2,727 research outputs found
On-demand semiconductor single-photon source with near-unity indistinguishability
Single photon sources based on semiconductor quantum dots offer distinct
advantages for quantum information, including a scalable solid-state platform,
ultrabrightness, and interconnectivity with matter qubits. A key prerequisite
for their use in optical quantum computing and solid-state networks is a high
level of efficiency and indistinguishability. Pulsed resonance fluorescence
(RF) has been anticipated as the optimum condition for the deterministic
generation of high-quality photons with vanishing effects of dephasing. Here,
we generate pulsed RF single photons on demand from a single,
microcavity-embedded quantum dot under s-shell excitation with 3-ps laser
pulses. The pi-pulse excited RF photons have less than 0.3% background
contributions and a vanishing two-photon emission probability.
Non-postselective Hong-Ou-Mandel interference between two successively emitted
photons is observed with a visibility of 0.97(2), comparable to trapped atoms
and ions. Two single photons are further used to implement a high-fidelity
quantum controlled-NOT gate.Comment: 11 pages, 11 figure
Interstellar Turbulence II: Implications and Effects
Interstellar turbulence has implications for the dispersal and mixing of the
elements, cloud chemistry, cosmic ray scattering, and radio wave propagation
through the ionized medium. This review discusses the observations and theory
of these effects. Metallicity fluctuations are summarized, and the theory of
turbulent transport of passive tracers is reviewed. Modeling methods, turbulent
concentration of dust grains, and the turbulent washout of radial abundance
gradients are discussed. Interstellar chemistry is affected by turbulent
transport of various species between environments with different physical
properties and by turbulent heating in shocks, vortical dissipation regions,
and local regions of enhanced ambipolar diffusion. Cosmic rays are scattered
and accelerated in turbulent magnetic waves and shocks, and they generate
turbulence on the scale of their gyroradii. Radio wave scintillation is an
important diagnostic for small scale turbulence in the ionized medium, giving
information about the power spectrum and amplitude of fluctuations. The theory
of diffraction and refraction is reviewed, as are the main observations and
scintillation regions.Comment: 46 pages, 2 figures, submitted to Annual Reviews of Astronomy and
Astrophysic
Dispelling urban myths about default uncertainty factors in chemical risk assessment - Sufficient protection against mixture effects?
© 2013 Martin et al.; licensee BioMed Central LtdThis article has been made available through the Brunel Open Access Publishing Fund.Assessing the detrimental health effects of chemicals requires the extrapolation of experimental data in animals to human populations. This is achieved by applying a default uncertainty factor of 100 to doses not found to be associated with observable effects in laboratory animals. It is commonly assumed that the toxicokinetic and toxicodynamic sub-components of this default uncertainty factor represent worst-case scenarios and that the multiplication of those components yields conservative estimates of safe levels for humans. It is sometimes claimed that this conservatism also offers adequate protection from mixture effects. By analysing the evolution of uncertainty factors from a historical perspective, we expose that the default factor and its sub-components are intended to represent adequate rather than worst-case scenarios. The intention of using assessment factors for mixture effects was abandoned thirty years ago. It is also often ignored that the conservatism (or otherwise) of uncertainty factors can only be considered in relation to a defined level of protection. A protection equivalent to an effect magnitude of 0.001-0.0001% over background incidence is generally considered acceptable. However, it is impossible to say whether this level of protection is in fact realised with the tolerable doses that are derived by employing uncertainty factors. Accordingly, it is difficult to assess whether uncertainty factors overestimate or underestimate the sensitivity differences in human populations. It is also often not appreciated that the outcome of probabilistic approaches to the multiplication of sub-factors is dependent on the choice of probability distributions. Therefore, the idea that default uncertainty factors are overly conservative worst-case scenarios which can account both for the lack of statistical power in animal experiments and protect against potential mixture effects is ill-founded. We contend that precautionary regulation should provide an incentive to generate better data and recommend adopting a pragmatic, but scientifically better founded approach to mixture risk assessment. © 2013 Martin et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.Oak Foundatio
Can We Really Prevent Suicide?
Every year, suicide is among the top 20 leading causes of death globally for all ages. Unfortunately, suicide is difficult to prevent, in large part because the prevalence of risk factors is high among the general population. In this review, clinical and psychological risk factors are examined and methods for suicide prevention are discussed. Prevention strategies found to be effective in suicide prevention
include means restriction, responsible media coverage, and general public education, as well identification methods such as screening, gatekeeper training, and primary care physician education. Although the treatment for preventing suicide is difficult, follow-up that includes pharmacotherapy, psychotherapy, or both may be useful. However, prevention methods cannot be restricted to the individual. Community, social, and policy interventions will also be essentia
Genetic and environmental transactions underlying the associationbetween physical fitness/physical exercise and body composition
Near-field examination of perovskite-based superlenses and superlens-enhanced probe-object coupling
A planar slab of negative index material works as a superlens with
sub-diffraction-limited imaging resolution, since propagating waves are focused
and, moreover, evanescent waves are reconstructed in the image plane. Here, we
demonstrate a superlens for electric evanescent fields with low losses using
perovskites in the mid-infrared regime. The combination of near-field
microscopy with a tunable free-electron laser allows us to address precisely
the polariton modes, which are critical for super-resolution imaging. We
spectrally study the lateral and vertical distributions of evanescent waves
around the image plane of such a lens, and achieve imaging resolution of
wavelength/14 at the superlensing wavelength. Interestingly, at certain
distances between the probe and sample surface, we observe a maximum of these
evanescent fields. Comparisons with numerical simulations indicate that this
maximum originates from an enhanced coupling between probe and object, which
might be applicable for multifunctional circuits, infrared spectroscopy, and
thermal sensors.Comment: 20 pages, 6 figures, published as open access article in Nature
Communications (see http://www.nature.com/ncomms/
Study of the decays B->D_s1(2536)+ anti-D(*)
We report a study of the decays B -> D_s1(2536)+ anti-D(*), where anti-D(*)
is anti-D0, D- or D*-, using a sample of 657 x 10^6 B anti-B pairs collected at
the Upsilon(4S) resonance with the Belle detector at the KEKB asymmetric-energy
e+e- collider. The branching fractions of the decays B+ -> D_s1(2536)+ anti-D0,
B0 -> D_s1(2536)+ D- and B0 -> D_s1(2536)+ D*- multiplied by that of
D_s1(2536)+ -> (D*0K+ + D*+K0) are found to be (3.97+-0.85+-0.56) x 10^-4,
(2.75+-0.62+-0.36) x 10^-4 and (5.01+-1.21+-0.70) x 10^-4, respectively.Comment: 6 pages, 2 figues, submitted to PRD (RC
The stellar halo of the Galaxy
Stellar halos may hold some of the best preserved fossils of the formation
history of galaxies. They are a natural product of the merging processes that
probably take place during the assembly of a galaxy, and hence may well be the
most ubiquitous component of galaxies, independently of their Hubble type. This
review focuses on our current understanding of the spatial structure, the
kinematics and chemistry of halo stars in the Milky Way. In recent years, we
have experienced a change in paradigm thanks to the discovery of large amounts
of substructure, especially in the outer halo. I discuss the implications of
the currently available observational constraints and fold them into several
possible formation scenarios. Unraveling the formation of the Galactic halo
will be possible in the near future through a combination of large wide field
photometric and spectroscopic surveys, and especially in the era of Gaia.Comment: 46 pages, 16 figures. References updated and some minor changes.
Full-resolution version available at
http://www.astro.rug.nl/~ahelmi/stellar-halo-review.pd
Southeast Asian diversity: first insights into the complex mtDNA structure of Laos
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Vast migrations and subsequent assimilation processes have shaped the genetic composition of Southeast Asia, an area of close contact between several major ethnic groups. To better characterize the genetic variation of this region, we analyzed the entire mtDNA control region of 214 unrelated donors from Laos according to highest forensic quality standards. To detail the phylogeny, we inspected selected SNPs from the mtDNA coding region. For <it>a posteriori </it>data quality control, quasi-median network constructions and autosomal STR typing were performed. In order to describe the mtDNA setup of Laos more thoroughly, the data were subjected to population genetic comparisons with 16 East Asian groups.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The Laos sample exhibited ample mtDNA diversity, reflecting the huge number of ethnic groups listed. We found several new, so far undescribed mtDNA lineages in this dataset and surrounding populations. The Laos population was characteristic in terms of haplotype composition and genetic structure, however, genetic comparisons with other Southeast Asian populations revealed limited, but significant genetic differentiation. Notable differences in the maternal relationship to the major indigenous Southeast Asian ethnolinguistic groups were detected.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>In this study, we portray the great mtDNA variety of Laos for the first time. Our findings will contribute to clarify the migration history of the region. They encourage setting up regional and subpopulation databases, especially for forensic applications. The Laotian sequences will be incorporated into the collaborative EMPOP mtDNA database <url>http://www.empop.org</url> upon publication and will be available as the first mtDNA reference data for this country.</p
Dusty Planetary Systems
Extensive photometric stellar surveys show that many main sequence stars show
emission at infrared and longer wavelengths that is in excess of the stellar
photosphere; this emission is thought to arise from circumstellar dust. The
presence of dust disks is confirmed by spatially resolved imaging at infrared
to millimeter wavelengths (tracing the dust thermal emission), and at optical
to near infrared wavelengths (tracing the dust scattered light). Because the
expected lifetime of these dust particles is much shorter than the age of the
stars (>10 Myr), it is inferred that this solid material not primordial, i.e.
the remaining from the placental cloud of gas and dust where the star was born,
but instead is replenished by dust-producing planetesimals. These planetesimals
are analogous to the asteroids, comets and Kuiper Belt objects (KBOs) in our
Solar system that produce the interplanetary dust that gives rise to the
zodiacal light (tracing the inner component of the Solar system debris disk).
The presence of these "debris disks" around stars with a wide range of masses,
luminosities, and metallicities, with and without binary companions, is
evidence that planetesimal formation is a robust process that can take place
under a wide range of conditions. This chapter is divided in two parts. Part I
discusses how the study of the Solar system debris disk and the study of debris
disks around other stars can help us learn about the formation, evolution and
diversity of planetary systems by shedding light on the frequency and timing of
planetesimal formation, the location and physical properties of the
planetesimals, the presence of long-period planets, and the dynamical and
collisional evolution of the system. Part II reviews the physical processes
that affect dust particles in the gas-free environment of a debris disk and
their effect on the dust particle size and spatial distribution.Comment: 68 pages, 25 figures. To be published in "Solar and Planetary
Systems" (P. Kalas and L. French, Eds.), Volume 3 of the series "Planets,
Stars and Stellar Systems" (T.D. Oswalt, Editor-in-chief), Springer 201
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