Non-Weyl Resonance Asymptotics for Quantum Graphs

We consider the resonances of a quantum graph $\mathcal G$ that consists of a compact part with one or more infinite leads attached to it. We discuss the leading term of the asymptotics of the number of resonances of $\mathcal G$ in a disc of a large radius. We call $\mathcal G$ a \emph{Weyl graph} if the coefficient in front of this leading term coincides with the volume of the compact part of $\mathcal G$. We give an explicit topological criterion for a graph to be Weyl. In the final section we analyze a particular example in some detail to explain how the transition from the Weyl to the non-Weyl case occurs.Comment: 29 pages, 2 figure

Normal form decomposition for Gaussian-to-Gaussian superoperators

In this paper we explore the set of linear maps sending the set of quantum Gaussian states into itself. These maps are in general not positive, a feature which can be exploited as a test to check whether a given quantum state belongs to the convex hull of Gaussian states (if one of the considered maps sends it into a non positive operator, the above state is certified not to belong to the set). Generalizing a result known to be valid under the assumption of complete positivity, we provide a characterization of these Gaussian-to-Gaussian (not necessarily positive) superoperators in terms of their action on the characteristic function of the inputs. For the special case of one-mode mappings we also show that any Gaussian-to-Gaussian superoperator can be expressed as a concatenation of a phase-space dilatation, followed by the action of a completely positive Gaussian channel, possibly composed with a transposition. While a similar decomposition is shown to fail in the multi-mode scenario, we prove that it still holds at least under the further hypothesis of homogeneous action on the covariance matrix

Undoing a weak quantum measurement of a solid-state qubit

We propose an experiment which demonstrates the undoing of a weak continuous measurement of a solid-state qubit, so that any unknown initial state is fully restored. The undoing procedure has only a finite probability of success because of the non-unitary nature of quantum measurement, though it is accompanied by a clear experimental indication of whether or not the undoing has been successful. The probability of success decreases with increasing strength of the measurement, reaching zero for a traditional projective measurement. Measurement undoing (``quantum un-demolition'') may be interpreted as a kind of a quantum eraser, in which the information obtained from the first measurement is erased by the second measurement, which is an essential part of the undoing procedure. The experiment can be realized using quantum dot (charge) or superconducting (phase) qubits.Comment: 5 page

Contribution of host-derived growth factors to in vivo growth of a transplantable murine mammary carcinoma.

The contribution of host-derived growth factors to tumour growth in vivo was studied using the transplantable murine mammary carcinoma, MT1, grown in syngeneic mice. Promotion of growth of the mammary carcinoma by a factor(s) from the host was evident in experiments in which the carcinoma cells were inoculated intraperitoneally. In this environment, tumours develop as multiple solid nodules, each probably arising from an individual cell or a small cluster of cells. Tumour growth was found to occur in the peritoneal cavity following inoculation of 10(3) cells, but an inoculum of as few as ten cells grew if a leucocyte-rich exudate had first been induced. To determine which host-derived growth factors might contribute to growth of MT1, extracts of the tumour were first examined for growth factor activity. Fractionation of tumour extracts by either ion-exchange chromatography or gel filtration revealed several peaks of mitogenic activity, but none of this could be attributed to epidermal growth factor (EGF). Accordingly, an anti-EGF antibody was tested as a putative inhibitor of tumour growth as any effect of this antibody could be ascribed to removal of EGF derived from the host. The antibody was found to have potent anti-tumour activity when tested against MT1 tumours that had been inoculated into the peritoneal cavity. In contrast, the antibody had little effect on growth of the discrete tumour mass which formed when MT1 was transplanted subcutaneously. The results suggest that host-derived EGF contributes to establishment of microcolonies of MT1 carcinoma within the peritoneal cavity. This may be directly, by providing growth factors to supplement those produced by the tumour until it reaches a certain critical mass to sustain autocrine growth, or indirectly, by affecting the production of other growth-stimulatory factors or cytokines

Hedonic drinking engages a supra-spinal inhibition of thermal nociception in adult rats

The taste of sucrose is commonly used to provide pain relief in newborn humans and is innately analgesic to neonatal rodents. In adulthood, sucrose remains a strong motivator to feed, even in potentially hazardous circumstances (ie, threat of tissue damage). However, the neurobiological mechanisms of this endogenous reward–pain interaction are unclear. We have developed a simple model of sucrose drinking–induced analgesia in Sprague–Dawley rats (6-10 weeks old) and have undertaken a behavioral and pharmacological characterization using the Hargreaves' test of hind-paw thermal sensitivity. Our results reveal an acute, potent, and robust inhibitory effect of sucrose drinking on thermal nociceptive behaviour that unlike the phenomenon in neonates is independent of endogenous opioid signalling and does not seem to operate through classical descending inhibition of the spinal cord circuitry. Experience of sucrose drinking had a conditioning effect whereby the apparent expectancy of sucrose enabled water alone (in euvolemic animals) to elicit a short-lasting placebo-like analgesia. Sweet taste alone, however, was insufficient to elicit analgesia in adult rats intraorally perfused with sucrose. Instead, the sucrose analgesia phenomenon only appeared after conditioning by oral perfusion in chronically cannulated animals. This sucrose analgesia was completely prevented by systemic dosing of the endocannabinoid CB1 receptor antagonist rimonabant. These results indicate the presence of an endogenous supraspinal analgesic circuit that is recruited by the context of rewarding drinking and is dependent on endocannabinoid signalling. We propose that this hedonic sucrose-drinking model may be useful for further investigation of the supraspinal control of pain by appetite and reward

Uncollapsing the wavefunction by undoing quantum measurements

We review and expand on recent advances in theory and experiments concerning the problem of wavefunction uncollapse: Given an unknown state that has been disturbed by a generalized measurement, restore the state to its initial configuration. We describe how this is probabilistically possible with a subsequent measurement that involves erasing the information extracted about the state in the first measurement. The general theory of abstract measurements is discussed, focusing on quantum information aspects of the problem, in addition to investigating a variety of specific physical situations and explicit measurement strategies. Several systems are considered in detail: the quantum double dot charge qubit measured by a quantum point contact (with and without Hamiltonian dynamics), the superconducting phase qubit monitored by a SQUID detector, and an arbitrary number of entangled charge qubits. Furthermore, uncollapse strategies for the quantum dot electron spin qubit, and the optical polarization qubit are also reviewed. For each of these systems the physics of the continuous measurement process, the strategy required to ideally uncollapse the wavefunction, as well as the statistical features associated with the measurement is discussed. We also summarize the recent experimental realization of two of these systems, the phase qubit and the polarization qubit.Comment: 19 pages, 4 figure

Quantum Zeno stabilization in weak continuous measurement of two qubits

We have studied quantum coherent oscillations of two qubits under continuous measurement by a symmetrically coupled mesoscopic detector. The analysis is based on a Bayesian formalism that is applicable to individual quantum systems. Measurement continuously collapses the two-qubit system to one of the sub-spaces of the Bell basis. For a detector with linear response this corresponds to measurement of the total spin of the qubits. In the other extreme of purely quadratic response the operator \sigma_y^1 \sigma_y^2 + \sigma_z^1 \sigma_z^2 is measured. In both cases, collapse naturally leads to spontaneous entanglement which can be identified by measurement of the power spectrum and/or the average current of the detector. Asymmetry between the two qubits results in evolution between the different measurement subspaces. However, when the qubits are even weakly coupled to the detector, a kind of quantum Zeno effect cancels the gradual evolution and replaces it with rare, abrupt switching events. We obtain the asymptotic switching rates for these events and confirm them with numerical simulations. We show how such switching affects the observable power spectrum on different time scales.Comment: 18 pages, 8 eps figures, reference adde

Probing the Inner Disk Emission of the Herbig Ae Stars HD 163296 and HD 190073

The physical processes occurring within the inner few astronomical units of proto-planetary disks surrounding Herbig Ae stars are crucial to setting the environment in which the outer planet-forming disk evolves and put critical constraints on the processes of accretion and planet migration. We present the most complete published sample of high angular resolution H- and K-band observations of the stars HD 163296 and HD 190073, including 30 previously unpublished nights of observations of the former and 45 nights of the latter with the CHARA long-baseline interferometer, in addition to archival VLTI data. We confirm previous observations suggesting significant near-infrared emission originates within the putative dust evaporation front of HD 163296 and show this is the case for HD 190073 as well. The H- and K-band sizes are the same within $(3 \pm 3)\%$ for HD 163296 and within $(6 \pm 10)\%$ for HD 190073. The radial surface brightness profiles for both disks are remarkably Gaussian-like with little or no sign of the sharp edge expected for a dust evaporation front. Coupled with spectral energy distribution analysis, our direct measurements of the stellar flux component at H and K bands suggest that HD 190073 is much younger (<400 kyr) and more massive (~5.6 M$_\odot$) than previously thought, mainly as a consequence of the new Gaia distance (891 pc).Comment: 19 pages, 6 figure

Primary accumulation in the Soviet transition

The Soviet background to the idea of primary socialist accumulation is presented. The mobilisation of labour power and of products into public sector investment from outside are shown to have been the two original forms of the concept. In Soviet primary accumulation the mobilisation of labour power was apparently more decisive than the mobilisation of products. The primary accumulation process had both intended and unintended results. Intended results included bringing most of the economy into the public sector, and industrialisation of the economy as a whole. Unintended results included substantial economic losses, and the proliferation of coercive institutions damaging to attainment of the ultimate goal - the building of a communist society

Chromatic perceptual learning

Perceptual learning has been shown on a wide variety of achromatic visual tasks. However, very little work has explored the possibility of improvements on chromatically based tasks. Here, we used a transfer of learning paradigm to assess the specificity of improvements at discriminating the orientation of a chromatically defined edge presented in luminance noise. Chromatic thresholds were estimated for two different hues and retinal locations, before and after a ten day training period. During training observers discriminated the orientation of a chromatic edge at just one location and hue. Whilst performance improved following training, these improvements failed to transfer across either retinal location or hue. Our findings suggest that improvements in chromatically-mediated discrimination may involve plasticity at early, retinotopically mapped, stages of visual analysis. Further, they suggest that categorical perception of colour might in part arise from chromatic perceptual learning at colour category boundaries. © 2011 - John Benjamins B.V