(213.6±2) nsT _1/2(158.8 keV,¹⁰⁰Rh)<0.5 ns. For the levels at 32.72 keV and 158.8 keV no former values are known.     

An algebra of meromorphic corner symbols

Operators on manifolds with corners that have base configurations with geometric singularities can be analysed in the frame of a conormal symbolic structure which is in spirit similar to the one for conical singularities of Kondrat'ev's work. Solvability of elliptic equations and asymptotics of solutions are determined by meromorphic conormal symbols. We study the case when the base has edge singularities which is a natural assumption in a number of applications. There are new phenomena, caused by a specific kind of higher degeneracy of the underlying symbols. We introduce an algebra of meromorphic edge operators that depend on complex parameters and investigate meromorphic inverses in the parameter-dependent elliptic case. Among the examples are resolvents of elliptic differential operators on manifolds with edges.     

A fourth-order parabolic equation modeling epitaxial thin film growth

We study the continuum model for epitaxial thin film growth from Phys. D 132 (1999) 520-542, which is known to simulate experimentally observed dynamics very well. We show existence, uniqueness and regularity of solutions in an appropriate function space, and we characterize the existence of nontrivial equilibria in terms of the size of the underlying domain. In an investigation of asymptotical behavior, we give a weak assumption under which the ω-limit set of the dynamical system consists only of steady states. In the one-dimensional setting we can characterize the set of steady states and determine its unique asymptotically stable element. The article closes with some illustrative numerical examples.     

Diophantine equations between polynomials obeying second order recurrences

Periodica Mathematica Hungarica -     

The spin-isospin decomposition of the nuclear symmetry energy from low to high density

The energy per particle BA in nuclear matter is calculated up to high baryon density in the whole isospin asymmetry range from symmetric matter to pure neutron matter.The results,obtained in the framework of the Brueckner-Hartree-Fock approximation with two-and three-body forces,confirm the well-known parabolic dependence on the asymmetry parameterβ=(N?Z)/A(β^2 law)that is valid in a wide density range.To investigate the extent to which this behavior can be traced back to the properties of the underlying interaction,aside from the mean field approximation,the spin-isospin decomposition of BA is performed.Theoretical indications suggest that theβ^2 law could be violated at higher densities as a consequence of the three-body forces.This raises the problem that the symmetry energy,calculated according to theβ^2 law as a difference between BA in pure neutron matter and symmetric nuclear matter,cannot be applied to neutron stars.One should return to the proper definition of the nuclear symmetry energy as a response of the nuclear system to small isospin imbalance from the Z=N nuclei and pure neutron matter.     

Ultrasonics in food processing

In recent years, the physical and chemical effects of ultrasound in liquid and solid media have been extensively used in food processing applications. Harnessing the physical forces generated by ultrasound, in the absence and presence of cavitation, for specific food processing applications such as emulsification, filtration, tenderisation and functionality modification have been highlighted. While some applications, such as filtration and emulsification are "mature" industrial processes, other applications, such as functionality modification, are still in their early stages of development. However, various investigations discussed suggest that ultrasonic processing of food and dairy ingredients is a potential and viable technology that will be used by many food industries in the near future.