High fidelity readout scheme for rare-earth solid state quantum computing

We propose and analyze a high fidelity readout scheme for a single instance approach to quantum computing in rare-earth-ion-doped crystals. The scheme is based on using different species of qubit and readout ions, and it is shown that by allowing the closest qubit ion to act as a readout buffer, the readout error can be reduced by more than an order of magnitude. The scheme is shown to be robust against certain experimental variations, such as varying detection efficiencies, and we use the scheme to predict the expected quantum fidelity of a CNOT gate in these solid state systems. In addition, we discuss the potential scalability of the protocol to larger qubit systems. The results are based on parameters which we believed are experimentally feasible with current technology, and which can be simultaneously realized.Comment: 7 pages, 5 figure

How Much Does Money Matter in a Direct Democracy?

The fine-structure splitting of quantum confined InxGa1-x Nexcitons is investigated using polarization-sensitive photoluminescence spectroscopy. The majority of the studied emission lines exhibits mutually orthogonal fine-structure components split by 100-340 mu eV, as measured from the cleaved edge of the sample. The exciton and the biexciton reveal identical magnitudes but reversed sign of the energy splitting.Original Publication:Supaluck Amloy, Y T Chen, K F Karlsson, K H Chen, H C Hsu, C L Hsiao, L C Chen and Per-Olof Holtz, Polarization-resolved fine-structure splitting of zero-dimensional InxGa1-xN excitons, 2011, PHYSICAL REVIEW B, (83), 20, 201307.http://dx.doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.83.201307Copyright: American Physical Societyhttp://www.aps.org

Experimental investigation of a coherent quantum measurement of the degree of polarization of a single mode light beam

A novel method for the direct measurement of the degree of polarization is described. It is one of the first practical implementations of a coherent quantum measurement, the projection on the singlet state. Our first results demonstrate the successful operation of the method. However, due to the nonlinear crystals used presently, its application is limited to spectral widths larger than ~8nm.Comment: 23 pages, 9 figures, submitted to Journal of Modern Optic

Measurement of Interfacial Shear Mechanical Properties in Thermal Barrier Coating Systems by a Barb Pullout Method

A test technique has been developed to facilitate evaluation of the fracture characteristics of coatings and interfaces in thermal barrier coating (TBC) systems. The methodology has particular application in analyzing delamination crack growth, where crack propagation occurs under predominantly mode II loading. The technique has been demonstrated by quantitatively measuring the effective delamination fracture resistance of an electron-beam physical vapor deposition TBC

Fluvial carbon dioxide emission from the Lena River basin during the spring flood

Greenhouse gas (GHG) emission from inland waters of permafrost-affected regions is one of the key factors of circumpolar aquatic ecosystem response to climate warming and permafrost thaw. Riverine systems of central and eastern Siberia contribute a significant part of the water and carbon (C) export to the Arctic Ocean, yet their C exchange with the atmosphere remains poorly known due to lack of in situ GHG concentration and emission estimates. Here we present the results of continuous in situ pCO2 measurements over a 2600 km transect of the Lena River main stem and lower reaches of 20 major tributaries (together representing a watershed area of 1 661 000 km2, 66 % of the Lena's basin), conducted at the peak of the spring flood. The pCO2 in the Lena (range 400-1400 μatm) and tributaries (range 400-1600 μatm) remained generally stable (within ca. 20 %) over the night-day period and across the river channels. The pCO2 in tributaries increased northward with mean annual temperature decrease and permafrost increase; this change was positively correlated with C stock in soil, the proportion of deciduous needleleaf forest, and the riparian vegetation. Based on gas transfer coefficients obtained from rivers of the Siberian permafrost zone (kCombining double low line4.46 md-1), we calculated CO2 emission for the main stem and tributaries. Typical fluxes ranged from 1 to 2 gCm-2d-1 (>99 % CO2, <1 % CH4), which is comparable with CO2 emission measured in the Kolyma, Yukon, and Mackenzie rivers and permafrost-affected rivers in western Siberia. The areal C emissions from lotic waters of the Lena watershed were quantified by taking into account the total area of permanent and seasonal water of the Lena basin (28 000 km2 ). Assuming 6 months of the year to be an open water period with no emission under ice, the annual C emission from the whole Lena basin is estimated as 8.3±2.5 TgCyr-1, which is comparable to the DOC and dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) lateral export to the Arctic Ocean

Controlled Quantum Secret Sharing

We present a new protocol in which a secret multiqubit quantum state $\ket{\Psi}$ is shared by $n$ players and $m$ controllers, where $\ket{\Psi}$ is the encoding state of a quantum secret sharing scheme. The players may be considered as field agents responsible for carrying out a task, using the secret information encrypted in $\ket{\Psi}$, while the controllers are superiors who decide if and when the task should be carried out and who to do it. Our protocol only requires ancillary Bell states and Bell-basis measurements.Comment: 6 pages, 0 figure, RevTeX4; published version with minor change

Are Interaction-free Measurements Interaction Free?

In 1993 Elitzur and Vaidman introduced the concept of interaction-free measurements which allowed finding objects without ``touching'' them. In the proposed method, since the objects were not touched even by photons, thus, the interaction-free measurements can be called as ``seeing in the dark''. Since then several experiments have been successfully performed and various modifications were suggested. Recently, however, the validity of the term ``interaction-free'' has been questioned. The criticism of the name is briefly reviewed and the meaning of the interaction-free measurements is clarified.Comment: 11 pages, 3 eps figures. Contribution to the ICQO 2000, Raubichi, Belaru

SIFT: Building an Internet of safe Things

As the number of connected devices explodes, the use scenarios of these devices and data have multiplied. Many of these scenarios, e.g., home automation, require tools beyond data visualizations, to express user intents and to ensure interactions do not cause undesired effects in the physical world. We present SIFT, a safety-centric programming platform for connected devices in IoT environments. First, to simplify programming, users express high-level intents in declarative IoT apps. The system then decides which sensor data and operations should be combined to satisfy the user requirements. Second, to ensure safety and compliance, the system verifies whether conflicts or policy violations can occur within or between apps. Through an office deployment, user studies, and trace analysis using a large-scale dataset from a commercial IoT app authoring platform, we demonstrate the power of SIFT and highlight how it leads to more robust and reliable IoT apps