We simulate an evolutionary process in the lab for designing a novel high confinement photonic structure, starting with a set of completely random patterns, with no insight on the initial geometrical pattern. We show a spontaneous emergence of periodical patterns as well as previously unseen high confinement subwavelength bowtie regions. The evolved structure has a $Q$ of 300 and an ultrasmall modal volume of $0.112(\lambda /2n{)}^3$. The emergence of the periodic patterns in the structure indicates that periodicity is a principal condition for effective control of the distribution of light.

We present an equation-free computational approach to the study of the coarse-grained dynamics of finite assemblies of nonidentical coupled oscillators at and near full synchronization. We use coarse-grained observables which account for the (rapidly developing) correlations between phase angles and natural frequencies. Exploiting short bursts of appropriately initialized detailed simulations, we circumvent the derivation of closures for the long-term dynamics of the assembly statistics.

We create optical precursors by propagating a step-modulated optical pulse through a linear resonant dielectric absorber. The field emerging from the dielectric consists of a several-nanosecond-long spike with near 100% transmission, which decays to a constant value expected from Beer’s law. This high-transmission spike might be useful for imaging applications requiring penetrating optical radiation. We compare our observations to two different theories, revealing that the spike consists of both the Sommerfeld and Brillouin precursors.

Binding along the beam axis (which we shall call “longitudinal optical binding”) has been observed between micron-sized oil droplets in a three dimensional optical trap in air. We argue that it is the high optical contrast which is responsible for the exceptionally stable doublet structures observed experimentally. It was also observed that optically bound doublets tend to cling to interference fringes created by the two counterpropagating beams. Our observations are qualitatively discussed in the context of both the ray model (optics) approximation, and in the Rayleigh (dipolar) range. Our observations were consistent with calculations of binding and trapping forces which we carried out by employing an exact multiple-scattering theory.

The electrohydrodynamic instability of the interface between two liquids with different physical and electrical properties in plane Poiseuille flow is used to form monodisperse droplets in a square channel. The drop size and formation rate are controlled by simply controlling the flow rates and the amplitude of the electric field applied across the channel.

We study the behavior of a confined stream made of two immiscible fluids when it reaches a T junction. Two flow patterns are witnessed: the stream is either directed in only one sidearm, yielding a preferential flow pathway for the dispersed phase, or splits between both. We show that the selection of these patterns is not triggered by the shape of the junction nor by capillary effects, but results from confinement. It can be anticipated in terms of the hydrodynamic properties of the flow. A simple model yielding universal behavior in terms of the relevant adimensional parameters of the problem is presented and discussed.

We theoretically and experimentally investigate the self-focusing of optical vortices in Kerr media. We observe collapse to a distinct self-similar profile, which becomes unstable to azimuthal perturbations. We analyze the azimuthal modulational instability for ring-shaped vortices and predict the number of azimuthal maxima solely as a function of power and topological charge. In our experiments, the observed multiple-filamentation patterns are in excellent agreement with our theoretical analysis.

Silicone elastomer composites containing multiwalled carbon nanotubes have been irradiated with near-infrared light to study their mechanical actuation response. We show that the speed of the stimulated response is faster than Debye relaxation, instead following a compressed-exponential law. However, the relaxation after switching off the light source follows the simple-exponential relaxation, as does the stimulated response at very low nanotube concentration. We discuss possible models and explanations to account for the fast photomechanical response.

We carried out experiments that show a gas pressure dependent ability of light to eject particles from a dust bed. Dust eruptions also occur upon removal of the light source. This can be attributed to a solid state greenhouse effect and photophoretic forces. This ejection mechanism works at light intensities larger than $6\mathrm{kW}/{\mathrm{m}}^2$ but in extreme cases might work as low as $1\mathrm{kW}/{\mathrm{m}}^2$. It can be applied to sunlit dust on Mars where it aids or triggers dust lift-off from the surface into the atmosphere. It is of importance for dusty bodies at the inner edge of protoplanetary disks where it leads to light induced erosion. The effect also offers a base for technical applications of dust removal in low pressure environments.

The first consistent phenomenological theory for two- and three-dimensional Rayleigh-Taylor (RT) turbulence has recently been presented by Chertkov [Phys. Rev. Lett. 91, 115001 (2003)]. By means of direct numerical simulations, we confirm the spatiotemporal prediction of the theory in two dimensions and explore the breakdown of the phenomenological description due to intermittency effects. We show that small-scale statistics of velocity and temperature follow Bolgiano-Obukhov scaling. At the level of global observables, we show that the time-dependent Nusselt and Reynolds numbers scale as the square root of the Rayleigh number. These results point to the conclusion that RT turbulence in two and three dimensions, thanks to the absence of boundaries, provides a natural physical realization of the Kraichnan scaling regime hitherto associated with the elusive “ultimate state of thermal convection.”

Centrifugal forces break the degenerate closed-streamline configuration that occurs in simple shear flow past a neutrally buoyant torque-free particle in the inertialess limit. The broken symmetry allows heat or mass to be convected away in an efficient manner in sharp contrast to the inertialess diffusion-limited scenario. The dimensionless transfer rate, characterized by the Nusselt number, is found to be $\mathrm{Nu}=0.33(\mathrm{Re}\mathrm{Pe}{)}^{1/3}+O(1)$ for small but finite Re when $\mathrm{Re}\mathrm{Pe}\gg 1$. Here, the particle Reynolds number (Re) is a dimensionless measure of the inertial forces, while the Peclet number (Pe) measures the relative importance of the convective and the diffusive transfer mechanisms. The symmetry-breaking bifurcation is expected to occur in generic shearing flows, and represents a possible means for heat or mass transfer enhancement from the dispersed phase in multiphase systems.

In this work we transform the deterministic dynamics of an overdamped tilting ratchet into a discrete dynamical map by looking stroboscopically at the continuous motion originally ruled by differential equations. We show that, for the simple and widely used case of periodic dichotomous driving forces, the resulting discrete map belongs to the class of circle homeomorphisms. This approach allows us to apply the well-known properties of such maps to derive the necessary and sufficient conditions that the ratchet potential must satisfy in order to have a vanishing current. Furthermore, as a consequence of the above, we show (i) that there is a class of periodic potentials which do not exhibit the rectification phenomenon in spite of their asymmetry and (ii) that current reversals occur in the deterministic case for a large class of ratchet potentials.

Flow driven by moving a wall that bounds a fluid-filled cavity is a classic example of a multiscale problem. Continuum equations predict that every scale contributes roughly equally to the total force on the moving wall, leading to a logarithmic divergence, and that there is an infinite hierarchy of vortices at the stationary corners. A multiscale approach is developed that retains an atomistic description in key regions. Following the stress over more than six decades in length in systems with characteristic scales of up to millimeters and milliseconds allows us to resolve the singularities and determine the force for the first time. We find a universal dependence on the macroscopic Reynolds number, and large atomistic effects that depend on wall velocity and interactions.

We show how holographic optical trapping can be used for the multipoint measurement of fluid flow in microscopic geometries. An array of microprobes can be simultaneously trapped and used to map out the fluid flow in a microfluidic device. The optical traps are alternately turned on and off such that the probe particles are displaced by the flow of the surrounding fluid and then retrapped. The particles’ displacements are monitored by digital video microscopy and directly converted into velocity field values. This technique enables the measurement of a two-dimensional flow field at points arbitrarily distributed in a three-dimensional volume. The validity of the technique is demonstrated for the case of the flow around a spinning sphere and the flow at the outlet of a microchannel.

We present a new technique for direct conversion of thermal energy into coherent radiation. The near-surface layer of evaporated excited atoms of rare earth metals is proposed to be used as a converter. There is an inverted population in this layer. Operation principles of two level lasers on the transitions to the ground state using Eu are considered. The fact of detachment of Sm atoms in the excited $4f^{N-1}5d6s^2$ state during the thermal evaporation process has been proved experimentally.

We show that a photonic crystal film can emit coherent thermal radiation. We demonstrate the key role of leaky waves existing at the air-photonic crystal interface. The frequency and direction of emission depend on the lattice parameters. This paves the way towards the design of coherent infrared antennas.

High-precision spectral measurements on the 9th harmonic generated in xenon gas are compared with calculations of the plasma dynamics resulting from multiphoton ionization in the laser focus. For the regime of 300 ps pulses and above-saturation intensities a novel mechanism producing redshifts in the harmonics is uncovered and explained. Ions play a double role: the nonlinear susceptibility of the ions is decisive for the harmonic intensity, while their mutual repulsion and the associated increase of the index of refraction is identified as the cause of the redshift.

The advection of passive tracers in an oscillating vortex chain is investigated. It is shown that by adding a suitable perturbation to the ideal flow, the induced chaotic advection exhibits two remarkable properties which do not hold in the case of a generic perturbation: Particles remain trapped within a specific domain bounded by two oscillating barriers (suppression of chaotic transport along the channel), and the stochastic sea seems to cover this whole bounded domain (enhancement of mixing within the rolls).

An investigation of the stability of low density and viscosity fluid jets and spouts in unbounded coflowing liquids is presented. A full parametrical analysis from low to high Weber and Reynolds numbers shows that the presence of any fluid of finite density and viscosity inside the hollow jet elicits a transition from an absolute to a convective instability at a finite value of the Weber number, for any value of the Reynolds number. Below that critical value of the Weber number, the absolute character of the instability leads to local breakup, and consequently to local bubbling. Experimental data support our model.

We experimentally study the properties of mean and most probable velocity fields in a turbulent von Kármán flow. These fields are found to be described by two families of functions, as predicted by a recent statistical mechanics study of 3D axisymmetric flows. We show that these functions depend on the viscosity and on the forcing. Furthermore, when the Reynolds number is increased, we exhibit a tendency for Beltramization of the flow, i.e., a velocity-vorticity alignment. This result provides a first experimental evidence of nonlinearity depletion in nonhomogeneous nonisotropic turbulent flow.