Surface-plasmon quantum cascade microlasers with highly deformed resonators

We report the demonstration of surface-plasmon microcylinder quantum cascade lasers with circular and deformed resonators. An improved self-alignment fabrication technique was developed that allows the use of wet etching, necessary to achieve smooth and clean surfaces, in combination with the deposition of the surface-plasmon-carrying metal layer up to the very edge of the resonator, where the optical mode is mostly located. The diameter of the microcylinders ranges from 75 to 180 /spl mu/m while their deformation coefficient /spl epsiv/ ranges from /spl epsiv/=0 to /spl epsiv/=0.32. Circular microcylinder lasers show a reduction of /spl sim/50% of the threshold current density with respect to devices with standard ridge-waveguide resonators. On the other hand, highly deformed microcylinder lasers exhibit a complex mode structure, suggesting the onset of chaotic behavior.     

Role of the input in visual hemispheric asymmetries.

Because the nature of the input is one of the most important variables in determining how the brain will process information, findings from tachistoscopic studies aimed at assessing hemispheric lateralization of functions are examined in terms of the characteristics of the incoming information either available or required for processing. The basic features of tachistoscopic experiments are analyzed with a special emphasis on methodology. Variables determining the quality of the input are investigated as a function of the properties of the human visual system. Exposure duration, luminance, retinal eccentricity, and stimulus size all contribute to the efficiency of the hemispheres and interact in complex ways in the emergence of visual-field superiorities. Task demands are also examined in terms of the information necessary for efficient processing. The present review suggests that in tachistoscopic experiments, the factors determining the quality of the input must be controlled if this technique is to prove a reliable source of information for assessing hemispheric asymmetries. (5 p ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A study of the solid solutions PbyMo6X8−xX′x and Mo6X8−xX′x (X,X′ = S,Se, Te) and their superconducting properties

The solid solutions Pb_yMo₆X_8?xX′_x and Mo₆X_8?xX′_x (X, X′ = S, Se, Te) are studied and it is shown that there are correlations between T_c and certain structural parameters.     

Predictors of suicide attempts: State and trait components.

The authors examined the state and trait components of 3 predictors of suicide attempts (depression, hopelessness, and anxiety), and their relationship to suicidal behavior. Self-report questionnaire and interview data from 180 adolescents enrolled in a prospective naturalistic study were analyzed. Between 23% and 30% of the variance in the predictors was attributable to subjects' trait levels of these variables; the trait, as well as the state, components of the predictor variables were interrelated; and trait levels of these variables were consistently related to suicide attempts. To reduce long-term risk of suicide attempts, clinicians should focus not only on reducing short-term distress but also on reducing individuals' more enduring patterns (trait levels) of negative affectivity. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Global sensitivity analysis of bandpass and antireflection coating manufacturing by numerical space filling designs

We present the effectiveness of global sensitivity analyses of optical coatings manufacturing to assess the robustness of filters by computer experiments. The most critical interactions of layers are determined for a 29 quarter-wave layer bandpass filter and for an antireflection coating with eight non-quarter-wave layers. Two monitoring techniques with the associated production performances are considered, and their influence on the interactions classification is discussed. Global sensitivity analyses by numerical space filling designs give clues to improve filter manufacturing against error effects and to assess the potential robustness of the coatings.     

Effect of Ca2PbO4 on the formation of the (2223) phase in the Bi---Pb---Sr---Ca---Cu---O system

The effect of excess Ca₂PbO₄ on the superconducting properties of Bi_1.7Pb_0.3Sr₂Ca₂Cu₃O_yB_x (B ≡ Ca₂PbO₄) is investigated through X-ray diffraction, resistivity and a.c. magnetic susceptibility measurements. The Xpray diffraction results show that the volume friction of the low T_c (221s) phase decreases and that of (2223) phase increases with the addition of Ca₂PbO₄. For x = 0.6 and 1.5, only the (2223) phase exists. At higher Ca₂PbO₄ concentrations, i.e. for x = 3.0, the low T_c phase again appears along with the high T_c phase. Diffraction peaks appear at d = 2.02, 2.814 and 2.85, which are characteristic peaks of Ca₂PbO₄, and their intensities increase with increasing x, indicating that Ca₂PbO₄ exists in the lattice in the same form. However, the T_c(0) values decreased gradually from 107 to 98 K with increasing Ca₂PbO₄ concentration. Compared with the undoped sample, the width of the transition δT_c is broad for impurity-added samples and reaches a maximum value for x = 3.0. Pure and Ca₂PbO₄-doped samples showed two peaks in ξ″ vs. T curves and two steps in ξ′ vs. T curves. The first peak is close to the transition temperature and corresponds to the midpoint of the first step in the ξ′ curve. The second peak appears below 98 K and this peak maximum corresponds to the midpoint of the second step. The position of both sets of peaks remained almost the same up to x = 1.5 and shifted towards lower temperatures thereafter. The role of Ca₂PbO₄ in the growth of the (2223) phase and the mechanism of energy loss are discussed.     

Simultaneously at two wavelengths (5.0 and 7.5 μm) singlemodeand tunable quantum cascade distributed feedback lasers

Quantum cascade distributed feedback (QC-DFB) lasers based on a heterogeneous-cascade two-wavelength active waveguide core and a multisectioned cavity featuring two different Bragg gratings are demonstrated. Optimised lasers display singlemode emission at λ~5.0 and 7.5 μm simultaneously and a tunability on both modes equal to single-wavelength QC-DFB lasers     

Categorization of disoriented faces in the cerebral hemispheres of normal and commissurotomized subjects.

We examined the capacity of the cerebral hemispheres to process faces that deviate from canonical perspective. In Experiment 1, normal Ss performed a gender categorization of faces presented at varying angular orientations in the left visual field (LVF) or right visual field (RVF). Orientation affected processing speed, more so in the RVF than in the LVF. The function relating reaction times to disorientation of the faces was approximately monotonic and reflected the increased difficulty in extracting relevant configurational information as the faces were rotated from canonical perspective. In Experiment 2, 3 commissurotomized Ss performed the same task. They responded above chance in the 2 visual fields, and the pattern of their results was similar to that obtained with the normal Ss, but the effect of disorientation was considerably more pronounced. It is suggested that the right hemisphere contribution becomes more critical the further the visual pattern departs from conventional view. Issues regarding the specification of processes correcting for disorientation and comparison of normal and commissurotomized Ss are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Reaction mechanism of gold dissolution with bromine

The dissolution of gold with elemental bromine was studied by using a rotating disc technique. The main parameters studied were bromine and bromide concentrations, stirring speed, pH, and temperature. The effect of various salts, manganese, and hydrogen peroxide was also examined. The dissolution kinetics of gold with Br₂ and NaBr mixture is complex. The reaction mechanism is a function of solution composition, which determines the kind of adsorbing species. For an excess concentration of bromide ions, the rate expression is Rate = (2k _cl7 k _al6)^1/2 K ₁₅ [Br ₃ ⁻ ] and for an excess concentration of bromine, the rate expression is Rate = (2k _c27 k _a29)^1/2 [Br⁻]^1/2 {K₂₅ [Br₂]³/(1 +K ₂₅ [Br₂]³)}^1/2 Gold in bromine solutions dissolves according to electrochemical/chemical (EC) mechanisms. The electrochemical component of the mechanism is responsible for the formation of AuBr₂. In the chemical component of the mechanism, this monovalent gold bromide disproportionates into gold and stable AuBr ₄ ⁻ , which reports into solution. With respect to pH, there are two characteristic dissolution regions. In the pH range of 1 to 7, gold dissolution rates were insensitive to pH. Above pH 7, gold dissolution rates decreased with increase of pH.     

Milliwatt second harmonic generation in quantum cascade lasers with modal phase matching

Milliwatt second harmonic power at 4.45 /spl mu/m was achieved in InP lattice-matched quantum cascade lasers with monolithically-integrated resonant nonlinear cascades and modal phase matching. The use of an InP top-cladding layer and high-reflectance coating on the laser back facet enabled high linear laser power and consequently record nonlinear power.