Rapid and complete inactivation of SARS-CoV-2 by ultraviolet-C irradiation.

The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic has devastated global public health systems and economies, with over 52 million people infected, millions of jobs and businesses lost, and more than 1 million deaths recorded to date. Contact with surfaces contaminated with droplets generated by infected persons through exhaling, talking, coughing and sneezing is a major driver of SARS-CoV-2 transmission, with the virus being able to survive on surfaces for extended periods of time. To interrupt these chains of transmission, there is an urgent need for devices that can be deployed to inactivate the virus on both recently and existing contaminated surfaces. Here, we describe the inactivation of SARS-CoV-2 in both wet and dry format using radiation generated by a commercially available Signify ultraviolet (UV)-C light source at 254 nm. We show that for contaminated surfaces, only seconds of exposure is required for complete inactivation, allowing for easy implementation in decontamination workflows.

Holographic grating based high sensitivity device for refractive index measurements.

In this communication, we show how a short-pitch diffractive structure can be used as a low-cost high sensitivity device for refractive index measurements with sensitivity of 10(-2). The device consists of a photo-resist diffraction grating put in optical contact with a hollow prism used as a container for a test material. Its main advantage is the possibility to monitor the composition of solids, fluids and gases in real time. Knowledge of optical parameters of a system with high accuracy can be vital when working in the biological/medical field.

Heart rate monitoring via remote photoplethysmography with motion artifacts reduction.

In this paper, we present a novel photoplethysmographic device that operates remotely, i.e. not in contact with the skin. The device allows for real time measurements of heart rate with motion artifact reduction from a distance of a few centimeters up to several meters. High mobility of users is achieved in assessment of vital body signs, such as heart rate.

All-optical realization of an atom laser.

We demonstrate an atom laser using all-optical techniques. A Bose-Einstein condensate of rubidium atoms is created by direct evaporative cooling in a quasistatic dipole trap realized with a single, tightly focused CO2-laser beam. An applied magnetic field gradient allows the formation of the condensate in a field-insensitive m(F)=0 spin projection only, which suppresses fluctuations of the chemical potential from stray magnetic fields. A collimated and monoenergetic beam of atoms is extracted from the Bose-Einstein condensate by continuously lowering the dipole trapping potential in a controlled way to form a novel type of atom laser.