BRESEX: On board supervision, basic architecture and preliminary aspects for payload and space shuttle interface

Data relative to the on board supervision subsystem are presented which were considered in a conference between INPE and NASA personnel, with the purpose of initiating a joint effort leading to the implementation of the Brazilian remote sensing experiment - (BRESEX). The BRESEX should consist, basically, of a multispectral camera for Earth observation, to be tested in a future space shuttle flight

Sublattice addressing and spin-dependent motion of atoms in a double-well lattice

We load atoms into every site of an optical lattice and selectively spin flip atoms in a sublattice consisting of every other site. These selected atoms are separated from their unselected neighbors by less than an optical wavelength. We also show spin-dependent transport, where atomic wave packets are coherently separated into adjacent sites according to their internal state. These tools should be useful for quantum information processing and quantum simulation of lattice models with neutral atoms

Natural Astaxanthin Is a Green Antioxidant Able to Counteract Lipid Peroxidation and Ferroptotic Cell Death

Astaxanthin is a red orange xanthophyll carotenoid produced mainly by microalgae but which can also be chemically synthesized. As demonstrated by several studies, this lipophilic molecule is endowed with potent antioxidant properties and is able to modulate biological functions. Unlike synthetic astaxanthin, natural astaxanthin (NAst) is considered safe for human nutrition, and its production is considered eco-friendly. The antioxidant activity of astaxanthin depends on its bioavailability, which, in turn, is related to its hydrophobicity. In this study, we analyzed the water-solubility of NAst and assessed its protective effect against oxidative stress by means of different approaches using a neuroblastoma cell model. Moreover, due to its highly lipophilic nature, astaxanthin is particularly protective against lipid peroxidation; therefore, the role of NAst in counteracting ferroptosis was investigated. This recently discovered process of programmed cell death is indeed characterized by iron-dependent lipid peroxidation and seems to be linked to the onset and development of oxidative-stress-related diseases. The promising results of this study, together with the “green sources” from which astaxanthin could derive, suggest a potential role for NAst in the prevention and co-treatment of chronic degenerative diseases by means of a sustainable approach

Inflation for Bianchi IX model

The influence of Inflation on initial (i.e. at Planck's epoch) large anisotropy of the Universe is studied, considering a more general metric than the isotropic one: the locally rotationally symmetric (L.R.S.) Bianchi IX metric. We find, then, a large set of initial conditions of intrinsic curvature and shear allowing an inflationary epoch that make the anisotropy negligible. These are not trivial because of the non-linearity of the Einstein's equations.Comment: 10 pages, Latex. To be published in Phisical Review

Quantum-enhanced protocols with mixed states using cold atoms in dipole traps

We discuss the use of cold atoms in dipole traps to demonstrate experimentally a particular class of protocols for computation and metrology based on mixed states. Modelling of the system shows that, for a specific class of problems (tracing, phase estimation), a quantum advantage can be achieved over classical algorithms for very realistic conditions and strong decoherence. We discuss the results of the models and the experimental implementation

A cold-atoms based processor for deterministic quantum computation with one qubit in intractably large Hilbert spaces

We propose the use of Rydberg interactions and ensembles of cold atoms in mixed state for the implementation of a protocol for deterministic quantum computation with one quantum bit that can be readily operated in high dimensional Hilbert spaces. We propose an experimental test for the scalability of the protocol and to study the physics of discord. Furthermore, we explore the possibility of extending to non-trivial unitaries, such as those associated to many-body physics. Finally develop a scheme to add control to cold atom unitaries in order to facilitate their implementation in our proposal

Measurement of the electric dipole moments for transitions to rubidium Rydberg states via Autler-Townes splitting

We present the direct measurements of electric-dipole moments for $5P_{3/2}\to nD_{5/2}$ transitions with $20<n<48$ for Rubidium atoms. The measurements were performed in an ultracold sample via observation of the Autler-Townes splitting in a three-level ladder scheme, commonly used for 2-photon excitation of Rydberg states. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first systematic measurement of the electric dipole moments for transitions from low excited states of rubidium to Rydberg states. Due to its simplicity and versatility, this method can be easily extended to other transitions and other atomic species with little constraints. Good agreement of the experimental results with theory proves the reliability of the measurement method.Comment: 12 pages, 6 figures; figure 6 replaced with correct versio

Jaynes-Cummings dynamics in mesoscopic ensembles of Rydberg-blockaded atoms

We show that Jaynes-Cummings dynamics can be observed in mesoscopic atomic ensembles interacting with a classical electromagnetic field in the regime of a Rydberg blockade where the time dynamics of the average number of Rydberg excitations in mesoscopic ensembles displays collapses and revivals typical of this model. As the frequency of Rabi oscillations between collective states of Rydberg-blockaded ensembles depends on the number of interacting atoms, for randomly loaded optical dipole traps, we predict collapses and revivals of Rabi oscillations. We have studied the effects of finite interaction strengths and a finite laser linewidth on the visibility of the revivals. We have shown that observation of collapses and revivals of Rabi oscillations can be used as a signature of the Rydberg blockade without the need to measure the exact number of Rydberg atoms

Spatial Light Modulators for the Manipulation of Individual Atoms

We propose a novel dipole trapping scheme using spatial light modulators (SLM) for the manipulation of individual atoms. The scheme uses a high numerical aperture microscope to map the intensity distribution of a SLM onto a cloud of cold atoms. The regions of high intensity act as optical dipole force traps. With a SLM fast enough to modify the trapping potential in real time, this technique is well suited for the controlled addressing and manipulation of arbitrarily selected atoms.Comment: 9 pages, 5 figure