Mode beating in spot-size converter lasers

An anomalous modulation in the wavelength spectrum has been observed in lasers with spot-size converters. This intensity modulation is shown to be caused by beating between the fundamental lasing mode and radiation modes in the taper. This results in a periodic modulation in the net gain spectrum, which causes wavelength jumps between adjacent net gain maxima, and a drive current dependent spectral width that is expected to affect system performance. The amplitude of this spectral modulation is reduced significantly by either using an angled rear-facet which reflects the beating radiation modes away from the laser axis, or by using a nonlinear, adiabatic taper.     

Optical DE/MUX Components for Datacomunication Applications

This paper reviews the potential for WDM systems to be implemented within datacommunication systems, and indicates future network functions. Spectral and temporal multiplexing functions are reviewed, with particular focus being placed on 2DIO and amplifier based crosspoint components.     

A terabit capacity passive polymer optical backplane based on a novel meshed waveguide architecture

An optical backplane based on a meshed polymer waveguide architecture enabling high-speed board-to-board optical interconnection is presented. This planar array of multimode polymer waveguides can provide passive strictly non-blocking links between server line cards fitted with optical transmitter and receiver arrays. This architecture offers a scalable and low-cost solution to the bandwidth limitations faced by electrical backplanes and is suitable for PCB integration. The reported backplane demonstrator uses a matrix of 100 waveguides each capable of 10 Gb/s operation to interconnect 10 cards for a total capacity of a terabit per second aggregate data rate in multicast mode. Characterisation of the backplane demonstrator reveals low link losses of 2 to 8 dB for a multimode fibre input and crosstalk values below −35 dB. Error free data transmission at 10 Gb/s is achieved with a power penalty of only 0.2 dB at a bit-error-rate of 10⁻⁹. Additionally, lossless operation of a Gigabit Ethernet link over the backplane is achieved even when using the worst-case highest loss links.     

Spherically symmetric inhomogeneous dust collapse in higher dimensional space-time and cosmic censorship hypothesis

We consider a collapsing spherically symmetric inhomogeneous dust cloud in higher dimensional space-time. We show that the central singularity of collapse can be a strong curvature or a weak curvature naked singularity depending on the initial density distribution.     

Scattering by small defects in the neighbourhood of a fluid-solid interface

The scattering of incident plane elastic waves by a varietyof different defects that lie upon a fluid-solid interface isconsidered here using matched asymptotic expansions. The expansionscheme is developed in terms of a parameter , the ratio of typicaldefect length scale to a typical wavelength of the incidentfield, taken to be small. Three different canonical situations occur and these are illustratedvia three specific examples treated here: a rigid strut, anedge crack, and a rigid strip. In each case the leading-ordermatching is performed to identify the leading-order contributionof the defect to the acoustic field in the far field. In particular,each defect is identified with a source of dipole response ininterfacial stress of displacement. It is shown in the limit as s<<s1 that in the inner problemsthe fluid and solid pieces uncouple in a particularly convenientmanner allowing analytical solutions to be deduced. These arethen matched with appropriate outer solutions.     

On a Simple Nonisothermal Adsorption Experiment with Organic Vapors and an Inertial Microbalance To Study the Surface Properties of Hybrid (Organic/Inorganic) Porous Materials

A nonisothermal adsorption experiment using a controlled flow of cyclopentane in the 333-313 K range is used to simultaneously estimate the specific surface area and micropore volume of a hybrid (organic/inorganic) alcogel. For reference, the method is also applied to an all-inorganic material with a more rigid structure, namely, a high surface area SiO(2)-Al(2)O(3). The proposed data analysis provides guidelines to determine whether adsorption data on a certain adsorbate/adsorbent system can be modeled effectively as a convolution of BET (meso- and macropore) and Dubinin-Radushkevitch (DR, micropore) contributions. Copyright 2000 Academic Press.     

Meson production in p + d reactions

Total and differential cross sections for the reactions p + d → ³He + m ⁰ with m=π, η and p + d → ³H+π⁺ were measured with the GEM detector at COSY for beam momenta between threshold and the maximum of the corresponding baryon resonance. For both reactions a strong forward-backward asymmetry was found. The data were compared with model calculations. The aspect of isospin symmetry breaking is studied. Representing the GEM Collaboration     

Working group report: Heavy-ion physics and quark-gluon plasma

This is the report of Heavy Ion Physics and Quark-Gluon Plasma at WHEPP-09 which was part of Working Group-4. Discussion and work on some aspects of quark-gluon plasma believed to have created in heavy-ion collisions and in early Universe are reported.     

Interaction between explosive and analyte layers in explosive matrix-assisted plasma desorption mass spectrometry

An HMX/insulin two-layer system was chosen as a model for further investigation of the matrix properties of explosive materials for protein analytes in plasma desorption mass spectrometry. The dependencies of the molecular ion yield and average charge state as a function of the analyte thickness were studied. An increase in the charge state of multiply protonated molecular species was confirmed as the major matrix effect, with the average charge state z at the smallest thickness studied being higher than in matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization and closer to the value obtained in electrospray ionization under standard acidic conditions. Observed charge state distributions are significantly narrower than the corresponding Poisson distributions, which suggests that the protonation of insulin is limited in plasma desorption by the number of basic sites in the molecule, similar to electrospray ionization. Both the curve displaying total molecular ion yield and the one showing the total charge (proton) yield as a function of the insulin thickness have maxima at a thickness different from an insulin monolayer. These observations diminish the significance of a matrix/analyte interface mechanism for the explosive matrix assistance. Instead, a mechanism related to the chemical energy release during conversion of the explosive after the ion impact is proposed. As additional mechanisms, enhanced protonation of the analyte through collisions with products of the explosive decay is considered, as well as electron scavenging by other products, which leads to a higher survival probability of positively charged protein molecular ions. Copyright 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

158-microJ pulses from a single-transverse-mode, large-mode-area erbium-doped fiber amplifier

We report the amplification of 10-100-pJ semiconductor diode pulses to an energy of 158 microJ and peak powers >100 kW in a multistage fiber amplifier chain based on a single-mode, large-mode-area erbium-doped amplifier design. To our knowledge these results represent the highest single-mode pulse energy extracted from any doped-fiber system.