Quantum kinematics in terms of observable quantities and the chirality of entangled two-qubit states.

We consider the kinematics of bipartite quantum states as determined by observable quantities, in particular the Bloch vectors of the subsystems. In examining the simplest case of a pair of two-level systems, there is a remarkable connection between the presence of non-classical correlations and the chirality of the two bases generated by the singular value decomposition of the correlation matrix of the Bloch vectors. We investigate the limits imposed by quantum mechanics of this effect and its relationship with other methods on quantifying the system's non-classical behavior.

Majorization and measures of classical polarization in three dimensions.

There has been much discussion in the literature about rival measures of classical polarization in three dimensions. We gather and compare the various proposed measures of polarization, creating a geometric representation of the polarization state space in the process. We use majorization, previously used in quantum information, as a criterion to establish a partial ordering on the polarization state space. Using this criterion and other considerations, the most useful polarization measure in three dimensions is found to be one dependent on the Bloch vector decomposition of the polarization matrix.

Design of a shape-optimized metallic nanoheater.

We present a structural optimization method for metal nanostructures based on the shape dependency of their electromagnetic (EM) heat dissipation and thermodynamic transfer to the surroundings. We have used a parallel genetic algorithm in conjunction with a coupled EM (finite-difference time-domain) and thermodynamic modeling of the metallic nanostructures for the optimization. The optimized nanostructure demonstrates significant improvement in EM heating in the spectral window of optimization as well as expedited cooling properties. The symmetry of the structures, which is inherent in the design procedure, makes them independent of the polarization at normal incidence and insensitive to the incident direction while incidence is inclined at an angle.

Properties of quasi-homogeneous isotropic electromagnetic sources.

We study the properties of Quasi-Homogeneous Isotropic Electromagnetic (QuHIEM) Sources, a model for partially-coherent secondary light sources beyond the scalar and paraxial approximations. Our results include polarization properties in the far zone and the realizability condition. We demonstrate these results for sources with a degree of coherence described by Gaussians.

Causality and the complete positivity of classical polarization maps.

Mueller and Jones matrices have been thoroughly studied as mathematical tools to describe the manipulation of the polarization state of classical light. In particular, the most general physical transformation on the polarization state has been represented as an ensemble of Jones matrices, as ∑iV(i)ΦV(i)(†). But this has generally been directly assumed without proof by most authors. In this Letter, we derive this expression from simple physical principles and the matrix theory of positive maps.

Superficial swab cultures in open fracture management: insights from a resource-poor setting.

OBJECTIVE: To identify bacterial isolates from superficial swabs of open fracture wounds at presentation and after infection has been established, and to determine if there are correlations between them. METHOD: Patients who presented with open fractures at the Wesley Guild Hospital, Ilesa, Nigeria between December 2004 and May 2006 were recruited into this prospective study. Superficial wound swabs were taken at presentation and if patient showed evidence of wound infection. RESULTS: Sixty patients had open fractures. The initial bacteria culture of wound swabs taken on the day of presentation was positive in 41 (68.3%) patients. Of these, 19 (46.3%) yielded one bacteria isolate, 17 (41.5%) yielded two and 5 (12.2%) yielded three, making a total of 68 organisms. The most common organism was Staphylococcus aureus. However, as a group, more aerobic Gram-negative rods were isolated than any other bacteria groups. Eleven (18.3%) patients developed wound infections, all of which were polymicrobial. In 10 (90.9%) of these, the microbial isolate of the final wound swab included at least one organism that was present in the initial wound culture. No patient with an initial negative culture went on to develop a wound infection. The mean presentation interval of patients with wounds that became infected was 15.2 ± 7.9 hours (95% CI 9.8-20.5 hours) compared with 2.9 ± 3.1 hours (95% CI 2.0-3.8 hours) for those who did not develop a wound infection (p>0.01). CONCLUSION: In a resource-poor setting, where pre-hospital care is unavailable and patients present late, superficial wound swabs are effective in predicting subsequent organisms that may cause wound infections. CONFLICT OF INTEREST: None.

The influence of the degree of cross-polarization on the Hanbury Brown-Twiss effect.

We show, by an example, that the knowledge of the degree of coherence and of the degree of polarization of a light beam incident on two photo detectors is not adequate to predict correlations in the fluctuations of the currents generated in the detectors (the Hanbury Brown-Twiss effect). The knowledge of the so-called degree of cross-polarization, introduced not long ago, is also needed.

A comparison of superficial and deep bacterial presence in open fractures of the lower extremities.

This open prospective study compared the bacterial flora of superficial and deep-wound biopsies and swabs over a 2-year period in 4 different samples cultured from open fracture wounds at the Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospitals Complex, Ile-Ife, Nigeria. Samples were taken from 47 patients with factures graded according to Gustilo and Anderson's classification as grade 1 (2.1%), grade II (29.8%), grade IIIA (36.2%), and grade IIIB (31%). A total of 248 samples were cultured using standard techniques. The incidence of open fracture wounds was 78.7% in male patients and 21.3% in female patients. Tibia fractures constituted 66.1%. A total of 203 bacterial isolates were cultured from 248 samples. Gram-negative bacteria constituted 53.2% of isolates, with Escherichia coli being predominant (12.8%). Staphylococcus aureus were the predominant Gram-positive cocci (15.3%), and Staphylococcus epidermidis (13.3%) may be considered to be the major source of open fracture wound contamination. The bacterial species cultured from superficial and deep-wound swabs and biopsies were similar. Resistance to antimicrobials was high for penicillins (amoxicillin and cloxacillin), with values of 68.6% and 58.3%, respectively, for superficial bacterial species and 58.2% and 31.9%, respectively, for deep-wound biopsies.

Scalable, high-speed measurement-based quantum computer using trapped ions.

We describe a scalable, high-speed, and robust architecture for measurement-based quantum computing with trapped ions. Measurement-based architectures offer a way to speed up operation of a quantum computer significantly by parallelizing the slow entangling operations and transferring the speed requirement to fast measurement of qubits. We show that a 3D cluster state suitable for fault-tolerant measurement-based quantum computing can be implemented on a 2D array of ion traps. We propose the projective measurement of ions via multiphoton photoionization for nanosecond operation and discuss the viability of such a scheme for Ca ions.

Nonexistence of entanglement sudden death in dephasing of high NOON states.

We study the dynamics of entanglement in continuous variable quantum systems. Specifically, we study the phenomena of entanglement sudden death (ESD) in general two-mode-N-photon states undergoing pure dephasing. We show that for these circumstances, ESD never occurs. These states are generalizations of the so-called high NOON states (i.e., a superposition of N photons in the first mode, O in the second, with O photons in the first, N in the second), shown to decrease the Rayleigh limit of lambda to lambda/N, which promises great improvement in resolution of interference patterns if states with large N are physically realized [Phys. Rev. Lett.85, 2733 (2000)]. However, we show that in dephasing NOON states, the time to reach some critical visibility Vcrit, scales inversely with N2. On the practical level, this shows that as N increases, the visibility degrades much faster, which is likely to be a considerable drawback for any practical application of these states.

High-visibility interferometric measurement of the diffraction phase.

We obtain the absolute phase in Fresnel diffraction for Gaussian beams by using a modified polarization Sagnac interferometer in which counterpropagating paths are spatially separated and labeled according to polarization. By erasing the polarization "which-path" information with an analyzing polarizer situated after the modified interferometer, we are able to regain interference and to precisely control the relative intensities of the diffracted and the reference beams. The resulting optimized visibility allows for a precise phase determination. This setup is very stable, requiring no active elements.

Atomic-vapor-based high efficiency optical detectors with photon number resolution.

The ability to detect very weak optical fields with high efficiency (>99%) and to distinguish the number of photons in a given time interval is a very challenging technical problem with enormous potential payoffs in quantum communications and information processing. We propose to employ an atomic vapor as the active medium, prepared in a specific quantum state using laser radiation. The absorption of a photon will be aided by a dressing laser, and the presence or absence of an excited atom will be detected using the "cycling transition" approach perfected for ion traps. By incorporating an appropriate up-conversion scheme, our method can be applied to a wide variety of optical wavelengths.

Stability of the ground state of a harmonic oscillator in a monochromatic wave.

The stability of the ground state of a harmonic oscillator in a monochromatic wave is studied. This model describes, in particular, the dynamics of a cold ion in a linear ion trap, interacting with two laser fields with close frequencies. The stability of the "classical ground state"-the vicinity of the point (x=0,p=0)-is analyzed analytically and numerically. For the quantum case, a method for studying a stability of the quantum ground state is developed, based on the quasienergy representation. It is demonstrated that stability of the ground state may be substantially improved by increasing the resonance number, l, where l=Omega/omega+delta, Omega and omega are, respectively, the wave frequency and the oscillator frequency, l=1,2, em leader, mid R:deltamid R:<1; or by detuning the system from exact resonance, so that delta not equal 0. The influence of a large-amplitude wave (in the presence of chaos) on the stability of the ground state is analyzed for different parameters of the model in both the quantum and classical cases. (c) 2001 American Institute of Physics.

Quantum chaos of an ion trapped in a linear ion trap.

We describe the transition to quantum chaos of an ion trapped in a linear ion trap and interacting with two laser fields. Under the conditions of adiabatic illumination of the upper level of the ion, and when the frequencies of the two laser beams are slightly different, the system is reduced to a quantum linear oscillator interacting with a monochromatic wave. The property of localization over the quantum resonance cells is proposed to exploit in order to facilitate the process of measurement of the probability distribution of an ion on the vibrational levels. In the regime of strong chaos the time-averaged values of the energy and dispersion of energy are computed and compared with the corresponding classical quantities for different values of the perturbation amplitude. In the exact resonance case, the classical analog of the system possesses an infinite inhomogeneous stochastic web. We analyze the quantum dynamics inside the inhomogeneous web. It is shown that the quantum system mimics on average the dynamics of the corresponding classical system. Formation of the quantum resonance cells is illustrated in the case of a finite detuning from the exact resonance, and under increasing of the wave amplitude. The parameters of the model and the initial conditions are close to the real physical situation which can be realized in the system of cold trapped ion perturbed by two lasers fields with close frequencies. (c) 2000 American Institute of Physics.