Quantum nonlocality can be distributed via separable states

正Quantum nonlocality is one of the most astonishing features in quantum physics.It is of great importance in understanding the conceptual foundations of quantum theory and is closely related to certain quantum information processing such as quantum protocols for decreasing communication complexity[1]and secure quantum communication[2,3],see refs.[4-9]for more details.     

Control of molecular energy redistribution pathways via surface plasmon gating

Strong coupling of molecular electronic states with tunable surface plasmon resonances is used to control electronic energy redistribution pathways in molecules adsorbed on a silver film. Ultrafast excitation of porphyrinic molecular J aggregates into the S2 state is followed by a second pulse of varying incident wave vector to produce a tunable plasmon in the film. When the plasmon overlaps the S1 state, energy flows from S2 to S1 at high efficiency. If the plasmon hybridizes with the S2 state, the excitation remains in the S2 vibrational manifold during quenching to the ground state. These results could have significant impact on the design of active molecular devices.     

Fast quantum state transfer and entanglement for cavity-coupled many qubits via dark pathways

Quantum state transfer (QST) and entangled state generation (ESG) are important building blocks for modern quantum information processing. To achieve these tasks, convention wisdom is to consult the quantum adiabatic evolution, which is time-consuming, and thus is of low fidelity. Here, using the shortcut to adiabaticity technique, we propose a general method to realize high-fidelity fast QST and ESG in a cavity-coupled many qubits system via its dark pathways, which can be further designed for high-fidelity quantum tasks with different optimization purpose. Specifically, with a proper dark pathway, QST and ESG between any two qubits can be achieved without decoupling the others, which simplifies experimental demonstrations. Meanwhile, ESG among all qubits can also be realized in a single step. In addition, our scheme can be implemented in many quantum systems, and we illustrate its implementation on superconducting quantum circuits. Therefore, we propose a powerful strategy for selective quantum manipulation, which is promising in cavity coupled quantum systems and could find many convenient applications in quantum information processing.     

Removal of extracerebral tissues in dual-echo magnetic resonance images via linear scale-space features

The location and masking of the brain and surrounding cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in two-dimensional (2D) dual-echo fast spin-echo (FSE) magnetic resonance (MR) images of the head is achieved by an automated procedure with a voxel-based computational algorithm. Linear scale-space features are derived from the short-echo, proton-density (PD)-weighted images. The second-order Gaussian derivative (the Laplacian) operator is applied at three different spatial scales as a measure of image convexity/concavity with a first-order Gaussian derivative measure (the squared gradient) at a single scale used to circumscribe cortical regions. A mask obtained from the long-echo, T2-weighted image is used to remove extracerebral components of the visual system. A three-dimensional (3D) connectivity analysis then identifies the largest connected volume as the brain. Five dual-echo fast spin-echo images acquired by repeated scanning of the same normal volunteer were used to verify reproducibility; and coronal and axial acquisitions from another normal volunteer to demonstrate the method's robustness to data collected with non-cubic voxels. Images acquired from five individuals with Alzheimer's disease are also presented to show that the algorithm can be used in cases of non-normative anatomy. Validity is affirmed by demonstrating that cerebral volumes estimated by this method for all 12 images are highly correlated (R = 0.98) with estimates obtained by an expert human operator.     

Effect of experimental conditions on surface hardness measurements of calcified tissues via LIBS

This paper reports on the effects of LIBS experimental conditions on the measurement of the surface hardness of calcified tissues. The technique mainly depends on a previously demonstrated correlation between the intensity ratio of ionic to atomic spectral lines and the hardness of the target material. Three types of calcified tissues have been examined, namely enamel of human teeth, shells, and eggshells. Laser-induced breakdown spectra were obtained under two different experimental conditions. In the first nano and picoseconds, laser pulses were used in a single-pulse arrangement, while in the second, single- and double-pulse regimes with nanosecond laser excitation were utilized. The results show that the ionic to atomic spectral line intensity ratios are higher in the case of picosecond laser pulse for both Ca and Mg spectral lines. This effect has been justified in view of the repulsive force of the laser-induced shock waves which depends clearly on the target surface hardness and on the laser irradiance. The electron densities ratio (pico/nano) is shown to be strongly depending on the laser irradiance too. In the case of calcium, single-pulse ratios are higher than the double-pulse ratios, while there is no appreciable difference between both in the case of magnesium. The results obtained herein suggest that double-pulse nanosecond arrangement and the choice of a minor element such as Mg furnishes the best experimental conditions for estimating the surface hardness via LIBS spectra. To validate this method, it has been applied on two previously measured groups of teeth enamel, the first is of ancient Egyptians, and the second from Nubians and Ugandans. The results support the usefulness of this method for similar real-life applications.     

Quinoline formation via a modified Combes reaction: examination of kinetics,substituent effects,and mechanistic pathways

This is the first reported investigation of the Combes condensation employing 19F NMR spectroscopy to monitor intermediate consumption and product formation rates. The reaction was found to be first order in both the diketone and aniline. Product regioselectivity and reaction rates were found to be influenced by substituents on the diketones and anilines with rates varying as much as five fold. The consumption rate of key imine and enamine intermediates mirrored quinoline formation rates, in accord with rate determining annulation. A ρ of ?0.32 was determined for this cyclization. While the sign of the reaction constant is consistent with rate limiting electrophilic aromatic substitution (EAS), the magnitude is likely a composite value, resulting from opposing substituent effects in the nucleophilic addition and EAS steps. Mechanistic details and reaction pathways supporting these findings are proposed. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A new approach for simultaneous measurement of ADC and T2 from echoes generated via multiple coherence transfer pathways

The study of rotational and translational diffusion requires the measurement of both T2 and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC), quantities that are typically measured in separate experiments. The exploitation of echoes generated via multiple coherence transfer pathways offers an opportunity for measuring T2 and ADC values simultaneously in a single experiment. A series of RF pulses can generate multiple echoes via different coherence pathways with each one being uniquely encoded. Here, we demonstrate one pulse sequence that uses an initial theta; RF pulse to generate three coherence orders (C = 0, -1, +1). In the particular version of the method discussed here only two are used (C = 0, +1). Each order is encoded with a different b value from which the ADC is derived. The coherence order echo C = 0 is refocused to quantify T2. The performance of the method--dubbed simultaneous measurement of ADC and relaxation time (SMART)--is demonstrated on a set of samples differing in T2 and ADC achieved by varying the relative volume fractions in mixtures of gadolinium-doped H2O and D2O. The regional SMART derived T2 and ADC agree well with those obtained with conventional double-spin-echo and pulsed gradient spin-echo methods.     

Acoustic nonlinearity parameter tomography for biological tissues via parametric array from a circular piston source--theoretical analysis and computer simulations

The acoustic nonlinearity parameter B/A describes the nonlinear features of a medium and may become a novel parameter for ultrasonic tissue characterization. This paper presents a theoretical analysis for acoustic nonlinear parameter tomography via a parametric array. As two primary waves of different frequencies are radiated simultaneously from a circular piston source, a secondary wave at the difference frequency is generated due to the nonlinear interaction of the primary waves. The axial and radial distributions of sound pressure amplitude for the generated difference frequency wave in the near field are calculated by a superposition of Gaussian beams. The calculated results indicated that the difference frequency component of the parametric array grows linearly with distance from the piston source. It therefore provides a better source to do the acoustic nonlinearity parameter tomography because the fundamental and second harmonic signals both have a near field that goes through many oscillations due to diffraction. By using a finite-amplitude insert substitution method and a filtered convolution algorithm, a computer simulation for B/A tomography from the calculated sound pressure of the difference frequency wave is studied. For biological tissues, the sound attenuation is considered and compensated in the image reconstruction. Nonlinear parameter computed tomography (CT) images for several biological sample models are obtained with quite good quality in this study.     

State to state to state dynamics of the D+H2 -->HD+H reaction: control of transition-state pathways via reagent orientation

The influence of reagent rotation on the dynamics of the D+H2 -->HD+H reaction is studied. The state-resolved differential cross section is measured using the Rydberg-atom scheme in a crossed beam experiment. It is found that the H2 rotation has a strong influence on the results. This effect was traced to the selection of the quantum bottleneck states through reagent orientation, thus suggesting a novel strategy to control the transition-state pathways in direct chemical reactions.