1,421 research outputs found
Pump-Enhanced Continuous-Wave Magnetometry using Nitrogen-Vacancy Ensembles
Ensembles of nitrogen-vacancy centers in diamond are a highly promising
platform for high-sensitivity magnetometry, whose efficacy is often based on
efficiently generating and monitoring magnetic-field dependent infrared
fluorescence. Here we report on an increased sensing efficiency with the use of
a 532-nm resonant confocal cavity and a microwave resonator antenna for
measuring the local magnetic noise density using the intrinsic nitrogen-vacancy
concentration of a chemical-vapor deposited single-crystal diamond. We measure
a near-shot-noise-limited magnetic noise floor of 200 pT/
spanning a bandwidth up to 159 Hz, and an extracted sensitivity of
approximately 3 nT/, with further enhancement limited by the
noise floor of the lock-in amplifier and the laser damage threshold of the
optical components. Exploration of the microwave and optical pump-rate
parameter space demonstrates a linewidth-narrowing regime reached by virtue of
using the optical cavity, allowing an enhanced sensitivity to be achieved,
despite an unoptimized collection efficiency of <2 %, and a low
nitrogen-vacancy concentration of about 0.2 ppb.Comment: 10 pages and 5 figure
Nitrogen-Vacancy Ensemble Magnetometry Based on Pump Absorption
We demonstrate magnetic field sensing using an ensemble of nitrogen-vacancy
centers by recording the variation in the pump-light absorption due to the
spin-polarization dependence of the total ground state population. Using a 532
nm pump laser, we measure the absorption of native nitrogen-vacancy centers in
a chemical vapor deposited diamond placed in a resonant optical cavity. For a
laser pump power of 0.4 W and a cavity finesse of 45, we obtain a noise floor
of 100 nT/ spanning a bandwidth up to 125 Hz. We
project a photon shot-noise-limited sensitivity of 1
pT/ by optimizing the nitrogen-vacancy concentration and
the detection method.Comment: 7 pages and 5 figure
Noninvasive measurements of arterial stiffness: Repeatability and interrelationships with endothelial function and arterial morphology measures
Corey J Huck1, Ulf G Bronas1, Eric B Williamson1, Christopher C Draheim1, Daniel A Duprez2, Donald R Dengel1,31School of Kinesiology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA; 2Cardiovascular Division, Department of Medicine, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN; 3Research Service, Minneapolis Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Minneapolis, MN, USABackground: Many noninvasive arterial assessment techniques have been developed, measuring different parameters of arterial stiffness and endothelial function. However, there is little data available comparing different devices within the same subject. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the repeatability and interrelationships between 3 different techniques to measure arterial stiffness and to compare this with forearm-mediated dilation.Methods: Carotid-radial pulse wave velocity was measured by the Sphygmocor (SPWV) and Complior (CPWV) devices, cardio-ankle vascular index (CAVI) was measured by the VaSera device, vascular structure and function was assessed using ultrasonography and evaluated for reliability and compared in 20 apparently healthy, college-aged men and women.Results: The intraclass correlation coefficient and standard error of the mean for the Sphygmocor (R = 0.56, SEM = 0.69), Complior (R = 0.62, SEM = 0.69), and VaSera (R = 0.60, SEM = 0.56), indicated moderate repeatability. Bland-Altman plots indicated a mean difference of 0.11 ± 0.84 for SPWV, 0.13 ± 1.15 for CPWV, and –0.43 ± 0.90 for CAVI. No significant interrelationships were found among the ultrasound measures and SPWV, CPWV, and CAVI.Conclusions: The three noninvasive modalities to study arterial stiffness reliably measures arterial stiffness however, they do not correlate with ultrasound measures of vascular function and structure in young and apparently healthy subjects.Keywords: Pulse wave velocity, intima-media thickness, flow-mediated dilatio
Anomalous Periodicity of the Current-Phase Relationship of Grain-Boundary Josephson Junctions in High-Tc Superconductors
The current-phase relation (CPR) for asymmetric 45 degree Josephson junctions
between two d-wave superconductors has been predicted to exhibit an anomalous
periodicity. We have used the single-junction interferometer to investigate the
CPR for this kind of junctions in YBCO thin films. Half-fluxon periodicity has
been experimentally found, providing a novel source of evidence for the d-wave
symmetry of the pairing state of the cuprates.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figure
On reminder effects, drop-outs and dominance: evidence from an online experiment on charitable giving
We present the results of an experiment that (a) shows the usefulness of screening out drop-outs and (b) tests whether different methods of payment and reminder intervals affect charitable giving. Following a lab session, participants could make online donations to charity for a total duration of three months. Our procedure justifying the exclusion of drop-outs consists in requiring participants to collect payments in person flexibly and as known in advance and as highlighted to them later. Our interpretation is that participants who failed to collect their positive payments under these circumstances are likely not to satisfy dominance. If we restrict the sample to subjects who did not drop out, but not otherwise, reminders significantly increase the overall amount of charitable giving. We also find that weekly reminders are no more effective than monthly reminders in increasing charitable giving, and that, in our three months duration experiment, standing orders do not increase giving relative to one-off donations
Fatigue Index is Affected by Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Target but not Protocol
poste
Quantum Statistics of Surface Plasmon Polaritons in Metallic Stripe Waveguides
Single surface plasmon polaritons are excited using photons generated via
spontaneous parametric down-conversion. The mean excitation rates, intensity
correlations and Fock state populations are studied. The observed dependence of
the second order coherence in our experiment is consistent with a linear
uncorrelated Markovian environment in the quantum regime. Our results provide
important information about the effect of loss for assessing the potential of
plasmonic waveguides for future nanophotonic circuitry in the quantum regime.Comment: 21 pages, 6 figures, published in Nano Letters, publication date
(web): March 27 (2012
Effects of precompetition state anxiety interventions on performance time and accuracy among amateur soccer players: Revisiting the matching hypothesis
In this study, we tested the matching ypothesis, which contends that administration of a cognitive or somatic anxiety intervention should be matched to a participant's dominant anxiety response. Sixty-one male soccer players (mean age 31.6 years, s=6.3) were assigned to one of four groups based on their responses to the Competitive State Anxiety Inventory-2, which was modified to include a directional scale. Interventions were randomly administered in a counterbalanced order 10 min before each performance trial on a soccer skill test. The dominantly cognitive anxious group (n=17), the dominantly somatic anxious group (n=17), and the non-anxious control intervention group (n=14) completed a baseline performance trial. The second and third trials were completed with random administration of brief cognitive and somatic interventions. The non-anxious control group (n=13) completed three trials with no intervention. A mixed-model, GroupTreatment multivariate analysis of variance indicated significant (P0.05), or performance time or accuracy (P>0.05). The present findings do not provide support for the matching hypothesis for state anxiety intensity and direction, or for performance
A modification of Honoré's triple-link model in the synoptic problem
In New Testament studies, the synoptic problem is concerned with the relationships between the gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke. In an earlier paper a careful specification in probabilistic terms was set up of Honoré's triple-link model. In the present paper, a modification of Honoré's model is proposed. As previously, counts of the numbers of verbal agreements between the gospels are examined to investigate which of the possible triple-link models appears to give the best fit to the data, but now using the modified version of the model and additional sets of data
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