2,393 research outputs found
Programmable Logic Devices in Experimental Quantum Optics
We discuss the unique capabilities of programmable logic devices (PLD's) for
experimental quantum optics and describe basic procedures of design and
implementation. Examples of advanced applications include optical metrology and
feedback control of quantum dynamical systems. As a tutorial illustration of
the PLD implementation process, a field programmable gate array (FPGA)
controller is used to stabilize the output of a Fabry-Perot cavity
The dressed atom as binary phase modulator: towards attojoule/edge optical phase-shift keying
Nanophotonic technologies offer great promise for ultra-low power optical
signal processing, but relatively few nonlinear-optical phenomena have yet been
explored as bases for robust digital
modulation/switching~\cite{Yang07,Fara08,Liu10,Noza10}. Here we show that a
single two-level system (TLS) coupled strongly to an optical resonator can
impart binary phase modulation on a saturating probe beam. Our experiment
relies on spontaneous emission to induce occasional transitions between
positive and negative phase shifts---with each such edge corresponding to a
dissipated energy of just one photon ( aJ)---but an optical
control beam could be used to trigger additional phase switching at signalling
rates above this background. Although our ability to demonstrate controlled
switching in our atom-based experiment is limited, we discuss prospects for
exploiting analogous physics in a nanophotonic device incorporating a quantum
dot as the TLS to realize deterministic binary phase modulation with control
power in the aJ/edge regime.Comment: 7 pages, 4 figure
Remnants of semiclassical bistability in the few-photon regime of cavity QED
Broadband homodyne detection of the light transmitted by a Fabry-Perot cavity
containing a strongly-coupled Cs atom is used to probe the dynamic
optical response in a regime where semiclassical theory predicts bistability
but strong quantum corrections should apply. While quantum fluctuations
destabilize true equilibrium bistability, our observations confirm the
existence of metastable states with finite lifetimes and a hysteretic response
is apparent when the optical drive is modulated on comparable timescales. Our
experiment elucidates remnant semiclassical behavior in the attojoule (
photon) regime of single-atom cavity QED, of potential significance for
ultra-low power photonic signal processing.Comment: 14 pages, 7 figure
On the origin of life in the Zinc world. 2. Validation of the hypothesis on the photosynthesizing zinc sulfide edifices as cradles of life on Earth
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The accompanying article (A.Y. Mulkidjanian, <it>Biology Direct </it>4:26) puts forward a detailed hypothesis on the role of zinc sulfide (ZnS) in the origin of life on Earth. The hypothesis suggests that life emerged within compartmentalized, photosynthesizing ZnS formations of hydrothermal origin (the Zn world), assembled in sub-aerial settings on the surface of the primeval Earth.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>If life started within photosynthesizing ZnS compartments, it should have been able to evolve under the conditions of elevated levels of Zn<sup>2+ </sup>ions, byproducts of the ZnS-mediated photosynthesis. Therefore, the Zn world hypothesis leads to a set of testable predictions regarding the specific roles of Zn<sup>2+ </sup>ions in modern organisms, particularly in RNA and protein structures related to the procession of RNA and the "evolutionarily old" cellular functions. We checked these predictions using publicly available data and obtained evidence suggesting that the development of the primeval life forms up to the stage of the Last Universal Common Ancestor proceeded in zinc-rich settings. Testing of the hypothesis has revealed the possible supportive role of manganese sulfide in the primeval photosynthesis. In addition, we demonstrate the explanatory power of the Zn world concept by elucidating several points that so far remained without acceptable rationalization. In particular, this concept implies a new scenario for the separation of Bacteria and Archaea and the origin of Eukarya.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The ability of the Zn world hypothesis to generate non-trivial veritable predictions and explain previously obscure items gives credence to its key postulate that the development of the first life forms started within zinc-rich formations of hydrothermal origin and was driven by solar UV irradiation. This concept implies that the geochemical conditions conducive to the origin of life may have persisted only as long as the atmospheric CO<sub>2 </sub>pressure remained above ca. 10 bar. This work envisions the first Earth biotopes as photosynthesizing and habitable areas of porous ZnS and MnS precipitates around primeval hot springs. Further work will be needed to provide details on the life within these communities and to elucidate the primordial (bio)chemical reactions.</p> <p>Reviewers</p> <p>This article was reviewed by Arcady Mushegian, Eugene Koonin, and Patrick Forterre. For the full reviews, please go to the Reviewers' reports section.</p
Exponential Squared Integrability for the Discrepancy Function in Two Dimensions
Let A_N be an N-point distribution in the unit square in the Euclidean plane.
We consider the Discrepancy function D_N(x) in two dimensions with respect to
rectangles with lower left corner anchored at the origin and upper right corner
at the point x. This is the difference between the actual number of points of
A_N in such a rectangle and the expected number of points - N x_1x_2 - in the
rectangle. We prove sharp estimates for the BMO norm and the exponential
squared Orlicz norm of D_N(x). For example we show that necessarily
||D_N||_(expL^2) >c(logN)^(1/2) for some aboslute constant c>0. On the other
hand we use a digit scrambled version of the van der Corput set to show that
this bound is tight in the case N=2^n, for some positive integer n. These
results unify the corresponding classical results of Roth and Schmidt in a
sharp fashion.Comment: 27 pages, 3 figures. Many improvements reflecting the comments and
observations of the referee. Final version. Submitted to Mathematik
Detecting Neutrino Magnetic Moments with Conducting Loops
It is well established that neutrinos have mass, yet it is very difficult to
measure those masses directly. Within the standard model of particle physics,
neutrinos will have an intrinsic magnetic moment proportional to their mass. We
examine the possibility of detecting the magnetic moment using a conducting
loop. According to Faraday's Law of Induction, a magnetic dipole passing
through a conducting loop induces an electromotive force, or EMF, in the loop.
We compute this EMF for neutrinos in several cases, based on a fully covariant
formulation of the problem. We discuss prospects for a real experiment, as well
as the possibility to test the relativistic formulation of intrinsic magnetic
moments.Comment: 6 pages, 4 b/w figures, uses RevTe
Spontaneous dressed-state polarization in the strong driving regime of cavity QED
We utilize high-bandwidth phase quadrature homodyne measurement of the light
transmitted through a Fabry-Perot cavity, driven strongly and on resonance, to
detect excess phase noise induced by a single intracavity atom. We analyze the
correlation properties and driving-strength dependence of the atom-induced
phase noise to establish that it corresponds to the long-predicted phenomenon
of spontaneous dressed-state polarization. Our experiment thus provides a
demonstration of cavity quantum electrodynamics in the strong driving regime,
in which one atom interacts strongly with a many-photon cavity field to produce
novel quantum stochastic behavior.Comment: 4 pages, 4 color figure
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