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153 records · Page 9

NASA Tech Briefs, May 2011

Topics covered include: 1) Method to Estimate the Dissolved Air Content in Hydraulic Fluid; 2) Method for Measuring Collimator-Pointing Sensitivity to Temperature Changes; 3) High-Temperature Thermometer Using Cr-Doped GdAlO3 Broadband Luminescence; 4)Metrology Arrangement for Measuring the Positions of Mirrors of a Submillimeter Telescope; 5) On-Wafer S-Parameter Measurements in the 325-508-GHz Band; 6) Reconfigurable Microwave Phase Delay Element for Frequency Reference and Phase-Shifter Applications; 7) High-Speed Isolation Board for Flight Hardware Testing; 8) High-Throughput, Adaptive FFT Architecture for FPGA-Based Spaceborne Data Processors; 9) 3D Orbit Visualization for Earth-Observing Missions; 10) MaROS: Web Visualization of Mars Orbiting and Landed Assets; 11) RAPID: Collaborative Commanding and Monitoring of Lunar Assets; 12) Image Segmentation, Registration, Compression, and Matching; 13) Image Calibration; 14) Rapid ISS Power Availability Simulator; 15) A Method of Strengthening Composite/Metal Joints; 16) Pre-Finishing of SiC for Optical Applications; 17) Optimization of Indium Bump Morphology for Improved Flip Chip Devices; 18) Measuring Moisture Levels in Graphite Epoxy Composite Sandwich Structures; 19) Marshall Convergent Spray Formulation Improvement for High Temperatures; 20) Real-Time Deposition Monitor for Ultrathin Conductive Films; 21) Optimized Li-Ion Electrolytes Containing Triphenyl Phosphate as a Flame-Retardant Additive; 22) Radiation-Resistant Hybrid Lotus Effect for Achieving Photoelectrocatalytic Self-Cleaning Anticontamination Coatings; 23) Improved, Low-Stress Economical Submerged Pipeline; 24) Optical Fiber Array Assemblies for Space Flight on the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter; 25) Local Leak Detection and Health Monitoring of Pressurized Tanks; 26) Dielectric Covered Planar Antennas at Submillimeter Wavelengths for Terahertz Imaging; 27) Automated Cryocooler Monitor and Control System; 28) Broadband Achromatic Phase Shifter for a Nulling Interferometer; 29) Super Dwarf Wheat for Growth in Confined Spaces; 30) Fine Guidance Sensing for Coronagraphic Observatories; 31) Single-Antenna Temperature- and Humidity-Sounding Microwave Receiver; 32) Multi-Wavelength, Multi-Beam, and Polarization-Sensitive Laser Transmitter for Surface Mapping; 33) Optical Communications Link to Airborne Transceiver; 34) Ascent Heating Thermal Analysis on Spacecraft Adaptor Fairings; 35) Entanglement in Self-Supervised Dynamics; 36) Prioritized LT Codes; 37) Fast Image Texture Classification Using Decision Trees; 38) Constraint Embedding Technique for Multibody System Dynamics; 39) Improved Systematic Pointing Error Model for the DSN Antennas; 40) Observability and Estimation of Distributed Space Systems via Local Information-Exchange Networks; 41) More-Accurate Model of Flows in Rocket Injectors; 42) In-Orbit Instrument-Pointing Calibration Using the Moon as a Target; 43) Reliability of Ceramic Column Grid Array Interconnect Packages Under Extreme Temperatures; 44) Six Degrees-of-Freedom Ascent Control for Small-Body Touch and Go; and 45) Optical-Path-Difference Linear Mechanism for the Panchromatic Fourier Transform Spectrometer.

Source record↗

Optically heralded microwave photon addition

Photons with optical frequencies of a few hundred terahertz are perhaps the only way to distribute quantum information over long distances. Superconducting qubits, which are one of the most promising approaches for realizing large-scale quantum machines, operate on microwave photons at frequencies that are ~40,000 times lower. To network these quantum machines across appreciable distances, we must bridge this frequency gap. Here we implement and demonstrate a transducer that can generate correlated optical and microwave photons. In this study, we use it to show that by detecting an optical photon we generate an added microwave photon with an efficiency of ~35%. Our device uses a gigahertz nanomechanical resonance as an intermediary, which efficiently couples to optical and microwave channels through strong optomechanical and piezoelectric interactions. We show continuous operation of the transducer with 5% frequency conversion efficiency, input-referred added noise of ~100, and pulsed microwave photon generation at a heralding rate of 15 Hz. Optical absorption in the device generates thermal noise of less than two microwave photons. Improvements of the system efficiencies and device performance are necessary to realize a high rate of entanglement generation between distant microwave-frequency quantum nodes, but these enhancements are within reach.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Quantum Interferometry

Recently, several researchers, including yours truly, have been able to demonstrate theoretically that quantum photon entanglement has the potential to also revolutionize the entire field of optical interferometry, by providing many orders of magnitude improvement in interferometer sensitivity. The quantum entangled photon interferometer approach is very general and applies to many types of interferometers. In particular, without nonlocal entanglement, a generic classical interferometer has a statistical-sampling shot-noise limited sensitivity that scales like 1/Sqrt[N], where N is the number of particles (photons, electrons, atoms, neutrons) passing through the interferometer per unit time. However, if carefully prepared quantum correlations are engineered between the particles, then the interferometer sensitivity improves by a factor of Sqrt[N] (square root of N) to scale like 1/N, which is the limit imposed by the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle. For optical (laser) interferometers operating at milliwatts of optical power, this quantum sensitivity boost corresponds to an eight-order-of-magnitude improvement of signal to noise. Applications are to tests of General Relativity such as ground and orbiting optical interferometers for gravity wave detection, Laser Interferometer Gravity Observatory (LIGO) and the European Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA), respectively.

Dowling, Jonathan P.↗

Astrometry in two-photon interferometry using an Earth rotation fringe scan

Optical interferometers may not require a phase-stable optical link between the stations if instead sources of quantum-mechanically entangled pairs could be provided to them, enabling long baselines. We developed a new variation of this idea, proposing that photons from two different astronomical sources could be interfered at two decoupled stations. Interference products can then be calculated in post-processing or requiring only a slow, classical connection between stations. In this work, we investigated practical feasibility of this approach. We developed a Bayesian analysis method for the earth rotation fringe scanning technique and showed that in the limit of high signal-to-noise ratio it reproduced the results from a simple Fisher matrix analysis. Here we identify candidate stair pairs in the northern hemisphere, where this technique could be applied. With two telescopes with an effective collecting area of ~ 2 m 2 , we could detect fringing and measure the astrometric separation of the sources at ~100 μas precision in a few hours of observations, in agreement with previous estimates.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗

High-throughput spin-bath characterization of spin defects in semiconductors

Detailed knowledge of the local environments of spin defects in semiconductors, such as nitrogenvacancy (NV) centers in diamond or divacancies in silicon carbide, is crucial for optimizing control and entanglement protocols in quantum sensing and information applications. However, at present a direct experimental characterization of individual defect environments is not scalable, as conventional spin-bath measurements are time consuming and difficult to automate. Achieving high-throughput characterization requires short experiments to probe the spin bath. However, with fewer and noisier measurements, the inverse problem of recovering spin-bath properties from measured data becomes ill posed, with multiple spin baths having a high likelihood of yielding the same data. In this work, we present a set of computational tools to resolve the ill-posed inverse problem of recovering the atomic positions and hyperfine couplings of random nuclei surrounding spin defects from sparse, noisy experimental coherence data, which can be obtained in hours. Here, we use a trans-dimensional Bayesian approach that incorporates ab initio data to yield full posterior distributions over nuclear spin environments, enabling robust recovery from limited data. We also provide practical tools and guidelines to determine the limits of detectability for hyperfine couplings under specific dynamical decoupling sequences and sampling conditions. In addition, we demonstrate how the tools developed here, in combination with ab initio simulations of spin baths, can guide the design of efficient experimental protocols for application-specific high-throughput screening. To showcase the utility of our approach, we apply it to design fast dynamical decoupling experiments to characterize the spin baths often individual NV centers in diamond. While the primary focus is on accelerating spin-bath characterization of spin defects, this Bayesian approach also lays the foundation for digital-twin studies of spin defects, where a virtual model of the spin-defect system evolves in real time with ongoing experimental measurements. Together, the set of tools we designed and applied paves the way for scalable deployment of spin defects in semiconductors for quantum sensing and information applications.

Bayesian methods↗

The Abundance of Interstellar Fluorine

The primary objective of this program was to obtain FUSE observations of the interstellar absorption lines of F I at 951 and 954 Angstroms to derive the abundance of fluorine toward the star HD 164816. The nucleosynthetic source(s) of fluorine are still a matter of debate - the present day abundance of fluorine can potentially constrain models for pulsationally driven dredge-up in asymptotic giant branch stars. An accurate measure for the depletion behavior of fluorine will determine whether it may be detectable in QSO absorption line systems - an unambiguous detection of fluorine at suitably high redshifts would provide the best evidence to date for the neutrino process in massive stars. Furthermore, due to its extreme reactivity, measurement of the gas-phase interstellar fluorine abundance is important for models of grain chemistry. Despite the importance of measuring the interstellar fluorine abundance, at the time of our proposal only one previous detection has been made due to the low relative abundance of fluorine, the lack of lines outside the far-UV, and the blending of the available F I transitions with lines of Hz. The star HD 164816 is associated with the Lagoon nebula (M8), and at a distance of approximately 1.5 kpc probes both distant and local gas. Beginning April 8th, 2004 FUSE FP-Split observations of the star HD 164816 were obtained for this program. This data became available in the FUSE data archive May 21, 2004, and these observations were then downloaded and we began our analysis. Our analysis procedure has involved (1) fitting stellar models to the FUSE spectra, (2) using the multiple lines of Hz and N I at other wavelengths in the FUSE bandpass to derive column densities for the lines of H2 and N I which are blended with the F I features at 951 and 954 angstroms (3) the measurement of the column densities of F I and the species O I and C1 I which are important species for the dis-entangling of dust and nucleosynthetic effects. As discussed in our poster paper presented at the Winter 2005 American Astronomical Society meeting (Lauroesch et al. 2004, AAS, 205, 57.06), our analysis of the data taken for this star suggests that the observed fluorine gas-phase abundance (and hence inferred depletion onto dust grains) are consistent with previous measures toward delta Sco (Copernicus) and two recent measures toward stars in Cep OB2 obtained by others with FUSE. We are currently revising the draft a paper for submission to the Astrophysical Journal which presents the results of these observations and in addition our recently obtained FUSE observations of another star (HD 103779, FUSE GO program D073) which shows an apparent slight enhancement in the gas-phase fluorine abundance.

Lauroesch, James T.↗

Confirming X-ray Parametric Down Conversion by Time-Energy Correlation

We present measurements of X-ray Parametric Down Conversion at the Advanced Photon Source synchrotron facility. Using an incoming pump beam at 22 keV, we observe the simultaneous, elastic emission of down-converted photon pairs generated in a diamond crystal. The pairs are detected using high count rate silicon drift detectors with low noise. Production by down-conversion is confirmed by measuring time-energy correlations in the detector signal, where photon pairs within an energy window ranging from 10 to 12 keV are only observed at short time differences. By systematically varying the crystal misalignment and detector positions, we obtain results that are consistent with the constant total of the down-converted signal. Our maximum rate of observed pairs was 130 /hour, corresponding to a conversion efficiency for the down-conversion process of 5.3±0.5×10 -13 .

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗

Quantum Sensing of Electric Fields Using Spin-Correlated Radical Ion Pairs

Quantum sensing affords the possibility of using quantum entanglement to probe electromagnetic fields with exquisite sensitivity. In this work, we show that a photogenerated spin-correlated radical ion pair (SCRP) can be used to sense an electric field change created at one radical ion of the pair using molecular recognition. The SCRP is generated within a covalent donor–chromophore–acceptor system PXX–PMI–NDI, 1, where PXX = peri-xanthenoxanthene, PMI = 1,6-bis(p-t-butylphenoxy)perylene-3,4-dicarboximide, and NDI = naphthalene-1,8:4,5-bis(dicarboximide). The electron-rich PXX donor in 1 acts as a guest molecule that can be encapsulated selectively by a tetracationic cyclophane ExBox4+ host to give a supramolecular complex 1 ⊂ ExBox 4+ . Selective photoexcitation of the PMI chromophore results in ultrafast generation of the PXX •+ –PMI–NDI •– SCRP. When PXX is encapsulated by ExBox 4+ , the cyclophane generates an electric field that repels the positive charge on PXX •+ within PXX •+ –PMI–NDI •– , reducing the SCRP distance, i.e., the distance between the centers-of-charge on the donor and acceptor. Pulse-EPR measurements are used to measure the coherent oscillations created primarily by the electron–electron dipolar coupling in the SCRP, which yields the distance between the two charges (spins) of PXX •+ –PMI–NDI •– . Here, the experimental results show that the distance between PXX •+ and NDI •– decreases when ExBox 4+ encapsulates PXX •+ , which demonstrates that the SCRP can function as a quantum sensor to detect electric field changes in the vicinity of the radical ions.

Anions↗

The Role of Quantum Science Concepts in Enhancing Sensing and Imaging Technologies: Applications for Biology: Proceedings of a Workshop

Quantum concepts hold the potential to enable significant advances in sensing and imaging technologies that could be vital to the study of biological systems. The workshop Quantum Science Concepts in Enhancing Sensing and Imaging Technologies: Applications for Biology, held online March 8–10, 2021, was organized to examine the research and development needs to advance biological applications of quantum technology. Hosted by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, the event brought together experts working on state-of-the-art, quantum-enabled technologies and scientists who are interested in applying these technologies to biological systems. Through talks, panels, and discussions, the workshop facilitated a better understanding of the current and future biological applications of quantum-enabled technologies in fields such as microbiology, molecular biology, cell biology, plant science, mycology, and many others. The workshop was organized around three main themes. The first, quantum in biology, examined quantum concepts that are hypothesized to be important for life processes and that researchers are working to observe through biological imaging and sensing. The second, quantum for biology, addressed ways to use quantum concepts to enhance technologies for biological imaging and sensing. The third, biology for quantum, offered a wider discussion of how the frontiers of biological imaging and sensing could enable future study using quantum concepts, tools, or technologies. Throughout the workshop, participants identified a wide range of emerging approaches and opportunities at the intersection of quantum physics and biological sensing and imaging. During the workshop, there were some differences in how each speaker defined the term quantum. During one of the panels, Prem Kumar offered thoughts on what phenomena are classical versus quantum, explaining that techniques get progressively more quantum as you move from just having superposition to having superposition with measurement and entanglement. Another explanation from Clarice Aiello delineates the definition into several levels. This includes a base level of “quantum-ness,” which reflects that all matter is made of atoms, and when these particles are isolated they behave based on quantum mechanical principles. A second level is related to quantum coherence, where a single quantum object might be found in a coherent superposition state. A final level, which she described as the quantum-entangled level, involves multiple quantum systems which are entangled among themselves. Overall, the workshop touched on concepts such as superposition, entanglement, and squeezing and their potential implications for communication, computing, and simulation, in addition to the workshop’s main focal area, biological sensing and imaging. At the opening of the workshop, Thorsten Ritz of the University of California, Irvine, identified two questions at the heart of quantum biology: Is the machinery of life quantum mechanical, and can quantum mechanics be used to study the machinery of life in new ways? Participants highlighted systems in which researchers have explored these questions, from the vast array of molecular interactions involved in biological processes such as photosynthesis, to the mechanics involved in cellular functions such as differentiation and aggregation, to the role of oscillating magnetic fields in flight orientation among birds. Sensing and imaging technologies are crucial to biological research; these technologies could both enhance the study of quantum effects and be enhanced by quantum concepts. A critical challenge in biological research is to develop imaging and sensing tools that do not damage or interfere with the often fragile and fleeting systems being studied. Attendees discussed a variety of established and emerging technologies that could enhance noninvasive biological imaging, including single- and two-photon spectroscopy, single-molecule spectroscopy, quantum illumination, ghost imaging, and cryo-electron microscopy. One example came from Marlan Scully who gave a keynote address on the first day of the workshop. Scully emphasized the use of different laser technologies, which exhibit coherence and other quantum properties, in moving toward real-world biological applications, such as the detection of SARS-CoV-2. Both tools and theory will play an important role in advancing quantum biology research and applications. Several participants suggested theorists and experimentalists should work in tandem to understand and model biological processes. While physics often reduces systems to their simplest forms for fundamental insights, participants also noted the value of observing and understanding biological systems in all their “messiness,” capturing both the inner workings of biological systems and the complex interactions that occur within and between organisms. In discussions among participants, several attendees stressed the need to match emerging tools with the right scientific questions. Rather than developing quantum technologies as “a hammer looking for a nail,” participants emphasized a focus on exploring the problems these technologies are best suited to address. For example, it is important to consider the size of the phenomenon being studied, the timescales that are important in answering the scientific question, and other relevant considerations. Every tool along the spectrum from classical to quantum involves its own set of trade-offs. For example, Ted Laurence of the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory said that quantum measurements, such as single photon counting, fluorescence transitions, and lasers, can take longer to produce the same results as classical measurements. These quantum measurements, however, do not require calibration and can enable new research questions to be answered. Prem Kumar, Northwestern University, noted that, despite their promise, quantum approaches should not be used simply for the sake of using quantum, especially in situations where classical approaches better meet the needs of the researcher. Understanding and applying quantum concepts could enable advances in a wide range of application areas including energy, synthetic biology, medicine, and sustainability. For example, Michelle O’Malley, University of California, Santa Barbara, described how improved noninvasive imaging approaches could help capture the complex interactions and functions involved in the breakdown of organic matter by microbial communities and lead to new technologies for capturing valuable products from plant waste. Several other participants discussed needs in tracking the movement of metabolites and molecules in microbial communities for insights into nutrient cycling in environments such as soil. Margaret Ahmad, Sorbonne University, discussed potential opportunities to leverage the magnetic properties of cryptochromes to advance new treatment approaches for diseases such as COVID-19 and cancer. Looking toward the future development of the field, participants discussed challenges to advancing quantum biology that arise from disciplinary disconnects between physicists and biologists. The siloing of academic research disciplines represents a significant barrier to progress. Disconnects in terminology, motivations and priorities, and structural barriers to collaborative work underscore the need for concerted efforts to bridge these divides. Attendees and speakers offered suggestions for resolving these divergences, establishing a shared language, moving the field forward, and fostering meaningful feedback between disciplines. Overall, participants stressed a need for balance, open communication, collaboration, unity, and clear dialogue on trade-offs between quantum and classical approaches. Keiko Torii, The University of Texas at Austin, said that the best collaborations happen when the project provides mutual advantages that can show off everyone’s talents, each team finds the work interesting, and partners develop a camaraderie to pursue new knowledge. To enable near- and long-term opportunities in this space, participants suggested that exploratory, high-risk funding could improve existing instrumentation to explore quantum enhancement collaboratively. They also emphasized the need for collaboration between quantum physicists and sensing/imaging scientists, which could be advanced through a dedicated quantum biology investigator program. People, even more than technology, will be crucial to the future of quantum biology. Participants explored training, education, and workforce needs to further develop this burgeoning field and cultivate the next generation of scientists. While many programs are still in their nascent stages, participants highlighted examples of approaches and programs being developed at various types of institutions to engage students and professional scientists in quantum biology research. Several participants stressed the need for an inclusive approach, spanning disciplines as well as communities to foster a diverse field fueled by the intellectual contributions of a wide range of people, including historically under-resourced schools and students. To increase awareness and excitement about quantum physics and related areas of biology, attendees suggested capitalizing on the “buzz” around quantum. Several participants emphasized the need to start early, introducing students to quantum concepts and their appealing “weirdness” in K–12 education. Engaging students early—before they become entrenched in traditional disciplinary siloes as typically happens in graduate school—could help to galvanize interest in the area and foster a generation of scientists with the interdisciplinary mindset and skills needed to advance this interdisciplinary field. While these efforts could be advanced at many levels and across multiple sectors, several participants suggested a national quantum biology center could be a valuable hub to coordinate and support quantum biology education and workforce development across academia, industry, and government.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗