Backward parametric down-conversion, in which one of the twin beams is generated in the opposite direction with respect to the pump laser source (Fig.1a), was theoretically predicted fifty years ago, but only recently became experimentally accessible [1], due the challenges involved in the fabrication of the required submicrometer poling period. A peculiarity of this geometry is the presence of...

This paper presents a further development of the mechanism for the detection of weak magnetic fields proposed by [Lednev (1991): Bioelectromagnetics 12:71-75]. The fraction of excited oscillator states of an unhydrated ion is studied in a dynamic model driven by the predicted (time-varying) transition probability in the presence of thermal noise and an unspecified excitation mechanism. The main...

This thesis revisits the well-known notion of parametric polymorphism in the light of modern developments in type-theory. Additionally, applications of parametric polymorphism are also presented. The first part of the thesis presents a theoretical investigation of the semantics of parametric polymorphism of and within type-theories with dependent types. It is shown how the meaning of polymorphi...

The analyzer-based phase-contrast x-ray imaging (ABI) method is emerging as a potential alternative to conventional radiography. Like many of the modern imaging techniques, ABI is a computed imaging method (meaning that images are calculated from raw data). ABI can simultaneously generate a number of planar parametric images containing information about absorption, refraction, and scattering pr...