Design and optimization of highly nonlinear low-dispersion crystal fiber with high birefringence for four-wave mixing

We have proposed a novel type of photonic crystal fiber (PCF) with low dispersion and high nonlinearity for four-wave mixing. This type of fiber is composed of a solid silica core and a cladding with a squeezed hexagonal lattice elliptical airhole along the fiber length. Its dispersion and nonlinearity coefficient are investigated simultaneously by using the full vectorial finite element method. Numerical results show that the proposed highly nonlinear low-dispersion fiber has a total dispersion as low as +/- 2.5 ps nm(-1) km(-1) over an ultrabroad wavelength range from 1.43 to 1.8 mu m, and the corresponding nonlinearity coefficient and birefringence are about 150 W-1 km(-1) and 2.5 x 10(-3) at 1.55 mu m, respectively. The proposed PCF with low ultraflattened dispersion, high nonlinearity, and high birefringence can have important application in four-wave mixing. (C) 2010 Optical Society of America

Intercellular calcium wave propagation in linear and circuit-like bone cell networks

In the present study, the mechanism of intercellular calcium wave propagation in bone cell networks was identified. By using micro-contact printing and self-assembled monolayer technologies, two types of in vitro bone cell networks were constructed: open-ended linear chains and looped hexagonal networks with precisely controlled intercellular distances. Intracellular calcium responses of the cells were recorded and analysed when a single cell in the network was mechanically stimulated by nano-indentation. The looped cell network was shown to be more efficient than the linear pattern in transferring calcium signals from cell to cell. This phenomenon was further examined by pathway-inhibition studies. Intercellular calcium wave propagation was significantly impeded when extracellular adenosine triphosphate (ATP) in the medium was hydrolysed. Chemical uncoupling of gap junctions, however, did not significantly decrease the transferred distance of the calcium wave in the cell networks. Thus, it is extracellular ATP diffusion, rather than molecular transport through gap junctions, that dominantly mediates the transmission of mechanically elicited intercellular calcium waves in bone cells. The inhibition studies also demonstrated that the mechanical stimulation-induced calcium responses required extracellular calcium influx, whereas the ATP-elicited calcium wave relied on calcium release from the calcium store of the endoplasmic reticulum.

Relativistic Distorted-Wave Collision Strengths of Ni-, Cu- and Zn-like Au Ions

Excitation energies and electron impact excitation strengths from the ground states of Ni-, Cu- and Zn-like Au ions are calculated. The collision strengths are computed by a 213-levels expansion for the Ni- like Au ion, 405-levels expansion for the Cu-like Au ion and 229-levels expansion for the Zn-like Au ion. Configuration interactions are taken into account for all levels included. The target state wavefunctions are calculated by using the Grasp92 code. The continuum orbits are computed in the distorted-wave approximation, in which the direct and exchange potentials among all the electrons are included. Excellent agreement is found when the results are compared with previous calculations and recent measurements.

Development and transition of spiral wave in the coupled Hindmarsh-Rose neurons in two-dimensional space

The dynamics and the transition of spiral waves in the coupled Hindmarsh-Rose (H-R) neurons in two-dimensional space are investigated in the paper. It is found that the spiral wave can be induced and developed in the coupled HR neurons in two-dimensional space, with appropriate initial values and a parameter region given. However, the spiral wave could encounter instability when the intensity of the external current reaches a threshold value of 1.945. The transition of spiral wave is found to be affected by coupling intensity D and bifurcation parameter r. The spiral wave becomes sparse as the coupling intensity increases, while the spiral wave is eliminated and the whole neuronal system becomes homogeneous as the bifurcation parameter increases to a certain threshold value. Then the coupling action of the four sub-adjacent neurons, which is described by coupling coefficient D', is also considered, and it is found that the spiral wave begins to breakup due to the introduced coupling action from the sub-adjacent neurons (or sites) and together with the coupling action of the nearest-neighbour neurons, which is described by the coupling intensity D.

Evolution of spiral wave and pattern formation in a vortical polarized electric field

In this paper, the evolution of the pattern transition induced by the vortical electric field (VEF) is investigated. Firstly, a scheme is suggested to generate the VEF by changing the spatial magnetic field. Secondly, the VEF is imposed on the whole medium, and the evolutions of the spiral wave and the spatiotemporal chaos are investigated by using the numerical simulation. The result confirms that the drift and the breakup of the spiral wave and the new net-like pattern are observed when different polarized fields are imposed on the whole medium respectively. Finally, the pattern transition induced by the polarized field is discussed theoretically.

Melting of Au and Al in nanometer Fe/Au and Fe/Al multilayers under swift heavy ions: A thermal spike study

Knowing that Fe is sensitive to swift heavy ion irradiations whereas Au and Al are not, the behavior of nanometric metallic multilayer systems, like [Fe(3 nm)/Au(x)](y) and [Fe(3 nm)/Al(x)](y) with x ranging between 1 and 10 mn, were studied within the inelastic thermal spike model. In addition to the usual cylindrical geometry of energy dissipation perpendicular to the ion projectile direction, the heat transport along the ion path was implemented in the electronic and atomic sub-systems. The simulations were performed using three different values of linear energy transfer corresponding to 3 MeV/u of Pb-208, Xe-132 and Kr-84 ions. For the Fe/Au system, evidence of appearance of a molten phase was found in the entire Au layer, provided the Au thickness is less than 7 nm and 3 nm for Pb and Xe ions, respectively. For the Fe/Al(x) system irradiated with Pb ions, the Al layers with a thickness less than 4 nm melt along the entire ion track. Surprisingly, the Fe layer does not melt if the Al thickness is larger than 2 nm, although the deposited energy surpasses the electronic stopping power threshold of track formation in Fe. For Kr ions melting does not occur in any of the multilayer systems.

Properties of the superheavy nuclei (288)115 and its alpha-decay chain in a generalized liquid-drop model

The properties of the nuclei belonging to the newly observed nuclei starting from (288)115 have been studied with the generalized liquid drop model connected with WKB approximation. The calculated results have been compared with the results of the DDM3Y theory and the experimental data. The half lives of this new alpha decay chain have been well tested from the consistence of the macroscopic, microscopic and the experimental data.

X(3915) and X(4350) as New Members in the P-Wave Charmonium Family

The analysis of the mass spectrum and the calculation of the strong decay of P-wave charmonium states strongly purport to explain the newly observed X(3915) and X(4350) as new members in the P-wave charmonium family, i.e., chi'(c0) for X(3915) and chi ''(c2) for X(4350). Under the P-wave charmonium assignment to X(3915) and X(4350), the J(PC) quantum numbers of X(3915) and X(4350) must be 0(++) and 2(++) respectively, which provide important criteria to test the P-wave charmonium explanation for X(3915) and X(4350) proposed by this Letter. The decay behavior of the remaining two P-wave charmonium states with the second radial excitation is predicted, and an experimental search for them is suggested.

Restudy on the wave functions of Gamma(nS) states in the light-front quark model and the radiative decays of Gamma(nS) -> eta(b) + gamma

The light-front quark model has been applied to calculate the transition matrix elements of heavy hadron decays. However, it is noted that using the traditional wave functions of the light-front quark model given in the literature, the theoretically determined decay constants of the Gamma(nS) obviously contradict the data. This implies that the wave functions must be modified. Keeping the orthogonality among the nS states and fitting their decay constants, we obtain a series of the wave functions for Gamma(nS). Based on these wave functions and by analogy with the hydrogen atom, we suggest a modified analytical form for the Gamma(nS) wave functions. Using the modified wave functions, the obtained decay constants are close to the experimental data. Then we calculate the rates of radiative decays of Gamma(nS) -> eta(b) + gamma. Our predictions are consistent with the experimental data on decays Gamma(3S) -> eta(b) + gamma within the theoretical and experimental errors.

Dynamical horizon entropy and equilibrium thermodynamics of generalized gravity theories

We study the relation between the thermodynamics and field equations of generalized gravity theories on the dynamical trapping horizon with sphere symmetry. We assume the entropy of a dynamical horizon as the Noether charge associated with the Kodama vector and point out that it satisfies the second law when a Gibbs equation holds. We generalize two kinds of Gibbs equations to Gauss-Bonnet gravity on any trapping horizon. Based on the quasilocal gravitational energy found recently for f(R) gravity and scalar-tensor gravity in some special cases, we also build up the Gibbs equations, where the nonequilibrium entropy production, which is usually invoked to balance the energy conservation, is just absorbed into the modified Wald entropy in the Friedmann-Robertson-Walker spacetime with slowly varying horizon. Moreover, the equilibrium thermodynamic identity remains valid for f(R) gravity in a static spacetime. Our work provides an alternative treatment to reinterpret the nonequilibrium correction and supports the idea that the horizon thermodynamics is universal for generalized gravity theories.

Magnetic structure and orbital ordering in tetragonal and monoclinic KCrF3 from first-principles calculations

KCrF3 has been systematically investigated by using the full-potential linearized augmented plane wave plus local orbital method within the generalized gradient approximation and the local spin density approximation plus the on-site Coulomb repulsion approach. The total energies for ferromagnetic and three different antiferromagnetic configurations are calculated in the high-temperature tetragonal and low-temperature monoclinic phases, respectively.

Structural stability and magnetic coupling in CaCu3Co4O12 from first principles

The structural, electronic and magnetic properties of CaCu3Co4O12 were studied by use of the full-potential linearized augmented plane wave method. The calculated results indicate that CaCu3Co4O12 is stable both thermodynamically and mechanically. Both GGA (generalized gradient approximation) and GGA + U methods predict that CaCu3Co4O12 is metallic. The ferromagnetic configuration is only slightly more stable in energy compared with the non-magnetic configuration (3.7 meV), suggesting that they are competitive for being the ground state. Co is in the low spin state (S = 1/2).