The next generation of high-power lasers enables repetition of experiments at orders of magnitude higher frequency than what was possible using the prior generation. Facilities requiring human intervention between laser repetitions need to adapt in order to keep pace with the new laser technology. A distributed networked control system can enable laboratory-wide automation and feedback control loops. These higher-repetition-rate experiments will create enormous quantities of data. A consistent approach to managing data can increase data accessibility, reduce repetitive data-software development and mitigate poorly organized metadata. An opportunity arises to share knowledge of improvements to control and data infrastructure currently being undertaken. We compare platforms and approaches to state-of-the-art control systems and data management at high-power laser facilities, and we illustrate these topics with case studies from our community.

We measured the parameter reproducibility and radial electron density profile of capillary discharge waveguides with diameters of 650 $\mathrm{\mu} \mathrm{m}$ to 2 mm and lengths of 9 to 40 cm. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, 40 cm is the longest discharge capillary plasma waveguide to date. This length is important for $\ge$10 GeV electron energy gain in a single laser-driven plasma wakefield acceleration stage. Evaluation of waveguide parameter variations showed that their focusing strength was stable and reproducible to $<0.2$% and their average on-axis plasma electron density to $<1$%. These variations explain only a small fraction of laser-driven plasma wakefield acceleration electron bunch variations observed in experiments to date. Measurements of laser pulse centroid oscillations revealed that the radial channel profile rises faster than parabolic and is in excellent agreement with magnetohydrodynamic simulation results. We show that the effects of non-parabolic contributions on Gaussian pulse propagation were negligible when the pulse was approximately matched to the channel. However, they affected pulse propagation for a non-matched configuration in which the waveguide was used as a plasma telescope to change the focused laser pulse spot size.

The plasma channel formation in the focus of a knife-like nanosecond laser pulse irradiating a gas target is studied theoretically, and in gas-dynamics computer simulations. The distribution of the electromagnetic field in the focus region, obtained analytically, is used to calculate the energy deposition in the plasma, which then is implemented in the magnetohydrodynamic computer code. The modelling of the channel evolution shows that the plasma profile, which can guide the laser pulse, is formed by the tightly focused short knife-like lasers. The results of the simulations show that a proper choice of the convergence angle of a knife-like laser beam (determined by the focal length of the last cylindrical lens), and laser pulse duration may provide a sufficient degree of azimuthal symmetry of the formed plasma channel.

New X-ray powder diffraction patterns for two cholesterol derivatives, cholest-4-ene-3,6-dione and cholest-4-en-3-one are reported in the range 0<2θ<115°. Both compounds crystallize in similar monoclinic cells in space-group P21, with unit cell parameters a=10.481(3) Å, b=8.0354(8) Å, c=14.677(3) Å, β=105.265(7)°, V=1192.5(4) Å3 for C27H42O2, and a=10.703(2) Å, b=7.8750(6) Å, c=14.660(3) Å, β=105.205(14)°, V=1192.4(4) Å3 for C27H44O. The patterns, confirmed by single-crystal studies, do not match the PDF 17-1144 and PDF 10-649. A fitting of the overall parameters was performed with Fullprof using the atomic parameters obtained from single-crystal studies.

Antibiotic-encapsulated PLA and PLGA nanoparticles were prepared by the single emulsion-solvent evaporation technique. Different PLA and PLGA systems were prepared, varying the copolymer composition and the amount of the surfactant polyvinyl alcohol. Characterization and drug loading studies were performed by UV-Visible spectrophotometry, dynamic light scattering, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM).

Simultaneously, in order to model the diffusion of the nanoparticles within the osteoblast, QDs such as functionalized InGaP/ZnS and polymer encapsulated InGaP/ZnS nanoparticles were added to confluent cultures of primary mouse osteoblasts. Following PreFer fixation, cultures were examined via confocal microscopy. QDs were clearly visible within osteoblasts.

The cleaning effectiveness of flowing hydrogen to remove oxygen (adsorbed and metal oxide) and carbon (elemental, carbides and carbon-hydrogen complex) from the surface of nanostructured alpha-iron and M50 type steel (Fe-Cr-Mo-V-C) alloy powders was investigated. The hydrogen treated powders and consolidated material were examined by bulk chemical analysis and metallographic examination. The trends in the cleaning effectiveness compared favorably with predictions from Richardson and Jeffies plots of metal-metal oxide equilibria.

It is well established that the dispersion of nanosized metal particles in a polymer matrix can induce non linear optical properties, yet very little is known about the effect of semiconducting transition metal oxide nanoparticles on both electrical and luminescence properties of conjugated polymers. In this paper, we report the synthesis of a nanostructured TiO2/poly(pphenylenevinylene) system and show by diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectrometry (DRIFTS) that a stable conjugated nanocomposite is obtained. Investigation of the photoluminescence (PL) properties reveals both a broadening and a blue shift of the emission spectra. Adsorption of oxygen is found to be stronger on the nanocomposite than on PPV and to reversibly quench the PL emission, thus suggesting enhanced gas sensing properties. A tentative mechanism explaining the role of n-TiO2 is briefly discussed.

Nanometric gold particles were synthesized by a liquid/liquid phase-transfer reaction. Composites of these particles in polystyrene, poly(methyl methacrylate) and poly(phenylmethylsilane) were prepared at concentrations from 1.0 to 5.0 mg/ml were prepared, with no noticeable agglomeration of particles during processing. These materials showed a linear absorption peak at 530 nm, which is characteristic of nanosized gold. Highresolution electron microscopy measurement showed that the particle diameters were approximately 2.2 ± 1.3 nm. Degenerate four-wave mixing experiments at 532 nm yielded, on 10-micron films, a maximum value of 1.5 × 10−10 e.s.u. for the third-order nonlinear optical susceptibility.

Recent molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) studies have shown that depending on surface conditions of GaAs two different growth modes, layer-by-layer or island, occur at the initial stage of the growth of ZnSe on (100) GaAs. In this study, we have observed various types of GaAs surfaces used for the MBE growth of ZnSe by reflection electron microscopy and ZnSe islands on a GaAs substrate by cross-sectional high resolution electron microscopy. Results of these observations suggest that the occurrence of two growth modes is determined by atomistic structures of GaAs surfaces such as the surface stoichiometry or the density of atomic steps.

The electrical properties of pseudomorphic ZnSe/epilayer GaAs heterointerfaces, grown by MBE, have been investigated by capacitance versus voltage (C-V) and current versus voltage (I- V) measurements. Hole accumulation and inversion were observed in ZnSe/p-GaAs interfaces and ZnSe/n-GaAs interfaces, respectively. The C-V characteristics of the Au/ZnSe/p-GaAs capacitors are nearly ideal, exhibiting an interface state density (2.5x1011cm-2) which compares favorably with the densities reported at AlGaAs/GaAs interfaces.

A series of pseudomorphic ZnTe/AlSb/GaSb epilayer/epilayer heterostructures, aimed at the realization of novel wide bandgap light emitting devices, were grown by molecular beam epitaxy. The low temperature photoluminescence (PL) spectra of ZnTe epilayers showed dominant near-band-edge features related to free, and shallow impurity bound excitons. The PL could be seen at room temperature. Both GaSb and AlSb were doped n-type using a PbSe source.