Ultrashort-pulse dual-wavelength source for digital holographic two-wavelength contouring

Digital holographic shape measurements using femtosecond laser pulses are reported. For contouring of very fast moving objects, the simultaneous generation of at least two spectrally separated ultrashort pulses is required. To deliver this particular spectral signature at high pulse energies, a chirped-pulse Ti:sapphire laser amplifier was modified to emit two spectrally separated pulses with energies above 1 μJ each. The wavelength separation of these pulses was adjustable within the 50 nm gain bandwidth, cutting out two distinct wavelength peaks by a variable double-slit assembly in a prism sequence. A Michelson-type interferometer was employed to perform the two-wavelength contouring. The phases of the holograms and the phase differences are calculated numerically, which allow us to deduce the contour lines of the topology of the object. The suitability of the light source for digital holography is demonstrated with contouring of stationary objects and the potential for high-speed applications is indicated. PACS 42.40.-i; 42.60.By     

Laser-plasma interaction in the context of inertial fusion: experiments and modeling

Many nonlinear processes may affect the laser beam propagation and the laser energy deposition in the underdense plasma surrounding the pellet. These processes, associated with anomalous and nonlinear absorption mechanisms, are fundamental issues in the context of Inertial Confinement Fusion. The work presented in this article refers to laser-plasma interaction experiments which were conducted under well-controlled conditions, and to their theoretical and numerical modeling. Thanks to important diagnostics improvements, the plasma and laser parameters were sufficiently characterized in these experiments to make it possible to carry out numerical simulations modeling the laser plasma interaction in which the hydrodynamics conditions were very close to the experimental ones. Two sets of experiments were carried out with the LULI 2000 and the six beam LULI laser facilities. In the first series of experiments, the interaction between two single hot spots was studied as a function of their distance, intensity and light polarization. In the second series, the intensity distribution of stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) inside the plasma was studied by means of a new temporally resolved imaging system. Two-dimensional (2D) simulations were carried out with our code Harmony2D in order to model these experiments. For both series of experiments, the numerical results show a very good agreement with the experimental ones for what concerns the main SBS features, namely the spatial and temporal behavior of the SBS-driven acoustic waves, as well as the average SBS reflectivities. Thus, these well diagnosed experiments, carried out with well defined conditions, make it possible to benchmark our theoretical and numerical modelings and, hence, to improve our predictive capabilities for future experiments.     

Peritectic phase growth in directionally solidified Cu-70% Sn alloy

The growth mechanism of the peritectic η phase involving the peritectic reaction and peritectic transformation in Cu-70%Sn alloy was investigated under directional solidification. The results show that a major growth mechanism in thickening of the peritectic η-layer is not the peritectic reaction but the peritectic transformation. The transformation temperature and isothermal time play crucial roles in determining the volume fraction and the thickness of the peritectic η phase. With the increase of the temperature and isothermal time, the volume fraction of the peritectic η phase increases. The regressed data show that the relationship between the thickness of η phase (Δx) and the transformation temperature (T) meets the following equation In Δx=6.5−1673 1 / T. Additionally, there exists a relationship between the thickness of the η phase (Δx) and the isothermal time (t) at the 9 mm solidification distance below the peritectic reaction interface, Δx=0.72t ^1/2, which is consistent with the theoretical model. Supported by the National Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 50395102)     

Some Further Properties of the Accelerated Kerr-Schild Metrics

We extend the previously found accelerated Kerr-Schild metrics for Einstein-Maxwell-null dust and Einstein-Born-Infeld-null dust equations to the cases including the cosmological constant. This way we obtain the generalization of the charged de Sitter metrics in static space-times. We also give a generalization of the zero acceleration limit of our previous Einstein-Maxwell and Einstein-Born-Infeld solutions.     

Spin Axioms in Different Geometries of Relativistic Continuum Physics

The 24 components of the relativistic spin tensor consist of 3 + 3 basic spin fields and 9 + 9 constitutive fields. Empirically only three basic spin fields and nine constitutive fields are known. This empirem can be expressed by two spin axioms, one of them denying purely relativistic spin fields, and the other one relating the three additional basic fields and the nine additional constitutive fields to the known (and measurable) ones. This identification by the spin axioms is material-independent and does not mix basic spin fields with constitutive properties. The approaches to the Weyssenhoff fluid and the Dirac-electron fluid found in literature are discussed with regard to these spin axioms. The conjecture is formulated, that another reduction from six to three basic spin fields which does not obey the spin axioms introduces special material properties by not allowed mixing of constitutive and basic fields.     

Second-order effects of the output resonance and frequency-locking in an electro-optic bistable system

Based on the dynamic equations of an electro-optic bistable system with delay in its feedback loop, we theoretically investigate second-order effects of the output resonance and frequency-locking of the system.     

Migdal and his theory in Jülich

We review the application of Migdal’s Theory of Finite Fermi Systems to the structure of deformed nuclei, approaches beyond the conventional linear response, and microscopic calculations of the Migdal-parameters.     

On the role of the colloidal stability of mesoporous silica nanoparticles as gene delivery vectors

Mesoporous silica nanoparticles have been synthesized and functionalized with four different types of molecules containing amino groups, i.e., with primary amines only, with quaternary amines, with quaternized cyclic amines, or with polyethylenimine (PEI), which is formed by primary, secondary, and tertiary amines. These nanoparticles were then incubated with reporter plasmids and the ability of the resulting complexes to transfect human cells was studied. Only nanoparticles functionalized with PEI were efficient for transfection. The agglomeration behavior and the electrokinetic potential of the nanoparticle–plasmid complexes have been studied, as well as their cell internalization behavior using a fluorescent-labeled plasmid that allows its monitorization by confocal microscopy. The results indicate that the efficiency of PEI-functionalized nanoparticles for transfection resides to some extent in the different characteristics imparted to the nanoparticles regarding agglomeration and surface charge behavior.     

Constraints on dark matter annihilation from M87

As the largest mass concentrations in the local Universe, nearby clusters of galaxies and their central galaxies are prime targets in searching for indirect signatures of dark matter annihilation (DMA). We seek to constrain the dark matter annihilation emission component from multi-frequency observations of the central galaxy of the Virgo cluster. The annihilation emission component is modeled by the prompt and inverse-Compton gamma rays from the hadronization of annihilation products from generic weakly interacting dark matter particles. This component is fitted to the excess of the observed data above the spectral energy distribution (SED) of the jet in M87, described with a best-fit synchrotron-self-Compton (SSC) spectrum. While this result is not sufficiently significant to claim a detection, we emphasize that a dark matter “double hump signature” can be used to unambiguously discriminate the dark matter emission component from the variable jet-related emission of M87 in future, more extended observation campaigns.     

The materials science X‐ray beamline BL8 at the DELTA storage ring

The hard X‐ray beamline BL8 at the superconducting asymmetric wiggler at the 1.5 GeV Dortmund Electron Accelerator DELTA is described. This beamline is dedicated to X‐ray studies in the spectral range from ～1 keV to ～25 keV photon energy. The monochromator as well as the other optical components of the beamline are optimized accordingly. The endstation comprises a six‐axis diffractometer that is capable of carrying heavy loads related to non‐ambient sample environments such as, for example, ultrahigh‐vacuum systems, high‐pressure cells or liquid‐helium cryostats. X‐ray absorption spectra from several reference compounds illustrate the performance. Besides transmission measurements, fluorescence detection for dilute sample systems as well as surface‐sensitive reflection‐mode experiments have been performed. The results show that high‐quality EXAFS data can be obtained in the quick‐scanning EXAFS mode within a few seconds of acquisition time, enabling time‐resolved in situ experiments using standard beamline equipment that is permanently available. The performance of the new beamline, especially in terms of the photon flux and energy resolution, is competitive with other insertion‐device beamlines worldwide, and several sophisticated experiments including surface‐sensitive EXAFS experiments are feasible.