Quantum Control in Foundational Experiments

We describe a new class of experiments designed to probe the foundations of quantum mechanics. Using quantum controlling devices, we show how to attain a freedom in temporal ordering of the control and detection of various phenomena. We consider wave–particle duality in the context of quantum-controlled and the entanglement-assisted delayed-choice experiments. Then we discuss a quantum-controlled CHSH experiment and measurement of photon’s transversal position and momentum in a single set-up.     

Nuclear magnetic resonance relaxometry of the normal heart: Relationship between collagen content and relaxation times of the four chambers

The use of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) relaxation time measurements for characterization of abnormal cardiac tissue depends upon knowledge of variations of relaxation times of normal myocardium and determinants of these variations. We calculated in vitro NMR T₁ and T₂ relaxation times of canine myocardium from the four cardiac chambers, and determined hydroxyproline concentration (as a measure of collagen) and percent water content of the samples. We found both water content and T₁ relaxation time of the right ventricle to be significantly greater than the left atrium (p < 0.05). T₂ relaxation time of the left ventricle was found to be shorter than each of the other three chambers (p < 0.05). There were significant correlations between the spin-lattice relaxation time and both percent water content (r = 0.58) and hydroxyproline concentration (r = 0.45). A significant correlation was also found between T₂ relaxation time and hydroxyproline concentration (r = 0.49). When T₁ and T₂ were adjusted for water and hydroxyproline content, there was no longer any evidence for significant interchamber differences for either T₁ or T₂. These data suggest that differences in NMR relaxation times exist among the four chambers of the normal canine heart. Furthermore, a major determinant of myocardial spin-lattice relaxation time is tissue water content while both collagen content and percent water content significantly contribute to variability in cardiac chamber T₂ relaxation times.     

Arrays of magnetic nanoparticles capped with alkylamines

Magnetic metal and metal oxide nanoparticles capped with alkylamines have been synthesized and characterized by transmission electron microscopy. X-ray diffraction, energy dispersive X-ray analysis and magnetization measurements. Core-shell Pd-Ni particles with composition, Pd₅₆₁Ni₃₀₀₀, (diameter ∼3.3 nm) are superparamagnetic at 5 K and organize themselves into two-dimensional crystalline arrays. Similar arrays are obtained with Pd₅₆₁Ni₃₀₀₀Pd₁₅₀₀ nanoparticles containing an additional Pd shell. Magnetic spinel particles of γ-Fe₂O₃, Fe₃O₄ and CoFe₂O₄ of average diameters in the 4–6 nm range coated with octylamine are all supermagnetic at room temperature and yield close-packed disordered arrays. Relatively regular arrays are formed by dodecylaminecapped Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles (∼8.6 nm diameter) while well-ordered hexagonal arrays were obtained with octylamine-covered Co₃O₄ nanoparticles (∼4.2 nm diameter).     

A combined 14N/27Al nuclear magnetic resonance and powder X-ray diffraction study of impurity phases in beta-sialon ceramics

Beta-sialons are ceramic phases occurring in the SiO(2)-Si(3)N(4)-AlN-Al(2)O(3) system. A series of samples with differing compositions has been investigated by magic-angle spinning nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and powder X-ray diffraction (XRD). Although the constituent nitrogen nuclei occupy positions of low symmetry in the beta-sialon structure, 14N NMR spectra could be recorded for the samples examined. The origin of the 14N signal could be traced to the presence of an aluminium nitride (AlN) impurity phase with the help of 27Al NMR and XRD results. Similarly, the existence of Al(2)O(3) grains could be readily detected for a number of samples. Thus, the combination of 14N and 27Al NMR is shown to be an especially effective tool in identifying and characterizing impurity phases in sialon ceramics, complementing the results obtained from standard XRD analysis.     

A Necessary and Sufficient Proximity Condition for Smoothness Equivalence of Nonlinear Subdivision Schemes

In the recent literature on subdivision methods for approximation of manifold-valued data, a certain “proximity condition” comparing a nonlinear subdivision scheme to a linear subdivision scheme has proved to be a key analytic tool for analyzing regularity properties of the scheme. This proximity condition is now well known to be a sufficient condition for the nonlinear scheme to inherit the regularity of the corresponding linear scheme (this is called smoothness equivalence). Necessity, however, has remained an open problem. This paper introduces a smooth compatibility condition together with a new proximity condition (the differential proximity condition). The smooth compatibility condition makes precise the relation between nonlinear and linear subdivision schemes. It is shown that under the smooth compatibility condition, the differential proximity condition is both necessary and sufficient for smoothness equivalence. It is shown that the failure of the proximity condition corresponds to the presence of resonance terms in a certain discrete dynamical system derived from the nonlinear scheme. Such resonance terms are then shown to slow down the convergence rate relative to the convergence rate of the corresponding linear scheme. Finally, a super-convergence property of nonlinear subdivision schemes is used to conclude that the slowed decay causes a breakdown of smoothness. The proof of sufficiency relies on certain properties of the Taylor expansion of nonlinear subdivision schemes, which, in addition, explain why the differential proximity condition implies the proximity conditions that appear in previous work.     

Observation of entanglement between two light beams spanning an octave in optical frequency

We have experimentally demonstrated how two beams of light separated by an octave in frequency can become entangled after their interaction in a chi;{(2)} nonlinear medium. The entangler was a nonlinear optical resonator that was strongly driven by coherent light at the fundamental and second-harmonic wavelengths. An interconversion between the fields created quantum correlations in the amplitude and phase quadratures, which were measured by two independent homodyne detectors. Analysis of the resulting correlation matrix revealed a wave function inseparability of 0.74(1)<1, thereby satisfying the criterion of entanglement.     

Passively mode-locked Yb:YAG thin-disk laser with pulse energies exceeding 13 microJ by use of an active multipass geometry

We demonstrate the generation of high-energy picosecond pulses directly from a thin-disk laser oscillator by employing a self-imaging active multipass geometry. Stable single-pulse operation has been obtained with an average output power in excess of 50 W, excluding a cw background of 8%, at a repetition rate of 3.8 MHz. Self-starting passive mode locking was accomplished using a semiconductor saturable absorber mirror. The maximum pulse energy was 13.4 microJ at a pulse duration of 1.36 ps with a time-bandwidth product of 0.34. Single-pass external frequency doubling with a conversion efficiency of 60% yielded >28 W of average power at 515 nm.     

Spiral growth and step edge barriers

The growth of spiral mounds containing a screw dislocation is compared to the growth of wedding cakes by two-dimensional nucleation. Using phase field simulations and homoepitaxial growth experiments on the Pt(111) surface we show that both structures attain the same large scale shape when a significant step-edge barrier suppresses interlayer transport. The higher vertical growth rate of the spiral mounds on Pt(111) reflects the different incorporation mechanisms for atoms in the top region and can be formally represented by an enhanced apparent step-edge barrier.     

Specular and off-specular scattering with polarization and polarization analysis on reflectometer V6 at BER II, HZB

We report on the enhanced capabilities of neutron reflectometer V6 at the research reactor BER II at Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie (HZB) in investigating magnetic thin films and multilayers. It is now fully equipped for simultaneous measurements of specular and off-specular scattering with polarization and polarization analysis. The magnetization configuration of a [CoO/Co/Au]_×16 polycrystalline multilayer at room temperature is reported in demonstrating the efficiency of the instrument. The data is simulated within the supermatrix formalism under the distorted wave Born approximation for a quantitative analysis.