386 research outputs found
Long-distance quantum communication with atomic ensembles and linear optics
Quantum communication holds a promise for absolutely secure transmission of
secret messages and faithful transfer of unknown quantum states. Photonic
channels appear to be very attractive for physical implementation of quantum
communication. However, due to losses and decoherence in the channel, the
communication fidelity decreases exponentially with the channel length. We
describe a scheme that allows to implement robust quantum communication over
long lossy channels. The scheme involves laser manipulation of atomic
ensembles, beam splitters, and single-photon detectors with moderate
efficiencies, and therefore well fits the status of the current experimental
technology. We show that the communication efficiency scale polynomially with
the channel length thereby facilitating scalability to very long distances.Comment: 2 tex files (Main text + Supplement), 4 figure
Holonomic quantum computation with neutral atoms
We propose an all-geometric implementation of quantum computation using
neutral atoms in cavity QED. We show how to perform generic single- and
two-qubit gates, the latter by encoding a two-atom state onto a single,
many-level atom. We compare different strategies to overcome limitations due to
cavity imperfections.Comment: 14 pages, 9 figure
Resonance fluorescence of a trapped three-level atom
We investigate theoretically the spectrum of resonance fluorescence of a
harmonically trapped atom, whose internal transitions are --shaped and
driven at two-photon resonance by a pair of lasers, which cool the
center--of--mass motion. For this configuration, photons are scattered only due
to the mechanical effects of the quantum interaction between light and atom. We
study the spectrum of emission in the final stage of laser--cooling, when the
atomic center-of-mass dynamics is quantum mechanical and the size of the wave
packet is much smaller than the laser wavelength (Lamb--Dicke limit). We use
the spectral decomposition of the Liouville operator of the master equation for
the atomic density matrix and apply second order perturbation theory. We find
that the spectrum of resonance fluorescence is composed by two narrow sidebands
-- the Stokes and anti-Stokes components of the scattered light -- while all
other signals are in general orders of magnitude smaller. For very low
temperatures, however, the Mollow--type inelastic component of the spectrum
becomes visible. This exhibits novel features which allow further insight into
the quantum dynamics of the system. We provide a physical model that interprets
our results and discuss how one can recover temperature and cooling rate of the
atom from the spectrum. The behaviour of the considered system is compared with
the resonance fluorescence of a trapped atom whose internal transition consists
of two-levels.Comment: 11 pages, 4 Figure
Motional effects of single trapped atomic/ionic qubit
We investigate theoretical decoherence effects of the motional degrees of
freedom of a single trapped atomic/ionic electronically coded qubit. For single
bit rotations from a resonant running wave laser field excitation, we found the
achievable fidelity to be determined by a single parameter characterized by the
motional states. Our quantitative results provide a useful realistic view for
current experimental efforts in quantum information and computing.Comment: 3 fig
Motion-light parametric amplifier and entanglement distributor
We propose a scheme for entangling the motional mode of a trapped atom with a
propagating light field via a cavity-mediated parametric interaction. We then
show that if this light field is subsequently coupled to a second distant atom
via a cavity-mediated linear-mixing interaction, it is possible to transfer the
entanglement from the light beam to the motional mode of the second atom to
create an EPR-type entangled state of the positions and momenta of two
distantly-separated atoms.Comment: 9 pages, 8 figures, REVTe
Transgenic avidin maize is resistant to storage insect pests
Avidin is a glycoprotein found in chicken egg white, that sequesters the vitamin biotin. Here we show that when present in maize at levels of β₯100 p.p.m., avidin is toxic to and prevents development of insects that damage grains during storage. Insect toxicity is caused by a biotin deficiency, as shown by prevention of toxicity with biotin supplementation. The avidin maize is not, however, toxic to mice when administered as the sole component of their diet for 21 days. These data suggest that avidin expression in food or feed grain crops can be used as a biopesticide against a spectrum of stored-product insect pests
Fungal iron availability during deep seated candidiasis is defined by a complex interplay involving systemic and local events
Peer reviewedPublisher PD
The influence of non-isotropic scattering of thermal radiation on spectra of brown dwarfs and hot exoplanets
(abridged) We calculate near-infrared thermal emission spectra using a
doubling-adding radiative transfer code, which includes scattering by clouds
and haze. Initial temperature profiles and cloud optical depths are taken from
the drift-phoenix brown dwarf model. As is well known, cloud particles change
the spectrum compared to when clouds are ignored. The clouds reduce fluxes in
the near-infrared spectrum and make it redder than for the clear sky case. We
also confirm that not including scattering in the spectral calculations can
result in errors on the spectra of many tens of percent, both in magnitude and
in variations with wavelength. This is especially apparent for particles that
are larger than the wavelength and only have little iron in them. Scattering
particles will show deeper absorption features than absorbing (e.g. iron)
particles and particle size will also affect the calculated infrared colours.
Large particles also tend to be strongly forward-scattering, and we show that
assuming isotropic scattering in this case also leads to very large errors in
the spectrum. Thus, care must be taken in the choice of radiative transfer
method for heat balance or spectral calculations when clouds are present in the
atmosphere. Besides the choice of radiative transfer method, the type of
particles that are predicted by models will change conclusions about e.g.
infrared colours and trace gas abundances. As a result, knowledge of the
scattering properties of the clouds is essential when deriving temperature
profiles or gas abundances from direct infrared observations of exoplanets or
brown dwarfs and from secondary eclipse measurements of transiting exoplanets,
since scattering clouds will change the depth of gas absorption features, among
other things. Thus, ignoring the presence of clouds can yield retrieved
properties that differ significantly from the real atmospheric properties.Comment: Accepted for publication in Astronomy and Astrophysics. The abstract
and a part of the introduction have been re-worded compared to the accepted
version to avoid misinterpretation of the paper as much as possibl
Immediate chest X-ray for patients at risk of lung cancer presenting in primary care: randomised controlled feasibility trial
Background: Achieving earlier stage diagnosis is one option for improving lung cancer outcomes in the United Kingdom. Patients with lung cancer typically present with symptoms to general practitioners several times before referral or investigation. Methods: We undertook a mixed methods feasibility individually randomised controlled trial (the ELCID trial) to assess the feasibility and inform the design of a definitive, fully powered, UK-wide, Phase III trial of lowering the threshold for urgent investigation of suspected lung cancer. Patients over 60, with a smoking history, presenting with new chest symptoms to primary care, were eligible to be randomised to intervention (urgent chest X-ray) or usual care. Results: The trial design and materials were acceptable to GPs and patients. We randomised 255 patients from 22 practices, although the proportion of eligible patients who participated was lower than expected. Survey responses (89%), and the fidelity of the intervention (82% patients X-rayed within 3 weeks) were good. There was slightly higher anxiety and depression in the control arm in participants aged >75. Three patients (1.2%) were diagnosed with lung cancer. Conclusions: We have demonstrated the feasibility of individually randomising patients at higher risk of lung cancer, to a trial offering urgent investigation or usual care
Cdk1 and SUMO Regulate Swe1 Stability
The Swe1/Wee1 kinase phosphorylates and inhibits Cdk1-Clb2 and is a major mitotic switch. Swe1 levels are controlled by ubiquitin mediated degradation, which is regulated by interactions with various mitotic kinases. We have recently reported that Swe1 levels are capable of sensing the progress of the cell cycle by measuring the levels of Cdk1-Clb2, Cdc5 and Hsl1. We report here a novel mechanism that regulates the levels of Swe1. We show that S.cerevisiae Swe1 is modified by Smt3/SUMO on residue K594 in a Cdk1 dependant manner. A degradation of the swe1K594R mutant that cannot be modified by Smt3 is considerably delayed in comparison to wild type Swe1. Swe1K594R cells express elevated levels of Swe1 protein and demonstrate higher levels of Swe1 activity as manifested by Cdk1-Y19 phosphorylation. Interestingly this mutant is not targeted, like wild type Swe1, to the bud neck where Swe1 degradation takes place. We show that Swe1 is SUMOylated by the Siz1 SUMO ligase, and consequently siz1Ξ cells express elevated levels of Swe1 protein and activity. Finally we show that swe1K594R cells are sensitive to osmotic stress, which is in line with their compromised regulation of Swe1 degradation
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