Weakly nonparaxial effects on the propagation of (1+1)D spatial solitons in inhomogeneous Kerr media

The widely-used approach to study the beam propagation in Kerr media is based on the slowly varying envelope approximation (SVEA) which is also known as the paraxial approximation. Within this approximation, the beam evolution is described by the nonlinear Schrödinger (NLS) equation. In this paper, we extend the NLS equation by including higher-order terms to study the effects of nonparaxiality on the soliton propagation in inhomogeneous Kerr media. The result is still a one-way wave equation which means that all back-reflections are neglected. The accuracy of this approximation exceeds the standard SVEA. By performing several numerical simulations, we show that the NLS equation produces reasonably good predictions for relatively small degrees of nonparaxiality, as expected. However, in the regions where the envelope beam is changing rapidly as in the breakup of a multisoliton bound state, the nonparaxiality plays an important role

Field representation for optical defect resonances in multilayer microcavities using quasi-normal modes

Quasi-normal modes are used to characterize transmission resonances in 1D optical defect cavities and the related field approximations. We specialize to resonances inside the bandgap of the periodic multilayer mirrors that enclose the defect cavities. Using a template with the most relevant QNMs a variational principle permits to represent the field and the spectral transmission close to resonances

Transparent-Influx Boundary Conditions for FEM Based Modelling of 2D Helmholtz Problems in Optics

A numerical method for the analysis of the 2D Helmholtz equation is presented, which incorporates Transparent-Influx Boundary Conditions into a variational formulation of the Helmholtz problem. For rectangular geometries, the non-locality of those boundaries can be efficiently handled by using Fourier decomposition. The Finite Element Method is used to discretise the interior and the nonlocal Dirichlet-to-Neumann operators arising from the formulation of Transparent-Influx Boundary Conditions

Variational coupled mode theory and perturbation analysis for 1D photonic crystal structures using quasi-normal modes

Quasi-normal modes are used to directly characterize defect resonances in composite 1D Photonic Crystal structures. Variational coupled mode theory using QNMs enables quantification of the eigenfrequency splitting in composite structures. Also, variational perturbation analysis of complex eigenfrequencies is addressed

Effect of Bilayer Thickness on Membrane Bending Rigidity

The bending rigidity $k_c$ of bilayer vesicles self-assembled from amphiphilic diblock copolymers has been measured using single and dual-micropipet techniques. These copolymers are nearly a factor of 5 greater in hydrophobic membrane thickness $d$ than their lipid counterparts, and an order of magnitude larger in molecular weight $\bar{M}_n$. The macromolecular structure of these amphiphiles lends insight into and extends relationships for traditional surfactant behavior. We find the scaling of $k_c$ with thickness to be nearly quadratic, in agreement with existing theories for bilayer membranes. The results here are key to understanding and designing soft interfaces such as biomembrane mimetics

Helmholtz solver with transparent influx boundary conditions and nonuniform exterior

Boundary conditions for a 2D finite element Helmholtz solver are derived, which allow scattered light to leave the calculation domain in the presence of outgoing waveguides. Influx of light, through a waveguide or otherwise, can be prescribed at any boundary

A combination of Dirichlet to Neumann operators and perfectly matched layers as boundary conditions for optical finite element simulations

By combining Dirichlet to Neumann (DtN) operators and Perfectly Matched Layers (PML’s) as boundary conditions on a rectangular domain on which the Helmholtz equation is solved, the disadvantages of both methods are greatly diminished. Due to the DtN operators, light may be accurately fluxed into the domain, while the PML’s absorb light that is reflected from the corners of the domain when only DtN boundaries are used

National Estimates of Missing Children: Selected Trends, 1988-1999.

Presents results of an analysis comparing selected findings from the second National Incidence Studies of Missing, Abducted, Runaway, and Thrownaway Children (NISMART–2) and its predecessor, NISMART–1. The analysis, which is based on household surveys of adult caretakers and covers victims of family abductions, runaways, and children categorized as lost, injured, or otherwise missing, highlights trends from 1988 to 1999. The most important finding is the absence of increases in any of these problems. For some types of episodes, the incident rates decreased. This Bulletin is part of a series summarizing results from NISMART–2