157 research outputs found
External field control of donor electron exchange at the Si/SiO2 interface
We analyze several important issues for the single- and two-qubit operations
in Si quantum computer architectures involving P donors close to a SiO2
interface. For a single donor, we investigate the donor-bound electron
manipulation (i.e. 1-qubit operation) between the donor and the interface by
electric and magnetic fields. We establish conditions to keep a donor-bound
state at the interface in the absence of local surface gates, and estimate the
maximum planar density of donors allowed to avoid the formation of a
2-dimensional electron gas at the interface. We also calculate the times
involved in single electron shuttling between the donor and the interface. For
a donor pair, we find that under certain conditions the exchange coupling (i.e.
2-qubit operation) between the respective electron pair at the interface may be
of the same order of magnitude as the coupling in GaAs-based two-electron
double quantum dots where coherent spin manipulation and control has been
recently demonstrated (for example for donors ~10 nm below the interface and
\~40 nm apart, J~10^{-4} meV), opening the perspective for similar experiments
to be performed in Si.Comment: 11 pages, 15 figures. Changes in Eq. 24 plus minor typo
A quantum spin transducer based on nano electro-mechancial resonator arrays
Implementation of quantum information processing faces the contradicting
requirements of combining excellent isolation to avoid decoherence with the
ability to control coherent interactions in a many-body quantum system. For
example, spin degrees of freedom of electrons and nuclei provide a good quantum
memory due to their weak magnetic interactions with the environment. However,
for the same reason it is difficult to achieve controlled entanglement of spins
over distances larger than tens of nanometers. Here we propose a universal
realization of a quantum data bus for electronic spin qubits where spins are
coupled to the motion of magnetized mechanical resonators via magnetic field
gradients. Provided that the mechanical system is charged, the magnetic moments
associated with spin qubits can be effectively amplified to enable a coherent
spin-spin coupling over long distances via Coulomb forces. Our approach is
applicable to a wide class of electronic spin qubits which can be localized
near the magnetized tips and can be used for the implementation of hybrid
quantum computing architectures
Comparative Analysis of Microfluidics Thrombus Formation in Multiple Genetically Modified Mice: Link to Thrombosis and Hemostasis
Genetically modified mice are indispensable for establishing the roles of platelets in arterial thrombosis and hemostasis. Microfluidics assays using anticoagulated whole blood are commonly used as integrative proxy tests for platelet function in mice. In the present study, we quantified the changes in collagen-dependent thrombus formation for 38 different strains of (genetically) modified mice, all measured with the same microfluidics chamber. The mice included were deficient in platelet receptors, protein kinases or phosphatases, small GTPases or other signaling or scaffold proteins. By standardized re-analysis of high-resolution microscopic images, detailed information was obtained on altered platelet adhesion, aggregation and/or activation. For a subset of 11 mouse strains, these platelet functions were further evaluated in rhodocytin- and laminin-dependent thrombus formation, thus allowing a comparison of glycoprotein VI (GPVI), C-type lectin-like receptor 2 (CLEC2) and integrin alpha(6)beta(1) pathways. High homogeneity was found between wild-type mice datasets concerning adhesion and aggregation parameters. Quantitative comparison for the 38 modified mouse strains resulted in a matrix visualizing the impact of the respective (genetic) deficiency on thrombus formation with detailed insight into the type and extent of altered thrombus signatures. Network analysis revealed strong clusters of genes involved in GPVI signaling and Ca2+ homeostasis. The majority of mice demonstrating an antithrombotic phenotype in vivo displayed with a larger or smaller reduction in multi-parameter analysis of collagen-dependent thrombus formation in vitro. Remarkably, in only approximately half of the mouse strains that displayed reduced arterial thrombosis in vivo, this was accompanied by impaired hemostasis. This was also reflected by comparing in vitro thrombus formation (by microfluidics) with alterations in in vivo bleeding time. In conclusion, the presently developed multi-parameter analysis of thrombus formation using microfluidics can be used to: (i) determine the severity of platelet abnormalities;(ii) distinguish between altered platelet adhesion, aggregation and activation;and (iii) elucidate both collagen and non-collagen dependent alterations of thrombus formation. This approach may thereby aid in the better understanding and better assessment of genetic variation that affect in vivo arterial thrombosis and hemostasis
Solid state quantum memory using the 31P nuclear spin
The transfer of information between different physical forms is a central
theme in communication and computation, for example between processing entities
and memory. Nowhere is this more crucial than in quantum computation, where
great effort must be taken to protect the integrity of a fragile quantum bit.
Nuclear spins are known to benefit from long coherence times compared to
electron spins, but are slow to manipulate and suffer from weak thermal
polarisation. A powerful model for quantum computation is thus one in which
electron spins are used for processing and readout while nuclear spins are used
for storage. Here we demonstrate the coherent transfer of a superposition state
in an electron spin 'processing' qubit to a nuclear spin 'memory' qubit, using
a combination of microwave and radiofrequency pulses applied to 31P donors in
an isotopically pure 28Si crystal. The electron spin state can be stored in the
nuclear spin on a timescale that is long compared with the electron decoherence
time and then coherently transferred back to the electron spin, thus
demonstrating the 31P nuclear spin as a solid-state quantum memory. The overall
store/readout fidelity is about 90%, attributed to systematic imperfections in
radiofrequency pulses which can be improved through the use of composite
pulses. We apply dynamic decoupling to protect the nuclear spin quantum memory
element from sources of decoherence. The coherence lifetime of the quantum
memory element is found to exceed one second at 5.5K.Comment: v2: Tomography added and storage of general initial state
Temporal Roles of Platelet and Coagulation Pathways in Collagen- and Tissue Factor-Induced Thrombus Formation
In hemostasis and thrombosis, the complex process of thrombus formation involves different molecular pathways of platelet and coagulation activation. These pathways are considered as operating together at the same time, but this has not been investigated. The objective of our study was to elucidate the time-dependency of key pathways of thrombus and clot formation, initiated by collagen and tissue factor surfaces, where coagulation is triggered via the extrinsic route. Therefore, we adapted a microfluidics whole-blood assay with the Maastricht flow chamber to acutely block molecular pathways by pharmacological intervention at desired time points. Application of the technique revealed crucial roles of glycoprotein VI (GPVI)-induced platelet signaling via Syk kinase as well as factor VIIa-induced thrombin generation, which were confined to the first minutes of thrombus buildup. A novel anti-GPVI Fab EMF-1 was used for this purpose. In addition, platelet activation with the protease-activating receptors 1/4 (PAR1/4) and integrin αIIbβ3 appeared to be prolongedly active and extended to later stages of thrombus and clot formation. This work thereby revealed a more persistent contribution of thrombin receptor-induced platelet activation than of collagen receptor-induced platelet activation to the thrombotic process
Targeting of a Conserved Epitope in Mouse and Human GPVI Differently Affects Receptor Function
Glycoprotein (GP) VI is the major platelet collagen receptor and a promising anti-thrombotic target. This was first demonstrated in mice using the rat monoclonal antibody JAQ1, which completely blocks the Collagen-Related Peptide (CRP)-binding site on mouse GPVI and efficiently inhibits mouse platelet adhesion, activation and aggregation on collagen. Here, we show for the first time that JAQ1 cross-reacts with human GPVI (huGPVI), but not with GPVI in other tested species, including rat, rabbit, guinea pig, swine, and dog. We further demonstrate that JAQ1 differently modulates mouse and human GPVI function. Similar to its effects on mouse GPVI (mGPVI), JAQ1 inhibits CRP-induced activation in human platelets, whereas, in stark contrast to mouse GPVI, it does not inhibit the adhesion, activation or aggregate formation of human platelets on collagen, but causes instead an increased response. This effect was also seen with platelets from newly generated human GPVI knockin mice (hGP6(tg/tg)). These results indicate that the binding of JAQ1 to a structurally conserved epitope in GPVI differently affects its function in human and mouse platelets
- …