423 research outputs found
Broadband detection of squeezed vacuum: A spectrum of quantum states
We demonstrate the simultaneous quantum state reconstruction of the spectral
modes of the light field emitted by a continuous wave degenerate optical
parametric amplifier. The scheme is based on broadband measurement of the
quantum fluctuations of the electric field quadratures and subsequent Fourier
decomposition into spectral intervals. Applying the standard reconstruction
algorithms to each bandwidth-limited quantum trajectory, a "spectrum" of
density matrices and Wigner functions is obtained. The recorded states show a
smooth transition from the squeezed vacuum to a vacuum state. In the time
domain we evaluated the first order correlation function of the squeezed output
field, showing good agreement with the theory.Comment: 11 pages, 5 figure
The role of microorganisms in the formation of a stalactite in Botovskaya Cave, Siberia – paleoenvironmental implications
Calcitic speleothems in caves can form through abiogenic or biogenic processes, or through a combination of both. Many issues conspire to make the assessment of biogenicity difficult, especially when focusing on old speleothem deposits. This study reports on a multiproxy analysis of a Siberian stalactite, combining high-resolution microscopy, isotope geochemistry and microbially enhanced mineral precipitation laboratory experiments. The contact between growth layers in a stalactite exhibits a biogenic isotopic signature; coupled with morphological evidence, this supports a microbial origin of calcite crystals. SIMS δ<sup>13</sup>C data suggest that microbially mediated speleothem formation occurred repeatedly at short intervals before abiotic precipitation took over. The studied stalactite also contains iron and manganese oxides that have been mediated by microbial activity through extracellular polymeric substance (EPS)-influenced organomineralization processes. The latter reflect paleoenvironmental changes that occurred more than 500 000 yr ago, possibly related to the presence of a peat bog above the cave at that time. Microbial activity can initiate calcite deposition in the aphotic zone of caves before inorganic precipitation of speleothem carbonates. This study highlights the importance of microbially induced fractionation that can result in large negative δ<sup>13</sup>C excursions. The microscale biogeochemical processes imply that microbial activity has only negligible effects on the bulk δ<sup>13</sup>C signature in speleothems, which is more strongly affected by CO<sub>2</sub> degassing and the host rock signature
Measuring quantum optical Hamiltonians
We show how recent state-reconstruction techniques can be used to determine
the Hamiltonian of an optical device that evolves the quantum state of
radiation. A simple experimental setup is proposed for measuring the
Liouvillian of phase-insensitive devices. The feasibility of the method with
current technology is demonstrated on the basis of Monte Carlo simulated
experiments.Comment: Accepted for publication on Phys. Rev. Lett. 8 eps figures, 4
two-column pages in REVTE
Non-linear regime shifts in Holocene Asian monsoon variability: potential impacts on cultural change and migratory patterns
Abstract. The Asian monsoon system is an important tipping element in Earth's climate with a large impact on human societies in the past and present. In light of the potentially severe impacts of present and future anthropogenic climate change on Asian hydrology, it is vital to understand the forcing mechanisms of past climatic regime shifts in the Asian monsoon domain. Here we use novel recurrence network analysis techniques for detecting episodes with pronounced non-linear changes in Holocene Asian monsoon dynamics recorded in speleothems from caves distributed throughout the major branches of the Asian monsoon system. A newly developed multi-proxy methodology explicitly considers dating uncertainties with the COPRA (COnstructing Proxy Records from Age models) approach and allows for detection of continental-scale regime shifts in the complexity of monsoon dynamics. Several epochs are characterised by non-linear regime shifts in Asian monsoon variability, including the periods around 8.5–7.9, 5.7–5.0, 4.1–3.7, and 3.0–2.4 ka BP. The timing of these regime shifts is consistent with known episodes of Holocene rapid climate change (RCC) and high-latitude Bond events. Additionally, we observe a previously rarely reported non-linear regime shift around 7.3 ka BP, a timing that matches the typical 1.0–1.5 ky return intervals of Bond events. A detailed review of previously suggested links between Holocene climatic changes in the Asian monsoon domain and the archaeological record indicates that, in addition to previously considered longer-term changes in mean monsoon intensity and other climatic parameters, regime shifts in monsoon complexity might have played an important role as drivers of migration, pronounced cultural changes, and the collapse of ancient human societies
Universal homodyne tomography with a single local oscillator
We propose a general method for measuring an arbitrary observable of a
multimode electromagnetic field using homodyne detection with a single local
oscillator. In this method the local oscillator scans over all possible linear
combinations of the modes. The case of two modes is analyzed in detail and the
feasibility of the measurement is studied on the basis of Monte-Carlo
simulations. We also provide an application of this method in tomographic
testing of the GHZ state.Comment: 12 pages, 5 figures (8 eps files
Fresnel Representation of the Wigner Function: An Operational Approach
We present an operational definition of the Wigner function. Our method
relies on the Fresnel transform of measured Rabi oscillations and applies to
motional states of trapped atoms as well as to field states in cavities. We
illustrate this technique using data from recent experiments in ion traps [D.
M. Meekhof et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 76, 1796 (1996)] and in cavity QED [B.
Varcoe et al., Nature 403, 743 (2000)]. The values of the Wigner functions of
the underlying states at the origin of phase space are W(0)=+1.75 for the
vibrational ground state and W(0)=-1.4 for the one-photon number state. We
generalize this method to wave packets in arbitrary potentials.Comment: 4 pages include 4 figures, submitted to PR
Self-homodyne tomography of a twin-beam state
A self-homodyne detection scheme is proposed to perform two-mode tomography
on a twin-beam state at the output of a nondegenerate optical parametric
amplifier. This scheme has been devised to improve the matching between the
local oscillator and the signal modes, which is the main limitation to the
overall quantum efficiency in conventional homodyning. The feasibility of the
measurement is analyzed on the basis of Monte-Carlo simulations, studying the
effect of non-unit quantum efficiency on detection of the correlation and the
total photon-number oscillations of the twin-beam state.Comment: 13 pages (two-column ReVTeX) including 21 postscript figures; to
appear on Phys. Rev.
Quantum state reconstruction of the single-photon Fock state
We have reconstructed the quantum state of optical pulses containing single
photons using the method of phase-randomized pulsed optical homodyne
tomography. The single-photon Fock state |1> was prepared using conditional
measurements on photon pairs born in the process of parametric down-conversion.
A probability distribution of the phase-averaged electric field amplitudes with
a strongly non-Gaussian shape is obtained with the total detection efficiency
of (55+-1)%. The angle-averaged Wigner function reconstructed from this
distribution shows a strong dip reaching classically impossible negative values
around the origin of the phase space.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, to appear in Physical Review Letters. Avoid
downloading PDF due to extremely poor figure resolution. Use Postscrip
A stalagmite test of North Atlantic SST and Iberian hydroclimate linkages over the last two glacial cycles
Close coupling of Iberian hydroclimate and North Atlantic sea surface temperature (SST) during recent glacial periods has been identified through the analysis of marine sediment and pollen grains co-deposited on the Portuguese continental margin. While offering precisely correlatable records, these time series have lacked a directly dated, site-specific record of continental Iberian climate spanning multiple glacial cycles as a point of comparison. Here we present a high-resolution, multi-proxy (growth dynamics and delta C-13, delta O-18, and delta U-234 values) composite stalagmite record of hydroclimate from two caves in western Portugal across the majority of the last two glacial cycles (similar to 220 ka). At orbital and millennial scales, stalagmite-based proxies for hydroclimate proxies covaried with SST, with elevated delta C-13, delta O-18, and delta U-234 values and/or growth hiatuses indicating re-duced effective moisture coincident with periods of lowered SST during major ice-rafted debris events, in agreement with changes in palynological reconstructions of continental climate. While in many cases the Portuguese stalagmite record can be scaled to SST, in some intervals the magnitudes of stalagmite isotopic shifts, and possibly hydroclimate, appear to have been somewhat decoupled from SST.AgĂŞncia financiadora / NĂşmero do subsĂdio
Center for Global and Regional Environmental Research, Cornell College
US National Science Foundation
BCS-1118155
BCS-1118183
AGS-1804132
IGESPAR
Associacao de Estudos Subterraneos e Defesa do Ambienteinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
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