3,188 research outputs found
Preparing the bound instance of quantum entanglement
Among the possibly most intriguing aspects of quantum entanglement is that it
comes in "free" and "bound" instances. Bound entangled states require entangled
states in preparation but, once realized, no free entanglement and therefore no
pure maximally entangled pairs can be regained. Their existence hence certifies
an intrinsic irreversibility of entanglement in nature and suggests a
connection with thermodynamics. In this work, we present a first experimental
unconditional preparation and detection of a bound entangled state of light. We
consider continuous-variable entanglement, use convex optimization to identify
regimes rendering its bound character well certifiable, and realize an
experiment that continuously produced a distributed bound entangled state with
an extraordinary and unprecedented significance of more than ten standard
deviations away from both separability and distillability. Our results show
that the approach chosen allows for the efficient and precise preparation of
multimode entangled states of light with various applications in quantum
information, quantum state engineering and high precision metrology.Comment: The final version accounts for a recent comment in Nature Physics
[24] clarifying that a previous claim of having generated bound entanglement
[23] was not supported by the authors' data. We also extended our
introduction and discussion and also added reference
Towards Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen quantum channel multiplexing
A single broadband squeezed field constitutes a quantum communication
resource that is sufficient for the realization of a large number N of quantum
channels based on distributed Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen (EPR) entangled states.
Each channel can serve as a resource for, e.g. independent quantum key
distribution or teleportation protocols. N-fold channel multiplexing can be
realized by accessing 2N squeezed modes at different Fourier frequencies. We
report on the experimental implementation of the N=1 case through the
interference of two squeezed states, extracted from a single broadband squeezed
field, and demonstrate all techniques required for multiplexing (N>1). Quantum
channel frequency multiplexing can be used to optimize the exploitation of a
broadband squeezed field in a quantum information task. For instance, it is
useful if the bandwidth of the squeezed field is larger than the bandwidth of
the homodyne detectors. This is currently a typical situation in many
experiments with squeezed and two-mode squeezed entangled light.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures. In the new version we cite recent experimental
work bei Mehmet et al., arxiv0909.5386, in order to clarify the motivation of
our work and its possible applicatio
Capillary Electrophoresis-Based Immunoassays: Principles & Quantitative Applications
The use of capillary electrophoresis as a tool to conduct immunoassays has been an area of increasing interest over the last decade. This approach combines the efficiency, small sample requirements, and relatively high speed of CE with the selectivity of antibodies as binding agents. This review examines the various assay formats and detection modes that have been reported for these assays, along with some representative applications. Most CE immunoassays in the past have employed homogeneous methods in which the sample and reagents are allowed to react in solution. These homogeneous methods have been conducted as both competitive binding immunoassays and as non-competitive binding immunoassays. Fluorescent labels are most commonly used for detection in these assays, but enzyme labels have also been utilized for such work. Some additional work has been performed in CE immunoassays with heterogeneous methods in which either antibodies or an analog of the analyte is immobilized to a solid support. These heterogeneous methods can be used for the selective isolation of analytes prior to their separation by CE or to remove a given species from a sample/reagent mixture prior to analysis by CE. These CE immunoassays can be used with a variety of detection modes, such as fluorescence, UV/visible absorbance, chemiluminescence, electrochemical measurements, mass spectrometry, and surface plasmon resonance
Capillary Electrophoresis-Based Immunoassays: Principles & Quantitative Applications
The use of capillary electrophoresis as a tool to conduct immunoassays has been an area of increasing interest over the last decade. This approach combines the efficiency, small sample requirements, and relatively high speed of CE with the selectivity of antibodies as binding agents. This review examines the various assay formats and detection modes that have been reported for these assays, along with some representative applications. Most CE immunoassays in the past have employed homogeneous methods in which the sample and reagents are allowed to react in solution. These homogeneous methods have been conducted as both competitive binding immunoassays and as non-competitive binding immunoassays. Fluorescent labels are most commonly used for detection in these assays, but enzyme labels have also been utilized for such work. Some additional work has been performed in CE immunoassays with heterogeneous methods in which either antibodies or an analog of the analyte is immobilized to a solid support. These heterogeneous methods can be used for the selective isolation of analytes prior to their separation by CE or to remove a given species from a sample/reagent mixture prior to analysis by CE. These CE immunoassays can be used with a variety of detection modes, such as fluorescence, UV/visible absorbance, chemiluminescence, electrochemical measurements, mass spectrometry, and surface plasmon resonance
Intact Parathyroid Hormone: Performance and Clinical Utility of an Automated Assay Based on High-Performance Immunoaffinity Chromatography and Chemiluminescence Detection
The performance and clinical utility of an automated assay of intact parathyroid hormone (parathyrin, PTH) are evaluated. The method is based on the extraction of PTH from plasma by an HPLC column containing immobilized anti-(44-68 PTH) antibodies. The PTH retained is detected with a postcolumn reactor and use of anti-(1--34 PTH) chemiluminescent-labeled antibodies. The total cycle time of the assay is 6.5 mm per injection after a 1-h incubation.The lower limit of detection for PTH in a 66-pL plasma sample was 0.5 pmol/L based on peak heights and 0.2 pmol/L based on peak areas. Mean analytical recovery for PTH added to plasma was 97%. The withinday precisions (CVs) for 4.2 and 30 pmol/L PTH plasma samples were 9.2% and 5.6% and the day-to-day precisions were 10.3% and 5.7%, respectively. No significant interferences from 1-34,44-68, or 53-84 PTH fragments were noted, even at highly increased concentrations of fragments. The correlation of results with those of a manual assay of intact PTH was 0.97, and the results showed good agreement with disease state for patients with hypo- or hyperparathyroidism. The specificity of the assay for primary hyperparathyroldism was \u3e95%. We discuss the advantages (speed and quality control) of this approach over current immunoassays and the potential use of this method for detecting other analytes
Robust Structured Low-Rank Approximation on the Grassmannian
Over the past years Robust PCA has been established as a standard tool for
reliable low-rank approximation of matrices in the presence of outliers.
Recently, the Robust PCA approach via nuclear norm minimization has been
extended to matrices with linear structures which appear in applications such
as system identification and data series analysis. At the same time it has been
shown how to control the rank of a structured approximation via matrix
factorization approaches. The drawbacks of these methods either lie in the lack
of robustness against outliers or in their static nature of repeated
batch-processing. We present a Robust Structured Low-Rank Approximation method
on the Grassmannian that on the one hand allows for fast re-initialization in
an online setting due to subspace identification with manifolds, and that is
robust against outliers due to a smooth approximation of the -norm cost
function on the other hand. The method is evaluated in online time series
forecasting tasks on simulated and real-world data
Photon number discrimination without a photon counter and its application to reconstructing non-Gaussian states
The non-linearity of a conditional photon-counting measurement can be used to
`de-Gaussify' a Gaussian state of light. Here we present and experimentally
demonstrate a technique for photon number resolution using only homodyne
detection. We then apply this technique to inform a conditional measurement;
unambiguously reconstructing the statistics of the non-Gaussian one and two
photon subtracted squeezed vacuum states. Although our photon number
measurement relies on ensemble averages and cannot be used to prepare
non-Gaussian states of light, its high efficiency, photon number resolving
capabilities, and compatibility with the telecommunications band make it
suitable for quantum information tasks relying on the outcomes of mean values.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures. Theory section expanded in response to referee
comment
Interactions In Space For Archaeological Models
In this article we examine a variety of quantitative models for describing
archaeological networks, with particular emphasis on the maritime networks of
the Aegean Middle Bronze Age. In particular, we discriminate between those
gravitational networks that are most likely (maximum entropy) and most
efficient (best cost/benefit outcomes).Comment: 21 pages, 6 figures, 2 tables. Contribution to special issue of
Advances in Complex Systems from the conference `Cultural Evolution in
Spatially Structured Populations', UCL, London, September 2010. To appear in
Advances in Complex System
Detection of (1,3)-β-d-Glucan in Cerebrospinal Fluid in Histoplasma Meningitis
The diagnosis of central nervous system (CNS) histoplasmosis is often difficult. Although cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) (1,3)-β-d-glucan (BDG) is available as a biological marker for the diagnosis of fungal meningitis, there are limited data on its use for the diagnosis of Histoplasma meningitis. We evaluated CSF BDG detection, using the Fungitell assay, in patients with CNS histoplasmosis and controls. A total of 47 cases and 153 controls were identified. The control group included 13 patients with a CNS fungal infection other than histoplasmosis. Forty-nine percent of patients with CNS histoplasmosis and 43.8% of controls were immunocompromised. The median CSF BDG level was 85 pg/ml for cases, compared to <31 pg/ml for all controls (P < 0.05) and 82 pg/ml for controls with other causes of fungal meningitis (P = 0.27). The sensitivity for detection of BDG in CSF was 53.2%, whereas the specificity was 86.9% versus all controls and 46% versus other CNS fungal infections. CSF BDG levels of ≥80 pg/ml are neither sensitive nor specific to support a diagnosis of Histoplasma meningitis
Boson expansion methods applied to a two-level model in the study of multiple giant resonances
We apply boson expansion methods to an extended Lipkin-Meshkov-Glick model
including anharmonicities in analogy with previous microscopic calculations. We
study the effects of different approximations present in these calculations,
among which the truncation of the hamiltonian and of the space, in connection
with the study of the properties of two-phonon and three-phonon states. By
comparing the approximate results on the spectrum with the exact ones we
conclude that the approximations made in the microscopic calculations on
two-phonon states are well justified. We find also that a good agreement with
the exact results for the three-phonon state is obtained by using a bosonic
hamiltonian truncated at the fourth order. This result makes us confident that
such approximation can be used in realistic calculations, thus allowing a
theoretical study of triple excitations of giant resonances.Comment: 12 pages, 2 figures, Latex with epsfig.st
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