A low noise, high thermal stability, 0.1 K test facility for the Planck HFI bolometers

We are developing a facility which will be used to characterize the bolometric detectors for Planck, an ESA mission to investigate the Cosmic Microwave Background. The bolometers operate at 0.1 K, employing neutron-transmutation doped (NTD) Ge thermistors with resistances of several megohms to achieve NEPs~1×10^(–17) W Hz^(–1/2). Characterization of the intrinsic noise of the bolometers at frequencies as low as 0.010 Hz dictates a test apparatus thermal stability of 40 nK Hz^(–1/2) to that frequency. This temperature stability is achieved via a multi-stage isolation and control geometry with high resolution thermometry implemented with NTD Ge thermistors, JFET source followers, and dedicated lock-in amplifiers. The test facility accommodates 24 channels of differential signal readout, for measurement of bolometer V(I) characteristics and intrinsic noise. The test facility also provides for modulated radiation in the submillimeter band incident on the bolometers, for measurement of the optical speed-of-response; this illumination can be reduced below detectable limits without interrupting cryogenic operation. A commercial Oxford Instruments dilution refrigerator provides the cryogenic environment for the test facility

A calcium ion in a cavity as a controlled single-photon source

We present a single calcium ion, coupled to a high-finesse cavity, as an almost ideal system for the controlled generation of single photons. Photons from a pump beam are Raman-scattered by the ion into the cavity mode, which subsequently emits the photon into a well-defined output channel. In contrast with comparable atomic systems, the ion is localized at a fixed position in the cavity mode for indefinite times, enabling truly continuous operation of the device. We have performed numeric calculations to assess the performance of the system and present the first experimental indication of single-photon emission in our set-up

Etablierung ausgewählter Arten zur Nachsaat in ökologisch bewirtschafteten Grünlandbeständen in Abhängigkeit von Nachsaattechnik und Standort

Die Artenzusammensetzung des Grünlandes verändert sich in Abhängigkeit der Nutzungsdauer, des Nutzungsregimes und von Bewirtschaftungsmaßnahmen. Daher ist eine regelmäßige Bewertung der Grünlandnarbe und der Artenzusammensetzung notwendig. Eine Grünlandverbesserung kann durch Nachsaaten erreicht werden. Hierfür stehen verschiedene Nachsaattechniken und Arten zur Verfügung. Der Nachsaaterfolg von ausgewählten Futterpflanzenarten, die für den Ökologischen Landbau von besonderer Bedeutung sein können, wurde mit zwei unterschiedlichen Nachsaattechniken auf insgesamt 8 Standorten in Nordwestdeutschland geprüft

Markov Chain Beam Randomization: a study of the impact of PLANCK beam measurement errors on cosmological parameter estimation

We introduce a new method to propagate uncertainties in the beam shapes used to measure the cosmic microwave background to cosmological parameters determined from those measurements. The method, which we call Markov Chain Beam Randomization, MCBR, randomly samples from a set of templates or functions that describe the beam uncertainties. The method is much faster than direct numerical integration over systematic `nuisance' parameters, and is not restricted to simple, idealized cases as is analytic marginalization. It does not assume the data are normally distributed, and does not require Gaussian priors on the specific systematic uncertainties. We show that MCBR properly accounts for and provides the marginalized errors of the parameters. The method can be generalized and used to propagate any systematic uncertainties for which a set of templates is available. We apply the method to the Planck satellite, and consider future experiments. Beam measurement errors should have a small effect on cosmological parameters as long as the beam fitting is performed after removal of 1/f noise.Comment: 17 pages, 23 figures, revised version with improved explanation of the MCBR and overall wording. Accepted for publication in Astronomy and Astrophysics (to appear in the Planck pre-launch special issue

Nanopositioning of a diamond nanocrystal containing a single NV defect center

Precise control over the position of a single quantum object is important for many experiments in quantum science and nanotechnology. We report on a technique for high-accuracy positioning of individual diamond nanocrystals. The positioning is done with a home-built nanomanipulator under real-time scanning electron imaging, yielding an accuracy of a few nanometers. This technique is applied to pick up, move and position a single NV defect center contained in a diamond nanocrystal. We verify that the unique optical and spin properties of the NV center are conserved by the positioning process.Comment: 3 pages, 3 figures; high-resolution version available at http://www.ns.tudelft.nl/q

Bootstrap tomography of high-precision pulses for quantum control

Long-time dynamical decoupling and quantum control of qubits require high-precision control pulses. Full characterization (quantum tomography) of imperfect pulses presents a bootstrap problem: tomography requires initial states of a qubit which can not be prepared without imperfect pulses. We present a protocol for pulse error analysis, specifically tailored for a wide range of the single solid-state electron spins. Using a single electron spin of a nitrogen-vacancy (NV) center in diamond, we experimentally verify the correctness of the protocol, and demonstrate its usefulness for quantum control tasks

Initial test results on bolometers for the Planck high frequency instrument

We summarize the fabrication, flight qualification, and dark performance of bolometers completed at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory for the High Frequency Instrument (HFI) of the joint ESA/NASA Herschel/Planck mission to be launched in 2009. The HFI is a multicolor focal plane which consists of 52 bolometers operated at 100 mK. Each bolometer is mounted to a feedhorn-filter assembly which defines one of six frequency bands centered between 100-857 GHz. Four detectors in each of five bands from 143-857 GHz are coupled to both linear polarizations and thus measure the total intensity. In addition, eight detectors in each of four bands (100, 143, 217, and 353 GHz) couple only to a single linear polarization and thus provide measurements of the Stokes parameters, Q and U, as well as the total intensity. The measured noise equivalent power (NEP) of all detectors is at or below the background limit for the telescope and time constants are a few ms, short enough to resolve point sources as the 5 to 9 arc min beams move across the sky at 1 rpm

Reversing quantum trajectories with analog feedback

We demonstrate the active suppression of transmon qubit dephasing induced by dispersive measurement, using parametric amplification and analog feedback. By real-time processing of the homodyne record, the feedback controller reverts the stochastic quantum phase kick imparted by the measurement on the qubit. The feedback operation matches a model of quantum trajectories with measurement efficiency $\tilde{\eta} \approx 0.5$, consistent with the result obtained by postselection. We overcome the bandwidth limitations of the amplification chain by numerically optimizing the signal processing in the feedback loop and provide a theoretical model explaining the optimization result.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures, and Supplementary Information (7 figures

Observation of interspecies Feshbach resonances in an ultracold Rb-Cs mixture

We report on the observation of interspecies Feshbach resonances in an ultracold, optically trapped mixture of Rb and Cs atoms. In a magnetic field range up to 300 G we find 23 interspecies Feshbach resonances in the lowest spin channel and 2 resonances in a higher channel of the mixture. The extraordinarily rich Feshbach spectrum suggests the importance of different partial waves in both the open and closed channels of the scattering problem along with higher-order coupling mechanisms. Our results provide, on one hand, fundamental experimental input to characterize the Rb-Cs scattering properties and, on the other hand, identify possible starting points for the association of ultracold heteronuclear RbCs molecules.Comment: 7 pages, 3 figures, 1 tabl