Numerical study of light correlations in a random medium close to the Anderson localization threshold

We applied a finite-difference time domain algorithm to the study of field and intensity correlations in random media. Close to the onset of Anderson localization, we observe deviations of the correlation functions, in both shape and magnitude, from those predicted by the diffusion theory. Physical implications of the observed phenomena are discussed.     

Tunable diffraction of magnetic fluid films and its potential application in coarse wavelength-division multiplexing

When an external magnetic field is applied parallel to the film surface of a magnetic fluid film, a high-quality one-dimensional periodic chain structure is formed when the field strength reaches a certain level. With a periodic chain structure in the magnetic fluid film, an incident light is diffracted onto the magnetic thin film. The results show that the one-dimensional periodic chain structure in the magnetic fluid film can serve as an optical grating. Further investigations reveal the feasibility of developing tunable coarse wavelength-division multiplexing by utilizing a periodic chain structure.     

Formant discrimination in noise for isolated vowels

Formant discrimination for isolated vowels presented in noise was investigated for normal-hearing listeners. Discrimination thresholds for F1 and F2, for the seven American English vowels /i, I, epsilon, ae, [symbol see text], a, u/, were measured under two types of noise, long-term speech-shaped noise (LTSS) and multitalker babble, and also under quiet listening conditions. Signal-to-noise ratios (SNR) varied from -4 to +4 dB in steps of 2 dB. All three factors, formant frequency, signal-to-noise ratio, and noise type, had significant effects on vowel formant discrimination. Significant interactions among the three factors showed that threshold-frequency functions depended on SNR and noise type. The thresholds at the lowest levels of SNR were highly elevated by a factor of about 3 compared to those in quiet. The masking functions (threshold vs SNR) were well described by a negative exponential over F1 and F2 for both LTSS and babble noise. Speech-shaped noise was a slightly more effective masker than multitalker babble, presumably reflecting small benefits (1.5 dB) due to the temporal variation of the babble.     

The glow curve structure for the LiF:Mg,Cu,Na,Si TL detector with dopants concentrations and sintering temperatures

The glow curve structures for LiF:Mg,Cu,Na,Si TL detectors with various dopant concentrations and sintering temperatures were investigated for the improvement of the glow curve structure and sensitivity of the TL detector. The dopant concentrations were varied over the following ranges: Mg (0–0.25 mol%), Cu (0–0.07 mol%), Na and Si (0–1.5 mol%). With increasing Cu concentration, the intensity of the main peak was intensified and reached a maximum at a concentration of 0.05 mol%. The high-temperature peak was reduced. The dependency of the main peak intensity on the Mg concentration exhibits a sharp maximum at 0.2 mol%. The intensity of the high-temperature peak tends to rise slightly with increasing Mg concentration. It was found that the optimum concentrations of the dopants in the LiF:Mg,Cu,Na,Si TL material are Mg: 0.2 mol%, Cu: 0.05 mol%, Na and Si: 0.9 mol%. The dependency of the main peak intensity on sintering temperature exhibits a very sharp maximum at 830°C. The high-temperature peak was rapidly reduced after 825°C.     

Effects of interface kinetics and anisotropy on the stability of the growing crystal face and dissolution face during crystallization from solution under microgravity

The stability of the shapes of the growing crystal face and dissolution face in a two-dimensional mathematical model of crystal growth from solution under microgravity is studied. Effects of the interface kinetics and anisotropy of crystallization and dissolution on the stability are also studied. It is proved that the stable shapes of crystal growth face and dissolution face do exist, which are of suitably shaped curves with their upper parts inclined backward properly no matter whether the interface kinetics and the anisotropy are taken into account or not. The stable shapes of the growing crystal faces and dissolution faces are calculated for various cases. The interface kinetics will make the inclination degree of stable crystal growth face reduce and that of stable dissolution face reduce slightly. The anisotropy of crystallization and dissolution may make the inclination degree of stable-growing crystal face smaller or larger, and that of the stable dissolution face varies very slightly.     

Determination of path length difference by low coherence interference spectrum

Path length difference is the key parameter in two-beam interferometer, especially in low coherence interferometer. It determines the visibility of the interference fringes. In this study, we present a method to determine the path length difference between two arms of a fiber optic Mach–Zehnder interferometer by evaluating the peaks of power distribution of the interference spectrum with a wide band light source. The experimental results are in close agreement with the theoretical calculations.     

Optical characterization of CdTe/ZnSe fractional monolayer structures grown by atomic layer epitaxy

Luminescence properties of CdTe/ZnSe fractional monolayer grown by atomic layer epitaxy have been investigated. To investigate the origin of the highly efficient luminescence, various optical spectroscopic methods such as, photoluminescence (PL), temporal/spatial resolved PL, temperature dependence PL, and excitation power dependence PL have been used. It is found that structural inhomogeneities affect dominant influence on the line width and line shape of luminescence. The luminescence intensity greatly enhanced by the localization of exciton at the disorder induced localized states.     

Photoluminescence linewidth broadening due to alloy/thickness fluctuation of CdxZn1 − xSe/ZnSe triple quantum wells

Photoluminescence (PL) linewidth broadening of Cd_xZn_{1 − x}Se/ZnSe triple quantum wells, grown on GaAs substrates by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE), has been investigated. Various quantum well (QW) samples have been prepared with different QW thickness and composition (Cd-composition). Measured and calculated PL linewidth are compared. Both composition and thickness fluctuations are considered for the calculation with the parameters such as the volume of exciton, nominal thickness and composition of QWs. Surface roughness measured by atomic force microscopy (AFM) is used to estimate the interface roughness. Results show that when Cd-composition increases additional linewidth broadening due to Zn/Cd interdiffusion is enhanced.     

Transient saturation absorption spectroscopy excited near the band gap at high excitation carrier density in GaAs

Transient saturation absorption spectroscopy in GaAs thin films was investigated using femtosecond pump and supercontinuum probe technique at excitation densities higher than 1×10^{19}cm^{-3}. The Coulomb enhancement factor of the electron－hole plasma results in a spectrum hole at the pump wavelength. Two distinct transmission peaks at two sides of the pump wavelength are observed, arising from the bleaching of transitions from the heavy- and light-hole bands to the conduction band. The dynamic process of the transient saturation absorption is fitted using a bi-exponential function. The fast decay process is dominated by the carrier-phonon scattering and the slow process may be attributed to the electron－hole recombination.     

An alternating periodic－chaotic ISI sequence of HH neuron under external sinusoidal stimulus

A study of Hodgkin－Huxley (HH) neuron under external sinusoidal excited stimulus is presented in this paper. As is well known, the stimulus frequency is to be considered as a bifurcate parameter, and numerous phenomena, such as synchronization, period, and chaos appear alternatively with the changing of the stimulus frequency. For the stimulus frequency less than 2f_B (f_B being the base frequency in this paper), the simulation results demonstrate that the single HH neuron could completely convey the sinusoidal signal in anti-phase into interspike interval (ISI) sequences. We also report, perhaps for the first time, another kind of phenomenon, the beat phenomenon, which exists in the phase dynamics of the ISI sequences of the HH neuron stimulated by a sinusoidal current. It is shown furthermore that intermittent transition results in the general route to chaos.