Polymer nanoparticles with a sensitive CO2‐responsive hydrophilic/hydrophobic surface

Poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) nanoparticles with a sensitive CO₂‐responsive hydrophilic/hydrophobic surface that confers controlled dispersion and aggregation in water were prepared by emulsion polymerization at 50 °C under CO₂ bubbling using amphiphilic diblock copolymers of 2‐dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate (DMAEMA) and N‐isopropyl acrylamide (NIPAAm) as an emulsifier. The amphiphilicity of the hydrophobic–hydrophilic diblock copolymer at 50 °C was triggered by CO₂ bubbling in water and enabled the copolymer to serve as an emulsifier. The resulting PMMA nanoparticles were spherical, approximately 100 nm in diameter and exhibited sensitive CO₂/N₂‐responsive dispersion/aggregation in water. Using copolymers with a longer PNIPAAm block length as an emulsifier resulted in smaller particles. A higher concentration of copolymer emulsifier led to particles with a stickier surface. Given its simple preparation and reversible CO₂‐triggered amphiphilic behavior, this newly developed block copolymer emulsifier offers a highly efficient route toward the fabrication of sensitive CO₂‐stimuli responsive polymeric nanoparticle dispersions. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2019, 57, 2149–2156     

Semi‐analytical integration of the 8‐node plane element stiffness matrix using symbolic computation

The semi‐analytical integration of an 8‐node plane strain finite element stiffness matrix is presented in this work. The element is assumed to be super‐parametric, having straight sides. Before carrying out the integration, the integral expressions are classified into several groups, thus avoiding duplication of calculations. Symbolic manipulation and integration is used to obtain the basic formulae to evaluate the stiffness matrix. Then, the resulting expressions are postprocessed, optimized, and simplified in order to reduce the computation time. Maple symbolic‐manipulation software was used to generate the closed expressions and to develop the corresponding Fortran code. Comparisons between semi‐analytical integration and numerical integration were made. It was demonstrated that semi‐analytical integration required less CPU time than conventional numerical integration (using Gaussian‐Legendre quadrature) to obtain the stiffness matrix. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Numer Methods Partial Differential Eq, 2006     

Rotation of a Fine Particle with Circularly Polarized Anti-Parallel Collinear Laser Beams

We have succeeded in the operation of rotating a fine particle which was held without mechanical contact by circularly polarized laser beams with opposite propagation directions. A polystyrene latex particle 11.9 μm in diameter deformed in a disk-like shape was dispersed in water, and was trapped using the anti-parallel collinear laser beams which were set up so that they had the circular polarization rotating in the same direction. It was observed that the trapped particle rotated in the same direction as the rotation of the circular polarization of light. Inversion of the rotational direction of the circular polarization of light reversed the direction of the rotation of the particle. Although the rotational speed of a particle varied significantly from particle to particle, it was found to be proportional to the laser beam intensity. A typical value for the rotational speed per beam intensity was 2.1 Hz/W.     

Unveiling the correlation between non‐diffracting tractor beam and its singularity in Poynting vector

This paper investigates the singular optics of nonparaxial light beams in the near field when the light behaves as a tractor beam. New insights into the optical pulling force, which is usually represented by integrating the stress tensor at a black box enclosing the object, are interpreted by the optical singularity of the Poynting vector. The negative nonconservative pulling force originates from the transfer of the azimuthal Poynting vector to the longitudinal component partly owing to the presence of a scatterer. The separatrice pattern and singularity shifts of the Poynting vector unanimously exhibit a differentiable near‐field distribution in the presence of optical pulling force. A new method is established to calculate the near‐field optical force using the differential Poynting vector in the far field. The results obtained provide a clear physical interpretation of the light–matter interaction and manifest the significance of singular optics in manipulating objects.

     

Non-classical correlation of the two emission fields by a four-level atomic ensemble

The normalized second-order correlation of the emission fields from a driven four-level atomic ensemble is investigated theoretically by using the state vector method. The violation of Cauchy-Schwarz inequality, which indicates the establishment of non-classical correlation between two emission fields, has been found. The effects of various decays and time delay on the correlation are discussed in detail, which are helpful in finding the ways to obtain high non-classical correlation. This technique for the generation of non-classical light is operable based on the current experimental technology and will lead to some potential applications in quantum information science.     

Generation of a four-qubit cluster state for atoms in a thermal cavity

We propose two schemes for generating a four-atom cluster state in a thermal cavity. With the assistant of a strong classical field the photon-number-dependent parts in the effective Hamiltonian are canceled. Thus the schemes are insensitive to the thermal field. The schemes can also be used to generate the cluster state for the trapped ions in thermal motion.     

非均匀螺旋相位调制下对称破缺角向偏振光束的聚焦特性

提出了一种多参量调控角向偏振光束焦场强度和横向能流的方法.基于矢量衍射积分理论,数值模拟了非均匀螺旋相位和旋转对称振幅挡板调制下角向偏振光束的聚焦特性,讨论了螺旋相位结构和对称振幅挡板联合调制下,角向偏振光束焦场横向能流和偏振态的分布.结果表明:非均匀螺旋相位的引入改变了光场的聚焦特性,导致聚焦场重心产生了偏移;在偶数重旋转对称振幅挡板的联合调制下,焦场中出现了局部的椭圆偏振态和圆偏振态,且焦平面上出现了横向能流;通过调节螺旋相位,不仅可以实现焦场重心的特殊控制,还能进一步丰富焦场偏振态和横向能流分布.这种基于多参量调控焦场强度和能流分布的方法为实现操控特定区域的粒子提供了新的思路.     

Probe‐assisted spin manipulation in one‐dimensional quantum dots

We study a spin structure that arises in a one‐dimensional quantum dot with zero total spin under the action of a charged tip of a scanning probe microscope in the presence of a weak magnetic field. The evolution of spin structure with changing the probe position is traced to show that the movable probe can be an effective tool to manipulate the spin. The spin structures are formed when the probe is located in certain regions along the dot due to Coulomb interaction of electrons as they are redistributed between the two sections in which the quantum dot is divided by the potential barrier created by the probe. There are two main states: spin‐polarized and non‐polarized ones. The transition between them is accompanied by a spin precession governed by the Rashba spin–orbit interaction induced by the electric field of the probe. In the transition region the spin density changes strongly while charge distribution remains nearly unchanged. (© 2015 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH &Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Dynamics of magnetic skyrmions

We review the recent progress on the magnetic skyrmions in chiral magnetic materials.The magnetic skyrmion is a topological spin configuration with localized spatial extent,which could be thought of as an emergent rigid particle,owing to its particular topological and chiral properties.Static skyrmionic configurations have been found in various materials with different transport and thermodynamic properties.The magnetic skyrmions respond to externally applied fields in a very unique way,and their coupling to other quasiparticles in solid-state systems gives rise to the emergent electrodynamics.Being not only theoretically important,the magnetic skyrmion is also very promising to be the information carrier in next generation spintronic devices.