Quantum Fluctuations of a Single Trapped Atom: Transient Rabi Oscillations and Magnetic Bistability

Isolation of a single atomic particle and monitoring its resonance fluorescence is a powerful tool for studies of quantum effects in radiation-matter interaction. Here we present observations of quantum dynamics of an isolated neutral atom stored in a magneto-optical trap. By means of photon correlations in the atom's resonance fluorescence we demonstrate the well-known phenomenon of photon antibunching which corresponds to transient Rabi oscillations in the atom. Through polarization-sensitive photon correlations we show a novel example of resolved quantum fluctuations: spontaneous magnetic orientation of an atom. These effects can only be observed with a single atom.Comment: LaTeX 2e, 14 pages, 7 Postscript figure

Analysis and numerical approximation of energy-variational solutions to the Ericksen--Leslie equations

We define the concept of energy-variational solutions for the Ericksen--Leslie equations in three spatial dimensions. This solution concept is finer than dissipative solutions and satisfies the weak-strong uniqueness property. For a certain choice of the regularity weight, the existence of energy-variational solutions implies the existence of measure-valued solutions and for a different choice, we construct an energy-variational solution with the help of an implementable, structure-inheriting space-time discretization. Computational studies are performed in order to provide some evidence of the applicability of the proposed algorithm

Dissipative self-interference and robustness of continuous error-correction to miscalibration

We derive an effective equation of motion within the steady-state subspace of a large family of Markovian open systems (i.e., Lindbladians) due to perturbations of their Hamiltonians and system-bath couplings. Under mild and realistic conditions, competing dissipative processes destructively interfere without the need for fine-tuning and produce no dissipation within the steady-state subspace. In quantum error-correction, these effects imply that continuously error-correcting Lindbladians are robust to calibration errors, including miscalibrations consisting of operators undetectable by the code. A similar interference is present in more general systems if one implements a particular Hamiltonian drive, resulting in a coherent cancellation of dissipation. On the opposite extreme, we provide a simple implementation of universal Lindbladian simulation

Alternative antibody for the detection of CA19-9 antigen: a European multicenter study for the evaluation of the analytical and clinical performance of the Access (R) GI Monitor assay on the UniCel (R) Dxl 800 Immunoassay System

Background: Gastrointestinal cancer antigen CA19-9 is known as a valuable marker for the management of patients with pancreatic cancer. Methods: The analytical and clinical performance of the Access(R) GI Monitor assay (Beckman Coulter) was evaluated on the UniCel(R) Dxl 800 Immunoassay System at five different European sites and compared with a reference method, defined as CA19-9 on the Elecsys System (Roche Diagnostics). Results: Total imprecision (%CV) of the GI Monitor ranged between 3.4% and 7.7%, and inter-laboratory reproducibility between 3.6% and 4.0%. Linearity upon dilution showed a mean recovery of 97.4% (SD+7.2%). Endogenous interferents had no influence on GI Monitor levels (mean recoveries: hemoglobin 103%, bilirubin 106%, triglycerides 106%). There was no high-dose hook effect up to 115,000 kU/L. Clinical performance investigated in sera from 1811 individuals showed a good correlation between the Access' GI Monitor and Elecsys CA19-9 (R = 0.959, slope = 1.004, intercept +0.17). GI Monitor serum levels were low in healthy individuals (n = 267, median = 6.0 kU/L, 95th percentile = 23.1 kU/L), higher in individuals with various benign diseases (n = 550, medians = 5.8-13.4 kU/L, 95th percentiles = 30.1-195.5 kU/L) and even higher in individuals suffering from various cancers (n = 995, medians = 8.4-233.8 kU/L, 95th percentiles = 53.7-13,902 kU/L). Optimal diagnostic accuracy for cancer detection against the relevant benign control group by the GI Monitor was found for pancreatic cancer {[}area under the curve (AUC) 0.83]. Results for the reference CA19-9 assay were comparable (AUC 0.85). Conclusions: The Access(R) GI Monitor provides very good methodological characteristics and demonstrates an excellent analytical and clinical correlation with the Elecsys CA19-9. The GI Monitor shows the best diagnostic accuracy in pancreatic cancer. Our results also suggest a clinical value of the GI Monitor in other cancers