Strong coupling in a single quantum dot-semiconductor microcavity system

Cavity quantum electrodynamics, a central research field in optics and solid-state physics, addresses properties of atom-like emitters in cavities and can be divided into a weak and a strong coupling regime. For weak coupling, the spontaneous emission can be enhanced or reduced compared with its vacuum level by tuning discrete cavity modes in and out of resonance with the emitter. However, the most striking change of emission properties occurs when the conditions for strong coupling are fulfilled. In this case there is a change from the usual irreversible spontaneous emission to a reversible exchange of energy between the emitter and the cavity mode. This coherent coupling may provide a basis for future applications in quantum information processing or schemes for coherent control. Until now, strong coupling of individual two-level systems has been observed only for atoms in large cavities. Here we report the observation of strong coupling of a single two-level solid-state system with a photon, as realized by a single quantum dot in a semiconductor microcavity. The strong coupling is manifest in photoluminescence data that display anti-crossings between the quantum dot exciton and cavity-mode dispersion relations, characterized by a vacuum Rabi splitting of about 140 microeV.     

A regional tectonic event of Katian (Late Ordovician) age across three major blocks of China

The present paper deals with a tectonic event of Late Ordovician age affecting three blocks of China,i.e.South China,North China and Tarim.In the North China and the Tarim platforms,as well as their marginal belts,there was a regional uplift during the early Katian Stage of the Ordovician.The uplift was indicated by the unconformities between the Ordovician successions and overlying late Paleozoic strata.New biostratigraphic studies of conodonts and graptolites from many sections at Longxian and Yaoxian,North China shows that the youngest Ordovician strata are of the early Katian age corresponding to graptolite Diplacanthograptus spiniferus Biozone.The same level has been recognized to represent the uppermost Ordovician in the platform area of Tarim,whereas in the marginal belt the top boundary of the Ordovician is slightly younger,corresponding to the graptolite Dicellograptus complanatus Biozone.Thus,the regional uplift in North China and Tarim is shown by the disconformity between the early Katian strata and Late Paleozoic strata,the onset coinciding with that of the Kwangsian Orogeny in South China.The designation Kwangsian Orogeny later fell into disuse and was replaced by the term Caledonian Orogeny.However,in terms of geographic location,tectonic nature,and the timing of activity,the Caledonian Orogeny differs significantly from the orogenic event in South China,and the continued use of this term in South China is inappropriate and misleading.     

Nanoscale imaging magnetometry with diamond spins under ambient conditions

Magnetic resonance imaging and optical microscopy are key technologies in the life sciences. For microbiological studies, especially of the inner workings of single cells, optical microscopy is normally used because it easily achieves resolution close to the optical wavelength. But in conventional microscopy, diffraction limits the resolution to about half the wavelength. Recently, it was shown that this limit can be partly overcome by nonlinear imaging techniques, but there is still a barrier to reaching the molecular scale. In contrast, in magnetic resonance imaging the spatial resolution is not determined by diffraction; rather, it is limited by magnetic field sensitivity, and so can in principle go well below the optical wavelength. The sensitivity of magnetic resonance imaging has recently been improved enough to image single cells, and magnetic resonance force microscopy has succeeded in detecting single electrons and small nuclear spin ensembles. However, this technique currently requires cryogenic temperatures, which limit most potential biological applications. Alternatively, single-electron spin states can be detected optically, even at room temperature in some systems. Here we show how magneto-optical spin detection can be used to determine the location of a spin associated with a single nitrogen-vacancy centre in diamond with nanometre resolution under ambient conditions. By placing these nitrogen-vacancy spins in functionalized diamond nanocrystals, biologically specific magnetofluorescent spin markers can be produced. Significantly, we show that this nanometre-scale resolution can be achieved without any probes located closer than typical cell dimensions. Furthermore, we demonstrate the use of a single diamond spin as a scanning probe magnetometer to map nanoscale magnetic field variations. The potential impact of single-spin imaging at room temperature is far-reaching. It could lead to the capability to probe biologically relevant spins in living cells.     

Class I and class II ribonuclease H activities inCrithidia fasciculata (protozoa)

Summary The protozoanCrithidia fasciculata contains two different ribonuclease H activities. These enzymes display similar physical and biochemical characteristics to their homologues in higher eukaryotes, for instance calf thymus class I and class II ribonuclease H. Class I ribonuclease H of lower and higher eukaryotes can be activated by Mg²⁺- and Mn²⁺- ions. However, the presence of Mn²⁺-ions is inhibitory for the Mg²⁺-dependent class II ribonuclease H activity ofCrithidia fasciculata and calf thymus. The protozoan class I-homologue enzyme appears to be serologically related to the class I ribonuclease H of calf thymus.     

Spontane und induzierte Quadriradialbildungen an Schweinechromosomen in Lymphozytenkulturen

Summary In chromosome preparations from swine lymphocyte cultures, quadriradial figures and homolog associations were seen only of chromosome 10 and at a low frequency. The frequency of quadriradial figures was substantially increased by mitomycin C treatment, whereby 26.2% of the quadriradials were formed from the same chromosome pair with the number 10.