Observation of ballistic upstream modes at fractional quantum Hall edges of graphene

The presence of “upstream” modes, moving against the direction of charge current flow in the fractional quantum Hall (FQH) phases, is critical for the emergence of renormalized modes with exotic quantum statistics. Detection of excess noise at the edge is a smoking gun for the presence of upstream modes. Here, we report noise measurements at the edges of FQH states realized in dual graphite-gated bilayer graphene devices. A noiseless dc current is injected at one of the edge contacts, and the noise generated at contacts at length, L = 4 μm and 10 μm away along the upstream direction is studied. For integer and particle-like FQH states, no detectable noise is measured. By contrast, for “hole-conjugate” FQH states, we detect a strong noise proportional to the injected current, unambiguously proving the existence of upstream modes. The noise magnitude remains independent of length, which matches our theoretical analysis demonstrating the ballistic nature of upstream energy transport, quite distinct from the diffusive propagation reported earlier in GaAs-based systems.

Problems of acoustic safety in power engineering

Environmental safety issues are becoming increasingly important in the life of society. Among environmental safety issues in power engineering, acoustic safety occupies a special place. The problem of acoustic safety is associated with the fact that the regular operation of power equipment leads to an increased noise level, and power facilities are located in close proximity to residential areas. In this work, acoustic calculations were performed to determine the sanitary protection zone for gas turbines units (GTU) and combined cycle gas turbine units (CCGT) of various capacities. A formula was obtained for calculating the width of the sanitary protection zone depending on the capacity of gas turbine units and combined cycle plants and their number. It is shown that the sanitary protection zone (SPZ) of a power unit of high capacity is smaller than the sanitary protection zone of several power units of the same capacity. It is found that the noise levels from individual groups of equipment can determine the noise level at the entire border of the sanitary protection zone or in its individual sections. At the same time, noise suppression measures should be taken for all sources that generate noise levels in excess of standards. It is necessary to start noise suppression measures from those sources that generate excess noise in a larger section of the sanitary protection zone.

Excess Noise Factor in Avalanche Photodiodes with Dead Space Effect

This project aims to produce a graphical user interface (GUI) for MATLAB programs written byJ.S.Marsland as part of his research into the excess noise factor in avalanche photodiodes (APDs). TheGUI will be produced using the GUIDE package supplied with the MATLAB software combined withthe MATLAB programs. The GUI will then be used to compare this research work with the researchwork of others e.g. the Monte Carlo calculations made by the research group at the FrenchAerospace Laboratory (ONERA). Comparison with other research work will require the digitization ofsome graphs published in academic journals.

Intracavity Measurement Sensitivity Enhancement without Runaway Noise

A method to increase the sensitivity of an intracavity differential phase measurement that is not made irrelevant by a larger increase of noise is explored. By introducing a phase velocity feedback by way of a resonant dispersive element in an active sensor in which two ultrashort pulses circulate, it is shown that the measurement sensitivity is elevated without significantly increasing the Petermann excess noise factor. This enhancement technique has considerable implications for any optical phase based measurement; from gyroscopes and accelerometers to magnetometers and optical index measurements. Here we describe the enhancement method in the context of past dispersion enhancement studies including the recent work surrounding non-Hermitian quantum mechanics, justify the method with a theoretical framework (including numerical simulations), and propose practical applications.

Practical security analysis of continuous-variable quantum key distribution with unbalanced heterodyne detector

When developing practical continuous-variable quantum key distribution (CVQKD), detector is necessary at the receiver’s side.We investigate the practical security of the CVQKD system with unbalanced heterodyne detector.The result shows that unbalanced heterodyne detector introduces extra excess noise into system and decreases the lower bound of secret key rate without awareness of the legitimate communicators, which leaves loopholes for Eve to attack the system. In addition, we find that the secret key rate decreases more severely with the increase of the degree of imbalance and the excess noise induced by the imbalance is proportional to the intensity of local oscillator (LO) under the same degree of imbalance. Finally, the countermeasure is proposed to resist this kind of effects.

Attitudes towards Safe Listening Measures in Entertainment Venues: Results from an International Survey among Young Venue-Goers

Background: Sustained exposure to excess noise in recreational settings is among the main causes of hearing loss among young adults worldwide. Within a global effort to develop standards for safe listening in entertainment venues, this study aims at identifying modifiable factors (knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs), which can hinder or facilitate the acceptance of safe listening measures in public venues among young venue-goers. Methods: An online questionnaire was developed inspired by the Health Belief Model. It was divided into five sections: (i) socio-demographics (ii) listening habits, (iii) experiences with loud music, (iv) knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs, and (v) willingness to change. Participants were recruited through social media. Results: 2264 individuals aged 16–35 completed the questionnaire. Most visited entertainment venues relatively infrequently, with the majority of them only visiting once per month or less. Nevertheless, most reported having experienced the negative consequences of listening to loud music. Overall, most people were favorable towards preventive measures, especially quiet areas. Conclusion: Our findings stress the urge to address the issue of safe listening in public venues and support an approach based on the introduction of standards. Moreover, they provide us with information on key factors to be considered when introducing and communicating preventive measures in public entertainment venues.

Vulnerability of Satellite Quantum Key Distribution to Disruption from Ground-Based Lasers

Satellite-mediated quantum key distribution (QKD) is set to become a critical technology for quantum-secure communication over long distances. While satellite QKD cannot be effectively eavesdropped, we show it can be disrupted (or ‘jammed’) with relatively simple and readily available equipment. We developed an atmospheric attenuation and satellite optical scattering model to estimate the rate of excess noise photons that can be injected into a satellite QKD channel by an off-axis laser, and calculated the effect this added noise has on the quantum bit error rate. We show that a ground-based laser on the order of 1 kW can significantly disrupt modern satellite QKD systems due to photons scattering off the satellite being detected by the QKD receiver on the ground. This class of laser can be purchased commercially, meaning such a method of disruption could be a serious threat to effectively securing high-value communications via satellite QKD in the future. We also discuss these results in relation to likely future developments in satellite-mediated QKD systems, and countermeasures that can be taken against this, and related methods, of disruption.

Why We Should Be Skeptical of Quantum Computing

<div>It is widely believed that quantum computing is on the threshold of practicality, with performance that will soon greatly surpass that of classical computing. On the contrary, I argue that quantum computing does not currently exist, and probably never will. First, although quantum annealing systems have been demonstrated to solve practical optimization problems, they are actually performing classical analog annealing, with no quantum enhancement. In contrast, while systems of quantum gate arrays, which are expected to perform digital quantum computing, have been fabricated with up to ~ 100 qubits in several technologies, they have not performed any practical computations. This is not merely a question of excess noise; the theory of massive quantum entanglement, necessary for the desired performance, has never been actually been verified. The well-established quantum results such as electronic energy bands do not incorporate quantum entanglement. I suggest that the experimental observations in multi-qubit systems may be explained as the result of delocalized coupled oscillator modes, similar to that in electronic energy bands. Such coupled modes would not yield the exponential increase in degrees of freedom needed for quantum speedup, and hence would not be useful for computing. Tests on these multi-qubit systems should be able to distinguish these two models. The quantum computing research community really needs to address this issue.</div>

Why We Should Be Skeptical of Quantum Computing

<div>It is widely believed that quantum computing is on the threshold of practicality, with performance that will soon greatly surpass that of classical computing. On the contrary, I argue that quantum computing does not currently exist, and probably never will. First, although quantum annealing systems have been demonstrated to solve practical optimization problems, they are actually performing classical analog annealing, with no quantum enhancement. In contrast, while systems of quantum gate arrays, which are expected to perform digital quantum computing, have been fabricated with up to ~ 100 qubits in several technologies, they have not performed any practical computations. This is not merely a question of excess noise; the theory of massive quantum entanglement, necessary for the desired performance, has never been actually been verified. The well-established quantum results such as electronic energy bands do not incorporate quantum entanglement. I suggest that the experimental observations in multi-qubit systems may be explained as the result of delocalized coupled oscillator modes, similar to that in electronic energy bands. Such coupled modes would not yield the exponential increase in degrees of freedom needed for quantum speedup, and hence would not be useful for computing. Tests on these multi-qubit systems should be able to distinguish these two models. The quantum computing research community really needs to address this issue.</div>