Simple algorithm for the correction of MRI image artefacts due to random phase fluctuations

PurposeFast Field-Cycling (FFC) MRI is a novel technology that allows varying the main magnetic field B₀ during the pulse sequence, from the nominal field (usually hundreds of millitesla) down to Earth's field or below. This technique uses resistive magnets powered by fast amplifiers. One of the challenges with this method is to stabilise the magnetic field during the acquisition of the NMR signal. Indeed, a typical consequence of field instability is small, random phase variations between each line of k-space resulting in artefacts, similar to those which occur due to homogeneous motion but harder to correct as no assumption can be made about the phase error, which appears completely random. Here we propose an algorithm that can correct for the random phase variations induced by field instabilities without prior knowledge about the phase error.MethodsThe algorithm exploits the fact that ghosts caused by field instability manifest in image regions which should be signal free. The algorithm minimises the signal in the background by finding an optimum phase correction for each line of k-space and repeats the operation until the result converges, leaving the background free of signal.ConclusionWe showed the conditions for which the algorithm is robust and successfully applied it on images acquired on FFC-MRI scanners. The same algorithm can be used for various applications other than Fast Field-Cycling MRI.     

Vibration of a beam due to a random stream of moving forces with random velocity

The problem of dynamic response of a beam to the passage of a train of concentrated forces with random amplitudes and velocities is considered. Force arrivals at the beam are assumed to constitute the point stochastic process of events. Thus, the excitation process is an idealization of vehicular traffic loads on a bridge. An analytical technique is developed to determine the response of the beam. Explicit expressions for the expected value and the variance of the beam deflection are provided. As an example, the response of a beam to a stationary stream of forces is determined for some practical situations, and discussed.     

Geometric phase of a moving three-level atom

In this paper, we investigate the geometric phase of the field interacting with Ξ-type moving three-level atom. The results show that the atomic motion and the field mode structure play an important roles in the evolution of the system dynamics and geometric phase. We test this observation with experimentally accessible parameters and some new aspects are obtained.     

Matter-wave decoherence due to a gas environment in an atom interferometer

Decoherence due to scattering from background gas particles is observed for the first time in a Mach-Zehnder atom interferometer, and compared with decoherence due to scattering photons. A single theory is shown to describe decoherence due to scattering either atoms or photons. Predictions from this theory are tested by experiments with different species of background gas, and also by experiments with different collimation restrictions on an atom beam interferometer.     

Energy levels of the hydrogen atom due to a generalized Dirac equation

The consequences of a generalized Dirac equation are discussed for the energy levels of the hydrogen atom. Apart from the usual generalizations of the Dirac equation by adding new interaction terms, we generalize the anticommutation rule of the Dirac matrices, which leads to spin-dependent propagation properties. Such a theory can be looked at as a model theory for testing Lorentz invariance or as an outcome of pregeometric dynamical induction schemes for space-time structure.For special examples of generalized Dirac matrices including perturbation terms with respect to the SRT Dirac matrices, we derive the energy level of the hydrogen atom and find a hyperfine splitting due to these perturbations. A comparison of this additional splitting with Lamb shift measurements gives us upper limits for possible perturbations, which turn out to be of measurable magnitude. Spin precession experiments give much more restrictive limits. So, it turns out that the hydrogen atom is not such a sensitive indicator for the Lorentz invariance as widely believed.     

Doppler-Rabi oscillations of a moving atom due to the roentgen interaction in a cavity

The dynamics of energy exchange between an atom moving in a high-Q cavity and the cavity field is analyzed by taking into account the Roentgen interaction. A two-level atom coupled to a Fock or coherent state of an optical or microwave cavity is considered. The mean cavity photon number required for high-frequency Doppler-Rabi oscillations to occur is relatively high for both Fock-and coherent-state cavity fields and increases with the atomic transition frequency. Conditions are found when the Roentgen interaction plays a key role in the Doppler-Rabi oscillations and must be taken into account, in addition to the conventional electric field-dipole interaction.     

Anabiosis of phase distribution of a three-level atom

We study the phase probability distribution of a three-level atom interacting with a cavity field in the presence of two-photon detuning and decoherence. Anabiosis of the phase probability distribution is observed due to the presence of the Stark shift. The simulation demonstrates that there is an enhancement of the phase sensitivity as soon as the two-photon detuning is considered. The W-Wigner function is also examined and it is shown that the nonclassical effect is apparent, however, for a small value of the decoherence factor.     

The interference between a giant atom and an internal resonator

The Jaynes–Cummings model plays an important role in quantum entanglement and state measurements. Here, we discuss how to realize it in a waveguide-mediated interaction system, which comprises a giant atom and a resonator. We show the vacuum Rabi splitting and discuss how to achieve a unidirectional transport. We extend the Purcell effect in cQED to this waveguide QED system, showing how to control the giant atom decay rate. Our design can further be built experimentally and has application in quantum manipulation.     

New experimental results on the interference of the states of the hydrogen atom due to long-range interaction with the metal surface

The interference of the 2P state of the hydrogen atom due to unknown long-range interaction with the metal surface (Sokolov effect) has been studied by an atomic interferometer. In contrast to previous experiments, where an atomic beam passed through slits in metal plates, a beam in the presented experiments passes at a given distance from the edges of the plates. It has been found that the interference is clearly observed if two plates are located on the same side of the beam. However, this interference disappears if one plate is displaced to the opposite side. This result cannot be explained in the framework of the available hypotheses on the nature of the effect under investigation.     

Focussing by a random phase screen

We present experimental measurements of the statistics of intensity scintillations in light scattered by a random phase screen. The phase screen was produced in the laboratory by turbulent mixing of hot and cold air; the parameters of this screen were such that geometrical focussing effects could be studied near the screen and speckle effects were clearly visible in the far field. Results are given for the propagation of both laser light and white light through the turbulent region. We compare experimental results with the theory for a phase screen with a gaussian phase correlation function. New theoretical work which allows comparison for mean-square phase fluctuation $\text{φ}{}^2$ å 1 is also outlined.     

Fluorescence spectrum due to surface plasmon polariton emission in a three level atom

The dynamics of a V-type three level atom positioned inside a metallic slab sandwiched between two asymmetric infinite dielectrics is studied. The surface plasmon polaritons supported by this structure are calculated, quantized and their dispersions are found to exhibit plasmonic band gaps which in turn modify the spontaneous transition rates and the fluorescence spectrum. Interesting features arise from the variations of the decay rate and spectrum with the mode frequency and electron density including local field effects.     

Optimizing a phase gate using quantum interference

A controlled interference is proposed to reduce, by two orders of magnitude, the decoherence of a quantum gate for which the gate fidelity is limited by coupling to states other than the /0> and /1> qubit states. This phenomenon is demonstrated in an ultracold neutral atom implementation of a phase gate using qubits based on motional states in individual wells of an optical lattice.     

Effect of a random field conjugate to a non-critical variable on phase transitions

We consider the phase transition in an anisotropic system with a random field conjugate to a non-critical variable. It is shown that in this case a sufficiently weak random field acts like random potentials.     

Faddeev random phase approximation applied to molecules

The Faddeev Random Phase Approximation (FRPA) is a Green’s function method which couples collective degrees of freedom to the single particle motion by resumming an infinite number of Feynman diagrams. The Faddeev technique is applied to describe the two-particle-one-hole (2p1h) and two-hole-one-particle (2h1p) Green’s function in terms of non-interacting propagators and kernels for the particle-particle (pp) and particle-hole (ph) interactions. This results in an equal treatment of the intermediary pp and ph channels. In FRPA both the pp and ph phonons are calculated on the random phase approximation (RPA) level. In this work the equations that lead to the FRPA eigenvalue problem are derived. The method is then applied to atoms, small molecules and the Hubbard model, for which the ground state energy and the ionization energies are calculated. Special attention is directed to the RPA instability in the dissociation limit of diatomic molecules and in the Hubbard model. Several solutions are proposed to overcome this problem.     

Quantum interference in a probe spectrum of an atom embedded in a photonic crystal

Quantum interference in the probe absorption spectrum of a four-level atom embedded in a double-band photonic crystal has been investigated. The double V-type transitions from the two upper levels to the two lower levels interact with the free vacuum modes and the PBG modes synchronously. We study the additional transparency and the elimination of the probe absorption line in this paper. The new features of two transparencies resulting from the singularity of the state density of PBG modes are also predicted.     

Non-Gaussian scattering by a random phase screen

A theoretical investigation of non-Gaussian scattering by a smoothly varying deep random phase screen is presented. New analytical results, valid for arbitrary illuminated area, are derived for the contrast of the intensity pattern in the Fraunhofer region and the effect of two scale sizes in the screen is calculated.     

Hyperfine structure of a hydrogen-like atom due to orbit-orbit,spin-orbit,and spin-spin interactions

A nonrelativistic model of a hydrogen-like atom is considered. This model is used to calculate corrections to the energy spectrum of the atom. The analysis is based on a Hamiltonian that includes the intratomic fields generated by the electron and the nucleus.     

Two-dimensional atom localization via quantum interference in a coherently driven inverted-Y system

A scheme for two-dimensional (2D) subwavelength atom localization is proposed, in which the atom is in an inverted-Y configuration and driven by two orthogonal standing-wave lasers. Due to the spatial dependence of atom-field interaction, the quantities of system, including the frequency of spontaneously emitted photon, the population in the excited state, and the probe absorption, carry information about the position of atom in standing-wave fields. We exploit this fact to 2D atom localization, and obtain a high precision and resolution in the position probability distribution.