BINA

Chemical pollutants in drinking water can have many sources, such as pharmaceutical waste, agricultural runoff, and industrial discharges1, 2, 3. The development of a reliable, sensitive, and handheld sensor for the detection of a mixture of contaminants is important, both for human health and the environment. Herein, we show the development of a plasmonic sensor for Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) and colorimetry measurements. Two types of plasmonic surfaces which enhance the electromagnetic field are presented here;(i) Well-defined cavities milled in silver substrates which are covered with 5 nm of SiO2 for stability.(ii) A scalable metallic-like aerogel network with large surface area, for increasing the sensitivity of our measurements. Three different families of analytes were studied, which can be found in drinking water: Piperidine and its derivatives (Pharmaceutical waste), Dioxins & Polychlorinated biphenyls, Per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances, each of which is toxic, both to the environment and humans health, even at a low concentration of 30 mg/Kg (3* 10-4M). Those

BackgroundThe main objective is related to the capability of integrating into minimally invasive and ultra-thin disposable micro-endoscopic tool, a modality of realizing high-resolution imaging through scattering medium such as blood while performing medical procedure. In this research we aim for the first time to present a time-multiplexing super-resolving approach exhibiting enhanced focus sensitivity, generated by 3D spatial filtering, for significant contrast increase in images collected through scattering medium.MethodOur innovative method of imaging through scattering media provides imaging of only one specific object plane in scattering medium’s volume while suppressing the noise coming from all other planes. The method should be assisted with axial scanning to perform imaging of the entire 3D object’s volume. In our developed optical system noise suppression is achieved by 3D spatial filtering …

Efimov states are exotic and counterintuitive three-body quantum states that emerge in the vicinity of two-atom Feshbach resonances. These states exhibit remarkable characteristics as their large spatial extent and extremely weak binding energies following an infinite geometric series, and exist even when interactions are not strong enough to bind two atoms. Efimov states are universal and produce observable effects at critical values of the interaction strength across the two-body resonance when approaching their threshold for dissociation into the different types of three-body continua. In particular, as the strength of the interaction is decreased, an Efimov state merges into the atom-dimer threshold and eventually dissociates into an unbound atom-dimer pair. Here we explore this critical point using refined coherent few-body spectroscopy in Li atoms near a narrow two-body Feshbach resonance. Contrary to the expectation set by universality, we find that the Li Efimov trimer does not immediately dissociate when passing the threshold, and survives as a metastable state embedded in the atom-dimer continuum. We identify this behavior with a novel phenomena related to the emergence of a repulsive interaction in the atom-dimer channel which reshapes the three-body interactions in systems characterized by narrow Feshbach resonances. Our results shed new light on the nature of Li Efimov states and provide a new path to understand various puzzling phenomena observed here, as well as in other previous experimental studies.

I will present a photonic sensor that can be used for remote sensing of many biomedical parameters simultaneously and continuously. The technology is based upon illuminating a surface with a laser and then using an imaging camera to perform temporal and spatial tracking of secondary speckle patterns in order to have nano metric accurate estimation of the movement of the back reflecting surface. The capability of sensing those movements in nano-metric precision allows connecting the movement with remote bio-sensing and with medical diagnosis capabilities. The proposed technology was already applied for remote and continuous estimation of vital bio-signs (such as heart beats, respiration, blood pulse pressure and intra ocular pressure), for molecular sensing of chemicals in the blood stream (such as for estimation of alcohol, glucose and lactate concentrations in blood stream, blood coagulation and …

The allocation of CPU time and memory resources, are well known problems in organizations with a large number of users, and a single mainframe. Usually, the amount of resources given to a single user is based on its own statistics, not on the entire statistics of the organization therefore patterns are not well identified and the allocation system is prodigal. In this work the authors suggest a fuzzy logic-based algorithm to optimize the CPU and memory distribution between the users based on the history of the users. The algorithm works separately on heavy users and light users since they have different patterns to be observed. The result is a set of rules, generated by the fuzzy logic inference engine that will allow the system to use its computing ability in an optimized manner. Test results on data taken from the Faculty of Engineering in Tel Aviv University, demonstrate the abilities of the new algorithm. This paper also …

We demonstrate temperature-controlled spectral tunability of a partially-pumped single-wavelength random laser in a solid-state random laser based on DCM (4-dicyanomethylene-2-methyl-6-(p-dimethylaminostyryl)-4H-pyran) doped PMMA (polymethyl methacrylate) dye. By carefully shaping the spatial profile of the pump, we first achieve low-threshold, single-mode random lasing with excellent side lobes rejection. Notably, we show how temperature-induced changes in the refractive index of the PMMA-DCM layer result in a blue-shift of this single lasing mode. Continuous tunability of the lasing wavelength is demonstrated over a 8nm-wide bandwidth.

SignificanceDiabetes is a prevalent disease worldwide that can cause severe health problems. Accurate blood glucose detection is crucial for diabetes management, and noninvasive methods can be more convenient and less painful than traditional finger-prick methods.AimWe aim to report a noncontact speckle-based blood glucose measurement system that utilizes artificial intelligence (AI) data processing to improve glucose detection accuracy. The study also explores the influence of an alternating current (AC) induced magnetic field on the sensitivity and selectivity of blood glucose detection.ApproachThe proposed blood glucose sensor consists of a digital camera, an AC-generated magnetic field source, a laser illuminating the subject’s finger, and a computer. A magnetic field is applied to the finger, and a camera records the speckle patterns generated by the laser light reflected from the finger. The acquired …

Na‐ion batteries have recently emerged as a promising alternative to Li‐based batteries, driven by an ever‐growing demand for electricity storage systems. In the present work, we propose a cobalt‐free high‐capacity cathode for Na‐ion batteries, synthesized using a high‐entropy approach. The high‐entropy approach entails mixing more than five elements in a single phase; hence, obtaining the desired properties is a challenge since this involves the interplay between different elements. Here, instead of oxide, oxyfluoride is chosen to suppress oxygen loss during long‐term cycling. Supplement to this, Li was introduced in the composition to obtain high configurational entropy and Na vacant sites, thus stabilizing the crystal structure, accelerating the kinetics of intercalation/deintercalation, and improving the air stability of the material. With the optimization of the cathode composition, a reversible capacity of 109 …

Theoretical and applied studies of quantum walks are abundant in quantum science and technology thanks to their relative simplicity and versatility. Here we derive closed-form expressions for the probability distribution of quantum walks on a line. The most general two-state coin operator and the most general (pure) initial state are considered in the derivation. The general coin operator includes the common choices of Hadamard, Grover, and Fourier coins. The method of Fibonacci-Horner basis for the power decomposition of a matrix is employed in the analysis. Moreover, we also consider mixed initial states and derive closed-form expression for the probability distribution of the Quantum walk on a line. To prove the accuracy of our derivations, we retrieve the simulated probability distribution of Hadamard walk on a line using our closed-form expressions. With a broader perspective in mind, we argue that our approach has the potential to serve as a helpful mathematical tool in obtaining precise analytical expressions for the time evolution of qubit-based systems in a general context.

In this paper, we present a study on partially pumped, single wavelength random lasing with tunability controlled by temperature in a solid-state random laser based on DCM (4-dicyanomethylene-2-methyl-6-(p-dimethylaminostyryl)-4H-pyran) doped PMMA (polymethyl methacrylate) dye. By carefully shaping the spatial profile of the pump, we achieve low-threshold, single-mode random lasing with excellent rejection of side lobes. Notably, we observe that varying the temperature induces changes in the refractive index of the PMMA-DCM layer, resulting in a blue-shift of the lasing wavelength. Moreover, we demonstrate continuous tunability of the lasing wavelength over an impressive bandwidth of 8 nm.

Significance: Diabetes is a prevalent disease worldwide that can cause severe health problems. Accurate blood glucose detection is crucial for diabetes management, and noninvasive methods can be more convenient and less painful than traditional finger-prick methods.Aim: We aim to report a noncontact speckle-based blood glucose measurement system that utilizes artificial intelligence (AI) data processing to improve glucose detection accuracy. The study also explores the influence of an alternating current (AC) induced magnetic field on the sensitivity and selectivity of blood glucose detection.Approach: The proposed blood glucose sensor consists of a digital camera, an AC-generated magnetic field source, a laser illuminating the subject’s finger, and a computer. A magnetic field is applied to the finger, and a camera records the speckle patterns generated by the laser light reflected from the finger. The …

Velocity map imaging (VMI) is a powerful technique that allows to infer the kinetic energy of ions or electrons that are produced from a large volume in space with good resolution. The size of the acceptance volume is determined by the spherical aberrations of the ion optical system. Here we present an analytical derivation for velocity map imaging with no spherical aberrations. We will discuss a particular example for the implementation of the technique that allows using the reaction microscope recently installed in the Cryogenic storage ring (CSR) in a VMI mode. SIMION simulations confirm that a beam of electrons produced almost over the entire volume of the source region, with width of 8 cm, can be focused to a spot of 0.1 mm on the detector. The use of the same formalism for position imaging, as well as an option of position imaging in one axis and velocity map imaging in a different axis, are also discussed.

BACKGROUND Glioblastoma (GBM), is the most common primary brain tumor. GBM contains a small subpopulation of glioma stem cells (GSCs) that are implicated in tumor recurrence and treatment resistance and therefore represent important therapeutic targets. Recent clinical studies suggest propofol impacts subsequent tumor response to treatments and patient prognosis. The effects of propofol on patient derived GSCs alone and in combination with radiation and temozolomide, (TMZ) have not been reported. Objectives: The molecular mechanisms underlying propofol’s anti-tumor effects on GSCs and its effect on cellular communication with microglia was studied. Using GSC spheroids, differentiated glioma and tumor cells on a microfluid chip, effects of propofol alone and together with radiation and TMZ on the self-renewal and stemness of GSCs, their mesenchymal transit and the …

Broad area laser diodes are attractive for the high optical power they can produce. Unfortunately, this high power normally comes at the cost of severely reduced spatial coherence since the wide area of the semiconductor wave-guide is inherently spatially multi-mode (in the slow axis). We demonstrate a method to majorly improve the spatial coherence of a high-power broad-area diode laser by placing it in an external cavity that is mode selective. We design the cavity, such that the diode aperture acts as its own spatial filter, obviating the need for an intra-cavity slit-filter, and optimally utilizing the entire gain medium. We demonstrate this soft filtering method using wide diodes of and widths and compare its power-efficiency to the standard approach of hard-filtering with a slit. We obtain high-gain operation in a pure single-mode, demonstrating up to CW power at with high beam quality.

An experimental platform comprising two disordered superconductors separated by a thermally conducting electrical insulator represents a controllable physical system of interdependent networks. This system is modelled by thermally coupled networks of Josephson junctions. This platform could provide insights into theoretical multiscale phenomena, such as cascading tipping points or self-organized branching processes.

Contamination in water can occur through natural processes, such as leaching of minerals from soil, or through industrial waste. It is needless to mention that it has serious impacts of human health, as well as on the environment. Hence, the development of analytical sensors to detect those contaminations is highly important.We developed a facile method for fabrication of aerogel-like metallic networks. Our method is based on physical vapor deposition (PVD) onto a charged substrate. The resulting aerogel-like metallic network contains a 3D carpet of ‘hot-spots’ at a broad range of optical regime, and, thus, leads to enhancement of the electro-magnetic (EM) field and optical processes. As a result of the strong, broadband, and deep sub-wavelength confinement of the EM field, inherently weak nonlinear optical processes, such as Raman scattering, can be boosted by orders of magnitude by this metallic network interface. Herein, we present aerogel-like metallic networks for optical sensing of contaminates in water. In addition, we show its application as a photocatalytic 3D structure.

In this paper, we present a remote optical method for sound detection using rolling shutter (RS) and speckle analysis. Findings show the ability to remotely monitor the high frequency using low framerate camera.

A thorough understanding of biological species and of emerging nanomaterials requires, among others, their in-depth characterization with optical techniques capable of nano-resolution. Nanoscopy techniques based on tip-enhanced optical effects have gained over the past years tremendous interest given their potential to probe various optical properties with resolutions depending on the size of a sharp probe interacting with focused light, irrespective of the illumination wavelength. Although their popularity and number of applications is rising, tip-enhanced nanoscopy techniques (TEN) still largely rely on probes that are not specifically developed for such applications, but for Atomic Force Microscopy. This cages their potential in many regards, e.g. in terms of signal-to-noise ratio, attainable image quality, or extent of applications. In this article we place first steps towards next-gen TEN, demonstrating the fabrication and modelling of specialized TEN probes with known optical properties. The proposed framework is highly flexible and can be easily adjusted to be of o benefit to various types of TEN techniques, for which probes with known optical properties could potentially enable faster and more accurate imaging via different routes, such as direct signal enhancement or novel signal modulation strategies. We consider that the reported development can pave the way for a vast number of novel TEN imaging protocols and applications, given the many advantages that it offers.

In this work, we demonstrate the focusing of a Gaussian laser beam, in silicon, by a vortex-shaped beam where both beams are at a wavelength of 775nm, which can sharpen the beam's PSF to improve the resolution in laser scanning microscopy.

Contamination in water can occur through natural processes, such as leaching of minerals from soil, or through industrial waste. It is needless to mention that it has serious impacts of human health, as well as on the environment. Hence, the development of analytical sensors to detect those contaminations is highly important. We developed a facile method for fabrication of aerogel-like metallic networks. Our method is based on physical vapor deposition (PVD) onto a charged substrate. The resulting aerogel-like metallic network contains a 3D carpet of ‘hot-spots’ at a broad range of optical regime, and, thus, leads to enhancement of the electro-magnetic (EM) field and optical processes. As a result of the strong, broadband, and deep sub-wavelength confinement of the EM field, inherently weak nonlinear optical processes, such as Raman scattering, can be boosted by orders of magnitude by this metallic network interface. Herein, we present aerogel-like metallic networks for optical sensing of contaminates in water. In addition, we show its application as a photocatalytic 3D structure.

Chemical pollutants in drinking water can have many sources, such as pharmaceutical waste, agricultural runoff, and industrial discharges1, 2, 3. The development of a reliable, sensitive, and handheld sensor for the detection of a mixture of contaminants is important, both for human health and the environment. Herein, we show the development of a plasmonic sensor for Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) and colorimetry measurements. Two types of plasmonic surfaces which enhance the electromagnetic field are presented here;(i) Well-defined cavities milled in silver substrates which are covered with 5 nm of SiO2 for stability.(ii) A scalable metallic-like aerogel network with large surface area, for increasing the sensitivity of our measurements. Three different families of analytes were studied, which can be found in drinking water: Piperidine and its derivatives (Pharmaceutical waste), Dioxins & Polychlorinated biphenyls, Per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances, each of which is toxic, both to the environment and humans health, even at a low concentration of 30 mg/Kg (3* 10-4M). Those