Local field enhancements on gold and silver nanostructures for aperture near field spectroscopy

Optical properties of silver and gold semi-continuous films near the percolation threshold are investigated by scanning near field optical microscopy (SNOM) operating in the collection/transmission mode. The electromagnetic enhanced fields, due to plasmon-polariton localizations, are observed and the intensity distribution is shown to present high intensity variations that increase with the wavelength. The local fields are also demonstrated to be polarization dependent. The intensity distribution is investigated as function of the incident wavelength both for gold and silver films. The calculated probability distribution function (PDF) exhibits an exponential decay for large enhancement factors and is proved to be wavelength dependent.     

Specific features of photo and thermoluminescence of Tb ions in BaO-M2O3 (M=Ga, Al, In)-P2O5 glasses

BaO-P₂O₅ glasses mixed with the three metal oxides viz., Al₂O₃, Ga₂O₃ and In₂O₃ doped with Tb₂O₃ were prepared. The glasses were characterized by X-ray diffraction and differential thermal analysis. Optical absorption and photoluminescence spectra and thermoluminescence (TL) of these glasses have been studied. From the measured intensities of various absorption bands of these glasses, the Judd-Ofelt parameters Ω₂, Ω₄ and Ω₆ have been evaluated and compared with those of other reported glass systems. The Judd-Ofelt theory could successfully be applied to characterize the absorption and luminescence spectra of these glasses. From this theory various radiative properties like transition probability A, branching ratio β_r, the radiative lifetime τ_r and the emission cross-section σ^E for various emission levels of these glasses have been determined and reported. An attempt has also been made to throw some light on the relationship between the structural modifications and luminescence efficiencies of all the three glasses. The analysis of TL data indicate high non-radiative losses in In₂O₃ mixed glasses.     

Single-particle quadrupole electromagnetic transitions in p-shell and sd-shell nuclei

Electron scattering Coulomb form factors for the single-particle quadrupole transitions in p-shell and sd-shell nuclei have been studied. Core polarization effects are included through a microscopic theory that includes excitations from the core orbits up to higher orbits with 2ω excitations. The modified surface delta interaction is adopted as a residual interaction. The results are discussed for the ( 1p _1/2 ^-1↦1p _3/2 ^-1) proton transition in ¹⁵N, ( 1d _5/2↦2s _1/2) neutron transition in ¹⁷O and ( 1d _3/2 ^-1↦2s _1/2 ^-1) proton transition in ³⁹K. The inclusion of core polarization effects modifies the form factors markedly and describes the experimental data very well in both the absolute strength and the momentum transfer dependence. Received: 18 April 2002 / Accepted: 1 July 2002 / Published online: 6 March 2003 RID="a" ID="a"e-mail: baguniv@uruklink.net Communicated by A. Molinari     

Alpha-decay of neutron-deficient 200Fr and heavier neighbours

A new measurement of the ²⁰⁰Fr -decay half-life, with improved accuracy compared to previous measurements, has been carried out at the Isolde-CERN on-line mass separator. A half-life of 49(4) ms has been obtained, which is substantially different from earlier literature values. For the ¹⁹⁶At daughter decay, a half-life of 389(54) ms and an branching ratio b = 94(5)% were measured. In addition, the half-lives of ^{201, 203, 205}Fr and ^197,199At are reported.     

High-power continuous-wave operation of a diode-pumped laser at

The continuous-wave laser properties of an efficient diode-pumped Nd:GdVO₄ crystal operating at formed with a simple plane-concave cavity have been studied. With the incident pump power of 21 W, an output power of 6.9 W was obtained, giving an optical conversion efficiency of 32.8% and a slope efficiency of 35.3%. The laser characterization of two different Nd³⁺-doped concentration of Nd:GdVO₄ crystals were studied.     

Optical Properties of Films of Cu x Ag1−x InSe2 Solid Solutions Obtained by Laser Evaporation

The structure and optical properties of the films of ternary compounds AgInSe₂, CuInSe₂ and Cu _x Ag_1–x InSe₂ solid solutions obtained by pulsed laser evaporation are investigated. It has been established that the films like bulk crystals have the structure of chalcopyrite. By the transmission and reflection spectra near the edge of natural absorption the refractive index and coefficient of optical absorption are calculated and the energies of interband transitions and the crystalline and spinorbit splitting are determined.     

Field and pressure response of Yb compounds close to a quantum critical point

YbCu_5−x Al _x provides the possibility to tune ground state properties by a change of the valence due to the Cu/Al substitution, by pressure as well as by the application of a magnetic field. Near to the critical concentration x _cr≈1.5 non-Fermi-liquid properties (NFL) are obvious, obeying hyperscaling. If magnetic order sets in for x>1.5, the application of moderate magnetic fields quenches order and again NFL features become evident. Hyperscaling in this case indicates strongly interacting spin fluctuations.     

BMP-6 Loaded Polyelectrolyte Complex Nanoparticles Inducing Osteogenic Differentiation and Apoptosis of Malignant Plasma Cells for Local Treatment of Multiple Myeloma

In the malignant plasma cell disease multiple myeloma (MM), bone lesions and resulting fractures caused by MM cell (MMC) accumulation represent a major cause of morbidity and mortality. Despite recent advantages in systemic treatment, residual MMCs remain, especially in bone lesions. Therefore an interfacial delivery system for local treatment of MM and induced bone disease based on polyelectrolyte complex nanoparticles (PEC NP) loaded with bone morphogenetic protein 6 (BMP-6) inducing de-novo bone formation and MMC apoptosis is presented herein. BMP-6 loaded PEC NP are fabricated by defined mixing bio-related cationic and anionic polysaccharides and BMP-6 according to molar ratio of BMP-6/PEC-NP of 1/3. BMP-6/PEC NP bound to a model substrate releases 10% BMP-6 sustainably within two weeks as accessed by infrared spectroscopy. BMP-6 loaded PEC NP adheres to cell membranes of MMCs and MSCs and activated phosphorylation of Smad 1/5. Osteogenic differentiation (ALP-concentration) is enhanced in MSCs (p < 0.05). All patient samples (10/10) of MMCs show significant induction of apoptosis (median 84%, p < 0.05). Finally, BMP-6/PEC NP are successfully integrated in a commercial hyaluronic acid based hydrogel material revealing MMC death as principal proof for the local treatment of MM induced bone lesions.     

ϕ-Informational Measures: Some Results and Interrelations

In this paper, we focus on extended informational measures based on a convex function ϕ: entropies, extended Fisher information, and generalized moments. Both the generalization of the Fisher information and the moments rely on the definition of an escort distribution linked to the (entropic) functional ϕ. We revisit the usual maximum entropy principle—more precisely its inverse problem, starting from the distribution and constraints, which leads to the introduction of state-dependent ϕ-entropies. Then, we examine interrelations between the extended informational measures and generalize relationships such the Cramér–Rao inequality and the de Bruijn identity in this broader context. In this particular framework, the maximum entropy distributions play a central role. Of course, all the results derived in the paper include the usual ones as special cases.     

Magnetic anisotropy manipulation and interfacial coupling in Sm3Fe5O12 films and CoFe/Sm3Fe5O12 heterostructures

The magnetic anisotropy manipulation in the Sm₃Fe₅O₁₂ (SmIG) films and its effect on the interfacial spin coupling in the CoFe/SmIG heterostructures were studied carefully. By switching the orientation of the Gd₃Ga₅O₁₂ substrates from (111) to (001), the magnetic anisotropy of obtained SmIG films shifts from in-plane to out-of-plane. Similar results can also be obtained in the films on Gd₃Sc₂Ga₃O₁₂ substrates, which identifies the universality of such orientation-induced magnetic anisotropy switching. Additionally, the interfacial spin coupling and magnetic anisotropy switching effect on the spin wave in CoFe/SmIG magnetic heterojunctions have also been explored by utilizing the time-resolved magneto-optical Kerr effect technique. It is intriguing to find that both the frequency and effective damping factor of spin precession in CoFe/SmIG heterojunctions can be manipulated by the magnetic anisotropy switching of SmIG films. These findings not only provide a route for the perpendicular magnetic anisotropy acquisition but also give a further path for spin manipulation in magnetic films and heterojunctions.