Generation of Large Number-Path Entanglement Using Linear Optics and Feed-Forward

We show how an idealised measurement procedure can condense photons from two modes into one, and how, by feeding forward the results of the measurement, it is possible to generate efficiently superpositions of components for which only one mode is populated, commonly called ``N00N states''. For the basic procedure, sources of number states leak onto a beam splitter, and the output ports are monitored by photodetectors. We find that detecting a fixed fraction of the input at one output port suffices to direct the remainder to the same port with high probability, however large the initial state. When instead photons are detected at both ports, Schr\"{o}dinger cat states are produced. We describe a circuit for making the components of such a state orthogonal, and another for subsequent conversion to a N00N state. Our approach scales exponentially better than existing proposals. Important applications include quantum imaging and metrology

Surveillance normalization and critique: News coverage and journalists’ discourses around the Snowden revelations

In the aftermath of Edward Snowden’s leaks about “bulk data collection” by the NSA and GCHQ, questions about mass surveillance have come to the forefront of public debate. This paper, based on (a) a comprehensive content analysis of newspaper coverage, and (b) interviews with journalists covering stories related to surveillance in the UK, outlines a key tension between journalists’ self-understandings and practices which has profound consequences: On the one hand, we suggest, media coverage contributes to normalizing surveillance by emphasizing concerns about national security and stressing the surveillance of elites, to the detriment of an interest in the gathering of “bulk data” on populations. On the other hand, journalists, though acknowledging national security concerns, are frequently critical of and resistant to the extent, nature and necessity of mass surveillance. Our paper suggests that despite journalists’ desire to communicate the complexities of mass surveillance, the structural constraints of their professional practice - in particular their reliance on official sources – make it difficult for reporting to move beyond the legitimating discourses provided by these official sources

The advantage of being oneself: the role of applicant self-verification in organizational hiring decisions

In this paper, we explore whether individuals who strive to self-verify flourish or flounder on the job market. Using placement data from two very different field samples, we found that individuals rated by the organization as being in the top 10% of candidates were significantly more likely to receive a job offer if they have a strong drive to self-verify. A third study explored the mechanism behind this effect, using a quasi-experimental design to explore whether individuals who are high and low on this trait communicate differently in a structured mock job interview. Text analysis (LIWC) of interview transcripts revealed systematic differences in candidates’ language use as a function of their self-verification drives. These differences led an expert rater to perceive candidates with a strong drive to self-verify as less inauthentic and less misrepresentative than their low self-verifying peers, making her more likely to recommend these candidates for a job. Taken together, our results suggest that authentic self-presentation is an unidentified route to success on the job market, amplifying the chances that high-quality candidates can convert organizations’ positive evaluations into tangible job offers. We discuss implications for job applicants, organizations, and the labor market

Conformations And Relative Stabilities Of The Cis And Trans Isomers In A Series Of Isolated N-phenylamides

The gas-phase conformations of a series of isolated N-phenylamides have been determined from vibrationally resolved electronic spectra obtained by resonant two-photon ionization in a supersonic jet expansion. Both the cis and trans isomers of formanilide were identified, with the cis isomer in 6.5% abundance. The spectral features displayed by this isomer are consistent with a nonplanar geometry which undergoes a large change in the phenyl torsional angle following electronic excitation. The more abundant trans isomer of formanilide adopts a planar structure and is stabilized by 2.5 kcal/mol with respect to the cis isomer. In the excited electronic state the relative stabilities of the two isomers are reversed. Acetanilide, in contrast, is found exclusively as the trans isomer, also having a planar structure. N-Methyl substitution causes a reversal of the relative isomer stabilities found in formanilide and leads to an isomer distribution consisting of approximately 90% E and 10% Z in N-methylformanilide. These experimental observations are compared to previous condensed phase structural determinations as well as to the relative energies and structures predicted from ab initio Hartree-Fock geometry optimizations

Measurement-induced localization of relative degrees of freedom

Published versio

Invariant quantum discord in qubit-qutrit systems under local dephasing

We investigate the dynamics of quantum discord and entanglement for a class of mixed qubit-qutrit states assuming that only the qutrit is under the action of a dephasing channel. We demonstrate that even though the entanglement in the qubit-qutrit state disappears in a finite time interval, partial coherence left in the system enables quantum discord to remain invariant throughout the whole time evolution

Concept definition study for recovery of tumbling satellites. Volume 1: Executive summary, study results

The first assessment is made of the design requirements and conceptual definition of a front end kit to be transported on the currently defined Orbital Maneuvering Vehicle (OMV) and the Space Transportation System Shuttle Orbiter, to conduct remote, teleoperated recovery of disabled and noncontrollable, tumbling satellites. Previous studies did not quantify the dynamic characteristics of a tumbling satellite, nor did they appear to address the full spectrum of Tumbling Satellite Recovery systems requirements. Both of these aspects are investigated with useful results