439 research outputs found
Polarization-selective excitation of N-V centers in diamond
The nitrogen-vacancy (N-V) center in diamond is promising as an electron spin
qubit due to its long-lived coherence and optical addressability. The ground
state is a spin triplet with two levels () degenerate at zero
magnetic field. Polarization-selective microwave excitation is an attractive
method to address the spin transitions independently, since this allows
operation down to zero magnetic field. Using a resonator designed to produce
circularly polarized microwaves, we have investigated the polarization
selection rules of the N-V center. We first apply this technique to N-V
ensembles in [100] and [111]-oriented samples. Next, we demonstrate an imaging
technique, based on optical polarization dependence, that allows rapid
identification of the orientations of many single N-V centers. Finally, we test
the microwave polarization selection rules of individual N-V centers of known
orientation
Coupling of nitrogen-vacancy centers in diamond to a GaP waveguide
The optical coupling of guided modes in a GaP waveguide to nitrogen-vacancy
(NV) centers in diamond is demonstrated. The electric field penetration into
diamond and the loss of the guided mode are measured. The results indicate that
the GaP-diamond system could be useful for realizing coupled microcavity-NV
devices for quantum information processing in diamond.Comment: 4 pages 4 figure
Low-temperature tapered-fiber probing of diamond NV ensembles coupled to GaP microcavities
In this work we present a platform for testing the device performance of a
cavity-emitter system, using an ensemble of emitters and a tapered optical
fiber. This method provides high-contrast spectra of the cavity modes,
selective detection of emitters coupled to the cavity, and an estimate of the
device performance in the single- emitter case. Using nitrogen-vacancy (NV)
centers in diamond and a GaP optical microcavity, we are able to tune the
cavity onto the NV resonance at 10 K, couple the cavity-coupled emission to a
tapered fiber, and measure the fiber-coupled NV spontaneous emission decay.
Theoretically we show that the fiber-coupled average Purcell factor is 2-3
times greater than that of free-space collection; although due to ensemble
averaging it is still a factor of 3 less than the Purcell factor of a single,
ideally placed center.Comment: 15 pages, 6 figure
Autocrine CSF-1R activation promotes Src-dependent disruption of mammary epithelial architecture
Elevated coexpression of colony-stimulating factor receptor (CSF-1R) and its ligand, CSF-1, correlates with invasiveness and poor prognosis of a variety of epithelial tumors (Kacinski, B.M. 1995. Ann. Med. 27:79–85). Apart from recruitment of macrophages to the tumor site, the mechanisms by which CSF-1 may potentiate invasion are poorly understood. We show that autocrine CSF-1R activation induces hyperproliferation and a profound, progressive disruption of junctional integrity in acinar structures formed by human mammary epithelial cells in three-dimensional culture. Acini coexpressing receptor and ligand exhibit a dramatic relocalization of E-cadherin from the plasma membrane to punctate intracellular vesicles, accompanied by its loss from the Triton-insoluble fraction. Interfering with Src kinase activity, either by pharmacological inhibition or mutation of the Y561 docking site on CSF-1R, prevents E-cadherin translocation, suggesting that CSF-1R disrupts cell adhesion by uncoupling adherens junction complexes from the cytoskeleton and promoting cadherin internalization through a Src-dependent mechanism. These findings provide a mechanistic basis whereby CSF-1R could contribute to invasive progression in epithelial cancers
Flat Dielectric Grating Reflectors with High Focusing Power
Sub-wavelength dielectric gratings (SWG) have emerged recently as a promising
alternative to distributed-Bragg-reflection (DBR) dielectric stacks for
broadband, high-reflectivity filtering applications. A SWG structure composed
of a single dielectric layer with the appropriate patterning can sometimes
perform as well as thirty or forty dielectric DBR layers, while providing new
functionalities such as polarization control and near-field amplification. In
this paper, we introduce a remarkable property of grating mirrors that cannot
be realized by their DBR counterpart: we show that a non-periodic patterning of
the grating surface can give full control over the phase front of reflected
light while maintaining a high reflectivity. This new feature of dielectric
gratings could have a substantial impact on a number of applications that
depend on low-cost, compact optical components, from laser cavities to CD/DVD
read/write heads.Comment: submitted to Nature Photonic
The 2020 Five Domains Model: Including Human-Animal Interactions in Assessments of Animal Welfare
Throughout its 25-year history, the Five Domains Model for animal welfare assessment has been regularly updated to include at each stage the latest authenticated developments in animal welfare science thinking. The domains of the most up-to-date Model described here are: 1 Nutrition, 2 Physical Environment, 3 Health, 4 Behavioural Interactions and 5 Mental State. The first four domains focus attention on factors that give rise to specific negative or positive subjective experiences (affects), which contribute to the animal’s mental state, as evaluated in Domain 5. More specifically, the first three domains focus mainly on factors that disturb or disrupt particular features of the body’s internal stability. Each disturbed or disrupted feature generates sensory inputs which are processed by the brain to form specific negative affects. These affects are associated with behaviours that act to restore the body’s internal stability. Each such behaviour is essential for the survival of the animal
Demography and disorders of the French Bulldog population under primary veterinary care in the UK in 2013
Abstract Background Despite its Gallic name, the French Bulldog is a breed of both British and French origin that was first recognised by The Kennel Club in 1906. The French Bulldog has demonstrated recent rapid rises in Kennel Club registrations and is now (2017) the second most commonly registered pedigree breed in the UK. However, the breed has been reported to be predisposed to several disorders including ocular, respiratory, neurological and dermatological problems. The VetCompass™ Programme collates de-identified clinical data from primary-care veterinary practices in the UK for epidemiological research. Using VetCompass™ clinical data, this study aimed to characterise the demography and common disorders of the general population of French Bulldogs under veterinary care in the UK. Results French Bulldogs comprised 2228 (0.49%) of 445,557 study dogs under veterinary care during 2013. Annual proportional birth rates showed that the proportional ownership of French Bulldog puppies rose steeply from 0.02% of the annual birth cohort attending VetCompass™ practices in 2003 to 1.46% in 2013. The median age of the French Bulldogs overall was 1.3 years (IQR 0.6–2.5, range 0.0–13.0). The most common colours of French Bulldogs were brindle (solid or main) (32.36%) and fawn (solid or main) (29.9%). Of the 2228 French Bulldogs under veterinary care during 2013, 1612 (72.4%) had at least one disorder recorded. The most prevalent fine-level precision disorders recorded were otitis externa (14.0%, 95% CI: 12.6–15.5), diarrhoea (7.5%, 95% CI: 6.4–8.7), conjunctivitis (3.2%, 95% CI: 2.5–4.0), nails overlong (3.1%, 95% CI% 2.4–3.9) and skin fold dermatitis (3.0%, 95% CI% 2.3–3.8). The most prevalent disorder groups were cutaneous (17.9%, 95% CI: 16.3–19.6), enteropathy (16.7%, 95% CI: 15.2–18.3), aural (16.3%, 95% CI: 14.8–17.9), upper respiratory tract (12.7%, 95% CI: 11.3–14.1) and ophthalmological (10.5%, 95% CI: 9.3–11.9). Conclusions Ownership of French Bulldogs in the UK is rising steeply. This means that the disorder profiles reported in this study reflect a current young UK population and are likely to shift as this cohort ages. Otitis externa, diarrhoea and conjunctivitis were the most common disorders in French Bulldogs. Identification of health priorities based on VetCompass™ data can support evidence–based reforms to improve health and welfare within the breed
Science results from the imaging Fourier transform spectrometer SpIOMM
SpIOMM is an imaging Fourier transform spectrometer designed to obtain the
visible range (350 to 850 nm) spectrum of every light source in a circular
field of view of 12 arcminutes in diameter. It is attached to the 1.6-m
telescope of the Observatoire du Mont Megantic in southern Quebec. We present
here some results of three successful observing runs in 2007, which highlight
SpIOMMs capabilities to map emission line objects over a very wide field of
view and a broad spectral range. In particular, we discuss data cubes from the
planetary nebula M27, the supernova remnants NGC 6992 and M1, the barred spiral
galaxy NGC7479, as well as Stephans quintet, an interacting group of galaxies.Comment: 10 pages, 7 figures, to appear in "Ground-based and Airborne
Instrumentation for Astronomy II", SPIE conference, Marseille, 23-28 June
200
1S-2S Spectrum of a Hydrogen Bose-Einstein Condensate
We calculate the two-photon 1S-2S spectrum of an atomic hydrogen
Bose-Einstein condensate in the regime where the cold collision frequency shift
dominates the lineshape. WKB and static phase approximations are made to find
the intensities for transitions from the condensate to motional eigenstates for
2S atoms. The excited state wave functions are found using a mean field
potential which includes the effects of collisions with condensate atoms.
Results agree well with experimental data. This formalism can be used to find
condensate spectra for a wide range of excitation schemes.Comment: 13 pages, 4 figure
Unusual crystallite growth and modification of ferromagnetism due to aging in pure and doped ZnO nanoparticles
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