Bending loss measurement using a fiber cavity ringdown scheme

A novel sensitive technique for the determination of losses in fiber cavities is presented. The method is based on the cavity ringdown scheme implemented in silica-based single-mode fibers. Bending losses of fiber cavities of different lengths have been measured showing all an oscillating behavior with respect to the curvature radius of the fiber as predicted by a theoretical model. The best minimum detectable absorbance per cavity pass achieved by this new method is 1.72×10⁻³ dB within a 10 m-long cavity. This limit suffices well for an accurate determination of optical bending losses even in bend-insensitive fibers. Furthermore, the comparison of the measured bending losses with a theoretical model allows the extraction of different fiber parameters. Good agreement has been found between the experimentally derived parameters and literature data.     

Double-thresholded estimator of extreme value index

The purpose of this Note is to propose an estimator of the extreme value index constructed by using only the number of points exceeding random thresholds. We prove the weak consistency and the asymptotic normality of this estimator. We deduce from this last result that the rate of convergence of our estimator is in a power of the sample size. To our knowledge, this rate of convergence is not reached by any other estimate of the extreme value index. Through a simulation, we compare our estimator to the moment estimator (Dekkers et al., Ann. Statist. 17 (1989) 1833–1855). To cite this article: L. Gardes, C. R. Acad. Sci. Paris, Ser. I 337 (2003).     

A Wilson group of non-uniformly exponential growth

This Note constructs a finitely generated group W whose word-growth is exponential, but for which the infimum of the growth rates over all finite generating sets is 1 – in other words, of non-uniformly exponential growth.This answers a question by Mikhael Gromov (Structures métriques pour les variétés riemanniennes, in: J. Lafontaine, P. Pansu (Eds.), CEDIC, Paris, 1981).The construction also yields a group of intermediate growth V that locally resembles W in that (by changing the generating set of W) there are isomorphic balls of arbitrarily large radius in V and W's Cayley graphs. To cite this article: L. Bartholdi, C. R. Acad. Sci. Paris, Ser. I 336 (2003).     

Berezin-Toeplitz Operators, a Semi-Classical Approach

This article is devoted to the Toeplitz Operators [4] in the context of the geometric quantization [11, 15]. We propose an ansatz for their Schwartz kernel. From this, we deduce the main known properties of the principal symbol of these operators and obtain new results : we define their covariant and contravariant symbols, which are full symbols, and compute the product of these symbols in terms of the Kähler metric. This gives canonical star products on the Kählerian manifolds. This ansatz is also useful to introduce the notion of microsupport.     

Second Dissociation Constant of Bis-[(2-hydroxyethyl)amino]acetic Acid (BICINE) and pH of Its Buffer Solutions from 5 to 55 °C

The values of the second dissociation constant, K ₂, and related thermodynamic quantities of the ampholyte bis[(2-hydroxyethyl)amino]acetic acid (BICINE) have been determined at temperatures from 5 to 55 ^∘C. The pH values of six equimolal buffer solutions, and four buffer solutions having ionic strengths (I = 0.16 mol⋅kg⁻¹) similar to those in blood plasma, have been evaluated at 12 temperatures from 5 to 55 ^∘C using the Bates–Guggenheim convention. The liquid junction potentials (E _j ) between the buffer solutions of BICINE and saturated KCl solution of the calomel electrode at 25 and 37 ^∘C have been estimated by measurement with a flowing junction cell. These values of E _j have been used to ascertain the operational pH values at 25 and 37 ^∘C. The pK ₂ values at 25 and 37 ^∘C are 8.333 and 8.156, respectively. The thermodynamic quantities associated with the second acid dissociation have been calculated from the values of pK ₂ as a function of temperature. The zwitterionic buffer BICINE was shown to be useful as a pH standard in the region close to that of blood serum.     

Optimization for pattern classification using biased random search techniques

We demonstrate how optimization problems arise in the field of pattern classification, in particular in using piecewise-linear classification and classification based on an optimal linear separator. We motivate the need in this area for a general purpose optimization approach. We discuss ALOPEX, a biased random search approach, from the point of view of this need. While ALOPEX itself failed to fulfil our need, a newly-introduced generalization of it (iterated ALOPEX) was found to be appropriate for the optimization problems of our particular concern. We conclude the paper with a brief critical evaluation of this approach as compared to our original aims.     

Un théorème de type Beurling–Lax dans la boule unitéA Beurling–Lax type theorem in the unit ball

We prove a Beurling–Lax theorem for a family of reproducing kernel Hilbert spaces of functions analytic in an open subset of the unit ball containing the origin. The spaces under consideration are characterized by functions called Schur multipliers. Using the theory of linear relations in Pontryagin spaces we also give coisometric realizations of Schur multipliers. To cite this article: D. Alpay et al., C. R. Acad. Sci. Paris, Ser. I 334 (2002) 349–354.     

Access to Paullone Analogues by Intramolecular Heck Reaction

The syntheses of paullone ( 1a ) and three paullone derivatives, including a sulfur analogue ( 2a ), a tricyclic derivative ( 2b ), and a ring‐enlarged variant ( 2c ), are described, Pd‐catalyzed intramolecular Heck reaction being the key step. The kinase‐inhibitory properties of the novel paullone analogues were investigated.     

Testing Extreme Value Conditions

A test statistic is developed that checks the validity of the extreme value conditions without specifiying the shape parameter of the limiting extreme value distribution.