Nanosecond-scale all-optical Ti3C2Tx-MXene modulator

Inspired by recent advancements of graphene-based ultrafast photonic devices, as a graphene-like two-dimensional layer-structure material, Ti3C2Tx-MXene has gained much interest in nonlinear optical applications, especially in all-optical intensity modulation. Herein, we successfully fabricated an all-optical modulator based on Ti3C2Tx-Mxene/polyvinyl-alcohol film with nanosecond-scale response time, modulation speed of 100 kHz, and modulation depth of 10%. Furthermore, the variation of fall edges of modulated signal pulse attributing to thermo-optic effect under different pump power was also observed. Considering the ease of fabrication, low cost, ease integration, the proposed novel modulator may open the door for highspeed all-optical communications and signal processing.

Reciprocity of thermal diffusion in time-modulated systems

The reciprocity principle governs the symmetry in transmission of electromagnetic and acoustic waves, as well as the diffusion of heat between two points in space, with important consequences for thermal management and energy harvesting. There has been significant recent interest in materials with time-modulated properties, which have been shown to efficiently break reciprocity for light, sound, and even charge diffusion. However, time modulation may not be a plausible approach to break thermal reciprocity, in contrast to the usual perception. We establish a theoretical framework to accurately describe the behavior of diffusive processes under time modulation, and prove that thermal reciprocity in dynamic materials is generally preserved by the continuity equation, unless some external bias or special material is considered. We then experimentally demonstrate reciprocal heat transfer in a time-modulated device. Our findings correct previous misconceptions regarding reciprocity breaking for thermal diffusion, revealing the generality of symmetry constraints in heat transfer, and clarifying its differences from other transport processes in what concerns the principles of reciprocity and microscopic reversibility.

Active Optical Signal Conditioning and Monitoring System

An optical signal conditioning technique for dynamic modulation of signals and real-time monitoring of events is pivotal for developing various optical systems at micro/nano dimensions. The utilities of such technique include controllable signal enhancement and distinctive response towards external stimuli, with reconfigurable operational range. Here, we propose and demonstrate an optical technique based on the parallel integration of fiber modal interferometers for optical response enhancement and multi-signal monitoring. Overlap of the interferometers’ characteristic spectra facilitates controllable signal filtering, attenuation, and amplification of interferometer’s response towards dynamic field over wide frequency range of 1 Hz – 1 kHz. Signal to noise ratio (SNR) enhancement of 9 dB is achieved by applying 1 volt about the reference interferometer. The system enables real-time modulation of optical signals and multipoint signal monitoring using machine learning for various applications such as mechanical vibrations, acoustic fields, biological samples, fluid movement, and other similar dynamic fields.

Spectral, Morphological and Dynamical Analysis of a Holographic Grating Recorded in a Photo-Mobile Composite Polymer Mixture

We report on the morphological, spectral and dynamical characterization of one-dimensional transmission holographic volume phase gratings, whose refractive index contrast and nanometric pitch are dynamically controlled by an incident laser light. The grating is obtained by the photo-polymerization of a recently developed photo-mobile holographic composite polymer material. The observed changes in the refractive index contrast and grating pitch strongly suggest that the reversible all-optical real-time modulation of the obtained diffraction efficiency is induced by nano-fluidics.

The regulatory role of GABAA receptor in Actinia equina nervous system and the possible effect of global ocean acidification

Global warming and connected acidification of the world ocean attract a substantial amount of research efforts, in particular in a context of their impact on behaviour and metabolism of marine organisms, such as Cnidaria. Nevertheless, mechanisms underlying Cnidarians’ neural signalling and behaviour and their (possible) alterations due to the world ocean acidification remain poorly understood. Here we researched for the first time modulation of GABAA receptors (GABAARs) in Actinia equina (Cnidaria: Anthozoa) by pH fluctuations within a range predicted by the world ocean acidification scenarios for the next 80–100 years and by selective pharmacological activation. We found that in line with earlier studies on vertebrates, both changes of pH and activation of GABAARs with a selective allosteric agonist (diazepam) modulate electrical charge transfer through GABAAR and the whole-cell excitability. On top of that, diazepam modifies the animal behavioural reaction on startle response. However, despite behavioural reactions displayed by living animals are controlled by GABAARs, changes of pH do not alter them significantly. Possible mechanisms underlying the species resistance to acidification impact are discussed.

Improved Pair-Wise Detections of Differential Quasi-Orthogonal Space-Time Modulation with Four Transmit Antennas

In this paper, we propose new complex and real pair-wise detection for conventional differential space–time modulations based on quasi-orthogonal design with four transmit antennas for general QAM. Since the new complex and real pair-wise detections allow the independent joint ML detection of two complex and real symbol pairs, respectively, the decoding complexity is the same as or lower than conventional differential detections. Simulation results show that the proposed detections exhibit almost identical performance with an optimum maximum-likelihood receiver, as well as improved performance compared with conventional pair-wise detections, especially for higher modulation order.

Evidence for Complex Fixed Points in Pandemic Data

Mathematical models used in epidemiology to describe the diffusion of infectious diseases often fail to reproduce the recurrent appearance of exponential growth in the number of infections (waves). This feature requires a time-modulation of some parameters of the model. Moreover, epidemic data show the existence of a region of quasi-linear growth (strolling period) of infected cases extending in between waves. We demonstrate that this constitutes evidence for the existence of near time-scale invariance that is neatly encoded via complex fixed points in the epidemic Renormalization Group approach. As a result, we obtain the first consistent mathematical description of multiple wave dynamics and its inter-wave strolling regime. Our results are tested and calibrated against the COVID-19 pandemic data. Because of the simplicity of our approach that is organized around symmetry principles, our discovery amounts to a paradigm shift in the way epidemiological data are mathematically modelled. We show that the strolling period is crucial in controlling the emergence of the next wave, thus encouraging the maintenance of (non)pharmaceutical measures during the period following a wave.