165 research outputs found
Quantum Computing with Atomic Josephson Junction Arrays
We present a quantum computing scheme with atomic Josephson junction arrays.
The system consists of a small number of atoms with three internal states and
trapped in a far-off resonant optical lattice. Raman lasers provide the
"Josephson" tunneling, and the collision interaction between atoms represent
the "capacitive" couplings between the modes. The qubit states are collective
states of the atoms with opposite persistent currents. This system is closely
analogous to the superconducting flux qubit. Single qubit quantum logic gates
are performed by modulating the Raman couplings, while two-qubit gates result
from a tunnel coupling between neighboring wells. Readout is achieved by tuning
the Raman coupling adiabatically between the Josephson regime to the Rabi
regime, followed by a detection of atoms in internal electronic states.
Decoherence mechanisms are studied in detail promising a high ratio between the
decoherence time and the gate operation time.Comment: 7 figure
The -essence scalar field in the context of Supernova Ia Observations
A -essence scalar field model having (non canonical) Lagrangian of the
form where
with constant is shown to be consistent with luminosity
distance-redshift data observed for type Ia Supernova. For constant ,
satisfies a scaling relation which is used to set up a differential
equation involving the Hubble parameter , the scale factor and the
-essence field . and are extracted from SNe Ia data and using
the differential equation the time dependence of the field is found to
be: . The constants
have been determined. The time dependence is similar to that of the
quintessence scalar field (having canonical kinetic energy) responsible for
homogeneous inflation. Furthermore, the scaling relation and the obtained time
dependence of the field is used to determine the -dependence of the
function .Comment: 8 pages, 5 figures, Late
Lorentz breaking Effective Field Theory and observational tests
Analogue models of gravity have provided an experimentally realizable test
field for our ideas on quantum field theory in curved spacetimes but they have
also inspired the investigation of possible departures from exact Lorentz
invariance at microscopic scales. In this role they have joined, and sometime
anticipated, several quantum gravity models characterized by Lorentz breaking
phenomenology. A crucial difference between these speculations and other ones
associated to quantum gravity scenarios, is the possibility to carry out
observational and experimental tests which have nowadays led to a broad range
of constraints on departures from Lorentz invariance. We shall review here the
effective field theory approach to Lorentz breaking in the matter sector,
present the constraints provided by the available observations and finally
discuss the implications of the persisting uncertainty on the composition of
the ultra high energy cosmic rays for the constraints on the higher order,
analogue gravity inspired, Lorentz violations.Comment: 47 pages, 4 figures. Lecture Notes for the IX SIGRAV School on
"Analogue Gravity", Como (Italy), May 2011. V.3. Typo corrected, references
adde
Variational and Geometric Structures of Discrete Dirac Mechanics
In this paper, we develop the theoretical foundations of discrete Dirac
mechanics, that is, discrete mechanics of degenerate Lagrangian/Hamiltonian
systems with constraints. We first construct discrete analogues of Tulczyjew's
triple and induced Dirac structures by considering the geometry of symplectic
maps and their associated generating functions. We demonstrate that this
framework provides a means of deriving discrete Lagrange-Dirac and nonholonomic
Hamiltonian systems. In particular, this yields nonholonomic Lagrangian and
Hamiltonian integrators. We also introduce discrete
Lagrange-d'Alembert-Pontryagin and Hamilton-d'Alembert variational principles,
which provide an alternative derivation of the same set of integration
algorithms. The paper provides a unified treatment of discrete Lagrangian and
Hamiltonian mechanics in the more general setting of discrete Dirac mechanics,
as well as a generalization of symplectic and Poisson integrators to the
broader category of Dirac integrators.Comment: 26 pages; published online in Foundations of Computational
Mathematics (2011
Evaluation of a SPLUNC1-derived peptide for the treatment of cystic fibrosis lung disease
In cystic fibrosis (CF) lungs, epithelial Na+ channel (ENaC) hyperactivity causes a reduction in airway surface liquid volume, leading to decreased mucocilliary clearance, chronic bacterial infection, and lung damage. Inhibition of ENaC is an attractive therapeutic option. However, ENaC antagonists have failed clinically because of off-target effects in the kidney. The S18 peptide is a naturally occurring short palate lung and nasal epithelial clone 1 (SPLUNC1)-derived ENaC antagonist that restores airway surface liquid height for up to 24 h in CF human bronchial epithelial cultures. However, its efficacy and safety in vivo are unknown. To interrogate the potential clinical efficacy of S18, we assessed its safety and efficacy using human airway cultures and animal models. S18-mucus interactions were tested using superresolution microscopy, quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation, and confocal microscopy. Human and murine airway cultures were used to measure airway surface liquid height. Off-target effects were assessed in conscious mice and anesthetized rats. Morbidity and mortality were assessed in the β-ENaC-transgenic (Tg) mouse model. Restoration of normal mucus clearance was measured in cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator inhibitor 172 [CFTR(inh)-172]-challenged sheep. We found that S18 does not interact with mucus and rapidly penetrated dehydrated CF mucus. Compared with amiloride, an early generation ENaC antagonist, S18 displayed a superior ability to slow airway surface liquid absorption, reverse CFTR(inh)-172-induced reduction of mucus transport, and reduce morbidity and mortality in the β-ENaC-Tg mouse, all without inducing any detectable signs of renal toxicity. These data suggest that S18 is the first naturally occurring ENaC antagonist to show improved preclinical efficacy in animal models of CF with no signs of renal toxicity
Anemia prevalence in women of reproductive age in low- and middle-income countries between 2000 and 2018
Anemia is a globally widespread condition in women and is associated with reduced economic productivity and increased mortality worldwide. Here we map annual 2000–2018 geospatial estimates of anemia prevalence in women of reproductive age (15–49 years) across 82 low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), stratify anemia by severity and aggregate results to policy-relevant administrative and national levels. Additionally, we provide subnational disparity analyses to provide a comprehensive overview of anemia prevalence inequalities within these countries and predict progress toward the World Health Organization’s Global Nutrition Target (WHO GNT) to reduce anemia by half by 2030. Our results demonstrate widespread moderate improvements in overall anemia prevalence but identify only three LMICs with a high probability of achieving the WHO GNT by 2030 at a national scale, and no LMIC is expected to achieve the target in all their subnational administrative units. Our maps show where large within-country disparities occur, as well as areas likely to fall short of the WHO GNT, offering precision public health tools so that adequate resource allocation and subsequent interventions can be targeted to the most vulnerable populations.Peer reviewe
Search for gravitational waves from Scorpius X-1 in the second Advanced LIGO observing run with an improved hidden Markov model
We present results from a semicoherent search for continuous gravitational waves from the low-mass x-ray binary Scorpius X-1, using a hidden Markov model (HMM) to track spin wandering. This search improves on previous HMM-based searches of LIGO data by using an improved frequency domain matched filter, the J-statistic, and by analyzing data from Advanced LIGO's second observing run. In the frequency range searched, from 60 to 650 Hz, we find no evidence of gravitational radiation. At 194.6 Hz, the most sensitive search frequency, we report an upper limit on gravitational wave strain (at 95% confidence) of h095%=3.47×10-25 when marginalizing over source inclination angle. This is the most sensitive search for Scorpius X-1, to date, that is specifically designed to be robust in the presence of spin wandering. © 2019 American Physical Society
Erratum: "A Gravitational-wave Measurement of the Hubble Constant Following the Second Observing Run of Advanced LIGO and Virgo" (2021, ApJ, 909, 218)
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