Colossal magnetic fields in high refractive index materials at microwave frequencies.

Resonant scattering of electromagnetic waves is a widely studied phenomenon with a vast range of applications that span completely different fields, from astronomy or meteorology to spectroscopy and optical circuitry. Despite being subject of intensive research for many decades, new fundamental aspects are still being uncovered, in connection with emerging areas, such as metamaterials and metasurfaces or quantum and topological optics, to mention some. In this work, we demonstrate yet one more novel phenomenon arising in the scattered near field of medium sized objects comprising high refractive index materials, which allows the generation of colossal local magnetic fields.

Long-term evolution of the three-dimensional structure of string-fluid complex plasmas in the PK-4 experiment.

Microparticle suspensions in a polarity-switched discharge plasma of the Plasmakristall-4 facility on board the International Space Station exhibit string-like order. As pointed out in [Phys. Rev.

Transient optical non-linearity in p-Si induced by a few cycle extreme THz field.

We study the impact of a few cycle extreme terahertz (THz) radiation (the field strength E ∼1-15 MV/cm is well above the DC-field breakdown threshold) on a p-doped Si wafer. Pump-probe measurements of the second harmonic of a weak infrared probe were done at different THz field strengths. The second harmonic yield has an unusual temporal behavior and does not follow the common instantaneous response, ∝TH2.

Highly Sensitive Detection of CA 125 Protein with the Use of an n-Type Nanowire Biosensor.

The detection of CA 125 protein in a solution using a silicon-on-insulator (SOI)-nanowire biosensor with n-type chip has been experimentally demonstrated. The surface of nanowires was modified by covalent immobilization of antibodies against CA 125 in order to provide the biospecificity of the target protein detection. We have demonstrated that the biosensor signal, which results from the biospecific interaction between CA 125 and the covalently immobilized antibodies, increases with the increase in the protein concentration.

Generation of strong-field spectrally tunable terahertz pulses.

The ideal laser source for nonlinear terahertz spectroscopy offers large versatility delivering both ultra-intense broadband single-cycle pulses and user-selectable multi-cycle pulses at narrow linewidths. Here we show a highly versatile terahertz laser platform providing single-cycle transients with tens of MV/cm peak field as well as spectrally narrow pulses, tunable in bandwidth and central frequency across 5 octaves at several MV/cm field strengths. The compact scheme is based on optical rectification in organic crystals of a temporally modulated laser beam.

Catastrophic damage in hollow core optical fibers under high power laser radiation.

The propagation of an optical discharge (OD) along hollow-core optical fibers (HCFs) is investigated experimentally. Silica-based revolver-type HCFs filled with atmospheric air were used as test samples. We observed that the average propagation velocity of an OD along the HCF (VAV) depends on the properties of the medium around the silica structure of the fiber.

Polarized angular-dependent reflectivity and density-dependent profiles of shock-compressed xenon plasmas.

New data for the reflectivity of shock-compressed xenon plasmas at pressures of 10-12 GPa at large incident angles are presented. In addition, measurements have been performed at different densities. These data allow to analyze the free-electron density profile across the shock wave front.

Damage in a Thin Metal Film by High-Power Terahertz Radiation.

We report on the experimental observation of high-power terahertz-radiation-induced damage in a thin aluminum film with a thickness less than a terahertz skin depth. Damage in a thin metal film produced by a single terahertz pulse is observed for the first time. The damage mechanism induced by a single terahertz pulse could be attributed to thermal expansion of the film causing debonding of the film from the substrate, film cracking, and ablation.

Giant self-induced transparency of intense few-cycle terahertz pulses in n-doped silicon.

The results of high-field terahertz transmission experiments on n-doped silicon (carrier concentration of 8.7×10  cm) are presented. We use terahertz pulses with electric field strengths up to 3.

Erratum: Resonant microwave fields and negative magnetic response, induced by displacement currents in dielectric rings: theory and the first experiments.

A correction to this article has been published and is linked from the HTML version of this paper. The error has not been fixed in the paper.

Resonant microwave fields and negative magnetic response, induced by displacement currents in dielectric rings: theory and the first experiments.

The theoretical basis and experimental verification of resonant phenomena in the electromagnetic fields generated by displacement current in the near zone of dielectric ring is presented. According to the traditional viewpoint, the dielectric has an influence on the electric field inside resonator. To the contrary, we demonstrate that the dielectric ring exhibits magnetic properties at resonance.

Plasmakristall-4: New complex (dusty) plasma laboratory on board the International Space Station.

New complex-plasma facility, Plasmakristall-4 (PK-4), has been recently commissioned on board the International Space Station. In complex plasmas, the subsystem of μm-sized microparticles immersed in low-pressure weakly ionized gas-discharge plasmas becomes strongly coupled due to the high (10-10 e) electric charge on the microparticle surface. The microparticle subsystem of complex plasmas is available for the observation at the kinetic level, which makes complex plasmas appropriate for particle-resolved modeling of classical condensed matter phenomena.

Density distribution of a dust cloud in three-dimensional complex plasmas.

We propose a method of determination of the dust particle spatial distribution in dust clouds that form in three-dimensional (3D) complex plasmas under microgravity conditions. The method utilizes the data obtained during the 3D scanning of a cloud, and it provides reasonably good accuracy. Based on this method, we investigate the particle density in a dust cloud realized in gas discharge plasma in the PK-3 Plus setup onboard the International Space Station.

Assessing particle kinematics via template matching algorithms.

Template matching algorithms represent a viable tool to locate particles in optical images. A crucial factor of the performance of these methods is the choice of the similarity measure. Recently, it was shown in [Gao and Helgeson, Opt.

Fermionic path-integral Monte Carlo results for the uniform electron gas at finite temperature.

The uniform electron gas (UEG) at finite temperature has recently attracted substantial interest due to the experimental progress in the field of warm dense matter. To explain the experimental data, accurate theoretical models for high-density plasmas are needed that depend crucially on the quality of the thermodynamic properties of the quantum degenerate nonideal electrons and of the treatment of their interaction with the positive background. Recent fixed-node path-integral Monte Carlo (RPIMC) data are believed to be the most accurate for the UEG at finite temperature, but they become questionable at high degeneracy when the Brueckner parameter rs=a/aB--the ratio of the mean interparticle distance to the Bohr radius--approaches 1.

Generation of 0.9-mJ THz pulses in DSTMS pumped by a Cr:Mg₂SiO₄ laser.

We report on high-field terahertz transients with 0.9-mJ pulse energy produced in a 400  mm² partitioned organic crystal by optical rectification of a 30-mJ laser pulse centered at 1.25 μm wavelength.

Nonthermal plasma affects viability and morphology of Mycoplasma hominis and Acholeplasma laidlawii.

Aim: To study the effects exerted by argon microwave nonthermal plasma (NTP) on cell wall-lacking Mollicutes bacteria.

Methods And Results: 10(8) CFU ml(-1) agar plated Mycoplasma hominis and Acholeplasma laidlawii were treated with the nonthermal microwave argon plasma for 30-300 s. The maximal 10- and 100-fold drop was observed for A.

Quantum bound of the shear viscosity of a strongly coupled plasma.

String theory methods led to the hypothesis that the ratio of a shear viscosity coefficient to the volume density of entropy of any physical system has a lower bound. Systems with strong coupling have a small viscosity as compared to weakly coupled plasmas in which the viscosity is proportional to the mean free path. Here, we have estimated the fully ionized strongly coupled plasma viscosity based on the dynamic experimental data on electrical conductivity and have shown that the ratio of viscosity to entropy of the strongly coupled plasma is very close to that of the lower bound predicted by the string theory.

Particle flows in a dc discharge in laboratory and microgravity conditions.

We describe a series of experiments on dust particles' flows in a positive column of a horizontal dc discharge operating in laboratory and microgravity conditions. The main observation is that the particle flow velocities in laboratory experiments are systematically higher than in microgravity experiments for otherwise identical discharge conditions. The paper provides an explanation for this interesting and unexpected observation.

Onset of cavity deformation upon subsonic motion of a projectile in a fluid complex plasma.

We study the deformation of a cavity around a large projectile moving with subsonic velocity in the cloud of small dust particles. To solve this problem, we employ the Navier-Stokes equation for a compressible fluid with due regard for friction between dust particles and atoms of neutral gas. The solution shows that due to friction, the pressure of a dust cloud at the surface of a cavity around the projectile can become negative, which entails the emergence of a considerable asymmetry of the cavity, i.

High-voltage nanosecond pulses in a low-pressure radio-frequency discharge.

An influence of a high-voltage (3-17 kV) 20 ns pulse on a weakly-ionized low-pressure (0.1-10 Pa) capacitively coupled radiofrequency (RF) argon plasma is studied experimentally. The plasma evolution after pulse exhibits two characteristic regimes: a bright flash, occurring within 100 ns after the pulse (when the discharge emission increases by 2-3 orders of magnitude over the steady-state level), and a dark phase, lasting a few hundreds μs (when the intensity of the discharge emission drops significantly below the steady-state level).

Dust particle radial confinement in a dc glow discharge.

A self-consistent nonlocal model of the positive column of a dc glow discharge with dust particles is presented. Radial distributions of plasma parameters and the dust component in an axially homogeneous glow discharge are considered. The model is based on the solution of a nonlocal Boltzmann equation for the electron energy distribution function, drift-diffusion equations for ions, and the Poisson equation for a self-consistent electric field.

Quantum phenomena in ignition and detonation at elevated density.

The influence of quantum effects on the processes of initiation of combustion and detonation of hydrogen and acetylene near the low-temperature limits at elevated pressures is analyzed. A theoretical consideration which allows quantification of the quantum corrections to the rate constants of endothermic reactions associated with an increase in the high-energy tail of the equilibrium momentum distribution function at high pressures is presented. This quantum effect is caused by a manifestation of the principle of uncertainty for the energy of the colliding particles at a high frequency of collisions.

Non-thermal Plasma Causes p53-Dependent Apoptosis in Human Colon Carcinoma Cells.

Non-thermal plasma (NTP) consists of a huge amount of biologically active particles, whereas its temperature is close to ambient. This combination allows one to use NTP as a perspective tool for solving different biomedical tasks, including antitumor therapy. The treatment of tumor cells with NTP caused dose-dependent effects, such as growth arrest and apoptosis.

Coulomb clusters of dust particles in a cusp magnetic trap under microgravity conditions.

We have performed experimental and theoretical investigation of the formation and behavior of Coulomb clusters of charged diamagnetic particles in a cusp magnetic trap under microgravity conditions aboard the International Space Station. Graphite particles of 100-400 μm in size were used in experiments due to the highest specific magnetic susceptibility. We have observed the formation of clusters in the shape of an oblate ellipsoid of revolution and their oscillations after dynamical action by changing the magnetic field.