121 research outputs found
Scalable multiphoton quantum metrology with neither pre- nor post-selected measurements
The quantum statistical fluctuations of the electromagnetic field establish a
limit, known as the shot-noise limit, on the sensitivity of optical
measurements performed with classical technologies. However, quantum
technologies are not constrained by this shot-noise limit. In this regard, the
possibility of using every photon produced by quantum sources of light to
estimate small physical parameters, beyond the shot-noise limit, constitutes
one of the main goals of quantum optics. Here we experimentally demonstrate a
scalable protocol for quantum-enhanced optical phase estimation across a broad
range of phases, with neither pre- nor post-selected measurements. This is
achieved through the efficient design of a source of spontaneous parametric
down-conversion in combination with photon-number-resolving detection. The
robustness of two-mode squeezed vacuum states against loss allows us to
outperform schemes based on N00N states, in which the loss of a single photon
is enough to remove all phase information from a quantum state. In contrast to
other schemes that rely on N00N states or conditional measurements, the
sensitivity of our technique could be improved through the generation and
detection of high-order photon pairs. This unique feature of our protocol makes
it scalable. Our work is important for quantum technologies that rely on
multiphoton interference such as quantum imaging, boson sampling and quantum
networks.Comment: 9 pages, 6 figures, added more discussion
Challenging local realism with human choices
A Bell test is a randomized trial that compares experimental observations against the philosophical worldview of local realism 1, in which the properties of the physical world are independent of our observation of them and no signal travels faster than light. A Bell test requires spatially distributed entanglement, fast and high-efficiency detection and unpredictable measurement settings 2,3 . Although technology can satisfy the first two of these requirements 4-7, the use of physical devices to choose settings in a Bell test involves making assumptions about the physics that one aims to test. Bell himself noted this weakness in using physical setting choices and argued that human 'free will' could be used rigorously to ensure unpredictability in Bell tests 8 . Here we report a set of local-realism tests using human choices, which avoids assumptions about predictability in physics. We recruited about 100,000 human participants to play an online video game that incentivizes fast, sustained input of unpredictable selections and illustrates Bell-test methodology 9 . The participants generated 97,347,490 binary choices, which were directed via a scalable web platform to 12 laboratories on five continents, where 13 experiments tested local realism using photons 5,6, single atoms 7, atomic ensembles 10 and superconducting devices 11 . Over a 12-hour period on 30 November 2016, participants worldwide provided a sustained data flow of over 1,000 bits per second to the experiments, which used different human-generated data to choose each measurement setting. The observed correlations strongly contradict local realism and other realistic positions in bipartite and tripartite 12 scenarios. Project outcomes include closing the 'freedom-of-choice loophole' (the possibility that the setting choices are influenced by 'hidden variables' to correlate with the particle properties 13 ), the utilization of video-game methods 14 for rapid collection of human-generated randomness, and the use of networking techniques for global participation in experimental science
Insights into the chemical composition of Equisetum hyemale by high resolution Raman imaging
Equisetaceae has been of research interest for decades, as it is one of the oldest living plant families, and also due to its high accumulation of silica up to 25% dry wt. Aspects of silica deposition, its association with other biomolecules, as well as the chemical composition of the outer strengthening tissue still remain unclear. These questions were addressed by using high resolution (<1 μm) Confocal Raman microscopy. Two-dimensional spectral maps were acquired on cross sections of Equisetum hyemale and Raman images calculated by integrating over the intensity of characteristic spectral regions. This enabled direct visualization of differences in chemical composition and extraction of average spectra from defined regions for detailed analyses, including principal component analysis (PCA) and basis analysis (partial least square fit based on model spectra). Accumulation of silica was imaged in the knobs and in a thin layer below the cuticula. In the spectrum extracted from the knob region as main contributions, a broad band below 500 cm−1 attributed to amorphous silica, and a band at 976 cm−1 assigned to silanol groups, were found. From this, we concluded that these protrusions were almost pure amorphous, hydrated silica. No silanol group vibration was detected in the silicified epidermal layer below and association with pectin and hemicelluloses indicated. Pectin and hemicelluloses (glucomannan) were found in high levels in the epidermal layer and in a clearly distinguished outer part of the hypodermal sterome fibers. The inner part of the two-layered cells revealed as almost pure cellulose, oriented parallel along the fiber
Challenging local realism with human choices
A Bell test is a randomized trial that compares experimental observations
against the philosophical worldview of local realism. A Bell test requires
spatially distributed entanglement, fast and high-efficiency detection and
unpredictable measurement settings. Although technology can satisfy the first
two of these requirements, the use of physical devices to choose settings in a
Bell test involves making assumptions about the physics that one aims to test.
Bell himself noted this weakness in using physical setting choices and argued
that human `free will' could be used rigorously to ensure unpredictability in
Bell tests. Here we report a set of local-realism tests using human choices,
which avoids assumptions about predictability in physics. We recruited about
100,000 human participants to play an online video game that incentivizes fast,
sustained input of unpredictable selections and illustrates Bell-test
methodology. The participants generated 97,347,490 binary choices, which were
directed via a scalable web platform to 12 laboratories on five continents,
where 13 experiments tested local realism using photons, single atoms, atomic
ensembles, and superconducting devices. Over a 12-hour period on 30 November
2016, participants worldwide provided a sustained data flow of over 1,000 bits
per second to the experiments, which used different human-generated data to
choose each measurement setting. The observed correlations strongly contradict
local realism and other realistic positions in bipartite and tripartite
scenarios. Project outcomes include closing the `freedom-of-choice loophole'
(the possibility that the setting choices are influenced by `hidden variables'
to correlate with the particle properties), the utilization of video-game
methods for rapid collection of human generated randomness, and the use of
networking techniques for global participation in experimental science.Comment: This version includes minor changes resulting from reviewer and
editorial input. Abstract shortened to fit within arXiv limit
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