Optical cavities are useful tools to enhance the interaction between light and matter, which is important to make good quantum emitters. However, it turns out that the cavities themselves (without... Show moreOptical cavities are useful tools to enhance the interaction between light and matter, which is important to make good quantum emitters. However, it turns out that the cavities themselves (without any quantum emitters) are already interesting objects to study. When these cavities become very small, non-paraxial effects become important to describe the eigenmodes of the cavity. This thesis describes both the theoretical predictions of the cavity and shows the corresponding experiments. Show less
This paper describes optical propagation beyond the paraxial limit in rotational symmetric short Fabry-Perot cavities and long fibers with parabolic-index profiles. Frequency shifts due to paraxial... Show moreThis paper describes optical propagation beyond the paraxial limit in rotational symmetric short Fabry-Perot cavities and long fibers with parabolic-index profiles. Frequency shifts due to paraxial and nonparaxial effects, the so-called spectral fine structure and vector corrections, are calculated with perturbation theory and expressed in a single dimensionless expansion parameter. The results obtained for short cavities and fibers have similar functional forms but are surprisingly different. These similarities and differences are pointed out and discussed, including their consequences for mode multiplexing in fibers. Show less
Exter, M.P. van; Wubs, M.; Hissink, E.; Koks, C. 2022
Background: Women positive for thyroid peroxidase antibodies (TPO-Ab) have a higher risk of recurrent pregnancy loss. Evidence on whether levothyroxine treatment improves pregnancy outcomes in... Show moreBackground: Women positive for thyroid peroxidase antibodies (TPO-Ab) have a higher risk of recurrent pregnancy loss. Evidence on whether levothyroxine treatment improves pregnancy outcomes in women who are TPO-Ab positive women with recurrent pregnancy loss is scarce. The aim of this study was to determine if levothyroxine increases live birth rates in women who were TPO-Ab positive with recurrent pregnancy loss and normal thyroid function. Methods: The T4LIFE trial was an international, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 3 study done in 13 secondary and tertiary hospitals in the Netherlands, one tertiary hospital in Belgium, and one tertiary hospital in Denmark. Women (18-42 years) who were TPO-Ab positive, had two or more pregnancy losses, and had a thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) concentration within the institutional reference range were eligible for inclusion. Women were excluded if they had antiphospholipid syndrome (lupus anticoagulant, anticardiolipin IgG or IgM antibodies, or beta 2-glycoprotein-I IgG or IgM antibodies), other autoimmune diseases, thyroid disease, previous enrolment in this trial, or contraindications for levothyroxine use. Before conception, women were randomly assigned (1:1) to receive either levothyroxine or placebo orally once daily. The daily dose of levothyroxine was based on preconception TSH concentration and ranged from 0.5-1.0 mu g/kg bodyweight. Levothyroxine or placebo was continued until the end of pregnancy. The primary outcome was live birth, defined as the birth of a living child beyond 24 weeks of gestation measured in the intention-to-treat population. The trial was registered within the Netherlands Trial Register, NTR3364 and with EudraCT, 2011-001820-39. Results: Between Jan 1, 2013, and Sept 19, 2019, 187 women were included in the study: 94 (50%) were assigned to the levothyroxine group and 93 (50%) were assigned to the placebo group. The trial was prematurely stopped when 187 (78%) of the 240 predefined patients had been included because of slow recruitment. 47 (50%) women in the levothyroxine group and 45 (48%) women in the placebo group had live births (risk ratio 1.03 [95% CI 0.77 to 1.38]; absolute risk difference 1.6% [95% CI -12.7 to 15.9]). Seven (7%) women in the levothyroxine group and seven (8%) in the placebo group reported adverse events, none of them were directly related to the study procedure. Interpretation: Compared with placebo, levothyroxine treatment did not result in higher live birth rates in euthyroid women with recurrent pregnancy loss who were positive for TPO-Ab. On the basis of our findings, we do not advise routine use of levothyroxine in women who are TPO-Ab positive with recurrent pregnancy loss and normal thyroid function. Copyright (C) 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Show less
