Comment on `Vacuum Rabi Splitting in a Semiconductor Circuit QED System' by Toida et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 110, 066802 - Published 6 February 2013

Toida et al. claim in their recent article [Phys. Rev. Lett. 110, 066802 (2013)] that they `report a direct observation of vacuum Rabi splitting in a GaAs/AlGaAs double quantum dot (DQD) based charge qubit coupled with a superconducting coplanar waveguide (CPW) resonator'. In this comment, we challenge the main claims made in their paper and show that their results: a) do not provide any evidence of vacuum Rabi oscillations and b) do not provide any direct evidence of vacuum Rabi splitting.Comment: 2 pages, 2 figure

Mesenteric Resistance Arteries in Type 2 Diabetic db/db Mice Undergo Outward Remodeling

Resistance vessel remodeling is controlled by myriad of hemodynamic and neurohormonal factors. This study characterized structural and molecular remodeling in mesenteric resistance arteries (MRAs) in diabetic (db/db) and control (Db/db) mice.Structural properties were assessed in isolated MRAs from 12 and 16 wk-old db/db and Db/db mice by pressure myography. Matrix regulatory proteins were measured by Western blot analysis. Mean arterial pressure and superior mesenteric blood flow were measured in 12 wk-old mice by telemetry and a Doppler flow nanoprobe, respectively.Blood pressure was similar between groups. Lumen diameter and medial cross-sectional area were significantly increased in 16 wk-old db/db MRA compared to control, indicating outward hypertrophic remodeling. Moreover, wall stress and cross-sectional compliance were significantly larger in diabetic arteries. These remodeling indices were associated with increased expression of matrix regulatory proteins matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-9, MMP-12, tissue inhibitors of matrix metalloproteinase (TIMP)-1, TIMP-2, and plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) in db/db arteries. Finally, superior mesenteric artery blood flow was increased by 46% in 12 wk-old db/db mice, a finding that preceded mesenteric resistance artery remodeling.These data suggest that flow-induced hemodynamic changes may supersede the local neurohormonal and metabolic milieu to culminate in hypertrophic outward remodeling of type 2 DM mesenteric resistance arteries

Molecular, genetic and epigenetic pathways of peroxynitrite-induced cellular toxicity

Oxidative stress plays a key role in the pathogenesis of cancer and many metabolic diseases; therefore, an effective antioxidant therapy would be of great importance in these circumstances. Nevertheless, convincing randomized clinical trials revealed that antioxidant supplementations were not associated with significant reduction in incidence of cancer, chronic diseases and all-cause mortality. As oxidation of essential molecules continues, it turns to nitro-oxidative stress because of the involvement of nitric oxide in pathogenesis processes. Peroxynitrite damages via several distinctive mechanisms; first, it has direct toxic effects on all biomolecules and causes lipid peroxidation, protein oxidation and DNA damage. The second mechanism involves the induction of several transcription factors leading to cytokine-induced chronic inflammation. Finally, it causes epigenetic perturbations that exaggerate nuclear factor kappa-B mediated inflammatory gene expression. Lessons-learned from the treatment of several chronic disorders including pulmonary diseases suggest that, chronic inflammation and glucocorticoid resistance are regulated by prolonged peroxynitrite production

Strong Coupling Cavity QED with Gate-Defined Double Quantum Dots Enabled by a High Impedance Resonator

The strong coupling limit of cavity quantum electrodynamics (QED) implies the capability of a matterlike quantum system to coherently transform an individual excitation into a single photon within a resonant structure. This not only enables essential processes required for quantum information processing but also allows for fundamental studies of matter-light interaction. In this work, we demonstrate strong coupling between the charge degree of freedom in a gate-defined GaAs double quantum dot (DQD) and a frequency-tunable high impedance resonator realized using an array of superconducting quantum interference devices. In the resonant regime, we resolve the vacuum Rabi mode splitting of size 2g/2π=238 MHz at a resonator linewidth κ/2π=12 MHz and a DQD charge qubit decoherence rate of γ2/2π=40 MHz extracted independently from microwave spectroscopy in the dispersive regime. Our measurements indicate a viable path towards using circuit-based cavity QED for quantum information processing in semiconductor nanostructures

All-Microwave Control and Dispersive Readout of Gate-Defined Quantum Dot Qubits in Circuit Quantum Electrodynamics

Developing fast and accurate control and readout techniques is an important challenge in quantum information processing with semiconductor qubits. Here, we study the dynamics and the coherence properties of a GaAs/AlGaAs double quantum dot charge qubit strongly coupled to a frequency-tunable high-impedance resonator. We drive qubit transitions with synthesized microwave pulses and perform qubit readout through the state-dependent frequency shift imparted by the qubit on the dispersively coupled resonator. We perform Rabi oscillation, Ramsey fringe, energy relaxation, and Hahn-echo measurements and find significantly reduced decoherence rates down to γ2/2π∼3 MHz corresponding to coherence times of up to T2∼50 ns for charge states in gate-defined quantum dot qubits. We realize Rabi π pulses of width down to σ∼0.25 ns