12,636 research outputs found
Shor's quantum factoring algorithm on a photonic chip
Shor's quantum factoring algorithm finds the prime factors of a large number
exponentially faster than any other known method a task that lies at the heart
of modern information security, particularly on the internet. This algorithm
requires a quantum computer a device which harnesses the `massive parallelism'
afforded by quantum superposition and entanglement of quantum bits (or qubits).
We report the demonstration of a compiled version of Shor's algorithm on an
integrated waveguide silica-on-silicon chip that guides four single-photon
qubits through the computation to factor 15.Comment: 2 pages, 1 figur
The multifrequency behaviour of the recurrent nova RS Ophiuchi
This review concentrates on the multifrequency behaviour of RS Ophiuchi and
in particular during its latest outburst. Confirmation of the 1945 outburst,
bipolar outflows and its possible fate as a Type Ia Supernova are discussed.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figures, in The Golden Age of Cataclysmic Variables and
Related Objects, F. Giovannelli & L. Sabau-Graziati (eds.), Mem. SAIt. 83 N.2
(in press
The ATLAS-SPT Radio Survey of Cluster Galaxies
Using a high-performance computing cluster to mosaic 4,787 pointings, we have
imaged the 100 sq. deg. South Pole Telescope (SPT) deep-field at 2.1 GHz using
the Australian Telescope Compact Array to an rms of 80 Jy and a resolution
of 8". Our goal is to generate an independent sample of radio-selected galaxy
clusters to study how the radio properties compare with cluster properties at
other wavelengths, over a wide range of redshifts in order to construct a
timeline of their evolution out to . A preliminary analysis of the
source catalogue suggests there is no spatial correlation between the clusters
identified in the SPT-SZ catalogue and our wide-angle tail galaxies.Comment: 9 pages, 4 figures. Submitted to Proceedings of Science for "The many
facets of extragalactic radio surveys: towards new scientific challenges",
Bologna, Italy 20-23 October 2015 (EXTRA-RADSUR2015
Radio Frequency Models of Novae in eruption. I. The Free-Free Process in Bipolar Morphologies
Observations of novae at radio frequencies provide us with a measure of the
total ejected mass, density profile and kinetic energy of a nova eruption. The
radio emission is typically well characterized by the free-free emission
process. Most models to date have assumed spherical symmetry for the eruption,
although it has been known for as long as there have been radio observations of
these systems, that spherical eruptions are to simplistic a geometry. In this
paper, we build bipolar models of the nova eruption, assuming the free-free
process, and show the effects of varying different parameters on the radio
light curves. The parameters considered include the ratio of the minor- to
major-axis, the inclination angle and shell thickness (further parameters are
provided in the appendix). We also show the uncertainty introduced when fitting
spherical model synthetic light curves to bipolar model synthetic light curves.
We find that the optically thick phase rises with the same power law () for both the spherical and bipolar models. In the bipolar case
there is a "plateau" phase -- depending on the thickness of the shell as well
as the ratio of the minor- to major-axis -- before the final decline, that
follows the same power law () as in the spherical case.
Finally, fitting spherical models to the bipolar model synthetic light curves
requires, in the worst case scenario, doubling the ejected mass, more than
halving the electron temperature and reducing the shell thickness by nearly a
factor of 10. This implies that in some systems we have been over predicting
the ejected masses and under predicting the electron temperature of the ejecta.Comment: 9 pages, 6 figures, accepted for publication in ApJ, accompanying
movie to figure 3 available at
http://www.ast.uct.ac.za/~valerio/papers/radioI
Swift observations of the 2006 outburst of the recurrent nova RS Ophiuchi: II. 1D hydrodynamical models of wind driven shocks
Following the early Swift X-ray observations of the latest outburst of the
recurrent nova RS Ophiuchi in February 2006 (Paper I), we present new 1D
hydrodynamical models of the system which take into account all three phases of
the remnant evolution. The models suggest a novel way of modelling the system
by treating the outburst as a sudden increase then decrease in wind mass-loss
rate and velocity. The differences between this wind model and previous
Primakoff-type simulations are described. A more complex structure, even in 1D,
is revealed through the presence of both forward and reverse shocks, with a
separating contact discontinuity. The effects of radiative cooling are
investigated and key outburst parameters such as mass-loss rate, ejecta
velocity and mass are varied. The shock velocities as a function of time are
compared to the ones derived in Paper I. We show how the manner in which the
matter is ejected controls the evolution of the shock and that for a
well-cooled remnant, the shock deceleration rate depends on the amount of
energy that is radiated away.Comment: 9 pages, 5 figure
The Market for Teacher Quality
Much of education policy focuses on improving teacher quality, but most policies lack strong research support. We use student achievement gains to estimate teacher value-added, our measure of teacher quality. The analysis reveals substantial variation in the quality of instruction, most of which occurs within rather than between schools. Although teacher quality appears to be unrelated to advanced degrees or certification, experience does matter -- but only in the first year of teaching. We also find that good teachers tend to be effective with all student ability levels but that there is a positive value of matching students and teachers by race. In the second part of the analysis, we show that teachers staying in our sample of urban schools tend to be as good as or better than those who exit. Thus, the main cost of large turnover is the introduction of more first year teachers. Finally, there is little or no evidence that districts that offer higher salaries and have better working conditions attract the higher quality teachers among those who depart the central city district. The overall results have a variety of direct policy implications for the design of school accountability and the compensation of teachers.
Hydrodynamic mean field solutions of 1D exclusion processes with spatially varying hopping rates
We analyze the open boundary partially asymmetric exclusion process with
smoothly varying internal hopping rates in the infinite-size, mean field limit.
The mean field equations for particle densities are written in terms of Ricatti
equations with the steady-state current as a parameter. These equations are
solved both analytically and numerically. Upon imposing the boundary conditions
set by the injection and extraction rates, the currents are found
self-consistently. We find a number of cases where analytic solutions can be
found exactly or approximated. Results for from asymptotic analyses for
slowly varying hopping rates agree extremely well with those from extensive
Monte Carlo simulations, suggesting that mean field currents asymptotically
approach the exact currents in the hydrodynamic limit, as the hopping rates
vary slowly over the lattice. If the forward hopping rate is greater than or
less than the backward hopping rate throughout the entire chain, the three
standard steady-state phases are preserved. Our analysis reveals the
sensitivity of the current to the relative phase between the forward and
backward hopping rate functions.Comment: 12 pages, 4 figure
Gravitational Collapse of Self-Similar and Shear-free Fluid with Heat Flow
A class of solutions to Einstein field equations is studied, which represents
gravitational collapse of thick spherical shells made of self-similar and
shear-free fluid with heat flow. It is shown that such shells satisfy all the
energy conditions, and the corresponding collapse always forms naked
singularities.Comment: 34 pages, 9 figures, late
Early warning signal reliability varies with COVID-19 waves
Early warning signals (EWSs) aim to predict changes in complex systems from phenomenological signals in time series data. These signals have recently been shown to precede the emergence of disease outbreaks, offering hope that policymakers can make predictive rather than reactive management decisions. Here, using a novel, sequential analysis in combination with daily COVID-19 case data across 24 countries, we suggest that composite EWSs consisting of variance, autocorrelation and skewness can predict nonlinear case increases, but that the predictive ability of these tools varies between waves based upon the degree of critical slowing down present. Our work suggests that in highly monitored disease time series such as COVID-19, EWSs offer the opportunity for policymakers to improve the accuracy of urgent intervention decisions but best characterize hypothesized critical transitions
Abnormal infant islet morphology precedes insulin resistance in PCOS-like monkeys.
Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is prevalent in reproductive-aged women and confounded by metabolic morbidities, including insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. Although the etiology of PCOS is undefined, contribution of prenatal androgen (PA) exposure has been proposed in a rhesus monkey model as premenopausal PA female adults have PCOS-like phenotypes in addition to insulin resistance and decreased glucose tolerance. PA female infants exhibit relative hyperinsulinemia, suggesting prenatal sequelae of androgen excess on glucose metabolism and an antecedent to future metabolic disease. We assessed consequences of PA exposure on pancreatic islet morphology to identify evidence of programming on islet development. Islet counts and size were quantified and correlated with data from intravenous glucose tolerance tests (ivGTT) obtained from dams and their offspring. Average islet size was decreased in PA female infants along with corresponding increases in islet number, while islet fractional area was preserved. Infants also demonstrated an increase in both the proliferation marker Ki67 within islets and the beta to alpha cell ratio suggestive of enhanced beta cell expansion. PA adult females have reduced proportion of small islets without changes in proliferative or apoptotic markers, or in beta to alpha cell ratios. Together, these data suggest in utero androgen excess combined with mild maternal glucose intolerance alter infant and adult islet morphology, implicating deviant islet development. Marked infant, but subtle adult, morphological differences provide evidence of islet post-natal plasticity in adapting to changing physiologic demands: from insulin sensitivity and relative hypersecretion to insulin resistance and diminished insulin response to glucose in the mature PCOS-like phenotype
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