Bell's inequality with times rather than angles

Abstract

An abstract treatment of Bell inequalities is proposed, in which the parameters characterizing Bell's observable can be times rather than directions. The violation of a Bell inequality might then be taken to mean that the property of a system can be changed by the timing of a distant measurement, which could take place in the future.     

Single-photon detector characterization using correlated photons: The march from feasibility to metrology

Abstract

Correlated photons can be used to directly measure the detection efficiency of photon counting detectors without any ties to externally calibrated standards. An overview of the history of this technique is given and the paper reviews how to implement it in a practical lab setting. Some of the sources of uncertainty in the technique and how they can be minimized and quantified are discussed. The intent is to provide the information necessary to encourage the movement of this technique from the metrology lab into the general photon-counting detector community.     

Entangling single photons from independently tuned semiconductor nanoemitters

Quantum communication systems based on nanoscale semiconductor devices is challenged by inhomogeneities from device to device. We address this challenge using ZnMgSe/ZnSe quantum-well nanostructures with local laser-based heating to tune the emission of single impurity-bound exciton emitters in two separate devices. The matched emission in combination with photon bunching enables quantum interference from the devices and allows the postselection of polarization-entangled single photons. The ability to entangle single photons emitted from nanometer-sized sources separated by macroscopic distances provides an essential step for a solid-state realization of a large-scale quantum optical network. This paves the way toward measurement-based entanglement generation between remote electron spins localized at macroscopically separated fluorine impurities.     

Detecting photons: Properties and challenges

This paper reports on work being carried out on detector characterisation at the National Physical Laboratory in the UK. It focuses on the development of a new technique based on correlated photons produced via parametric downconversion which can be used to directly measure the quantum efficiency of photon counting detectors. The main drivers for these measurements are the wide uptake of few photon optical technologies and the rapidly progressing field of quantum information processing which operates in the photon counting regime. Photodetection in the fields of biology, nuclear physics and astrophysics will also benefit from this work. The potential of this technique for realising primary radiometric scales will also be briefly discussed.     

Heat transfer from plates to conductors: from toroidal field model coil tests analysis to ITER model

During a safety discharge of toroidal field type magnets, eddy currents and associated heat generation are induced in the plates. A model has been developed from the thermohydraulic code Gandalf with introduction of the equations of the heat diffusion from plates to conductors through the steel and insulation. The comparison of calculation and experimental results for the ITER toroidal field model coil is presented.Preliminary analysis for the ITER toroidal field coils is also presented, taking into account the conductor parameters, the magnetic field and the external hydraulic circuit. The possible quench of the magnetic system is discussed.     

How to catch an atom with single photons

Abstract

We report on trapping a single neutral atom in the standing-wave light field of a high-finesse optical cavity containing one photon on average, a single-photon optical trap, or SPOT for short. This trap has the novel feature that the light field is also used to observe the atom in real time. The oscillatory motion of the trapped atom induces well-resolved oscillations of the light intensity. Periodic structure is visible in the fourth-order intensity correlation function, attributed to long-distance flights of the atom along the standing wave. The finite duration of those flights provides evidence for cavity-mediated cooling of atoms. We discuss the various mechanisms determining the trapping time and compare the results with a quantum-jump Monte Carlo simulation to interpret the observed signals.     

Highly efficient coupling of photons from nanoemitters into single-mode optical fibers

Highly efficient coupling of photons from nanoemitters into single-mode optical fibers is demonstrated using tapered fibers. A percentage (7.4 ± 1.2%) of the total emitted photons from single CdSe/ZnS nanocrystals were coupled into a 300 nm diameter tapered fiber. The dependence of the coupling efficiency on the taper diameter was investigated and the coupling efficiency was found to increase exponentially with decreasing diameter. This method is very promising for nanoparticle sensing and single-photon sources.     

A water Cherenkov counter sensitive to nonwaveshifted ultraviolet Cherenkov photons

We describe a prototype water Cherenkov counter which has been built and tested with relativistic cosmic ray muons. An analysis of the expected photoelectron yield is described. The predicted result of 315 ± 31 photoelectrons is compared with the experimental result of 272 ± 30 photoelectrons. We find that over 70% of the Cherenkov photons detected have wavelengths less than 400 nm.     

Personal dose equivalent conversion coefficients for photons to 1 GeV

The personal dose equivalent, H(p)(d), is the quantity recommended by the International Commission on Radiation Units and Measurements (ICRU) to be used as an approximation of the protection quantity effective dose when performing personal dosemeter calibrations. The personal dose equivalent can be defined for any location and depth within the body. Typically, the location of interest is the trunk, where personal dosemeters are usually worn, and in this instance a suitable approximation is a 30 × 30 × 15 cm(3) slab-type phantom. For this condition, the personal dose equivalent is denoted as H(p,slab)(d) and the depths, d, are taken to be 0.007 cm for non-penetrating and 1 cm for penetrating radiation. In operational radiation protection a third depth, 0.3 cm, is used to approximate the dose to the lens of the eye. A number of conversion coefficients for photons are available for incident energies up to several megaelectronvolts, however, data to higher energies are limited. In this work, conversion coefficients up to 1 GeV have been calculated for H(p,slab)(10) and H(p,slab)(3) both by using the kerma approximation and tracking secondary charged particles. For H(p)(0.07), the conversion coefficients were calculated, but only to 10 MeV due to computational limitations. Additionally, conversions from air kerma to H(p,slab)(d) have been determined and are reported. The conversion coefficients were determined for discrete incident energies, but analytical fits of the coefficients over the energy range are provided. Since the inclusion of air can influence the production of secondary charged particles incident on the face of the phantom, conversion coefficients have been determined both in vacuo and with the source and slab immersed within a sphere in air. The conversion coefficients for the personal dose equivalent are compared with the appropriate protection quantity, calculated according to the recommendations of the latest International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) guidance.     

Energy responses of the LiF series TL pellets to high-energy photons in the energy range from 1.25 to 21 MV

The energy responses for the KLT-300(LiF:Mg,Cu,Na,Si, Korea), GR-200(LiF:Mg,Cu,P, China) and MCP-N(LiF:Mg,Cu,P, Poland) thermoluminescence(TL) pellets were studied for a photon radiation with energies from 1.25 MeV(60Co) to 21 MV (Microtron) to verify the usefulness of the calibration for the radiotherapy beams. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the World Health Organization (WHO) have performed thermoluminescence dosimetry (TLD) audits to verify the calibration of the beams by TL powder, but TL pellets were used in this study because the element correction factor (ECF), defined as the factor to correct the variations that all TL dosemeters cannot be manufactured to have exactly the same TL efficiency, for each TL pellet could be accurately derived and be handled conveniently when compared with the powder. Also several works for the energy response of the TLDs were done for the low-energy photon beams up to 60Co, but they will be extended in this experiment to the high photon energies (up to 20 MV), which are widely used in the therapy level of a radiation. The PTW 30006 ionisation chamber was calibrated by the Korea primary standards to establish the air-kerma rates and the TL pellets were irradiated in a specially designed waterproof pellet holder in a water phantom (30 x 30 x 30 cm3) just like the IAEA postal audits programme. This result was compared with that of another type of phantom [10 (W) x 10 (L) x 10 (H) cm3 PMMA Perspex phantom for the 60Co and 6 MV photon, and 10 x 10 x 20 (H) cm3 for the 10 and 21 MV photon] for its convenient use and easy handling and installation in a hospital. The results show that the differences of the responses for the water phantom and PMMA Perspex phantom were negligible, which is contrary to the general conception that a big difference would be expected. For an application of these results to verify the therapy beams, an appropriate energy correction factor should be applied to the energies and phantom types in use.     

Optimised geometry to calculate dose rate conversion coefficient for external exposure to photons

A single-parameter geometry to describe soil is achieved for Monte Carlo calculation of absorbed dose rate in air for photon emitters from natural radionuclides. This optimised geometry based on physical assumptions consists of the soil part whose emitted radiation has a given minimum probability to reach the detector. This geometry was implemented in Geant4 toolkit and a significant reduction in computation time was achieved. Simulation tests have shown that for soil represented by a cylinder of 40 m radius and 1 m deep, >98% of the calculated dose rate conversion coefficients in air at 1 m above the ground is generated by only 6% of the soil volume in the case of uniform distribution of radioactivity, and >99.2% of the calculated dose rate for an exponential distribution. When the soil is represented by the entire optimised geometry, 99% of the conversion coefficients values are reached for a soil depth of 1 m and 100% for that of approximately 2 m.     

A variational‐inequality approach to stochastic boundary value problems with inequality constraints and its application to contact and elastoplasticity

This paper is concerned with stochastic boundary value problems (SBVPs) whose formulation involves inequality constraints. A class of stochastic variational inequalities (SVIs) is defined, which is well adapted to characterize the solution of specified inequality‐constrained SBVPs. A methodology for solving such SVIs is proposed, which involves their discretization by projection onto polynomial chaos and collocation of the inequality constraints, followed by the solution of a finite‐dimensional constrained optimization problem. Simulation studies in contact and elastoplasticity are provided to demonstrate the proposed framework. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Energy response of a two-dimensional sheet-type LiF:Mg,Cu,P TL dosemeter to photons

A 2-D tissue-equivalent sheet-type dosemeter (NTL sheet) was developed using thermoluminescent material of LiF:Mg,Cu,P (NTL-250). The energy responses of the NTL sheet and NTL-250 powder were measured with 10-150 keV monoenergetic photons from synchrotron radiation at SPring-8. The sample was irradiated by a rotational method for the uniform irradiation with the narrow beam. Linearity of the NTL-250 was confirmed up to 2 Gy. Energy responses of the NTL sheet and NTL-250 powder were close to that of soft tissue. On the other hand, the BaSO(4) sheet, which has been used practically, showed the response that the sensitivity approximately 60 keV was 100 times higher than that for (60)Co gamma rays. Therefore the NTL sheet can be said to have excellent properties for dose measurements.     

Calibration of EPR signal dose response of tooth enamel to photons: experiment and Monte Carlo simulation

The experimental energy dependence of the electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) radiation-induced signal at irradiation by photons in the energy range of 13 keV-1.25 MeV was analysed in terms of the absorbed dose in human tooth enamel. The latter was calculated using a Monte Carlo simulation of the photon and electron transport. The dependence of the calculated absorbed dose on the sample thickness was analysed. No energy dependence of the EPR signal on the absorbed dose in enamel was verified in the range of 37 keV-1.25 MeV. At 13 and 20 keV the EPR signal dose response was reduced by 8% probably due to sample powdering. Dose-depth profiles in enamel samples irradiated by 1.25 MeV photons in polymethylmethacrylate and aluminium build-up materials were calculated. It was concluded that secondary electron equilibrium conditions are better fulfilled for irradiation in aluminium, which makes this material preferable for calibration.     

Suggested parameter to estimate the region probed by photons in laser-based measurements

Abstract

In many biomedical applications of laser radiation to estimate optical parameters in tissue, it is desirable, if not crucial, to describe the region being probed. We suggest a parameter for this purpose, based on a lattice random walk on a simple cubic lattice. It is the expected number of distinct sites visited by a random walker. This is relatively easy to compute, although higher moments are not. Detailed computations are given for a continuous-wave measurement on a semi-infinite medium bounded by an absorbing plane and for a slab geometry required to analyse transillumination experiments.     

Long-term reactive transport modelling of stabilized/solidified waste: from dynamic leaching tests to disposal scenarios

Environmental impact assessment of hazardous waste disposal relies, among others, on standardized leaching tests characterized by a strong coupling between diffusion and chemical processes. In that respect, this study shows that reactive transport modelling is a useful tool to extrapolate laboratory results to site conditions characterized by lower solution/solid (L/S) ratios, site specific geometry, infiltration, etc. A cement solidified/stabilized (S/S) waste containing lead is investigated as a typical example. The reactive transport model developed in a previous study to simulate the initial state of the waste as well as laboratory batch and dynamic tests is first summarized. Using the same numerical code (HYTEC), this model is then integrated to a simplified waste disposal scenario assuming a defective cover and rain water infiltration. The coupled evolution of the S/S waste chemistry and the pollutant plume migration are modelled assessing the importance of the cracking state of the monolithic waste. The studied configurations correspond to an undamaged and fully sealed system, a few main fractures between undamaged monoliths and, finally, a dense crack-network in the monoliths. The model considers the potential effects of cracking, first the increase of rain water and carbon dioxide infiltration and, secondly, the increase of L/S ratio and reactive surfaces, using either explicit fracture representation or dual porosity approaches.     

Soil properties from centrifuge liquefaction tests

An analysis of the process of settling, solidification and consolidation of a sand liquefied by vibration in two centrifuge tests at different acceleration levels is presented. It is shown that the relevant material properties can be obtained readily from appropriate measurements, when the solution for consolidation in a soil layer accreting linearly with time is employed.