3,168 research outputs found
Counterfactual Ghost Imaging
We give a protocol for ghost imaging in a way that is always counterfactualâwhile imaging an object, no light interacts with that object. This extends the idea of counterfactuality beyond communication, showing how this interesting phenomenon can be leveraged for metrology. Given, in the infinite limit, no photons ever go to the imaged object, it presents a method of imaging even the most light-sensitive of objects without damaging them. Even when not in the infinite limit, it still provides a many-fold improvement in visibility and signal-to-noise ratio over previous protocols, with over an order of magnitude reduction in absorbed intensity
Inaudibility criteria and alternative methods for controlling music noise levels from late night entertainment
The methods and criteria for controlling music noise levels from late night entertainment has always been a controversial and highly debated topic. Since the early 1980s a subjective criterion of inaudibility has been commonly used in many parts of the UK. It has faced fierce criticism in many respects, such as in legal proceedings where it has been argued to not be compliant with the Licensing Act 2003. However, as no mainstream alternative has been adopted, the requirement for inaudibility continues to be used in many premisesâ licences that are either for fixed or temporary sites, and for both indoor and outdoor events. This paper aims to evaluate recently proposed alternative methods and to start an open discussion on the topic of music and entertainment noise levels, particularly during late-night hours
Could wavefunctions simultaneously represent knowledge and reality?
In discussion of the interpretation of quantum mechanics the terms âonticâ and âepistemicâ are often used in the sense of pertaining to what exists, and pertaining to cognition or knowledge respectively. The terms are also often associated with the formal definitions given by Harrigan and Spekkens for the wavefunction in quantum mechanics to be ďż˝Ď-ontic or ďż˝Ď-epistemic in the context of the ontological models framework. The formal definitions are contradictories, so that the wavefunction can be either Ďďż˝-epistemic or Ď ďż˝-ontic but not both. However, we argue, nothing about the informal ideas of epistemic and ontic interpretations rules out wavefunctions representing both reality and knowledge. The implications of the PuseyâBarrettâRudolph theorem and many other issues may be rethought in the light of our analysis
Reply to âComment on âWeak values and the past of a quantum particle\u27 â
We here reply to a recent comment by Vaidman [Phys. Rev. Res. 5, 048001 (2023)] on our paper [Phys. Rev. Res. 5, 023048 (2023)]. In his Comment, Vaidman first admits that he is just defining (assuming) the weak trace gives the presence of a particleâhowever, in this case, he should use a term other than presence, as this already has a separate, intuitive meaning other than âwhere a weak trace is.â Despite this admission, Vaidman then goes on to argue for this definition by appeal to ideas around an objectively existing idea of presence. We show these appeals rely on their own conclusionâthat there is always a matter of fact about the location of a quantum particle
Properties of Invariant Set Theory
In a recent paper (arXiv:2107.04761), Sen critiques a superdeterministic
model of quantum physics, Invariant Set Theory, proposed by one of the authors.
He concludes that superdeterminism is `unlikely to solve the puzzle posed by
the Bell correlations'. He also claims that the model is neither local nor
-epistemic. We here detail multiple inaccuracies with Sen's arguments -
notably that the hidden-variable model of quantum physics he uses to critique
Invariant Set Theory bares no relation to Invariant Set Theory - and use this
opportunity to lay out the properties of Invariant Set Theory as clearly as
possible.Comment: 6 pages, no figures. Substantial edits to address published version
of Sen's pape
The laws of physics do not prohibit counterfactual communication
It has been conjectured that counterfactual communication is impossible, even for post-selected quantum particles. We strongly challenge this by proposing precisely such a counterfactual scheme whereâunambiguouslyânone of Aliceâs photons that correctly contribute to her information about Bobâs message have been to Bob. We demonstrate counterfactuality experimentally by means of weak measurements, and conceptually using consistent historiesâthus simultaneously satisfying both criteria without loopholes. Importantly, the fidelity of Alice learning Bobâs bit can be made arbitrarily close to unity
Discordant Increases in CD4+ T Cells in Human Immunodeficiency Virus-Infected Patients Experiencing Virologic Treatment Failure: Role of Changes in Thymic Output and T Cell Death
Some patients infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) who are experiencing antiretroviral treatment failure have persistent improvement in CD4+ T cell counts despite high plasma viremia. To explore the mechanisms responsible for this phenomenon, 2 parameters influencing the dynamics of CD4+ T cells were evaluated: death of mature CD4+ T cells and replenishment of the CD4+ T cell pool by the thymus. The improvement in CD4+ T cells observed in patients with treatment failure was not correlated with spontaneous, Fas ligand-induced, or activation-induced T cell death. In contrast, a significant correlation between the improvement in CD4+ T cell counts and thymic output, as assessed by measurement of T cell receptor excision circles, was observed. These observations suggest that increased thymic output contributes to the dissociation between CD4+ T cell counts and viremia in patients failing antiretroviral therapy and support a model in which drug-resistant HIV strains may have reduced replication rates and pathogenicity in the thymu
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