An official website of the United States government
Abstract This study investigates the sensitivities of mesoscale convective system (MCS) low-frequency gravity waves to changes in the vertical wind and thermodynamic profile through idealized cloud model simulations, highlighting how internal MCS processes impact low-frequency gravity wave generation, propagation, and environmental influence. Spectral analysis is performed on the rates of latent heat release, updraft velocity, and deep-tropospheric descent ahead of the convection as a signal for vertical wavenumber wave passage. Results show that perturbations in midlevel descent up to 100 km ahead of the MCS occur at the same frequency as gravity wave generation prompted by fluctuations in latent heat release due to the cellular variations of the MCS updrafts. Within a nocturnal environment, the frequency of the cellularity of the updrafts increases, subsequently increasing the frequency of wave generation. In an environment with low-level unidirectional shear, results indicate that wave generation mechanisms and environmental influence are similar among the simulated daytime and nocturnal MCSs. When deep vertical wind shear is incorporated, many of the low-frequency waves are strong enough to support cloud development ahead of the MCS as well as sustain and support convection.
more »
« less
This content will become publicly available on May 4, 2026
Mid-Infrared Frequency Comb Generation Beyond 4 μm in Nanophotonic Lithium Niobate
We report frequency comb generation in the mid-IR beyond 4 μm in a dispersion-engineered periodically poled lithium niobate nano-waveguide through simultaneous second-harmonic generation, quadratic spectral broadening, and intra-pulse difference-frequency generation.
more »
« less
- Award ID(s):
- 2408297
- PAR ID:
- 10595487
- Publisher / Repository:
- CLEO 2025
- Date Published:
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Location:
- Long Beach, CA
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
More Like this
-
-
Fraser, Bonnie (Ed.)Abstract Selection on standing genetic variation may be effective enough to allow for adaptation to distinct niche environments within a single generation. Minor allele frequency changes at multiple, redundant loci of small effect can produce remarkable phenotypic shifts. Yet, demonstrating rapid adaptation via polygenic selection in the wild remains challenging. Here we harness natural replicate populations that experience similar selection pressures and harbor high within-, yet negligible among-population genetic variation. Such populations can be found among the teleost Fundulus heteroclitus that inhabits marine estuaries characterized by high environmental heterogeneity. We identify 10,861 single nucleotide polymorphisms in F. heteroclitus that belong to a single, panmictic population yet reside in environmentally distinct niches (one coastal basin and three replicate tidal ponds). By sampling at two time points within a single generation, we quantify both allele frequency change within as well as spatial divergence among niche subpopulations. We observe few individually significant allele frequency changes yet find that the “number” of moderate changes exceeds the neutral expectation by 10–100%. We find allele frequency changes to be significantly concordant in both direction and magnitude among all niche subpopulations, suggestive of parallel selection. In addition, within-generation allele frequency changes generate subtle but significant divergence among niches, indicative of local adaptation. Although we cannot distinguish between selection and genotype-dependent migration as drivers of within-generation allele frequency changes, the trait/s determining fitness and/or migration likelihood appear to be polygenic. In heterogeneous environments, polygenic selection and polygenic, genotype-dependent migration offer conceivable mechanisms for within-generation, local adaptation to distinct niches.more » « less
-
The year 2024 marks the 30-year anniversary of the quantum cascade laser (QCL), which is becoming the leading laser source in the mid-infrared (mid-IR) range. Since the first demonstration, QCL has undergone tremendous development in terms of the output power, wall plug efficiency, spectral coverage, wavelength tunability, and beam quality. Owing to its unique intersubband transition and fast gain features, QCL possesses strong nonlinearities that makes it an ideal platform for nonlinear photonics like terahertz (THz) difference frequency generation and direct frequency comb generation via four-wave mixing when group velocity dispersion is engineered. The feature of broadband, high-power, and low-phase noise of QCL combs is revolutionizing mid-IR spectroscopy and sensing by offering a new tool measuring multi-channel molecules simultaneously in the μs time scale. While THz QCL difference frequency generation is becoming the only semiconductor light source covering 1–5 THz at room temperature. In this paper, we will introduce the latest research from the Center for Quantum Devices at Northwestern University and briefly discuss the history of QCL, recent progress, and future perspective of QCL research, especially for QCL frequency combs, room temperature THz QCL difference frequency generation, and major challenges facing QCL in the future.more » « less
-
Broadband frequency comb generation through cascaded quadratic nonlinearity remains experimentally untapped in free-space cavities with bulk χ(2)materials mainly due to the high threshold power and restricted ability of dispersion engineering. Thin-film lithium niobate (LN) is a good platform for nonlinear optics due to the tight mode confinement in a nano-dimensional waveguide, the ease of dispersion engineering, large quadratic nonlinearities, and flexible phase matching via periodic poling. Here we demonstrate broadband frequency comb generation through dispersion engineering in a thin-film LN microresonator. Bandwidths of 150 nm (80 nm) and 25 nm (12 nm) for center wavelengths at 1560 and 780 nm are achieved, respectively, in a cavity-enhanced second-harmonic generation (doubly resonant optical parametric oscillator). Our demonstration paves the way for pure quadratic soliton generation, which is a great complement to dissipative Kerr soliton frequency combs for extended interesting nonlinear applications.more » « less
