Interplay of Kerr and Raman beam cleaning with a multimode microstructure fiber

We experimentally study the competition between Kerr beam self-cleaning and Raman beam cleanup in a multimode air-silica microstructure optical fiber. Kerr beam self-cleaning of the pump is observed for a certain range of input powers only. Raman Stokes beam generation and cleanup lead to both depletion and degradation of beam quality for the pump. The interplay of modal four-wave mixing and Raman scattering in the infrared domain lead to the generation of a multimode supercontinuum ranging from 500 nm up to 1800 nm

Self-cleaning on a higher order mode in ytterbium-doped multimode fiber with parabolic profile

We experimentally demonstrate polarization-dependent Kerr spatial beam self-cleaning into the LP11 mode of an Ytterbium-doped multimode optical fiber with parabolic gain and refractive index profiles

Apolipoprotein E Polymorphism Interacts with Cigarette Smoking in Progression of Multiple Sclerosis

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The influence of apolipoprotein E (ApoE) polymorphism on clinical severity of multiple sclerosis (MS) is still controversial. Cigarette smoking has been suggested to influence the progression of disability in these patients. In this study, we aimed to investigate whether an interaction of smoking with the ApoE polymorphism influences the progression of disability in MS patients. METHODS: Smoking history from 205 female patients with MS was obtained. Clinical data collected include age at onset, disease duration, annual relapse rate, the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) and the Multiple Sclerosis Severity Score (MSSS). ApoE polymorphism was examined in all patients and stratified according to smoking status and associations with the clinical data investigated. RESULTS: There were no significant associations between cigarette smoking and any of the clinical characteristics in the whole group of patients. In women carrying the ApoE E4 isoform, smokers had a lower EDSS (P = 0.033) and MSSS (P = 0.023) in comparison with non-smokers. CONCLUSION: Our data suggest that in women with MS carrying the ApoE E4 isoform, cigarette smoking may have a protective influence on disease progression and accumulation of disability. These findings need to be confirmed by future large longitudinal studies.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Spatiotemporal Characterization of Supercontinuum Extending from the Visible to the Mid-Infrared in Multimode Graded-Index Optical Fiber

We experimentally demonstrate that pumping a graded-index multimode fiber with sub-ns pulses from a microchip Nd:YAG laser leads to spectrally flat supercontinuum generation with a uniform bell-shaped spatial beam profile extending from the visible to the mid-infrared at 2500\,nm. We study the development of the supercontinuum along the multimode fiber by the cut-back method, which permits us to analyze the competition between the Kerr-induced geometric parametric instability and stimulated Raman scattering. We also performed a spectrally resolved temporal analysis of the supercontinuum emission.Comment: 5 pages 7 figure

SN 2007od: A Type IIP SN with Circumstellar Interaction

SN 2007od exhibits characteristics that have rarely been seen in a Type IIP supernova (SN). Optical V band photometry reveals a very steep brightness decline between the plateau and nebular phases of ~4.5 mag, likely due to SN 2007od containing a low mass of 56Ni. The optical spectra show an evolution from normal Type IIP with broad Halpha emission, to a complex, four component Halpha emission profile exhibiting asymmetries caused by dust extinction after day 232. This is similar to the spectral evolution of the Type IIn SN 1998S, although no early-time narrow (~200 km s-1) Halpha component was present in SN 2007od. In both SNe, the intermediate-width Halpha emission components are thought to arise in the interaction between the ejecta and its circumstellar medium (CSM). SN 2007od also shows a mid-IR excess due to new dust. The evolution of the Halpha profile and the presence of the mid-IR excess provide strong evidence that SN 2007od formed new dust before day 232. Late-time observations reveal a flattening of the visible lightcurve. This flattening is a strong indication of the presence of a light echo, which likely accounts for much of the broad, underlying Halpha component seen at late-times. We believe the multi-peaked Halpha emission is consistent with the interaction of the ejecta with a circumstellar ring or torus (for the inner components at \pm1500 km s-1), and a single blob or cloud of circumstellar material out of the plane of the CSM ring (for the outer component at -5000 km s-1). The most probable location for the formation of new dust is in the cool dense shell created by the interaction between the expanding ejecta and its CSM. Monte Carlo radiative transfer modeling of the dust emission from SN 2007od implies that up to 4x 10-4Msun of new dust has formed. This is similar to the amounts of dust formed in other CCSNe such as SNe 1999em, 2004et, and 2006jc.Comment: 35 pages, 6 figures. Accepted for publication in Ap

Kerr self-cleaning of pulsed beam in an ytterbium doped multimode fiber

We experimentally demonstrate that Kerr spatial self-cleaning of a pulsed beam can be obtained in an amplifying multimode optical fiber. An input peak power of 500 W only was sufficient to produce a quasi-single-mode emission from the double-clad ytterbium doped multimode fiber (YMMF) with non-parabolic refractive index profile. We compare the self-cleaning behavior observed in the same fiber with loss and with gain. Laser gain introduces new opportunities to achieve spatial self-cleaning of light in multimode fibers at a relatively low power threshold

Eruptions of the V838 Mon type: stellar merger versus nuclear outburst models

We discuss various models and scenarios proposed to explain the nature of the V838 Mon type eruptions. In this class of eruptive objects we include: M31 RV (erupted in 1988), V4332 Sgr (erupted in 1994) and V838 Mon (erupted in 2002). We concentrate on three models: (i) thermonuclear runaway on an accreting white dwarf (nova-like event); (ii) He-shell flash in a post asymptotic giant branch star (born-again AGB); and (iii) merger of stars. We show that models (i) and (ii) cannot account for the majority of the observed properties of the objects. Most significantly, in both nuclear burning type models the object is expected to heat up before declining and fade as a very hot compact star. In the observed eruptions the objects declined as very cool giants or supergiants. We show that the stellar merger model can account for all the observed properties and conclude that presently this is the most promising model to explain the eruptions of the V838 Mon type.Comment: 15 pages, 1 figure, accepted in A&

Theory of photospheric emission from relativistic outflows

In this paper we reexamine the optical depth of ultrarelativistic spherically symmetric outflows and reevaluate the photospheric radius for each model during both the acceleration and coasting phases. It is shown that for both the wind and the shell models there are two asymptotic solutions for the optical depth during the coasting phase of the outflow. In particular we show that quite counterintuitively a geometrically thin shell may appear as a thick wind for photons propagating inside it. For this reason we introduce notions of photon thick and photon thin outflows, which appear more general and better physically motivated with respect to winds and shells. Photosphere of relativistic outflow is a dynamic surface. We study its geometry and find that the photosphere of photon thin outflow has always a convex shape, while in the photon thick one it is initially convex (there is always a photon thin layer in any outflow) and then it becomes concave asymptotically approaching the photosphere of an infinitely long wind. We find that both instantaneous and time integrated observed spectra are very close to the thermal one for photon thick outflows, in line with existing studies. It is our main finding that the photospheric emission from the photon thin outflow produces non thermal time integrated spectra, which may be described by the Band function well known in the GRB literature. We find that energetic GRBs should produce photon thin outflows with photospheric emission lasting less than one second for the total energy $E_0\leq10^{54}$ erg and baryonic loading parameter $B\leq10^{-2}$. It means that only time integrated spectra may be observed from such GRBs.Comment: Revision of the previous version, new effect is discussed. Conclusions remain unchange