Characterization of high-dimensional entangled systems via mutually unbiased measurements

Mutually unbiased bases (MUBs) play a key role in many protocols in quantum science, such as quantum key distribution. However, defining MUBs for arbitrary high-dimensional systems is theoretically difficult, and measurements in such bases can be hard to implement. We show experimentally that efficient quantum state reconstruction of a high-dimensional multi-partite quantum system can be performed by considering only the MUBs of the individual parts. The state spaces of the individual subsystems are always smaller than the state space of the composite system. Thus, the benefit of this method is that MUBs need to be defined for the small Hilbert spaces of the subsystems rather than for the large space of the overall system. This becomes especially relevant where the definition or measurement of MUBs for the overall system is challenging. We illustrate this approach by implementing measurements for a high-dimensional system consisting of two photons entangled in the orbital angular momentum (OAM) degree of freedom, and we reconstruct the state of this system for dimensions of the individual photons from d=2 to 5.Comment: 8 page

The interpretation of hard X-ray polarization measurements in solar flares

Observations of polarization of moderately hard X-rays in solar flares are reviewed and compared with the predictions of recent detailed modeling of hard X-ray bremsstrahlung production by non-thermal electrons. The recent advances in the complexity of the modeling lead to substantially lower predicted polarizations than in earlier models and more fully highlight how various parameters play a role in determining the polarization of the radiation field. The new predicted polarizations are comparable to those predicted by thermal modeling of solar flare hard X-ray production, and both are in agreement with the observations. In the light of these results, new polarization observations with current generation instruments are proposed which could be used to discriminate between non-thermal and thermal models of hard X-ray production in solar flares

Modelling the Galactic Magnetic Field on the Plane in 2D

We present a method for parametric modelling of the physical components of the Galaxy's magnetised interstellar medium, simulating the observables, and mapping out the likelihood space using a Markov Chain Monte-Carlo analysis. We then demonstrate it using total and polarised synchrotron emission data as well as rotation measures of extragalactic sources. With these three datasets, we define and study three components of the magnetic field: the large-scale coherent field, the small-scale isotropic random field, and the ordered field. In this first paper, we use only data along the Galactic plane and test a simple 2D logarithmic spiral model for the magnetic field that includes a compression and a shearing of the random component giving rise to an ordered component. We demonstrate with simulations that the method can indeed constrain multiple parameters yielding measures of, for example, the ratios of the magnetic field components. Though subject to uncertainties in thermal and cosmic ray electron densities and depending on our particular model parametrisation, our preliminary analysis shows that the coherent component is a small fraction of the total magnetic field and that an ordered component comparable in strength to the isotropic random component is required to explain the polarisation fraction of synchrotron emission. We outline further work to extend this type of analysis to study the magnetic spiral arm structure, the details of the turbulence as well as the 3D structure of the magnetic field.Comment: 18 pages, 11 figures, updated to published MNRAS versio

A Systems Approach to the Physiology of Weightlessness

A systems approach to the unraveling of the complex response pattern of the human subjected to weightlessness is presented. The major goal of this research is to obtain an understanding of the role that each of the major components of the human system plays following the transition to and from space. The cornerstone of this approach is the utilization of a variety of mathematical models in order to pose and test alternative hypotheses concerned with the adaptation process. An integrated hypothesis for the human physiological response to weightlessness is developed

Spherically Symmetric Solutions to Fourth-Order Theories of Gravity

Gravitational theories generated from Lagrangians of the form f(R) are considered. The spherically symmetric solutions to these equations are discussed, paying particular attention to features that differ from the standard Schwarzschild solution. The asymptotic form of solutions is described, as is the lack of validity of Birkhoff's theorem. Exact solutions are presented which illustrate these points and their stability and geodesics are investigated.Comment: 10 pages, published versio

Analytic Behaviour of Competition among Three Species

We analyse the classical model of competition between three species studied by May and Leonard ({\it SIAM J Appl Math} \textbf{29} (1975) 243-256) with the approaches of singularity analysis and symmetry analysis to identify values of the parameters for which the system is integrable. We observe some striking relations between critical values arising from the approach of dynamical systems and the singularity and symmetry analyses.Comment: 14 pages, to appear in Journal of Nonlinear Mathematical Physic

Entanglement of arbitrary superpositions of modes within two-dimensional orbital angular momentum state spaces

We use spatial light modulators (SLMs) to measure correlations between arbitrary superpositions of orbital angular momentum (OAM) states generated by spontaneous parametric down-conversion. Our technique allows us to fully access a two-dimensional OAM subspace described by a Bloch sphere, within the higher-dimensional OAM Hilbert space. We quantify the entanglement through violations of a Bell-type inequality for pairs of modal superpositions that lie on equatorial, polar, and arbitrary great circles of the Bloch sphere. Our work shows that SLMs can be used to measure arbitrary spatial states with a fidelity sufficient for appropriate quantum information processing systems

Investigating Biological Matter with Theoretical Nuclear Physics Methods

The internal dynamics of strongly interacting systems and that of biomolecules such as proteins display several important analogies, despite the huge difference in their characteristic energy and length scales. For example, in all such systems, collective excitations, cooperative transitions and phase transitions emerge as the result of the interplay of strong correlations with quantum or thermal fluctuations. In view of such an observation, some theoretical methods initially developed in the context of theoretical nuclear physics have been adapted to investigate the dynamics of biomolecules. In this talk, we review some of our recent studies performed along this direction. In particular, we discuss how the path integral formulation of the molecular dynamics allows to overcome some of the long-standing problems and limitations which emerge when simulating the protein folding dynamics at the atomistic level of detail.Comment: Prepared for the proceedings of the "XII Meeting on the Problems of Theoretical Nuclear Physics" (Cortona11

Rapid miniprep of DNA from filamentous fungi.

Rapid miniprep of DNA from filamentous fungi