2,666 research outputs found
Fast, high fidelity information transmission through spin chain quantum wires
Spin chains have been proposed as quantum wires for information transfer in
solid state quantum architectures. We show that huge gains in both transfer
speed and fidelity are possible using a minimalist control approach that relies
only a single, local, on-off switch actuator. Effective switching time
sequences can be determined using optimization techniques for both ideal and
disordered chains. Simulations suggest that effective optimization is possible
even in the absence of accurate models.Comment: revtex4, 4 pages, 5 figure
On the Contractivity of Hilbert-Schmidt distance under open system dynamics
We show that the Hilbert-Schmidt distance, unlike the trace distance, between
quantum states is generally not monotonic for open quantum systems subject to
Lindblad semigroup dynamics. Sufficient conditions for contractivity of the
Hilbert-Schmidt norm in terms of the dissipation generators are given. Although
these conditions are not necessary, simulations suggest that non-contractivity
is the typical case, i.e., that systems for which the Hilbert-Schmidt distance
between quantum states is monotonically decreasing form only a small set of all
possible dissipative systems for N>2, in contrast to the case N=2 where the
Hilbert-Schmidt distance is always monotonically decreasing.Comment: Major revision. We would particularly like to thank D Perez-Garcia
for constructive feedbac
Stabilizing Open Quantum Systems by Markovian Reservoir Engineering
We study open quantum systems whose evolution is governed by a master
equation of Kossakowski-Gorini-Sudarshan-Lindblad type and give a
characterization of the convex set of steady states of such systems based on
the generalized Bloch representation. It is shown that an isolated steady state
of the Bloch equation cannot be a center, i.e., that the existence of a unique
steady state implies attractivity and global asymptotic stability. Necessary
and sufficient conditions for the existence of a unique steady state are
derived and applied to different physical models including two- and four-level
atoms, (truncated) harmonic oscillators, composite and decomposable systems. It
is shown how these criteria could be exploited in principle for quantum
reservoir engineeing via coherent control and direct feedback to stabilize the
system to a desired steady state. We also discuss the question of limit points
of the dynamics. Despite the non-existence of isolated centers, open quantum
systems can have nontrivial invariant sets. These invariant sets are center
manifolds that arise when the Bloch superoperator has purely imaginary
eigenvalues and are closely related to decoherence-free subspaces.Comment: 16 pages, 4 figures, marginally revised version, mainly fixed some
notational inconsistencies that had crept in when we change the notation in
some figures without changing the captions and tex
Clinical and functional characterisation of a novel TNFRSF1A c.605T > A/V173D cleavage site mutation associated with tumour necrosis factor receptor-associated periodic fever syndrome (TRAPS), cardiovascular complications and excellent response to etanercept treatment.
Objectives: To study the clinical outcome, treatment
response, T-cell subsets and functional consequences of a
novel tumour necrosis factor (TNF) receptor type 1
(TNFRSF1A) mutation affecting the receptor
cleavage site.
Methods: Patients with symptoms suggestive of tumour
necrosis factor receptor-associated periodic syndrome
(TRAPS) and 22 healthy controls (HC) were screened for
mutations in the TNFRSF1A gene. Soluble TNFRSF1A and
inflammatory cytokines were measured by ELISAs.
TNFRSF1A shedding was examined by stimulation of
peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) with phorbol
12-myristate 13-acetate followed by flow cytometric
analysis (FACS). Apoptosis of PBMCs was studied by
stimulation with TNFa in the presence of cycloheximide
and annexin V staining. T cell phenotypes were monitored
by FACS.
Results: TNFRSF1A sequencing disclosed a novel V173D/
p.Val202Asp substitution encoded by exon 6 in one
family, the c.194–14G.A splice variant in another and
the R92Q/p.Arg121Gln substitution in two families.
Cardiovascular complications (lethal heart attack and
peripheral arterial thrombosis) developed in two V173D
patients. Subsequent etanercept treatment of the V173D
carriers was highly effective over an 18-month follow-up
period. Serum TNFRSF1A levels did not differ between
TRAPS patients and HC, while TNFRSF1A cleavage from
monocytes was significantly reduced in V173D and R92Q
patients. TNFa-induced apoptosis of PBMCs and T-cell
senescence were comparable between V173D patients
and HC.
Conclusions: The TNFRSF1A V173D cleavage site
mutation may be associated with an increased risk for
cardiovascular complications and shows a strong
response to etanercept. T-cell senescence does not seem
to have a pathogenetic role in affected patients
Optimal Control of One-Qubit Gates
We consider the problem of carrying an initial Bloch vector to a final Bloch
vector in a specified amount of time under the action of three control fields
(a vector control field). We show that this control problem is solvable and
therefore it is possible to optimize the control. We choose the physically
motivated criteria of minimum energy spent in the control, minimum magnitude of
the rate of change of the control and a combination of both. We find exact
analytical solutions.Comment: 5 page
Efficient Algorithms for Optimal Control of Quantum Dynamics: The "Krotov'' Method unencumbered
Efficient algorithms for the discovery of optimal control designs for
coherent control of quantum processes are of fundamental importance. One
important class of algorithms are sequential update algorithms generally
attributed to Krotov. Although widely and often successfully used, the
associated theory is often involved and leaves many crucial questions
unanswered, from the monotonicity and convergence of the algorithm to
discretization effects, leading to the introduction of ad-hoc penalty terms and
suboptimal update schemes detrimental to the performance of the algorithm. We
present a general framework for sequential update algorithms including specific
prescriptions for efficient update rules with inexpensive dynamic search length
control, taking into account discretization effects and eliminating the need
for ad-hoc penalty terms. The latter, while necessary to regularize the problem
in the limit of infinite time resolution, i.e., the continuum limit, are shown
to be undesirable and unnecessary in the practically relevant case of finite
time resolution. Numerical examples show that the ideas underlying many of
these results extend even beyond what can be rigorously proved.Comment: 19 pages, many figure
Mass Distributions of HST Galaxy Clusters from Gravitational Arcs
Although N-body simulations of cosmic structure formation suggest that dark
matter halos have density profiles shallower than isothermal at small radii and
steeper at large radii, whether observed galaxy clusters follow this profile is
still ambiguous. We use one such density profile, the asymmetric NFW profile,
to model the mass distributions of 11 galaxy clusters with gravitational arcs
observed by HST. We characterize the galaxy lenses in each cluster as NFW
ellipsoids, each defined by an unknown scale convergence, scale radius,
ellipticity, and position angle. For a given set of values of these parameters,
we compute the arcs that would be produced by such a lens system. To define the
goodness of fit to the observed arc system, we define a chi^2 function
encompassing the overlap between the observed and reproduced arcs as well as
the agreement between the predicted arc sources and the observational
constraints on the source system. We minimize this chi^2 to find the values of
the lens parameters that best reproduce the observed arc system in a given
cluster. Here we report our best-fit lens parameters and corresponding mass
estimates for each of the 11 lensing clusters. We find that cluster mass models
based on lensing galaxies defined as NFW ellipsoids can accurately reproduce
the observed arcs, and that the best-fit parameters to such a model fall within
the reasonable ranges defined by simulations. These results assert NFW profiles
as an effective model for the mass distributions of observed clusters.Comment: Submitted to ApJ, 14 figures include
Energy Disaggregation using Two-Stage Fusion of Binary Device Detectors
A data-driven methodology to improve the energy disaggregation accuracy during Non-Intrusive Load Monitoring is proposed. In detail, the method is using a two-stage classification scheme, with the first stage consisting of classification models processing the aggregated signal in parallel and each of them producing a binary device detection score, and the second stage consisting of fusion regression models for estimating the power consumption for each of the electrical appliances. The accuracy of the proposed approach was tested on three datasets (ECO, REDD and iAWE), which are available online, using four different classifiers. The presented approach improves the estimation accuracy by up to 4.1% with respect to a basic energy disaggregation architecture, while the improvement on device level was up to 10.1%. Analysis on device level showed significant improvement of power consumption estimation accuracy especially for continuous and non-linear appliances across all evaluated datasets
Strong gametocytocidal effect of methylene blue-based combination therapy against falciparum malaria
With the availability of new preventive and curative interventions, global malaria control has been strengthened significantly in recent years. Drugs effective in reducing malaria gametocytaemia might contribute to local elimination and possible long-term eradication. We here report on the effects of methylene blue (MB)-based malaria combination therapy on gametocytaemia during a randomised-controlled trial in Burkina Faso. An open-label randomised controlled phase II study in 180 children aged 6-10 years with uncomplicated falciparum malaria was conducted in Nouna, north-western Burkina Faso. Children were randomised to MB-artesunate (AS), MB-amodiaquine (AQ), and AS-AQ (local standard of care). Overall follow-up was for 28 days, follow-up for gametocytaemia was for 14 days. The treatment groups were similar in baseline characteristics and there was only one loss to follow-up. Compared to AS-AQ, both MB-containing regimens were associated with significantly reduced gametocyte carrier rates during follow-up days 3, 7, and 14. This effect was seen both in patients with and without P. falciparum gametocytaemia at baseline. MB reveals pronounced gametocytocidal activity which appears to act against both existing and developing P. falciparum gametocytes. MB-based combination therapy thus has the potential to reduce transmission of P. falciparum malaria in endemic regions, which has important implications for future elimination and eradication strategies
- …