The spectral broadening of a blue optical pulse and the modulation of a pulse waveform in a photonic crystal fiber by induced-phase modulation

By copropagating a fundamental pulse and a blue second-harmonic pulse from a Ti:Sapphire oscillator in a photonic crystal fiber (PCF), the spectral broadening of the blue second-harmonic pulse from 380 to 600 nm has been observed by use of induced-phase modulation (IPM) at a 78-MHz repetition rate. From the experimental and the calculated delay time dependence of spectral intensities, it was inferred that the largest spectral broadening was observed when the second-harmonic pulse interacted with the fundamental pulse near the input end of a PCF, where the fundamental pulse was compressed temporally due to self-phase modulation and negative group velocity dispersion. From the simulation, the mechanism of spectral broadening was clarified and the fission process of the fundamental pulse was shown to be influenced strongly by IPM.     

Elliptic averaging methods using the sum of Jacobian elliptic delta and zeta functions as the generating solution

The present paper describes an improved version of the elliptic averaging method that provides a highly accurate periodic solution of a non-linear system based on the single-degree-of-freedom Duffing oscillator with a snap-through spring. In the proposed method, the sum of the Jacobian elliptic delta and zeta functions is used as the generating solution of the averaging method. The proposed method can be used to obtain the non-odd-order solution, which includes both even- and odd-order harmonic components. The stability analysis for the approximate solution obtained by the present method is also discussed. The stability of the solution is determined from the characteristic multiplier based on Floquet’s theorem. The proposed method is applied to a fundamental oscillator in a non-linear system. The numerical results demonstrate that the proposed method is very effective for analyzing the periodic solution of half-swing mode for systems based on Duffing oscillators with a snap-through spring.     

Electrokinetic supercharging with a system-induced terminator and an optimized capillary versus electrode configuration for parts-per-trillion detection of rare-earth elements in CZE

A further improvement of electrokinetic supercharging (EKS) methodology has been proposed, with the objective to enhance the sensitivity of the conventional CZE-UV method down to a single-digit part per trillion (ppt) level. The advanced EKS procedure is based on a novel phenomenon displaying the formation of a zone with an increased concentration of the hydrogen ion, capable to perform the function of a terminator, behind the sample zone upon electrokinetic injection. In combination with a visualizing co-ion of BGE, protonated 4-methylbenzylamine, acting as the leading ion, such system-induced terminator a effected the transient ITP state to efficiently concentrate cationic analytes prior to CZE. Furthermore, to amass more analyte ions within the effective electric field at the injection stage, a standard sample vial was replaced with an elongated vial that allowed the sample volume to be increased from 500 to 900 μL. Alongside, this replacement made the upright distance between the electrode and the capillary tips prolonged to 40.0 mm to achieve high-efficiency electrokinetic injection. The computer simulation was used for profiling analyte concentration, pH, and field strength in order to delineate formation of the terminator during sample injection. The proposed preconcentration strategy afforded an enrichment factor of 80,000 and thereby the LODs of rare-earth metal ions at the ppt level, e.g. 0.04 nM (6.7 ng/L) for erbium(III).     

Observation of dirac holes and electrons in a topological insulator

We show that in the new topological-insulator compound Bi(1.5)Sb(0.5)Te(1.7)Se(1.3) one can achieve a surfaced-dominated transport where the surface channel contributes up to 70% of the total conductance. Furthermore, it was found that in this material the transport properties sharply reflect the time dependence of the surface chemical potential, presenting a sign change in the Hall coefficient with time. We demonstrate that such an evolution makes us observe both Dirac holes and electrons on the surface, which allows us to reconstruct the surface band dispersion across the Dirac point.     

Direct measurement of the out-of-plane spin texture in the Dirac-cone surface state of a topological insulator

We have performed spin- and angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy of Bi(2)Te(3) and present the first direct evidence for the existence of the out-of-plane spin component on the surface state of a topological insulator. We found that the magnitude of the out-of-plane spin polarization on a hexagonally deformed Fermi surface of Bi(2)Te(3) reaches maximally 25% of the in-plane counterpart, while such a sizable out-of-plane spin component does not exist in the more circular Fermi surface of TlBiSe(2), indicating that the hexagonal deformation of the Fermi surface is responsible for the deviation from the ideal helical spin texture. The observed out-of-plane polarization is much smaller than that expected from the existing theory, suggesting that an additional ingredient is necessary for correctly understanding the surface spin polarization in Bi(2)Te(3).     

In situ atomic force microscopy observation of hydrogen absorption/desorption by Palladium thin film

Grain structure changes in Pd thin film during hydrogen absorption and desorption were observed by in situ atomic force microscopy. The as-sputtered film had a smooth flat surface with 20-30 nm grains. Film that absorbed hydrogen showed buckling, caused by the compressive stress due to lattice expansion as Pd metal reacted with hydrogen to form the hydride. Grains on the buckles were agglomerated and deformed unlike those on flat areas beside the buckles. Film that absorbed and then desorbed hydrogen still showed some buckling; however, many buckles shrank and flattened when the compressive stress of lattice expansion was released during desorption. On both the remaining and the shrunken buckles, grain agglomeration was retained; whereas, the deformed grains reverted back to their original form. X-ray diffraction indicated compressive residual stress in the as-sputtered film and tensile residual stress in the film after hydrogen absorption/desorption. These results indicate that irreversible grain agglomeration is related to residual tensile stress in the film although agglomeration occurs only on the buckled areas.     

Direct Observation Method of Individual Single-Stranded DNA Molecules Using Fluorescent Replication Protein A

Direct observation studies of single molecules have revealed molecular behaviors usually hidden in the ensemble and time-averaging of bulk experiments. Direct single DNA molecule analysis of DNA metabolism reactions such as DNA replication, repair, and recombination is necessary to fully understand these essential processes. Intercalation of fluorescent dyes such as YOYO-1 and SYTOX Orange has been the standard method for observing single molecules of double-stranded DNA (dsDNA), but effective fluorescent dyes for observing single molecules of single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) have not been found. To facilitate direct single-molecule observations of DNA metabolism reactions, it is necessary to establish methods for discriminating ssDNA and dsDNA. To observe ssDNA directly, we prepared a fusion protein consisting of the 70 kDa DNA-binding domain of replication protein A and enhanced yellow fluorescent protein (RPA-YFP). This fusion protein had ssDNA-binding activity. In our experiments, dsDNA was stained by SYTOX Orange and ssDNA by RPA-YFP, and we succeeded in staining ssDNA and dsDNA by using RPA-YFP and SYTOX Orange simultaneously.     

A note on skew differential operators on commutative rings

Let A be a commutative integral domain that is a finitely generated algebra over a field k of characteristic 0 and let ø be a k-algebra automorphism of A of finite order m. In this note we study the ring D(A;ø of differential operators introduced by A.D. Bell. We prove that if A is a free module over the fixed sub-ring A ^ø, with a basis containing 1, then D(A;ø) is isomorphic to the matrix ring M_m(D(A ^ø). It follows from Grothendieck's Generic Flatness Theorem that for an arbitrary A there is an element c?Asuch that D(A[c^-1];ø)?M _m(D(A[c^-1]^ø)). As an application, we consider the structure of D(A;ø)when A is a polynomial or Laurent polynomial ring over k and ø is a diagonalizable linear automorphism.     

Conversion ratio to F-H center pairs from self-trapped excitons in alkali chloride crystals

Abstract

The time delayed double excitation spectroscopy has been utilized to determine the conversion ratio to F-H center pairs from self-trapped excitons(STE_L) at the lowest state (1s[sgrave]_g;a_1g). The final conversion ratios, η_F/(η_F+η_X), were 0.86, 0.49 and 0.20 for NaCl, KCl and RbCl at 14K, respectively. The conversion efficiency (η =η_F+η_X) from STE_L to F-H center pairs(η_F) and to unknown states(η_X) were 0.25, 0.90 and 0.76 for the hole excitation to π_g, while 0.03, 0.01 and 0.01 for the electron excitation to b_1u, b_2u or b_3u, in NaCl, KCl and RbCl, respectively.     

Selective Activation of Aromatic Aldehydes Promoted by Dispersion Interactions: Steric and Electronic Factors of a π-Pocket within Cage-Shaped Borates for Molecular Recognition

Selective bond formations are one of the most important reactions in organic synthesis. In the Lewis acid mediated electrophile reactions of carbonyls, the selective formation of a carbonyl–acid complex plays a critical role in determining selectivity, which is based on the difference in the coordinative interaction between the carbonyl and Lewis acid center. Although this strategy has attained progress in selective bond formations, the discrimination between similarly sized aromatic and aliphatic carbonyls that have no functional anchors to strongly interact with the metal center still remains a challenging issue. Herein, this work focuses on molecular recognition driven by dispersion interactions within some aromatic moieties. A Lewis acid catalyst with a π-space cavity, which is referred to as a π-pocket, as the recognition site for aromatic carbonyls is designed. Cage-shaped borates 1 B with various π-pockets demonstrated significant chemoselectivity for aromatic aldehydes 3 b – f over that of aliphatic 3 a in competitive hetero-Diels–Alder reactions. The effectiveness of our catalysts was also evidenced by intramolecular recognition of the aromatic carbonyl within a dicarbonyl substrate. Mechanistic and theoretical studies demonstrated that the selective activation of aromatic substrates was driven by the preorganization step with a larger dispersion interaction, rather than the rate-determining step of the C−C bond formation, and this was likely to contribute to the preferred activation of aromatic substrates over that of aliphatic ones.