5,696 research outputs found
Orbital and valley state spectra of a few-electron silicon quantum dot
Understanding interactions between orbital and valley quantum states in
silicon nanodevices is crucial in assessing the prospects of spin-based qubits.
We study the energy spectra of a few-electron silicon metal-oxide-semiconductor
quantum dot using dynamic charge sensing and pulsed-voltage spectroscopy. The
occupancy of the quantum dot is probed down to the single-electron level using
a nearby single-electron transistor as a charge sensor. The energy of the first
orbital excited state is found to decrease rapidly as the electron occupancy
increases from N=1 to 4. By monitoring the sequential spin filling of the dot
we extract a valley splitting of ~230 {\mu}eV, irrespective of electron number.
This indicates that favorable conditions for qubit operation are in place in
the few-electron regime.Comment: 4 figure
Improving Local Climate Zones Automatic Classification Based on Physic-Morphological Urban Features
The Local Climate Zone (LCZ) classification scheme, introduced by Stewart and Oke (2012), offers promising opportunities for better studying the urban climate phenomena at the micro- and local scale (e.g. the urban heat island effect). However, although several methods have been introduced to apply the concept of LCZs to cities, only a few utilize publicly available data, like, for instance, the World Urban Database and Access Portal Tools (WUDAPT). However, to date, results are relatively rough, and frequent quality assessments demonstrate moderate overall accuracy. This paper proposes an approach for improving the quality of LCZ automatic classification, combining freely available multispectral satellite imagery together with morphological features of the urban environment. And, overall accuracy of 67% was achieved for the Metropolitan City of Milan with an improvement of 12% with respect to using only Landsat 8 multispectral and thermal data. This ascertains the physic-morphological nature of the LCZs and opens the possibility for mapping more accurate LCZs without the need for additional thermal information
Mercapturate Pathway in the Tubulocentric Perspective of Diabetic Kidney Disease
BACKGROUND: The recent growing evidence that the proximal tubule underlies the
early pathogenesis of diabetic kidney disease (DKD) is unveiling novel and
promising perspectives. This pathophysiological concept links tubulointerstitial
oxidative stress, inflammation, hypoxia, and fibrosis with the progression of
DKD. In this new angle for DKD, the prevailing molecular mechanisms on proximal
tubular cells emerge as an innovative opportunity for prevention and management
of DKD as well as to improve diabetic dysmetabolism.
SUMMARY: The mercapturate pathway (MAP) is a classical metabolic detoxification
route for xenobiotics that is emerging as an integrative circuitry detrimental to
resolve tubular inflammation caused by endogenous electrophilic species. Herein
we review why and how it might underlie DKD. Key Messages: MAP is a hallmark of
proximal tubular cell function, and cysteine-S-conjugates might represent targets
for early intervention in DKD. Moreover, the biomonitoring of urinary
mercapturates from metabolic inflammation products might be relevant for the
implementation of preventive/management strategies in DKD.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Magnetic dipolar ordering and relaxation in the high-spin molecular cluster compound Mn6
Few examples of magnetic systems displaying a transition to pure dipolar
magnetic order are known to date, and single-molecule magnets can provide an
interesting example. The molecular cluster spins and thus their dipolar
interaction energy can be quite high, leading to reasonably accessible ordering
temperatures, provided the crystal field anisotropy is sufficiently small. This
condition can be met for molecular clusters of sufficiently high symmetry, as
for the Mn6 compound studied here. Magnetic specific heat and susceptibility
experiments show a transition to ferromagnetic dipolar order at T_{c} = 0.16 K.
Classical Monte-Carlo calculations indeed predict ferromagnetic ordering and
account for the correct value of T_{c}. In high magnetic fields we detected the
contribution of the ^{55}Mn nuclei to the specific heat, and the characteristic
timescale of nuclear relaxation. This was compared with results obtained
directly from pulse-NMR experiments. The data are in good mutual agreement and
can be well described by the theory for magnetic relaxation in highly polarized
paramagnetic crystals and for dynamic nuclear polarization, which we
extensively review. The experiments provide an interesting comparison with the
recently investigated nuclear spin dynamics in the anisotropic single molecule
magnet Mn12-ac.Comment: 19 pages, 11 eps figures. Contains extensive discussions on dipolar
ordering, specific heat and nuclear relaxation in molecular magnet
Impact of g-factors and valleys on spin qubits in a silicon double quantum dot
We define single electron spin qubits in a silicon MOS double quantum dot
system. By mapping the qubit resonance frequency as a function of gate-induced
electric field, the spectrum reveals an anticrossing that is consistent with an
inter-valley spin-orbit coupling. We fit the data from which we extract an
inter-valley coupling strength of 43 MHz. In addition, we observe a narrow
resonance near the primary qubit resonance when we operate the device in the
(1,1) charge configuration. The experimental data is consistent with a
simulation involving two weakly exchanged-coupled spins with a g-factor
difference of 1 MHz, of the same order as the Rabi frequency. We conclude that
the narrow resonance is the result of driven transitions between the T- and T+
triplet states, using an ESR signal of frequency located halfway between the
resonance frequencies of the two individual spins. The findings presented here
offer an alternative method of implementing two-qubit gates, of relevance to
the operation of larger scale spin qubit systems
Detection of an atmosphere around the super-Earth 55 Cancri e
We report the analysis of two new spectroscopic observations of the
super-Earth 55 Cancri e, in the near infrared, obtained with the WFC3 camera
onboard the HST. 55 Cancri e orbits so close to its parent star, that
temperatures much higher than 2000 K are expected on its surface. Given the
brightness of 55 Cancri, the observations were obtained in scanning mode,
adopting a very long scanning length and a very high scanning speed. We use our
specialized pipeline to take into account systematics introduced by these
observational parameters when coupled with the geometrical distortions of the
instrument. We measure the transit depth per wavelength channel with an average
relative uncertainty of 22 ppm per visit and find modulations that depart from
a straight line model with a 6 confidence level. These results suggest
that 55 Cancri e is surrounded by an atmosphere, which is probably
hydrogen-rich. Our fully Bayesian spectral retrieval code, T-REx, has
identified HCN to be the most likely molecular candidate able to explain the
features at 1.42 and 1.54 m. While additional spectroscopic observations
in a broader wavelength range in the infrared will be needed to confirm the HCN
detection, we discuss here the implications of such result. Our chemical model,
developed with combustion specialists, indicates that relatively high mixing
ratios of HCN may be caused by a high C/O ratio. This result suggests this
super-Earth is a carbon-rich environment even more exotic than previously
thought.Comment: 10 pages, 10 figures, 4 tables, Accepted for publication in Ap
High-fidelity adiabatic inversion of a electron spin qubit in natural silicon
The main limitation to the high-fidelity quantum control of spins in
semiconductors is the presence of strongly fluctuating fields arising from the
nuclear spin bath of the host material. We demonstrate here a substantial
improvement in single-qubit gate fidelities for an electron spin qubit bound to
a P atom in natural silicon, by applying adiabatic inversion instead of
narrow-band pulses. We achieve an inversion fidelity of 97%, and we observe
signatures in the spin resonance spectra and the spin coherence time that are
consistent with the presence of an additional exchange-coupled donor. This work
highlights the effectiveness of adiabatic inversion techniques for spin control
in fluctuating environments.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figure
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