The dynamic process and microscopic mechanism of extraordinary terahertz transmission through perforated superconducting films.

Superconductor is a compelling plasmonic medium at terahertz frequencies owing to its intrinsic low Ohmic loss and good tuning property. However, the microscopic physics of the interaction between terahertz wave and superconducting plasmonic structures is still unknown. In this paper, we conducted experiments of the enhanced terahertz transmission through a series of superconducting NbN subwavelength hole arrays, and employed microscopic hybrid wave model in theoretical analysis of the role of hybrid waves in the enhanced transmission. The theoretical calculation provided a good match of experimental data. In particular, we obtained the following results. When the width of the holes is far below wavelength, the enhanced transmission is mainly caused by localized resonance around individual holes. On the contrary, when the holes are large, hybrid waves scattered by the array of holes dominate the extraordinary transmission. The surface plasmon polaritions are proved to be launched on the surface of superconducting film and the excitation efficiency increases when the temperature approaches critical temperature and the working frequency goes near energy gap frequency. This work will enrich our knowledge on the microscopic physics of extraordinary optical transmission at terahertz frequencies and contribute to developing terahertz plasmonic devices.

Imaging molecular adsorption and desorption dynamics on graphene using terahertz emission spectroscopy.

Being an atomically thin material, graphene is known to be extremely susceptible to its environment, including defects and phonons in the substrate on which it is placed as well as gas molecules that surround it. Thus, any device design using graphene has to take into consideration all surrounding components, and device performance needs to be evaluated in terms of environmental influence. However, no methods have been established to date to readily measure the density and distribution of external perturbations in a quantitative and non-destructive manner. Here, we present a rapid and non-contact method for visualizing the distribution of molecular adsorbates on graphene semi-quantitatively using terahertz time-domain spectroscopy and imaging. We found that the waveform of terahertz bursts emitted from graphene-coated InP sensitively changes with the type of atmospheric gas, laser irradiation time, and ultraviolet light illumination. The terahertz waveform change is explained through band structure modifications in the InP surface depletion layer due to the presence of localized electric dipoles induced by adsorbed oxygen. These results demonstrate that terahertz emission serves as a local probe for monitoring adsorption and desorption processes on graphene films and devices, suggesting a novel two-dimensional sensor for detecting local chemical reactions.

Ferroelectric soft mode in a SrTiO3 thin film impulsively driven to the anharmonic regime using intense picosecond terahertz pulses.

The ferroelectric soft mode in a SrTiO(3) thin film was impulsively driven to a large amplitude using intense picosecond terahertz pulses. As the terahertz electric field increased, the soft-mode absorption peak exhibited blueshifting and spectral narrowing. A classical anharmonic oscillator model suggests that the induced displacement is comparable to that of the ferroelectric phase transition. The spectral narrowing indicates that the displacement exceeds that induced by any inhomogeneities in the film, demonstrating that the method can be used to explore intrinsic quartic anharmonicity.

Low-loss terahertz metamaterial from superconducting niobium nitride films.

This paper reports a type of low Ohmic loss terahertz (THz) metamaterials made from low-temperature superconducting niobium nitride (NbN) films. Its resonance properties are studied by THz time domain spectroscopy. Our experiments show that its unloaded quality factor reaches as high as 178 at 8 K with the resonance frequency at around 0.58 THz, which is about 24 times that of gold metamaterial at the same temperature. The unloaded quality factor keeps at a high level, above 90, even when the resonance frequency increases to 1.02 THz, which is close to the gap frequency of NbN film. All these experimental observations fit well into the framework of Bardeen-Copper-Schrieffer theory and equivalent circuit model. These new metamaterials offer an efficient way to the design and implementation of high performance THz electronic devices.

Hypothalamic region facilitating shivering in rats.

Although the posterior part of the hypothalamus has long been considered important for thermoregulatory shivering, it is unknown whether the neurons there or the passing fibers are implicated in the response. Exposure of urethane-anesthetized rats to cold (15-21 degrees C) elicits shivering. An injection of muscimol (0.5 mM), a GABA(A) receptor agonist, into the medial part of the hypothalamus, including the dorsomedial and posterior nuclei, suppressed the cold-induced shivering. This result suggests that neurons having an excitatory effect on shivering are in this region of the hypothalamus.

Tissue-specific and isoform-specific changes in MCT1 and MCT4 in heart and soleus muscle during a 1-yr period.

We examined the postnatal changes (days 10, 36, 84, 160, 365) of monocarboxylate transporters (MCT)1 and MCT4 in rat heart and soleus muscle. In the heart, MCT1 protein and mRNA remained unaltered from day 10 until 1 yr of age. Both MCT4 protein and mRNA in the heart were detected at 10 days of age, but the MCT4 protein and transcript were not detected thereafter. In the soleus muscle, MCT1 protein (+38%) and mRNA (+136%) increased during the first 84 days and remained stable until 1 yr of age. In contrast, soleus MCT4 protein decreased by 90% over the course of 1 yr, with the most rapid decrease (-60%) occurring by day 84 (P < 0.05). At the same time, MCT4 mRNA was increased by 74% from days 10 to 84 (P < 0.05), remaining stable thereafter. In conclusion, developmental changes in MCT transport proteins are tissue specific and isoform specific. Furthermore, it appears that MCT1 expression in the heart and MCT1 and MCT4 expression in the soleus are regulated by pretranslational processes, whereas posttranscriptional processes regulate MCT4 expression in the soleus muscle.

Isoform-specific regulation of the lactate transporters MCT1 and MCT4 by contractile activity.

We examined the isoform-specific regulation of monocarboxylate transporter (MCT)1 and MCT4 expression by contractile activity in red and white tibialis anterior muscles. After 1 and 3 wk of chronic muscle stimulation (24 h/day), MCT1 protein expression was increased in the red muscles (+78%, P < 0.05). In the white muscles, MCT1 was increased after 1 wk (+191%) and then was decreased after 3 wk. In the red muscle, MCT1 mRNA accumulation was increased only after 3 wk (+21%; P < 0.05). In the white muscle, MCT1 mRNA was increased after 1 wk (+30%; P < 0.05) and 3 wk (+15%; P < 0.05). MCT4 protein was not altered in either the red or white muscles after 1 or 3 wk. MCT4 mRNA was transiently lowered (approximately 15%) in both muscles in the 1st wk, but MCT4 mRNA levels were back to control levels after 3 wk. In conclusion, chronic contractile activity induces the expression of MCT1 but not MCT4. This increase in MCT1 alone was sufficient to increase lactate uptake from the circulation.

Abundance and subcellular distribution of MCT1 and MCT4 in heart and fast-twitch skeletal muscles.

The expression of two monocarboxylate transporters (MCTs) was examined in muscle and heart. MCT1 and MCT4 proteins are coexpressed in rat skeletal muscles, but only MCT1 is expressed in rat hearts. Among six rat fast-twitch muscles (red and white gastrocnemius, plantaris, extensor digitorum longus, red and white tibialis anterior) there was an inverse relationship between MCT1 and MCT4 (r = -0.94). MCT1 protein was correlated with MCT1 mRNA (r = 0.94). There was no relationship between MCT4 mRNA and MCT4 protein. MCT1 (r = -0.97) and MCT4 (r = 0.88) protein contents were correlated with percent fast-twitch glycolytic fiber. When normalized for their mRNAs, MCT1 but not MCT4 was still correlated with the percent fast-twitch glycolytic fiber composition of rat muscles (r = -0.98). MCT1 and MCT4 were also measured in plasma membranes (PM), triads (TR), T tubules (TT), sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR), and intracellular membranes (IM). There was an intracellular pool of MCT4 but not of MCT1. The MCT1 subcellular distribution was as follows: PM (100%) > TR (31.6%) > SR (15%) = TT (14%) > IM (1.7%). The MCT4 subcellular distribution was considerably different [PM (100%) > TR (66.5%) > TT (36%) = SR (43%) > IM (24%)]. These studies have shown that 1) the mechanisms regulating the expression of MCT1 (transcriptional and posttranscriptional) and MCT4 (posttranscriptional) are different and 2) differences in MCT1 and MCT4 expression among muscles, as well as in their subcellular locations, suggest that they may have different roles in muscle.

[Study on occlusal sounds in children. 2. Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) analysis on the occlusal sounds].

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the Fast Fourie Transform (FFT) analysis of the occlusal sounds generated by tooth tapping which may apply in assisting in the functional diagnosis of occlusion in children. The fifteen subjects examined were divided into three groups: the first group with deciduous dentition, the second with mixed dentition and the third with permanent dentition. Occlusal sounds generated by tooth tapping at the rate of 76 times per minute were obtained with a micro-electronic condenser microphone placed on the infra-orbital region. For the time wave, the wave pattern of the occlusal sound was classified into two groups: 1) Impact sound, 2) Slide sound, and the ratio of appearance was examined. For the spectrum, three parameters were chosen for the measuring points such as 1) frequency range, 2) peak frequency, 3) strength of the peak frequency. The results obtained in the present study were summarized as follows: 1) Occlusal sounds in the deciduous dentition, the appearance of sliding sound was noticed in over 50% of the cases while on the permanent dentition, the sliding sound was dominant. 2) The power spectrum of the occlusal sound showed generally two or three peaks. 3) The range of frequency was recognized to be extended on the sliding sound when compared with the impact sound.