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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 1,063 records · Page 59

A next generation ultra short pulse reflectometry (USPR) diagnostic

Ultrashort Pulse Reflectometry (USPR) is a plasma diagnostic technique involving the propagation and reflection of ultrashort duration (~few ns) chirps. The reflected packets pass through a multichannel filter with time-of-flight measurements performed on each of the filtered packets. A next generation USPR system is under development, spanning 28–75 GHz, for use on compact, short duration, magnetically confined fusion devices. This system presents a dramatic increase in performance compared with an earlier USPR system employed on the LLNL Sustained Spheromak Physics Experiment device more than a decade ago. The new system replaces upconverting mixers with higher power active multiplier chains to generate mm-wave transmitter chirps, with custom time-of-flight electronics reducing the time per measurement by a factor of 3X. Finally, the system is equipped with a field programmable gate array for data acquisition and analysis.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗

Electrical design of the flexible imaging diffraction diagnostic for laser experiments (FIDDLE) at the National Ignition Facility (NIF)—Requirements, design, and performance

The Flexible Imaging Diffraction Diagnostic for Laser Experiments (FIDDLE) is a newly developed diagnostic for imaging time resolved diffraction in experiments at the National Ignition Facility (NIF). It builds on the successes of its predecessor, the Gated Diffraction Development Diagnostic (G3D). The FIDDLE was designed to support eight Daedalus version 2 sensors (six more hCMOS sensors than any other hCMOS-based diagnostic in NIF to date) and an integrated streak camera. We will review the electrical requirements, design, and performance of the electrical subsystems that were created to support this large number of cameras in the FIDDLE. The analysis of the data that the FIDDLE is intended to collect relies heavily on the accurate and well-understood timing of each sensor. We report camera-to-camera timing jitter of less than 100 ps rms and sensor integration times of 2.2 ns FWHM in 2-2 timing mode. Additionally, diffraction experiments on the NIF produce electric fields (EMI) on the order of 1 kV/m, which have been observed to negatively impact the performance of some electrical components of the FIDDLE. We report on the results of testing hCMOS camera electronics in a similar EMI environment generated in an offline lab. In addition, we also summarize the use of a novel approach to using a vector network analyzer as an EMI leak detector to understand and reduce the negative impacts of EMI on the FIDDLE.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗

Analog-to-digital converter based on voltage-controlled superconducting devices

The increasing demand for cryogenic electronics in superconducting and quantum computing systems calls for ultra-energy-efficient data conversion architectures that remain functional at deep cryogenic temperatures. Here, in this work, we present the first design of a voltage-controlled superconducting flash analog-to-digital converter (ADC) based on a voltage-controlled quantum-enhanced Josephson junction field-effect transistor (JJFET). Exploiting its strong gate tunability and transistor-like behavior, the JJFET offers a scalable alternative to conventional current-controlled superconducting devices while aligning naturally with CMOS-style design methodologies. Building on our previously developed Verilog-A compact model calibrated to experimental data, we design and simulate a three-bit JJFET-based flash ADC targeted for integration within cryogenic control and readout circuitry in quantum computing. The core comparator block is realized through careful bias current selection and augmented with a three-terminal nanocryotron to precisely define reference voltages. Cascaded JJFET comparators ensure robust voltage gain, cascadability, and logic-level restoration across stages. Simulation results demonstrate accurate quantization behavior with ultra-low power dissipation, underscoring the feasibility of voltage-driven superconducting mixed-signal circuits. This work establishes a critical step toward unifying superconducting logic and data conversion, paving the way for scalable cryogenic architectures in quantum–classical co-processors, low-power artificial intelligence accelerators, and next-generation energy-constrained computing platforms.

Analog-to-digital converter↗

Simple, efficient and open-source CRISPR/Cas9 strategy for multi-site genome editing in Populus tremula × alba

Although the CRISPR/Cas9 system has been successfully used for crop breeding, its application remains limited in forest trees. Here, we describe an efficient gene editing strategy for hybrid poplar, (Populus tremula × alba INRA clone 717-1B4) based on the Golden Gate MoClo cloning. To test the system efficiency for generating single gene mutants, two single guide RNAs (sgRNAs) were designed and incorporated into the MoClo Tool Kit level 2 binary vector with the Cas9 expression cassette to mutate the SHORT ROOT (SHR) gene. Moreover, we also tested its efficiency for introducing mutations in two genes simultaneously by expressing one sgRNA targeting a single site of the YUC4 gene and the other sgRNA targeting the PLT1 gene. For a robust evaluation of the approach, we repeated the strategy to target the LBD12 and LBD4 genes simultaneously, using an independent construct. We generated hairy roots by Agrobacterium rhizogenes-mediated leaf transformation. Sequencing results confirmed the CRISPR/Cas9-mediated mutation in the targeted sites of PtaSHR. Biallelic and homozygous knockout mutations were detected. A deletion spanning both target sites and small insertions/deletions were the most common mutations. Out of the 22 SHR alleles sequenced, 21 were mutated. The phenotype’s characterization showed that transgenic roots with biallelic mutations for the SHR gene lacked a defined endodermal single cell layer, suggesting a conserved gene function similar to its homolog in Arabidopsis Arabidopsis thaliana (L.) Heynh. Sequencing results also revealed the high efficiency of the system for generating double mutants. Biallelic mutations for both genes in the yuc4/plt1 and lbd12/lbd4 roots were detected in three (yuc4/plt1) and two (lbd12/lbd4) out of four transgenic roots evaluated. A small deletion or a single nucleotide insertion at the single target site was the most common mutations. This CRISPR/Cas9 strategy arises as a rapid, simple and standardized gene-editing tool to evaluate the gene role in essential developmental programs such as radial cell differentiation of poplar roots.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

Quantum optimal control of superconducting qubits based on machine-learning characterization

Implementing fast and high-fidelity quantum operations using open-loop quantum optimal control relies on having an accurate model of the quantum dynamics. Any deviations between this model and the complete dynamics of the device, such as the presence of spurious modes or pulse distortions, can degrade the performance of optimal controls in practice. Here, we propose an experimentally simple approach to realize optimal quantum controls tailored to the device parameters and environment while specifically characterizing this quantum system. Concretely, we use physics-inspired machine learning to infer an accurate model of the dynamics from experimentally available data and then optimize our experimental controls on this trained model. We show the power and feasibility of this approach by optimizing arbitrary single-qubit operations in detailed numerical simulations of a superconducting transmon qubit. Furthermore, we demonstrate that this framework produces an accurate description of the device dynamics under arbitrary controls, together with the precise pulses achieving arbitrary single-qubit gates with a high fidelity of ∼99.99%.

Artificial neural networks↗

Bounding entanglement entropy with Clifford double cosets

Following on our previous work studying the orbits of quantum states under Clifford circuits via reachability graphs, we introduce contracted graphs whose vertices represent classes of quantum states with the same entropy vector. These contracted graphs represent the double cosets of the Clifford group, where the left cosets are built from the stabilizer subgroup of the starting state and the right cosets are built from the entropy-preserving operators. We study contracted graphs for stabilizer states, as well as 𝑊 states and Dicke states, discussing how the diameter of a state's contracted graph constrains the entropic diversity of its two-qubit Clifford orbit. We derive an upper bound on the number of entropy vectors that can be generated using any 𝑛-qubit Clifford circuit, for any quantum state. Here, we speculate on the holographic implications for the relative proximity of gravitational duals of states within the same Clifford orbit. Although we concentrate on how entropy evolves under the Clifford group, our double-coset formalism, and thus the contracted graph picture, is extendable to generic gate sets and generic state properties.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Algebraic compression of quantum circuits for Hamiltonian evolution

Here unitary evolution under a time-dependent Hamiltonian is a key component of simulation on quantum hardware. Synthesizing the corresponding quantum circuit is typically done by breaking the evolution into small time steps, also known as Trotterization, which leads to circuits the depth of which scales with the number of steps. When the circuit elements are limited to a subset of SU(4) - or equivalently, when the Hamiltonian may be mapped onto free fermionic models - several identities exist that combine and simplify the circuit. Based on this, we present an algorithm that compresses the Trotter steps into a single block of quantum gates using algebraic relations between adjacent circuit elements. This results in a fixed depth time evolution for certain classes of Hamiltonians. We explicitly show how this algorithm works for several spin models, and demonstrate its use for adiabatic state preparation of the transverse field Ising model.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Universal quantum operation of spin-3/2 Blume-Capel chains

We propose a logical qubit based on the Blume-Capel model: A higher-spin generalization of the Ising chain which allows for an on-site anisotropy-preserving rotational invariance around the Ising axis. We show that such a spin-3/2 Blume-Capel model can also support localized Majorana zero modes at the ends of the chain. Inspired by known braiding protocols of these Majorana zero modes, upon appropriate manipulation of the system parameters, we demonstrate a set of universal gate operations which act on qubits encoded in the doubly degenerate ground states of the chain.

1-dimensional spin chains↗

Alternative approach to quantum imaginary time evolution

There is increasing interest in quantum algorithms (QAs) that are based on the imaginary time evolution (ITE), a successful classical numerical approach to obtain ground states. However, most of the proposals so far require heavy postprocessing computational steps on a classical computer, such as solving linear equations. Here we provide an alternative approach to implement ITE. A key feature in our approach is the use of an orthogonal basis set: the propagated state is efficiently expressed in terms of orthogonal basis states at every step of the evolution. We argue that the number of basis states needed at those steps to achieve an accurate solution can be kept on the order of n , the number of qubits, by controlling the precision (number of significant digits) and the imaginary time increment. The number of quantum gates per imaginary time step is estimated to be polynomial in n . Additionally, while in many QAs the locality of the Hamiltonian is a key assumption, in our algorithm this restriction is not required. This characteristic of our algorithm renders it useful for studying highly nonlocal systems, such as the occupation-representation nuclear shell model. Here, we illustrate our algorithm through numerical implementation on an IBM quantum simulator.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Photon-Number-Dependent Hamiltonian Engineering for Cavities

Cavity resonators are promising resources for quantum technology, while native nonlinear interactions for cavities are typically too weak to provide the level of quantum control required to deliver complex targeted operations. Here we investigate a scheme to engineer a target Hamiltonian for photonic cavities using ancilla qubits. By off resonantly driving dispersively coupled ancilla qubits, we develop an optimized approach to engineering an arbitrary photon-number-dependent Hamiltonian for the cavities while minimizing the operation errors. Here, the engineered Hamiltonian admits various applications including canceling unwanted cavity self-Kerr interactions, creating higher-order nonlinearities for quantum simulations, and designing quantum gates resilient to noise. Our scheme can be implemented with coupled microwave cavities and transmon qubits in superconducting circuit systems.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Quantum Computer-Aided Design: Digital Quantum Simulation of Quantum Processors

With the increasing size of quantum processors, submodules that constitute the processor hardware will become too large to accurately simulate on a classical computer. Therefore, one would soon have to fabricate and test each new design primitive and parameter choice in time-consuming coordination between design, fabrication, and experimental validation. Here we show how one can design and test the performance of next-generation quantum hardware—by using existing quantum computers. Focusing on superconducting transmon processors as a prominent hardware platform, we compute the static and dynamic properties of individual and coupled transmons. We show how the energy spectra of transmons can be obtained by variational hybrid quantum-classical algorithms that are well suited for near-term noisy quantum computers. In addition, single- and two-qubit gate simulations are demonstrated via Suzuki-Trotter decomposition. Our methods pave a promising way towards designing candidate quantum processors when the demands of calculating submodule properties exceed the capabilities of classical computing resources.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Toward simulating quantum field theories with controlled phonon-ion dynamics: A hybrid analog-digital approach

Quantum field theories are the cornerstones of modern physics, providing relativistic and quantum mechanical descriptions of physical systems at the most fundamental level. Simulating real-time dynamics within these theories remains elusive in classical computing. This provides a unique opportunity for quantum simulators, which hold the promise of revolutionizing our simulation capabilities. Trapped-ion systems are successful quantum-simulator platforms for quantum many-body physics and can operate in digital, or gate-based, and analog modes. Inspired by the progress in proposing and realizing quantum simulations of a number of relativistic quantum field theories using trapped-ion systems, and by the hybrid analog-digital proposals for simulating interacting boson-fermion models, we propose hybrid analog-digital quantum simulations of selected quantum field theories, taking recent developments to the next level. On one hand, the semi-digital nature of this proposal offers more flexibility in engineering generic model interactions compared with a fully-analog approach. On the other hand, encoding the bosonic fields onto the phonon degrees of freedom of the trapped-ion system allows a more efficient usage of simulator resources, and a more natural implementation of intrinsic quantum operations in such platforms. This opens up new ways for simulating complex dynamics of e.g., Abelian and non-Abelian gauge theories, by combining the benefits of digital and analog schemes.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Experimental advances with the QICK (Quantum Instrumentation Control Kit) for superconducting quantum hardware

The Quantum Instrumentation Control Kit (QICK) is a standalone open-source qubit controller that was first introduced in 2022. In this follow-up work, we present recent upgrades to the QICK and the experimental use cases they uniquely enabled for superconducting qubit systems. These include multiplexed signal generation and readout, mixer-free readout, predistorted fast flux pulses, and phase-coherent pulses for parametric operations, including high-fidelity parametric entangling gates. We explain in detail how the QICK was used to enable these experiments.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

Modular Quantum Processor with an All-to-All Reconfigurable Router

Superconducting qubits provide a promising approach to large-scale fault-tolerant quantum computing. However, qubit connectivity on a planar surface is typically restricted to only a few neighboring qubits. Achieving longer-range and more flexible connectivity, which is particularly appealing in light of recent developments in error-correcting codes, however, usually involves complex multilayer packaging and external cabling, which is resource intensive and can impose fidelity limitations. Here, we propose and realize a high-speed on-chip quantum processor that supports reconfigurable all-to-all coupling with a large on-off ratio. We implement the design in a four-node quantum processor, built with a modular design comprising a wiring substrate coupled to two separate qubit-bearing substrates, each including two single-qubit nodes. We use this device to demonstrate reconfigurable controlled-𝑍 gates across all qubit pairs, with a benchmarked average fidelity of 96.00% ± 0.08% and best fidelity of 97.14% ± 0.07%, limited mainly by dephasing in the qubits. We also generate multiqubit entanglement, distributed across the separate modules, demonstrating GHZ-3 and GHZ-4 states with fidelities of 88.15% ± 0.24% and 75.18% ± 0.11%, respectively. This approach promises efficient scaling to larger-scale quantum circuits and offers a pathway for implementing quantum algorithms and error-correction schemes that benefit from enhanced qubit connectivity.

Quantum circuits↗

Structural mechanism of Escherichia coli cyanase

Cyanase plays a vital role in the detoxification of cyanate and supplies a continuous nitrogen source for soil microbes by converting cyanate to ammonia and carbon dioxide in a bicarbonate-dependent reaction. The structures of cyanase complexed with dianion inhibitors, in conjunction with biochemical studies, suggest putative binding sites for substrates. However, the substrate-recognition and reaction mechanisms of cyanase remain unclear. Here, crystal structures of cyanase from Escherichia coli were determined in the native form and in complexes with cyanate, bicarbonate and intermediates at 1.5–1.9 Å resolution using synchrotron X-rays and an X-ray free-electron laser. Cyanate and bicarbonate interact with the highly conserved Arg96, Ser122 and Ala123 in the active site. Further, in the presence of a mixture of cyanate and bicarbonate, three different electron densities for intermediates were observed in the cyanase structures. Moreover, the observed electron density could explain the dynamics of the substrate or product. In addition to conformational changes in the substrate-binding pocket, dynamic movement of Leu151 was observed, which functions as a gate for the passage of substrates or products. These findings provide a structural mechanism for the substrate-binding and reaction process of cyanase.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

Characterization of Quantum Frequency Processors

Frequency-bin qubits possess unique synergies with wavelength-multiplexed lightwave communications, suggesting valuable opportunities for quantum networking with the existing fiber-optic infrastructure. Although the coherent manipulation of frequency-bin states requires highly controllable multi-spectral-mode interference, the quantum frequency processor (QFP) provides a scalable path for gate synthesis leveraging standard telecom components. Here, we summarize the state of the art in experimental QFP characterization. Distinguishing between physically motivated “open box” approaches that treat the QFP as a multiport interferometer, and “black box” approaches that view the QFP as a general quantum operation, we highlight the assumptions and results of multiple techniques, including quantum process tomography of a tunable beamsplitter—to our knowledge the first full process tomography of any frequency-bin operation. Our findings should inform future characterization efforts as the QFP increasingly moves beyond proof-of-principle tabletop demonstrations toward integrated devices and deployed quantum networking experiments.

42 ENGINEERING↗

FPGA Computing

The articles in this special section focus on cutting-edge research on topics that relate to field programmable gate arrays (FPGA) in computing.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Optics-Free Chip-Scale Intraoperative Imaging Using NIR-Excited Upconverting Nanoparticles

Here we present an optics-free CMOS image sensor that incorporates a novel time-gated dual-photodiode pixel design to allow filter- and lens-less image acquisition of near-infrared-excited (NIR-excited) upconverting nanoparticles. Recent biomedical advances have highlighted the benefits of NIR excitation, but NIR interaction with silicon has remained a challenge, even with high-performance optical blocking filters. Using a secondary diode and a dual-photodiode design, this sensor is able to remove the 100s of mV of NIR background on pixels and bring it down to single-digit mV level, nearing its noise floor of 2.2 mV rms, not achievable with any optical filter. Non-linear effects of background cancellation using the diode pair has been mitigated using an initial one-time pixel-level curve fitting and calibration in a post-processing setting. This imager comprises a highly linear 11 fF metal-oxide-metal (MOM) capacitor and includes integrated angle-selective gratings to reject oblique light and enhance sharpness. Each pixel also includes two distinct correlated double sampling schemes, to remove low frequency flicker noise and systematic offset in the datapath. We demonstrate the performance of this imager using pulsed NIR-excited upconverting nanoparticles on standard United-States-Air-Force (USAF) resolution targets and achieve an SNR of 15 dB, while keeping NIR background below 6 mV. This 36-by-80-pixel array measures only 2.3 mm by 4.8 mm and can be thinned down to 25 µm, allowing it to become surgically compatible with intraoperative instruments and equipment, while remaining optics-free.

42 ENGINEERING↗