764 research outputs found
Integrated waveguides and deterministically positioned nitrogen vacancy centers in diamond created by femtosecond laser writing
Diamond's nitrogen vacancy (NV) center is an optically active defect with
long spin coherence times, showing great potential for both efficient nanoscale
magnetometry and quantum information processing schemes. Recently, both the
formation of buried 3D optical waveguides and high quality single NVs in
diamond were demonstrated using the versatile femtosecond laser-writing
technique. However, until now, combining these technologies has been an
outstanding challenge. In this work, we fabricate laser written photonic
waveguides in quantum grade diamond which are aligned to within micron
resolution to single laser-written NVs, enabling an integrated platform
providing deterministically positioned waveguide-coupled NVs. This fabrication
technology opens the way towards on-chip optical routing of single photons
between NVs and optically integrated spin-based sensing
Polarized micro-Raman studies of femtosecond laser written stress-induced optical waveguides in diamond
Understanding the physical mechanisms of the refractive index modulation
induced by femtosecond laser writing is crucial for tailoring the properties of
the resulting optical waveguides. In this work we apply polarized Raman
spectroscopy to study the origin of stress-induced waveguides in diamond,
produced by femtosecond laser writing. The change in the refractive index
induced by the femtosecond laser in the crystal is derived from the measured
stress in the waveguides. The results help to explain the waveguide
polarization sensitive guiding mechanism, as well as providing a technique for
their optimization.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure
Methods for identifying surgical wound infection after discharge from hospital: a systematic review.
Background: Wound infections are a common complication of surgery that add significantly to the morbidity of patients and costs of treatment. The global trend towards reducing length of hospital stay post-surgery and the increase in day case surgery means that surgical site infections (SSI) will increasingly occur after hospital discharge. Surveillance of SSIs is important because rates of SSI are viewed as a measure of hospital performance, however accurate detection of SSIs post-hospital discharge is not straightforward. Methods: We conducted a systematic review of methods of post discharge surveillance for surgical wound infection and undertook a national audit of methods of post-discharge surveillance for surgical site infection currently used within United Kingdom NHS Trusts. Results: Seven reports of six comparative studies which examined the validity of post-discharge surveillance methods were located; these involved different comparisons and some had methodological limitations, making it difficult to identify an optimal method. Several studies evaluated automated screening of electronic records and found this to be a useful strategy for the identification of SSIs that occurred post discharge. The audit identified a wide range of relevant post-discharge surveillance programmes in England, Scotland and Wales and Northern Ireland; however, these programmes used varying approaches for which there is little supporting evidence of validity and/or reliability. Conclusion: In order to establish robust methods of surveillance for those surgical site infections that occur post discharge, there is a need to develop a method of case ascertainment that is valid and reliable post discharge. Existing research has not identified a valid and reliable method. A standardised definition of wound infection ( e. g. that of the Centres for Disease Control) should be used as a basis for developing a feasible, valid and reliable approach to defining post discharge SSI. At a local level, the method used to ascertain post discharge SSI will depend upon the purpose of the surveillance, the nature of available routine data and the resources available
Transit Timing and Duration Variations for the Discovery and Characterization of Exoplanets
Transiting exoplanets in multi-planet systems have non-Keplerian orbits which
can cause the times and durations of transits to vary. The theory and
observations of transit timing variations (TTV) and transit duration variations
(TDV) are reviewed. Since the last review, the Kepler spacecraft has detected
several hundred perturbed planets. In a few cases, these data have been used to
discover additional planets, similar to the historical discovery of Neptune in
our own Solar System. However, the more impactful aspect of TTV and TDV studies
has been characterization of planetary systems in which multiple planets
transit. After addressing the equations of motion and parameter scalings, the
main dynamical mechanisms for TTV and TDV are described, with citations to the
observational literature for real examples. We describe parameter constraints,
particularly the origin of the mass/eccentricity degeneracy and how it is
overcome by the high-frequency component of the signal. On the observational
side, derivation of timing precision and introduction to the timing diagram are
given. Science results are reviewed, with an emphasis on mass measurements of
transiting sub-Neptunes and super-Earths, from which bulk compositions may be
inferred.Comment: Revised version. Invited review submitted to 'Handbook of
Exoplanets,' Exoplanet Discovery Methods section, Springer Reference Works,
Juan Antonio Belmonte and Hans Deeg, Eds. TeX and figures may be found at
https://github.com/ericagol/TTV_revie
Structure of HrcQ(B)-C, a conserved component of the bacterial type III secretion systems
Type III secretion systems enable plant and animal bacterial pathogens to deliver virulence proteins into the cytosol of eukaryotic host cells, causing a broad spectrum of diseases including bacteremia, septicemia, typhoid fever, and bubonic plague in mammals, and localized lesions, systemic wilting, and blights in plants. In
addition, type III secretion systems are also required for biogenesis of the bacterial flagellum. The HrcQ(B) protein, a component of the secretion apparatus of Pseudomonas syringae with homologues in all type III systems, has a variable N-terminal and a conserved C-terminal domain (HrcQ(B)-C). Here, we report the crystal structure
of HrcQ(B)-C and show that this domain retains the ability of the full-length protein to interact with other type III components. A 3D analysis of sequence conservation patterns reveals two clusters of residues potentially involved in protein–protein interactions. Based on the analogies between HrcQ(B) and its flagellum homologues,
we propose that HrcQ(B)-C participates in the formation of
a C-ring-like assembly
Fabrication of quantum emitters in aluminium nitride by Al-ion implantation and thermal annealing
Single-photon emitters (SPEs) within wide-bandgap materials represent an
appealing platform for the development of single-photon sources operating at
room temperatures. Group III- nitrides have previously been shown to host
efficient SPEs which are attributed to deep energy levels within the large
bandgap of the material, in a way that is similar to extensively investigated
colour centres in diamond. Anti-bunched emission from defect centres within
gallium nitride (GaN) and aluminium nitride (AlN) have been recently
demonstrated. While such emitters are particularly interesting due to the
compatibility of III-nitrides with cleanroom processes, the nature of such
defects and the optimal conditions for forming them are not fully understood.
Here, we investigate Al implantation on a commercial AlN epilayer through
subsequent steps of thermal annealing and confocal microscopy measurements. We
observe a fluence-dependent increase in the density of the emitters, resulting
in creation of ensembles at the maximum implantation fluence. Annealing at 600
{\deg}C results in the optimal yield in SPEs formation at the maximum fluence,
while a significant reduction in SPE density is observed at lower fluences.
These findings suggest that the mechanism of vacancy formation plays a key role
in the creation of the emitters, and open new perspectives in the defect
engineering of SPEs in solid state.Comment: 11 pages, 7 figure
Ultra-bright and efficient single photon generation based on N-V centres in nanodiamonds on a solid immersion lens
Single photons are fundamental elements for quantum information technologies
such as quantum cryptography, quantum information storage and optical quantum
computing. Colour centres in diamond have proven to be stable single photon
sources and thus essential components for reliable and integrated quantum
information technology. A key requirement for such applications is a large
photon flux and a high efficiency. Paying tribute to various attempts to
maximise the single photon flux we show that collection efficiencies of photons
from colour centres can be increased with a rather simple experimental setup.
To do so we spin-coated nanodiamonds containing single nitrogen-vacancy colour
centres on the flat surface of a ZrO2 solid immersion lens. We found stable
single photon count rates of up to 853 kcts/s at saturation under continuous
wave excitation while having excess to more than 100 defect centres with count
rates from 400 kcts/s to 500 kcts/s. For a blinking defect centre we found
count rates up to 2.4 Mcts/s for time intervals of several ten seconds. It
seems to be a general feature that very high rates are accompanied by a
blinking behaviour. The overall collection efficiency of our setup of up to
4.2% is the highest yet reported for N-V defect centres in diamond. Under
pulsed excitation of a stable emitter of 10 MHz, 2.2% of all pulses caused a
click on the detector adding to 221 kcts/s thus opening the way towards diamond
based on-demand single photon sources for quantum applications
Underground railroads: citizen entitlements and unauthorized mobility in the antebellum period and today
In recent years, some scholars and prominent political figures have advocated the deepening of North American integration on roughly the European Union model, including the creation of new political institutions and the free movement of workers across borders. The construction of such a North American Union, if it included even a very thin trans-state citizenship regime, could represent the most significant expansion of individual entitlements in the region since citizenship was extended to former slaves in the United States. With such a possibility as its starting point, this article explores some striking parallels between the mass, legally prohibited movement across boundaries by fugitive slaves in the pre-Civil War period, and that by current unauthorized migrants to the United States. Both were, or are, met on their journeys by historically parallel groups of would-be helpers and hinderers. Their unauthorized movements in both periods serve as important signals of incomplete entitlements or institutional protections. Most crucially, moral arguments for extending fuller entitlements to both groups are shown here to be less distinct than may be prima facie evident, reinforcing the case for expanding and deepening the regional membership regime
Utilization of remote sensing techniques for the quantification of fire behavior in two pine stands
Quantification of field-scale fire behavior is necessary to improve the current scientific understanding of wildland fires and to develop and test relevant, physics-based models. In particular, detailed descriptions of individual fires are required, for which the available literature is limited. In this work, two such field-scale experiments, carried out in pine stands under mild conditions, are presented. A particular focus was placed on non-intrusive measurement, as the capabilities of advanced remote sensing techniques, along with more traditional approaches, are explored. A description of the fires is presented, with spread occurring predominantly in the surface fuels with intensities in the range of 200–4400 kW m-1, and punctuated by isolated regions of crown fire. The occurrence of crown fire is investigated and linked to regions of greater canopy density, and it is found that the total fire intensity may increase locally to as much as 21,000 kW m-1. The light winds do not appear to play a direct role in the changes in fire behavior, while fuel structure may be important. The measurements described herein provided a reasonable overall description of the fires, however, the current resolution (both spatial and temporal) falls short of definitively explaining some transitional aspects of the fire behavior, and future improvements are suggested
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