40 research outputs found
Synthesis of the Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen entanglement in a sequence of two single-mode squeezers
Synthesis of the Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen entangled state --- the primary
entangled resource in continuous-variable quantum-optical information
processing --- is a technological challenge of great importance. Here we
propose and implement a new scheme of generating this state. Two nonlinear
optical crystals, positioned back-to-back in the waist of a pump beam, function
as single-pass degenerate optical parametric amplifiers and produce single-mode
squeezed vacuum states in orthogonal polarization modes, but in the same
spatiotemporal mode. A subsequent pair of waveplates acts as a beam splitter,
entangling the two polarization modes to generate the Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen
state. This technique takes advantage of the strong nonlinearity associated
with type-I phase-matching configuration while at the same time eliminating the
need for actively stabilizing the optical phase between the two squeezers,
which typically arises if these squeezers are spatially separated. We
demonstrate our method in an experiment, preparing a 1.4 dB two-mode squeezed
state and characterizing it via two-mode homodyne tomography.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure
Loss-tolerant quantum enhanced metrology and state engineering via the reverse Hong-Ou-Mandel effect
Preparing highly entangled quantum states between remote parties is a major
challenge for quantum communications [1-8]. Particularly promising in this
context are the N00N states, which are entangled N-photon wavepackets
delocalized between two different locations, providing measurement sensitivity
limited only by the uncertainty principle [1, 10-15]. However, these states are
notoriously vulnerable to losses, making it difficult both to share them
between remote locations, and to recombine them to exploit interference
effects. Here we address this challenge by utilizing the reverse version of the
Hong-Ou-Mandel effect [16] to prepare a high-fidelity two-photon N00N state
shared between two parties connected by a lossy optical channel. Furthermore,
we demonstrate that the enhanced phase sensitivity can be directly exploited in
the two distant locations, and we remotely prepare superpositions of coherent
states, known as Schr\"odinger's cat states" [17, 18]
Undoing the effect of loss on quantum entanglement
Entanglement distillation is a process via which the strength and purity of
quantum entanglement can be increased probabilistically. It is a key step in
many quantum communication and computation protocols. In particular,
entanglement distillation is a necessary component of the quantum repeater, a
device which counters the degradation of entanglement that inevitably occurs
due to losses in a communication line. Here we report an experiment on
distilling the Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen (EPR) state of light, the workhorse of
continuous-variable entanglement, using the technique of noiseless
amplification. In contrast to previous implementations, the entanglement
enhancement factor achievable by our technique is not fundamentally limited and
permits recovering an EPR state with a macroscopic level of entanglement no
matter how low the initial entanglement or how high the loss may be. In
particular, we recover the original level of entanglement after one of the EPR
modes has passed through a channel with a loss factor of 20. The level of
entanglement in our distilled state is higher than that achievable by direct
transmission of any state through a similar loss channel. This is a key
bench-marking step towards the realization of a practical continuous-variable
quantum repeater and other CV quantum protocols.Comment: 8 pages, 5 figure
Demonstration of a parity-time symmetry breaking phase transition using superconducting and trapped-ion qutrits
Scalable quantum computers hold the promise to solve hard computational
problems, such as prime factorization, combinatorial optimization, simulation
of many-body physics, and quantum chemistry. While being key to understanding
many real-world phenomena, simulation of non-conservative quantum dynamics
presents a challenge for unitary quantum computation. In this work, we focus on
simulating non-unitary parity-time symmetric systems, which exhibit a
distinctive symmetry-breaking phase transition as well as other unique features
that have no counterpart in closed systems. We show that a qutrit, a
three-level quantum system, is capable of realizing this non-equilibrium phase
transition. By using two physical platforms - an array of trapped ions and a
superconducting transmon - and by controlling their three energy levels in a
digital manner, we experimentally simulate the parity-time symmetry-breaking
phase transition. Our results indicate the potential advantage of multi-level
(qudit) processors in simulating physical effects, where additional accessible
levels can play the role of a controlled environment.Comment: 14 pages, 9 figure
Mitochondria-Targeted Antioxidant SkQ1 Improves Dermal Wound Healing in Genetically Diabetic Mice
Oxidative stress is widely recognized as an important factor in the delayed wound healing in diabetes. However, the role of mitochondrial reactive oxygen species in this process is unknown. It was assumed that mitochondrial reactive oxygen species are involved in many wound-healing processes in both diabetic humans and animals. We have applied the mitochondria-targeted antioxidant 10-(6′-plastoquinonyl)decyltriphenylphosphonium (SkQ1) to explore the role of mitochondrial reactive oxygen species in the wound healing of genetically diabetic mice. Healing of full-thickness excisional dermal wounds in diabetic C57BL/KsJ-db−/db− mice was significantly enhanced after long-term (12 weeks) administration of SkQ1. SkQ1 accelerated wound closure and stimulated epithelization, granulation tissue formation, and vascularization. On the 7th day after wounding, SkQ1 treatment increased the number of α-smooth muscle actin-positive cells (myofibroblasts), reduced the number of neutrophils, and increased macrophage infiltration. SkQ1 lowered lipid peroxidation level but did not change the level of the circulatory IL-6 and TNF. SkQ1 pretreatment also stimulated cell migration in a scratch-wound assay in vitro under hyperglycemic condition. Thus, a mitochondria-targeted antioxidant normalized both inflammatory and regenerative phases of wound healing in diabetic mice. Our results pointed to nearly all the major steps of wound healing as the target of excessive mitochondrial reactive oxygen species production in type II diabetes
Magnetic Dirac semimetal state of (Mn,Ge)BiTe
For quantum electronics, the possibility to finely tune the properties of
magnetic topological insulators (TIs) is a key issue. We studied solid
solutions between two isostructural Z TIs, magnetic MnBiTe and
nonmagnetic GeBiTe, with Z invariants of 1;000 and 1;001,
respectively. For high-quality, large mixed crystals of
GeMnBiTe, we observed linear x-dependent magnetic
properties, composition-independent pairwise exchange interactions along with
an easy magnetization axis. The bulk band gap gradually decreases to zero for
from 0 to 0.4, before reopening for , evidencing topological phase
transitions (TPTs) between topologically nontrivial phases and the semimetal
state. The TPTs are driven purely by the variation of orbital contributions. By
tracing the x-dependent contribution to the states near the fundamental
gap, the effective spin-orbit coupling variation is extracted. As varies,
the maximum of this contribution switches from the valence to the conduction
band, thereby driving two TPTs. The gapless state observed at closely
resembles a Dirac semimetal above the Neel temperature and shows a magnetic gap
below, which is clearly visible in raw photoemission data. The observed
behavior of the GeMnBiTe system thereby demonstrates an
ability to precisely control topological and magnetic properties of TIs
25th annual computational neuroscience meeting: CNS-2016
The same neuron may play different functional roles in the neural circuits to which it belongs. For example, neurons in the Tritonia pedal ganglia may participate in variable phases of the swim motor rhythms [1]. While such neuronal functional variability is likely to play a major role the delivery of the functionality of neural systems, it is difficult to study it in most nervous systems. We work on the pyloric rhythm network of the crustacean stomatogastric ganglion (STG) [2]. Typically network models of the STG treat neurons of the same functional type as a single model neuron (e.g. PD neurons), assuming the same conductance parameters for these neurons and implying their synchronous firing [3, 4]. However, simultaneous recording of PD neurons shows differences between the timings of spikes of these neurons. This may indicate functional variability of these neurons. Here we modelled separately the two PD neurons of the STG in a multi-neuron model of the pyloric network. Our neuron models comply with known correlations between conductance parameters of ionic currents. Our results reproduce the experimental finding of increasing spike time distance between spikes originating from the two model PD neurons during their synchronised burst phase. The PD neuron with the larger calcium conductance generates its spikes before the other PD neuron. Larger potassium conductance values in the follower neuron imply longer delays between spikes, see Fig. 17.Neuromodulators change the conductance parameters of neurons and maintain the ratios of these parameters [5]. Our results show that such changes may shift the individual contribution of two PD neurons to the PD-phase of the pyloric rhythm altering their functionality within this rhythm. Our work paves the way towards an accessible experimental and computational framework for the analysis of the mechanisms and impact of functional variability of neurons within the neural circuits to which they belong