317 research outputs found
Dark states of single NV centers in diamond unraveled by single shot NMR
The nitrogen-vacancy (NV) center in diamond is supposed to be a building
block for quantum computing and nanometer scale metrology at ambient
conditions. Therefore, precise knowledge of its quantum states is crucial.
Here, we experimentally show that under usual operating conditions the NV
exists in an equilibrium of two charge states (70% in the expected negative
(NV-) and 30% in the neutral one (NV0)). Projective quantum non-demolition
measurement of the nitrogen nuclear spin enables the detection even of the
additional, optically inactive state. The nuclear spin can be coherently driven
also in NV0 (T1 ~ 90 ms and T2 ~ 6 micro-s).Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure
Early increase in blood pressure and diastolic left ventricular malfunction in patients with glomerulonephritis
Early increase in blood pressure and diastolic left ventricular malfunction in patients with glomerulonephritis. In patients with diabetic nephropathy blood pressure increases progressively before the conventional threshold of normal blood pressure (140/90mm Hg) is transgressed. In patients with glomerulonephritis, no information on this point is available. To clarify this issue we sequentially examined 20 untreated patients with biopsy-proven primary chronic glomerulonephritis (GN) who had casual blood pressure below 140/90mm Hg and normal GFR by inulin clearance. Patients were compared with normotensive healthy controls who were matched for BMI, gender and age. We measured ambulatory 24-hour blood pressure (SpaceLab system), echocardiography (ASE criteria, Acuson 128 XP 10), CIn and CPAH, urinary Na excretion, PRA and insulin concentration. In patients with GN, the median 24 hour (P < 0.0005), daytime (P < 0.001) and nocturnal sleeping time (P < 0.0001) MAP values were significantly higher than in matched controls (daytime, mean 97mm Hg, 85 to 106 GN vs. 89 controls range 82 to 102; nocturnal sleeping time, mean 80.3mm Hg, 71 to 89.5 GN vs. 73 controls, range 63 to 84). Echocardiographic examination showed significantly greater posterior wall thickness (P < 0.01) and ventricular septal thickness (P < 0.003). In addition the early diastolic to late diastolic (E/A) ratio of mitral valve peak inflow velocity was significantly (P < 0.0008) lower in patients. The data point to left ventricular wall thickening accompanied by LV diastolic malfunction. The study documents elevated ambulatory blood pressure in patients with primary chronic glomerulonephritis despite normal body weight and normal GFR. This is associated with evidence of target organ damage in the heart. The findings suggest that in patients with glomerulonephritis blood pressure increases initially within the normotensive range. This observation in conjunction with evidence of early target organ changes provides an argument for early antihypertensive intervention, but controlled trials to test efficacy and safety of this proposal are necessary
Photo induced ionization dynamics of the nitrogen vacancy defect in diamond investigated by single shot charge state detection
The nitrogen-vacancy centre (NV) has drawn much attention for over a decade,
yet detailed knowledge of the photophysics needs to be established. Under
typical conditions, the NV can have two stable charge states, negative (NV-) or
neutral (NV0), with photo induced interconversion of these two states. Here, we
present detailed studies of the ionization dynamics of single NV centres in
bulk diamond at room temperature during illumination in dependence of the
excitation wavelength and power. We apply a recent method which allows us to
directly measure the charge state of a single NV centre, and observe its
temporal evolution. Results of this work are the steady state NV- population,
which was found to be always < 75% for 450 to 610 nm excitation wavelength, the
relative absorption cross-section of NV- for 540 to 610 nm, and the energy of
the NV- ground state of 2.6 eV below the conduction band. These results will
help to further understand the photo-physics of the NV centre.Comment: 9 pages, 7 figure
Opening up the Quantum Three-Box Problem with Undetectable Measurements
One of the most striking features of quantum mechanics is the profound effect
exerted by measurements alone. Sophisticated quantum control is now available
in several experimental systems, exposing discrepancies between quantum and
classical mechanics whenever measurement induces disturbance of the
interrogated system. In practice, such discrepancies may frequently be
explained as the back-action required by quantum mechanics adding quantum noise
to a classical signal. Here we implement the 'three-box' quantum game of
Aharonov and Vaidman in which quantum measurements add no detectable noise to a
classical signal, by utilising state-of-the-art control and measurement of the
nitrogen vacancy centre in diamond.
Quantum and classical mechanics then make contradictory predictions for the
same experimental procedure, however classical observers cannot invoke
measurement-induced disturbance to explain this discrepancy. We quantify the
residual disturbance of our measurements and obtain data that rule out any
classical model by > 7.8 standard deviations, allowing us for the first time to
exclude the property of macroscopic state-definiteness from our system. Our
experiment is then equivalent to a Kochen-Spekker test of quantum
non-contextuality that successfully addresses the measurement detectability
loophole
Composite-pulse magnetometry with a solid-state quantum sensor
The sensitivity of quantum magnetometers is challenged by control errors and,
especially in the solid-state, by their short coherence times. Refocusing
techniques can overcome these limitations and improve the sensitivity to
periodic fields, but they come at the cost of reduced bandwidth and cannot be
applied to sense static (DC) or aperiodic fields. Here we experimentally
demonstrate that continuous driving of the sensor spin by a composite pulse
known as rotary-echo (RE) yields a flexible magnetometry scheme, mitigating
both driving power imperfections and decoherence. A suitable choice of RE
parameters compensates for different scenarios of noise strength and origin.
The method can be applied to nanoscale sensing in variable environments or to
realize noise spectroscopy. In a room-temperature implementation based on a
single electronic spin in diamond, composite-pulse magnetometry provides a
tunable trade-off between sensitivities in the microT/sqrt(Hz) range,
comparable to those obtained with Ramsey spectroscopy, and coherence times
approaching T1
Peptide receptor radiotherapy: a new option for the management of aggressive fibromatosis on behalf of the Italian Sarcoma Group
The management of aggressive fibromatosis (AF) is problematic, and few options are available to patients unsuitable for surgery and resistant to external-beam radiation therapy (EBRT). We report on two patients with fast-growing recurrences of AF resistant to EBRT who obtained protracted clinical benefits with 90Y-DOTATOC. 90Y-DOTATOC should be further investigated in this setting
Delocalized single-photon Dicke states and the Leggett- Garg inequality in solid state systems
We show how to realize a single-photon Dicke state in a large one-dimensional
array of two- level systems, and discuss how to test its quantum properties.
Realization of single-photon Dicke states relies on the cooperative nature of
the interaction between a field reservoir and an array of two-level-emitters.
The resulting dynamics of the delocalized state can display Rabi-like
oscillations when the number of two-level emitters exceeds several hundred. In
this case the large array of emitters is essentially behaving like a
mirror-less cavity. We outline how this might be realized using a
multiple-quantum-well structure and discuss how the quantum nature of these
oscillations could be tested with the Leggett-Garg inequality and its
extensions.Comment: 29 pages, 5 figures, journal pape
Demonstration of entanglement-by-measurement of solid state qubits
Projective measurements are a powerful tool for manipulating quantum states.
In particular, a set of qubits can be entangled by measurement of a joint
property such as qubit parity. These joint measurements do not require a direct
interaction between qubits and therefore provide a unique resource for quantum
information processing with well-isolated qubits. Numerous schemes for
entanglement-by-measurement of solid-state qubits have been proposed, but the
demanding experimental requirements have so far hindered implementations. Here
we realize a two-qubit parity measurement on nuclear spins in diamond by
exploiting the electron spin of a nitrogen-vacancy center as readout ancilla.
The measurement enables us to project the initially uncorrelated nuclear spins
into maximally entangled states. By combining this entanglement with
high-fidelity single-shot readout we demonstrate the first violation of Bells
inequality with solid-state spins. These results open the door to a new class
of experiments in which projective measurements are used to create, protect and
manipulate entanglement between solid-state qubits.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figure
Online interventions to prevent mental health problems implemented in school settings: the perspectives from key stakeholders in Austria and Spain
Background: Schools are key settings for delivering mental illness prevention in adolescents. Data on stakeholders’ attitudes and factors relevant for the implementation of Internet-based prevention programmes are scarce. Methods: Stakeholders in the school setting from Austria and Spain were consulted. Potential facilitators (e.g. teachers and school psychologists) completed an online questionnaire (N=50), policy makers (e.g. representatives of the ministry of education and health professional associations) participated in semi-structured interviews (N=9) and pupils (N=29, 14–19 years) participated in focus groups. Thematic analysis was used to identify experiences with, attitudes and needs towards Internet-based prevention programmes, underserved groups, as well as barriers and facilitators for reach, adoption, implementation and maintenance. Results: Experiences with Internet-based prevention programmes were low across all stakeholder groups. Better reach of the target groups was seen as main advantage whereas lack of personal contact, privacy concerns, risk for misuse and potential stigmatization when implemented during school hours were regarded as disadvantages. Relevant needs towards Internet-based programmes involved attributes of the development process, general requirements for safety and performance, presentation of content, media/tools and contact options of online programmes. Positive attitudes of school staff, low effort for schools and compatibility to schools’ curriculum were seen as key factors for successful adoption and implementation. A sound implementation of the programme in the school routine and continued improvement could facilitate maintenance of online prevention initiatives in schools. Conclusions: Attitudes towards Internet-based mental illness prevention programmes in school settings are positive across all stakeholder groups. However, especially safety concerns have to be considered
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