Search

Coherent combination of emission power from an array of coupled semiconductor lasers operating on the same chip is of fundamental and technological importance. In general, the nonlinear competition among the array supermodes can entail incoherence and spectral broadening, leading to spatiotemporally unstable and multimode emission pattern and thus poor beam quality. Here, by harnessing notions from supersymmetric (SUSY) quantum mechanics, we report that the strategic coupling between a class III-V semiconductor microring laser array with its dissipative superpartner can be used to limit the number of supermodes available for laser actions to one. We introduce a novel approach based on second-order SUSY transformation in order to drastically simplify the superpartner array engineering. Compared to a conventional laser array, which has multimode spectrum, a SUSY laser array is observed to be capable of operating in a single (transverse) supermode. Enhancement of the peak output intensity of the SUSY laser array has been demonstrated with high-efficiency and lower lasing threshold, compared with a single laser and a conventional laser array. Our experimental findings pave the way towards broad-area and high-power light generation in a scalable and stable fashion.

Topological photonic systems offer light transport that is robust against defects and disorder, promising a new generation of chip-scale photonic devices and facilitating energy-efficient on-chip information routing and processing. However, present quasi one-dimensional designs, such as the Su-Schrieffer-Heeger (SSH) and Rice-Mele (RM) models, support only a limited number of nontrivial phases due to restrictions on dispersion band engineering. Here, we experimentally demonstrate a flexible topological photonic lattice on a silicon photonic platform that realizes multiple topologically nontrivial dispersion bands. By suitably setting the couplings between the one-dimensional waveguides, different lattices can exhibit the transition between multiple different topological phases and allow the independent realization of the corresponding edge states. Heterodyne measurements clearly reveal the ultrafast transport dynamics of the edge states in different phases at a femto-second scale, validating the designed topological features. Our study equips topological models with enriched edge dynamics and considerably expands the scope to engineer unique topological features into photonic, acoustic and atomic systems.

Mathematical models that accurately predict the mechanical behavior of blood can contribute to the development of biomedical devices and medications which are relevant in clinical applications. The models existing in the literature are complex enough in order to agree with various in vitro experimental observations. Latest technological advancements opened the possibility of studying blood flow in vivo which could play an important role in the creation of biocompatible implants for health monitoring and treatment purposes. However, most of existing models may fail to predict blood behavior in vivo because they require many parameters which are difficult to find in vivo and they do not incorporate pertinent coupled chemo-mechanical dynamics specific to blood flow in a living body. Recently, we used the fractional model of continuum mechanics proposed by Drapaca and Sivaloganathan [J. Elast.,107: 105-123, 2012] to study blood circulation. In this mathematical formulation the spatial derivatives of the rate of deformation tensor are expressed using Caputo fractional derivatives. The aim of this paper is to compare the Poiseuille flows of blood through an axi-symmetric circular rigid and impermeable pipe where the blood is described by the above mentioned fractional model, the Casson's model, and the power law model. Although the velocity profiles of these three models look similar, the fractional model provides a better fitting to published experimental data.

Numerical simulation of ultrasonic wave propagation provides an efficient tool for crack identification in structures, while it requires a high resolution and expensive time calculation cost in both time integration and spatial discretization. Wavelet finite element model provides a highorder finite element model and gives a higher accuracy on spatial discretization, B-Spline wavelet interval (BSWI) has been proved to be one of the most commonly used wavelet finite element model with the advantage of getting the same accuracy but with fewer element so that the calculation cost is much lower than traditional finite element method and other high-order element methods. Precise Integration Method provides a higher resolution in time integration and has been proved to be a stable time integration method with a much lower cut-off error for same and even smaller time step. In this paper, a wavelet finite element model combined with precise integration method is presented for the numerical simulation of ultrasonic wave propagation and crack identification in 1D structures. Firstly, the wavelet finite element based on BSWI is constructed for rod and beam structures. Then Precise Integrated Method is introduced with application for the wave propagation in 1D structures. Finally, numerical examples of ultrasonic wave propagation in rod and beam structures are conducted for verification. Moreover, crack identification in both rod and beam structures are studied based on the new model.

Deformation based circulating tumor cell (CTC) microchips are a representative diagnostic device for early cancer detection. This type of device usually involves a process of CTC trapping in a confined microgeometry. Further understanding of the CTC flow regime, as well as the threshold passing-through pressure is key to the design of deformation based CTC filtration devices. In the present numerical study, we investigate the transitional deformation and pressure signature from surface tension dominated flow to viscous shear stress dominated flow using a droplet model. Regarding whether CTC fully blocks the channel inlet, we observe two flow regimes: CTC squeezing and shearing regime. By studying the relation of CTC deformation at the exact critical pressure point for increasing inlet velocity, three different types of cell deformation are observed: 1) hemispherical front, 2) parabolic front, and 3) elongated CTC co-flowing with carrier media. Focusing on the circular channel, we observe a first increasing and then decreasing critical pressure change with increasing flow rate. By pressure analysis, the concept of optimum velocity is proposed to explain the behavior of CTC filtration and design optimization of CTC filter. Similar behavior is also observed in channels with symmetrical cross sessions like square and triangular but not in rectangular channels which only results in decreasing critical pressure.

The ability of detecting and separating CTCs can play a key role in early cancer detection and treatment. In recent years, there has been growing interest in using deformability-based CTC separation microfilters due to their simplicity and low cost. Most of previous studies in this area are mainly based on experimental work. Although experimental research provides useful insights in designing CTC separation devices, there is still a lack of design guidelines based on fundamental understandings of the cell separation process in the filers. While experimental efforts face challenges especially microfabrication difficulties, we adopt numerical simulation here to study conical-shaped microfilters using deformability difference between CTCs and blood cells for separation process. We use liquid drop model for modeling a CTC passing through such microfilters. The accuracy of the model in predicting the pressure signature of the system is validated by comparing with previous experiments. Pressure-deformability analysis of the cell going through the channel is then carried out in detail in order to better understand how a CTC behaves throughout the filtration process. Different system design criteria such as system throughput and unclogging of the system are discussed. Specifically, pressure behavior under different system throughput is analyzed. Regarding the unclogging issue, we define pressure ratio as a key parameter representing the ability to overcome clogging in such CTC separation devices and investigate the effect of conical angle on the optimum pressure ratio. Finally, the effect of unclogging applied pressure on the system performance is examined. Our study provides detailed understandings of the cell separation process and its characteristics, which can be used for developing more efficient CTC separation devices.

We use a generalized spin wave approach and large scale quantum Monte Carlo (QMC) simulations to study the quantum phase diagram and quasiparticle excitations of the S=1 Heisenberg model with an easy-plane single-ion anisotropy in dimensions d=2 and 3. We consider two alternative approximations for describing the quantum paramagnetic state: the standard Holstein-Primakoff approximation and a modified treatment in which the local constraint (finite dimension of the local Hilbert space) is enforced by introducing a Lagrange multiplier. While both approximations produce qualitatively similar results, the latter approach is the only one that is in good quantitative agreement with the quantum phase diagram and the quasiparticle dispersions obtained with QMC. This result is very important for low-temperature studies of quantum paramagnets in magnetic fields because it shows that a simple modification of the standard analytical approach should produce much better quantitative agreement between theory and experiment., Comment: 11 pages, 7 figures