4,076 research outputs found
The Haroche-Ramsey experiment as a generalized measurement
A number of atomic beam experiments, related to the Ramsey experiment and a
recent experiment by Brune et al., are studied with respect to the question of
complementarity. Three different procedures for obtaining information on the
state of the incoming atom are compared. Positive operator-valued measures are
explicitly calculated. It is demonstrated that, in principle, it is possible to
choose the experimental arrangement so as to admit an interpretation as a joint
non-ideal measurement yielding interference and ``which-way'' information.
Comparison of the different measurements gives insight into the question of
which information is provided by a (generalized) quantum mechanical
measurement. For this purpose the subspaces of Hilbert-Schmidt space, spanned
by the operators of the POVM, are determined for different measurement
arrangements and different values of the parameters.Comment: REVTeX, 22 pages, 5 figure
Dynamic fibrils in H-alpha and C IV
Aim: To study the interaction of the solar chromosphere with the transition
region, in particular active-region jets in the transition region and their
relation to chromospheric fibrils. Methods: We carefully align image sequences
taken simultaneously in C IV with the Transition Region and Coronal Explorer
and in H-alpha with the Swedish 1-m Solar Telescope. We examine the temporal
evolution of "dynamic fibrils", i.e., individual short-lived active-region
chromospheric jet-like features in H-alpha. Results: All dynamic fibrils appear
as absorption features in H-alpha that progress from the blue to the red wing
through the line, and often show recurrent behavior. Some of them, but not all,
appear also as bright features in C IV which develop at or just beyond the apex
of the H-alpha darkening. They tend to best resemble the H-alpha fibril at +700
mA half a minute earlier. Conclusions: Dynamic chromospheric fibrils observed
in H-alpha regularly correspond to transition-region jets observed in the
ultraviolet. This correspondence suggests that some plasma associated with
dynamic fibrils is heated to transition-region temperatures.Comment: 8 pages, 8 figure
Two faces of perceptual awareness during the attentional blink:Gradual and discrete
In a series of experiments, the nature of perceptual awareness during the attentional blink was investigated. Previous work has considered the attentional blink as a discrete, all-or-none phenomenon, indicative of general access to conscious awareness. Using continuous report measures in combination with mixture modeling, the outcomes showed that perceptual awareness during the attentional blink can be a gradual phenomenon. Awareness was not exclusively discrete, but also exhibited a gradual characteristic whenever the spatial extent of attention induced by the first target spanned more than a single location. Under these circumstances, mental representations of blinked targets were impoverished, but did approach the actual identities of the targets. Conversely, when the focus of attention covered only a single location, there was no evidence for any partial knowledge of blinked targets. These two different faces of awareness during the attentional blink challenge current theories of both awareness and temporal attention, which cannot explain the existence of gradual awareness of targets during the attentional blink. To account for the current outcomes, an adaptive gating model is proposed that casts awareness on a continuum between gradual and discrete, rather than as being of either single kind
Maximal Accuracy and Minimal Disturbance in the Arthurs-Kelly Simultaneous Measurement Process
The accuracy of the Arthurs-Kelly model of a simultaneous measurement of
position and momentum is analysed using concepts developed by Braginsky and
Khalili in the context of measurements of a single quantum observable. A
distinction is made between the errors of retrodiction and prediction. It is
shown that the distribution of measured values coincides with the initial state
Husimi function when the retrodictive accuracy is maximised, and that it is
related to the final state anti-Husimi function (the P representation of
quantum optics) when the predictive accuracy is maximised. The disturbance of
the system by the measurement is also discussed. A class of minimally
disturbing measurements is characterised. It is shown that the distribution of
measured values then coincides with one of the smoothed Wigner functions
described by Cartwright.Comment: 12 pages, 0 figures. AMS-Latex. Earlier version replaced with final
published versio
Coverage determinants of breast cancer screening in Flanders:an evaluation of the past decade
Background Breast cancer (BC) is the most common cancer in women in the developed world. In order to find developing cancers in an early stage, BC screening is commonly used. In Flanders, screening is performed in and outside an organized breast cancer screening program (BCSP). However, the determinants of BC screening coverage for both screening strategies are yet unknown. Objective To assess the determinants of BC screening coverage in Flanders. Methods Reimbursement data were used to attribute a screening status to each woman in the target population for the years 2008-2016. Yearly coverage data were categorized as screening inside or outside BCSP or no screening. Data were clustered by municipality level. A generalized linear equation model was used to assess the determinants of screening type. Results Over all years and municipalities, the median screening coverage rate inside and outside BCSP was 48.40% (IQR: 41.50-54.40%) and 14.10% (IQR: 9.80-19.80%) respectively. A higher coverage rate outside BSCP was statistically significantly (P < 0.001) associated with more crowded households (OR: 3.797, 95% CI: 3.199-4.508), younger age, higher population densities (OR: 2.528, 95% CI: 2.455-2.606), a lower proportion of unemployed job seekers (OR: 0.641, 95% CI: 0.624-0.658) and lower use of dental care (OR: 0.969, 95% CI: 0.967-0.972). Conclusion Coverage rate of BC screening is not optimal in Flanders. Women with low SES that are characterized by younger age, living in a high population density area, living in crowded households, or having low dental care are less likely to be screened for BC in Flanders. If screened, they are more likely to be screened outside the BCSP
From Heisenberg matrix mechanics to EBK quantization: theory and first applications
Despite the seminal connection between classical multiply-periodic motion and
Heisenberg matrix mechanics and the massive amount of work done on the
associated problem of semiclassical (EBK) quantization of bound states, we show
that there are, nevertheless, a number of previously unexploited aspects of
this relationship that bear on the quantum-classical correspondence. In
particular, we emphasize a quantum variational principle that implies the
classical variational principle for invariant tori. We also expose the more
indirect connection between commutation relations and quantization of action
variables. With the help of several standard models with one or two degrees of
freedom, we then illustrate how the methods of Heisenberg matrix mechanics
described in this paper may be used to obtain quantum solutions with a modest
increase in effort compared to semiclassical calculations. We also describe and
apply a method for obtaining leading quantum corrections to EBK results.
Finally, we suggest several new or modified applications of EBK quantization.Comment: 37 pages including 3 poscript figures, submitted to Phys. Rev.
The acceptance and use of the e-Health instrument 'The personal health check' in four Dutch municipalities:Lessons learned
This pilot study assessed the acceptance and use of the e-Health instrument âthe Personal Health Checkâ (PHC) among clients and professionals in primary care settings. By filling in the online PHC instrument, participants were provided insights into their health and lifestyle. When results revealed an increased health risk, participants were advised to undertake additional lab tests measuring blood pressure and haemaglobin levels. Based on the online questionnaire and optional lab tests, participants then received a report that included individually-tailored feedback from the e-Health application about personal health risks and suggestions for health interventions. The PHC was implemented in 2016 in four Dutch municipalities that determined which neighbourhood(s) the PHC targeted and how participants were invited. The Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology was used as a theoretical framework to address our research questions. Methods used to assess acceptance were: PHC instrument data, data from additional questionnaires completed by PHC participants, focus groups with PHC participants and professionals in primary care, and telephone interviews with non-responders to the invitation to participate in the online PHC. Of the 21,735 invited, 12% participated. Our results showed that participants and professionals in this pilot were predominantly positive about the PHC. Participants reported that they made an effort to apply the PHC lifestyle advice they received. Almost all had the knowledge and resources needed to use the PHC online instrument. Invitations from general practitioners almost doubled participation relative to invitations from the sponsoring municipalities. The overall low response rate, however, suggests that the PHC is unsuitable as a foundation on which to develop local public health policy
Elements Discrimination in the Study of Super-Heavy Elements using an Ionization Chamber
Dedicated ionization chamber was built and installed to measure the energy
loss of very heavy nuclei at 2.7 MeV/u produced in fusion reactions in inverse
kinematics (beam of 208Pb). After going through the ionization chamber,
products of reactions on 12C, 18O targets are implanted in a Si detector. Their
identification through their alpha decay chain is ambiguous when their
half-life is short. After calibration with Pb and Th nuclei, the ionization
chamber signal allowed us to resolve these ambiguities. In the search for rare
super-heavy nuclei produced in fusion reactions in inverse or symmetric
kinematics, such a chamber will provide direct information on the nuclear
charge of each implanted nucleus.Comment: submitted to NIMA, 10 pages+4 figures, Latex, uses elsart.cls and
grahpic
Maximal Temperature in Flux Compactifications
Thermal corrections have an important effect on moduli stabilization leading
to the existence of a maximal temperature, beyond which the compact dimensions
decompactify. In this note, we discuss generality of our earlier analysis and
apply it to the case of flux compactifications. The maximal temperature is
again found to be controlled by the supersymmetry breaking scale, T_{crit} \sim
\sqrt{m_{3/2} M_P}.Comment: 10 pages, 10 figures. v2:comment and references adde
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