882 research outputs found
A gas-rich AGN near the centre of a galaxy cluster at z ~ 1.4
The formation of the first virialized structures in overdensities dates back
to ~9 Gyr ago, i.e. in the redshift range z ~ 1.4 - 1.6. Some models of
structure formation predict that the star formation activity in clusters was
high at that epoch, implying large reservoirs of cold molecular gas. Aiming at
finding a trace of this expected high molecular gas content in primeval
clusters, we searched for the 12CO(2-1) line emission in the most luminous
active galactic nucleus (AGN) of the cluster around the radio galaxy 7C
1756+6520 at z ~ 1.4, one of the farthest spectroscopic confirmed clusters.
This AGN, called AGN.1317, is located in the neighbourhood of the central radio
galaxy at a projected distance of ~780 kpc. The IRAM Plateau de Bure
Interferometer was used to investigate the molecular gas quantity in AGN.1317,
observing the 12CO(2-1) emission line. We detect CO emission in an AGN
belonging to a galaxy cluster at z ~ 1.4. We measured a molecular gas mass of
1.1 x 10^10 Msun, comparable to that found in submillimeter galaxies. In
optical images, AGN.1317 does not seem to be part of a galaxy interaction or
merger.We also derived the nearly instantaneous star formation rate (SFR) from
Halpha flux obtaining a SFR ~65 Msun/yr. This suggests that AGN.1317 is
actively forming stars and will exhaust its reservoir of cold gas in ~0.2-1.0
Gyr.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures, accepted for publication in Astronomy &
Astrophysic
Broadband noise decoherence in solid-state complex architectures
Broadband noise represents a severe limitation towards the implementation of
a solid-state quantum information processor. Considering common spectral forms,
we propose a classification of noise sources based on the effects produced
instead of on their microscopic origin. We illustrate a multi-stage approach to
broadband noise which systematically includes only the relevant information on
the environment, out of the huge parametrization needed for a microscopic
description. We apply this technique to a solid-state two-qubit gate in a fixed
coupling implementation scheme.Comment: Proceedings of Nobel Symposium 141: Qubits for Future Quantum
Informatio
Josephson nanocircuit in the presence of linear quantum noise
We derive the effective hamiltonian for a charge-Josephson qubit in a circuit
with no use of phenomenological arguments, showing how energy renormalizations
induced by the environment appear with no need of phenomenological
counterterms. This analysis may be important for multiqubit systems and
geometric quantum computation.Comment: Proceedings of LT23, to appear in Physica
Coherent properties of nano-electromechanical systems
We study the properties of a nano-electromechanical system in the coherent
regime, where the electronic and vibrational time scales are of the same order.
Employing a master equation approach, we obtain the stationary reduced density
matrix retaining the coherences between vibrational states. Depending on the
system parameters, two regimes are identified, characterized by either () an
{\em effective} thermal state with a temperature {\em lower} than that of the
environment or () strong coherent effects. A marked cooling of the
vibrational degree of freedom is observed with a suppression of the vibron Fano
factor down to sub-Poissonian values and a reduction of the position and
momentum quadratures.Comment: 12 pages, 11 figure
Phonon distributions of a single bath mode coupled to a quantum dot
The properties of an unconventional, single mode phonon bath coupled to a
quantum dot, are investigated within the rotating wave approximation. The
electron current through the dot induces an out of equilibrium bath, with a
phonon distribution qualitatively different from the thermal one. In selected
transport regimes, such a distribution is characterized by a peculiar selective
population of few phonon modes and can exhibit a sub-Poissonian behavior. It is
shown that such a sub-Poissonian behavior is favored by a double occupancy of
the dot. The crossover from a unequilibrated to a conventional thermal bath is
explored, and the limitations of the rotating wave approximation are discussed.Comment: 21 Pages, 7 figures, to appear in New Journal of Physics - Focus on
Quantum Dissipation in Unconventional Environment
Decoherence times of universal two-qubit gates in the presence of broad-band noise
The controlled generation of entangled states of two quantum bits is a
fundamental step toward the implementation of a quantum information processor.
In nano-devices this operation is counteracted by the solid-state environment,
characterized by a broadband and non-monotonic power spectrum, often 1/f at low
frequencies. For single-qubit gates, incoherent processes due to fluctuations
acting on different time scales result in peculiar short- and long-time
behavior. Markovian noise gives rise to exponential decay with relaxation and
decoherence times, T1 and T2, simply related to the symmetry of the
qubit-environment coupling Hamiltonian. Noise with the 1/f power spectrum at
low frequencies is instead responsible for defocusing processes and algebraic
short-time behavior. In this paper, we identify the relevant decoherence times
of an entangling operation due to the different decoherence channels
originating from solid-state noise. Entanglement is quantified by concurrence,
which we evaluate in an analytic form employing a multi-stage approach. The
'optimal' operating conditions of reduced sensitivity to noise sources are
identified. We apply this analysis to a superconducting \sqrt{i-SWAP} gate for
experimental noise spectra.Comment: 35 pages, 11 figure
Auditory gaydar: perception of sexual orientation based on female voice
We investigated auditory gaydar (i.e., the ability to recognize sexual orientation) in female speakers, addressing three related issues: whether auditory gaydar is (1) accurate, (2) language-dependent (i.e., occurs only in some languages, but not in others), and (3) ingroup-specific (i.e., occurs only when listeners judge speakers of their own language, but not when they judge foreign language speakers). In three experiments, we asked Italian, Portuguese, and German participants (total N = 466) to listen to voices of Italian, Portuguese, and German women, and to rate their sexual orientation. Our results showed that auditory gaydar was not accurate; listeners were not able to identify speakers’ sexual orientation correctly. The same pattern emerged consistently across all three languages and when listeners rated foreign-language speakers.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio
MicroRNA Roles in Cell Reprogramming Mechanisms
Cell reprogramming is a groundbreaking technology that, in few decades, generated a new paradigm in biomedical science. To date we can use cell reprogramming to potentially generate every cell type by converting somatic cells and suitably modulating the expression of key transcription factors. This approach can be used to convert skin fibroblasts into pluripotent stem cells as well as into a variety of differentiated and medically relevant cell types, including cardiomyocytes and neural cells. The molecular mechanisms underlying such striking cell phenotypes are still largely unknown, but in the last decade it has been proven that cell reprogramming approaches are significantly influenced by non-coding RNAs. Specifically, this review will focus on the role of microRNAs in the reprogramming processes that lead to the generation of pluripotent stem cells, neurons, and cardiomyocytes. As highlighted here, non-coding RNA-forced expression can be sufficient to support some cell reprogramming processes, and, therefore, we will also discuss how these molecular determinants could be used in the future for biomedical purposes
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