Group Theoretical Quantum Tomography

The paper is devoted to the mathematical foundation of the quantum tomography using the theory of square-integrable representations of unimodular Lie groups.Comment: 13 pages, no figure, Latex2e. Submitted to J.Math.Phy

Broadband detection of squeezed vacuum: A spectrum of quantum states

We demonstrate the simultaneous quantum state reconstruction of the spectral modes of the light field emitted by a continuous wave degenerate optical parametric amplifier. The scheme is based on broadband measurement of the quantum fluctuations of the electric field quadratures and subsequent Fourier decomposition into spectral intervals. Applying the standard reconstruction algorithms to each bandwidth-limited quantum trajectory, a "spectrum" of density matrices and Wigner functions is obtained. The recorded states show a smooth transition from the squeezed vacuum to a vacuum state. In the time domain we evaluated the first order correlation function of the squeezed output field, showing good agreement with the theory.Comment: 11 pages, 5 figure

Analysis of trans-resveratrol in oilseeds by high-performance liquid chromatography

Oilseeds are very popular edibles that are often used to enhance the fibre content of baked goods, and specific types are used for preserving and seasoning. Polyphenol-related researches have been receiving growing attention in the last 20 years, especially the ones concentrating on stilbenoids. In previous studies, resveratrol concentrations have been determined from oilseeds such as peanut.The aim of our research was to define the composition of oilseeds with a focus on the bioactive compounds, more specifically the resveratrol.Research took place in 2010–2011 at the University of Pécs, Medical School, using non-random, convenience sampling. Oilseeds studied in the research were: sunflower seed, roasted peanut, un-roasted peanut, sesame seed, pumpkin seed, almond, linseed, bio white mustard seed, bio black mustard seed, mustard seed of foreign provenance, and wild black mustard seed. All of these oilseeds can be purchased from trade. Samples used in the research were obtained from the producers and collectors. High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) was used for the measurements.Summarising our results, it can be stated that each type of oilseed analysed in our research can be regarded as good sources of resveratrol. The highest level of resveratrol was detected in the sunflower seeds (0.00398±0.0001 mg g−1), almonds (0.00176±0.00021 mg g−1), roasted peanut (0.00206±0.00013 mg g−1), and wild black mustard seeds (0.0023±0.0007 mg g−1)

Quantum Noise Locking

Quantum optical states which have no coherent amplitude, such as squeezed vacuum states, can not rely on standard readout techniques to generate error signals for control of the quadrature phase. Here we investigate the use of asymmetry in the quadrature variances to obtain a phase-sensitive readout and to lock the phase of a squeezed vacuum state, a technique which we call noise locking (NL). We carry out a theoretical derivation of the NL error signal and the associated stability of the squeezed and anti-squeezed lock points. Experimental data for the NL technique both in the presence and absence of coherent fields are shown, including a comparison with coherent locking techniques. Finally, we use NL to enable a stable readout of the squeezed vacuum state on a homodyne detector.Comment: Accepted for publication in Journal of Optics:B special issue on Quantum Contro

The control of translational accuracy is a determinant of healthy ageing in yeast

Life requires the maintenance of molecular function in the face of stochastic processes that tend to adversely affect macromolecular integrity. This is particularly relevant during ageing, as many cellular functions decline with age, including growth, mitochondrial function and energy metabolism. Protein synthesis must deliver functional proteins at all times, implying that the effects of protein synthesis errors like amino acid misincorporation and stop-codon read-through must be minimized during ageing. Here we show that loss of translational accuracy accelerates the loss of viability in stationary phase yeast. Since reduced translational accuracy also reduces the folding competence of at least some proteins, we hypothesize that negative interactions between translational errors and age-related protein damage together overwhelm the cellular chaperone network. We further show that multiple cellular signalling networks control basal error rates in yeast cells, including a ROS signal controlled by mitochondrial activity, and the Ras pathway. Together, our findings indicate that signalling pathways regulating growth, protein homeostasis and energy metabolism may jointly safeguard accurate protein synthesis during healthy ageing

Fresnel Representation of the Wigner Function: An Operational Approach

We present an operational definition of the Wigner function. Our method relies on the Fresnel transform of measured Rabi oscillations and applies to motional states of trapped atoms as well as to field states in cavities. We illustrate this technique using data from recent experiments in ion traps [D. M. Meekhof et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 76, 1796 (1996)] and in cavity QED [B. Varcoe et al., Nature 403, 743 (2000)]. The values of the Wigner functions of the underlying states at the origin of phase space are W(0)=+1.75 for the vibrational ground state and W(0)=-1.4 for the one-photon number state. We generalize this method to wave packets in arbitrary potentials.Comment: 4 pages include 4 figures, submitted to PR

Speleothems Reveal 500,000-year History of Siberian Permafrost

Soils in permafrost regions contain twice as much carbon as the atmosphere, and permafrost has an important influence on the natural and built environment at high northern latitudes. The response of permafrost to warming climate is uncertain and occurs on time scales longer than those assessed by direct observation. We dated periods of speleothem growth in a north-south transect of caves in Siberia to reconstruct the history of permafrost in past climate states. Speleothem growth is restricted to full interglacial conditions in all studied caves. In the northernmost cave (at 60°N), no growth has occurred since Marine Isotopic Stage (MIS) 11. Growth at that time indicates that global climates only slightly warmer than today are sufficient to thaw extensive regions of permafrost

Direct measurement of the Wigner function by photon counting

We report a direct measurement of the Wigner function characterizing the quantum state of a light mode. The experimental scheme is based on the representation of the Wigner function as an expectation value of a displaced photon number parity operator. This allowed us to scan the phase space point-by-point, and obtain the complete Wigner function without using any numerical reconstruction algorithms.Comment: 4 pages, REVTe

Quantum dynamical theory for squeezing the output of a Bose-Einstein condensate

A linear quantum dynamical theory for squeezing the output of the trapped Bose-Einstein condensate is presented with the Bogoliubov approximation. We observe that the non-classical properties, such as sub-Poisson distribution and quadrature squeezing effect, mutually oscillate between the quantum states of the applied optical field and the resulting atom laser beam with time. In particular, it is shown that an initially squeezed optical field will lead to squeezing in the outcoupled atomic beam at later times.Comment: 6 pages, Latex file, Phys.Rev.A 63(2001)1560