825 research outputs found
Realisation of a programmable two-qubit quantum processor
The universal quantum computer is a device capable of simulating any physical
system and represents a major goal for the field of quantum information
science. Algorithms performed on such a device are predicted to offer
significant gains for some important computational tasks. In the context of
quantum information, "universal" refers to the ability to perform arbitrary
unitary transformations in the system's computational space. The combination of
arbitrary single-quantum-bit (qubit) gates with an entangling two-qubit gate is
a gate set capable of achieving universal control of any number of qubits,
provided that these gates can be performed repeatedly and between arbitrary
pairs of qubits. Although gate sets have been demonstrated in several
technologies, they have as yet been tailored toward specific tasks, forming a
small subset of all unitary operators. Here we demonstrate a programmable
quantum processor that realises arbitrary unitary transformations on two
qubits, which are stored in trapped atomic ions. Using quantum state and
process tomography, we characterise the fidelity of our implementation for 160
randomly chosen operations. This universal control is equivalent to simulating
any pairwise interaction between spin-1/2 systems. A programmable multi-qubit
register could form a core component of a large-scale quantum processor, and
the methods used here are suitable for such a device.Comment: 7 pages, 4 figure
Conservation laws for invariant functionals containing compositions
The study of problems of the calculus of variations with compositions is a
quite recent subject with origin in dynamical systems governed by chaotic maps.
Available results are reduced to a generalized Euler-Lagrange equation that
contains a new term involving inverse images of the minimizing trajectories. In
this work we prove a generalization of the necessary optimality condition of
DuBois-Reymond for variational problems with compositions. With the help of the
new obtained condition, a Noether-type theorem is proved. An application of our
main result is given to a problem appearing in the chaotic setting when one
consider maps that are ergodic.Comment: Accepted for an oral presentation at the 7th IFAC Symposium on
Nonlinear Control Systems (NOLCOS 2007), to be held in Pretoria, South
Africa, 22-24 August, 200
Frequency Comb Assisted Diode Laser Spectroscopy for Measurement of Microcavity Dispersion
While being invented for precision measurement of single atomic transitions,
frequency combs have also become a versatile tool for broadband spectroscopy in
the last years. In this paper we present a novel and simple approach for
broadband spectroscopy, combining the accuracy of an optical fiber-laser-based
frequency comb with the ease-of-use of a tunable external cavity diode laser.
This scheme enables broadband and fast spectroscopy of microresonator modes and
allows for precise measurements of their dispersion, which is an important
precondition for broadband optical frequency comb generation that has recently
been demonstrated in these devices. Moreover, we find excellent agreement of
measured microresonator dispersion with predicted values from finite element
simulations and we show that tailoring microresonator dispersion can be
achieved by adjusting their geometrical properties
An Integrated-Photonics Optical-Frequency Synthesizer
Integrated-photonics microchips now enable a range of advanced
functionalities for high-coherence applications such as data transmission,
highly optimized physical sensors, and harnessing quantum states, but with
cost, efficiency, and portability much beyond tabletop experiments. Through
high-volume semiconductor processing built around advanced materials there
exists an opportunity for integrated devices to impact applications cutting
across disciplines of basic science and technology. Here we show how to
synthesize the absolute frequency of a lightwave signal, using integrated
photonics to implement lasers, system interconnects, and nonlinear frequency
comb generation. The laser frequency output of our synthesizer is programmed by
a microwave clock across 4 THz near 1550 nm with 1 Hz resolution and
traceability to the SI second. This is accomplished with a heterogeneously
integrated III/V-Si tunable laser, which is guided by dual
dissipative-Kerr-soliton frequency combs fabricated on silicon chips. Through
out-of-loop measurements of the phase-coherent, microwave-to-optical link, we
verify that the fractional-frequency instability of the integrated photonics
synthesizer matches the reference-clock instability for a 1
second acquisition, and constrain any synthesis error to while
stepping the synthesizer across the telecommunication C band. Any application
of an optical frequency source would be enabled by the precision optical
synthesis presented here. Building on the ubiquitous capability in the
microwave domain, our results demonstrate a first path to synthesis with
integrated photonics, leveraging low-cost, low-power, and compact features that
will be critical for its widespread use.Comment: 10 pages, 6 figure
Recommended from our members
Agricultural fires in the southeastern US during SEAC(4)RS: Emissions of trace gases and particles and evolution of ozone, reactive nitrogen, and organic aerosol
Recommended from our members
Airborne measurements of western U.S. wildfire emissions: Comparison with prescribed burning and air quality implications
Wildfires emit significant amounts of pollutants that degrade air quality. Plumes from three wildfires in the western U.S. were measured from aircraft during the Studies of Emissions and Atmospheric Composition, Clouds and Climate Coupling by Regional Surveys (SEAC4RS) and the Biomass Burning Observation Project (BBOP), both in summer 2013. This study reports an extensive set of emission factors (EFs) for over 80 gases and 5 components of submicron particulate matter (PM1) from these temperate wildfires. These include rarely, or never before, measured oxygenated volatile organic compounds and multifunctional organic nitrates. The observed EFs are compared with previous measurements of temperate wildfires, boreal forest fires, and temperate prescribed fires. The wildfires emitted high amounts of PM1 (with organic aerosol (OA) dominating the mass) with an average EF that is more than 2 times the EFs for prescribed fires. The measured EFs were used to estimate the annual wildfire emissions of carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, total nonmethane organic compounds, and PM1 from 11 western U.S. states. The estimated gas emissions are generally comparable with the 2011 National Emissions Inventory (NEI). However, our PM1 emission estimate (1530 Âą 570 Gg yr-1) is over 3 times that of the NEI PM2.5 estimate and is also higher thanthe PM2.5 emitted from all other sources in these states in the NEI. This study indicates that the source of OA from biomass burning in the western states is significantly underestimated. In addition, our results indicate that prescribed burning may be an effective method to reduce fine particle emissions
Entanglement of spin waves among four quantum memories
Quantum networks are composed of quantum nodes that interact coherently by
way of quantum channels and open a broad frontier of scientific opportunities.
For example, a quantum network can serve as a `web' for connecting quantum
processors for computation and communication, as well as a `simulator' for
enabling investigations of quantum critical phenomena arising from interactions
among the nodes mediated by the channels. The physical realization of quantum
networks generically requires dynamical systems capable of generating and
storing entangled states among multiple quantum memories, and of efficiently
transferring stored entanglement into quantum channels for distribution across
the network. While such capabilities have been demonstrated for diverse
bipartite systems (i.e., N=2 quantum systems), entangled states with N > 2 have
heretofore not been achieved for quantum interconnects that coherently `clock'
multipartite entanglement stored in quantum memories to quantum channels. Here,
we demonstrate high-fidelity measurement-induced entanglement stored in four
atomic memories; user-controlled, coherent transfer of atomic entanglement to
four photonic quantum channels; and the characterization of the full
quadripartite entanglement by way of quantum uncertainty relations. Our work
thereby provides an important tool for the distribution of multipartite
entanglement across quantum networks.Comment: 4 figure
Independent Origins of Cultivated Coconut (Cocos nucifera L.) in the Old World Tropics
As a portable source of food, water, fuel, and construction materials, the coconut (Cocos nucifera L.) played a fundamental role in human migrations and the development of civilization across the humid tropics. Here we investigated the coconut's domestication history and its population genetic structure as it relates to human dispersal patterns. A sample of 1,322 coconut accessions, representing the geographical and phenotypic diversity of the species, was examined using ten microsatellite loci. Bayesian analyses reveal two highly genetically differentiated subpopulations that correspond to the Pacific and Indo-Atlantic oceanic basins. This pattern suggests independent origins of coconut cultivation in these two world regions, with persistent population structure on a global scale despite long-term human cultivation and dispersal. Pacific coconuts show additional genetic substructure corresponding to phenotypic and geographical subgroups; moreover, the traits that are most clearly associated with selection under human cultivation (dwarf habit, self-pollination, and âniu vaiâ fruit morphology) arose only in the Pacific. Coconuts that show evidence of genetic admixture between the Pacific and Indo-Atlantic groups occur primarily in the southwestern Indian Ocean. This pattern is consistent with human introductions of Pacific coconuts along the ancient Austronesian trade route connecting Madagascar to Southeast Asia. Admixture in coastal east Africa may also reflect later historic Arab trading along the Indian Ocean coastline. We propose two geographical origins of coconut cultivation: island Southeast Asia and southern margins of the Indian subcontinent
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