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The biochemical activity inside a cell has recently been suggested to act as a source of hydrodynamic fluctuations that can speed up or slow down enzyme catalysis [Tripathi et al., Commun. Phys. 5, 101 (2022).] The idea has been tested against and largely corroborated by simulations of activated barrier crossing in a simple fluid in the presence of thermal and athermal noise. The present paper attempts a wholly analytic solution to the same noise-driven barrier crossing problem but generalizes it to include viscoelastic memory effects of the kind likely to be present in cellular interiors. A calculation of the model's barrier crossing rate, using Kramers' flux-over-population formalism, reveals that in relation to the case where athermal noise is absent, athermal noise always accelerates barrier crossing, though the extent of enhancement depends on the duration τ0 over which the noise acts. More importantly, there exists a critical τ0—determined by the properties of the medium—at which Kramers' theory breaks down and, on approach to which, the rate grows significantly. The possibility of such a giant enhancement is potentially open to experimental validation using optically trapped nanoparticles in viscoelastic media that are acted on by externally imposed colored noise. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Colloidal probes are often used in force microscopy when the geometry of the tip–sample interaction should be well controlled. Their calibration requires an understanding of their mechanical response, which is very sensitive to the details of the force sensor consisting of a cantilever and the attached colloid. We present some analytical models to describe the dynamics of the cantilever and its load positioned anywhere along its length. The thermal noise calibration of such probes is then studied from a practical point of view, leading to correction coefficients that can be applied in standard force microscope calibration routines. Experimental measurements of resonance frequencies and thermal noise profiles of raw and loaded cantilevers demonstrate the validity of the approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During devitrification, pre-existing crystallites grow by adding particles to their surface via a process that is either thermally activated (diffusive mode) or happens without kinetic barriers (fast crystal growth mode). It is yet unclear what factors determine the crystal growth mode and how to predict it. With simulations of repulsive hard-sphere-like (Weeks–Chandler–Andersen) glasses, we show for the first time that the same system at the same volume fraction and temperature can devitrify via both modes depending on the preparation protocol of the glass. We prepare two types of glass: conventional glass (CG) via fast quenching and uniform glass (UG) via density homogenization. First, we bring either glass into contact with a crystal (X) and find the inherent structure (CGX/UGX). During energy minimization, the crystal front grows deep into the CG interface, while the growth is minimal for UG. When thermal noise is added, this behavior is reflected in different crystallization dynamics. CGX exhibits a density drop at the crystal growth front, which correlates with enhanced dynamics at the interface and a fast growth mode. This mechanism may explain the faster crystal growth observed below the glass transition experimentally. In contrast, UGX grows via intermittent avalanche-like dynamics localized at the interface, a combination of localized mechanical defects and the exceptional mechanical stability imposed by the UG glass phase. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The turbulent ionosphere causes phase shifts to incoming radio waves on a broad range of temporal and spatial scales. When an interferometer is not sufficiently calibrated for the direction-dependent ionospheric effects, the time-varying phase shifts can cause the signal to decorrelate. The ionosphere's influence over various spatiotemporal scales introduces a baseline-dependent effect on the interferometric array. We study the impact of baseline-dependent decorrelation on high-redshift observations with the Low Frequency Array (LOFAR). Data sets with a range of ionospheric corruptions are simulated using a thin-screen ionosphere model, and calibrated using the state-of-the-art LOFAR epoch of reionization pipeline. For the first time ever, we show the ionospheric impact on various stages of the calibration process including an analysis of the transfer of gain errors from longer to shorter baselines using realistic end-to-end simulations. We find that direction-dependent calibration for source subtraction leaves excess power of up to two orders of magnitude above the thermal noise at the largest spectral scales in the cylindrically averaged autopower spectrum under normal ionospheric conditions. However, we demonstrate that this excess power can be removed through Gaussian process regression, leaving no excess power above the 10 per cent level for a |$5~$| km diffractive scale. We conclude that ionospheric errors, in the absence of interactions with other aggravating effects, do not constitute a dominant component in the excess power observed in LOFAR epoch of reionization observations of the North Celestial Pole. Future work should therefore focus on less spectrally smooth effects, such as beam modelling errors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Even a relatively weak drive force is enough to push a typical nanomechanical resonator into the nonlinear regime. Consequently, nonlinearities are widespread in nanomechanics and determine the critical characteristics of nanoelectromechanical systems' (NEMSs) resonators. A thorough understanding of the nonlinear dynamics of higher eigenmodes of NEMS resonators would be beneficial for progress, given their use in applications and fundamental studies. Here, we characterize the nonlinearity and the linear dynamic range (LDR) of each eigenmode of two nanomechanical beam resonators with different intrinsic tension values up to eigenmode n = 11. We find that the modal Duffing constant increases as n4, while the critical amplitude for the onset of nonlinearity decreases as 1 / n. The LDR, determined from the ratio of the critical amplitude to the thermal noise amplitude, increases weakly with n. Our findings are consistent with our theory treating the beam as a string, with the nonlinearity emerging from stretching at high amplitudes. These scaling laws, observed in experiments and validated theoretically, can be leveraged for pushing the limits of NEMS-based sensing even further. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As field effect transistors are reduced to nanometer dimensions, experimental and theoretical research has shown a gradual change in noise generation mechanisms. There are few studies on noise theory for small nanoscale transistors, and Monte Carlo (MC) simulations mainly focus on 2D devices with larger nanoscale dimensions. In this study, we employed MC simulation techniques to establish a 3D device simulation process. By setting device parameters and writing simulation programs, we simulated the raw data of channel current noise for a silicon-based metal–oxide–semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET) with a 10 nm channel length and calculated the drain output current based on these data, thereby achieving static testing of the simulated device. Additionally, this study obtained a 3D potential distribution map of the device channel surface area. Based on the original data from the simulation analysis, this study further calculated the power spectral density of the channel current noise and analyzed how the channel current noise varies with gate voltage, source–drain voltage, temperature, and substrate doping density. The results indicate that under low-temperature conditions, the channel current noise of the 10 nm MOSFET is primarily composed of suppressed shot noise, with the proportion of thermal noise in the total noise slightly increasing as temperature rises. Under normal operating conditions, the channel current noise characteristics of the 10 nm MOSFET device are jointly characterized by suppressed shot noise, thermal noise, and cross-correlated noise. Among these noise components, shot noise is the main source of noise, and its suppression degree decreases as the bias voltage is reduced. These findings are consistent with experimental observations and theoretical analyses found in the existing literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the realm weak force sensing, an important issue is to suppress fundamental noise (quantum noise and thermal noise), as they limit the accuracy of force measurement. In this study, a weak force sensing scheme that combines a degenerate optical parametric amplifier (OPA) and an auxiliary mechanical oscillator into a cavity optomechanical system to reduce quantum noise is investigated. It is demonstrated that the noise reduction of two coupled oscillators depends on their norm mode splitting. and provide a classic analogy and quantum perspective for further clarification. Besides, the noise reduction mechanism of OPA is to reduce the fluctuation of photon number and enhance the squeezing of the cavity field. A specific design is proposed that aimed at enhancing the joint effect of both, beyond what can be achieved using OPA alone or two series coupled oscillators. This scheme provides a new perspective for deeper understanding of cavity field squeezing and auxiliary oscillator in force sensing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A proposal is made on how to manipulate photon blockades (PBs) and photon‐induced tunneling (PIT) in an optomechanical cavity with a Bose‐Einstein Condensate. It is shown that the single‐photon blockade (1PB) can emerge with appropriate scattering strength between atoms. Further, by tuning interatomic scattering strength, the switch between 1PB and PIT at the fixed optical detuning can be realized in interatomic repulsion or attraction conditions. The enhancement of 1PB can also be achieved. The scattering control of PBs can be understood from the perspective of the anharmonicity of the energy levels modulated by the interatomic collision. Such a system can be equivalent to a conventional optomechanical system plus an interatomic scattering term. It is found that although there are no PBs in the conventional optomechanical system, in the BEC optomechanical system (BECOMS), PBs can occur at the fixed optical detuning. Moreover, the BECOMS can exhibit stronger 1PB under the same optomechanical coupling intensity. Due to the advantages of intrinsic strong optomechanical nonlinearity and the negligible thermal noise of the mechanical environment, BECOMS is promising for experimental realization of PBs. The results open new possibilities for manipulating few‐photon states in quantum regime in cavity optomechanics with a Bose‐Einstein Condensate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

State-of-the-art optical cavities are pivotal in pushing the envelope of laser frequency stability below 10−16. This is often achieved by extending the cavity length or cooling the system to cryogenic temperatures to reduce the thermal noise floor. In our study, we present a 30-cm-long cavity that operates at room temperature and is outfitted with crystalline coatings. The system has a predicted ultralow thermal noise floor of 4.4 × 10−17, comparable to what is observed in cryogenic silicon cavities. A 1397-nm laser is stabilized in this advanced cavity, and the stable frequency is then transferred to the clock transition in strontium optical lattice clocks via a frequency-doubling process. We have meticulously minimized and assessed the technical noise contributions through comparisons with an ultrastable reference laser that is locked to a commercially available 30-cm cavity. The frequency instability of the system is rigorously evaluated using a three-cornered-hat method. The results demonstrate that the laser frequency instability remains below 2 × 10−16 for averaging times ranging from 1 to 50 s. These findings underscore the significant potential of room-temperature cavities with crystalline coatings in high-precision metrology and pave the way for further improvements in optical lattice clocks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study the metastability, internal frequencies, activation mechanism, energy transfer, and the collective base-flipping in a mesoscopic DNA via resonance with specific electric fields. Our new mesoscopic DNA model takes into account not only the issues of helicity and the coupling of an electric field with the base dipole moments, but also includes environmental effects, such as fluid viscosity and thermal noise. Also, all the parameter values are chosen to best represent the typical values for the opening and closing dynamics of a DNA. Our study shows that while the mesoscopic DNA is metastable and robust to environmental effects, it is vulnerable to certain frequencies that could be targeted by specific THz fields for triggering its collective base-flipping dynamics and causing large amplitude separation of base pairs. Based on applying the Freidlin–Wentzell method of stochastic averaging and the newly developed theory of resonant enhancement to our mesoscopic DNA model, our semi-analytic estimates show that the required fields should be THz fields with frequencies around 0.28 THz and with amplitudes in the order of 450 kV/cm. These estimates compare well with the experimental data of Titova et al., which have demonstrated that they could affect the function of DNA in human skin tissues by THz pulses with frequencies around 0.5 THz and with a peak electric field at 220 kV/cm. Moreover, our estimates also conform to a number of other experimental results, which appeared in the last couple years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we analyze, under realistic experimental conditions, entanglement and quantum discord in a two-mode Gaussian state ρAB coupled to a thermal reservoir. The mode A(B) is generated during the first(second) transition of a nondegenerate three-level laser. The gain medium of the laser is a set of three-level atoms in a cascade configuration. The atoms are prepared initially in a superposition of the upper and lower levels. In the good cavity-limit, applying the master equation we obtain the covariance matrix of the state ρAB at steady-state. We use the entanglement of formation and the Gaussian quantum discord to quantify entanglement and quantum correlations beyond entanglement, respectively. The two indicators of nonclassicality are defined by means of the von Neumann entropy, and obtained as functions of the parameters characterizing the physical and environmental parameters of the state ρAB, i.e. atomic coherence, dissipation and thermal photon number. As results, we find that maximum entanglement and discord could be achieved by adjusting the degree of atomic coherence. In contrary to the expectation based on the assumption that entanglement is a part of quantum discord, it is found that the latter can be less than the former. Under thermal noise effect, we find that quantum discord measured when the state ρAB exhibits entanglement diminishes drastically, while that measured when the ρAB is separable displays a relatively robust behavior seeming to be captured over a wide range of temperature. Our results assert that nondegenerate three-level lasers may play a crucial role in the implementation of quantum processing tasks, particularly those who do not need entangled states. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multistate memory systems have the ability to store and process more data in the same physical space as binary memory systems, making them a potential alternative to existing binary memory systems. In the past, it has been demonstrated that voltage-controlled magnetic anisotropy (VCMA) based writing is highly energy-efficient compared to other writing methods used in non-volatile nano-magnetic binary memory systems. In this study, we introduce a new, VCMA-based and skyrmion-mediated non-volatile ternary memory system using a perpendicular magnetic tunnel junction (p-MTJ) in the presence of room temperature thermal perturbation. We have also shown that ternary states {− 1, 0, + 1} can be implemented with three magnetoresistance values obtained from a p-MTJ corresponding to ferromagnetic up, down, and skyrmion state, with 99% switching probability in the presence of room temperature thermal noise in an energy-efficient way, requiring ~ 2 fJ energy on an average for each switching operation. Additionally, we show that our proposed ternary memory demonstrates an improvement in area and energy by at least 2X and ~ 104X respectively, compared to state-of-the-art spin-transfer torque (STT)-based non-volatile magnetic multistate memories. Furthermore, these three states can be potentially utilized for energy-efficient, high-density in-memory quantized deep neural network implementation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We propose an effective method for removing thermal vibrations that complicate the task of analyzing complex dynamics in atomistic simulation of condensed matter. Our method iteratively subtracts thermal noises or perturbations in atomic positions using a denoising score function trained on synthetically noised but otherwise perfect crystal lattices. The resulting denoised structures clearly reveal underlying crystal order while retaining disorder associated with crystal defects. Purely geometric, agnostic to interatomic potentials, and trained without inputs from explicit simulations, our denoiser can be applied to simulation data generated from vastly different interatomic interactions. The denoiser is shown to improve existing classification methods, such as common neighbor analysis and polyhedral template matching, reaching perfect classification accuracy on a recent benchmark dataset of thermally perturbed structures up to the melting point. Demonstrated here in a wide variety of atomistic simulation contexts, the denoiser is general, robust, and readily extendable to delineate order from disorder in structurally and chemically complex materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Achieving fast gates and long coherence times for superconducting qubits presents challenges, typically requiring either a stronger coupling of the drive line or an excessively strong microwave signal to the qubit. To address this, we introduce on-chip filters of the qubit drive exhibiting a stopband at the qubit frequency, thus enabling long coherence times and strong coupling at the subharmonic frequency, facilitating fast single-qubit gates, and reduced thermal load. The filters exhibit an extrinsic relaxation time of a few seconds while enabling sub-10-ns gates with subharmonic control. Here we show up to 200-fold improvement in the measured relaxation time at the stopband. Furthermore, we implement subharmonic driving of Rabi oscillations with a π pulse duration of 12 ns. Our demonstration of on-chip filters and efficient subharmonic driving in a two-dimensional quantum processor paves the way for a scalable qubit architecture with reduced thermal load and noise from the control line. Qubit development demands two conflicting requirements: good isolation from the environment and yet a strong coupling with control drive lines. This work addresses this issue, by implementing an on-chip filter that decouples a superconducting qubit from resonant modes of the environments, while achieving strong coupling with low-frequency modes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A single nitrogen-vacancy (NV) center in a diamond can be used as a nanoscale sensor for magnetic field, electric field or nuclear spins. Due to its low photon detection efficiency, such sensing processes often take a long time, suffering from an electron spin resonance (ESR) frequency fluctuation induced by the time-varying thermal perturbations noise. Thus, suppressing the thermal noise is the fundamental way to enhance single-sensor performance, which is typically achieved by utilizing a thermal control protocol with a complicated and highly costly apparatus if a millikelvin-level stabilization is required. Here, we analyze the real-time thermal drift and utilize an active way to alternately track the single-spin ESR frequency drift in the experiment. Using this method, we achieve a temperature stabilization effect equivalent to sub-millikelvin (0.8 mK) level with no extra environmental thermal control, and the spin-state readout contrast is significantly improved in long-lasting experiments. This method holds broad applicability for NV-based single-spin experiments and harbors the potential for prospective expansion into diverse nanoscale quantum sensing domains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This work aims to improve the speed of balanced SSFP (bSSFP) acquisition with segmented 3D stack‐of‐spirals for functional brain studies at ultrahigh field. Methods: Functional experiments were performed with an accelerated 3D stack‐of‐spirals sequence with water excitation for fat suppression. The resulting data were reconstructed using an iterative algorithm with corrections for system imperfections such as trajectory deviations and B0 inhomogeneity. In the first set of experiments, we evaluated the signal change and stability with respect to echo and TR for a full‐field checkerboard stimulus. To demonstrate the high spatio‐temporal resolution of the developed method, the results of three optimized protocols at submillimeter resolution (0.6‐mm isotropic and 0.8‐mm isotropic) and at 1.2 mm isotropic resolution for whole‐brain coverage were shown. Results: Water excitation and the model‐based iterative reconstruction improved image quality. The BOLD‐related signal changes increased with longer TE and longer TR. We observed an increase in thermal noise performance at lower TE and higher TR. However, signal stability deteriorates at higher TE and TR. Therefore, optimized protocols used shorter TE and moderately long TR to maximize the sensitivity and speed. Reproducible activations were detected along the gray‐matter gyri in the submillimeter protocols with a median signal change of approximately 4% across subjects. Conclusions: Three‐dimensional stack‐of‐spirals enables passband balanced SSFP functional imaging at a much higher spatial and temporal scale, compared with conventional spoiled gradient‐echo train sequences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The radio frequency (RF) power and noise temperature dependency of buffer-free layer AlGaN/GaN on the 6 in. SiC substrate high electron mobility transistor were studied. The buffer-free structure has improved 3% characteristics of the current collapse and pulse measurement at a 30 V drain quiescent voltage. Compared with the conventional thick buffer layer (1.5–2 μm) structure design, the buffer-free layer with high structural quality AlN nucleation layers can reduce self-heating and thermal boundary resistance effect when the devices operate at a high DC power. The buffer-free device exhibits lower surface temperatures and higher powers at the same VGS and VDS than the standard device in thermal imaging measurements. In addition, traditional iron- or carbon-doped buffers were avoided in this design; thus, the buffer-induced microwave noise and thermal noise can be improved simultaneously. Without Fe- or C-doped buffer-induced trap behavior, the buffer-free structure improves the device DC characteristics and reduces the current collapse effect from the conventional buffer; thus, the device shows better linearity, noise figure, and RF small-signal characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the anticipated speed‐up of quantum computing, the achievement of a measurable advantage remains subject to ongoing debate. Adiabatic Quantum Computers (AQCs) are quantum devices designed to solve quadratic uncostrained binary optimization (QUBO) problems, but their intrinsic thermal noise can be leveraged to train computationally demanding machine learning algorithms such as the Boltzmann Machine (BM). Despite an asymptotic advantage is expected only for large networks, a limited quantum speed up can be already achieved on a small 16×16$16\times 16$ BM is shown, by exploiting parallel adiabatic computation. This approach exhibits a 8.6‐fold improvement in wall time on the 4×4$4\times 4$ Bars and Stripes dataset when compared to a parallelized classical Gibbs sampling method, which has never been outperformed before by quantum approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The toolbox to study the Universe grew on 14 September 2015 when the LIGO–Virgo collaboration heard a signal from two colliding black holes between 30 and 250 Hz. Since then, many more gravitational waves have been detected as detectors continue to increase sensitivity. However, the current and future interferometric detectors will never be able to detect gravitational waves below a few Hz due to oceanic activity on Earth. An interferometric space mission, the laser interferometer space antenna, will operate between 1 mHz and 0.1 Hz, leaving a gap in the decihertz band. To detect gravitational-wave signals also between 0.1 and 1 Hz, the Lunar Gravitational-wave Antenna will use an array of seismic stations. The seismic array will be deployed in a permanently shadowed crater on the lunar south pole, which provides stable ambient temperatures below 40 K. A cryogenic superconducting inertial sensor is under development that aims for fm/ √ Hz sensitivity or better down to several hundred mHz, and thermal noise limited below that value. Given the 10 6 m size of the Moon, strain sensitivities below 10 − 20 1/ √ Hz can be achieved. The additional cooling is proposed depending on the used superconductor technology. The inertial sensors in the seismic stations aim to make a differential measurement between the elastic response of the Moon and the inertial sensor proof-mass motion induced by gravitational waves. Here, we describe the current state of research toward the inertial sensor, its applications, and additional auxiliary technologies in the payload of the lunar gravitational-wave detection mission. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nanofluidics, the field interested in flows at the smallest scales, has grown at a fast pace, reaching an ever finer control of fluidic and ionic transport at the molecular level. Until now, artificial pores are far from reaching the wealth of functionalities of biological channels that regulate sensory detection, biological transport, and neurostransmission—all while operating at energies comparable to thermal noise. Here, we argue that artificial ionic machines can be designed by harnessing the entire wealth of phenomena available at the nanoscales and exploiting techniques developed in various fields of physics. As they are generally based on solid-state nanopores, rather than soft membranes and proteins, they should, in particular, aim at taking advantage of their specific properties, such as their electronic structure or their ability to interact with light. These observations call for the design of new ways of probing nanofluidic systems. Nanofluidics is now at the crossroads, there are new avenues to build complex ionic machines, and this may allow to develop new functionalities inspired by nature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Non-contact atomic force microscopy (nc-AFM) offers a unique experimental framework for topographical imaging of surfaces with atomic and/or sub-molecular resolution. The technique also permits to perform frequency shift spectroscopy to quantitatively evaluate the tip–sample interaction forces and potentials above individual atoms or molecules. The stiffness of the probe, k, is then required to perform the frequency shift-to-force conversion. However, this quantity is generally known with little precision. An accurate stiffness calibration is therefore mandatory if accurate force measurements are targeted. In nc-AFM, the probe may either be a silicon cantilever, a quartz tuning fork (QTF), or a length extensional resonator (LER). When used in ultrahigh vacuum (UHV) and at low temperature, the technique mostly employs QTFs, based on the so-called qPlus design, which actually covers different types of sensors in terms of size and design of the electrodes. They all have in common a QTF featuring a metallic tip glued at the free end of one of its prongs. In this study, we report the stiffness calibration of a particular type of qPlus sensor in UHV and at 9.8 K by means of thermal noise measurements. The stiffness calibration of such high-k sensors, featuring high quality factors (Q) as well, requires to master both the acquisition parameters and the data post-processing. Our approach relies both on numerical simulations and experimental results. A thorough analysis of the thermal noise power spectral density of the qPlus fluctuations leads to an estimated stiffness of the first flexural eigenmode of ≃2000 N/m, with a maximum uncertainty of 10%, whereas the static stiffness of the sensor without tip is expected to be ≃3300 N/m. The former value must not be considered as being representative of a generic value for any qPlus, as our study stresses the influence of the tip on the estimated stiffness and points towards the need for the individual calibration of these probes. Although the framework focuses on a particular kind of sensor, it may be adapted to any high-k, high-Q nc-AFM probe used under similar conditions, such as silicon cantilevers and LERs.

MEMS/NEMS resonant sensors hold promise for minute mass and force sensing. However, one major challenge is that conventional externally driven sensors inevitably encounter undesired intrinsic noise, which imposes a fundamental limitation upon their signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and, consequently, the resolution. Particularly, this restriction becomes increasingly pronounced as sensors shrink to the nanoscale. In this work, we propose a counterintuitive paradigm shift that turns intrinsic thermal noise from an impediment to a constituent of the sensor by harvesting it as the driving force, obviating the need for external actuation and realizing 'noise-driven' sensors. Those sensors employ the dynamically amplified response to thermal noise at resonances for stimulus detection. We demonstrate that lightly damped and highly compliant nano-structures with high aspect ratios are promising candidates for this class of sensors. To overcome the phase incoherence of the drive force, three noise-enabled quantitative sensing mechanisms are developed. We validated our sensor paradigm by experimental demonstrating noise-driven pressure and temperature sensors. Noise-driven sensors offer a new opportunity for delivering practical NEMS sensors that can function at room temperature and under ambient pressure, and a development that suggests a path to cheaper, simpler, and low-power-consumption sensors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, a method for entangling two spatially separated output laser fields from an optomechanical cavity is proposed. In the existing standard methods, entanglement is created by driving the two-mode squeezing part of the linearized optomechanical interaction;, however our method generates entanglement using the quantum back-action nullifying meter technique. As a result, entanglement can be generated outside the blue sideband frequency in both resolved and unresolved sideband regimes. We further show that the system is stable in the entire region where the Duan criterion for inseparability is fulfilled. The effect of thermal noise on the generated entanglement is examined. Finally, we compare this technique with standard methods for entanglement generation using optomechanics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Taiji program is dedicated to the detection of middle and low-frequency gravitational waves, targeting the 0.1 mHz to 1 Hz frequency band. The project requires an acceleration residual sensitivity of 3 × 10−15 ms−2/Hz1/2, which necessitates a capacitance sensing resolution of 1 aF/Hz1/2 for the capacitive sensing system within the specified frequency range. The noise level of the resonant bridge significantly influences the resolution. Addressing the challenges in enhancing transformer performance parameters in existing resonant capacitance bridges and the constraints on improving the characteristics of resonant capacitance bridges, this study introduces a novel approach to reduce bridge thermal noise without optimizing existing parameters. The simulation results demonstrate that this scheme can reduce the noise to 0.7 times the original level and further reduce bridge thermal noise when other parameters affecting noise are optimized. This not only mitigates the demands for other performance parameters but also increases the range of maximum acceptable resonant frequency deviations and reduces its sensitivity to such variations. Experimental validation confirms that the proposed scheme effectively reduces noise by 0.7 times and improves the resolution of capacitance sensing to 0.6 aF/Hz1/2, thereby advancing the Taiji program gravitational wave detection capabilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Trans-impedance amplifier (TIA) based capacitance–voltage (C–V) readout circuits are widely used in micro-machined gyroscopes' control system. In this work, the noise performance of a TIA and charge sensitive amplifier (CSA) based C–V readout circuit is analyzed in detail. The theoretical derivation and simulation experiments carried out in this paper show that the thermal noise of high value feedback resistors in TIA dominates the output noise of the circuit, while a CSA-based readout circuit can overcome this shortcoming. Then, a CSA-based C–V readout circuit is designed with a 1.8 V transistor on a 180 nm complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor. This C–V-based readout circuit occupies an area of 0.039 mm2, which is smaller than the area of a 0603 package resistor. When 1 V bias voltage (Vb) is added to the capacitors under test, the tested C–V gain of this circuit is as high as 225 dB, and the tested output noise of the circuit is less than 150 n V / H z . Finally, the fabricated chip achieved a resolution of 840 z F / H z at Vb as low as 1 V. This CSA-based C–V readout circuit has more advantages in terms of noise and area over the TIA circuit and is more suitable for integration into the interface integrated circuit for micro-gyroscopes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Quantum-enhanced receiver is an effective approach to discriminate weak coherent states with better performance. As a typical quantum-enhanced measurement scheme, Dolinar receivers theoretically approach the standard quantum limit by using real-time quantum feedback with optimal displacement and photon measurements. However, thermal noise can interfere with the results of photon measurement, ultimately leading to a degradation of performance. In this paper, we analyze the influence of thermal noise toward the detector and we build a more practical model of quantum-enhanced receiver with a replaced photon number resolving detector under thermal noise. The calculation model for decision strategy and displacement operator is optimized correspondingly by theoretical analysis to further improve the detection performance. This scheme provides an exact number of photons and accuracy calculation model of displacement operator and decision strategy, which reduce the degradation of performance caused by thermal noise. The simulation results show that the thermal noise causes a large interference with the quantum-enhanced measurements. The corrected scheme with the measurement model developed in this paper reduces the degradation of performance caused by thermal noise, and beats the standard quantum limit with the mean photon number of thermal noise less than 0.1. This work provides a meaningful step toward the performance enhancement of coherent state discrimination and enhances the capability for practical applications of quantum-enhanced measurement in coherent optical communications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Secret key exchange relies on the creation of correlated signals, serving as the raw resource for secure communication. Thermal states exhibit Hanbury Brown and Twiss correlations, which offer a promising avenue for generating such signals. In this paper, we present an experimental implementation of a central broadcast thermal-state quantum key distribution (QKD) protocol in the microwave region. Our objective is to showcase a straightforward method of QKD utilizing readily available broadcasting equipment. Unlike conventional approaches to thermal-state QKD, we leverage displaced thermal states. These states enable us to share the output of a thermal source among Alice, Bob, and Eve via both waveguide channels and free space. Through measurement and conversion into bit strings, our protocol produces key-ready bit strings without the need for specialized equipment. By harnessing the inherent noise in thermal broadcasts, our setup facilitates the recovery of distinct bit strings by all parties involved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the macro-kinetics of coal–oxygen reactions is the theoretical foundation for combating coal spontaneous combustion, with focus on obtaining kinetic parameters. There are still open questions, including which thermal analysis kinetics processing methods (TAKPMs) output more confident kinetic parameters, and how these TAKPMs respond in terms of computational accuracy when experimental conditions change. This study evaluated these questions quantitatively, and yielded the following noteworthy findings. (1) Integral processing-based multi-scan methods were more data-friendly than differentials, which produced over 40% error due to thermal noise. (2) Combined 29 widely used most probable reaction mechanism functions (MPRMFs), like Jander, Ginstling–Brounshtein, and Zhuralev–Lesokin–Tempelman, with five popular single-scan methods, and ran 870+ calculations under six experimental conditions. Using traditional model fitting to identify MPRMFs can introduce errors of 4.08–275.49% (median 121.99%). (3) Applied spectroscopy–Málek–Popescu coupling for high-confidence MPRMFs. Its integration into single-scan methods improved computational accuracy, reducing error to the range of 1.84–76.20%. However, a median of 37.76% error indicates that some single-scan methods still failed to yield satisfactory results. (4) Notably, the accuracy of single-scan methods correlated significantly with heating rate, with various methods showing positive or negative correlations. From 5 to 15 K/min, the increase/decrease in accuracy ranged 10.63–244.25% (with median of 51.40%). These findings underline the need for a case-by-case selection of TAKPMs based on experimental conditions, ensuring more confident kinetic parameters. This study introduced a workflow, exemplified with bituminous coal, to assist researchers in selecting the optimal TAKPMs for diverse experimental scenarios. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phonon statistics in a hybrid optomechanical system, where a mechanical resonator is quadratically coupled to a cavity and couples with another resonator via Coulomb interaction is studied. It is found that the conventional and unconventional phonon blockade can be both achieved at the same parameter regime, which is confirmed by analytical and numerical results. By analyzing the energy level structure, it is found that the anharmonicity of the system is the joint action of both the Coulomb interaction and the optomechanical coupling, where the nonlinearity introduced by the latter has a more significant effect on one branch of the conventional phonon blockade. In addition, the phonon blockade can be enhanced by introducing the mechanical parametric amplifier with optimal parameters, where the physical mechanism underlying comes from the multi‐pathway destructive interference. It is found that the phonon blockade is fragile toward thermal noise due to the weak quantum interference, which can be overcome by increasing the driving strength and applying the mechanical parametric amplifier with suitable parameters. This work may provide a way to manipulate the phonon blockade and can be helpful to the application of quantum information processing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Data collection using thermocouple sensors in low-cost data acquisition is prone to noise interference, which could reduce the data quality. Noise sources such as cold junction compensators, electromagnetic interference, and Johnson noise can significantly affect the reliability and accuracy of conventional measurements. This study aims to improve the quality of thermocouple sensor readings on low-cost data acquisition using calibration method based on deep learning and the denoising process using a wavelet transform. This taken approach successfully increase the accuracy value of 97.67% with a mean absolute error (MAE) of 0.2. The precision also increases of 262.7% as indicated by the result of signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) with a value of 105.29 dB. Comparative analysis was carried out against National Instruments® device and it was found that deep-wavelet method had a lower and higher of MAE and SNRdB values of 16.67% and 0.8% respectively. This study shows that the denoising-calibration method with deep-wavelet can improve the accuracy and reliability of data from low-cost thermocouple devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphene/hBN/graphene tunnel devices offer promise as sensitive mid-infrared photodetectors but the microscopic origin underlying the photoresponse in them remains elusive. In this work, we investigated the photocurrent generation in graphene/hBN/graphene tunnel structures with localized defect states under mid-IR illumination. We demonstrate that the photocurrent in these devices is proportional to the second derivative of the tunnel current with respect to the bias voltage, peaking during tunneling through the hBN impurity level. We revealed that the origin of the photocurrent generation lies in the change of the tunneling probability upon radiation-induced electron heating in graphene layers, in agreement with the theoretical model that we developed. Finally, we show that at a finite bias voltage, the photocurrent is proportional to either of the graphene layers heating under the illumination, while at zero bias, it is proportional to the heating difference. Thus, the photocurrent in such devices can be used for accurate measurements of the electronic temperature, providing a convenient alternative to Johnson noise thermometry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Silicon nitride thin films were deposited at room temperature employing a custom ion beam deposition (IBD) system. The stoichiometry of these films was tuned by controlling the nitrogen gas flow through the ion source and a process gas ring. A correlation is established between the process parameters, such as ion beam voltage and ion current, and the optical and mechanical properties of the films based on post-deposition heat treatment. The results show that with increasing heat treatment temperature, the mechanical loss of these materials as well as their optical absorption decreases producing films with an extinction coefficient as low as k = 6.2 (± 0.5) × 10 − 7 at 1064 nm for samples annealed at 900 ∘C. This presents the lowest value for IBD SiN x within the context of gravitational wave detector applications. The mechanical loss of the films was measured to be ϕ = 2.1 (± 0.6) × 10 − 4 once annealed post deposition to 900 ∘C. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the performance of the Spectral Amplitude Coding (SAC) Optical Code Division Multiple-Access (OCDMA) system utilizing the Flexible Double Weight (FDW) code and a newly developed detection technique, the Direct AND (D-AND) detection technique. The newly proposed Direct AND (D-AND) technique comprises three decoder components: a primary decoder, a subtractive decoder (S-decoder), and an addition decoder (A-decoder). The numerous noises investigated in the theoretical research included phase-induced intensity noise, shot noise, thermal noise, and multiple-access interference effects. Bit Error Rate (BER) and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) were used to gauge the system's performance. The Detection (DD) and Single-Photodiode Detection (SPD) results were compared to those of the study of the new detection technique. The newly developed detection technique, which was tested using the FDW code, can support more active users and improve system performance when compared to SPD and DD approaches. The simulation experiment demonstrates that the system's BER performance with the new detection technique is much better than with the earlier techniques. The new detection technique outperforms the previous technique, supporting 284 concurrent users compared to DD 172 concurrent users and SPD 116 concurrent users at a 10 Gbps bit rate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The fluctuations generated by Inflation are nearly Gaussian in the simplest models, but may be non-Gaussian in more complex models, potentially leading to signatures in the late Universe. In particular, local-type primordial non-Gaussianity induces scale-dependent bias in tracers of the matter distribution. This non-Gaussian imprint in the tracer power spectrum survives at late times on ultra-large scales where nonlinearity is negligible. In order to combat the problem of growing cosmic variance on these scales, we use a multi-tracer analysis that combines different tracers to maximise any primordial signal. Previous work has investigated the combination of a spectroscopic galaxy survey with a 21 cm intensity mapping survey in single-dish mode. We extend this work by considering instead the case where the 21 cm intensity mapping survey is optimised for interferometer mode. As examples, we use two multi-tracer pairs of surveys: one at high redshift ( 1 ≤ z ≤ 2 ) and one at very high redshift ( 2 ≤ z ≤ 5 ). The 21 cm surveys are idealised surveys based on HIRAX and PUMA. We implement foreground-avoidance filters and use detailed models of the interferometer thermal noise. The galaxy surveys are idealised surveys based on Euclid and MegaMapper. Via a simple Fisher forecast, we illustrate the potential of the multi-tracer. Our results show a ∼ 20–30% improvement in precision on local primordial non-Gaussianity from the multi-tracer. Furthermore, we investigate the effects on constraints of varying the parameter of non-Gaussian galaxy assembly bias and of varying the parameters of the intensity mapping foreground filters. We find that the non-Gaussian galaxy assembly bias parameter causes a greater change in the constraints on local primordial non-Gaussianity than the foreground filter parameters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The role of thermal fluctuations on the stimulated Raman backscattering instability is investigated by means of Vlasov and particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations in a regime of strong linear Landau damping of the Langmuir wave. The instability is initially convective and amplifies thermal noise, leading to a low-amplitude back-scattered laser sideband. Linear Landau damping of the Langmuir sideband modifies and flattens the electron velocity distribution function at the resonant velocity, leading to a gradual decrease in the Landau damping rate and an increase in the convective amplification. The Langmuir wave traps electrons resulting in a rapid nonlinear absolute instability and large amplitude flashes of backscattered light off large amplitude Langmuir waves with trapped electrons, leading to the production of hot electrons. Conditions for simulating realistic thermal noise with Vlasov and PIC simulations are discussed and defined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, we introduce a new bispectral optical cavity concept for which we design twin pairs of highly reflective, ultra-low noise metamirrors. Metasurfaces, artificial structures composed of periodic or quasi-periodic arrays of nanostructures, offer unprecedented control over light properties, paving the way for new applications in areas from high-precision optical metrology to quantum science. Custom phase and an ultra-high reflection coefficient make these metasurfaces an ideal candidate to surpass traditional multilayer mirrors as metamirrors in precision interferometry, particularly by also minimizing thermal noise. The focusing metamirrors designed in this study expect to reflect 99.95% and 99.96% of the incoming light at both, 1064 nm and 1550 nm wavelength. Their planar counterparts even reach theoretical reflectivities of 99.9999% (1064 nm) and 99.9995% (1550 nm). These specialized metamirrors enable bispectral low-noise optical cavities, which would reduce the number of cavities in optical experiments or could be used as a versatile transfer cavity for frequency locking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The stochastic P-bifurcation behavior of bi-stability in a generalized van der Pol oscillator with the fractional damping under colored noise and thermal excitation is investigated. Firstly, using the principle of minimal mean square error and linearization method, the non-linear stiffness terms can be equivalent to a linear stiffness which is a function of the system amplitude, and the original system is simplified to an equivalent integer order van der Pol system. Secondly, the system amplitude stationary probability density function is obtained by the stochastic averaging, and then based on the singularity theory, the critical parametric conditions for the system amplitude stochastic P-bifurcation are found. Finally, the types of the stationary probability density function of the system amplitude are qualitatively analyzed in each area divided by the transition set curves. The consistency between the analytical results and the numerical results acquired from Monte-Carlo simulation also testifies the theoretical analysis in this paper and the method used in this paper can directly guide the design of the fractional order controller to adjust the response of the system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Temperature fluctuations affect the performance of high-precision gravitational reference sensors. Due to the limited space and the complex interrelations among sensors, it is not feasible to directly measure the temperatures of sensor heads using temperature sensors. Hence, a high-accuracy interpolation method is essential for reconstructing the surface temperature of sensor heads. In this study, we utilized XGBoost-LSTM for sensor head temperature reconstruction, and we analyzed the performance of this method under two simulation scenarios: ground-based and on-orbit. The findings demonstrate that our method achieves a precision that is two orders of magnitude higher than that of conventional interpolation methods and one order of magnitude higher than that of a BP neural network. Additionally, it exhibits remarkable stability and robustness. The reconstruction accuracy of this method meets the requirements for the key payload temperature control precision specified by the Taiji Program, providing data support for subsequent tasks in thermal noise modeling and subtraction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present an interferometric sensor for investigating macroscopic quantum mechanics on a table-top scale. The sensor consists of a pair of suspended optical cavities with finesse over 350,000 comprising 10 g fused silica mirrors. The interferometer is suspended by a four-stage, light, in-vacuum suspension with three common stages, which allows for us to suppress common-mode motion at low frequency. The seismic noise is further suppressed by an active isolation scheme, which reduces the input motion to the suspension point by up to an order of magnitude starting from 0.7 Hz. In the current room-temperature operation, we achieve a peak sensitivity of 0.5 fm/ Hz in the acoustic frequency band, limited by a combination of readout noise and suspension thermal noise. Additional improvements of the readout electronics and suspension parameters will enable us to reach the quantum radiation pressure noise. Such a sensor can eventually be utilized for demonstrating macroscopic entanglement and for testing semi-classical and quantum gravity models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Flicker noise is a sensitive tool for probing the dynamics of two‐level systems. Herein, this technique is employed to study the dependence of conductance noise on disorder for two versions of amorphous indium oxide films. The disorder in these substances may be tuned by thermal treatment that is manifested by enhanced conductivity. Structural studies reveal that this is mainly due to densification of the material. A similar reduction of volume has been achieved in glasses when subjected to high pressures. Both protocols, pressure and heat treatment, initiate nonequilibrium state that slowly relaxes. This relaxation is reflected in the sample conductivity and its optical transmission as a monotonic change. The magnitude of 1/f noise during these events turns out to fluctuate appreciably following changes in the sample conductance caused by thermal treatment. This may overshadow the tendency of the noise level to increase with disorder. Possible reasons for the fluctuations of noise levels in highly disordered systems are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A study is presented of the thermal-mechanical noise and response to sound of microphones that are designed to be driven by the viscous forces in air rather than by sound pressure. Virtually all existing microphone designs are intended to respond to sound pressure. The structures examined here consist of thin, micro-scale, cantilever beams. The viscous forces that drive the beams are proportional to the relative velocity between the beams and fluid medium. The beams' movement in response to sound is similar to that of the air in a plane acoustic wave. The thermal-mechanical noise of these beams is found to be a very weak function of their width and length; the size of the sensing structure does not appear to significantly affect the performance. This differs from the well-known importance of the size of a pressure-sensing microphone in determining the pressure-referred noise floor. Creating microphones that sense fluid motion rather than pressure could enable a significant reduction in the size of the sensing element. Calculated results are revealed to be in excellent agreement with the measured pressure-referred thermal noise. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In modern industrial production, high-temperature environments are commonplace, posing significant challenges to equipment stability, safety, and production efficiency. Machine vision, as an effective automated inspection technology, has attracted extensive attention in high-temperature settings. However, the unique conditions of high temperatures, such as significant thermal noise and optical interference, demand enhanced performance from machine vision systems. The second law of thermodynamics provides a theoretical foundation for understanding these challenges, emphasizing the increase of entropy in energy transformation and transfer processes, and guides the design and optimization of machine vision systems in high-temperature environments. This paper aims to comprehensively explore the application of machine vision based on the second law of thermodynamics in high-temperature industrial inspection, focusing on two core issues: the impact of thermodynamic parameters on the performance of machine vision systems and the technology for analyzing high-temperature industrial infrared images using multiscale entropy. By thoroughly analyzing how thermodynamic parameters influence the design and implementation of machine vision systems, and by developing infrared image processing algorithms adapted to high temperatures, this study seeks to enhance the efficiency and accuracy of machine vision technology in high-temperature industrial applications, providing theoretical support and technical guidance for the advancement of intelligent manufacturing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The transition-edge sensor (TES) as a type of low-temperature superconducting detector offers superior sensitivity due to its low thermal noise. In this work, we present a prototype TES bolometer designed for cosmic microwave background (CMB) polarization measurements. This TES is made of aluminum doped with a low concentration of manganese (2000 ppm by atomic percentage), and is deposited on the SiNx membrane which connects to the silicon substrate via narrow legs. In order to calculate its electrothermal parameters we have performed dark characterizations, which include measuring voltage-current (IV) curve at different bath temperatures, square-wave time response at various bias voltages, and noise level. This TES bolometer shows a noise equivalent power (NEP) of about 5 × 10 - 17 W/ Hz , which meets the requirement of CMB observation. However, its saturation power is smaller and time constant is larger than what are expected. We have analyzed the reasons and will make corresponding improvements in our future work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Quantum annealers are suited to solve several logistic optimization problems expressed in the QUBO formulation. However, the solutions proposed by the quantum annealers are generally not optimal, as thermal noise and other disturbing effects arise when the number of qubits involved in the calculation is too large. In order to deal with this issue, we propose the use of the classical branch-and-bound algorithm, that divides the problem into sub-problems which are described by a lower number of qubits. We analyze the performance of this method on two problems, the knapsack problem and the traveling salesman problem. Our results show the advantages of this method, that balances the number of steps that the algorithm has to make with the amount of error in the solution found by the quantum hardware that the user is willing to risk. The results are obtained using the commercially available quantum hardware D-Wave Advantage, and they outline the strategy for a practical application of the quantum annealers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigate the THz intersubband absorption behavior of a single 40-nm wide GaAs/AlGaAs square quantum well (QW) using Johnson noise thermometry. In our measurements, the Johnson noise associated with intersubband absorption is measured from the in-plane conduction channel of the QW while its intersubband absorption behavior is being tuned through the independent control of the charge density and the perpendicular DC electric field. Our measurements enable the study of intersubband absorption of a small (∼20,000 and potentially fewer) number of electrons in a single mesoscopic device, as well as direct measurement of the electron heating from intersubband absorption. By measuring the Johnson noise response to monochromatic THz radiation at 2.52 THz and 4.25 THz at 20 K as a function of the DC electric field over a wide range of charge density, we show that the observed Johnson noise behavior correlates well with the expected intersubband absorption of the 40-nm QW. To explain the absorption features of the experimental results, we model the data by calculating the THz coupling efficiency based on the impedance model for intersubband absorption, which qualitatively reproduces the observed Johnson noise behavior well. Based on the temperature calibration of the Johnson noise measured at 2.52 THz, we deduce an increase in the electron temperature ΔTe of ∼ 35 K when the maximum absorption of THz power occurs in the device. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The first quantum revolution has brought us the classical Internet and information technology. Today, as technology advances rapidly, the second quantum revolution quietly arrives, with a crucial moment for quantum technology to establish large-scale quantum networks. However, solid-state quantum bits (such as superconducting and semiconductor qubits) typically operate in the microwave frequency range, making it challenging to transmit signals over long distances. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop quantum transducer chips capable of converting microwaves into optical photons in the communication band, since the thermal noise of optical photons at room temperature is negligible, rendering them an ideal information carrier for large-scale spatial communication. Such devices are important for connecting different physical platforms and efficiently transmitting quantum information. This paper focuses on the fast-developing field of optomechanical quantum transducers, which has flourished over the past decade, yielding numerous advanced achievements. We categorize transducers based on various mechanical resonators and discuss their principles of operation and their achievements. Based on existing research on optomechanical transducers, we compare the parameters of several mechanical resonators and analyze their advantages and limitations, as well as provide prospects for the future development of quantum transducers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We use thermal noise induced currents to image the real and imaginary parts of the conductivity of a body. Covariances of the thermal noise currents measured at a few electrodes are shown to be related to a deterministic problem. We use the covariances obtained while selectively heating the body to recover the real power density in the body under known boundary conditions and at a known frequency. The resulting inverse problem is related to acousto-electric tomography, but where the conductivity is complex and only the real power is measured. We study the local solvability of this problem by determining where its linearization is elliptic. Numerical experiments illustrating this inverse problem are included. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]