One-step implementation of a multi-target-qubit controlled phase gate with cat-state qubits in circuit QED

We propose a single-step implementation of a muti-target-qubit controlled phase gate with one catstate qubit (cqubit) simultaneously controlling n–1 target cqubits. The two logic states of a cqubit are represented by two orthogonal cat states of a single cavity mode. In this proposal, the gate is implemented with n microwave cavities coupled to a superconducting transmon qutrit. Because the qutrit remains in the ground state during the gate operation, decoherence caused due to the qutrit’s energy relaxation and dephasing is greatly suppressed. The gate implementation is quite simple because only a single-step operation is needed and neither classical pulse nor measurement is required. Numerical simulations demonstrate that high-fidelity realization of a controlled phase gate with one cqubit simultaneously controlling two target cqubits is feasible with present circuit QED technology. This proposal can be extended to a wide range of physical systems to realize the proposed gate, such as multiple microwave or optical cavities coupled to a natural or artificial three-level atom.     

Complete Analysis of Four-Photon χ-Type Entangled State via Cross-Kerr Nonlinearity

We propose an efficient method to construct an optical four-photon |χ> state analyzer via the cross-Kerr nonlinearity combined with linear optical elements. In this protocol, two four-qubit parity-check gates and two controlled phase gates are employed. We show that all the 16 orthogonal four-qubit |χ> states can be completely discriminated with our apparatus. The scheme is feasible and realizable with current technology. It may have useful potential applications in quantum information processing which based on |χ> state.     

Synthesis of Dendronized Diblock Copolymers via Click Chemistry: The Effect of Dendronization on Phase Separation Behaviour

A novel route towards the synthesis of well‐defined linear–dendronized diblock copolymers is reported. Precursor alkyne containing diblock copolymers were modified in a highly efficient cycloaddition reaction with dendritic azides of different generation. The dendronization has been shown to be selective and could be driven to completion under ambient conditions. The phase separation of such dendronized diblock copolymers was investigated in dependence of the generation size being attached. Compared to a linear–linear diblock copolymer as starting material the dendronization yielded in a pronounced phase separation. The nanoscaled features observed in thin films strongly depended on the dendron size and a variety of morphologies could be identified. Hence, the unique combination of controlled radical polymerization and click chemistry allows for the triggering of structured surfaces in the nanometer‐regime.

     

Voltage-Gated Metal-Enhanced Fluorescence II: Effects of Fluorophore Concentration on the Magnitude of the Gated-Current

In this letter we report further findings on the ability of an applied direct current to modulate Metal-Enhanced Fluorescence (MEF). Fluorophores in close-proximity to just-continuous silver films (JCS) show significantly enhanced fluorescence intensities. However, when a current is applied to the films, the enhanced fluorescence can be gated in a manner that depends on both the fluorophore concentration, the magnitude of the applied current and the extent of the protein mono to multi-layer surface coverage. Our results are consistent and indeed further support our previous hypothesis and model that fluorophore-metal near-field interactions can be influenced by an applied direct current.     

Ionic liquid-mediated sol–gel coatings for capillary microextraction

Ionic liquid (IL)-mediated sol–gel hybrid organic–inorganic materials present enormous potential for effective use in analytical microextraction. This opportunity, however, has not yet been explored. One obstacle to materializing this prospect arises from high viscosity of ILs significantly slowing down sol–gel reactions. In this work, we developed a method that overcomes this hurdle and provides IL-mediated advanced sol–gel materials for capillary microextraction (CME). We examined two different ILs: (a) a phosphonium-based IL, trihexyltetradecylphosphonium tetrafluoroborate, and (b) a pyridinium-based ionic liquid, N-butyl-4-methylpyridinium tetrafluoroborate. These ILs were evaluated in conjunction with two types of hydroxy-terminated polymers: (a) two Si–OH terminated polymers (PDMS and BMPO), and (b) two C–OH terminated polymers (PEG and polyTHF) that differ in their sol–gel reactivity. Scanning electron microscopy results demonstrate that ILs can serve as porogenic agents in sol–gel reactions. The IL-mediated sol–gel coatings prepared with silanol-terminated polymers provided up to 28 times higher extractions in off-line CME-GC compared to analogous sol–gel coatings prepared without any IL in the sol solution. Contrary to this, the IL-mediated sol–gel coatings prepared with C–OH terminated polymers provided lower extraction efficiencies compared to their IL-free counterparts. These observations were explained by (a) lower sol–gel reactivity of C–OH groups in PEG and polyTHF compared to Si–OH groups in PDMS and in hydrolyzed alkoxysilane precursors and (b) extremely high viscosity of ionic liquids. This study shows that IL-generated porous morphology alone is not enough to provide effective extraction media: careful choice of the organic polymer and the precursor with close sol–gel reactivity must be made to ensure effective chemical bonding of the organic polymer to the created sol–gel material to be able to provide the desired sorbent characteristics. Additionally, IL-mediated sol–gel PDMS coatings provided run-to-run RSD values of 4.2–5.0% and detection limits ranging from 3.2 ng/L to 17.4 ng/L. PDMS sol–gels prepared without ILs provided RSD values of 2.8–14.1%, and detection limits ranging from 4.9 ng/L to 487.0 ng/L.     

Determination of sulfonamide residues in water samples by in-line solid-phase extraction-capillary electrophoresis

An in-line solid-phase extraction-capillary electrophoresis method with UV–vis detection was developed for the monitoring of residues of five sulfonamides (sulfadoxin, sulfadimethoxine, sulfamerazine, sulfachloropyridazine and sulfamethoxazole) in tap, bottled mineral and river waters. For this purpose an analyte concentrator was constructed, based on the introduction of a small portion of a solid-phase extraction sorbent into the electrophoretic capillary to carry out an in-line concentration step, improving sensitivity. A detailed study was carried out to optimize parameters affecting the in-line solid-phase extraction process, such as the design of the concentrator device, type of sorbent and conditions of elution and injection. The proposed method is simple for the environmental monitoring of these antibiotic residues in waters, allowing the direct injection of the samples without any off-line pretreatment and achieving limits of detection between 0.3 and 0.6 μg/L. Recoveries ranging 52.2–109.2% and relative standard deviations below 13.4% were obtained.     

Utilization of solid-phase microextraction–high-performance liquid chromatography in the determination of aromatic analyte partitioning to imidazolium-based ionic liquid micelles

A solid-phase microextraction (SPME)–high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) approach is used, for the first time, to study the partitioning behavior of eight aromatic analytes to three imidazolium-based ionic liquid micelles, namely, 1-hexadecyl-3-methylimidazolium bromide (HDMIm-Br), 1-hexadecyl-3-butylimidazolium bromide (HDBIm-Br), and 1,3-didodecylimidazolium bromide (DDDDIm-Br). The model used to calculate the partition coefficients is improved by determining the accurate critical micelle concentration (CMC) value of the studied IL-micelles, which considers the nature and amount of organic modifier used in the experiments. Proper CMC values in the model improve the quality of the results and decrease the differences between theoretical and experimental intercepts. Surface tensiometry has been utilized to determine the CMC values for the micelles at different acetonitrile contents (1% and 1.5%, v/v). The calculated partition coefficient values for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) oscillate between 631 and 5980, whereas aromatic analytes with a lower number of fused rings in their structures suffer non-partitioning to any of the IL-micelles. The obtained partition coefficients to IL-micelles were highest with the DDDDIm-Br IL and were always higher than those obtained with the traditional surfactant cetyltrimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB).     

On the Hamiltonicity Gap and doubly stochastic matrices

We consider the Hamiltonian cycle problem embedded in singularly perturbed (controlled) Markov chains. We also consider a functional on the space of stationary policies of the process that consists of the (1,1)‐entry of the fundamental matrices of the Markov chains induced by these policies. We focus on the subset of these policies that induce doubly stochastic probability transition matrices which we refer to as the “doubly stochastic policies.” We show that when the perturbation parameter, ε, is sufficiently small, the minimum of this functional over the space of the doubly stochastic policies is attained at a Hamiltonian cycle, provided that the graph is Hamiltonian. We also show that when the graph is non‐Hamiltonian, the above minimum is strictly greater than that in a Hamiltonian case. We call the size of this difference the “Hamiltonicity Gap” and derive a conservative lower bound for this gap. Our results imply that the Hamiltonian cycle problem is equivalent to the problem of minimizing the variance of the first hitting time of the home node, over doubly stochastic policies. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Random Struct. Alg., 2009     

Determination of substituted benzenes in water samples by fiber-in-tube liquid phase microextraction coupled with gas chromatography

A method for determination of toluene, ethylbenzene, p-xylene, o-xylene, 1,3,5-trimethylbenzene and 1,2,4-trimethylbenzene in water samples was developed by a fiber-in-tube liquid phase microextraction technique (fiber-in-tube LPME) coupled with GC-flame ionization detector (FID). The method used a tube packed with polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) fibers as an extraction medium, improving the stableness of the solvent and the performance of extraction. Certain amounts of curled PTFE fibers were packed into a section of PTFE tube. Because the fibers were curled, they formed network structure in the tube. The fiber packed tube was firstly immersed into organic solvent to be filled with organic solvent and then was exposing to an aqueous solution to extract the target compounds. The extract was then retracted by a conventional GC microsyringe and analyzed by GC-FID. Extraction of the analytes in 8 ml aqueous solution for 15 min yielded enrichment factors of 224-361. The precision (R.S.D., n = 5) was 3.6-8.1% for peak area. The limit of detection (LOD, S/N = 3) for the six substituted benzenes were in the range of 0.3-5.0 μg l⁻¹.