2,877 research outputs found
Decoherence of a Josephson qubit due to coupling to two level systems
Noise and decoherence are major obstacles to the implementation of Josephson
junction qubits in quantum computing. Recent experiments suggest that two level
systems (TLS) in the oxide tunnel barrier are a source of decoherence. We
explore two decoherence mechanisms in which these two level systems lead to the
decay of Rabi oscillations that result when Josephson junction qubits are
subjected to strong microwave driving. (A) We consider a Josephson qubit
coupled resonantly to a two level system, i.e., the qubit and TLS have equal
energy splittings. As a result of this resonant interaction, the occupation
probability of the excited state of the qubit exhibits beating. Decoherence of
the qubit results when the two level system decays from its excited state by
emitting a phonon. (B) Fluctuations of the two level systems in the oxide
barrier produce fluctuations and 1/f noise in the Josephson junction critical
current I_o. This in turn leads to fluctuations in the qubit energy splitting
that degrades the qubit coherence. We compare our results with experiments on
Josephson junction phase qubits.Comment: 23 pages, Latex, 6 encapsulated postscript figure
More about the comparison of local and non-local NN interaction models
The effect of non-locality in the NN interaction with an off-energy shell
character has been studied in the past in relation with the possibility that
some models could be approximately phase-shifts equivalent. This work is
extended to a non-locality implying terms that involve an anticommutator with
the operator p^2. It includes both scalar and tensor components. The most
recent ``high accuracy'' models are considered in the analysis. After studying
the deuteron wave functions, electromagnetic properties of various models are
compared with the idea that these ones differ by their non-locality but are
equivalent up to a unitary transformation. It is found that the extra non-local
tensor interaction considered in this work tends to re-enforce the role of the
term considered in previous works, allowing one to explain almost completely
the difference in the deuteron D-state probabilities evidenced by the
comparison of the Bonn-QB and Paris models for instance. Conclusions for the
effect of the non-local scalar interaction are not so clear. In many cases, it
was found that these terms could explain part of the differences that the
comparison of predictions for various models evidences but cases where they
could not were also found. Some of these last ones have been analyzed in order
to pointing out the origin of the failure.Comment: 32 pages, 24 figure
Approximating k-Forest with Resource Augmentation: A Primal-Dual Approach
In this paper, we study the -forest problem in the model of resource
augmentation. In the -forest problem, given an edge-weighted graph ,
a parameter , and a set of demand pairs , the
objective is to construct a minimum-cost subgraph that connects at least
demands. The problem is hard to approximate---the best-known approximation
ratio is . Furthermore, -forest is as hard to
approximate as the notoriously-hard densest -subgraph problem.
While the -forest problem is hard to approximate in the worst-case, we
show that with the use of resource augmentation, we can efficiently approximate
it up to a constant factor.
First, we restate the problem in terms of the number of demands that are {\em
not} connected. In particular, the objective of the -forest problem can be
viewed as to remove at most demands and find a minimum-cost subgraph that
connects the remaining demands. We use this perspective of the problem to
explain the performance of our algorithm (in terms of the augmentation) in a
more intuitive way.
Specifically, we present a polynomial-time algorithm for the -forest
problem that, for every , removes at most demands and has
cost no more than times the cost of an optimal algorithm
that removes at most demands
Drug hypersensitivity caused by alteration of the MHC-presented self-peptide repertoire
Idiosyncratic adverse drug reactions are unpredictable, dose independent and
potentially life threatening; this makes them a major factor contributing to
the cost and uncertainty of drug development. Clinical data suggest that many
such reactions involve immune mechanisms, and genetic association studies have
identified strong linkage between drug hypersensitivity reactions to several
drugs and specific HLA alleles. One of the strongest such genetic associations
found has been for the antiviral drug abacavir, which causes severe adverse
reactions exclusively in patients expressing the HLA molecular variant B*57:01.
Abacavir adverse reactions were recently shown to be driven by drug-specific
activation of cytokine-producing, cytotoxic CD8+ T cells that required
HLA-B*57:01 molecules for their function. However, the mechanism by which
abacavir induces this pathologic T cell response remains unclear. Here we show
that abacavir can bind within the F-pocket of the peptide-binding groove of
HLA-B*57:01 thereby altering its specificity. This supports a novel explanation
for HLA-linked idiosyncratic adverse drug reactions; namely that drugs can
alter the repertoire of self-peptides presented to T cells thus causing the
equivalent of an alloreactive T cell response. Indeed, we identified specific
self-peptides that are presented only in the presence of abacavir, and that
were recognized by T cells of hypersensitive patients. The assays we have
established can be applied to test additional compounds with suspected HLA
linked hypersensitivities in vitro. Where successful, these assays could speed
up the discovery and mechanistic understanding of HLA linked hypersensitivities
as well as guide the development of safer drugs
Tumor-associated Tenascin-C isoforms promote breast cancer cell invasion and growth by MMP-dependent and independent mechanisms
Row-switched states in two-dimensional underdamped Josephson junction arrays
When magnetic flux moves across layered or granular superconductor
structures, the passage of vortices can take place along channels which develop
finite voltage, while the rest of the material remains in the zero-voltage
state. We present analytical studies of an example of such mixed dynamics: the
row-switched (RS) states in underdamped two-dimensional Josephson arrays,
driven by a uniform DC current under external magnetic field but neglecting
self-fields. The governing equations are cast into a compact
differential-algebraic system which describes the dynamics of an assembly of
Josephson oscillators coupled through the mesh current. We carry out a formal
perturbation expansion, and obtain the DC and AC spatial distributions of the
junction phases and induced circulating currents. We also estimate the interval
of the driving current in which a given RS state is stable. All these
analytical predictions compare well with our numerics. We then combine these
results to deduce the parameter region (in the damping coefficient versus
magnetic field plane) where RS states can exist.Comment: latex, 48 pages, 15 figs using psfi
Spectroscopy of Luminous Compact Blue Galaxies in Distant Clusters I. Spectroscopic Data
We used the DEIMOS spectrograph on the Keck II Telescope to obtain spectra of
galaxies in the fields of five distant, rich galaxy clusters over the redshift
range 0.5 < z < 0.9 in a search for luminous, compact, blue galaxies (LCBGs).
Unlike traditional studies of galaxy clusters, we preferentially targeted blue
cluster members identified via multi-band photometric pre-selection based on
imaging data from the WIYN telescope. Of the 1288 sources that we targeted, we
determined secure spectroscopic redshifts for 848 sources, yielding a total
success rate of 66%. Our redshift measurements are in good agreement with those
previously reported in the literature, except for 11 targets which we believe
were previously in error. Within our sample, we confirm the presence of 53
LCBGs in the five galaxy clusters. The clusters all stand out as distinct peaks
in the redshift distribution of LCBGs with the average number density of LCBGs
ranging from 1.65+-0.25 Mpc^-3 at z=0.55 to 3.13+-0.65 Mpc^-3 at z=0.8. The
number density of LCBGs in clustes exceeds the field desnity by a factor of
749+-116 at z=0.55; at z=0.8, the corresponding ratio is E=416+-95. At z=0.55,
this enhancement is well above that seen for blue galaxies or the overall
cluster population, indicating that LCBGs are preferentially triggered in
high-density environments at intermediate redshifts.Comment: 45 pages, 19 figures, accepted to ApJ. For Full resolution figure and
data tables, see http://www.salt.ac.za/~crawford/projects/deimos
Lorentz and CPT tests with spin-polarized solids
Experiments using macroscopic samples of spin-polarized matter offer
exceptional sensitivity to Lorentz and CPT violation in the electron sector.
Data from existing experiments with a spin-polarized torsion pendulum provide
sensitivity in this sector rivaling that of all other existing experiments and
could reveal spontaneous violation of Lorentz symmetry at the Planck scale.Comment: 4 pages, accepted for publication in Physical Review Letter
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