Slow-light switching in nonlinear Bragg-grating couplers

We study propagation and switching of slow-light pulses in nonlinear couplers with phase-shifted Bragg gratings. We demonstrate that power-controlled nonlinear self-action of light can be used to compensate for dispersion-induced broadening of pulses through the formation of gap solitons, to control pulse switching in the coupler, and to tune the propagation velocity.     

Syntheses based on α-azidooximes: II. Preparation of 6,7-dihydrotriazolopyrazinones from aliphatic nitro compounds

α-Azidooximes readily obtained from aliphatic nitro compounds were cleanly converted into previously unknown 6,7-dihydro[1,2,3]triazolo[1,5-a]pyrazin-4(5H)-ones via [3+2]-cycloaddition to dimethyl acetylenedicarboxylate and reduction of the oximino group in forming intermediates.     

Synthesis of silver nanoparticles for remote opening of polyelectrolyte microcapsules

Silver nanoparticles of 10, 18, and 23 nm were synthesized in aqueous medium by chemical reduction of silver nitrate in excess of sodium borohydride. Modification of polyelectrolyte shells with synthesized silver nanoparticles was performed using the layer-by-layer approach. Remote opening of the polyelectrolyte/silver capsules was performed with a CW Nd:YAG FD laser with an average incident power output up to 70 mW. Capsules with a mixture of 10 and 18 nm silver nanoparticles in its polyelectrolyte shell were ruptured after less than 7 s of laser irradiation, while microcapsules with 23 nm silver nanoparticles in the shell were broken after 11 s of laser treatment and 10 nm silver nanoparticles were broken after 26 s.     

Simulation of thermally induced processes of diffusion and phase formation in layered Fe-Sn and Fe-Zr systems

The simulation results of thermally induced processes of diffusion and phase formation for the Fe-Sn and Fe-Zr layered systems experimentally investigated by M?ssbauer spectroscopy are presented. Simulation has been carried out using the specially designed DIFFUSION program, the basic functional possibilities of which are described in detail. The physical model is based on the phenomenological Darken theory and on the interdiffusion mechanism of components along the continuous diffusion channels of phases in two-phase regions of the system. The simulation results agree well with the experimental data. The character of phase transformations in the investigated layered systems is determined by the change in a local concentration of components during their interdiffusion and corresponds to the features of the equilibrium diagrams for both binary systems.     

Near-threshold photoionization from the excited mp<Superscript>5</Superscript>(m + 1)p J = 0−3 levels of Ar,Kr and Xe (m = 3−5)

Using the configuration interaction Pauli-Fock including core polarization (CIPFCP) approach we have calculated absolute total and partial cross sections for photoionization of excited mp ⁵(m + 1)p J = 0−3 levels in Ar, Kr and Xe (m = 3−5) near threshold. Particular emphasis is paid to the lineshapes of the odd mp _1/2⁵ n(s/d)′ autoionizing resonances and their variation with the character of the intermediate excited J = 0−3 state. For selected intermediate levels of Ar and Kr the computed cross sections are compared with laser spectroscopic measurements; good agreement between the theoretical and experimental lineshapes and branching ratios for different resonances is observed.     

Changes in the Activity and Structure of Urease in the Interaction with Polyelectrolytes

The influence of polyelectrolytes on the structural and catalytic characteristics of urease (Canavalia ensiformis) was studied by the methods of steady-state kinetics, fluorescence spectroscopy, and circular dichroism. It was shown that, of the four polyelectrolytes studied, two of which were negatively charged (polystyrene sulfonate and dextran sulfate) and two were positively charged (polyallylamine (PAA) and polydiallyl dimethylammonium chloride), only PAA was a potent urease inhibitor: 0.5 μg/ml of PAA provided a 50% degree of inhibition for enzyme at neutral pH. It was found that polyelectrolyte did not inhibit urease in the presence of micromolar concentrations of ammonium chloride. Based on the experimental data and the calculated structure of urease from Canavalia ensiformis and on the identity with the amino acid sequence of urease from Bacillus pasteurii, the mechanism of urease inactivation by the PAA polyelectrolyte is discussed. This mechanism does not resemble the inhibiting action of polyelectrolytes on the previously studied oligomeric proteins—lactate dehydrogenase, glutamate dehydrogenase, and hemoglobin. It is proposed that the specific cation-binding sites determining the structural dynamics of the enzyme-polyelectrolyte complex play the regulating role in the urease molecule.     

Enhanced soliton transport in quasiperiodic lattices with introduced aperiodicity

We study linear transmission and nonlinear soliton transport through quasiperiodic structures, where the lattice profiles are described by multiple modulation frequencies. We show that resonant scattering at mixed-frequency resonances limits transmission efficiency of localized wave packets, leading to radiation and possible trapping of solitons. We obtain an explicit analytical expression for optimal quasiperiodic lattice profiles, where additional aperiodic modulations suppress mixed-frequency resonances, resulting in dramatic enhancement of soliton mobility. Our results can be applied to the design of photonic waveguide structures, and arrays of magnetic micro-traps for atomic Bose-Einstein condensates.     

Reduced-symmetry two-dimensional solitons in photonic lattices

We demonstrate theoretically and experimentally a novel type of localized beam supported by the combined effects of total internal and Bragg reflection in nonlinear two-dimensional square periodic structures. Such localized states exhibit strong anisotropy in their mobility properties, being highly mobile in one direction and trapped in the other, making them promising candidates for optical routing in nonlinear lattices.     

Plasmon beams interaction at interface between metal and dielectric with saturable Kerr nonlinearity

We present a novel theory of surface plasmon polariton interaction on the surface of dielectric with saturable Kerr nonlinearity. The effect of the total internal reflection of a weak signal plasmon beam from a high-power reference beam is discussed. Both ray and wave theories are used to describe signal propagation. The effect of the signal tunneling through the narrow inhomogeneity induced by the reference beam is considered.