Observing Coherence Effects in an Overdamped Quantum System

It is usually considered that the spectrum of an optical cavity coupled to an atomic medium does not exhibit a normal-mode splitting unless the system satisfies the strong coupling condition, meaning the Rabi frequency of the coherent coupling exceeds the decay rates of atom and cavity excitations. Here we show that this need not be the case, but depends on the way in which the coupled system is probed. Measurements of the reflection of a probe laser from the input mirror of an overdamped cavity reveal an avoided crossing in the spectrum which is not observed when driving the atoms directly and measuring the Purcell-enhanced cavity emission. We understand these observations by noting a formal correspondence with electromagnetically-induced transparency of a three-level atom in free space, where our cavity acts as the absorbing medium and the coupled atoms play the role of the control field

The prognostic value of DLCO and pulmonary blood flow in patients with pulmonary hypertension

Background Cardiac output is a prognostic marker in patients with pulmonary hypertension. Pulmonary blood flow as a surrogate for cardiac output can be measured non-invasively by inert gas rebreathing. We hypothesized that pulmonary blood flow can predict outcome in patients with pulmonary hypertension. Methods From January 2009 to January 2012, we measured pulmonary blood flow by inert gas rebreathing in outpatients with pulmonary hypertension. Patients with pulmonary hypertension confirmed by right heart catheterization and a valid inert gas rebreathing maneuver were followed until January 2016. The investigated outcome was all-cause mortality. Results We included 259 patients (mean age 65 +/- 13 years, 53% female) with pulmonary hypertension and classified into groups 1 (n = 103), 2 (n = 26), 3 (n = 80), and 4 (n = 50) according to the current pulmonary hypertension classification system. The median time between pulmonary hypertension diagnosis and inert gas rebreathing was 9 (IQR 0; 36) months. During a median follow-up time of 51 (IQR 20; 68) months, 109 patients (42%) died. Parameters significantly associated with survival (in order of decreasing statistical strength) were diffusion capacity of the lung for carbon monoxide (DLCO), 6-minute walk distance (6-MWD), age, NTpro-BNP, WHO functional class, group 3 pulmonary hypertension, and tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (TAPSE), while baseline hemodynamics and pulmonary blood flow were not. In multivariable Cox regression analysis, DLCO, age, 6-MWD, and TAPSE remained significant and independent predictors of the outcome. DLCO as the strongest parameter also significantly predicted survival in aetiological subgroups except for group 4. Conclusions DLCO is a strong and independent predictor for survival in patients with pulmonary hypertension of different aetiologies, while pulmonary blood flow measured by inert gas rebreathing is not

Metacognitive improvement and symptom change in a 3-month treatment for borderline personality disorder.

Recognizing and reflecting on one's own and other people's mental states represent a major difficulty for patients with borderline personality disorder (BPD). Only recently have studies begun exploring whether these capacities increase with successful therapies and if such an improvement is linked with outcome. The present study investigated whether metacognition would improve and if its improvement was related with symptom change in BPD patients. The transcripts from the first and the penultimate session of a ten-session version of good psychiatric management were analysed with the MAS-R scale in a N = 37 BPD sample. Patients, selected from a previously published RCT (Kramer et al., 2014), were assigned either to the good psychiatric management treatment or to the same treatment with the addition of the Motive-Oriented Therapeutic Relationship (Caspar, 2007), a form of therapeutic relationship based on an individualized case formulation. Symptoms were assessed with the OQ-45. Findings partially support the hypotheses. First, improvement in capacities to understand others' mind, to take a critical distance from one's own rigid and maladaptive beliefs, and to use behavioural and attentional strategies to face adversities is found in both treatment groups. Controlling for marital status, only the ability to differentiate between reality and representations remains significant. Second, no link between metacognitive change and symptom change during treatment is found. However, a link is observed between the increase in metacognition and symptom reduction at 6-month follow-up. Results invite to further investigate the role of metacognition in therapy change through different modalities and in longer-term treatments. The development of metacognitive processes and their links with symptom change were examined during a short-term treatment in 37 borderline patients Improvement was found in capacities to understand others' mind, to take a critical distance from own rigid and maladaptive beliefs, and to use behavioural and attentional strategies even in a short-term treatment Controlling for marital status, only the ability to take a critical distance from representations remained significant A link was observed between increase in metacognition and symptom reduction at 6-month follow-up Understanding and tailoring interventions to specific metacognitive difficulties could be associated with symptom change during treatment for BPD patients

A compact and versatile cryogenic probe station for quantum device testing

Fast feedback from cryogenic electrical characterization measurements is key for the development of scalable quantum computing technology. At room temperature, high-throughput device testing is accomplished with a probe-based solution, where electrical probes are repeatedly positioned onto devices for acquiring statistical data. In this work we present a probe station that can be operated from room temperature down to below 2$\,$K. Its small size makes it compatible with standard cryogenic measurement setups with a magnet. A large variety of electronic devices can be tested. Here, we demonstrate the performance of the prober by characterizing silicon fin field-effect transistors as a host for quantum dot spin qubits. Such a tool can massively accelerate the design-fabrication-measurement cycle and provide important feedback for process optimization towards building scalable quantum circuits

Ultrahigh Vacuum Packaging and Surface Cleaning for Quantum Devices

We describe design, implementation and performance of an ultra-high vacuum (UHV) package for superconducting qubit chips or other surface sensitive quantum devices. The UHV loading procedure allows for annealing, ultra-violet light irradiation, ion milling and surface passivation of quantum devices before sealing them into a measurement package. The package retains vacuum during the transfer to cryogenic temperatures by active pumping with a titanium getter layer. We characterize the treatment capabilities of the system and present measurements of flux tunable qubits with an average T$_1=84~\mu$s and T$^{echo}_2=134~\mu$s after vacuum-loading these samples into a bottom loading dilution refrigerator in the UHV-package.Comment: 5 pages, 6 figure

Nitrogen Species in the Post-Pinatubo Stratosphere: Model Analysis Utilizing UARS Measurements

We present an analysis of the impact of heterogeneous chemistry on the partitioning of nitrogen species measured by the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS) instruments. The UARS measurements utilized include: N2O, HNO3 and ClONO2 (Cryogen Limb Array Etalon Spectrometer (CLAES), version 7), temperature, methane, ozone, H2O, HCl, NO and NO2 (HALogen Occultation Experiment (HALOE), version 18). The analysis is carried out for the data from January 1992 to September 1994 in the 100-1 mbar (approx.17-47 km) altitude range and over 10 degree latitude bins from 70degS to 70degN. Temporal-spatial evolution of aerosol surface area density (SAD) is adopted according to the Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment (SAGE) 11 data. A diurnal steady-state photochemical box model, constrained by the temperature, ozone, H2O, CH4, aerosol SAD and columns of O2 and O3 above the point of interest, has been used as the main tool to analyze these data. Total inorganic nitrogen (NO(y)) is obtained by three different methods: (1) as a sum of the UARS measured NO, NO2, HNO3, and ClONO2; (2) from the N2O-NO(y) correlation, and (3) from the CH4-NO(y) correlation. To validate our current understanding of stratospheric heterogeneous chemistry for post-Pinatubo conditions, the model-calculated NO(x)/NO(y) ratios and the NO, NO2, and HNO3 profiles are compared to the UARS-derived data. In general, the UARS-constrained box model captures the main features of nitrogen species partitioning in the post-Pinatubo years. However, the model underestimates the NO2 content, particularly, in the 30-7 mbar (approx. 23-32 km) range. Comparisons of the calculated temporal behavior of the partial columns of NO2 and HNO3 and ground based measurements at 45degS and 45degN are also presented. Our analysis indicates that ground-based and HALOE v. 18 measurements of the NO2 vertical columns are consistent within the range of their uncertainties and are systematically higher (up to 50%) than the model results at mid-latitudes in both hemispheres. Reasonable agreement is obtained for HNO3 columns at 45degS suggesting some problems with nitrogen species partitioning in the model. Outstanding uncertainties are discussed

Impact of interface traps on charge noise, mobility and percolation density in Ge/SiGe heterostructures

Hole spins in Ge/SiGe heterostructure quantum dots have emerged as promising qubits for quantum computation. The strong spin-orbit coupling (SOC), characteristic of heavy-hole states in Ge, enables fast and all-electrical qubit control. However, SOC also increases the susceptibility of spin qubits to charge noise. While qubit coherence can be significantly improved by operating at sweet spots with reduced hyperfine or charge noise sensitivity, the latter ultimately limits coherence, underlining the importance of understanding and reducing charge noise at its source. In this work, we study the voltage-induced hysteresis commonly observed in SiGe-based quantum devices and show that the dominant charge fluctuators are localized at the semiconductor-oxide interface. By applying increasingly negative gate voltages to Hall bar and quantum dot devices, we investigate how the hysteretic filling of interface traps impacts transport metrics and charge noise. We find that the gate-induced accumulation and trapping of charge at the SiGe-oxide interface leads to an increased electrostatic disorder, as probed by transport measurements, as well as the activation of low-frequency relaxation dynamics, resulting in slow drifts and increased charge noise levels. Our results highlight the importance of a conservative device tuning strategy and reveal the critical role of the semiconductor-oxide interface in SiGe heterostructures for spin qubit applications

Nitrogen Species in the Post-Pinatubo Stratosphere: Model Analysis Utilizing UARS Measurements

We present an analysis of the impact of heterogeneous chemistry on the partitioning of nitrogen species measured by the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS) instruments. The UARS measurements utilized include: N2O, HNO3 and ClONO2 (Cryogen Limb Array Etalon Spectrometer (CLAES), version 7), temperature, methane, ozone, H2O, HCI, NO and NO2 (HALogen Occultation Experiment (HALOE), version 18). The analysis is carried out for the data from January 1992 to September 1994 in the 100-1 mbar (approximately 17-47 km) altitude range and over 10 degree latitude bins from 70 deg S to 70 deg N. Temporal-spatial evolution of aerosol surface area density (SAD) is adopted according to the Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment (SAGE) II data. A diurnal steady-state photochemical box model, constrained by the temperature, ozone, H2O, CH4, aerosol SAD and columns of O2 and O3 above the point of interest, has been used as the main tool to analyze these data. Total inorganic nitrogen (NOy) is obtained by three different methods: (1) as a sum of the UARS measured NO, NO2, HNO3, and CIONO2; (2) from the N2O-NOy correlation, (3) from the CH4-NOy correlation. To validate our current understanding of stratospheric heterogeneous chemistry for post-Pinatubo conditions, the model-calculated NOx/NOy ratios and the NO, NO2, and HNO3 profiles are compared to the UARS-derived data. In general, the UARS-constrained box model captures the main features of nitrogen species partitioning in the post-Pinatubo years. However, the model underestimates the NO2 content, particularly, in the 30-7 mbar (approximately 23-32 km) range. Comparisons of the calculated temporal behavior of the partial columns of NO2 and HNO3 and ground based measurements at 45 deg S and 45 deg N are also presented. Our analysis indicates that ground-based and HALOE v.18 measurements of the NO2 vertical columns are consistent within the range of their uncertainties and are systematically higher (up to 50%) than the model results at mid-latitudes in both hemispheres. Reasonable agreement is obtained for HNO3 columns at 45 deg S suggesting some problems with nitrogen species partitioning in the model. Outstanding uncertainties are discussed