Frequency-Dependent Squeezed Vacuum Source for the Advanced Virgo Gravitational-Wave Detector.

In this Letter, we present the design and performance of the frequency-dependent squeezed vacuum source that will be used for the broadband quantum noise reduction of the Advanced Virgo Plus gravitational-wave detector in the upcoming observation run. The frequency-dependent squeezed field is generated by a phase rotation of a frequency-independent squeezed state through a 285 m long, high-finesse, near-detuned optical resonator. With about 8.

High speed, high power 2D beam steering for mitigation of optomechanical parametric instability in gravitational wave detectors.

In this paper, we propose what we believe to be a novel strategy to control optomechanical parametric instability (PI) in gravitational wave (GW) detectors based on radiation pressure. The fast deflection of a high-power beam is the key element of our approach. We built a 2D deflection system based on a pair of acousto-optic modulators (AOMs) that combines high rapidity and a large scan range.

Constraints on Cosmic Strings Using Data from the Third Advanced LIGO-Virgo Observing Run.

We search for gravitational-wave signals produced by cosmic strings in the Advanced LIGO and Virgo full O3 dataset. Search results are presented for gravitational waves produced by cosmic string loop features such as cusps, kinks, and, for the first time, kink-kink collisions. A template-based search for short-duration transient signals does not yield a detection.

Quantum Backaction on kg-Scale Mirrors: Observation of Radiation Pressure Noise in the Advanced Virgo Detector.

The quantum radiation pressure and the quantum shot noise in laser-interferometric gravitational wave detectors constitute a macroscopic manifestation of the Heisenberg inequality. If quantum shot noise can be easily observed, the observation of quantum radiation pressure noise has been elusive, so far, due to the technical noise competing with quantum effects. Here, we discuss the evidence of quantum radiation pressure noise in the Advanced Virgo gravitational wave detector.

Close look on cubic Tm:KYF crystal for highly efficient lasing on the H → H transition.

We report on Czochralski growth, detailed ground- and excited-state absorption and emission spectroscopy and highly-efficient mid-infrared (∼2.3 µm) laser operation of a cubic potassium yttrium fluoride crystal, Tm:KYF. The peak stimulated-emission cross-section for the H → H transition is 0.

Thulium laser at ∼2.3 μm based on upconversion pumping.

We report on novel upconversion (UC) pumping schemes for 2.3 μm thulium (Tm) lasers (the H3→H3 transition) based on a photon avalanche mechanism populating the intermediate metastable level (F3) acting as an effective ground state. The proposed pump wavelengths are ∼1 and ∼1.

In-band pumping of Tm:LiYF channel waveguide: a power scaling strategy for ∼2 μm waveguide lasers.

We report on a novel power scaling strategy for thulium waveguide (WG) lasers relying on in-band pumping by high-brightness Raman fiber lasers (RFLs) and the use of liquid-phase-epitaxy-grown fluoride crystalline thin films for better thermal management. Thulium channel WGs are produced by microstructuring the Tm:LiYF/LiYF epitaxies via diamond-saw dicing. They are pumped by a RFL based on an erbium master oscillator power amplifier and a GeO-doped silica fiber and emit polarized output at 1679 nm.

Ytterbium calcium fluoride waveguide laser.

Calcium fluoride is a well-known material for optical components. It is also suited for doping with rare-earth ions, e.g.

Laser operation of highly-doped Tm:LiYF epitaxies: towards thin-disk lasers.

Quasi-continuous-wave laser operation of 20 at.% Tm:LiYF thin films (84-240 μm) grown by Liquid Phase Epitaxy (LPE) on undoped LiYF substrates is achieved. The 240 μm-thick Tm:LiYF active layer pumped at 793 nm with a simple double-pass scheme generated 152 mW (average power) at 1.

Watt-level Tm:LiYF channel waveguide laser produced by diamond saw dicing.

Low-loss surface channel waveguides with a cross-section of 30 × 30 μm are produced by diamond saw dicing of 6.2 at.% Tm, 3.

Tm,Ho:LiYF planar waveguide laser at 2.05 μm.

The first holmium fluoride waveguide laser, to the best of our knowledge, is reported using a 25-μm-thick Gd-ion-modified 4.5 at. % Tm, 0.

Characterization of Color Images with Multiscale Monogenic Maxima.

Can we build a feature-based analysis that fully characterizes images? The literature answers with edge-based reconstruction methods inspired by Marr's paradigm but limited to the greyscale case. This paper studies the color case. A new sparse representation is carried out with the monogenic concept and the Mallat-Zhong wavelet maxima method.

2.3 μm Tm:YLF mode-locked laser.

A passively mode-locked Tm:YLF laser emitting at 2.3 μm is reported for the first time, to the best of our knowledge. The continuous-wave stable mode-locking operation is obtained with a semiconductor saturable absorber mirror at a repetition rate of 100 MHz.

Design and properties of a coherent amplifying network laser.

The coherent amplifying network laser is based on an array of thousands of active laser fibers coherently combined to generate high peak-power pulses at a high repetition rate. To achieve such a massive network, new combination architectures are presented here. They are based on implementing a spherical array of amplifying fibers, thus removing the need for transport fibers from the initial scheme.

Vector extension of monogenic wavelets for geometric representation of color images.

Monogenic wavelets offer a geometric representation of grayscale images through an AM-FM model allowing invariance of coefficients to translations and rotations. The underlying concept of local phase includes a fine contour analysis into a coherent unified framework. Starting from a link with structure tensors, we propose a nontrivial extension of the monogenic framework to vector-valued signals to carry out a nonmarginal color monogenic wavelet transform.

Osteochondrolipoma of the submandibular region: a case report and review of the literature.

Lipoma is an extremely common and ubiquitous benign soft tissue tumor composed of mature adipose tissue, with frequent differentiation towards other mesenchymal elements such as blood vessels, fibrous tissue, or muscle. They are typically slow-growing, encapsulated, superficial or deep, and have a wide range in size depending on their location. The presence of cartilage or bone is very rare, with most reported cases in the head and neck area.

Atorvastatin treatment is effective when used in combination with mefloquine in an experimental cerebral malaria murine model.

Background: One of the major complications of Plasmodium falciparum infection is cerebral malaria (CM), which causes one million deaths worldwide each year, results in long-term neurological sequelae and the treatment for which is only partially effective. Statins are recognized to have an immunomodulatory action, attenuate sepsis and have a neuroprotective effect. Atorvastatin (AVA) has shown in vitro anti-malarial activity and has improved the activity of mefloquine (MQ) and quinine.

Nonlinear spectroscopic properties of Yb3+-doped sesquioxides Lu2O3 and Sc2O3.

We report on the measurements of near-UV excited-state absorption (ESA) spectra and refractive index changes (RICs) in the two ytterbium doped laser crystals Yb:Lu2O3 and Yb:Sc2O3. ESA is assigned to ligand-to-metal charge transfer (LMCT) absorption transitions and RICs to the polarizability changes experienced by the Yb3+ ions due to these strong electric-dipole allowed absorption bands.

Detailed characterization of pump-induced refractive index changes observed in Nd:YVO(4), Nd:GdVO(4) and Nd:KGW.

The refractive index changes which can be induced in the Nd:YVO(4), Nd:GdVO(4) and Nd:KGW high gain laser crystals, when their Nd(3+) laser active ions are pumped from their ground- to excited- energy levels, have been carefully measured and characterized. By using two complementary optical techniques based on pump-probe interferometry and transient diffraction grating, the electronic and thermal contributions to the observed refractive index variations have been accurately determined and successfully exploited to derive various parameters such as polarizability changes, thermo-optic coefficients and thermal diffusivities.

Histopathology of a granulomatous lobular panniculitis in acute Q fever: a case report.

Q fever is a zoonotic infection caused by Coxiella burnetii. Two forms of the disease have been described: an acute form with pneumonia, hepatitis or a flu-like syndrome; and a chronic form in which endocarditis is the most frequent clinical expression. We report a 77 year old male with fever and an erythematous nodule on the right leg.

Adult fulminant subacute sclerosing panencephalitis: pathological and molecular studies--a case report.

Subacute sclerosing panencephalitis is an uncommon progressive neurological disorder caused by a persistent defective measles virus, typically affecting children. We describe a case of fulminant subacute sclerosing panencephalitis in a 25-year-old male. Brain tissue biopsy showed histologic evidence of encephalitis with eosinophilic intranuclear inclusion bodies (Cowdry Type A and B), intracytoplasmic inclusion bodies, perivascular lymphoplasmacytic infiltration and gliosis.