Forces between a single atom and its distant mirror image

An excited-state atom whose emitted light is backreflected by a distant mirror can experience trapping forces, because the presence of the mirror modifies both the electromagnetic vacuum field and the atom's own radiation reaction field. We demonstrate this mechanical action using a single trapped barium ion. We observe the trapping conditions to be notably altered when the distant mirror is translated across an optical wavelength. The well-localized barium ion enables the spatial dependence of the forces to be measured explicitly. The experiment has implications for quantum information processing and may be regarded as the most elementary optical tweezers.     

New nucleoside analogs from 2-amino-9-(beta-D-ribofuranosyl)purine

Four novel derivatives of 2-amino-9-(beta-D-ribofuranosyl)purine (1) were synthesised and fully characterised. When 1 was reacted with chloroacetaldehyde (a), 2-chloropropanal (b), bromomalonaldehyde (c) and a mixture of chloroacetaldehyde + malonaldehyde (d), 3-(beta-D-ribofuranosyl)-imidazo-[1,2a]purine (2), 3-(beta-D-ribofuranosyl)-5-methylimidazo-[1,2a]purine (3), 3-(beta-D-ribofuranosyl)-5-formylimidazo-[1,2a]purine (4) and 9-(beta-D-ribofuranosyl)-2-(3,5-diformyl-4-methyl-1,4-dihydro-1-pyridyl)purine (5) were formed, respectively. The products were isolated, purified by chromatography and characterised by MS, complete NMR assignment as well as fluorescence and UV spectroscopy. The yields of these reactions were moderate (14-20%). The fluorescence properties differed from those of the starting compound and the quantum yields were considerably lower.     

Industrial methods for the production of optically active intermediates

Enantiomerically pure amino acids, amino alcohols, amines, alcohols, and epoxides play an increasingly important role as intermediates in the pharmaceutical industry and agrochemistry, where both a high degree of purity and large quantities of the compounds are required. The chemical industry has primarily relied upon established chemical methods for the synthesis of these intermediates, but is now turning more and more to enzymatic and biotechnological fermentation processes. For the industrial implementation of many transformations alternative methods are available. The advantages of the individual methods will be discussed herein and exemplified by syntheses of relevant compounds.     

Synthesis and reactions of polymer-bound Ph3P=C=C=O: a quick route to tenuazonic acid and other optically pure 5-substituted tetramates

Polystyrene-bound cumulated ylide Ph3PCCO was prepared on a large scale in two steps. It reacts with Grignard compounds, amines and alcohols to give immobilized acyl, amide and ester ylides, respectively. Their Wittig reactions lead to alkenes free of phosphane oxide. Optically pure 5-substituted tetramates were obtained from reactions of resin-bound Ph3PCCO with alpha-ammonium esters in one step. The mycotoxin (-)-tenuazonic acid was accordingly prepared in just three steps.     

Constant time steady gradient NMR diffusometry using the secondary stimulated echo

A pulse sequence producing a second stimulated echo is suggested for the compensation of relaxation and residual dipolar interaction effects in steady gradient spin echo diffusometry. Steady field gradients of considerable strength exist in the fringe field of NMR magnets, for instance. While the absolute echo time of the second stimulated echo is kept constant throughout the experiment, the interval between the first two radiofrequency pulses is augmented leading to a modulation of the amplitude of that second stimulated echo by self-diffusion only. The unique feature of this technique is that it is of a single-scan/single-echo-signal nature. That is, no reference signals neither of the same pulse sequence nor of separate experiments are needed. The new method was tested with poly(ethylene oxide) melts and proved to provide reliable data for (time dependent) self-diffusion coefficients down to the physical limit (D approximately 10(-15)m(2)/s) when flip-flop spin diffusion starts to become effective.     

Cubic Forms Modulo One

By using a more efficient way of ‘almost diagonalizing’,known results on small fractional parts of general real cubicforms in a small number of variables, are improved. In particular,for ternary forms the method gives a bound superior to thatarising from simply reducing to a cubic form in one variable.2000 Mathematics Subject Classification 11D75, 11E76, 11J54.     

Stochastic control with exit time and constraints,application to small time attainability of sets

We study the existence of a solution of controlled stochastic differential equations remaining in a given set of constraints at any time smaller than the exit time of a given open set. We also investigate the small time attainability of a given closed set K, i.e., the property that, for all arbitrary small time horizon T and for all initial condition in a sufficiently small neighborhood of K, there exists a solution to the controlled stochastic differential equation which reaches K before T.     

Solid-state laser intensity stabilization at the 10(-8) level

A high-power, low-noise photodetector, in conjunction with a current shunt actuator, is used in an ac-coupled servo to stabilize the intensity of a 10-W cw Nd:YAG laser. A relative intensity noise of 1 x 10(-8) Hz(-1/2) at 10 Hz is achieved.