3,103 research outputs found
Measurement of Photon Statistics with Live Photoreceptor Cells
We analyzed the electrophysiological response of an isolated rod
photoreceptor of Xenopus laevis under stimulation by coherent and
pseudo-thermal light sources. Using the suction electrode technique for single
cell recordings and a fiber optics setup for light delivery allowed
measurements of the major statistical characteristics of the rod response. The
results indicate differences in average responses of rod cells to coherent and
pseudo-thermal light of the same intensity and also differences in
signal-to-noise ratios and second order intensity correlation functions. These
findings should be relevant for interdisciplinary studies seeking applications
of quantum optics in biology.Comment: 6 pages, 7 figure
Adhesion Improvement of Thermoplastics-Based Composites by Atmospheric Plasma and UV Treatments
The present work is concerned with adhesive bonding of thermoplastic composites used in general aerospace applications, including polyphenylene sulfide (PPS), polyetherimide (PEI) and polyetheretherketone (PEEK) carbon fibre composites. Three different surface treatments have been applied to the PEEK, PPS and PEI-based composites in order to enhance the adhesion: atmospheric plasma, ultraviolet radiation (UV) and isopropanol wiping as a control. Water contact angles and free surface energies were measured following the standard experimental procedure based on the employment of three different liquid droplets. Infrared spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) were subsequently performed to characterize the surface chemistry of the samples after treatment. The single lap joints were manufactured and bonded by an Aerospace grade epoxy-based film adhesive originally developed for use on metals but with the ability to bond treated thermoplastics to good strength (supplied by Henkel Ireland). Quasi-static (QS) tests were conducted. The lap shear strength was evaluated, and the failure mechanisms of the different joints were examined for the range of surface treatments considered. It was found that the performances of the PEEK and PPS joints were considerably improved by the plasma and UV treatments resulting in cohesive and delamination failures, while PEI was unaffected by the plasma and UV treatments and performed very well throughout
General linear-optical quantum state generation scheme: Applications to maximally path-entangled states
We introduce schemes for linear-optical quantum state generation. A quantum
state generator is a device that prepares a desired quantum state using product
inputs from photon sources, linear-optical networks, and postselection using
photon counters. We show that this device can be concisely described in terms
of polynomial equations and unitary constraints. We illustrate the power of
this language by applying the Grobner-basis technique along with the notion of
vacuum extensions to solve the problem of how to construct a quantum state
generator analytically for any desired state, and use methods of convex
optimization to identify bounds to success probabilities. In particular, we
disprove a conjecture concerning the preparation of the maximally
path-entangled |n,0)+|0,n) (NOON) state by providing a counterexample using
these methods, and we derive a new upper bound on the resources required for
NOON-state generation.Comment: 5 pages, 2 figure
mtDNA polymorphism and metabolic inhibition affect sperm performance in conplastic mice
This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from BioScientifica via the DOI in this record.A broad link exists between nucleotide substitutions in the mitochondrial genome (mtDNA) and a range of metabolic pathologies, but the exploration of the effect of specific mtDNA genotypes is on-going. Mitochondrial DNA mutations are of particular relevance for reproductive traits, because they are expected to have profound effects on male specific processes as a result of the strict maternal inheritance of mtDNA. Sperm motility is crucially dependent on ATP in most systems studied. However, the importance of mitochondrial function in the production of the ATP necessary for sperm function remains uncertain. In this study, we test the effect of mtDNA polymorphisms upon mouse sperm performance and bioenergetics by using five conplastic inbred strains that share the same nuclear background while differing in their mitochondrial genomes. We found that, while genetic polymorphisms across distinct mtDNA haplotypes are associated with modification in sperm progressive velocity, this effect is not related to ATP production. Furthermore, there is no association between the number of mtDNA polymorphisms and either (a) the magnitude of sperm performance decrease, or (b) performance response to specific inhibition of the main sperm metabolic pathways. The observed variability between strains may be explained in terms of additive effects of single nucleotide substitutions on mtDNA coding sequences, which have been stabilized through genetic drift in the different laboratory strains. Alternatively, the decreased sperm performance might have arisen from the disruption of the nuclear DNA / mtDNA interactions that have co-evolved during the radiation of Mus musculus subspecies.This work was supported by a Smart Ideas grant from the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE), New Zealand Government (NJG, DMT, DKD), grants from the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (CGL2011-26341, and CGL2016-80577-P to ERSR), and from the German Science Foundation grant (ExC 306/2 to MH and SI)
Simulations of atomic trajectories near a dielectric surface
We present a semiclassical model of an atom moving in the evanescent field of
a microtoroidal resonator. Atoms falling through whispering-gallery modes can
achieve strong, coherent coupling with the cavity at distances of approximately
100 nanometers from the surface; in this regime, surface-induced Casmir-Polder
level shifts become significant for atomic motion and detection. Atomic transit
events detected in recent experiments are analyzed with our simulation, which
is extended to consider atom trapping in the evanescent field of a microtoroid.Comment: 29 pages, 10 figure
Two-Photon Interferometry for High-Resolution Imaging
We discuss advantages of using non-classical states of light for two aspects
of optical imaging: creating of miniature images on photosensitive substrates,
which constitutes the foundation for optical lithography, and imaging of micro
objects. In both cases, the classical resolution limit given by the Rayleigh
criterion is approximately a half of the optical wavelength. It has been shown,
however, that by using multi-photon quantum states of the light field, and
multi-photon sensitive material or detector, this limit can be surpassed. We
give a rigorous quantum mechanical treatment of this problem, address some
particularly widespread misconceptions and discuss the requirements for turning
the research on quantum imaging into a practical technology.Comment: Presented at PQE 2001. To appear in Special Issue of Journal of
Modern Optic
Dielectric multilayer waveguides for TE and TM mode matching
We analyse theoretically for the first time to our knowledge the perfect
phase matching of guided TE and TM modes with a multilayer waveguide composed
of linear isotropic dielectric materials. Alongside strict investigation into
dispersion relations for multilayer systems, we give an explicit qualitative
explanation for the phenomenon of mode matching on the basis of the standard
one-dimensional homogenization technique, and discuss the minimum number of
layers and the refractive index profile for the proposed device scheme. Direct
applications of the scheme include polarization-insensitive, intermodal
dispersion-free planar propagation, efficient fibre-to-planar waveguide
coupling and, potentially, mode filtering. As a self-sufficient result, we
present compact analytical expressions for the mode dispersion in a finite,
N-period, three-layer dielectric superlattice.Comment: 13 pages with figure
Ion trap simulations of quantum fields in an expanding universe
We propose an experiment in which the phonon excitation of ion(s) in a trap, with a trap frequency exponentially modulated at rate kappa, exhibits a thermal spectrum with an Unruh temperature given by k(B)T=h kappa. We discuss the similarities of this experiment to the response of detectors in a de Sitter universe and the usual Unruh effect for uniformly accelerated detectors. We demonstrate a new Unruh effect for detectors that respond to antinormally ordered moments using the ion's first blue sideband transition
Shor-Preskill Type Security-Proofs for Concatenated Bennett-Brassard 1984 Quantum Key Distribution Protocol
We discuss long code problems in the Bennett-Brassard 1984 (BB84) quantum key
distribution protocol and describe how they can be overcome by concatenation of
the protocol. Observing that concatenated modified Lo-Chau protocol finally
reduces to the concatenated BB84 protocol, we give the unconditional security
of the concatenated BB84 protocol.Comment: 4 pages, RevTe
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