2,423 research outputs found
Initialization by measurement of a two-qubit superconducting circuit
We demonstrate initialization by joint measurement of two transmon qubits in
3D circuit quantum electrodynamics. Homodyne detection of cavity transmission
is enhanced by Josephson parametric amplification to discriminate the two-qubit
ground state from single-qubit excitations non-destructively and with 98.1%
fidelity. Measurement and postselection of a steady-state mixture with 4.7%
residual excitation per qubit achieve 98.8% fidelity to the ground state, thus
outperforming passive initialization.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures, and Supplementary Information (7 figures, 1
table
CPT and Lorentz-invariance violation
The largest gap in our understanding of nature at the fundamental level is
perhaps a unified description of gravity and quantum theory. Although there are
currently a variety of theoretical approaches to this question, experimental
research in this field is inhibited by the expected Planck-scale suppression of
quantum-gravity effects. However, the breakdown of spacetime symmetries has
recently been identified as a promising signal in this context: a number of
models for underlying physics can accommodate minuscule Lorentz and CPT
violation, and such effects are amenable to ultrahigh-precision tests. This
presentation will give an overview of the subject. Topics such as motivations,
the SME test framework, mechanisms for relativity breakdown, and experimental
tests will be reviewed. Emphasis is given to observations involving antimatter.Comment: 6 page
Defying jet-gas alignment in two radio galaxies at z~2 with extended light profiles: Similarities to brightest cluster galaxies
We report the detection of extended warm ionized gas in two powerful
high-redshift radio galaxies, NVSS J210626-314003 at z=2.10 and TXS 2353-003 at
z=1.49, that does not appear to be associated with the radio jets. This is
contrary to what would be expected from the alignment effect, a characteristic
feature of distant, powerful radio galaxies at z> 0.6. The gas also has smaller
velocity gradients and line widths than most other high-z radio galaxies with
similar data. Both galaxies are part of a systematic study of 50 high-redshift
radio galaxies with SINFONI, and are the only two that are characterized by the
presence of high surface-brightness gas not associated with the jet axis and by
the absence of such gas aligned with the jet. Both galaxies are spatially
resolved with ISAAC broadband imaging covering the rest-frame R band, and have
extended wings that cannot be attributed to line contamination. We argue that
the gas and stellar properties of these galaxies are more akin to gas-rich
brightest cluster galaxies in cool-core clusters than the general population of
high-redshift radio galaxies at z>2. In support of this interpretation, one of
our sources, TXS 2353-003, for which we have H\alpha\ narrowband imaging, is
associated with an overdensity of candidate H\alpha\ emitters by a factor of 8
relative to the field at z=1.5. We discuss possible scenarios of the
evolutionary state of these galaxies and the nature of their emission line gas
within the context of cyclical AGN feedback.Comment: A&A in pres
On low energy quantum gravity induced effects on the propagation of light
Present models describing the interaction of quantum Maxwell and
gravitational fields predict a breakdown of Lorentz invariance and a non
standard dispersion relation in the semiclassical approximation. Comparison
with observational data however, does not support their predictions. In this
work we introduce a different set of ab initio assumptions in the canonical
approach, namely that the homogeneous Maxwell equations are valid in the
semiclassical approximation, and find that the resulting field equations are
Lorentz invariant in the semiclassical limit. We also include a
phenomenological analysis of possible effects on the propagation of light, and
their dependence on energy, in a cosmological context.Comment: 12 page
Continuum surveys with LOFAR and synergy with future large surveys in the 1-2 GHz band
Radio astronomy is entering the era of large surveys. This paper describes
the plans for wide surveys with the LOw Frequency ARray (LOFAR) and their
synergy with large surveys at higher frequencies (in particular in the 1-2 GHz
band) that will be possible using future facilities like Apertif or ASKAP. The
LOFAR Survey Key Science Project aims at conducting large-sky surveys at 15,
30, 60, 120 and 200 MHz taking advantage of the wide instantaneous field of
view and of the unprecedented sensitivity of this instrument. Four topics have
been identified as drivers for these surveys covering the formation of massive
galaxies, clusters and black holes using z>6 radio galaxies as probes, the
study of the intercluster magnetic fields using diffuse radio emission and
Faraday rotation measures in galaxy clusters as probes and the study of star
formation processes in the early Universe using starburst galaxies as probes.
The fourth topic is the exploration of new parameter space for serendipitous
discovery taking advantage of the new observational spectral window open up by
LOFAR. Here, we briefly discuss the requirements of the proposed surveys to
address these (and many others!) topics as well as the synergy with other wide
area surveys planned at higher frequencies (and in particular in the 1-2 GHz
band) with new radio facilities like ASKAP and Apertif. The complementary
information provided by these surveys will be crucial for detailed studies of
the spectral shape of a variety of radio sources (down to sub-mJy sources) and
for studies of the ISM (in particular HI and OH) in nearby galaxies.Comment: to appear in the proceedings of "Panoramic Radio Astronomy:
Wide-field 1-2 GHz research on galaxy evolution", G. Heald and P. Serra eds.,
8 pages, 3 figure
Phase II trial of dexverapamil and epirubicin in patients with non-responsive metastatic breast cancer.
Agents capable of reversing P-glycoprotein-associated multidrug resistance have usually failed to enhance chemotherapy activity in patients with solid tumours. Based on its toxicity profile and experimental potency, dexverapamil, the R-enantiomer of verapamil, is considered to be promising for clinical use as a chemosensitizer. The purpose of this early phase II trial was to evaluate the effects of dexverapamil on epirubicin toxicity, activity and pharmacokinetics in patients with metastatic breast cancer. A two-stage design was applied. Patients first received epirubicin alone at 120 mg m(-2) i.v. over 15 min, repeated every 21 days. Patients with refractory disease continued to receive epirubicin at the same dose and schedule but supplemented with oral dexverapamil 300 mg every 6 h x 13 doses. The Gehan design was applied to the dexverapamil/epirubicin cohort of patients. Thirty-nine patients were entered on study, 25 proceeded to receive epirubicin plus dexverapamil. Dexverapamil did not increase epirubicin toxicity. The dose intensity of epirubicin was similar when used alone or with dexverapamil. In nine intrapatient comparisons, the area under the plasma concentration-time curve (AUC) of epirubicin was significantly reduced by dexverapamil (mean 2968 vs 1901 microg ml[-1] h[-1], P= 0.02). The mean trough plasma levels of dexverapamil and its major metabolite nor-dexverapamil were 1.2 and 1.5 microM respectively. The addition of dexverapamil to epirubicin induced partial responses in 4 of 23 patients evaluable for tumour response (17%, CI 5-39%, s.e.P 0.079). The remissions lasted 3, 8, 11 and 11+ months. These data suggest that the concept of enhancing chemotherapy activity by adding chemosensitizers may function not only in haematological malignancies but also in selected solid tumours. An increase in the AUC and toxicity of cytotoxic agents does not seem to be a prerequisite for chemosensitizers to enhance anti-tumour activity
Very Extended X-ray and H-alpha Emission in M82: Implications for the Superwind Phenomenon
We discuss the properties and implications of a 3.7x0.9 kpc region of
spatially-coincident X-ray and H-alpha emission about 11.6 kpc to the north of
the galaxy M82 previously discussed by Devine and Bally (1999). The PSPC X-ray
spectrum is fit by thermal plasma (kT=0.80+-0.17 keV) absorbed by only the
Galactic foreground column density. We evaluate the relationship of the
X-ray/H-alpha ridge to the M82 superwind. The main properties of the X-ray
emission can all be explained as being due to shock-heating driven as the
superwind encounters a massive ionized cloud in the halo of M82. This encounter
drives a slow shock into the cloud, which contributes to the excitation of the
observed H-alpha emission. At the same time, a fast bow-shock develops in the
superwind just upstream of the cloud, and this produces the observed X-ray
emission. This interpretation would imply that the superwind has an outflow
speed of roughly 800 km/s, consistent with indirect estimates based on its
general X-ray properties and the kinematics of the inner kpc-scale region of
H-alpha filaments. The gas in the M82 ridge is roughly two orders-of-magnitude
hotter than the minimum "escape temperature" at this radius, so this gas will
not be retained by M82.
(abridged)Comment: 24 pages (latex), 3 figures (2 gif files and one postscript),
accepted for publication in Part 1 of The Astrophysical Journa
Strongly quadrature-dependent noise in superconducting micro-resonators measured at the vacuum-noise limit
We measure frequency- and dissipation-quadrature noise in superconducting
lithographed microwave resonators with sensitivity near the vacuum noise level
using a Josephson parametric amplifier. At an excitation power of 100~nW, these
resonators show significant frequency noise caused by two-level systems. No
excess dissipation-quadrature noise (above the vacuum noise) is observed to our
measurement sensitivity. These measurements demonstrate that the excess
dissipation-quadrature noise is negligible compared to vacuum fluctuations, at
typical readout powers used in micro-resonator applications. Our results have
important implications for resonant readout of various devices such as
detectors, qubits and nano-mechanical oscillators.Comment: 13 pages, 4 figure
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