Bright Pulses Research Articles

Discoveries of Rotating Radio Transients in the 350 MHz Green Bank Telescope Drift-scan Survey

AbstractRotating Radio Transients (RRATs) are a class of pulsars characterized by sporadic bursts of radio emission, which make them difficult to detect in typical periodicity-based pulsar searches. Using newly developed post-processing techniques for automatically identifying single bright astrophysical pulses, such as those emitted from RRATs, we have discovered approximately 30 new RRAT candidates in data from the Green Bank Telescope 350 MHz drift-scan survey. A total of 6 of these have already been confirmed and the remainder look extremely promising. Here we describe these techniques and present the most recent results on these new RRAT candidates.

Ultrafast XUV emission from laser wakefields in underdense plasma

It is shown that a laser wakefield driven in the highly nonlinear regime or the wave-breaking regime in underdense plasma can emit ultra-broad-band bright extreme ultraviolet (XUV) radiation pulses, which are as short as a few hundreds of attoseconds in one-dimensional simulations and a few femtoseconds in multi-dimensional cases. The emission is caused by a transverse current sheet co-moving with the laser pulse. This current sheet is formed by an electron density spike with trapped electrons in the wakefield with a certain transverse kinetic momentum of electrons left behind the laser pulse. This residual momentum appears when the laser pulse undergoes a strong self-modulation and subsequent pulse steepening at the front. In the multi-dimensional simulations, the XUV emission is found only near the laser axis with a much smaller spot size than the laser pulse due to its transverse ponderomotive force effects. The present scheme provides an alternative method for producing single bright ultrashort XUV pulses for ultrafast applications.

Generation of stable bright pulse and the dark soliton interaction in nonlinear left-handed materials

In homogeneous and isotropic nonlinear left-handed materials (LHMs), using the split step Fourier transform method, we demonstrate that two dark electromagnetic solitons which are the solutions of coupled nonlinear Schrodinger equations (CNLS) move along a line toward each other, when the distance between them down to a certain value, the interaction of the two dark solitons can produce a stable bright electromagnetic pulse that behaves like a bright soliton. Although our mathematical analysis shows that the new generated stable bright pulse is not an exact solution of the CNLS, it can propagate steadily in the nonlinear LHMs. And this unusual phenomenon can also be observed in our numerical simulation results by another method.

Detection of explosives and other illicit materials by a single nanosecond neutron pulses — Monte Carlo simulation of the detection process

Recent progress in the development of a Nanosecond Impulse Neutron Investigation System (NINIS) intended for interrogation of hidden objects (explosives and other illicit materials) by means of measuring elastically and non-elastically scattered neutrons is presented. The method uses very bright neutron pulses having durations of the order of few nanoseconds, generated by a dense plasma focus (DPF) devices filled with pure deuterium or a deuterium-tritium mixture as a working gas. A very short duration of the neutron pulse, as well as its high brightness and mono-chromaticity allows using time-of-flight methods with bases of about few meters to distinguish signals from neutrons scattered by different elements.Results of the Monte Carlo simulations of the scattered neutron field from several compounds (explosives and everyday use materials) are presented. The MCNP5 code has been used to get information on the angular and energy distributions of neutrons scattered by the above mentioned compounds assuming the initial neutron energies to be equal to 2.45 MeV (DD) and 14 MeV (DT). A new input has been elaborated that allows modeling not only a spectrum of the neutrons scattered at different angles but also their time history from the moment of generation up to the detection. Such an approach allows getting approximate signals registered by hypothetic scintillator + photomultipler probes placed at various distances from the scattering object, demonstrating principal capability of the method to identify an elemental content of the inspected objects. The extensive computations reveled also several limitations of the proposed method, namely: low number of neutrons reaching detector system, distortions and interferences of scattered neutron signals etc.Further more, preliminary results of the MCNP modeling of the hidden fissile materials detection process are presented.

LIMITS ON THE EVENT RATES OF FAST RADIO TRANSIENTS FROM THE V-FASTR EXPERIMENT

We present the first results from the V-FASTR experiment, a commensal search for fast transient radio bursts using the Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA). V-FASTR is unique in that the widely spaced VLBA antennas provide a discriminant against non-astronomical signals and a mechanism for the localization and identification of events that is not possible with single dishes or short baseline interferometers. Thus far V-FASTR has accumulated over 1300 hours of observation time with the VLBA, between 90 cm and 3 mm wavelength (327 MHz - 86 GHz), providing the first limits on fast transient event rates at high radio frequencies (>1.4 GHz). V-FASTR has blindly detected bright individual pulses from seven known pulsars but has not detected any single-pulse events that would indicate high redshift impulsive bursts of radio emission. At 1.4 GHz, V-FASTR puts limits on fast transient event rates comparable with the PALFA survey at the Arecibo telescope, but generally at lower sensitivities, and comparable to the "fly's eye" survey at the Allen Telescope Array, but with less sky coverage. We also illustrate the likely performance of the Phase 1 SKA dish array for an incoherent fast transient search fashioned on V-FASTR.

Human phase response curve to a 1 h pulse of bright white light

The phase resetting response of the human circadian pacemaker to light depends on the timing of exposure and is described by a phase response curve (PRC). The current study aimed to construct a PRC for a 1 h exposure to bright white light (∼8000 lux) and to compare this PRC to a <3 lux dim background light PRC. These data were also compared to a previously completed 6.7 h bright white light PRC and a <15 lux dim background light PRC constructed under similar conditions. Participants were randomized for exposure to 1 h of either bright white light (n=18) or <3 lux dim background light (n=18) scheduled at 1 of 18 circadian phases. Participants completed constant routine (CR) procedures in dim light (<3 lux) before and after the light exposure to assess circadian phase. Phase shifts were calculated as the difference in timing of dim light melatonin onset (DLMO) during pre- and post-stimulus CRs. Exposure to 1 h of bright white light induced a Type 1 PRC with a fitted peak-to-trough amplitude of 2.20 h. No discernible PRC was observed in the <3 lux dim background light PRC. The fitted peak-to-trough amplitude of the 1 h bright light PRC was ∼40% of that for the 6.7 h PRC despite representing only 15% of the light exposure duration, consistent with previous studies showing a non-linear duration–response function for the effects of light on circadian resetting.

Human responses to bright light of different durations

Light exposure in the early night induces phase delays of the circadian rhythm in melatonin in humans. Previous studies have investigated the effect of timing, intensity, wavelength, history and pattern of light stimuli on the human circadian timing system. We present results from a study of the duration–response relationship to phase-delaying bright light. Thirty-nine young healthy participants (16 female; 22.18±3.62 years) completed a 9-day inpatient study. Following three baseline days, participants underwent an initial circadian phase assessment procedure in dim light (<3 lux), and were then randomized for exposure to a bright light pulse (∼10,000 lux) of 0.2 h, 1.0 h, 2.5 h or 4.0 h duration during a 4.5 h controlled-posture episode centred in a 16 h wake episode. After another 8 h sleep episode, participants completed a second circadian phase assessment. Phase shifts were calculated from the difference in the clock time of the dim light melatonin onset (DLMO) between the initial and final phase assessments. Exposure to varying durations of bright light reset the circadian pacemaker in a dose-dependent, non-linear manner. Per minute of exposure, the 0.2 h duration was over 5 times more effective at phase delaying the circadian pacemaker (1.07±0.36 h) as compared with the 4.0 h duration (2.65±0.24 h). Acute melatonin suppression and subjective sleepiness also had a dose-dependent response to light exposure duration. These results provide strong evidence for a non-linear resetting response of the human circadian pacemaker to light duration.

Simulation Of Soliton Amplification In Micro Ring Resonator For Optical Communication

A system consisting of a series of micro ring resonator (MRR) is proposed. Optical dark and bright soliton pulses propagating through the nonlinear waveguides are amplified. This system can be used in long distance communication system. The dark and bright soliton is input into the designed system. The nonlinear effect contributes to segregation of continuous soliton pulse into smaller pulses. In this way large bandwidth of optical signals can be obtained. The power amplification occurs when the soliton propagates along the MRRs systems. In this research the concern is the generation of amplified pulse of optical dark and bright soliton while propagating in the MRR device. Simulated results show the amplification of bright soliton in which the input power increases from 0.6 W to 10.9331 W and 7.684 W at the trapped wavelength of 1520.428 nm and 1519.912 nm respectively. Key words: Optical soliton; dark soliton; bright soliton; soliton amplification

Determination Of Fwhm For Solition Trapping

In this study an interesting system in which a bright and dark soliton pulse can be stopped inside a nonlinear waveguide is presented. Here, we propose a system consisting of a series of ring resonators for optical trapping within a nonlinear waveguide. The bright and dark solitons can be controlled and slowed down within the waveguide. The FWHM for the output signals are calculated and used as an optical memory. Bright and dark soliton behaviors within a micro and nano ring resonator are also investigated and described. The required pulse is filtered and amplified, can be controlled and localized within the system. The localized bright and dark solitons are stopped by controlling the input power, which means that the photon stopping can be controlled by light in a ring resonator. Key words: Dark soliton; bright soliton; nonlinear nano waveguide; stopped light

Spatiotemporal Dispersion and Wave Envelopes with Relativistic and Pseudorelativistic Characteristics

A generic nonparaxial model for pulse envelopes is presented. Classic Schrödinger-type descriptions of wave propagation have their origins in slowly-varying envelopes combined with a Galilean boost to the local time frame. By abandoning these two simplifications, a picture of pulse evolution emerges in which frame-of-reference considerations and space-time transformations take center stage. A wide range of effects, analogous to those in special relativity, then follows for both linear and nonlinear systems. Explicit demonstration is presented through exact bright and dark soliton pulse solutions.

Dark-Bright Solitons Conversion System for Secured and Long Distance Optical Communication

We suggest a new purpose of a security scheme by employing the nonlinear behaviors of temporal dark and bright solitons amongst a micro-ring resonator system for signal security application. The chaotic signal is generated, where the required bright soliton pulse can be recovered and discovered by an add/drop filtering device. By using the reserve ring parameters, simulation results obtained have demonstrated that the soliton conversion can be performed. In application, the chaotic signal is generated and formed by the dark soliton inside a nonlinear micro-ring device. The different temporal soliton response time can be seen, the response times of 169 and 84 ns are mentioned for temporal dark and bright solitons, respectively, which can also be used to figure the security key. The technique of optical conversion can be use to improve the optical communication network systems. Keyword: microring resonator, nonlinear medium, chaotic signals, add/drop filter, dark-bright conversion

Dark pulses with tunable repetition rate emission from fiber ring laser

We demonstrated the experimental observation of the dark pulses with tunable repetition rate from an erbium-doped fiber ring laser. A considerable length of high nonlinear fiber is incorporated into the fiber ring laser to enhance the nonlinear intensity. In our experiment, both bright and dark pulses can be observed under the conditions of appropriately setting of the device in the cavity. Further study showed that the dark pulse is formed due to the cross coupling between two different lasing wavelengths. Particularly, dark pulse-train with multiple repetition rates was observed from the laser cavity and the repetition rate switchable operation can be realized by simply adjusting the polarization controller (PC) in the cavity. The operation of multiple repetition rates of dark pulses was further experimentally investigated and detected as a result of pulse splitting of each component with different wavelength.

THE ALLEN TELESCOPE ARRAY FLY'S EYE SURVEY FOR FAST RADIO TRANSIENTS

The relatively unexplored fast radio transient parameter space is known to be home to a variety of interesting sources, including pulsars, pulsar giant pulses and non-thermal emission from planetary magnetospheres. In addition, a variety of hypothesized but as-yet-unobserved phenomena, such as primordial black hole evaporation and prompt emission associated with coalescing massive objects have been suggested. The 2007 announcement by Lorimer et al. of the detection of a bright (30 Jy) radio pulse that was inferred to be of extragalactic origin and the subsequent consternation have demonstrated both the potential utility of bright radio pulses as probes of the interstellar medium and intergalactic medium, as well as the need for wide-field surveys characterizing the fast-transient parameter space. Here we present results from the 450 hour, 150 deg^2 Fly's Eye survey for bright dispersed radio pulses at the Allen Telescope Array (ATA). The Fly's Eye spectrometer produces 128 channel power spectra over a 209 MHz bandwidth, centered at 1430 MHz, on 44 independent signals paths originating with 30 independent ATA antennas. Data were dedispersed between 0 and 2000 pc cm^-3 and searched for pulses with dispersion measures greater than 50 pc cm^-3 between 625 us and 5 s in duration. No pulses were detected in the survey, implying a limiting rate of less than 2 sky^-1 hour^-1 for 10 millisecond duration pulses having apparent energy densities greater than 440 kJy us, or mean flux densities greater than 44 Jy. Here we present details of the instrument, experiment and observations, including a discussion of our results in light of other single pulse searches.

CONSTRAINING RADIO EMISSION FROM MAGNETARS

We report on radio observations of five magnetars and two magnetar candidates carried out at 1950 MHz with the Green Bank Telescope in 2006-2007. The data from these observations were searched for periodic emission and bright single pulses. Also, monitoring observations of magnetar 4U0142+61 following its 2006 X-ray bursts were obtained. No radio emission was detected was detected for any of our targets. The non-detections allow us to place luminosity upper limits (at 1950 MHz) of approximately L < 1.60 mJy kpc^2 for periodic emission and L < 7.6 Jy kpc^2 for single pulse emission. These are the most stringent limits yet for the magnetars observed. The resulting luminosity upper limits together with previous results are discussed, as is the importance of further radio observations of radio-loud and radio-quiet magnetars.

Experimental observation of bright-dark pulse emitting in an all-fiber ring cavity laser

We demonstrate the emission of bright pulse and dark pulse in a simple all-fiber ring cavity laser by using self-pulsing technique. The switching between bright pulse and dark pulse can be realized by properly rotating the polarization controller (PC). Meanwhile, the bright-dark pulse can also be generated in the fiber laser and is experimentally verified to be on two different orthogonal polarization axis of the cavity fiber. Our experimental results show that the bright pulse, the dark pulse or the bright-dark pulse can be obtained in an all-fiber laser by using self-pulsing technique.

Dark pulse generation in a dispersion-managed fiber laser

We report an experimental observation of dark pulse generation in a dispersion-managed erbium-doped fiber laser with net anomalous cavity group-velocity dispersion. It is found that apart from the bright soliton pulses, dark pulses with spectral sidebands could be obtained in the laser under appropriate operating conditions. The generation of dark pulses may be attributed to soliton shaping in the cavity.

Klein-Gordon equation approach to nonlinear split-ring resonator based metamaterials: One-dimensional systems

The electrodynamics of a one-dimensional split-ring resonator (SRR) based nonlinear metamaterial is studied. The metamaterial is a one-dimensional periodic array of weakly coupled SRRs, with each SRR represented by a nonlinear resistor-inductor-capacitor (RLC) equivalent resonator circuit. Nonlinearity is introduced into the system by the addition of Kerr-type dielectric medium within the SRRs or by the introduction into the system of certain other nonlinear elements (e.g. diodes). In the continuum limit of the system, variations of the charge stored within the capacitive slits of the SRRs in both time and space are shown to be described along the array by a nonlinear Klein-Gordon equation. Analytical solutions of the nonlinear Klein-Gordon equation for various dark and bright envelope, breather, and pulse soliton solutions are obtained and studied. A discussion is given of the relationship between the Klein-Gordon solutions and the solutions of the nonlinear Schr\odinger equation approximation to the nonlinear Klein-Gordon equation. A comparison is made of the Klein-Gordon solutions with intrinsic localized mode (discrete breather) solutions of the discrete system and their continuum limits. An additional continuum limit differential equation for the breather modes of the system is obtained which is not bound by a weak coupling assumption, and its relation to the Klein-Gordon equation is studied. Analytic forms are given for the effects of dissipation in the system on the various bright and dark envelope, breather, and pulse solitons. Discussions are given of the effects of further than first neighbor couplings in the SRR system.

Endohedral fullerenes: A way to control resonant high-order harmonic generation

We investigate the high-order harmonic generation in ordinary buckyball C{sub 60}, endohedral In-C{sub 60} fullerene, and endohedral Sb-C{sub 60} fullerene by means of time-dependent density functional theory. In all cases the resonant enhancement of several high-order harmonics in the plateau region up to two orders of magnitude was predicted. Theoretical investigation of absorption spectra of C{sub 60} showed absorption peaks in the regions of the resonant HHG enhancement. In both endohedral fullerenes, peaks of plasmon absorption and resonance enhancement were shifted toward the corresponding atomic resonant transitions, which may be used to control the spectral distribution of groups of resonant harmonics and obtain bright attosecond pulse trains.

CONSECUTIVE BRIGHT PULSES IN THE VELA PULSAR

We report on the discovery of consecutive bright radio pulses from the Vela pulsar, a new phenomenon that may lead to a greater understanding of the pulsar emission mechanism. This results from a total of 345 hr worth of observations of the Vela pulsar using the University of Tasmania's 26 m radio telescope to study the frequency and statistics of abnormally bright pulses and sub-pulses. The bright pulses show a tendency to appear consecutively. The observations found two groups of six consecutive bright pulses and many groups of two to five bright pulses in a row. The strong radio emission process that produces the six bright pulses lasts between 0.4 and 0.6 s. The numbers of bright pulses in sequence far exceed what would be expected if individual bright pulses were independent random events. Consecutive bright pulses must be generated by an emission process that is long lived relative to the rotation period of the neutron star.

Internal Structure of the Fly Elementary Motion Detector

Recent experiments have shown that motion detection in Drosophila starts with splitting the visual input into two parallel channels encoding brightness increments (ON) or decrements (OFF). This suggests the existence of either two (ON-ON, OFF-OFF) or four (for all pairwise interactions) separate motion detectors. To decide between these possibilities, we stimulated flies using sequences of ON and OFF brightness pulses while recording from motion-sensitive tangential cells. We found direction-selective responses to sequences of same sign (ON-ON, OFF-OFF), but not of opposite sign (ON-OFF, OFF-ON), refuting the existence of four separate detectors. Based on further measurements, we propose a model that reproduces a variety of additional experimental data sets, including ones that were previously interpreted as support for four separate detectors. Our experiments and the derived model mark an important step in guiding further dissection of the fly motion detection circuit.