Molecular Dipolar Crystals as High Fidelity Quantum Memory for Hybrid Quantum Computing

We study collective excitations of rotational and spin states of an ensemble of polar molecules, which are prepared in a dipolar crystalline phase, as a candidate for a high fidelity quantum memory. While dipolar crystals are formed in the high density limit of cold clouds of polar molecules under 1D and 2D trapping conditions, the crystalline structure protects the molecular qubits from detrimental effects of short range collisions. We calculate the lifetime of the quantum memory by identifying the dominant decoherence mechanisms, and estimate their effects on gate operations, when a molecular ensemble qubit is transferred to a superconducting strip line cavity (circuit QED). In the case rotational excitations coupled by dipole-dipole interactions we identify phonons as the main limitation of the life time of qubits. We study specific setups and conditions, where the coupling to the phonon modes is minimized. Detailed results are presented for a 1D dipolar chain

Retaining Expression on De-identified Faces

© Springer International Publishing AG 2017The extensive use of video surveillance along with advances in face recognition has ignited concerns about the privacy of the people identifiable in the recorded documents. A face de-identification algorithm, named k-Same, has been proposed by prior research and guarantees to thwart face recognition software. However, like many previous attempts in face de-identification, kSame fails to preserve the utility such as gender and expression of the original data. To overcome this, a new algorithm is proposed here to preserve data utility as well as protect privacy. In terms of utility preservation, this new algorithm is capable of preserving not only the category of the facial expression (e.g., happy or sad) but also the intensity of the expression. This new algorithm for face de-identification possesses a great potential especially with real-world images and videos as each facial expression in real life is a continuous motion consisting of images of the same expression with various degrees of intensity.Peer reviewe

A NWB-based dataset and processing pipeline of human single-neuron activity during a declarative memory task

A challenge for data sharing in systems neuroscience is the multitude of different data formats used. Neurodata Without Borders: Neurophysiology 2.0 (NWB:N) has emerged as a standardized data format for the storage of cellular-level data together with meta-data, stimulus information, and behavior. A key next step to facilitate NWB:N adoption is to provide easy to use processing pipelines to import/export data from/to NWB:N. Here, we present a NWB-formatted dataset of 1863 single neurons recorded from the medial temporal lobes of 59 human subjects undergoing intracranial monitoring while they performed a recognition memory task. We provide code to analyze and export/import stimuli, behavior, and electrophysiological recordings to/from NWB in both MATLAB and Python. The data files are NWB:N compliant, which affords interoperability between programming languages and operating systems. This combined data and code release is a case study for how to utilize NWB:N for human single-neuron recordings and enables easy re-use of this hard-to-obtain data for both teaching and research on the mechanisms of human memory

Genetic analysis of bioactive compounds and antioxidant properties in lettuce (Lactuca sativa)

Leaves of lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) are the store house of various phytonutrients which have protective properties. Being an important dietary leafy vegetable, it is primarily consumed fresh as salad and in sandwiches, burgers etc. Its beneficial effects are primarily due to the presence of different phytochemicals such as ascorbic acid, carotenoids, polyphenols and fibre which helps in protecting key biological constituents such as lipoproteins, membranes and DNA. However, systematic biochemical nutrient analysis has not been carried out in this important salad vegetable so far. In the present investigation, 36 genotypes were analysed for phytochemicals such as total carotenoids, lycopene, ascorbic acid, total phenolic content, Cupric ion Reducing Antioxidant Capacity (CUPRAC) and Ferric Reducing Antioxidant Power (FRAP). The CUPRAC ranged from 0.05 to 1.98 μmol trolox/g with the highest content in Stem lettuce Angustana, whereas FRAP ranged from 0.06 to 4.70 μmol trolox/g showing, thereby, a considerable variation amongst genotypes. Total phenolics ranged from 41.94 to 501.88 μg gallic acid/g fresh weight. Total carotenoids were found in appreciable amount in Wo Suen (46.13 mg/100g fresh weight), whereas lycopene in New Chicken (17.01 mg/100g fresh weight). Ascorbic content ranged from 1.14 to 3.75 mg/100g fresh weight, whereas per cent moisture ranged from 86.50 (NVRS 10:001818) to 97.32 (Sheetal). Positive correlation was observed between total carotenoids and lycopene, chlorophyll b with chlorophyll a, total chlorophyll with both chlorophyll a and b, FRAP with CUPRAC and phenols with total chlorophyll, chlorophyll a and b. Maximum phenotypic and genotypic coefficients of variance were calculated for FRAP (165.98, 165.98) followed by CUPRAC (122.10,122.10) and lycopene content (83.33, 80.84), respectively. These genotypes can be further utilized for development of multinutrient rich varieties. Regular consumption of lettuce can go a long way in tackling osteoporosis, anemia, and cardiovascular related problems

Quantum Simulations of Extended Hubbard Models with Dipolar Crystals

In this paper we study the realization of lattice models in mixtures of atomic and dipolar molecular quantum gases. We consider a situation where polar molecules form a self-assembled dipolar lattice, in which atoms or molecules of a second species can move and scatter. We describe the system dynamics in a master equation approach in the Brownian motion limit of slow particles and fast phonons, which we find appropriate for our system. In a wide regime of parameters, the reduced dynamics of the particles leads to physical realizations of extended Hubbard models with tuneable long-range interactions mediated by crystal phonons. This extends the notion of quantum simulation of strongly correlated systems with cold atoms and molecules to include phonon-dynamics, where all coupling parameters can be controlled by external fields.Comment: 44 pages, 14 figure

Continuum field description of crack propagation

We develop continuum field model for crack propagation in brittle amorphous solids. The model is represented by equations for elastic displacements combined with the order parameter equation which accounts for the dynamics of defects. This model captures all important phenomenology of crack propagation: crack initiation, propagation, dynamic fracture instability, sound emission, crack branching and fragmentation.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figures, submitted to Phys. Rev. Lett. Additional information can be obtained from http://gershwin.msd.anl.gov/theor

Sequence Characterisation and Genotyping of Allelic Variants of Beta Casein Gene Establishes Native Cattle of Ladakh to be a Natural Resource for A2 Milk

Bovine milk is regarded as nature's perfect food due to presence of vital nutrients. However some peptides are generated after proteolytic digestion of β-casein that have opioid properties and may increase the risk of chronic diseases. There are 13 genetic variants of bovine beta-casein; out of these A1 and A2 are the most common in dairy cattle breeds. The A1 and A2 variants differ only at position 67, which is histidine in A1 or proline in A2 milk. Earlier published reports have indicated that A1 β casein could be responsible for several health disorders like diabetes, coronary heart disease etc. while A2 β-casein is generally considered safe for human consumption. In the present study, an effort was made to sequence characterize β casein gene and identify allelic distribution of A1A2 alleles in native cattle of Ladakh region adapted to high altitude and low oxygen condition. The data showed 2 non-synonymous variations in coding region, while 5’UTR was completely conserved. The 3’UTR showed 2 more variations in Ladakhi samples. Further, the genotyping in 85 Ladakhi cattle for A1A2 alleles revealed that in Ladakhi cattle, A2 allele is predominantly present as reported for some of the other Indian breeds. The frequency of A2 allele was 0.90 and frequency of A2A2 genotype was found to be 0.79 in Ladakhi cattle. The present data strongly indicate that local cattle of Ladakh with higher frequency of A2 allele and A2A2 genotype is natural resource for A2 milk.  Systematic efforts should be made for long term conservation and genetic improvement of this invaluable genetic resource of Ladakh

Thermodynamics of Dipolar Chain Systems

The thermodynamics of a quantum system of layers containing perpendicularly oriented dipolar molecules is studied within an oscillator approximation for both bosonic and fermionic species. The system is assumed to be built from chains with one molecule in each layer. We consider the effects of the intralayer repulsion and quantum statistical requirements in systems with more than one chain. Specifically, we consider the case of two chains and solve the problem analytically within the harmonic Hamiltonian approach which is accurate for large dipole moments. The case of three chains is calculated numerically. Our findings indicate that thermodynamic observables, such as the heat capacity, can be used to probe the signatures of the intralayer interaction between chains. This should be relevant for near future experiments on polar molecules with strong dipole moments.Comment: 15 pages, 5 figures, final versio

Differences in Sb2Te3 growth by pulsed laser and sputter deposition

High quality Van der Waals chalcogenides are important for phase change data storage, thermoelectrics, and spintronics. Using a combination of statistical design of experiments and density functional theory, we clarify how the out-of-equilibrium van der Waals epitaxial deposition methods can improve the crystal quality of Sb2Te3 films. We compare films grown by radio frequency sputtering and pulsed laser deposition (PLD). The growth factors that influence the crystal quality for each method are different. For PLD grown films a thin amorphous Sb2Te3 seed layer most significantly influences the crystal quality. In contrast, the crystalline quality of films grown by sputtering is rather sensitive to the deposition temperature and less affected by the presence of a seed layer. This difference is somewhat surprising as both methods are out-of-thermal-equilibrium plasma-based methods. Non-adiabatic quantum molecular dynamics simulations show that this difference originates from the density of excited atoms in the plasma. The PLD plasma is more intense and with higher energy than that used in sputtering, and this increases the electronic temperature of the deposited atoms, which concomitantly increases the adatom diffusion lengths in PLD. In contrast, the adatom diffusivity is dominated by the thermal temperature for sputter grown films. These results explain the wide range of Sb2Te3 and superlattice crystal qualities observed in the literature. These results indicate that, contrary to popular belief, plasma-based deposition methods are suitable for growing high quality crystalline chalcogenides.Comment: 24 pages, 8 fig