1,741 research outputs found
Role of gravitational stress in land plant evolution - The gravitational factor in lignification Semiannual status report, period ending 31 Oct. 1968
Gravitational and mechanical stress effects on lignification in land plant
Experimental quantum key distribution over highly noisy channels
Error filtration is a method for encoding the quantum state of a single
particle into a higher dimensional Hilbert space in such a way that it becomes
less sensitive to phase noise. We experimentally demonstrate this method by
distributing a secret key over an optical fiber whose noise level otherwise
precludes secure quantum key distribution. By filtering out the phase noise, a
bit error rate of 15.3% +/- 0.1%, which is beyond the security limit, can be
reduced to 10.6% +/- 0.1%, thereby guaranteeing the cryptographic security.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figure
Economical quantum cloning in any dimension
The possibility of cloning a d-dimensional quantum system without an ancilla
is explored, extending on the economical phase-covariant cloning machine found
in [Phys. Rev. A {\bf 60}, 2764 (1999)] for qubits. We prove the impossibility
of constructing an economical version of the optimal universal cloning machine
in any dimension. We also show, using an ansatz on the generic form of cloning
machines, that the d-dimensional phase-covariant cloner, which optimally clones
all uniform superpositions, can be realized economically only in dimension d=2.
The used ansatz is supported by numerical evidence up to d=7. An economical
phase-covariant cloner can nevertheless be constructed for d>2, albeit with a
lower fidelity than that of the optimal cloner requiring an ancilla. Finally,
using again an ansatz on cloning machines, we show that an economical version
of the Fourier-covariant cloner, which optimally clones the computational basis
and its Fourier transform, is also possible only in dimension d=2.Comment: 8 pages RevTe
Reduced randomness in quantum cryptography with sequences of qubits encoded in the same basis
We consider the cloning of sequences of qubits prepared in the states used in
the BB84 or 6-state quantum cryptography protocol, and show that the
single-qubit fidelity is unaffected even if entire sequences of qubits are
prepared in the same basis. This result is of great importance for practical
quantum cryptosystems because it reduces the need for high-speed random number
generation without impairing on the security against finite-size attacks.Comment: 8 pages, submitted to PR
Discordance in the minimal inhibitory concentrations of ertapenem for Enterobacter cloacae: Vitek 2 system versus Etest and agar dilution methods
Our objective was to compare the ertapenem minimal inhibitory concentrations (MICs) for Enterobacter cloacae isolates categorized intermediate or resistant to ertapenem when measured with the Vitek 2 system, with the MICs for these isolates when measured by two methods performed in agar medium: the Etest and agar plate dilution method (APDM). Overall, 50 E. cloacae isolates were included in the study. The mean MIC of ertapenem was 2.92±1.77μg/ml according to the Vitek 2 system, 0.94±0.84μg/ml according to the Etest strips, and 0.93±0.62μg/ml according to the APDM. Furthermore, the MICs determined by the Vitek 2 system were higher than the MICs determined by the two other methods for 96% of strains. Lastly, according to the Etest strips and APDM, 42% of E. cloacae were susceptible to ertapenem. No carbapenemase was identified by the screening method used. Using the Vitek 2 system to determine ertapenem MICs for E. cloacae can have potential consequences in terms of additional carbapenemase-detecting tests and antimicrobial therapy. It would be interesting to determine if the Vitek 2 system is more effective for the detection of carbapenemase producers with low-level carbapenem resistance than the two methods performed in agar medium
Size and Shape Dependence of the Electronic Structure of Gold Nanoclusters on TiO2
Understanding the mechanism behind the superior catalytic power of single- or few-atom heterogeneous catalysts has become an important topic in surface chemistry. This is particularly the case for gold, with TiO2 being an efficient support. Here we use scanning tunneling microscopy/spectroscopy with theoretical calculations to investigate the adsorption geometry and local electronic structure of several-atom Au clusters on rutile TiO2(110), with the clusters fabricated by controlled manipulation of single atoms. Our study confirms that Au1 and Au2 clusters prefer adsorption at surface O vacancies. Au3 clusters adsorb at O vacancies in a linear-chain configuration parallel to the surface; in the absence of O vacancies they adsorb at Ti5c sites with a structure of a vertically pointing upright triangle. We find that both the electronic structure and cluster–substrate charge transfer depend critically on the cluster size, bonding configuration, and local environment. This suggests the possibility of engineering cluster selectivity for specific catalytic reactions
The Swift-UVOT ultraviolet and visible grism calibration
We present the calibration of the Swift UVOT grisms, of which there are two,
providing low-resolution field spectroscopy in the ultraviolet and optical
bands respectively. The UV grism covers the range 1700-5000 Angstrom with a
spectral resolution of 75 at 2600 Angstrom for source magnitudes of u=10-16
mag, while the visible grism covers the range 2850-6600 Angstrom with a
spectral resolution of 100 at 4000 Angstrom for source magnitudes of b=12-17
mag. This calibration extends over all detector positions, for all modes used
during operations. The wavelength accuracy (1-sigma) is 9 Angstrom in the UV
grism clocked mode, 17 Angstrom in the UV grism nominal mode and 22 Angstrom in
the visible grism. The range below 2740 Angstrom in the UV grism and 5200
Angstrom in the visible grism never suffers from overlapping by higher spectral
orders. The flux calibration of the grisms includes a correction we developed
for coincidence loss in the detector. The error in the coincidence loss
correction is less than 20%. The position of the spectrum on the detector only
affects the effective area (sensitivity) by a few percent in the nominal modes,
but varies substantially in the clocked modes. The error in the effective area
is from 9% in the UV grism clocked mode to 15% in the visible grism clocked
mode .Comment: 27 pages, 31 figures; MNRAS accepted 23 February 201
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