Semiconductor waveguide directional couplers for coherent receivers

Optical waveguide 3-dB couplers integrated on semicondutors have been studied, designed and fabricated, using both bulk and diluted multi-quantum-well InGaAsP/InP-based materials, grown by MOCVD. The device structure is based on the two-mode interference (TMI) principle and is fully compatible for integration with the optoelectronic and electronic components of a coherent receiver. Bulk material couplers provide an output balanced within 0.05 dB per nanometer and an excess loss of 1.4 dB, compared to a straight guide, while coupling loss to a tapered-lensed single mode fibre is 4 dB.Improved coupling efficiency to single-mode fibres is achieved by use of moderately diluted multi-quantum-well waveguides, which include InGaAsP wells and InP barriers: coupling loss to a tapered-lensed single-mode fibre as low as 0.5 dB and excess loss of 1.8 dB are featured. Couplers fabricated with this waveguide structure have a balance sensitivity of 0.03 to 0.04 dB per nanometer.A moderately diluted multi-quantum-well 3-dB coupler has been permanently pigtailed and butt-coupled to a dual balanced PIN photoreceiver. This hybrid assembly was tested in a coherent transmission system at 155 and 622 Mbits^-1 showing sensitivities, for 10^-9 BER, of about-38.0 dBm and-28.8 dBm, respectively.     

Directed triangles in directed graphs

We show that each directed graph (with no parallel arcs) on n vertices, each with indegree and outdegree at least n/twhere t=2.888997… contains a directed circuit of length at most 3.     

Basins of Attraction of Periodic Oscillations in Suspension Bridges

We consider the dynamics of the lowest order transversal vibration mode of a suspension bridge, for which the hangers are treated as one-sided springs, according to the model of Lazer and McKeena [SIAM Review 58, 1990, 537]. We analyze in particular the multi-stability of periodic attractors and the basin of attraction structure in phase space and its dependence with the model parameters. The parameter values used in numerical simulations have been estimated from a number of bridges built in the United States and in the United Kingdom, thus taking into account realistic, yet sometimes simplified, structural, aerodynamical, and physical considerations.     

Space–time integrated least squares: a time‐marching approach

A time‐marching formulation is derived from the space–time integrated least squares (STILS) method for solving a pure hyperbolic convection equation and is numerically compared to various known methods. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Elasticity and inelasticity of biomorphic silicon carbide ceramics

The effect of the vibration strain amplitude on the Young modulus and ultrasonic absorption (internal friction) in biomorphic SiC ceramics is investigated in the temperature range 116–296 K. The biomorphic SiC ceramics is prepared through pyrolysis of eucalyptus with subsequent infiltration of silicon. It is demonstrated that the vibration loading of samples in air and under vacuum is accompanied by a number of unexpected effects. The behavior of the studied ceramics is governed by at least two mechanisms, which, to a large extent, are responsible for the elastic and inelastic properties of the material. One mechanism is associated with the adsorption-desorption of environmental molecules (hypothetically, owing to the presence of pores and residual carbon), and the other mechanism involves microplastic deformation due to the motion of dislocations or other (similar) structural units.     

Polynomial Stability to Three-Dimensional Magnetoelastic Waves

In this work we show that the energy associated to the linear three-dimensional magneto-elastic system decays polynomially to zero as time goes to infinity, provided the initial data is smooth enough.     

A new technique for obtaining the activation energy distribution of a relaxing system

This paper describes a robust and fast fitting procedure applicable for relaxing processes that cannot be understood as a discrete sum of single processes but require an activation energy distribution. The method is based on a set of closed-form expressions that allow the computation of the relaxation parameters directly from the isochronal curves obtained experimentally. The usefulness of this method is checked by analyzing the isochronal curves given by a theoretical energy distribution and the magnetic disaccommodation spectra observed in yttrium iron garnet (YIG) samples. PACS 02.60.Ed; 75.60.Lr; 75.50.Gg     

A Borsuk–Ulam Theorem for Maps from a Sphere to a Generalized Manifold

H. J. Munkholm obtained a generalization for topological manifolds of the famous Borsuk–Ulam type theorem proved by Conner and Floyd. The purpose of this paper is to prove a version of Conner and Floyd's theorem for generalized manifolds.     

Microchemical Investigation of Archaeological Copper Based Artefacts Disclosing an Ancient Witness of the Transition from the Value of the Substance to the Value of the Appearance

In many Italian archaeological sites dated between the sixth and third centuries BC, unworked lumps of Cu-based materials are sometimes found, the so called Aes Rude, which according to archaeological considerations were appreciated as currency, as a medium of exchange and as a form of saving. The microchemical investigation of these ancient artefacts discloses their nature as apparently not usable for any functional applications or possible use. Indeed, Aes Rude resemble ordinary copper material, but microchemical results indicate that they are constituted by highly ferruginous leaded copper, making them useless for producing other metal objects by means of casting or hot and cold working. Notwithstanding this intrinsic negative feature, the production of these intractable Cu-based alloys was deliberately carried out to maximise the process yield in terms of produced metal from an impure and unselected metal ore by tailoring the smelting process parameters. With these considerations in mind, the microchemical investigation of these ancient iron–copper alloys gives evidence of the passage from the acceptance of an artefact value based on its true nature or potential use to the acceptance of the value based only on its appearance or form irrespective of its present or future use. This information could contribute to a better understanding of the evolution of human thought and economic and social interactions.     

Relative morsification theory

In this paper we develop a Morsification Theory for holomorphic functions defining a singularity of finite codimension with respect to an ideal, which recovers most previously known morsification results for non-isolated singularities and generalise them to a much wider context. We also show that deforming functions of finite codimension with respect to an ideal within the same ideal respects the Milnor fibration. Furthermore we present some applications of the theory: we introduce new numerical invariants for non-isolated singularities, which explain various aspects of the deformation of functions within an ideal; we define generalisations of the bifurcation variety in the versal unfolding of isolated singularities; applications of the theory to the topological study of the Milnor fibration of non-isolated singularities are presented. Using intersection theory in a generalised jet-space we show how to interpret the newly defined invariants as certain intersection multiplicities; finally, we characterise which invariants can be interpreted as intersection multiplicities in the above mentioned generalised jet space.