133 research outputs found
Ramsey interferometry with oppositely detuned fields
We report a narrowing of the interference pattern obtained in an atomic
Ramsey interferometer if the two separated fields have different frequency and
their phase difference is controlled. The width of the Ramsey fringes depends
inversely on the free flight time of ground state atoms before entering the
first field region in addition to the time between the fields. The effect is
stable also for atomic wavepackets with initial position and momentum
distributions and for realistic mode functions.Comment: 6 pages, 6 figure
Ultrasound assessment of haemoperitoneum in ectopic pregnancy: derivation of a prediction model
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>To derive an ultrasound-based prediction model for the quantification of haemoperitoneum in ectopic pregnancy (EP).</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Retrospective study of 89 patients operated upon EP between January 1999 and March 2003 in a French Gynaecology and Obstetrics department in a university hospital. Transvaginal sonograms, clinical and biological variables from patients with haemoperitoneum â„ 300 ml at surgery were compared with those from patients with haemoperitoneum < 300 ml or no haemoperitoneum. Sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative likelihood ratios were calculated for each parameter after appropriate dichotomization. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to select the best combination at predicting haemoperitoneum â„ 300 ml.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Three parameters predicted haemoperitoneum â„ 300 ml independently: moderate to severe spontaneous pelvic pain, fluid above the uterine fundus or around the ovary at transvaginal ultrasound, and serum haemoglobin concentration < 10 g/dL. A woman with none of these three criteria would have a probability of 5.3% for haemoperitoneum â„ 300 ml. When two or more criterias were present, the probability for haemoperitoneum â„ 300 ml reached 92.6%.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The proposed model accurately predicted significant haemoperitoneum in patients diagnosed to have EP.</p
A Search for Variations of Fundamental Constants using Atomic Fountain Clocks
Over five years we have compared the hyperfine frequencies of 133Cs and 87Rb
atoms in their electronic ground state using several laser cooled 133Cs and
87Rb atomic fountains with an accuracy of ~10^{-15}. These measurements set a
stringent upper bound to a possible fractional time variation of the ratio
between the two frequencies : (d/dt)ln(nu_Rb/nu_Cs)=(0.2 +/- 7.0)*10^{-16}
yr^{-1} (1 sigma uncertainty). The same limit applies to a possible variation
of the quantity (mu_Rb/mu_Cs)*alpha^{-0.44}, which involves the ratio of
nuclear magnetic moments and the fine structure constant.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, 1 table submitted to Phys. Rev. Let
Cold atom Clocks and Applications
This paper describes advances in microwave frequency standards using
laser-cooled atoms at BNM-SYRTE. First, recent improvements of the Cs
and Rb atomic fountains are described. Thanks to the routine use of a
cryogenic sapphire oscillator as an ultra-stable local frequency reference, a
fountain frequency instability of where
is the measurement time in seconds is measured. The second advance is a
powerful method to control the frequency shift due to cold collisions. These
two advances lead to a frequency stability of at 7\times 10^{-16}^{87}^{133}$Cs fountains.
Finally we give an update on the cold atom space clock PHARAO developed in
collaboration with CNES. This clock is one of the main instruments of the
ACES/ESA mission which is scheduled to fly on board the International Space
Station in 2008, enabling a new generation of relativity tests.Comment: 30 pages, 11 figure
New Limits to the Drift of Fundamental Constants from Laboratory Measurements
We have remeasured the absolute - transition frequency in atomic hydrogen. A comparison with the result of the previous
measurement performed in 1999 sets a limit of Hz for the drift of
with respect to the ground state hyperfine splitting in Cs. Combining this result with the recently published
optical transition frequency in Hg against and a
microwave Rb and Cs clock comparison, we deduce separate limits
on yr and the
fractional time variation of the ratio of Rb and Cs nuclear magnetic moments
equal to
yr. The latter provides information on the temporal behavior of the
constant of strong interaction.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, LaTe
Matter-wave diffraction in time with a linear potential
Diffraction in time of matter waves incident on a shutter which is removed at
time is studied in the presence of a linear potential. The solution is
also discussed in phase space in terms of the Wigner function. An alternative
configuration relevant to current experiments where particles are released from
a hard wall trap is also analyzed for single-particle states and for a
Tonks-Girardeau gas.Comment: 11 pages, 6 figure
Matter wave pulses characteristics
We study the properties of quantum single-particle wave pulses created by
sharp-edged or apodized shutters with single or periodic openings. In
particular, we examine the visibility of diffraction fringes depending on
evolution time and temperature; the purity of the state depending on the
opening-time window; the accuracy of a simplified description which uses
``source'' boundary conditions instead of solving an initial value problem; and
the effects of apodization on the energy width.Comment: 11 pages, 11 figure
Monitoring human growth and development: a continuum from the womb to the classroom
A comprehensive set of fully integrated anthropometric measures is needed to evaluate human growth from conception to infancy so that consistent judgments can be made about the appropriateness of fetal and infant growth. At present, there are 2 barriers to this strategy. First, descriptive reference charts, which are derived from local, unselected samples with inadequate methods and poor characterization of their putatively healthy populations, commonly are used rather than prescriptive standards. The use of prescriptive standards is justified by the extensive biologic, genetic, and epidemiologic evidence that skeletal growth is similar from conception to childhood across geographic populations, when health, nutrition, environmental, and health care needs are met. Second, clinicians currently screen fetuses, newborn infants, and infants at all levels of care with a wide range of charts and cutoff points, often with limited appreciation of the underlying population or quality of the study that generated the charts. Adding to the confusion, infants are evaluated after birth with a single prescriptive tool: the World Health Organization Child Growth Standards, which were derived from healthy, breastfed newborn infants, infants, and young children from populations that have been exposed to few growth-restricting factors. The International Fetal and Newborn Growth Consortium for the 21st Century Project addressed these issues by providing international standards for gestational age estimation, first-trimester fetal size, fetal growth, newborn size for gestational age, and postnatal growth of preterm infants, all of which complement the World Health Organization Child Growth Standards conceptually, methodologically, and analytically. Hence, growth and development can now, for the first time, be monitored globally across the vital first 1000 days and all the way to 5 years of age. It is clear that an integrative approach to monitoring growth and development from pregnancy to school age is desirable, scientifically supported, and likely to improve care, referral patterns, and reporting systems. Such integration can be achieved only through the use of international growth standards, especially in increasingly diverse, mixed ancestry populations. Resistance to new scientific developments has been hugely problematic in medicine; however, we are confident that the obstetric and neonatal communities will join their pediatric colleagues worldwide in the adoption of this integrative strategy
Achieving accurate estimates of fetal gestational age and personalised predictions of fetal growth based on data from an international prospective cohort study: a population-based machine learning study.
Background: Preterm birth is a major global health challenge, the leading cause of death in children under 5 years of age, and a key measure of a population's general health and nutritional status. Current clinical methods of estimating fetal gestational age are often inaccurate. For example, between 20 and 30 weeks of gestation, the width of the 95% prediction interval around the actual gestational age is estimated to be 18-36 days, even when the best ultrasound estimates are used. The aims of this study are to improve estimates of fetal gestational age and provide personalised predictions of future growth. Methods: Using ultrasound-derived, fetal biometric data, we developed a machine learning approach to accurately estimate gestational age. The accuracy of the method is determined by reference to exactly known facts pertaining to each fetus-specifically, intervals between ultrasound visits-rather than the date of the mother's last menstrual period. The data stem from a sample of healthy, well-nourished participants in a large, multicentre, population-based study, the International Fetal and Newborn Growth Consortium for the 21st Century (INTERGROWTH-21st). The generalisability of the algorithm is shown with data from a different and more heterogeneous population (INTERBIO-21st Fetal Study). Findings: In the context of two large datasets, we estimated gestational age between 20 and 30 weeks of gestation with 95% confidence to within 3 days, using measurements made in a 10-week window spanning the second and third trimesters. Fetal gestational age can thus be estimated in the 20-30 weeks gestational age window with a prediction interval 3-5 times better than with any previous algorithm. This will enable improved management of individual pregnancies. 6-week forecasts of the growth trajectory for a given fetus are accurate to within 7 days. This will help identify at-risk fetuses more accurately than currently possible. At population level, the higher accuracy is expected to improve fetal growth charts and population health assessments. Interpretation: Machine learning can circumvent long-standing limitations in determining fetal gestational age and future growth trajectory, without recourse to often inaccurately known information, such as the date of the mother's last menstrual period. Using this algorithm in clinical practice could facilitate the management of individual pregnancies and improve population-level health. Upon publication of this study, the algorithm for gestational age estimates will be provided for research purposes free of charge via a web portal. Funding: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Office of Science (US Department of Energy), US National Science Foundation, and National Institute for Health Research Oxford Biomedical Research Centre
Evaluating and Minimizing Distributed Cavity Phase Errors in Atomic Clocks
We perform 3D finite element calculations of the fields in microwave cavities
and analyze the distributed cavity phase errors of atomic clocks that they
produce. The fields of cylindrical cavities are treated as an azimuthal Fourier
series. Each of the lowest components produces clock errors with unique
characteristics that must be assessed to establish a clock's accuracy. We
describe the errors and how to evaluate them. We prove that sharp structures in
the cavity do not produce large frequency errors, even at moderately high
powers, provided the atomic density varies slowly. We model the amplitude and
phase imbalances of the feeds. For larger couplings, these can lead to
increased phase errors. We show that phase imbalances produce a novel
distributed cavity phase error that depends on the cavity detuning. We also
design improved cavities by optimizing the geometry and tuning the mode
spectrum so that there are negligible phase variations, allowing this source of
systematic error to be dramatically reduced.Comment: To appear in Metrologi
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