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Charge distribution and electroluminescence in cross-linked polyethylene under dc field
The intent of this paper is to cross-correlate the information obtained by space charge distribution analysis and electroluminescence (EL) detection in cross-linked polyethylene samples submitted to dc fields, with the objective to make a link between space charge phenomena and energy release as revealed by the detection of visible photons. Space charge measurements carried out at different field levels by the pulsed electro-acoustic method show the presence of a low-field threshold, close to 15-20 kV mm-1, above which considerable space charge begins to accumulate in the insulation. Charges are seen to cross the insulation thickness through a packet-like behaviour at higher fields, starting at about 60-70 kV mm-1. EL measurements show the existence of two distinct thresholds, one related to the continuous excitation of EL under voltage, the other being transient EL detected upon specimen short circuit. The former occurs at values of field corresponding to charge packet formation and the latter to the onset of space charge accumulation. The correspondence between pertinent values of the electric field obtained through space charge and EL analyses provides support for the existence of degradation thresholds in insulating materials. Special emphasis is given to the relationship between charge packet formation and propagation, and EL. Although the two phenomena are observed in the same field range, it is found that the onset of continuous EL follows the formation at the electrodes of positive and negative space charge regions that extend into the bulk prior to the propagation of charge packets. Charge recombination appears to be the excitation process of EL since oppositely charged domains meet in the material bulk. To gain an insight into specific light-excitation processes associated with charge packet propagation, EL has been recorded for several hours under fields at which charge packet dynamics were evidenced. It is shown that current and luminescence oscillations are detected during charge packet propagation, and that they are in phase. The mechanisms underlying EL and charge packets are further considered on the basis of these results
Ultrasensitive force detection with a nanotube mechanical resonator
Since the advent of atomic force microscopy, mechanical resonators have been
used to study a wide variety of phenomena, such as the dynamics of individual
electron spins, persistent currents in normal metal rings, and the Casimir
force. Key to these experiments is the ability to measure weak forces. Here, we
report on force sensing experiments with a sensitivity of 12 zN Hz^(-1/2) at a
temperature of 1.2 K using a resonator made of a carbon nanotube. An
ultra-sensitive method based on cross-correlated electrical noise measurements,
in combination with parametric downconversion, is used to detect the
low-amplitude vibrations of the nanotube induced by weak forces. The force
sensitivity is quantified by applying a known capacitive force. This detection
method also allows us to measure the Brownian vibrations of the nanotube down
to cryogenic temperatures. Force sensing with nanotube resonators offers new
opportunities for detecting and manipulating individual nuclear spins as well
as for magnetometry measurements.Comment: Early version. To be published in Nature Nanotechnolog
Applications of the optical fiber to the generation and to the measurement of low-phase-noise microwave signals
The optical fiber used as a microwave delay line exhibits high stability and
low noise and makes accessible a long delay (>100 microseconds) in a wide
bandwidth (about 40 GHz, limited by the optronic components). Hence, it finds
applications as the frequency reference in microwave oscillators and as the
reference discriminator for the measurement of phase noise. The fiber is
suitable to measure the oscillator stability with a sensitivity of parts in
1E-12. Enhanced sensitivity is obtained with two independent delay lines, after
correlating and averaging. Short-term stability of parts in 1E-12 is achieved
inserting the delay line in an oscillator. The frequency can be set in steps
multiple of the inverse delay, which is in the 10-100 kHz region.
This article adds to the available references a considerable amount of
engineering and practical knowledge, the understanding of 1/f noise,
calibration, the analysis of the cross-spectrum technique to reduce the
instrument background, the phase-noise model of the oscillator, and the
experimental test of the oscillator model.Comment: 23 pages, 13 figures, 41 reference
Nano-optomechanical measurement in the photon counting regime
Optically measuring in the photon counting regime is a recurrent challenge in
modern physics and a guarantee to develop weakly invasive probes. Here we
investigate this idea on a hybrid nano-optomechanical system composed of a
nanowire hybridized to a single Nitrogen-Vacancy (NV) defect. The vibrations of
the nanoresonator grant a spatial degree of freedom to the quantum emitter and
the photon emission event can now vary in space and time. We investigate how
the nanomotion is encoded on the detected photon statistics and explore their
spatio-temporal correlation properties. This allows a quantitative measurement
of the vibrations of the nanomechanical oscillator at unprecedentedly low light
intensities in the photon counting regime when less than one photon is detected
per oscillation period, where standard detectors are dark-noise-limited. These
results have implications for probing weakly interacting nanoresonators, for
low temperature experiments and for investigating single moving markers
Continuous Force and Displacement Measurement Below the Standard Quantum Limit
Quantum mechanics dictates that the precision of physical measurements must
be subject to certain constraints. In the case of inteferometric displacement
measurements, these restrictions impose a 'standard quantum limit' (SQL), which
optimally balances the precision of a measurement with its unwanted backaction.
To go beyond this limit, one must devise more sophisticated measurement
techniques, which either 'evade' the backaction of the measurement, or achieve
clever cancellation of the unwanted noise at the detector. In the half-century
since the SQL was established, systems ranging from LIGO to ultracold atoms and
nanomechanical devices have pushed displacement measurements towards this
limit, and a variety of sub-SQL techniques have been tested in
proof-of-principle experiments. However, to-date, no experimental system has
successfully demonstrated an interferometric displacement measurement with
sensitivity (including all relevant noise sources: thermal, backaction, and
imprecision) below the SQL. Here, we exploit strong quantum correlations in an
ultracoherent optomechanical system to demonstrate off-resonant force and
displacement sensitivity reaching 1.5dB below the SQL. This achieves an
outstanding goal in mechanical quantum sensing, and further enhances the
prospects of using such devices for state-of-the-art force sensing
applications.Comment: 18 pages, 7 figure
Fluctuation-enhanced sensing
We present a short survey on fluctuation-enhanced gas sensing. We compare
some of its main characteristics with those of classical sensing. We address
the problem of linear response, information channel capacity, missed alarms and
false alarms.Comment: Keynote Talk at SPIE's 4th international symposium on Fluctuations
and Noise, Conference Noise and Fluctuations in Circuits, Devices and
Materials, Florence, Italy, May 20-24, 200
New Experimental Limit on the Electric Dipole Moment of the Electron in a Paramagnetic Insulator
We report results of an experimental search for the intrinsic Electric Dipole
Moment (EDM) of the electron using a solid-state technique. The experiment
employs a paramagnetic, insulating gadolinium gallium garnet (GGG) that has a
large magnetic response at low temperatures. The presence of the eEDM would
lead to a small but non-zero magnetization as the GGG sample is subject to a
strong electric field. We search for the resulting Stark-induced magnetization
with a sensitive magnetometer. Recent progress on the suppression of several
sources of background allows the experiment to run free of spurious signals at
the level of the statistical uncertainties. We report our first limit on the
eEDM of 10ecm with 5 days of
data averaging.Comment: 9 pages, 9 figures, Revtex 4.
Development and operation of the twin radio frequency single electron transistor for solid state qubit readout
Ultra-sensitive detectors and readout devices based on the radio frequency
single electron transistor (rf-SET) combine near quantum-limited sensitivity
with fast operation. Here we describe a twin rf-SET detector that uses two
superconducting rf-SETs to perform fast, real-time cross-correlated
measurements in order to distinguish sub-electron signals from charge noise on
microsecond time-scales. The twin rf-SET makes use of two tuned resonance
circuits to simultaneously and independently address both rf-SETs using
wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) and a single cryogenic amplifier. We
focus on the operation of the twin rf-SET as a charge detector and evaluate the
cross-talk between the two resonance circuits. Real time suppression of charge
noise is demonstrated by cross correlating the signals from the two rf-SETs.
For the case of simultaneous operation, the rf-SETs had charge sensitivities of
and .Comment: Updated version, including new content. Comments most welcome:
[email protected] or [email protected]
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