The ability of light to carry and deliver orbital angular momentum (OAM) in the form of optical vortices has attracted much interest. The physical properties of light with a helical wavefront can be ...confined onto two-dimensional surfaces with subwavelength dimensions in the form of plasmonic vortices, opening avenues for thus far unknown light-matter interactions. Because of their extreme rotational velocity, the ultrafast dynamics of such vortices remained unexplored. Here we show the detailed spatiotemporal evolution of nanovortices using time-resolved two-photon photoemission electron microscopy. We observe both long- and short-range plasmonic vortices confined to deep subwavelength dimensions on the scale of 100 nanometers with nanometer spatial resolution and subfemtosecond time-step resolution. Finally, by measuring the angular velocity of the vortex, we directly extract the OAM magnitude of light.
How can higher-yield farming help to spare nature? Phalan, Ben; Green, Rhys E.; Dicks, Lynn V. ...
Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science),
01/2016, Letnik:
351, Številka:
6272
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
Mechanisms to link yield increases with conservation
Expansion of land area used for agriculture is a leading cause of biodiversity loss and greenhouse gas emissions, particularly in the tropics. One ...potential way to reduce these impacts is to increase food production per unit area (yield) on existing farmland, so as to minimize farmland area and to spare land for habitat conservation or restoration. There is now widespread evidence that such a strategy could benefit a large proportion of wild species, provided that spared land is conserved as natural habitat (
1
). However, the scope for yield growth to spare land by lowering food prices and, hence, incentives for clearance (“passive” land sparing) can be undermined if lower prices stimulate demand and if higher yields raise profits, encouraging agricultural expansion and increasing the opportunity cost of conservation (
2
,
3
). We offer a first description of four categories of “active” land-sparing mechanisms that could overcome these rebound effects by linking yield increases with habitat protection or restoration (table S1). The effectiveness, limitations, and potential for unintended consequences of these mechanisms have yet to be systematically tested, but in each case, we describe real-world interventions that illustrate how intentional links between yield increases and land sparing might be developed.
Following graphene growth by thermal decomposition of ethylene on Ir(111) at high temperatures we analyzed the strain state and the wrinkle formation kinetics as function of temperature. Using the ...moiré spot separation in a low energy electron diffraction pattern as a magnifying mechanism for the difference in the lattice parameters between Ir and graphene, we achieved an unrivaled relative precision of ±0.1 pm for the graphene lattice parameter. Our data reveals a characteristic hysteresis of the graphene lattice parameter that is explained by the interplay of reversible wrinkle formation and film strain. We show that graphene on Ir(111) always exhibits residual compressive strain at room temperature. Our results provide important guidelines for strategies to avoid wrinkling.
Growth of graphene on Ir(111) Johann Coraux; T N'Diaye, Alpha; Engler, Martin ...
New journal of physics,
02/2009, Letnik:
11, Številka:
2
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
Catalytic decomposition of hydrocarbons on transition metals attracts a renewed interest as a route toward high-quality graphene prepared in a reproducible manner. Here we employ two growth methods ...for graphene on Ir(111), namely room temperature adsorption and thermal decomposition at 870–1470 K (temperature programmed growth (TPG)) as well as direct exposure of the hot substrate at 870–1320 K (chemical vapor deposition (CVD)). The temperature- and exposure-dependent growth of graphene is investigated in detail by scanning tunneling microscopy. TPG is found to yield compact graphene islands bounded by C zigzag edges. The island size may be tuned from a few to a couple of tens of nanometers through Smoluchowski ripening. In the CVD growth, the carbon in ethene molecules arriving on the Ir surface is found to convert with probability near unity to graphene. The temperature-dependent nucleation, interaction with steps and coalescence of graphene islands are analyzed and a consistent model for CVD growth is developed.
The development of X-ray and electron diffraction methods with ultrahigh time resolution has made it possible to map directly, at the atomic level, structural changes in solids induced by laser ...excitation. This has resulted in unprecedented insights into the lattice dynamics of solids undergoing phase transitions. In aluminium, for example, femtosecond optical excitation hardly affects the potential energy surface of the lattice; instead, melting of the material is governed by the transfer of thermal energy between the excited electrons and the initially cold lattice. In semiconductors, in contrast, exciting ∼10 per cent of the valence electrons results in non-thermal lattice collapse owing to the antibonding character of the conduction band. These different material responses raise the intriguing question of how Peierls-distorted systems such as bismuth will respond to strong excitations. The evolution of the atomic configuration of bismuth upon excitation of its A1g lattice mode, which involves damped oscillations of atoms along the direction of the Peierls distortion of the crystal, has been probed, but the actual melting of the material has not yet been investigated. Here we present a femtosecond electron diffraction study of the structural changes in crystalline bismuth as it undergoes laser-induced melting. We find that the dynamics of the phase transition depend strongly on the excitation intensity, with melting occurring within 190 fs (that is, within half a period of the unperturbed A1g lattice mode) at the highest excitation. We attribute the surprising speed of the melting process to laser-induced changes in the potential energy surface of the lattice, which result in strong acceleration of the atoms along the longitudinal direction of the lattice and efficient coupling of this motion to an unstable transverse vibrational mode. That is, the atomic motions in crystalline bismuth can be electronically accelerated so that the solid-to-liquid phase transition occurs on a sub-vibrational timescale.
Purpose
Macrophages play critical roles in inflammation and wound healing and can be divided into two subtypes: classically activated (M1) and alternatively activated (M2) macrophages. Macrophages ...also play important roles in regulating iron homeostasis, and intracellular iron accumulation induces M1‐type macrophage polarization which provides a potential approach to tumor immunotherapy through M2 tumor‐associated macrophage repolarization. However, the mechanisms underlying iron‐induced M1 polarization remain unclear.
Methods
Western blotting, qRT‐PCR, and flow cytometry were used to detect the polarization indexes in RAW 264.7 murine macrophages treated with iron, and Western bloting and qRT‐PCR were used to detect p21 expression. The compound 2,7‐dichlorofluorescein diacetate was used to measure reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels in macrophages after iron or N‐acetyl‐l‐cysteine (NAC) treatment. The p300/CREB‐binding protein (CBP) inhibitor C646 was used to inhibit p53 acetylation, and Western bloting, qRT‐PCR, and immunofluorescence were used to detect p53 expression and acetylation. BALB/c mice were subcutaneously injected with H22 hepatoma cells, and macrophage polarization status was investigated after tail intravenous injection of iron. Immunohistochemical staining was used to evaluate the protein expression of cluster of differentiation 86 (CD86) and EGF‐like module‐containing mucin‐like hormone receptor‐like 1 (F4/80) in the subcutaneous tumors.
Results
Iron overload induced M1 polarization by increasing ROS production and inducing p53 acetylation in RAW cells, and reduction in ROS levels by NAC repressed M1 polarization and p53 acetylation. Inhibition of acetyl‐p53 by a p300/CBP inhibitor prevented M1 polarization and inhibited p21 expression. These results showed that high ROS levels induced by iron overload polarized macrophages to the M1 subtype by enhancing p300/CBP acetyltransferase activity and promoting p53 acetylation.
Iron overload increases ROS production and enhances the activity of p300/CBP acetyltransferase, thus inducing p53 acetylation to polarize proinflammation macrophage phenotype.
The free thermal vibration of functionally graded material (FGM) cylindrical shells containing porosities is investigated. Both even distribution and uneven distribution are taken into account. In ...addition, three thermal load types, i.e., uniform temperature rise (UTR), nonlinear temperature rise (NLTR), and linear temperature rise (LTR), are researched to explore their effects on the vibration characteristics of porous FGM cylindrical shells. A modified power-law formulation is used to describe the material properties of FGM shells in the thickness direction. Love’s shell theory is used to formulate the strain-displacement equations, and the Rayleigh-Ritz method is utilized to calculate the natural frequencies of the system. The results show that the natural frequencies are affected by the porosity volume fraction, constituent volume fraction, and thermal load. Moreover, the natural frequencies obtained from the LTR have insignificant differences compared with those from the NLTR. Due to the calculation complexity of the NLTR, we propose that it is reasonable to replace it by its linear counterpart for the analysis of thin porous FGM cylindrical shells. The present results are verified in comparison with the published ones in the literature.
The vibration of a longitudinally moving rectangular plate submersed in an infinite liquid domain is studied analytically with the Rayleigh-Ritz method. The liquid is assumed to be incompressible, ...inviscid, and irrotational, and the velocity potential is used to describe the fluid velocity in the whole liquid field. The classical thin plate theory is used to derive mechanical energies of the traveling plate. As derivative of transverse displacement with respect to time in the compatibility condition equation exists, an exponential function is introduced to depict the dynamic deformation of the moving plate. It is shown that this exponential function works well with the Rayleigh- Ritz method. A convergence study shows a quick convergence speed for the immersed moving plate. Furthermore, the parametric study is carried out to demonstrate the effect of system parameters including the moving speed, the plate location, the liquid depth, the plate-liquid ratio, and the boundary condition. Results show that the above system parameters have significant influence on the vibration characteristics of the immersed moving plate. To extend the study, the method of added virtual mass incremental (AVMI) factor is used. The results show good agreement with those from the Rayleigh-Ritz method.
We introduce a novel time-resolved photoemission-based near-field illumination method, referred to as femtosecond normal-incidence photoemission microscopy (NI-PEEM). The change from the commonly ...used grazing-incidence to normal-incidence illumination geometry has a major impact on the achievable contrast and, hence, on the imaging potential of transient local near fields. By imaging surface plasmon polaritons in normal light incidence geometry, the observed fringe spacing directly resembles the wavelength of the plasmon wave. Our novel approach provides a direct descriptive visualization of SPP wave packets propagating across a metal surface.
PDF
