16,428 research outputs found
Polarisation-sensitive terahertz detection by multicontact photoconductive receivers
We have developed a terahertz radiation detector that measures both the
amplitude and polarization of the electric field as a function of time. The
device is a three-contact photoconductive receiver designed so that two
orthogonal electric-field components of an arbitrary polarized electromagnetic
wave may be detected simultaneously. The detector was fabricated on Fe+
ion-implanted InP. Polarization-sensitive detection is demonstrated with an
extinction ratio better than 100:1. This type of device will have immediate
application in studies of birefringent and optically active materials in the
far-infrared region of the spectrum.Comment: 3 pages, 3 figure
A quantum-mechanical Maxwell's demon
A Maxwell's demon is a device that gets information and trades it in for
thermodynamic advantage, in apparent (but not actual) contradiction to the
second law of thermodynamics. Quantum-mechanical versions of Maxwell's demon
exhibit features that classical versions do not: in particular, a device that
gets information about a quantum system disturbs it in the process. In
addition, the information produced by quantum measurement acts as an additional
source of thermodynamic inefficiency. This paper investigates the properties of
quantum-mechanical Maxwell's demons, and proposes experimentally realizable
models of such devices.Comment: 13 pages, Te
Locating Overlap Information in Quantum Systems
When discussing the black hole information problem the term ``information
flow'' is frequently used in a rather loose fashion. In this article I attempt
to make this notion more concrete. I consider a Hilbert space which is
constructed as a tensor product of two subspaces (representing for example
inside and outside the black hole). I discuss how the system has the capacity
to contain information which is in NEITHER of the subspaces. I attempt to
quantify the amount of information located in each of the two subspaces, and
elsewhere, and analyze the extent to which unitary evolution can correspond to
``information flow''. I define the notion of ``overlap information'' which
appears to be well suited to the problem.Comment: 25 pages plain LaTeX, no figures. Imperial/TP/93-94/2
Quantum Simulations on a Quantum Computer
We present a general scheme for performing a simulation of the dynamics of
one quantum system using another. This scheme is used to experimentally
simulate the dynamics of truncated quantum harmonic and anharmonic oscillators
using nuclear magnetic resonance. We believe this to be the first explicit
physical realization of such a simulation.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures (\documentstyle[prl,aps,epsfig,amscd]{revtex}); to
appear in Phys. Rev. Let
Isolation and identification of Acinetobacter spp. from healthy canine skin
Acinetobacter species can exhibit widespread resistance to antimicrobial agents. They are already recognized as important nosocomial pathogens of humans, but are becoming increasingly recognized in opportunistic infections of animals. This study aimed to determine whether Acinetobacter spp. are carried on skin of healthy dogs and, if present, to identify the species
A Complexity Measure for Continuous Time Quantum Algorithms
We consider unitary dynamical evolutions on n qubits caused by time dependent
pair-interaction Hamiltonians and show that the running time of a parallelized
two-qubit gate network simulating the evolution is given by the time integral
over the chromatic index of the interaction graph. This defines a complexity
measure of continuous and discrete quantum algorithms which are in exact
one-to-one correspondence. Furthermore we prove a lower bound on the growth of
large-scale entanglement depending on the chromatic index.Comment: 6 pages, Revte
Construction and testing of the optical bench for LISA pathfinder
eLISA is a space mission designed to measure gravitational radiation over a frequency range of 0.1–100 mHz (European Space Agency LISA Assessment Study Report 2011). It uses laser interferometry to measure changes of order in the separation of inertial test masses housed in spacecraft separated by 1 million km. LISA Pathfinder (LPF) is a technology demonstrator mission that will test the key eLISA technologies of inertial test masses monitored by laser interferometry in a drag-free spacecraft. The optical bench that provides the interferometry for LPF must meet a number of stringent requirements: the optical path must be stable at the few level; it must direct the optical beams onto the inertial masses with an accuracy of better than ±25 μm, and it must be robust enough not only to survive launch vibrations but to achieve full performance after launch. In this paper we describe the construction and testing of the flight optical bench for LISA Pathfinder that meets all the design requirements
Analog quantum error correction
Quantum error-correction routines are developed for continuous quantum
variables such as position and momentum. The result of such analog quantum
error correction is the construction of composite continuous quantum variables
that are largely immune to the effects of noise and decoherence.Comment: Ten pages, Te
A Chandra Study of the Dense Globular Cluster Terzan 5
We report a Chandra ACIS-I observation of the dense globular cluster Terzan
5. The previously known transient low-mass x-ray binary (LMXB) EXO 1745-248 in
the cluster entered a rare high state during our August 2000 observation,
complicating the analysis. Nevertheless nine additional sources clearly
associated with the cluster are also detected, ranging from L_X(0.5-2.5
keV)=5.6*10^{32} down to 8.6*10^{31} ergs/s. Their X-ray colors and
luminosities, and spectral fitting, indicate that five of them are probably
cataclysmic variables, and four are likely quiescent LMXBs containing neutron
stars. We estimate the total number of sources between L_X(0.5-2.5 keV)=10^{32}
and 10^{33} ergs/s as 11.4^{+4.7}_{-1.8} by the use of artificial point source
tests, and note that the numbers of X-ray sources are similar to those detected
in NGC 6440. The improved X-ray position allowed us to identify a plausible
infrared counterpart to EXO 1745-248 on our 1998 Hubble Space Telescope NICMOS
images. This blue star (F110W=18.48, F187W=17.30) lies within 0.2'' of the
boresighted LMXB position. Simultaneous Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer (RXTE)
spectra, combined with the Chandra spectrum, indicate that EXO 1745-248 is an
ultracompact binary system, and show a strong broad 6.55 keV iron line and an 8
keV smeared reflection edge.Comment: 18 pages, 8 figures, accepted to Ap
- …