Experimental verification of entanglement generated in a plasmonic system

A core process in many quantum tasks is the generation of entanglement. It is being actively studied in a variety of physical settings - from simple bipartite systems to complex multipartite systems. In this work we experimentally study the generation of bipartite entanglement in a nanophotonic system. Entanglement is generated via the quantum interference of two surface plasmon polaritons in a beamsplitter structure, i.e. utilising the Hong-Ou-Mandel (HOM) effect, and its presence is verified using quantum state tomography. The amount of entanglement is quantified by the concurrence and we find values of up to 0.77 +/- 0.04. Verifying entanglement in the output state from HOM interference is a nontrivial task and cannot be inferred from the visibility alone. The techniques we use to verify entanglement could be applied to other types of photonic system and therefore may be useful for the characterisation of a range of different nanophotonic quantum devices.Comment: 7 pages, 4 figure

Observation of quantum interference in the plasmonic Hong-Ou-Mandel effect

We report direct evidence of the bosonic nature of surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) in a scattering-based beamsplitter. A parametric down-conversion source is used to produce two indistinguishable photons, each of which is converted into a SPP on a metal-stripe waveguide and then made to interact through a semi-transparent Bragg mirror. In this plasmonic analog of the Hong-Ou-Mandel experiment, we measure a coincidence dip with a visibility of 72%, a key signature that SPPs are bosons and that quantum interference is clearly involved.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figure

IF impedance and mixer gain of NbN hot electron bolometers

The intermediate frequency (IF) characteristics, the frequency dependent IF impedance, and the mixer conversion gain of a small area hot electron bolometer (HEB) have been measured and modeled. The device used is a twin slot antenna coupled NbN HEB mixer with a bridge area of 1×0.15 µm^2, and a critical temperature of 8.3 K. In the experiment the local oscillator frequency was 1.300 THz, and the (IF) 0.05–10 GHz. We find that the measured data can be described in a self-consistent manner with a thin film model presented by Nebosis et al. [Proceedings of the Seventh International Symposium on Space Terahertz Technology, Charlottesville, VA, 1996 (unpublished), pp. 601–613], that is based on the two temperature electron-phonon heat balance equations of Perrin-Vanneste [J. Phys. (Paris) 48, 1311 (1987)]. From these results the thermal time constant, governing the gain bandwidth of HEB mixers, is observed to be a function of the electron-phonon scattering time, phonon escape time, and the electron temperature. From the developed theory the maximum predicted gain bandwidth for a NbN HEB is found to be 5.5–6 GHz. In contrast, the gain bandwidth of the device under discussion was measured to be ~2.3 GHz which, consistent with the outlined theory, is attributed to a somewhat low critical temperature and nonoptimal film thickness (6 nm)

RAMESES publication standards: realist syntheses

PMCID: PMC3558331This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited

Reduced ratio of protective versus proinflammatory cytokine responses to commensal bacteria in HLA-B27 transgenic rats

Germ-free HLA-B27 transgenic (TG) rats do not develop colitis, but colonization with specific pathogen-free (SPF) bacteria induces colitis accompanied by immune activation. To study host-dependent immune responses to commensal caecal bacteria we investigated cytokine profiles in mesenteric lymph node (MLN) cells from HLA-B27 TG versus nontransgenic (non-TG) littermates after in vitro stimulation with caecal bacterial lysates (CBL). Supernatants from CBL-stimulated unseparated T- or B- cell-depleted MLN cells from HLA-B27 TG and non-TG littermates were analysed for IFN-γ, IL-12, TNF, IL-10 and TGF-β production. Our results show that unfractionated TG MLN cells stimulated with CBL produced more IFN-γ, IL-12 and TNF than did non-TG MLN cells. In contrast, CBL-stimulated non-TG MLN cells produced more IL-10 and TGF-β. T cell depletion abolished IFN-γ and decreased IL-12 production, but did not affect IL-10 and TGF-β production. Conversely, neither IL-10 nor TGF-β was produced in cultures of B cell-depleted MLN. In addition, CD4+ T cells enriched from MLN of HLA-B27 TG but not from non-TG rats produced IFN-γ when cocultured with CBL-pulsed antigen presenting cells from non-TG rats. Interestingly, IL-10 and TGF-β, but not IFN-γ, IL-12 and TNF were produced by MLN cells from germ-free TG rats. These results indicate that the colitis that develops in SPF HLA-B27 TG rats is accompanied by activation of IFN-γ-producing CD4+ T cells that respond to commensal bacteria. However, B cell cytokine production in response to components of commensal intestinal microorganisms occurs in the absence of intestinal inflammation

Protocol for the development and validation procedure of the managing the link and strengthening transition from child to adult mental health care (MILESTONE) suite of measures

Background: Mental health disorders in the child and adolescent population are a pressing public health concern. Despite the high prevalence of psychopathology in this vulnerable population, the transition from Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) to Adult Mental Health Services (AMHS) has many obstacles such as deficiencies in planning, organisational readiness and policy gaps. All these factors contribute to an inadequate and suboptimal transition process. A suite of measures is required that would allow young people to be assessed in a structured and standardised way to determine the on-going need for care and to improve communication across clinicians at CAMHS and AMHS. This will have the potential to reduce the overall health economic burden and could also improve the quality of life for patients travelling across the transition boundary. The MILESTONE (Managing the Link and Strengthening Transition from Child to Adult Mental Health Care) project aims to address the significant socioeconomic and societal challenge related to the transition process. This protocol paper describes the development of two MILESTONE transition-related measures: The Transition Readiness and Appropriateness Measure (TRAM), designed to be a decision-making aide for clinicians, and the Transition Related Outcome Measure (TROM), for examining the outcome of transition. Methods: The TRAM and TROM have been developed and were validated following the US FDA Guidance for Patient-reported Outcome Measures which follows an incremental stepwise framework. The study gathers information from service users, parents, families and mental health care professionals who have experience working with young people undergoing the transition process from eight European countries. Discussion: There is an urgent need for comprehensive measures that can assess transition across the CAMHS/AMHS boundary. This study protocol describes the process of development of two new transition measures: the TRAM and TROM. The TRAM has the potential to nurture better transitions as the findings can be summarised and provided to clinicians as a clinician-decision making support tool for identifying cases who need to transition and the TROM can be used to examine the outcomes of the transition process. Trial registration: MILESTONE study registration: ISRCTN83240263 Registered 23-July-2015 - ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03013595 Registered 6 January 2017

Moderate-to-deep sedation technique, using propofol and ketamine, allowing synchronised breathing for magnetic resonance high-intensity focused ultrasound (MR-HIFU) treatment for uterine fibroids: a pilot study

BACKGROUND: Magnetic resonance high-intensity focused ultrasound (MR-HIFU) treatment for uterine fibroids is rapidly gaining popularity as a treatment modality. This procedure is generally uncomfortable, painful, and requires minimal or absence of movement and an MR-HIFU synchronised breathing pattern of the patient. Procedural sedation and analgesia protocols have become the standard practice in interventional radiology departments worldwide. The aim of this study was to explore if a sedation regimen with low-dose propofol and ketamine performed by trained non-medical sedation practitioners could result in relief of discomfort for the patient and in adequate working conditions for MR-HIFU treatment for uterine fibroids. METHODS: In this study, conducted from August 2013 until November 2014, 20 patients were subjected to MR-HIFU treatment of uterine fibroids. Patients were deeply sedated using intravenous propofol and esketamine according to a standardised hospital protocol to allow synchronisation of the breathing pattern to the MR-HIFU. The quality of sedation for MR-HIFU and complications were recorded and analysed. The side effects of the sedation technique, the propofol and esketamine consumption rate, the duration of recovery, and patient satisfaction after 24 h were examined. RESULTS: A total of 20 female patients (mean age 42.4 [range 32-53] years) were enrolled. Mean propofol/esketamine dose was 1309 mg/39.5 mg (range 692-1970 mg/ 23.6-87.9 mg). Mean procedure time was 269 min (range 140-295 min). Application of the sedation protocol resulted in a regular breathing pattern, which could be synchronised with the MR-HIFU procedures without delay. The required treatment was completed in all cases. There were no major adverse events. Hypoxemia (oxygen desaturation <92%) and hallucinations were not observed. CONCLUSIONS: The use of a specific combination of IV propofol and esketamine for procedural sedation and analgesia reduced the discomfort and pain during MR-guided HIFU treatments of uterine fibroids. The resulting regular breathing pattern allowed for easy synchronisation of the MR-HIFU procedure. Based on our results, esketamine and propofol sedation performed by trained non-medical sedation practitioners is feasible and safe, has a low risk of major adverse events, and has a short recovery time, avoiding a session of general anaesthesia

Leukocyte migration in experimental inflammatory bowel disease

Emigration of leukocytes from the circulation into tissue by transendothelial migration, is mediated subsequently by adhesion molecules such as selectins, chemokines and integrins. This multistep paradigm, with multiple molecular choices at each step, provides a diversity in signals. The influx of neutrophils, monocytes and lymphocytes into inflamed tissue is important in the pathogenesis of chronic inflammatory bowel disease. The importance of each of these groups of adhesion molecules in chronic inflammatory bowel disease, either in human disease or in animal models, will be discussed below. Furthermore, the possibilities of blocking these different steps in the process of leukocyte extravasation in an attempt to prevent further tissue damage, will be taken into account

Localized domain-wall excitations in patterned magnetic dots probed by broadband ferromagnetic resonance

We investigate the magnetization dynamics in circular Permalloy dots with spatially separated magnetic vortices interconnected by domain walls (double vortex state). We identify a novel type of quasi one-dimensional (1D) localised spin wave modes confined along domain walls, connecting each of two vortex cores with two edge half-antivortices. Variation of the mode eigenfrequencies with the dot size is in quantitative agreement with the developed model, which considers a dipolar origin of the localized 1D spin waves or so-called Winter\'s magnons [J.M. Winter, Phys.Rev. 124, 452 (1961)]. These spin waves are analogous to the displacement waves of strings, and could be excited in a wide class of patterned magnetic nanostructures possessing domain walls, namely in triangular, square, circular or elliptic magnetic dots

Hydrides in Young Stellar Objects: Radiation tracers in a protostar-disk-outflow system

Context: Hydrides of the most abundant heavier elements are fundamental molecules in cosmic chemistry. Some of them trace gas irradiated by UV or X-rays. Aims: We explore the abundances of major hydrides in W3 IRS5, a prototypical region of high-mass star formation. Methods: W3 IRS5 was observed by HIFI on the Herschel Space Observatory with deep integration (about 2500 s) in 8 spectral regions. Results: The target lines including CH, NH, H3O+, and the new molecules SH+, H2O+, and OH+ are detected. The H2O+ and OH+ J=1-0 lines are found mostly in absorption, but also appear to exhibit weak emission (P-Cyg-like). Emission requires high density, thus originates most likely near the protostar. This is corroborated by the absence of line shifts relative to the young stellar object (YSO). In addition, H2O+ and OH+ also contain strong absorption components at a velocity shifted relative to W3 IRS5, which are attributed to foreground clouds. Conclusions: The molecular column densities derived from observations correlate well with the predictions of a model that assumes the main emission region is in outflow walls, heated and irradiated by protostellar UV radiation.Comment: Astronomy and Astrophysics Letters, in pres