Homodyne and heterodyne imaging through a scattering medium

We introduce a novel two-dimensional (2D) homodyne and heterodyne technique for imaging objects through or embedded in a scattering medium. Our imaging approach is based on heterodyning of light with different Doppler broadenings that is scattered from objects of two different textures or from an opaque object and a textured scattering medium. We report on the initial demonstration of pulling signals out of noise for an object hidden behind a scattering medium. Enhancements of signal-to-noise ratio of the order of 50 have been achieved by use of a 2D holographic phase-sensitive detector. We also discuss the experimental feasibility of this approach for objects embedded in a scattering medium.     

Inflation versus cyclic predictions for spectral tilt

We present a nearly model-independent estimate that yields the predictions of a class of simple inflationary and ekpyrotic or cyclic models for the spectral tilt of the primordial density inhomogeneities that enables us to compare the two scenarios. Remarkably, we find that the two produce an identical result, n(s) approximately 0.95. For inflation, the same estimate predicts a ratio of tensor to scalar contributions to the low l multipoles of the microwave background anisotropy of T/S approximately 20%; the tensor contribution is negligible for ekpyrotic or cyclic models, as shown in earlier papers.     

Combinatorial Chemistry for Ligand Development in Catalysis: Synthesis and Catalysis Screening of Peptidosulfonamide Tweezers on the Solid Phase

On the basis of a pyrrolidine tweezer 1, a library of peptidosulfonamide tweezers (15a-e, 16a-e) was synthesized on the solid phase. This library was screened in a simultaneous substrate screening procedure for the ability to enantioselectively catalyze the Ti(O-i-Pr)(4)-mediated addition of diethylzinc to aldehydes. One of the best solid-phase tweezer catalyst (i.e., 16d, giving an ee of 32% in solid-phase catalysis) was resynthesized in solution (compounds 20 and 21). The now homogeneous solution-phase catalysis showed even better enantioselectivity (i.e., up to 66%).     

Pulsed fluorescence measurements of trapped molecular ions with zero background detection

Sensitive methods have been developed to measure laser-induced fluorescence from trapped ions by reducing the detection of background scattering to zero levels during the laser excitation pulse. The laser beam diameter has been reduced to approximately 150 microm to eliminate scattering on trap apertures and the resulting laser-ion interaction is limited to a volume of approximately 10(-5) cm which is approximately 0.03-0.15 of the total ion cloud volume depending on experimental conditions. The detection optics collected fluorescence only from within the solid angle defined by laser-ion interaction volume. Rhodamine 640 and Alexa Fluor 350 ions, commonly used as fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) fluorophores, were generated in the gas phase by using electrospray ionization and injected into a radiofrequency Paul trap where they were stored and exposed to Nd:YAG laser pulses at 532 and 355 nm for times up to 10 m. Fluorescence emitted by these ions was investigated for several trap q(z) values and ion cloud temperatures. Analysis of photon statistics indicated an average of approximately 10 photons were incident on the PMT detector per 15 ns pulse for approximately 10(3) trapped ions in the interaction volume. Fluorescence measurements displayed a dependence on trapped ion number which were consistent with calculations of the space charge limited ion density. To investigate the quantitative capability of these fluorescence techniques, the laser-induced fragmentation of trapped Alexa Fluor 350 ions was measured and compared with a rate equation model of the dynamics. Decay of the fluorescence signal as well as the parent ion number compared closely with quantitative predictions of the photofragmentation model.     

Spatial distribution of the intensity noise of a vertical-cavity surface-emitting semiconductor laser

We studied anticorrelated quantum fluctuations between the TEM(00) and the TEM(01) transverse modes of a vertical-cavity surface-emitting semiconductor laser by measuring the transverse spatial distribution of the laser beam intensity noise. Our experimental results are found to be in good agreement with the predictions of a phenomenological model that accounts for quantum correlations between transverse modes in a light beam.     

Synthesis and Properties of Surfactants derived from N‐Acetyl‐D‐Glucosamine

The synthesis of 2‐acetamido‐2‐deoxy‐6‐O‐octanoyl‐D‐glucono‐1,5‐lactone 9 and 2‐acetamido‐2‐deoxy‐6‐O‐octanoyl‐α‐D‐glucopyranose 7 from 2‐acetamido‐2‐deoxy‐α‐D‐glucopyranose is reported. For both targets, the key intermediate was allyl 2‐acetamido‐3,4‐di‐O‐benzyl‐2‐deoxy‐6‐O‐octanoyl‐α‐D‐glucopyranoside 5. Surface tension measurements (critical micellar concentration of 22.3 mM and 5 mM for 9 and 7, respectively) showed up the surface activity of both compounds, while enzyme inhibition assays indicated that 9 could inhibit bovine β‐N‐acetylglucosaminidase (K_i=6.5 µM) but not Serratia marcescens chitobiase nor hen egg‐white lysozyme. Moreover, 7 was shown to induce chitinase production of S. marcescens and to be readily metabolized by these bacteria.      

Ring strain energies: substituted rings, norbornanes, norbornenes and norbornadienes

Ring strain energies (RSEs) are predicted using homodesmotic reactions at the B3LYP/6-31G^* level of theory. Substituents are conserved in the acyclic reference and any difference in energy between the ring and the acyclic reference corresponds exclusively to RSE. Small rings are stabilized by alkyl substituents and this stabilization decreases as the size of the ring increases. There is a destabilization of medium sized rings. Greater stabilization is found upon alkyl substitution at a double bond in an unsaturated ring and this stabilization decreases as ring size increases. The effects of cis-1,2-disubstitution on RSEs have been evaluated and indicate stabilization for both small and medium sized rings. RSEs of saturated and unsaturated polycyclic systems agree well with the RSEs derived from experimental thermochemical data. RSEs are reported for substituted norbornanes, norbornenes, and norbornadienes to complement experimental studies.