2,204 research outputs found
Quantum levitation by left-handed metamaterials
Left-handed metamaterials make perfect lenses that image classical
electromagnetic fields with significantly higher resolution than the
diffraction limit. Here we consider the quantum physics of such devices. We
show that the Casimir force of two conducting plates may turn from attraction
to repulsion if a perfect lens is sandwiched between them. For optical
left-handed metamaterials this repulsive force of the quantum vacuum may
levitate ultra-thin mirrors
Comment on "Quantum Friction - Fact or Fiction?"
If quantum friction existed [J.B. Pendry, New J. Phys. 12, 033028 (2010)] an
unlimited amount of useful energy could be extracted from the quantum vacuum
and Lifshitz theory would fail. Both are unlikely to be true.Comment: Comment on J.B. Pendry, New J. Phys. 12, 033028 (2010
Quantum cryptography with squeezed states
A quantum key distribution scheme based on the use of displaced squeezed
vacuum states is presented. The states are squeezed in one of two field
quadrature components, and the value of the squeezed component is used to
encode a character from an alphabet. The uncertainty relation between
quadrature components prevents an eavesdropper from determining both with
enough precision to determine the character being sent. Losses degrade the
performance of this scheme, but it is possible to use phase-sensitive
amplifiers to boost the signal and partially compensate for their effect.Comment: 15 pages, no figure
Focusing: coming to the point in metamaterials
The point of the paper is to show some limitations of geometrical optics in
the analysis of subwavelength focusing. We analyze the resolution of the image
of a line source radiating in the Maxwell fisheye and the Veselago-Pendry slab
lens. The former optical medium is deduced from the stereographic projection of
a virtual sphere and displays a heterogeneous refractive index n(r) which is
proportional to the inverse of 1+r^2. The latter is described by a homogeneous,
but negative, refractive index. It has been suggested that the fisheye makes a
perfect lens without negative refraction [Leonhardt, Philbin
arxiv:0805.4778v2]. However, we point out that the definition of
super-resolution in such a heterogeneous medium should be computed with respect
to the wavelength in a homogenized medium, and it is perhaps more adequate to
talk about a conjugate image rather than a perfect image (the former does not
necessarily contains the evanescent components of the source). We numerically
find that both the Maxwell fisheye and a thick silver slab lens lead to a
resolution close to lambda/3 in transverse magnetic polarization (electric
field pointing orthogonal to the plane). We note a shift of the image plane in
the latter lens. We also observe that two sources lead to multiple secondary
images in the former lens, as confirmed from light rays travelling along
geodesics of the virtual sphere. We further observe resolutions ranging from
lambda/2 to nearly lambda/4 for magnetic dipoles of varying orientations of
dipole moments within the fisheye in transverse electric polarization (magnetic
field pointing orthogonal to the plane). Finally, we analyse the Eaton lens for
which the source and its image are either located within a unit disc of air, or
within a corona 1<r<2 with refractive index . In both cases,
the image resolution is about lambda/2.Comment: Version 2: 22 pages, 11 figures. More figures added, additional cases
discussed. Misprints corrected. Keywords: Maxwell fisheye, Eaton lens;
Non-Euclidean geometry; Stereographic projection; Transformation optics;
Metamaterials; Perfect lens. The last version appears at J. Modern Opt. 57
(2010), no. 7, 511-52
Entanglement discontinuity
We identify a class of two-mode squeezed states which are parametrized by an
angular variable and a squeezing parameter . We show
that, for a large squeezing value, these states are either (almost) maximally
entangled or product states depending on the value of . This peculiar
behavior of entanglement is unique for infinite dimensional Hilbert space and
has consequences for the entangling power of unitary operators in such systems.
Finally, we show that, at the limit these states demonstrate a
discontinuity attribute of entanglement.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figure
Photon number discrimination without a photon counter and its application to reconstructing non-Gaussian states
The non-linearity of a conditional photon-counting measurement can be used to
`de-Gaussify' a Gaussian state of light. Here we present and experimentally
demonstrate a technique for photon number resolution using only homodyne
detection. We then apply this technique to inform a conditional measurement;
unambiguously reconstructing the statistics of the non-Gaussian one and two
photon subtracted squeezed vacuum states. Although our photon number
measurement relies on ensemble averages and cannot be used to prepare
non-Gaussian states of light, its high efficiency, photon number resolving
capabilities, and compatibility with the telecommunications band make it
suitable for quantum information tasks relying on the outcomes of mean values.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures. Theory section expanded in response to referee
comment
General Relativistic Contributions in Transformation Optics
One potentially realistic specification for devices designed with
transformation optics is that they operate with high precision in curved
space-time, such as Earth orbit. This raises the question of what, if any, role
does space-time curvature play in determining transformation media?
Transformation optics has been based on a three-vector representation of
Maxwell's equations in flat Minkowski space-time. I discuss a completely
covariant, manifestly four-dimensional approach that enables transformations in
arbitrary space-times, and demonstrate this approach for stable circular orbits
in the spherically symmetric Schwarzschild geometry. Finally, I estimate the
magnitude of curvature induced contributions to satellite-borne transformation
media in Earth orbit and comment on the level of precision required for
metamaterial fabrication before such contributions become important.Comment: 14 pages, 3 figures. Latest version has expanded analysis,
corresponds to published versio
Quantum homodyne tomography with a priori constraints
I present a novel algorithm for reconstructing the Wigner function from
homodyne statistics. The proposed method, based on maximum-likelihood
estimation, is capable of compensating for detection losses in a numerically
stable way.Comment: 4 pages, REVTeX, 2 figure
Advances in Modern Capacitive ECG Systems for Continuous Cardiovascular Monitoring
The technique of capacitive electrocardiography (cECG) is very promising in a flexible manner. Already integrated into several everyday objects, the single lead cECG system has shown that easy-to-use measurements of electrocardiograms are possible without difficult preparation of the patients. Multi-channel cECG systems enable the extraction of ECG signals even in the presence of coupled interferences, due to the additional redundant information. Thus, this paper presents challenges for electronic hardware design to build on developments in recent years, going from the one-lead cECG system to multi-channel systems in order to provide robust measurements - e.g. even while driving an automobile
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