Investigation of a two-autoionizing-level system coupled by a strong laser field

Abstract

The coherent resonant coupling of two autoionizing states of magnesium by an intense electromagnetic field is investigated experimentally by means of ionization and energy-selected photoelectron spectra probed from the ground state of the atom. The resulting effect of a drastic reduction in the ionization of the system is interpreted as the splitting of the two states achieved through their mixing by the field. A complete theoretical treatment of the problem employing the density matrix formalism is presented, reproducing the effects observed and explaining the phenomenon in terms of the relative populations of the states in the system.     

Magnetic Organosilica Nanoparticles for Localized Polymer Surface Modification

Magnetic organosilica nanoparticles are synthesized by grafting MPB‐POSS/MMA‐based block copolymers from magnetic iron nanoparticles via surface‐initiated ATRP. The hybrid nanoparticles consist of a magnetic iron core and a PMMA/POSS composite shell. A small amount of the nanoparticles is added as “smart additive” in casting PMMA sheets for localized surface modification. It is demonstrated that the particles are readily brought to the surface of the cast piece by applying a magnet field to the molding. At 1 wt% loading, the sample has a 50‐time higher particle content in a 100 µm‐thick surface layer than in the bulk. The indentation hardness of the modified surface is increased by 30%.

     

Mobilisation of healthy donors with lenograstim and transplantation of HLA-genoidentical blood progenitors in 54 patients with hematological malignancies: a pilot study

Blood cell transplantation (BCT) is now common practice in the autologous setting. We performed a pilot study of allogeneic BCT, collected after the priming of an HLA-identical sibling with a glycosylated rhu-G-CSF (lenograstim) (10 microg/kg). Fifty-four patients were included (38 +/- 11; M/F = 33/21; CML (n = 17), AML (n = 14), ALL (n = 15); MDS (n = 8)). Transplant procedures were standard (TBI regimen = 47 (87%); MTX-CsA: n = 37; CsA-PDN: n = 17). No serious adverse events were reported in donors. A median of 11 (3.5-29.1) x 10(6)/kg CD34+ cells, 332 (33-820) x 10(6)/kg CD3+ cells were collected. Four patients did not engraft (early death: n = 2; graft failure: n = 2). Fifty-one patients initially recovered 0.5 x 10(9)/l ANC and 25 x 10(9)/l platelets at 15 (10-30) and 13 (9-188) days. 29/51 and 29/38 experienced grade > or =2 acute and chronic GVHD. With a median follow-up of 25 months (18-36), relapse rate is 16% +/- 8, survival and DFS probabilities are similar (50% +/- 13). A better outcome is documented for patients under 45 years and in the early phase of the disease (n = 28), with an identical survival and DFS of 71% +/- 13. In conclusion, lenograstim is a potent rhu-G-CSF for mobilisation of allogeneic hematopoietic progenitors. Two-year follow-up indicates good haematological recovery but some concerns about graft failure and chronic GVHD have arisen deserving prospective evaluation.     

Channel-dropping filter based on a grating-frustrated two-corefiber

We present experimental results on the operation of a dissimilar two-core fiber segment as a channel dropping filter based on the principle of grating-frustrated coupling. The restoration of 100% coupling by ultraviolet (UV)-tuning of the fiber is demonstrated over a bandwidth in excess of 20 nm. It is also shown that a grating can be inscribed in one of the cores while maintaining perfect coupling conditions between the cores     

Use of opposition method in the test of high-power electronic converters

The test and the characterization of medium or high-power electronic converters, under nominal operating conditions, are made difficult by the requirement of high-power electrical source and load. In addition, the energy lost during the test may be very significant. The opposition method, which consists of an association of two identical converters supplied by the same source, one operating as a generator, the other as a receptor, can be a better way to do these test. Another advantage is the possibility to realize accurate measurements of the different losses in the converters under test. In the first part of this paper, the characteristics of the method concerning loss measurements are compared to those of the electrical or calorimetric methods, then it is shown how it can be applied to different types of power electronic converters, choppers, switched mode power supplies, and pulsewidth modulation inverters. In the second part, different examples of studies conducted by the authors, and using this method, are presented. They have varying goals, from the test of soft-switching inverters to the characterization of integrated gate-commutated thyristor (IGCT) devices mounted into 2-MW choppers.     

Approximate knowledge modeling and classification in a frame-based language: The system CAIN

In this article, we present an extension of the frame-based language Objlog+, called CAIN, which allows the homogeneous representation of approximate knowledge (fuzzy, uncertain, and default knowledge) by means of new facets. We developed elements to manage approximate knowledge: fuzzy operators, extension of the inheritance mechanisms, and weighting of structural links. Contrary to other works in the domain, our system is strongly based on a theoretical approach inspired from Zadeh's and Dubois' works. We also defined an original instance classification mechanism, which has the ability to take into account the notions of typicality and similarity as they are presented in the psychological literature. Our model proposes consideration of a particular semantics of default values to estimate the typicality between a class and the instance to classify (ITC). In that way, the possibilities of the typicality representation proposed by frame-based languages are exploited. To find the most appropriate solution we do not systematically choose the most specific class that matches the ITC but we retain the most typical solution. Approximate knowledge is used to make the matching used during the classification process more flexible. Taking into account additional knowledge concerning heuristics and elements of cognitive psychology leads to the enrichment of the classification mechanism. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Performance analysis of burst-mode receivers with clock phase alignment and forward error correction for GPON

We experimentally demonstrate the performance analysis of burst-mode receivers (BMRx) in a 622 Mb/s 20-km gigabit-capable passive optical network (GPON) uplink. Our receiver features automatic phase acquisition using a clock phase aligner (CPA), and forward-error correction using (255, 239) Reed-Solomon (RS) codes. The BMRx provides instantaneous (0 preamble bit) phase acquisition and a packet-loss ratio (PLR) < 10^?6 for any phase step (±2π rads) between consecutive packets, while also supporting more than 600 consecutive identical digits (CIDs). The receiver also accomplishes a 3-dB coding gain at a bit-error rate (BER) of 10^?10. The CPA makes use of a phase picking algorithm and an oversampling clock-and-data recovery circuit operated at 2× the bit rate. The receiver meets the GPON physical media dependent layer specifications defined in the ITU-T recommendation G.984.2 standard. We investigate the PLR performance of the system and quantify it as a function of the phase step between consecutive packets, received signal power, CID immunity, and BER, while also assessing the tradeoffs in preamble length, power penalty, and pattern correlator error resistance. We also study the impact of mode-partition noise in the GPON uplink in terms of the effective PLR and BER coding gain performance of the system. In addition, we demonstrate how the CPA and the RS(255, 239) codes can be used in tandem for dynamic burst-error correction giving reliable BERs in bursty channels.     

Investigation of a new structural type for Y2WO6

A new phase for the rare earth tungstate Y₂WO₆ was synthetized at high temperature. The parameters of the orthorhombic unit cell determined on small single crystals are $\text{a}\text{= 8.591}\text{A}\text{?}$, $\text{b}\text{= 20.84}\text{A}\text{?}$, $\text{c}\text{= 5.233}\text{A}\text{?}$ and the space group is probably P212121.The fluorescence spectrum of the 2% Europium doped compound reveals the existence of four crystallographic sites for Yttrium, which is consistent with the X-Ray data.     

New design concept for a narrowband wavelength-selective optical tap and combiner

A novel design is proposed for a four-port optical tap that extracts efficiently from a fibre in which light containing several discrete wavelength bands is propagating only that light within one such band. The same device can be used simultaneously to combine light of the same wavelength as the extracted light with the other, unselected, wavelength bands.