Polarized light for horizontal incidence and reflection by plane-parallel atmospheres

We show that the intensity vector of light reflected by a plane-parallel atmosphere is discontinuous if the directions of incidence and reflection are both horizontal. An exact expression describing the discontinuity is presented. This expression shows that the discontinuity is only due to first order scattering at the top of the atmosphere and occurs for all four Stokes parameters, as well as for the polarized intensity. No discontinuity exists, however, for the degrees of linear and circular polarization. The exact expression may be applied, for example, to clarify the results of photo-polarimetric observations of regions near the intensity poles of a planet. Another application concerns the possibility of obtaining values for the albedo of single scattering and scattering matrix elements as functions of the scattering angle at the top of a cloud deck or aerosol layer from observations for nearly horizontal directions of incidence and reflection.     

Generation of a four-qubit cluster state for atoms in a thermal cavity

We propose two schemes for generating a four-atom cluster state in a thermal cavity. With the assistant of a strong classical field the photon-number-dependent parts in the effective Hamiltonian are canceled. Thus the schemes are insensitive to the thermal field. The schemes can also be used to generate the cluster state for the trapped ions in thermal motion.     

光学粒子尺寸及其它参量测量的新方法

介绍最近发展起来的三种主要的粒子尺寸及其它参量的光学测量方法,较详细地说明了相位多谱勒法、基于衍射的短阵迭代和积分变换法、测量散射短阵元的分析方法的测量原理和实现方法,对各方法的主要特点进行了讨论。     

Stimulated infrared emission under excitation of condensed molecular dielectrics with giant pulses of a ruby laser

Stimulated infrared (IR) emission from a condensed dielectric medium under exposure to a giant pulse of a ruby laser is reported. This effect was predicted in the theoretical paper [1]. Experimental studies were carried out for a number of molecular liquids in two experimental geometries. In the first case (“in transmission” geometry) the propagation direction of the detected IR radiation coincided with that of the exciting radiation. In the second case IR radiation generated was detected in the opposite direction. The angle of divergence of IR radiation was found to be of 10⁻² rad, while the conversion efficiency with respect to the pumping intensity depended on the type of molecular liquid and varied in the range of 0.05–0.6%. Possible microscopic mechanisms of generation of IR radiation under pumping of the dielectric medium with visible or ultraviolet (UV) radiation are analyzed.     

Low-field magnetoresistance of Ag-substituted perovskite-type manganites

A series of bulk polycrystalline Nd_1−xAg_xMnO₃ samples were prepared by conventional solid-state reaction processing, for x between 0.1 and 0.5. The structure, magnetism, and magnetoresistance (MR) of the samples are investigated. The X-ray diffraction patterns show that the x=0.1 sample is a single perovskite structure, while x0.167, samples consist of a ferromagnetic perovskite phase and two nonmagnetic phases, Ag and Mn₃O₄. The MR of Nd_1−xAg_xMnO₃ is enhanced by increasing the composition of Ag. Compared with the sample of x=0.1, the x=0.5 sample has a significantly larger value of low-field MR. The enhanced low-field MR is related to the spin-dependent scattering of spin-polarized electrons at the interfaces between the perovskite grains and silver granules.     

The physical meaning of scattering matrix singularities in coupled-channel formalisms⋆

The physical meaning of bare and dressed scattering matrix singularities has been investigated. Special attention has been attributed to the role of the well-known invariance of the scattering matrix with respect to the field transformation of the effective Lagrangian. Examples of evaluating bare and dressed quantities in various models are given.     

Evolution of first-order sidebands from multiple FWM processes in HiBi optical fibers

The generation of two idler waves inside a high birefringent (HiBi) optical fiber through three four-wave mixing (FWM) processes is studied theoretically. The coupled-equations for the field amplitudes are derived and analytically solved, in the co-polarized and orthogonal polarization schemes. The obtained solutions take into account the delayed Raman response of the medium. The polarization sensitivity of the generation of the idler waves is analyzed. Results show that the stimulated Raman scattering does not change the efficiency of the idler wave generation in the co-polarized scheme, whereas in the orthogonal polarization scheme that nonlinear process decreases the efficiency of the four-wave mixing processes. Results also show that this set of multiple four-wave mixing processes is physically quite different from the typical single or dual pump four-wave mixing configurations. Findings show that the power transfer from the pumps to the idler fields can lead to a monotonous growth, or a periodic evolution of the sidebands along the fiber. Results show that the process efficiency varies greatly with the angle between the two pump polarizations.     

Phase signatures in laser-assisted electron-atom collisions

We study electron-atom scattering in the presence of a laser field with elliptic polarization. We discuss the dependence of the differential cross sections for the cases of circular and linear polarizations as a function of scattering angle. Interesting typical signatures of the phase between the two components of the circular polarization of the laser field appear in the differential cross section.     

Optical properties and biomedical applications of plasmonic nanoparticles

Nanoparticle plasmonics is a rapidly emerging research field that deals with the fabrication and optical characterization of noble metal nanoparticles of various size, shape, structure, and tunable plasmon resonances over VIS-NIR spectral band. The recent simultaneous advances in synthesis, characterization, electromagnetic simulation, and surface functionalization of plasmonic nanoparticles by biospecific molecular probes have led to a perfect publication storm in discoveries and potential biomedical applications of plasmon-resonant nanoparticle bioconjugates. Here, we present an overview of these topics. First, we discus basic wet-chemical routes to fabricate conjugates of gold, silver, or composite particles with controllable size, shape, structure and with surface functionalization by biospecific molecules. Second, we consider the single-particle dipole and multipole optics and coupled plasmonic nanoparticle arrays. Finally, we discus application of plasmonic bioconjugates to such fields as homogeneous and solid-phase assays, biomedical sensing and imaging, biodistribution and toxicity aspects, drug delivery and plasmonic photothermal therapy.     

Number of elastic scatterings on free stationary nuclei to slow down a neutron

We report the formulation of the number of elastic scatterings required to slow down a neutron. By establishing its analytical expression, we show that this number displays a discontinuity and an oscillatory transient that progressively dampens when the neutron energy decreases. This result does not apply to neutrons with energies lower than a few eV, as we restrict our study to scatterings on free stationary nuclei.