Short Light Pulses Research Articles

Rapid osmocontractile response of motor cells of Mimosa pudica pulvini induced by short light signals.

The Mimosa pudica leaf has motor organs allowing movements driven by cell osmotic changes in the parenchyma cells in response to various stimuli. Short white light pulses induce rapid and large seismonastic-like movements (denoted "photostimulation") of the primary pulvini in various leaves within 120 s after the onset of light. An early event recorded is a wavelength-related modification of the plasma membrane difference: potential depolarization under white, blue, green, and red wavelengths, and hyperpolarization under far red wavelengths (and also in darkness). The photoreactivity of the pulvini is controlled by a circadian rhythm and modulated by the applied diurnal photoperiod cycle (photophase ranging from 6 to 18 h). The reactivity varied among plants and even between leaves on the same plant. The level of reactivity is related to the photon fluence rate in the range from 10 to 140 μmol m-2 s-1 under white light and to the experimental temperature in the range 15°C-35°C. An "accommodation" to light supply is evidenced by a modulation of the reactivity in relation to the schedule of light application under low fluence rates and the introduction of short darkness intervals during the first 30-s light pulse. The blue light-induced photostimulation is under phytochrome control.

Dynamic description of soliton solutions of nonlinear schrödinger equation with higher order dispersion and nonlinear terms

Abstract The article presents an analytical solution for the higher-order nonlinear Schrödinger equation (NLSE), which describes the propagation of short light pulses in monomode optical fibers. Various traveling wave solutions are obtained using the generalized exponential rational function method, a technique with substantial applications in physics and mathematics. Additionally, the parameters leading to the occurrence of optical bright and multipeak solitons in this medium are provided along with their formation conditions. The derived solutions are graphically displayed to enhance the understanding of the model’s physical phenomena. This approach is credible, potent, and successful in solving a wide variety of different models of this kind that arise in the applied sciences. Its robustness, strength, and efficiency make it suitable for addressing various higher-order nonlinear problems in current research fields, extending beyond the models encountered in the applied sciences.

Size and Surface Effects in the Ultrafast Dynamics of Strongly Cooperative Spin-Crossover Nanoparticles.

Cooperative photoinduced switching of molecular materials at the nanoscale is still in its infancy. Strongly cooperative spin-crossover nanomaterials are arguably the best prototypes of photomagnetic and volume-changing materials that can be manipulated by short pulses of light. Open questions remain regarding their non-equilibrium dynamics upon light excitation and the role of cooperative elastic interactions in nanoscale systems that are characterized by large surface/volume ratios. Femtosecond-resolved broadband spectroscopy is performed on nanorods of the strongly cooperative Fe-triazole, which undergoes a reversible low-spin to high-spin (HS) phase transition ≈360K. Supported by density functional theory and mechano-elastic Monte Carlo simulations, a marked difference is observed in the photoswitching dynamics at the surface of the nanoparticles compared with the core. Surprisingly, under low excitation (<2%) conditions, there occurs a transient increase in the HS population at the surface on the picosecond time scale, while the HS population in the core decays concomitantly. These results shed light onto the importance of surface properties and dynamical size limits of nanoscale photoresponsive nanomaterials that can be used in a broad range of applications.

Exploration of different multi-peak solitons and vibrant breather type waves’ solutions of nonlinear Schrödinger equations with advanced dispersion and cubic–quintic nonlinearity, unveiling their applications

Abstract The nonlinear Schrödinger equations (NLSEs) of higher order illustrate the transmission of extremely short light pulses in fiber optics. In this manuscript, we employ the two-variable (1/G, G′/G)-expansion technique to construct bright and multi-peak solitons, periodic multi-solitons, breather type solitary waves, periodic peakon solitons, and other wave solutions of higher-order NLSE in mono-mode optical fiber and generalized NLSE with cubic–quintic nonlinearity. The two-variable (1/G, G′/G)-expansion method is a generalization of the (G′/G)-expansion method, offering a more robust mathematical tool for solving various nonlinear partial differential equations (PDEs) in mathematical physics. We also analyze the characteristics of waves conducive to the formation of bright–dark and other soliton forms within this medium. Additionally, we provide graphical representations of the obtained results to visually depict the dynamical models under consideration. Our findings highlight the potency, reliability, and versatility of the proposed technique, which holds promise for solving a wide array of similar models encountered in applied sciences and engineering.

Laser-induced ultrasound in multiple thin layers-An analytical solution.

Laser-induced ultrasound is based on the thermo-elastic conversion of absorbed short light pulses to pressure pulses. In the work presented here, laser-induced ultrasound in a planar structure of interconnected layers with variations in optical, thermal, and mechanical properties is studied. Layered structures can be used for generating wideband ultrasonic pulses specific to a chosen application. An analytical time-domain solution is derived for the resulting pressure transmitted from the layered structure. The solution is derived for an arbitrary number of layers with an arbitrary optical absorption profile. Free space Green's functions with image sources are used to derive the solution. A solution employing the Beer-Lambert law is also proposed. The simplification with reflections only at the boundaries is in agreement with previous published results. The spectral properties of the generated pulse are derived, where the effects of optical absorption coefficients and layer thicknesses are shown. The analytical solution is compared to one-dimensional (1D) simulations and a three-dimensional (3D) simulation, realised as a two-dimensional (2D) axially symmetric case, using the matlab toolbox k-Wave. The 3D simulation on-axis pressure agrees well with the 1D analytical solution when the diameter of the laser beam is larger by approximately 1 order of magnitude than the thickness of the planar layered structure.

A silicon diode–based optoelectronic interface for bidirectional neural modulation

The development of advanced neural modulation techniques is crucial to neuroscience research and neuroengineering applications. Recently, optical-based, nongenetic modulation approaches have been actively investigated to remotely interrogate the nervous system with high precision. Here, we show that a thin-film, silicon (Si)-based diode device is capable to bidirectionally regulate in vitro and in vivo neural activities upon adjusted illumination. When exposed to high-power and short-pulsed light, the Si diode generates photothermal effects, evoking neuron depolarization and enhancing intracellular calcium dynamics. Conversely, low-power and long-pulsed light on the Si diode hyperpolarizes neurons and reduces calcium activities. Furthermore, the Si diode film mounted on the brain of living mice can activate or suppress cortical activities under varied irradiation conditions. The presented material and device strategies reveal an innovated optoelectronic interface for precise neural modulations.

Analytical and numerical study of light-induced optical microcavity generation by half-cycle light pulses in the resonant medium

An optical Bragg-like microcavity can be formed when extremely short light pulses interacting coherently with the medium collide in the resonant medium. Here we present an analytical approach, based on the approximate solution of the time-dependent Schrödinger equation, that reveals both the cavity formation and its control by the half-cycle pulses colliding in the medium. This approach allows the calculation of cavity properties in the weak-field regime without the need for complex numerical simulations. Beyond the approximate analytical solutions, our analytical results are confirmed by numerical simulations of the Maxwell-Bloch equations. Grating formation is also studied in the strong-field regime, where collisions of self-induced transparency half-cycle pulses occur. The results presented here reveal, to our knowledge, a new type of spatio-temporal photonic crystal in the form of micro-cavities in a simple atomic medium. The results obtained demonstrate the feasibility of attosecond optical switching in a simple atomic medium with half-cycle pulses.

Предельно короткие и униполярные импульсы света: современное состояние проблемы

Предельно короткие и униполярные импульсы света: современное состояние проблемы

Предельно короткие и униполярные импульсы света: современное состояние проблемы

Предельно короткие и униполярные импульсы света: современное состояние проблемы

From the Pineal Gland to the Central Clock in the Brain: Beginning of Studies of the Mammalian Biological Rhythms in the Institute of Physiology of the Czech Academy of Sciences.

The Institute of Physiology of the Czech Academy of Sciences (CAS) has been involved in the field of chronobiology, i.e., in research on temporal regulation of physiological processes, since 1970. The review describes the first 35 years of the research mostly on the effect of light and daylength, i.e., photoperiod, on entrainment or resetting of the pineal rhythm in melatonin production and of intrinsic rhythms in the central biological clock. This clock controls pineal and other circadian rhythms and is located in the suprachiasmatic nuclei (SCN) of the hypothalamus. During the early chronobiological research, many original findings have been reported, e.g. on mechanisms of resetting of the pineal rhythm in melatonin production by short light pulses or by long exposures of animals to light at night, on modulation of the nocturnal melatonin production by the photoperiod or on the presence of high affinity melatonin binding sites in the SCN. The first evidence was given that the photoperiod modulates functional properties of the SCN and hence the SCN not only controls the daily programme of the organism but it may serve also as a calendar measuring the time of a year. During all the years, the chronobiological community has started to talk about "the Czech school of chronobiology". At present, the today´s Laboratory of Biological Rhythms of the Institute of Physiology CAS continues in the chronobiological research and the studies have been extended to the entire circadian timekeeping system in mammals with focus on its ontogenesis, entrainment mechanisms and circadian regulation of physiological functions. Key words: Pineal, Melatonin, AA-NAT rhythm, Light entrainment, Photoperiod, SCN clock.

Rapid fabrication of binder free nickel cobalt oxide electrodes with dendritic nanostructure for electrochemical energy storage applications

A rapid and facile technique to synthesize nickel cobalt oxide electrodes by photothermal treatment of mixed organometallic precursor solution is reported. Using short and intense pulses of light from a xenon flash lamp, spray coated films are converted into porous nickel cobalt oxide electrodes with dendritic nanostructure. The electrode films fabricated in a few seconds show excellent energy storage properties as supercapacitor electrodes. Specific capacitance of up to 116 Fg−1 and capacitance retention of up to 75 % were observed in samples with low mass loading. Analysis of the cyclic voltammetry (CV) curves shows that capacitance is the dominating charge storage mechanism in these films. To study the effect of varying the mass loading in electrodes, double and triple layered electrodes were also studied. In films with high mass loading, the specific capacitance of the films decreased but areal capacitance continued to increase. A high areal capacitance of up to 243 mFcm−2 is observed in films with high mass loading. CV curve analysis of high mass loading electrodes further shows that in films with higher mass loading, the charge storage mechanism is a mix of capacitance and diffusion processes. The contribution of diffusion increased with increase in the mass loading of the electrodes. This study sheds light into the mechanism of charge storage in electrodes prepared by large-scale-amenable single step process of photonic curing which could be utilized to fabricate electrodes in industrial scale.

Optical fractional solitonic structures to decoupled nonlinear Schrödinger equation arising in dual-core optical fibers

This paper explores a specific class of equations that model the propagation of optical pulses in dual-core optical fibers. The decoupled nonlinear Schrödinger equation with properties of M fractional derivatives is considered as the governing equation. The proposed model consists of group-velocity mismatch and dispersion, nonlinear refractive index and linear coupling coefficient. Different types of solutions, including mixed, dark, singular, bright-dark, bright, complex and combined solitons are extracted by using the integration methods known as fractional modified Sardar subequation method and modified F-expansion method. Optical soliton propagation in optical fibers is currently a subject of great interest due to the multiple prospects for ultrafast signal routing systems and short light pulses in communications. In nonlinear dispersive media, optical solitons are stretched electromagnetic waves that maintain their intensity due to a balance between the effects of dispersion and nonlinearity. Furthermore, hyperbolic, periodic and exponential solutions are generated. A fractional complex transformation is applied to reduce the governing model into the ordinary differential equation and then by the assistance of balance principle the methods are used, depending upon the balance number. Also, we plot the different graphs with the associated parameter values to visualize the solutions behaviours with different parameter values. The findings of this work will help to identify and clarify some novel soliton solutions and it is expected that the solutions obtained will play a vital role in the fields of physics and engineering.

Optical microcavity formation and ultrafast control using half-cycle attosecond pulses in two- and three-level media

Light induced population difference gratings have numerous applications in modern optics. The conventional approach of creating them by using monochromatic laser radiation makes it virtually impossible to rapidly control their properties. In recent years, there has been active discussion about using ultra-short light pulses to control such gratings. We show the possibility of ultrafast control of population difference structures, such as dynamic microresonators and Bragg-like grating formations, by the collision of extremely short light pulses in a resonant medium. This work focuses on changes in microcavity properties based on the different parameters, such as the atomic density of the medium, the form of the pulses, and whether the medium is two- or three-level.

Electromagnetically induced gratings created by extremely short non-overlapping pulses of light in a three-level resonant medium

In a fixed spectral range, single- and half-cycle electromagnetic pulses have the shortest duration. Half-cycle pulses are promising tools for ultrafast control of quantum systems. Previously, the possibility of using a sequence of single- and half-cycle attosecond pulses to generate and ultrafast control light-induced population difference gratings has been demonstrated. However, such studies have been carried out using different approximations, such as the sudden perturbation theory and the two-level model for the resonant medium. In this paper, based on the numerical solution of constitutive equations for elements of the density matrix and wave equation it is shown that it is possible to generate and control population gratings in a three-level medium without using the approximation of sudden perturbations used in previous studies. It is shown that taking into account the additional level of the medium does not lead to a violation of the effect of generating such gratings. This extends the applicability of previous results.

Bragg-like microcavity formed by collision of single-cycle self-induced transparency light pulses in a resonant medium.

The coherent interaction of extremely short light pulses with a resonant medium can result in the formation of population difference gratings. Such gratings have been created by pulses that are π/2 or smaller. This paper demonstrates that a microcavity with Bragg-like mirrors can be formed by colliding two single-cycle attosecond self-induced transparency pulses in the center of a two-level medium. The parameters of this structure can be quickly adjusted by increasing the number of collisions, which showcases the ability to control the dynamic properties of the medium on a sub-cycle time scale by using attosecond pulses.

Extraction of optical wave structures to the coupled fractional system in magneto-optic waveguides

In this article, truncated M-fractional coupled nonlinear Schrodinger equation (NLSE) with quadratic–cubic nonlinearity is under observation. The studied model is composed of chromatic dispersion, magneto-optic parameter and inter-modal dispersion. The NLSE is the most significant physical model to explain the fluctuations of optical soliton proliferation. The NLSEs have become more popular because of the clarity with which they explain a wide range of complex physical phenomena and the depth with which they display dynamical patterns via localized wave solutions. Optical soliton propagation in magneto-optic is currently a subject of great interest due to the multiple prospects for ultrafast signal routing systems and short light pulses in communications. The optical solitons are secured in the forms of bright, dark, singular and combo solitons. In addition, hyperbolic, periodic and exponential function solutions have been recovered. The modified Sardar subequation and enhanced modified extended tanh-expansion approaches recently developed integration tools are adopted in this study for securing the solutions. In nonlinear dispersive media, optical solitons are stretched electromagnetic waves that maintain their intensity due to a balance between the effects of dispersion and nonlinearity. The effect of parameters have been observed by allotting suitable values and sketching the different shapes of the graphs.

On the optical wave structures to the fractional nonlinear integrable coupled Kuralay equation

This paper is mainly concerning the study of truncated M-fractional Kuralay equations that have applications in numerous fields, including nonlinear optics, ferromagnetic materials, signal processing, engineering fields and optical fibers. Due to its ability to clarify a wide range of sophisticated physical phenomena and reveal more dynamic structures of localized wave solutions, the Kuralay equation has captured a lot of attention in the research field. The newly designed integration methods, known as the modified Sardar subequation method and enhanced modified extended tanh expansion method are used as solving tools to validate the solutions. The goal of this study is to extract several kinds of optical solitons, such as mixed, dark, singular, bright-dark, bright, complex and combined solitons. Due to the many potential applications for superfast signal routing techniques and shorter light pulses in communications, the optical propagation of soliton in optical fibers is now a topic of significant interest. In nonlinear dispersive media, optical solitons are stretched electromagnetic waves that maintain their intensity due to a balance between the effects of dispersion and nonlinearity. In addition, exponential, periodic, hyperbolic solutions are generated. The applied approaches are efficient in explaining fractional nonlinear partial differential equations by providing pre-existing solutions and also producing new solutions by combining results from multiple processes. Additionally, we plot the contour, 2D, and 3D graphs with the associated parameter values to visualize the solutions. The results of this study show the effectiveness of the approaches adopted and help enhance comprehension of the nonlinear dynamical behavior of specific systems. We expect that a substantial amount of engineering model specialists will greatly benefit from our work. The findings demonstrate the efficacy, efficiency, and applicability of the computational method employed, particularly in dealing with intricate systems.

Comparing resistance of bacterial spores and fungal conidia to pulsed light and UVC radiation at a wavelength of 254 nm

Pulsed light (PL) inactivates microorganisms by UV-rich, high-irradiance and short time pulses (250 μs) of white light with wavelengths from 200 nm to 1100 nm. PL is applied for disinfection of food packaging material and food-contact equipment. Spores of seven Bacillus ssp. strains and one Geobacillus stearothermophilus strain and conidia of filamentous fungi (One strain of Aspergillus brasiliensis, A. carbonarius and Penicillium rubens) were submitted to PL (fluence from 0.23 J/cm2 to 4.0 J/cm2) and UVC (at λ = 254 nm; fluence from 0.01 J/cm2 to 3.0 J/cm2). One PL flash at 3 J/cm2 allowed at least 3 log-reduction of all tested microorganisms. The emetic B. cereus strain F4810/72 was the most resistant of the tested spore-forming bacteria. The PL fluence to 3 log-reduction (F3 PL) of its spores suspended in water was 2.9 J/cm2 and F3 UVC was 0.21 J/cm2, higher than F3 PL and F3 UVC of spores of B. pumilus SAFR-032 2.0 J/cm2 and 0.15 J/cm2, respectively), yet reported as a highly UV-resistant spore-forming bacterium. PL and UVC sensitivity of bacterial spores was correlated. Aspergillus spp. conidia suspended in water were poorly sensitive to PL. In contrast, PL inactivated Aspergillus spp. conidia spread on a dry surface more efficiently than UVC. The F2 PL of A. brasiliensis DSM1988 was 0.39 J/cm2 and F2 UVC was 0.83 J/cm2. The resistance of spore-forming bacteria to PL could be reasonably predicted from the knowledge of their UVC resistance. In contrast, the sensitivity of fungal conidia to PL must be specifically explored.

An optogenetic method for the controlled release of single molecules

We developed a system for optogenetic release of single molecules in cells. We confined soluble and transmembrane proteins to the Golgi apparatus via a photocleavable protein and released them by short pulses of light. Our method allows for a light dose-dependent delivery of functional proteins to the cytosol and plasma membrane in amounts compatible with single-molecule imaging, greatly simplifying access to single-molecule microscopy of any protein in live cells. We were able to reconstitute ion conductance by delivering BK and LRRC8/volume-regulated anion channels to the plasma membrane. Finally we were able to induce NF-kB signaling in T lymphoblasts stimulated by interleukin-1 by controlled release of a signaling protein that had been knocked out. We observed light-induced formation of functional inflammatory signaling complexes that triggered phosphorylation of the inhibitor of nuclear factor kappa-B kinase only in activated cells. We thus developed an optogenetic method for the reconstitution and investigation of cellular function at the single-molecule level.

Competition of multiphoton ionization pathways in lithium

We study the three-photon ionization of atomic lithium by intense, short light pulses, via numerically solving the time-dependent Schrödinger equation. Two-photon Rabi oscillations are induced between the 2s and 4s states, which are damped due to single-photon ionization to the p continuum. Developing a minimal three-level model, we analyze the spectral features of the Autler–Townes (AT) doublet that is formed upon the resonant coupling with the laser pulse. Furthermore, we show that this 2s→→4s→p continuum pathway is the dominant process, if the duration of the laser pulse exceeds a certain value. For shorter pulses, ionization through the 2p state ( 2s→2p→4d→f continuum ) gradually becomes the dominant process, provided that the pulse is strong enough to induce several Rabi floppings. Here, we trace the competition of these ionization pathways by observing the structural changes in the shape of the AT doublet.