1,406 research outputs found
Quantum sensing
"Quantum sensing" describes the use of a quantum system, quantum properties
or quantum phenomena to perform a measurement of a physical quantity.
Historical examples of quantum sensors include magnetometers based on
superconducting quantum interference devices and atomic vapors, or atomic
clocks. More recently, quantum sensing has become a distinct and rapidly
growing branch of research within the area of quantum science and technology,
with the most common platforms being spin qubits, trapped ions and flux qubits.
The field is expected to provide new opportunities - especially with regard to
high sensitivity and precision - in applied physics and other areas of science.
In this review, we provide an introduction to the basic principles, methods and
concepts of quantum sensing from the viewpoint of the interested
experimentalist.Comment: 45 pages, 13 figures. Submitted to Rev. Mod. Phy
Elastometry of deflated capsules elastic moduli from shape and wrinkle analysis
Elastic capsules, prepared from droplets or bubbles attached to a capillary (as in a pendant drop tensiometer), can be deflated by suction through the capillary. We study this deflation and show that a combined analysis of the shape and wrinkling characteristics enables us to determine the elastic properties in situ. Shape contours are analyzed and fitted using shape equations derived from nonlinear membrane-shell theory to give the elastic modulus, Poisson ratio and stress distribution of the membrane. We include wrinkles, which generically form upon deflation, within the shape analysis. Measuring the wavelength of wrinkles and using the calculated stress distribution gives the bending stiffness of the membrane. We illustrate this method on two very different capsule materials: polymerized octadecyltrichlorosilane (OTS) capsules and hydrophobin (HFBII) coated bubbles. Our results are in agreement with the available rheological data. For hydrophobin coated bubbles the method reveals an interesting nonlinear behavior consistent with the hydrophobin molecules having\ud
a rigid core surrounded by a softer shell
Revisiting the Tenascins: Exploitable as Cancer Targets?
For their full manifestation, tumors require support from the surrounding tumor microenvironment (TME), which includes a specific extracellular matrix (ECM), vasculature, and a variety of non-malignant host cells. Together, these components form a tumor-permissive niche that significantly differs from physiological conditions. While the TME helps to promote tumor progression, its special composition also provides potential targets for anti-cancer therapy. Targeting tumor-specific ECM molecules and stromal cells or disrupting aberrant mesenchyme-cancer communications might normalize the TME and improve cancer treatment outcome. The tenascins are a family of large, multifunctional extracellular glycoproteins consisting of four members. Although each have been described to be expressed in the ECM surrounding cancer cells, tenascin-C and tenascin-W are currently the most promising candidates for exploitability and clinical use as they are highly expressed in various tumor stroma with relatively low abundance in healthy tissues. Here, we review what is known about expression of all four tenascin family members in tumors, followed by a more thorough discussion on tenascin-C and tenascin-W focusing on their oncogenic functions and their potential as diagnostic and/or targetable molecules for anti-cancer treatment purposes
Force-detected nuclear double resonance between statistical spin polarizations
We demonstrate nuclear double resonance for nanometer-scale volumes of spins
where random fluctuations rather than Boltzmann polarization dominate. When the
Hartmann-Hahn condition is met in a cross-polarization experiment, flip-flops
occur between two species of spins and their fluctuations become coupled. We
use magnetic resonance force microscopy to measure this effect between 1H and
13C spins in 13C-enriched stearic acid. The development of a cross-polarization
technique for statistical ensembles adds an important tool for generating
chemical contrast in nanometer-scale magnetic resonance.Comment: 14 pages, 4 figure
Nuclear spin relaxation induced by a mechanical resonator
We report on measurements of the spin lifetime of nuclear spins strongly
coupled to a micromechanical cantilever as used in magnetic resonance force
microscopy. We find that the rotating-frame correlation time of the statistical
nuclear polarization is set by the magneto-mechanical noise originating from
the thermal motion of the cantilever. Evidence is based on the effect of three
parameters: (1) the magnetic field gradient (the coupling strength), (2) the
Rabi frequency of the spins (the transition energy), and (3) the temperature of
the low-frequency mechanical modes. Experimental results are compared to
relaxation rates calculated from the spectral density of the magneto-mechanical
noise.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure
Statistical description of capillary-based high-harmonic generation
High-harmonic generation (HHG), where the interaction of high-intensity laser light with matter generates ultrashort XUV pulses, is an attractive option for a table-top source of coherent light at nanometre wavelengths. Its efficiency can be improved by performing the HHG in a gas-filled capillary instead of the more common gas jet or cell due to improved interaction length and phase matching. However, because of the highly nonlinear interaction between pump light, neutral atoms, generated plasma, and XUV radiation in this regime, accurate computer simulations and predictions are highly complex and time consuming
Theoretical Sensitivity Analysis for Quantitative Operational Risk Management
We study the asymptotic behavior of the difference between the values at risk
VaR(L) and VaR(L+S) for heavy tailed random variables L and S for application
in sensitivity analysis of quantitative operational risk management within the
framework of the advanced measurement approach of Basel II (and III). Here L
describes the loss amount of the present risk profile and S describes the loss
amount caused by an additional loss factor. We obtain different types of
results according to the relative magnitudes of the thicknesses of the tails of
L and S. In particular, if the tail of S is sufficiently thinner than the tail
of L, then the difference between prior and posterior risk amounts VaR(L+S) -
VaR(L) is asymptotically equivalent to the expectation (expected loss) of S.Comment: 21 pages, 1 figure, 4 tables, forthcoming in International Journal of
Theoretical and Applied Finance (IJTAF
Statistical analysis of pump-pulse propagation in gas-filled capillaries for high-harmonic generation
Driving high-harmonic generation (HHG) with ultrashort pulses confined to gas-filled capillaries is an efficient method of generating extreme ultraviolet and x-ray radiation. In-situ pulse compression can significantly enhance HHG efficiency [1] but requires operation in the high-ionisation limit, leading to high sensitivity to initial conditions and causing the Gaussian driving pulse to break up into a train of subpulses as it propagates. Our previous studies [1,2] have focused on the most intense subpulse, which can be very short (<10 fs). Here, we perform statistical analysis of all pulse components predicted by numerical simulation, including the contribution of the weaker subpulses, with the aim of predicting generated HHG profiles
Force-detected nuclear magnetic resonance: Recent advances and future challenges
We review recent efforts to detect small numbers of nuclear spins using
magnetic resonance force microscopy. Magnetic resonance force microscopy (MRFM)
is a scanning probe technique that relies on the mechanical measurement of the
weak magnetic force between a microscopic magnet and the magnetic moments in a
sample. Spurred by the recent progress in fabricating ultrasensitive force
detectors, MRFM has rapidly improved its capability over the last decade. Today
it boasts a spin sensitivity that surpasses conventional, inductive nuclear
magnetic resonance detectors by about eight orders of magnitude. In this review
we touch on the origins of this technique and focus on its recent application
to nanoscale nuclear spin ensembles, in particular on the imaging of nanoscale
objects with a three-dimensional (3D) spatial resolution better than 10 nm. We
consider the experimental advances driving this work and highlight the
underlying physical principles and limitations of the method. Finally, we
discuss the challenges that must be met in order to advance the technique
towards single nuclear spin sensitivity -- and perhaps -- to 3D microscopy of
molecules with atomic resolution.Comment: 15 pages & 11 figure
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