Gold Nanoparticles as a Photothermal Agent in Cancer Therapy: The Thermal Ablation Characteristic Length.

In cancer therapy, the thermal ablation of diseased cells by embedded nanoparticles is one of the known therapies. It is based on the absorption of the energy of the illuminating laser by nanoparticles. The resulting heating of nanoparticles kills the cell where these photothermal agents are embedded.

Geometrical optimization of nanostrips for surface plasmon excitation: an analytical approach.

We give a simple tool for the optimization of the dimensions of a metallic nanostrip illuminated at a given wavelength under normal incidence, to get a maximum of the electromagnetic field amplitude in the nanostrip. We propose an analytical formula that gives the widths and heights of the series of nanostrips that produce field enhancement. The validity of the analytical formula is checked by using the finite element method.

Propagation of uncertainties and applications in numerical modeling: tutorial.

Some inputs of computational models are commonly retrieved from external sources (handbooks, articles, dedicated measurements), and therefore are subject to uncertainties. The known experimental dispersion of the inputs can be propagated through the numerical models to produce samples of outputs. The stemming propagation of uncertainties is already significant in metrology but also has applications in optimization and inverse problem resolution of the modeled physical system.

Lycurgus Cup: inverse problem using photographs for characterization of matter.

Photographs of the Lycurgus Cup with a source light inside and outside exhibit purple and green colors, respectively (dichroism). A model relying on the scattering of light to colors in the photographs is proposed and used within an inverse problem algorithm, to deduce radius and composition of metallic particles, and the refractive index of the surrounding glass medium. The inverse problem algorithm is based on a hybridization of particle swarm optimization and of the simulated annealing methods.

Modelling human mobility patterns using photographic data shared online.

Humans are inherently mobile creatures. The way we move around our environment has consequences for a wide range of problems, including the design of efficient transportation systems and the planning of urban areas. Here, we gather data about the position in space and time of about 16 000 individuals who uploaded geo-tagged images from locations within the UK to the Flickr photo-sharing website.